Stephen A defends Brooks, Rockets for attacking Steph's injured thumb originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Stephen A. Smith saw no issue with the Houston Rockets going after Steph Curry’s injured thumb during their first-round Western Conference playoff series with the Warriors.

The outspoken ESPN analyst had a harsh response to Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s comments about Rockets forward Dillon Brooks swiping at Curry’s hand under the NBA’s “idiotic” rules.

“In case you don’t know, I think Steve Kerr is one of the top-six greatest coaches in the history of basketball,” Smith said Thursday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “I think he’s phenomenal. And I think he’s a good man, very contentious. But sometimes this Goody Two-shoes sanctimonious approach, it really rakes my nerves. Like he’s so above the fray. This man is a champion. Champion in Chicago. Champion in San Antonio. Champion as a coach in Golden State. He knows what comes with it.

“If you have a hurt thumb, hurt ankle, whatever debilitating issue you have, it’s going to be attacked. The man’s thumb is compromised on his shooting hand. The greatest shooter that ever lived might be compromised. And somebody’s not going to try to exploit that? Stop.”

.@stephenasmith and @RealJayWilliams on Dillon Brooks' comments about Stephen Curry's thumb injury.

"Whenever you hear about weaknesses that people have, you go at that." 👀 pic.twitter.com/YxlnD6FcfR

— First Take (@FirstTake) May 1, 2025

Curry has been dealing with a thumb injury since January, re-aggravating it at the end of the regular season. Since the start of the series, it has been clear that Houston knows this and is going after Curry’s thumb whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Fellow ESPN analyst Jay Williams seconded Smith’s opinion, as the former NBA player explained how attacking a player’s injury is just part of the game. 

“I love it, it’s basketball,” Williams said. “First off, look. Stephen A. and I are supposed to play a one-on-one game. I heard him talk about how his elbow is hurting. I’m attacking the elbows then. Last year it was the shoulder. I’m attacking the shoulder. Whenever you hear about weaknesses that people have, you go at them.”

The Rockets have played a tough and physical series with the Warriors so far, utilizing their length and youthfulness to stymie Golden State’s shooters on every possession. After Wednesday night’s 131-116 blowout loss to the Rockets, the Warriors can ill-afford another off game when the series returns to Chase Center on Friday for Game 6.

All eyes will be on Curry’s wrapped thumb as he and Golden State look to close out the series against Houston and move on to the Western Conference semifinals.

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In 2021, the Clippers lost Game 5 in the first round of the playoffs to the Dallas Mavericks to go down 3-2 in the best-of-seven series but won the next two games and eventually advanced to the franchise’s first conference finals.

Here the Clippers stand again, having lost Game 5 of the playoffs to the Denver Nuggets to fall behind 3-2 in the best-of-seven series and face a must-win Game 6 on Thursday night at Intuit Dome to stave off elimination.

Clippers center Ivica Zubac was a part of that group in 2021 and he’s a major part of this squad now. He recalled the mental fortitude it took for the Clippers to fight back.

After the Clippers were blown out in Game 5 in Denver on Tuesday night, Zubac said it will probably take even more from them this time because the Nuggets are far more formidable with transcendent superstar Nikola Jokic, with All-Star guard Jamal Murray and home-court advantage.

“We got to win,” Zubac said late Tuesday night in Denver. “We got to win both. Take it one game at a time. It’s an elimination game for us. So, we can’t start out like this. We got to leave everything out there, play hard, whatever it takes, whatever we have to do. We got to be better. We got to be ready to do whatever it takes. Treat it one game at a time. Win a Game 6, give yourself a chance to come back here [to Denver] and try to force a Game 7.”

The Clippers have lost the last two games to the Nuggets and in both defeats James Harden hasn’t been a factor.

Read more:Clippers falter against Nuggets and are one loss away from end of season

He has averaged 13 points per game in the two losses, shot 40% from the field and 25% from three-point range.

It’s become clear that the Nuggets have focused their defense on Harden, making sure that Christian Braun is with Harden every step he takes on the court. Harden hasn’t talked to the media after the last two games so it was left up to Clippers coach Tyronn Lue to explain what’s happening with his All-Star guard.

“I think Denver made their mind up, they are going to try to take him out of the series after the first two or three games,” Lue said late Tuesday night in Denver. “They are doing a good job. I got to do a better job of just finding ways to get him open, to get him space and provide more [isolations], just because they are blitzing him so much and trying to beat him to his spots.”

With their season on the line, Lue also talked about the three-point shooting and the effects that has had on the series.

When the Clippers blew out the Nuggets in Game 3 by 34 points, they shot 18 for 39 (46.2%) from three-point range. When the Nuggets blew out the Clippers in Game 5 by 16 points, they made 17 of 33 (51.5%) from three-point range, and that effort was led by Murray, who shot eight for 14 from three.

“I mean, we got to respond,” Lue said. “We blew them out in Game 3 and they came back and responded in Game 4. So, we got to do the same thing. I mean, I don’t know what changes you can make. They made shots. Like I said, making 17 threes and they blew us out. We made 18 threes and we blew them out. So, the three-point line is going to be the most important thing. We got to make sure we are taking care of that, which we didn’t do a good job of tonight. But going back home, Intuit will be rocking. We’ll be fine.”

Starting slowly is another problem the Clippers have dealt with.

In Game 4, they got down by 20 points in the fourth, took a one-point lead and then lost on a buzzer-beating dunk by Aaron Gordon. In Game 5, the Clippers got down by 22 in the fourth, cut the deficit to eight points and then faded.

“Just try to get out to a better start early,” Kawhi Leonard said Tuesday night. “I think pretty much the whole series they probably got out to a great start on us. Just trying to stay in the game early instead of trying to make the heroic comebacks. That’s all we can do. We got to fight, man.”

In the end, the Clippers win or go home for the summer.

“We got to figure it out,” Zubac said. “We got to be better in Game 6.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

LeBron James wouldn’t commit to a decision about his future Wednesday night, striking a similar tone to his post-series comments after losses in the previous two years.

“I don't have an answer to that,” James said to questions about his future. “[It’s] something I sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens. And just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play.

“I don't know the answer to that right now to be honest.”

The Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs Wednesday night, the first-round series wrapping with James scoring 22 points.

He has a player option for next season worth $52.6 million.

“I think the only thing is it is up to me or if I want to continue to play or how long continue to play,” he said. “It's ultimately up to me. So it has nothing to do about anybody else.”

In his 22nd season, James played 70 games and averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds. In a wild testament to his continued work ethic, he shot a career-high 78.2% from the free-throw line. In Game 3 against Minnesota, James scored 38 points, the most ever scored in a playoff game by a player 40 years old or older.

Asked about retirement during the season, James said he was comfortable with the thought.

“It won’t be because I can’t play this game at a high level. It won’t be because of that,” he said Dec. 30 on his 40th birthday. “Because to be honest, if I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level probably for about another — it’s weird that I might say this — but probably about another five to seven years, if I wanted to. But I’m not going to do that.”

James emerged as one of the Lakers’ defensive leaders and took on an even bigger role on that side of the court following the team’s trade for Luka Doncic that cost them Anthony Davis.

Read more:Lakers' season comes to a disappointing end with first-round loss to Timberwolves

Wednesday, James jokingly refused to comment when asked about the Lakers needing to play small lineups after the trade, referencing Davis' open desire for the team to acquire a center.

"My guy A.D. said what he needed, and he was gone the following week. So I got no comment," he said to laughs. "With that uniform on every night, I gave everything I had. And that's all that matters."

Coach JJ Redick consistently praised James’ competitive endurance throughout the season. Wednesday, James gave a full-on endorsement to Redick for his first season on the Lakers’ bench.

“I don't know what the roster will look like. I don't know where I stand right now, but I think whatever happens, I think JJ is gonna continue to grow,” James said Wednesday. “Thought he had a hell of a rookie campaign for a rookie coach. And it's a lot different being a rookie coach. It's already hard being a rookie coach in the NBA. And it's a hell of a lot harder being a rookie head coach coaching the Lakers. It's a whole ‘nother ball game.

Read more:It goes beyond LeBron and a podcast: Why the Lakers decided to hire JJ Redick

“And I thought he handled it extremely well. I thought he just learned every single day, held us accountable. He pushed us. I thought JJ and his coaching staff were great throughout the whole season. That was pretty cool.”

James almost certainly will make his 21st consecutive All-NBA team, a run of sustained greatness that’s never been equaled. He also accomplished a personal goal of playing with his oldest son, Bronny. The two became the NBA's first father-and-son teammates on opening night and the first father and son to score in the same game Oct. 30 in Cleveland.

After playing on the second night of back-to-back games out of the All-Star break, James pointed to a continued passion for his sport and a responsibility to show Bronny how to be a professional.

“I still love the game and I still got a lot to give to the game, to give to my teammates, to give to this league for while I’m here. I don’t have much time left,” James said in February. “So, while I’m here today in this time, I’m going to try to give what I got when I’m out on the floor. So, why? It’s the love of the game and I have an opportunity now to show my son the ranks of how to be a professional in this league.”

Wednesday in his final comments, James called playing with his son his greatest achievement in the NBA.

“That's easy,” he said. “It is not even close. To be able to play the game that I love and to be able to be along with my son this whole year has been one of the most gratifying, satisfying journeys I've ever been on.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Once again, excitement became embarrassment.

Once again, a promise was broken.

Once again, the Lakers weren’t fast enough or skilled enough or deep enough or strong enough.

Once again, blowing up in the first round of the playoffs for the third time in five years, the Lakers just weren’t good enough.

But it’s rarely felt this bad.

Rarely has Crypto.com Arena been as quiet while a playoff game was being played as it was Wednesday in the final minute of a 103-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

With 39 seconds left, fans silently filled the aisles and literally turned their back on their beloved Lakers, who historically dropped this first-round series four games to one.

Historically, because it was the first time the Lakers have lost a first-round series as a three-seed or higher.

No, they have never folded this dramatically.

“Disappointment,” said LeBron James. “Unfulfillment.”

Read more:Lakers' season comes to a disappointing end with first-round loss to Timberwolves

He could say that again. Disappointment in that they had finished the season as one of the best teams in the league. Unfulfillment in that many thought they were worthy of a march toward a championship.

They lost even though they had thrilled their fans and frightened the league with their February addition of Luka Doncic.

They lost even though 40-year-old James was inspired by the addition of his son, Bronny, and had one of his most complete seasons ever.

They lost even though Austin Reaves had a breakout season as a scorer worthy of giving the Lakers a legitimate Big Three.

They lost even though it was generally agreed that JJ Redick was having an outstanding rookie season.

They lost because Minnesota was everything they wanted to be, but were not.

They lost because Minnesota was tougher in the clutch, out-scoring the Lakers by 42 points in the series' five fourth quarters.

They lost because Minnesota wasn’t about the hype, the Timberwolves were about the struggle, the battle for each possession, doubling their second-chance points on Wednesday, competing in each individual battle as if it were their last.

They lost because Minnesota was stronger in the paint, dominating the Lakers so thoroughly that Wednesday’s game-leading scorer was defensive specialist Rudy Gobert, who had 27 points and 24 rebounds against a defenseless Laker interior.

Minnesota was more of a team, more collaborative, more together, more committed.

“They were just the better team this series, to be honest,” said Dorian Finney-Smith.

To be honest, the game was played as if the Lakers were already beaten, as if their pregame chant was a reprise of former guard Nick Van Exel’s infamous “1-2-3 Cancun!” chant in 1998 before the Lakers were swept by the Utah Jazz.

The Lakers were on the brink of elimination, yet it was the Timberwolves who played with desperation. The Lakers were on the verge of ending their season on their home court, yet it was the Timberwolves who played with all the passion.

The Timberwolves jumped to a 14-point lead in the first quarter and settled into a 10-point lead at halftime with an even bigger edge in body language.

The Lakers came back to briefly take the lead at the end of the third quarter, and even led by a point on a Doncic rainbow jumper with 6:29 remaining, but what ensued was typical of a team that had no idea how to play with their backs against the wall.

James airball. Gobert follow-up dunk. Maxi Kleber — what was he doing in the game? — miss. James miss. Doncic miss. James miss. Kleber stepped on the baseline. And so on.

The game ended appropriately with Minnesota’s Naz Reid grabbing an offensive rebound off a Timberwolves missed free throw attempt and hugging the ball like Minnesota hugged this victory.

That fourth quarter showed some of the Lakers vulnerability, starting with James’ age. He clearly wore down, as he made just two baskets in the last two fourth quarters.

Then there was Reaves, who had a generally lousy series with five baskets in the four fourth quarters and eight of 10 missed pointers in the deciding game.

Read more:Plaschke: JJ Redick for Dan Hurley was the Lakers' trade of the year

“You can point the finger at me,” Reaves said. “I didn’t play good enough for us to be successful.”

Reaves is right. He was their biggest disappointment. But help could be coming for all of them.

While any first-round loss is a stain on the Lakers' legacy, at least this loss comes with hope.

Hope that this team is not far from being a championship team. Hope that this coach is not far from being an outstanding coach. Hope that they are closer to greatness than this loss to the Timberwolves would indicate.

Remember, for all of their veteran savvy, this team is still a relative toddler, the two best players having been together barely three months and their coach in his first year.

“We just probably need a little more time together,” said Finney-Smith.

James and Doncic will mesh better next season if both return, and both are expected to return.

James has all but confirmed that he wants to end his career as a Lakers, so he’s not expected to use his player option to flee, and he’s aged so incredibly, even his biggest critics must admit that he should stay.

In recent years, this space has repeatedly called for James to be traded, but no more. This year he proved that his entertainment value outweighs any burden his contract places on the roster, and now that he has the exciting Doncic as his running mate, his veteran leadership could actually lead to one more title in the probable two years before he calls it quits.

“I don’t have an answer to that,” said James late Wednesday when asked about retirement. “We’ll see.”

He always says that. And he’s always returned.

Doncic could also leave by expressing such unhappiness that the Lakers would be forced to trade him before his contract expires after next season, but he seems to like it here.

Doncic has constantly expressed great respect for the franchise and its grandiose history, and this week he put his money behind that respect by contributing $5,000 to the restoration of a graffiti-scarred Kobe Bryant mural. This, after he paid for parking for many Laker fans on the night of his Lakers debut.

Doncic is a top-five talent, he’s fun, he’s embraceable, he’s the perfect person to lead the Lakers into the next era.

If Doncic is actually given a preseason to work with James and Reaves, who knows what they can accomplish?

“Anytime you make a big acquisition in the middle of the season it’s always going to be challenging,” said James. “The whole dynamic changed. I still don’t think we had enough time to mesh.”

All they need is … you guessed it … a center.

Read more:Plaschke: I was wrong. Drafting Bronny James was a win for the Lakers

“No comment,” said James. “My guy A.D. said what he needed and he was gone the following week.”

And thus Rob Pelinka, their newly minted president of basketball operations with a newly extended contract, has been giving his summer marching orders.

Find somebody who will ensure that Rudy Gobert doesn’t become Michael Jordan.

Find the one big thing that would also maximize Doncic’s talent and take this team to the next level.

Luka needs a lob partner. He needs a rim protector. He needs the sort of big man that he had in Dallas when he led the Mavs to that improbable NBA Finals appearance.

Everyone thought the Lakers had this big man this winter when Pelinka followed Doncic’s stunning acquisition with a trade for Charlotte’s Mark Williams.

But then the Lakers got cold feet. They worried that they overpaid for Williams, worried that he was too immature for their smart veteran system, and eventually that worry turned a bad physical exam into a deal killer.

They gave Williams back to Charlotte, and Jaxson Hayes was given the job, and by Wednesday night he wasn’t even trusted to play a minute, and so now Pelinka is back to square one.

Find a center.

“We couldn’t get rebounds,” said Rui Hachimura. “We need somebody to get rebounds.”

The Lakers so obviously need that somebody, on Wednesday night they were even trolled by Williams himself on X.

Redick should also be better next season. He was surprisingly adept in his rookie year as a head coach at any level, but he scuffled in the postseason. He was publicly questioned by Magic Johnson after the Lakers Game 1 loss, and then he was questioned by the rest of the basketball world after playing the same five players the entire second half of the Game 4 loss.

Redick reacted to the most recent criticism before Wednesday night’s game by barking back at a media questioner who seemed to imply that he needed to rely more on the wisdom of his veteran assistant coaches.

“Are you saying that I’m because I’m inexperienced and that was an ‘inexperienced’ decision that I made?” Redick asked. “You think I don’t talk to my assistants about rotations every single timeout?”

The questioner responded, “No, I just think a lot of coaches lean on their assistants in those situations.”

Redick fired back, saying, “As do I. Every single time. That’s a weird assumption.”

With that, Redick walked out of the press conference. That was probably going to be the last question anyway, but it was a bad look that Redick left before it officially ended.

“I can get a lot better,” Redick said of his rookie year.

His team thought he was just fine.

“JJ will continue to grow,” said James. “He had a helluva campaign for a rookie coach. I thought he handled it extremely well.”

These Lakers should continue to grow. They’d better. For all of their success, for all of their promise, the 2024-25 season can only be summed up one way.

They were entertaining, they were intriguing and they were a failure.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.