New York Knicks 2023 playoff gear

Gear up for the #Knicks playoff push right here:

Go New York, go New York, go.

And go is exactly what New York has done, as the Knickerbockers are onto the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first time in 23 years.

New York controlled their first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers more than most expected, finishing off Game 5 on the road, taking the matchup 4-1.

Can the Knicks carry that confidence into Round 2? They’ll need it. Jalen Brunson and company move on to face a fellow underdog in the second round, the Miami Heat, who upset the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in their opening-round series.

Are you as confident as the Knicks? Make sure you show it proudly with their latest 2023 NBA postseason gear which can be found below:

Miami Heat 2023 playoff gear

Gear up for the #Heat’s playoff push right here:

The Miami Heat are even hotter than their name suggests.

A complete underdog against the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference, the Heat upset the No. 1 seed in an historic upset.

Jimmy Butler, who had 42 points in the Game-5 victory, tied the contest in the dying seconds, forcing overtime. From there, the Heat won 128-126.

Miami became just the sixth No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed since the playoffs went to a 16-team format in 1984. The Heat also became the first team ever to advance beyond the first round from the play-in round.

But another Cinderella awaits. Miami moves on to face the New York Knicks in the second round after the No. 5 seed Knicks also pushed aside their opening-round foe, the Cleveland Cavaliers, 4-1.

Can the Heat stay hot? Make sure you do in Miami fashion by grabbing some of the latest 2023 NBA postseason gear which can be found below:

Phoenix Suns 2023 playoff gear

Gear up for the #Suns playoff push right here:

The Phoenix Suns started their opening-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers with a lull.

That sure didn’t last.

The Clips kept things close in Round 1, but it wasn’t enough as the star-studded lineup of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul was just too much and Phoenix closed their first series out, 4-1.

It’s worth noting that the Clippers were without the likes of stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George at the end of the series, but that in no way takes away from the Suns taking care of business.

Phoenix already has their sights on the Denver Nuggets, who they’ll face in the conference semifinals starting on Saturday. Unlike the Clippers, Denver will have their full lineup featuring the likes of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

The Suns are going to need the backing of Phoenix and all of Arizona to help get them through the No. 1 seeded Nuggets, and you’ve got plenty of time to do just that.

Check out the latest Suns 2023 NBA playoffs gear below:

Denver Nuggets 2023 playoff gear

Celebrate the #Nuggets moving on by grabbing their latest playoff gear:

The Denver Nuggets got off to a slow start in Game 5 of their opening-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. But it’s not the style points that matter, it’s the final result, and a 112-109 victory gave the Nuggets a 4-1 series win and spot in the conference semifinals.

The Nuggets got another MVP-caliber effort from Nikola Jokic, who helped put Denver over the finish line. Jokic he finished with 28 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists in Game 5. It was his second triple-double of the series.

A second-round effort like that will be needed from Jokic, as the Nuggets already know who their next foe is: The Phoenix Suns.

That best-of-seven is set to tip off on Saturday, giving Denver fans plenty of time to get ready to gear up and support their team.

Check out the line of the latest 2023 playoff gear for the Nuggets below:

Victorious in their first-ever G League home opener, Mexico City’s Capitanes represent novel opportunities

The team won its first home opener convincingly; can they convince more top talent to join them in Mexico City?

The Mexico City Capitanes played their home opener on Sunday night, a momentous occasion for NBA basketball in Mexico and the league more generally. While not the team’s first season in the G League, it was the first G League home game within Mexico. The Capitanes played only away games last season because of the pandemic and the logistical issues it created for international play.

Perhaps auspiciously, the local team won and won convincingly against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the developmental affiliate of the Houston Rockets. The Capitanes kicked off their existence in Mexico as a G League squad with a 120-84 blowout.

The Capitanes, helmed by head coach Ramón Díaz Sánchez, put together an entertaining contest to nearly 7,400 fans filling the modern Arena Ciudad de México’s lower bowl almost completely.

Kings’ Keegan Murray misses first preseason game due to illness

Murray did not play on Wednesday as the Kings faced the Suns on the road in their third preseason game.

Sacramento Kings rookie Keegan Murray did not play Wednesday on the road versus the Phoenix Suns due to a non-COVID illness, according to James Ham of ESPN 1320.

The contest marked the first absence of the preseason for Murray, who appeared in the Kings’ previous two games. The team has one preseason game left on Friday versus the Los Angeles Lakers before beginning the regular season on Wednesday.

His status against the Lakers is not certain.

Murray has had a great start to the preseason, averaging 16 points, 4.5 rebounds, two steals and one assist on 70% shooting from 3-point range. He has scored 16 points in each game and has drained seven total 3s on 10 attempts.

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Murray has performed at a high level in each game to this point between the summer league and the preseason. He looks poised for a strong rookie campaign and will be among the players expected to help the Kings snap their 16-year playoff drought this year.

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Jamahl Mosley: Jalen Suggs can learn from early foul trouble

Suggs logged just 14 minutes on Friday after getting into early foul trouble in a win over the Rockets.

Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley on Friday said the early foul trouble Jalen Suggs experienced versus the Houston Rockets can be a strong learning moment for the fifth pick.

Suggs picked up three fouls within the first three minutes of action during the 119-111 win. He was first whistled for an offensive foul and then had two come on the defensive end of the floor just seconds later, prompting Mosley to sub him out of the game.

He eventually fouled out with 4:44 left in the fourth quarter.

The former Gonzaga standout has proven to be a strong defender at the guard position. He has dazzled at times with his ability to play the passing lanes and keep his matchup in front of him.

Mosley said Suggs will need to find a balance in those situations.

I think those are big moments. We’ll watch film tomorrow, go back and look at certain situations and the time and understanding when your aggression is necessary and when it’s not. You don’t want to take that away from that young man because that is part of what makes him, him. But understanding when, where and how you want to be able to defend the ball the right way, whether your active hands and knowing when to do that.

Suggs finished with three points, one rebound and one steal in 14 minutes of action. The three points by Suggs were his second-lowest output of the season, behind his one-point outing on Feb. 8 when he left early because of an Achilles injury.

While the outing was short-lived, Suggs had perhaps the play of the game. Early in the second quarter, Suggs swiped the ball from the Rockets and found himself in a one-man fastbreak situation. He slowed down, then threw the ball off the backboard to himself and slammed it in.

The Magic have often said this season is about learning experiences for their young players, and the contest on Friday proved to be no different for Suggs. He will be able to correct the mistakes made and apply that to future games this season.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green ranked on ESPN top 100 player list for 2021-22

The first 50 players were unveiled with Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green the two lone rookies on the list.

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green were each ranked on ESPN’s top 100 NBA players list for the 2021-22 season.

The list, which was released on Tuesday, used feedback from their reporters and analysts to rank the players. The first 50 players were unveiled on the initial posting with Cunningham checking in at No. 76 and Green at No. 96 as the two lone rookies on the list.

Cunningham logged three appearances with the Pistons in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 18.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He wrapped up his stay after recording his best game with 24 points and seven rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting from 3-point range.

The summary of Cunningham ranking 76th by ESPN:

How will Detroit use him? Cunningham’s versatility, on-court maturity and skill level make him a favorite for Rookie of the Year. Along with his ability to add value from beyond the arc (50% at summer league) and make the right reads offensively, it’s worth watching just how long the Pistons will try to pair him with last year’s top-10 pick Killian Hayes.

On the other hand, Green was named to the all-summer league second team after averaging 20.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and two assists. He was limited to three games after suffering a hamstring injury but impressed on the court prior to having his run in Las Vegas cut short.

The excerpt on Green sneaking into the top 100:

Given his immense talent and opportunity on a young Rockets team, expect Jalen Green to lead all rookies in scoring and make a strong case for Rookie of the Year, similarly to Anthony Edwards a season ago. Keep an eye on how quickly the explosive 6-foot-6 guard is able to impact winning on both ends, along with his efficiency.

Cunningham and Green project to be the front-runners to win Rookie of the Year and likely why they were the lone two first-year players ranked by ESPN. While they gave Cunningham the edge over Green on this list, they chose Green to win Rookie of the Year over Cunningham.

With training camp set to begin next week, we will soon have a better idea of how some rookies will make the transition to their respective new teams, including Cunningham and Green.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Former Ignite prospect Kai Sotto signs with Adelaide 36ers of NBL

Sotto, a 7-foot-2 center from the Philippines, signed a multi-year contract with the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League.

Four-star prospect Kai Sotto has signed a multi-year contract with the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League in Australia, the team announced.

The news was first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Sotto, a 7-foot-2 center from the Philippines, previously signed with the NBA G League Ignite and was among the prospects set to play this season. He trained with the Ignite in California but never appeared in a game due to prior obligations with the Philippines national team.

The 18-year-old became the first international player to sign a contract with the G League in May 2020. He trained for much of 2019 at The Skill Factory in Georgia after playing in various international tournaments, including the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup.

Sotto will join Adelaide later this year for preseason training.

Sotto will join the likes of LaMelo Ball, R.J. Hampton and others that spent a season in the NBL in order to prepare for the NBA draft. He would be draft-eligible in 2022 and would become the first player selected from the Philippines.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Hornets’ LaMelo Ball cleared to resume individual basketball activity

The Hornets on Monday announced that Ball has been cleared to return to individual basketball activity.

On Monday, the Charlotte Hornets announced that rookie LaMelo Ball has been cleared to return to individual basketball activity after a CT scan confirmed his fractured right wrist has fully healed.

Ball underwent surgery on March 23 and has missed the last 15 games for the Hornets. He was initially expected to miss the rest of the season but the organization later announced that Ball would be re-evaluated in four weeks following the surgery.

The Hornets said the cast on Ball’s wrist was removed and, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, there is optimism within the organization that he could be ready to return to the lineup in 7-10 days.

Prior to the injury, Ball had been named the starting point guard and was likely going to remain a starter for the duration of the season. Without Ball, the Hornets have posted an 8-7 record as the team currently sits in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

Ball, through 41 games played, is averaging 15.9 points, 6.1 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals with the Hornets. Despite not playing since March 20, Ball still ranks second in total scoring and assists among all rookie players.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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