Tag: 2023 All-Star Game

Here’s how Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault can become All-Star head coach

Here’s how Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault can become All-Star head coach.

Entering Sunday, the Oklahoma City Thunder sit in first place in the Western Conference standings. This means there’s a decent chance Mark Daigneault becomes the All-Star head coach.

Usually, the head coaches of the first-place teams in each conference two weeks before the All-Star game receive the nod to be the All-Star head coach. The Milwaukee Bucks already clinched the role for new head coach Doc Rivers. The Boston Celtics coaching staff is not eligible this year because it coached last season’s game, leaving the honor fall to the second-place team in the Eastern Conference.

Considering the Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves have the same records, tiebreakers might need to get involved.

In that case, the head-to-head matchup is the first tiebreaker: OKC and Minnesota split their season series. The next tiebreaker is conference record, which the Timberwolves own.

This means the only hope for the Thunder to send Daigneault to All-Star weekend is a win over the Toronto Raptors and a loss by the Timberwolves to the Houston Rockets on Sunday. Both need to happen for OKC to send its head coach to All-Star weekend. If the Timberwolves beat the Rockets, Chris Finch will be the All-Star head coach.

Another wild-card scenario is the LA Clippers, who are one game out of first place, sending Ty Lue to All-Star weekend. For that to happen, the Clippers need to win against the Miami Heat and both the Thunder and Timberwolves need to lose on Sunday.

If Daigneault becomes the All-Star head coach, he’ll get a chance to coach All-Star starter Shai Gilgeous-Alexander along with joining Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace and Keyontae Johnson for the weekend festivities.

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2023 All-Star Weekend Journal: How it was like covering the event

What it was like covering All-Star weekend in Utah.

SALT LAKE CITY — I was fortunate enough to be credentialed for the entire 2023 All-Star Weekend thanks to USA Today’s Sports Media Group.

I stayed in Salt Lake City, Utah, for roughly five days and was granted access to all of the events and media availabilities. I attended Friday’s Rising Stars contest, Saturday’s multiple events headlined by the Dunk Contest and Sunday’s All-Star game.

In terms of work, I was there mainly to focus on the three Oklahoma City Thunder representatives, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams. The former was making his first All-Star appearance. The latter two were participating in the Rising Stars challenge.

Being credentialed for All-Star weekend was one of my career highlights.

All-Star weekend celebrated the unofficial halfway mark of the regular season where only the best players in the league are invited. The fact that the Thunder had three representatives is a hugely positive sign of where the young core is going.

Because of that, I want to share my experience with the readers on what it was like covering the All-Star extravaganza from a first-hand perspective.

I have broken it down by days and am listing events in chronological order.

2023 All-Star weekend: LeBron James praises Josh Giddey and the Thunder

“They have a really good young core over in OKC.”

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James was made available prior to the 2023 All-Star game, and, for a second year in a row, the All-Star captain praised the Oklahoma City Thunder.

When asked to talk about Josh Giddey, who participated in the Rising Stars competition, James praised both him and the Thunder in general.

“Josh Giddey is really, really good, man. Obviously, a tall point guard. He is a triple-double-type of playmaker every single night because of his ability to rebound at his size, his distinctive passing and he has the ability to score in the paint.

I think he is going to continue to get better and better. They have a really good young core over in OKC. They don’t even have Chet (Holmgren) there just yet.

Josh is a really good player, along with the other rookies that they have this year. Obviously, we know first-time (All-Star) Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) is really good and the rest of that crew over there.

Pretty good player, for sure. You guys should be proud.”

This is pretty high praise from James and should excite Thunder fans that the 19-time All-Star regards their team so highly with its young core. The full quote can be watched below:

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PHOTOS: Best images from 2023 All-Star weekend for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The best photos from the 2023 All-Star weekend involving Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

It was a fun and busy All-Star weekend for Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Salt Lake City.

The 24-year-old enjoyed his first All-Star appearance after being voted in as a reserve. The 30-points-per-game scorer was drafted by Giannis Antetokounmpo with the fifth pick of the All-Star draft among the reserves.

In 10 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, seven assists and two rebounds in a 184-175 win over LeBron James’ All-Star team.

Gilgeous-Alexander also met with the media on Saturday following All-Star practice to discuss a wide range of topics.

Let’s take a look at some of the best photos from the 2023 All-Star weekend that included Gilgeous-Alexander.

2023 All-Star Game: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander soaks in first All-Star appearance

SGA made his first of possibly multiple All-Star appearances on Sunday.

SALT LAKE CITY — It took until the second quarter, but Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finally stepped on the floor to make his All-Star debut.

After being voted in as a reserve, Gilgeous-Alexander enjoyed the fruits of his labor by participating in the All-Star festivities among the best players in the league.

“Super fun … ,” Gilgeous-Alexander said about his weekend. “(I) tried to soak it up as much as possible. Tried to spend as much time with my loved ones as possible.”

Gilgeous-Alexander’s team — Team Giannis Antetokounmpo — also came away with the win, 184-175, against Team LeBron James. Although by the start of the second half, neither team had their captain on the floor.

In the inaugural All-Star draft, Gilgeous-Alexander went fifth among the reserves and was Antetokounmpo’s third selection.

In 10 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, seven assists and two rebounds. The 30-points-per-game scorer played the third-fewest amount of minutes on his team.

Gilgeous-Alexander only made appearances in the second and third quarter, with him making a side-step 3 and two shots in the paint, including a single dunk, being his only made field goals.

The lack of playing time sent Thunder fans into a frenzy during the game, with complaints over Gilgeous-Alexander’s playing time not being sufficient enough for the fifth-leading scorer in the league.

Despite the limited action, Gilgeous-Alexander had no complaints and was more dialed into enjoying the moment.

“It’s cool,” Gilgeous-Alexander said when asked about Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla’s minutes distribution. “I’m just honored to be here (and) play with the best players in the world and showcase my skills at this stage.”

As Gilgeous-Alexander enjoys the remaining three days of the All-Star break, the 24-year-old will shift his focus back to the last 25 games of the season as the 28-29 Thunder look to make a playoff push trailing the sixth-seeded Dallas Mavericks by 1.5 games.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander selected No. 5 in 2023 All-Star draft by Team Giannis

SGA is on Team Giannis.

SALT LAKE CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knows who his 2023 All-Star teammates are following the conclusion of the draft held by captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo selected the first-time All-Star with the fifth pick of the draft, his third selection among the reserves. Gilgeous-Alexander’s All-Star teammates go as follows:

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Gilgeous-Alexander is enjoying a career season. The 24-year-old is averaging 30.8 points on 50.8% shooting, 5.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 53 games with the Thunder.

The All-Star game format will be four separate quarters where the score resets each time. The target score in the clock-less fourth quarter will be 24 additional points to whichever team has the total lead following the first three quarters.

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2023 NBA All-Star Game rosters: Team LeBron vs. Team Giannis

Here are the full 2023 All-Star rosters and how to watch it:

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played his first career All-Star game on Sunday, Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Players were drafted onto either Team LeBron James and Team Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two stars selected their teams in a draft shortly before the game.

Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Zion Williamson were named All-Stars, but did not participate due to injuries.

The 2023 NBA All-Star game began at 7 p.m. CT Sunday on TNT. Here are the rosters for each team:

2023 All-Star media availability: What Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said

Recapping SGA’s 23-minute long All-Star media availability:

SALT LAKE CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander met with media following 2023 All-Star practice and spoke on a variety of topics in his 23 minutes.

Gilgeous-Alexander made his first career All-Star appearance when he was announced as a reserve. In 53 games, the 24-year-old is averaging 30.8 points on 50.8% shooting, 5.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds.

Which team Gilgeous-Alexander will be on will depend on where he gets drafted in the All-Star draft between Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James. Since he’s a reserve, he’ll be selected before the starters.

Let’s take a look at the best quotes and paraphrases from Gilgeous-Alexander’s media availability as he prepares to play his first All-Star game on Sunday, Feb. 19.

2023 Rising Stars: Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams lose in final

Recapping the 2023 Rising Stars event as Josh Giddey & Jalen Williams lose in the finals.

SALT LAKE CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder duo Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams almost tasted victory in the Rising Stars challenge.

Giddey and Williams advanced to the 2023 Rising Stars final following Team Joakim Noah’s 40-32 win over Team Jason Terry, which consisted of G League players.

In the final, Team Noah faced Team Pau Gasol and lost 25-20. The semifinal games had a target score of 40 points while the final had a target score of 25 points.

New Orleans Pelicans sophomore wing Jose Alvarado was named Rising Stars MVP following his team’s win, which included him hitting the dagger shot.

Let’s recap both games in terms of what Giddey and Williams did along with what they had to say following their five-point loss in the finals.

2023 Rising Stars: Josh Giddey & Jalen Williams media availability recap

The biggest takeaways from the Rising Stars media availabilities.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Rising Stars media availability was held on Friday morning with members from all four teams speaking with reporters.

This includes Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams, who will share a team together on Joakim Noah’s team.

The Rising Stars challenge will be a four-team tournament held on Friday with a target score of 40 points for the semi-finals and a target score of 25 points for the finals.

The Oklahoma City Thunder duo participated in the event. Let’s take a look at some of the best quotes and paraphrases from their media availabilities and their general thoughts on being involved in All-Star weekend.