Tag: 2020 NBA Playoffs

Thunder vs. Pelicans: Full 2024 first round playoff series schedule announced

Thunder vs. Pelicans: Full 2024 first-round playoff series schedule announced.

The NBA released its playoff schedule on Wednesday. The Oklahoma City Thunder will face the New Orleans Pelicans in a first-round series of the 2024 NBA playoffs.

The first-seeded Thunder seek their first playoff series win since 2016.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans captured the eighth seed in their play-in tournament win over the Sacramento Kings. Zion Williamson will likely be out most of the series with a hamstring strain.

The full first-round series is below:

  • Game 1: Sunday, April 21, 8:30 p.m. CT on TNT
  • Game 2: Wednesday, April 24, 8:30 p.m. CT on TNT
  • Game 3: Saturday, April 27, 2:30 p.m. CT on TNT
  • Game 4: Monday, April 29
  • Game 5: Wednesday, May 1
  • Game 6: Friday, May 3
  • Game 7: Sunday, May 5

The Thunder will host Game 1 and 2 and go on the road for Game 3 and Game 4. They return home for a possible Game 5 and Game 7 and go on the road for a possible Game 6. Tipoff times and broadcast information for the series’ final four games will be announced.

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Where each of the Boston Celtics’ NBA-record nine consecutive playoff runs ended

The Celtics currently possess the NBA’s longest consecutive string of postseason appearances.

The Boston Celtics currently possess the NBA’s longest consecutive string of postseason appearances at a total of nine since the last time the Celtics were a lottery team. That happened at the end of the last era of Celtics contention when what was left of the “New Big Three” of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen were traded to the Brooklyn Nets with Jason Terry after Allen had decamped to the Miami Heat.

Somehow, after losing their title core for the haul then-team president Danny Ainge extracted from the Nets as well as their head coach Doc Rivers to the Los Angeles Clippers, a smart hire in Brad Stevens and good lottery luck had Boston out of the hunt for just one season.

Let’s take a look at where each season’s Celtics postseason ended.

Nets have a question for Brooklyn fans following Lakers’ 2020 NBA Finals win

The 2019-20 season has finally come to a close with the 2020 NBA Playoffs concluding after the Lakers won the NBA Finals on Sunday.

For the first time since 2010, the Los Angeles Lakers are NBA champions.

LeBron James earned his fourth title — first as a member of the Lakers — and his third NBA Finals MVP Award.

But while Los Angeles takes some time to celebrate their latest title, the rest of the league is looking ahead to the 2020-21 NBA season.

In the West, the Los Angeles Clippers lead the group looking to upend the Lakers. The battle for supremacy in the Eastern Conference, however, is filled with a few more contenders.

The Miami Heat are coming off a surprising run to the NBA Finals — something Jimmy Butler intends to do again. But two of the teams they knocked off on the way to the finals, the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics, are going to try to cool off the Heat.

Then there’s the Brooklyn Nets, who will have a healthy Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving ready to take the floor once the season begins.

The Nets made sure to remind everyone they’re going to having something to say about how the 2020-21 season shapes up, tweeting:

so y’all ready for next season or what?

Jimmy Butler drawing playoff fouls at the rate of James Harden

The Rockets pursued Butler heavily in 2018 and 2019, with good reason. His fouls per possession in the playoffs are nearly equal to Harden.

Led by GM Daryl Morey, the Houston Rockets aggressively pursued All-Star guard Jimmy Butler in each of the previous two years.

In late 2018, the Rockets tried to land Butler via trade from Minnesota. (Ultimately, the Timberwolves preferred the proposal from Philadelphia, where he was eventually sent.) Then, with Butler set to become a free agent in the 2019 offseason, the Rockets again went after Butler… only to have him prefer Miami, instead. With the Heat now in the 2020 NBA Finals, it’s hard to find any fault in that decision.

Nonetheless, with Butler excelling on the game’s biggest stage, it’s hard for the Rockets to watch and not wonder what might have been.

In addition to Butler’s gifts as a playmaker, defender, and leader, there’s also a more niche skillset that perhaps contributes to why the 31-year-old was such a desired commodity for Morey: His ability to draw fouls.

Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype has more:

He has 9.0 fouls drawn per 100 possessions during the playoffs, nearly identical to the rate that superstar James Harden (9.1 per 100) was fouled in the postseason. Similarly, his rate in the regular season (9.6 fouls drawn per 100) trailed Harden’s by just 0.3 fouls drawn per 100.

Even though Harden is the player most people think of when it comes to drawing contact from defenders, Butler has long been elite as well. He has ranked in the 90th percentile or better in this metric among wings during each of his nine seasons in the league, according to Cleaning the Glass.

Breaking it down, Butler was fouled on 24.8 percent of all shot attempts during the regular season. This led all non-big men who played at least 120 minutes in 2019-20. That rate (23.7 percent) has also been consistent in the postseason, once more leading all non-big men.

In Sunday’s Game 3 between the Heat and Los Angeles Lakers, Butler became just the third player in NBA Finals history to post a 40-point triple-double (40 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds). In compiling those numbers, Butler was fouled 11 times during Game 3, per Synergy — and he made all 12 of the resulting free-throw attempts. For the 2020 playoffs as a whole, Butler leads all players with 123 fouls drawn thus far.

Now, imagine combining Butler’s foul-drawing prowess with that of Harden. That’s what Morey and the Rockets tried to pursue on multiple occasions in 2018 and 2019, and it should be easy to understand why.

Through three games of the NBA Finals, Butler is averaging 29.3 points (58.0% shooting), 10.3 assists, and 7.0 rebounds in 41.0 minutes per game. Game 4 tips off at 8:00 p.m. Central on Tuesday night, with the Lakers still holding a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

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Austin Rivers laments Houston’s lack of size to Anthony Davis

During their final three losses to Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers, the Rockets were outrebounded by an average of nearly 20 per game.

For the undersized and center-less Houston Rockets, rebounding became a problem of increased significance during their series loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2020 NBA playoffs.

In a Game 1 victory, the Rockets drew even with Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and the larger Lakers on the glass, 41-41. Even in a close Game 2 loss, they kept the rebounding margin competitive at 41-35.

But in the next three games — all losses — the rebounding totals (43-30, 52-26, and 50-31) quickly got out of hand, all in favor of the Lakers. That made for an average rebounding differential of almost -20 per game, and the margin of victory by the Lakers ballooned with each outing.

While the loss of 6-foot-6 forward Danuel House Jr. for an NBA rules violation didn’t help, the Rockets knew going into the series that they’d be at a size disadvantage. Ultimately, they couldn’t overcome it.

On Sunday afternoon, Davis decided to stop by the Instagram page of Rockets guard Austin Rivers. After saying hello and exchanging a few jokes, Rivers talked about the Xs and Os of their playoff matchup:

Going to the basket, I got you and JaVale [McGee] down there. We were switching everything, too. I’m switching on AD, Bron, JaVale… and I’m hacking the [expletive] out of these dudes. I was like, ‘What are we doing? I should not be down here in this paint.’ I’m 6-4, 215 [pounds], and these dudes are 6-10, 6-11, 7-feet… 260, 270.

Elsewhere in the Instagram Live session, Rivers said he believed Davis is on his way to winning the NBA Finals MVP award. In the first two victories by the Lakers over the Miami Heat, Davis has averaged 33.0 points (63.4% shooting, 60.0% on 3-pointers) and 11.5 rebounds per game.

“AD is on his way to getting that Finals MVP,” Rivers said to his barber and Instagram Live viewers. “It’s incredible. 27 years old, bro.”

Rivers and Davis were teammates in New Orleans for the initial three years of their careers, with each taken early in the 2012 NBA Draft.

As for the Rockets, it remains to be seen if Houston’s next head coach will choose to play as consistently small as outgoing coach Mike D’Antoni did. However, with most rotation players already under contract and the Rockets well above the league’s salary cap, it’s not clear how much they can change the roster — even if GM Daryl Morey wants to do so.

Now 27 years old, Rivers has a player option on his contract for the 2020-21 season. If he declines it, he can enter free agency this offseason.

Rivers averaged 8.8 points (35.6% on 3-pointers) and 2.6 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per game during the 2019-20 season, his second in Houston. He was also one of the team’s most valuable guard defenders.

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Rockets account for 30% of NBA’s highest-rated games this season

Led by a pair of All-Stars and recent MVPs in James Harden and Russell Westbrook, Houston seems to capture lots of television interest.

Led by an All-Star backcourt of recent MVPs James Harden and Russell Westbrook, the Houston Rockets were certainly among the NBA’s most intriguing franchises in the 2019-20 season.

It clearly showed up in the local and national television ratings, too.

Digital content company Sportico recently analyzed the league’s 20 most-watched games of the season, heading into the NBA Finals. Of those 20 contests, six (or 30%) featured the Houston Rockets.

Only the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers, who are now three wins from the 2020 NBA title, had more than the Rockets.

Here are the teams who appeared on the list three or more times:

Lakers: 11
Rockets: 6
Celtics: 5
Heat: 4
Nuggets 4:
Clippers: 3

In fairness, facing the Lakers in the playoffs certainly accounted for some of the lofty ratings by the Rockets. Of Houston’s six games in the Top 20 list, four came from that second-round series against the Lakers.

However, Houston’s top-rated matchup — and No. 2 overall on the list — actually came in a regular-season game versus the Warriors on Christmas Day. That was the only appearance on the list by Golden State, which suggests that they weren’t the primary draw for national viewers.

In the postseason, even though the Denver Nuggets faced the Lakers in a later round, Game 2 of the Rockets-Lakers series remained the No. 1 game of the entire Western Conference playoffs by TV rating.

Game 7 of the first-round series between the Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder was also a big ratings hit. Not only was it by far the highest-rated game of that round, but it came in No. 11 overall among all 2020 playoff games (before the NBA Finals). Even compared to the six combined series and 35 playoff games played after the Rockets-Thunder Game 7, it would still place in the top-third from a ratings perspective.

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Those data points are all from nationally televised broadcasts, of course, on networks such as ESPN, ABC, and TNT. But the same trend appears to have held up locally. While local television ratings for most NBA teams were down this season, the Rockets saw an increase on AT&T SportsNet Southwest. That data was released in late February, just prior to the 2019-20 season’s extended hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For better or for worse, it certainly seems to suggest that Harden and Westbrook’s Rockets are among the NBA’s most compelling teams.

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P.J. Tucker didn’t like Denver’s late defensive substitution vs. Lakers

The Nuggets took out Paul Millsap for Mason Plumlee with a 1-point lead and 2.1 seconds left. Anthony Davis then hit the game-winning shot.

On the defensive end of the court, the undersized Houston Rockets pride themselves on versatility and their ability to constantly switch.

With 6-foot-5 P.J. Tucker starting at center, Houston had the No. 2 defensive rating in the playoffs among Western Conference teams — and their ability to contest on the perimeter at all positions was a big reason. In particular, Tucker’s leadership and defensive versatility proved essential, along with his constant emphasis on communication.

The Denver Nuggets, on the other hand, entered Sunday at No. 6 on defense among the eight West playoff teams. And one of their defensive miscues cost them dearly in the final seconds of Game 2 (box score) of the Western Conference Finals versus the Los Angeles Lakers.

With Denver leading by a point in the closing seconds, they forced a pair of missed shots on the last possession — including Jamal Murray’s block against Danny Green, which went out of bounds with only 2.1 seconds left. But despite their initial success, the Nuggets removed forward Paul Millsap before the final play for a more conventional big man in Mason Plumlee, presumably with an eye on more length and rim protection.

Unfortunately for the Nuggets, there was an apparent miscommunication between Plumlee and Jerami Grant, and Anthony Davis (who Plumlee was initially guarding) sank an open 3-pointer to win the game. Both Plumlee and Grant appeared preoccupied with LeBron James.

In a series of Instagram stories, Tucker had one simple question: Why did the Nuggets change the lineup? “No screen, no scheme,” he wrote.

The late substitution by Denver coach Michael Malone took place without a timeout, which might have contributed to the apparent confusion. Between Plumlee and Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets had two centers out there for the final play. While their length prevented any shot at the rim, it also may have played a role in how open the Davis 3-pointer was.

Tucker’s Rockets, of course, lost to those same Lakers by a 4-1 margin in the second round of the playoffs. The Nuggets currently trail, 2-0.

“Good game, nonetheless,” Tucker concluded in his series of messages.

Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and Nuggets is set for an 8:00 p.m. Central tip-off time on Tuesday night.

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Ben McLemore tips hat to LeBron James, vows to get better for 2021

“Far from where I wanted the road to end,” McLemore wrote. “Time to get back in the lab and get better! Hats off to [LeBron].”

For the first time in seven NBA seasons, Ben McLemore found a home on a contender during his successful 2019-20 campaign with the Houston Rockets. The 6-foot-3 guard shot 40.0% on 3-pointers, making him the best long-range shooter for the NBA’s most trigger-happy team.

After six seasons bouncing between various roles with the lottery-bound Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies, McLemore fit very well in Houston — where he averaged 10.1 points in 22.8 minutes per game.

Even so, with a disappointing loss in the second round of the playoffs to the Los Angeles Lakers, things didn’t end the way McLemore and the Rockets wanted them to. While the loss was certainly understandable, considering that it came at the hands of the best team by record in the Western Conference and arguably the top player in NBA history in LeBron James, it wasn’t close to the championship goal that Houston had set.

In a Sunday post on Instagram, McLemore tipped his hat to James while vowing to work hard in the offseason on the practice court.

James and McLemore have been close since the latter’s college days, and McLemore recently chose to hire Klutch Sports as his agency representation. Klutch is run by Rich Paul, LeBron’s longtime friend.

McLemore didn’t receive many minutes early in the Los Angeles series, though he earned more toward the end. Mike D’Antoni, who won’t return as Rockets coach, seemed to have concerns about McLemore’s defensive limitations — but his hot shooting became hard to ignore.

McLemore is already under contract with the Rockets for the 2020-21 season, but the 27-year-old could be due for a big raise from his near-minimum deal once he becomes a free agent in the 2021 offseason.

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CLAB 15: Previewing the Miami-Boston Eastern Conference Finals

Tune in as we break down what to expect from the series ahead, as well as a quick look back and around the rest of the NBA postseason.

The Boston Celtics survived the Toronto Raptors only to collide with the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Their third trip to this stage in four seasons, in this episode of the Celtics Lab podcast, we break down what we ought to be expecting from our Floridian foes in the Celtics’ quest to hang Banner 18.

Who guards who? Who wins the battle of the coaches? And how many wins will it take for the Celtics to advance? Will the Celtics advance?

Join Celtics Lab’s Topher Lane, Off the Glass’ Alex Goldberg, Celtics Hub’s Cam Tabatabaie and Celtics Wire’s Justin Quinn as they dive into the coming series in roundtable format while getting us up to speed on all the other playoff action.

And as always, if you like what you hear, please rate us five stars — and if you have a bone to pick with something, let us know in a comment on any social media platform with the hashtag #CLPOD.

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Rajon Rondo’s brother was ejected after heckling Russell Westbrook

Westbrook: “People at the game, you’re supposed to shut your mouth and watch the game. That’s the rules, especially when you have families.”

The brother of veteran guard Rajon Rondo, who is allowed to attend games at the NBA “bubble” as a family member, was ejected from Saturday’s playoff game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets after a verbal spat with All-Star Russell Westbrook.

With the Lakers up big in the fourth quarter on their way to a series-clinching win in Game 5, William Rondo allegedly called Westbrook “trash” and waved goodbye when Westbrook asked what was said.

“He didn’t do anything crazy,” Rajon Rondo said. “He called the man ‘trash.’ Fans do what fans do. He’s my brother first. He didn’t do anything disrespectful.” William is actually in charge of the barbers, manicurists, and hair braiders at the bubble, who work through his company.

When asked postgame, here’s how Westbrook described the incident:

People at the game, you’re supposed to shut your mouth and watch the game. That’s the rules, especially when you have families and people here. Apparently, I guess because [Rajon] Rondo was talking s—, [William] decided he wanted to hop in, too.

But it’s okay. I mean, it’s all good, I get it. He wanted to take up for his brother. … But those rules stand for everybody, though, no matter who it is — family, whatever.

For Westbrook and the Rockets, the 2019-20 season is now over. The Lakers will resume play later this week in the Western Conference Finals, and Rondo told reporters that he was hopeful that his brother would not be further disciplined over the incident.

Westbrook struggled in the game, scoring 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting (30.8%) from the field and 2-of-6 (33.3%) on free throws.

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