Minneapolis-St. Paul - The following is a statement from the Minnesota Timberwolves regarding last night's (May 8) fan ejection:

"During the fourth quarter of last night's game against the Warriors, a fan was ejected by Target Center security for violating the NBA Fan Code of Conduct in an incident involving Draymond Green. A second individual, who was identified by surrounding patrons as making racially charged comments towards Green, left on his own before arena security could confirm his identity. The team is continuing to investigate, and additional action may be taken.

The Timberwolves and Target Center are firmly committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and safe environment for all. Racist, hateful, or threatening behavior has no place at our games or in our community and will not be tolerated under any circumstances."

https://bsky.app/profile/christopherhine.bsky.social/post/3loqz6d2smc2h

Source: Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald

We were pretty much locked in with one team [Phoenix]. It didn’t happen there. We took the deal we felt was best for us now and in the future. We have young players. We have medium age players in their prime. Our draft picks are in better order than what they were. We have a lot of flexibility. That’s where the blueprint will come this summer.”

“I’m not going to apologize for saying no on the contract extension. I don’t think I should.”

“There’s no doubt what happened with Jimmy had a tremendous impact on our team. The buck stopped with me. I’ll take that hit.”

“I only tried to tank twice, and I was successful.. in 2008. I never told anyone I was going to try to tank.”

Are major changes necessary? “No. [But] we do have to make changes. There’s no doubt.”

Riley said he has never seen a season take such a toll on Erik Spoelstra. and that he needs time to reflect.

Riley said the Heat won’t run it back but cautioned that “players aren’t just going to show up” and other teams need to want to make deals. “We are going to look for something that will really help this team. It might take years. [But] we are not going to deal with a long process, nor is ownership.”

Riley, unsolicited, had one more comment on Jimmy Butler: “What happened with Jimmy, as ugly as it was, that I didn’t appreciate [everything else]. I love the guy. Those things happened. It wasn’t fun.”

Total shot clock violations for each team that appeared or is still currently in the playoffs:

1. Warriors - 15 (9 in 2nd round)
   
2. Rockets - 8
3. Wolves - 8 (1 in 2nd round)
4. Celtics - 7 (2 in 2nd round)
5. Pacers - 7 (2 in 2nd round)
6. Lakers - 7
7. Knicks - 7 (2 in 2nd round)
8. Nuggets - 6 (1 in 2nd round)
9. Pistons - 5
10. Cavs - 4
11. Grizzlies - 4
12. Magic - 4
13. Clippers - 3
14. Heat - 2
15. Bucks - 2
16. OKC - 1

His strategy to foul up 3 in Game won was a huge blunder and cost them the game.

Yesterday, in spite of having 2 timeouts for the last possession having a full shot clock, he didn’t call a timeout. If you aren’t taking a timeout in that situation, what is the role you’re playing as a coach?

Michael Porter Jr is easily exploitable. OKC learned from Game 1. The game is pretty easy, and OKC made the game 5v4 where MPJ becomes invisible.

1. MPJ helps off Chet Holmgren - does not put his hands up to deflect passes - just good offense by OKC to pass to MPJ's man
2. MPJ just stands around like a scare crow on offense. You don't need to worry about MPJ crashing glass. Murray shoots a tough shot.
3. MPJ just confused%20(Holmgren%201%20AST)). He should've went back to Chet as Braun recovered. He just stands like a cone. Easy bucket. Keep attacking MPJ.
4. No one ran back. Not even MPJ. Easy bucket.
5. MPJ is a cone. %20(Jal.%20Williams%201%20AST))Does not use his hands at all. They pass right to Hartenstein who is he right next to. He is completely ineffective as a help defender.
6. MPJ is a cone again.%20(Hartenstein%202%20AST)) Hands are always down. Does not try to block passing lanes. Just a cone.
7. This is just bad. MPJ should've switched onto Hartenstein%20(Gilgeous-Alexander%201%20AST)). Jokic would've covered the rim. MPJ is a cone.
8. MPJ is a cone. )He just has his hands at his side. What is the point of his defense on this? He should be contesting SGA shot and forcing a pass. He just stands there like a cone.
9. MPJ sagging off but does not help on the drive.) MPJ Cone
10. MPJ does not box out IHart )- easy tip for a score. This man does not use his hands at all.
11. MPJ does nothing on offense%20(Gilgeous-Alexander%207%20AST)) and does not run back on defense
12. MPJ rocked on a box out) by Dort

MPJ is a negative player right now. His shoulder is hurt. He gives no effort.

He either needs to wear a mouth guard and fight through the pain and give effort or just be benched.

If I was OKC, I would do the same thing. Play with high effort and physicality and just attack MPJ.

I only watched the second half, but why was Donovan Mitchell getting up so quick and not letting anyone help him up? Not a criticism, just curious if anyone else noticed or am I looking too much into it?

IMO he just didn’t want to let off the gas and wanted to keep the intensity up since they were down 0-2. I don’t watch a lot of Cavs games, is this something he normally does? Or was it just a small sample of three late game fouls and he wasn’t doing that all game?

Where he will stand in the all time players and all time point guards list ? He obviously is not a 1 or a 2 option on the team, but he is the first guy off the bench, crucial to the Nuggets offense and defense. His impact is undeniable. So if they win, this ring is still very much earned and its not him simply being "along for the ride" with Jokic. Ngl, averaging a triple double for 4 years, an MVP, 1 ring is a good resume. And we are not even talking about all nba teams and etc.

Dont let thunder fans gaslight you into thinking this thunder team was actually never that great

They are literally a top 5 statistical team all time

swept the grizzlies, winning 3 games by 30 points

and they are in pole position to lose in the second round

straight up frauds

same org that drafted 3 MVP's and did nothing with them BTW

hyped to see shai on another team in a few years

Currently, Adelman stands at 6/3 — 6 postseason wins, 3 regular season wins. Here are some other NBA coaches who, at a certain point in time, had a relatively high ratio of postseason wins to regular season wins in their NBA coaching career:

• 16/27 by Tyronn Lue after the 2016 playoffs (2016 Cavaliers)
• 6/15 by Alex Hannum after the 1957 playoffs (1957 Hawks)
• 6/16 by Avery Johnson after the 2005 playoffs (2005 Mavericks)
• 5/14 by Jim Pollard after the 1960 playoffs (1960 Lakers)
• 4/13 by Jeff Van Gundy after the 1996 playoffs (1996 Knicks)
• 7/25 by Lawrence Frank after the 2004 playoffs (2004 Nets)
• 16/58 by Nick Nurse after the 2019 playoffs (2019 Raptors)
• 14/51 by Ime Udoka after the 2022 playoffs (2022 Celtics)
• 4/15 by Doxie Moore after the 1950 playoffs (1950 Packers)
• 14/53 by David Blatt after the 2015 playoffs (2015 Cavaliers)
• 12/50 by Pat Riley after the 1982 playoffs (1982 Lakers)
• 12/50 by Paul Westhead after the 1980 playoffs (1980 Lakers)
• 77/322 by Steve Kerr after the 2019 playoffs (2015 Warriors, 2016 Warriors, 2017 Warriors, 2018 Warriors, 2019 Warriors)
• 11/46 by Joe Mullaney after the 1970 playoffs (1970 Lakers)
• 55/240 by Phil Jackson after the 1993 playoffs (1990 Bulls, 1991 Bulls, 1992 Bulls, 1993 Bulls)

The NHL is currently doing their quarter century team which is a list of the 25 greatest players from January 1, 2000 until now.

Fan voting has led to some interesting choices as some fans are voting for the best player who played in the 00s even if their best days were in the 90s.

But using the criteria where only stats from 2000 onwards count, who would be in your list for top 25 players of the quarter century?

It does help in the NBAs case that most great players of the 00s were drafted in the late 90s so most of their career did happen in the 00s.

I'm definitely missing/snubbing some names, but here's my quick list (in no particular order)

LeBron

Kobe

Durant

Dirk

Shaq

Duncan

KG

Carmelo

Curry

Nash

Giannis

Jokic

Chris Paul

Harden

Wade

Westbrook

Iverson

Kidd

Kawhi

Anthony Davis

Dwight

Pierce

Tony Parker

Lillard

Kyrie

I don't think I can find a clip (if anyone else can help me out that'd be great) - But steph did turnaround - turn back around then sweep cross in to the original "turnaround" direction for a pullup against a perimeter player in SAS i think during one of GSW premier playoff runs. I think Kawhi was on that team. But I still think about it till this day. Another is Dirk's game winner vs heat: https://youtu.be/9k4Li-iT8QUI love that move. What are some of your favorite moves, moves NBA player did that you remember to this day?

https://www.espn.com/nba/playbyplay/_/gameId/401769822

He ranks 19th in scoring overall. I understand a lot of his value comes how well rounded of a player he is but for how much he gets stuffed down our throats as a top 5 nba player, he is neither a high-volume nor efficient scorer in the playoffs. His scoring contemporaries are more in the Brad Beal and De-Aaron Fox tier.

Link - https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/most-playoff-points-per-game-active-players-nba

General Information

TIME	MEDIA	Team Subreddits
03:30 PM Eastern	Game Preview: NBA.com	/r/bostonceltics
02:30 PM Central	Game Charts: NBA.com	/r/nyknicks
01:30 PM Mountain	Play By Play: NBA.com
12:30 PM Pacific	Box Score: NBA.com

Reddit Stream (You must click this link from the comment page.)

Started watching during the 2023 ECF where the Heat almost blew a 3-0 lead against the Celtics, that series and the fact there’s some similarities between them and Liverpool (my football team) I chose to become a Celtics fan.

I’ve gone back and watched a lot of old Celtics things like the 08 finals and the Larry Bird years but I’m yet to watch much NBA stuff that doesn’t involve the Celtics.

Give me all your famous recommendations and the best ‘deep cut’ niche things as well!

General Information

TIME	MEDIA	Team Subreddits
10:00 PM Eastern	Game Preview: NBA.com	/r/thunder
09:00 PM Central	Game Charts: NBA.com	/r/denvernuggets
08:00 PM Mountain	Play By Play: NBA.com
07:00 PM Pacific	Box Score: NBA.com

Reddit Stream (You must click this link from the comment page.)

The 2 best and worst shooting zones for each of the 8 remaining teams' top 2 leading scorers (only including shot zones from where they attempt at least 1 shot per game).

Denver Nuggets

Nikola Jokic - 24.7 ppg

Best:

• Restricted area (73.0% on 3.7 attempts, 1.46 pts per attempt)
• Above the break 3 (39.5% on 4.3 attempts, 1.19 pts per attempt)

Worst:

• Mid-range (33.3% on 3.0 attempts, 0.67 pts per attempt)
• In the paint, non-restricted area (47.5% on 8.0 attempts, 0.95 pts per attempt)

Jamal Murray - 22.2 ppg

Best:

• Restricted area (64.5% on 3.1 attempts, 1.29 pts per attempt)
• Above the break 3 (42.1% on 5.7 attempts, 1.26 pts per attempt)

Worst:

• In the paint, non-restricted area (41.2% on 3.4 attempts, 0.82 pts per attempt)
• Mid-range (47.7% on 4.4 attempts, 0.95 pts per attempt)

Oklahoma City Thunder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - 28.0 ppg

Best:

• Restricted area (58.1% on 4.4 attempts, 1.16 pts per attempt)
• In the paint, non-restricted area (52.6% on 5.4 attempts, 1.05 pts per attempt)

Worst:

• Above the break 3 (26.8% on 5.9 attempts, 0.80 pts per attempt)
• Mid-range (42.9% on 6.0 attempts, 0.86 pts per attempt)

Jalen Williams - 22.6 ppg

Best:

• Restricted area (68.6% on 5.0 attempts, 1.37 pts per attempt)
• Mid-range (56.3% on 2.3 attempts, 1.13 pts per attempt)

Worst:

• Above the break 3 (28.6% on 5.0 attempts, 0.86 pts per attempt)
• In the paint, non-restricted area (51.5% on 4.7 attempts, 1.03 pts per attempt

Golden State Warriors

Stephen Curry - 22.6 ppg

Best:

• Restricted area (80.0% on 1.3 attempts, 1.60 pts per attempt)
• Mid-range (63.2% on 2.4 attempts, 1.26 pts per attempt)

Worst:

• Corner 3 (37.5% on 1.0 attempt, 1.13 pts per attempt)
• In the paint, non-restricted area (47.6% on 2.6 attempts, 1.14 pts per attempt)

Jimmy Butler - 18.4 ppg

Best:

• Restricted area (64.5% on 3.9 attempts, 1.29 pts per attempt)
• Above the break 3 (40.0% on 1.9 attempts, 1.20 pts per attempt)

Worst:

• Mid-range (34.8% on 2.9 attempts, 0.70 pts per attempt)
• Corner 3 (25.0% on 1.5 attempts, 0.75 pts per attempt)

Minnesota Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards - 25.3 ppg

Best:

• Restricted area (52.6% on 8.1 attempts, 1.05 pts per attempt)
• In the paint, non-restricted area (52.2% on 3.3 attempts, 1.04 pts per attempt)

Worst:

• Mid-range (10% on 1.4 attempts, 0.20 pts per attempt)
• Above the break 3 (32.7% on 7.4 attempts, 0.98 pts per attempt)

Julius Randle - 22.1 ppg

Best:

• Restricted area (66.7% on 4.3 attempts, 1.33 pts per attempt)
• Above the break 3 (39.3% on 4.0 attempts, 1.18 pts per attempt)

Worst:

• Corner 3 (14.3% on 1.0 attempt, 0.43 pts per attempt
• In the paint, non-restricted area (47.2% on 5.1 attempts, 0.94 pts per attempt)

Boston Celtics

Jayson Tatum - 26.8 ppg

Best:

• Restricted area (76.0% on 4.2 attempts, 1.52 pts per attempt)
• Above the break 3 (33.3% on 8.5 attempts, 0.99 pts per attempt)

Worst:

• In the paint, non-restricted area (14.3% on 3.5 attempts, 0.29 pts per attempt)
• Mid-range (39.3% on 4.7 attempts, 0.79 pts per attempt)

Jaylen Brown - 22.6 ppg

Best:

• Restricted area (76.0% on 3.9 attempts, 1.52 pts per attempt)
• Corner 3 (42.9% on 1.0 attempt, 1.29 pts per attempt)

Worst:

• Mid-range (34.8% on 2.9 attempts, 0.73 pts per attempt)
• Above the break 3 (28.6% on 4.0 attempts, 0.86 pts per attempt)

New York Knicks

Jalen Brunson - 29.4 ppg

Best:

• Corner 3 (66.7% on 1.1 attempts, 2.00 pts per attempt)
• Restricted area (50.0% on 4.8 attempts, 1.00 pt per attempt)

Worst:

• Mid-range (38.7% on 3.9 attempts, 0.77 pts per attempt)
• Above the break 3 (29.6% on 6.8 attempts, 0.89 pts per attempt

Karl-Anthony Towns - 19.1 ppg

Best:

• Restricted area (67.7% on 3.9 attempts, 1.35 pts per attempt)
• Above the break 3 (44.0% on 3.1 attempts, 1.32 pts per attempt)

Worst:

• In the paint, non-restricted area (37.8% on 4.6 attempts, 0.76 pts per attempt)
• Mid-range (50.0% on 3.0 attempts, 1.00 pt per attempt)

Cleveland Cavaliers

Donovan Mitchell - 31.3 ppg

Best:

• Restricted area (65.1% on 6.1 attempts, 1.30 pts per attempt)
• Corner 3 (42.9% on 1.0 attempt, 1.29 pts per attempt)

Worst:

• Mid-range (33.3% on 1.3 attempts, 0.67 pts per attempt)
• In the paint, non-restricted area (52.5% on 5.7 attempts, 1.05 pts per attempt)

Darius Garland - 19.3 ppg

Best:

• Above the break 3 (39.1% on 7.7 attempts, 1.17 pts per attempt)
• In the paint, non-restricted area (58.3% on 4.0 attempts, 1.17 pts per attempt)

Worst:

• Mid-range (40.0% on 1.7 attempts, 0.80 pts per attempt)
• Did not attempt enough shots from anywhere else.

Indiana Pacers

Pascal Siakam - 18.3 ppg

Best:

• Restricted area (75.0% on 4.5 attempts, 1.5 pts per attempt)
• Above the break 3 (37.5% on 3.0 attempts, 1.13 pts per attempt)

Worst:

• Mid-range (42.9% on 3.5 attempts, 0.86 pts per attempt)
• In the paint, non-restricted area (50.0% on 2.3 attempts, 1.00 pt per attempt)

Myles Turner - 16.9 ppg

Best:

• In the paint, non-restricted area (63.2% on 2.4 attempts, 1.26 pts per attempt)
• Restricted area (61.9% on 2.6 attempts, 1.24 pts per attempt)

Worst:

• Above the break 3 (34.5% on 3.6 attempts, 1.04 pts per attempt)
• Mid-range (53.8% on 1.6 attempts, 1.08 pts per attempt)

(Source: NBA official stats)

Not sure if this belongs in a smaller thread, but was wondering if the broadcasts have noticeably faded crowd noise this year? It's been a rocking year for the playoffs, but I feel like the crowds have been faded out. It looks like they're into it, and you can even begin to hear them do so, but it quickly gets drubbed out. Honestly checking so that I know if my TV has a dialogue setting on or something that's muffling it, but it's been really sad, as I love to hear the crowds go bananas!