As Golden State’s romped its way through the Western Conference Finals against the Mavericks (+1.5), Barkley hasn’t let up on his side of the bargain. He got into it with Draymond Green in recent days and rode a horse before Game 3 in Dallas.
When the series shifted back to San Francisco for Game 5, Warriors fans did not take lightly to their new public frenemy. Before the Inside the NBA broadcast could really get into the night’s proceedings, they hilariously chanted, in unison, about how Barkley sucks:
“Chuck, you suck. Chuck, you suck. Chuck, you suck.”
Unfortunately for Barkley, the Mavericks haven’t done much on-court to back him up. If it’s any consolation, he should remember that sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt.
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).
Mark Cuban has never been shy about letting everyone know what he thinks about the NBA as a product. He’s shot down ideas like an in-season NBA tournament despite it becoming a pretty popular idea around NBA circles.
Now, he’s even coming out against a product the NBA already has — the play-in tournament.
The play-in is something Adam Silver has consistently vocalized that he wants to keep around for the NBA. It’s a product he thinks is good for the game. The tournament is fun! But it also had its downsides, too. We’ve written about them plenty here.
There were already plenty of reasons to be anti play-in tournament already. But Mark Cuban seems to have come up with another one after seeing this year’s NBA playoffs play out.
He thinks the tournament’s slot in the NBA schedule is leading to more injury and fatigue during the actual postseason.
Now, hold on. Before you push back against it, just hear him out for a second. He tweeted an explanation and it actually makes a lot of sense.
As fun as the Play-In Tournament was, it led to playoff games being played every other night. Which raises the question of whether that has led to teams being tired and possibly injured. We can’t extend the last day because of TV. Should the PlayIn be just 8th seed or not at all?
“As fun as the Play-In tournament was, it led to playoff games being played every other night. Which raises the question of whether that has led to teams being tired and possibly injured. We can’t extend the last day because of TV. Shoudl the Play-In just be 8th seed or not at all?
That’s a pretty interesting point. We are all seeing the effects from the league throwing another wrinkle into its schedule here.
If the NBA’s playoff games have felt bunched to you, don’t feel weird. It’s because they have been. There’s normally a bigger gap between each series and, typically, when teams traveled to the away team’s arena for games 3 and 4 there’d be an extra day of rest included.
Those baked-in rest days are gone because of the play-in scheduling. And that’s led to a lot more constant action. We’ve seen that play itself out throughout these playoffs.
Marcus Smart is nursing an injured ankle. Jimmy Butler has an ailing knee. Robert Williams has been in and out of the lineup for the Celtics. Luka Doncic consistently looks gassed.
Let’s be honest about this. The play-in still isn’t going anywhere and Cuban’s comments aren’t going to change that. And if there’s going to be any change here, there needs to be something more than anecdotal evidence from Cuban’s observations.
But, regardless, this should at least lead to a conversation. Because, at the end of it all, the job of the NBA is to put its best product on the floor. If the play-in needs to be adjusted to make that happen, that’s what the league needs to do.
This is a problem for the Warriors. Not a big problem, but a problem.
As I sat there watching American Airlines Center leak endlessly while the camera panned between Mark Cuban and the Mavericks’ ceiling, I tried to take hold of what was actually happening in Game 4 of the 2022 Western Conference Finals.
The Golden State Warriors had an opportunity to book a ticket to the NBA Finals for the 6th time in 8 years. Instead, they found themselves down by 15 at halftime to a team that clearly wasn’t ready to be in the Western Conference Finals to this point.
But the Mavericks didn’t look like the team that didn’t belong on Tuesday. Instead, that was the Warriors. It was a weird game. They were putrid defensively. They had free throws get stuck on the rim. It was one of the most un-Warriros-like performances we’ve seen from them this postseason — that huge Grizzlies blowout sets the standard there.
As the Warriors continued to struggle to put away another opponent, a quote from Steph Curry just kept entering my mind.
It was from the first round of the playoffs after Game 5 when the Warriors finally closed out the Denver Nuggets. I say finally because it took a lot to get there. The Warriors entered the quarter down by 8 points and couldn’t seem to buy a bucket.
But they eventually found a way to close the game out and Curry had this to say afterward during his postgame interview with TNT’s Jared Greenberg.
“I think you can see through these first three quarters, we forgot what it felt like to try and close out a game. The nerves. The energy in the building…We still know how to do it, but you have to kind of grind it out.”
That quote came after a Game 5 win, but that mentality has also seemed to plague the Warriors throughout this postseason so far.
They’ve got four losses total in this year’s playoffs. Three of those four losses came in elimination games — Game 4 against the Nuggets, Game 5 against the Grizzlies and, now, Game 4 against the Mavericks.
The Warriors were up 3-0 in Denver, up 3-1 in Memphis and up 3-0 in Dallas.
That feels like a problem. Maybe not a big one, but a problem nonetheless.
It’s not all doom and gloom, obviously. The thing about closeout games is that you’ve got to put yourself in a position to close another team out and the Warriors have done that better than everyone else this postseason. They just haven’t always been able to close the deal. And closeout games are hard. As Curry said, there’s a certain grind to it when the other team has their backs up against the wall.
But still. It’s something to keep an eye on moving forward with Golden State. They’ll get out of this series against the Mavericks.
But the next round? They’ll see the best of the Eastern Conference and they’ll be playing for all the marbles. Fail to close out there after taking a series lead and it could mean another epic comeback.
After all, this is the same championship core that blew a 3-1 lead.
The main event of Sunday’s NBA programming was supposed to be the Warriors and Mavericks in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. Steph Curry vs. Luka Doncic: You can’t beat it. Evidently, someone forgot to tell Charles Barkley to stop taking all the attention and to stop having so much fun.
During the pregame — with the rest of the Inside the NBA gang already settled at their live set — Barkley opted to make his entrance to the show a little more … Western. How, you might ask?
By riding a beautiful black horse through the outdoor concourse while wearing a cowboy hat.
Look at the respective looks of disbelief on Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith’s faces. Listen to Shaq’s playful barbs at Barkley while Barkley approaches on his stallion. And notice how Barkley’s smile says he knows his stunt is hilarious and ridiculous at the same time.
Truly, only a moment Chuck could produce.
NBA fans thought Barkley’s spaghetti western stunt was an absolute hoot.
This time of year in the NBA, you might need an extra edge.
Of course, I’m talking about players acting at the slightest hints of contact, hoping a call goes your way. The art of flopping.
During the Miami Heat’s visit to the Boston Celtics (6.5-point favorites heading in) in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, P.J. Tucker had the latest great audition to enter the flop pantheon. When Jayson Tatum tried to make a slick dribble move on Tucker in transition, a light forearm (seemingly almost nonexistent!) sent Tucker flying across the floor:
Tatum must be really strong if he can send a 245-pound man like Tucker soaring and spinning across half of the floor. At least Tucker got the last laugh (he probably got the first one, too, right?) when he helped hold Tatum to 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting in an eventual 109-103 Heat win.
Take notes, young basketball fans: That’s how you act and defend.
NBA fans thought Tucker’s dramatics in such a big game was so hilarious that they even turned it into a meme:
And on Friday night, the Mavericks were Curry’s latest target. The Warriors’ point guard gave us an epic moment after hitting the final dagger 3-pointer in the 4th quarter to put the Mavs away for good.
That dude doesn’t hold back. After a 19-point comeback win, though? I can’t say I blame him. This set NBA Twitter all the way off. Folks were going crazy.
These two can definitely make for great TV together.
One thing you know is a constant about the Inside the NBA broadcasts is Charles Barkley having a blast. The Basketball Hall of Famer is never afraid to speak his mind. He seemingly jumps into every conversation headfirst, even with fans.
This mindset had hilarious results when Barkley interviewed Draymond Green during warmups for Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
With the Warriors (-6.5 favorites coming into the night) seeking a commanding 2-0 lead over the Mavericks in the series, Barkley decided to learn more about Green’s warmup approach. Except he wanted to have a little fun with the Warriors star, so he took a small shot at Green’s offensive game.
That ignited a fantastic exchange between the two:
"Why are you shooting the ball in warm-ups and you never shoot it in the game?"
Amazing. Look at how Green shrugs Barkley off and transitions into his own shot about Warriors fans having “more rings” than the analyst, which Barkley also takes in stride. Great stuff, guys. It’s definitely all in good fun.
As an added bonus, Green eventually backed up his “shoot when I have to win championships” comment to Barkley. A big-time fourth-quarter three helped the Warriors eventually win 126-117:
It looks like Horford’s the glue that holds everything together.
After a Game 1 romp in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics roared back to square things up with the Heat in Game 2. And it was never even close.
In a 127-102 blowout, Boston essentially paced ahead of Miami for the entire evening. The Celtics were so locked in that backup guard Payton Pritchard used quite the unexpected taunt.
As the Celtics now sit three wins away from the NBA Finals, it might be time to reflect on why they can look so dominant at times. Sure, there are the usual suspects like Jayson Tatum getting bucket after bucket, which adds up. But at this stage of the season, most of the remaining teams have a singular offensive star. It’s not necessarily a unique trait.
What sets the Celtics apart is their defense, anchored by Al Horford:
The player who has defended the most shots this playoffs is… Al Horford.
Opponents are shooting 10% worse when defended by Horford. Only Draymond Green has a lower DFG%.
That is astonishing. For a player like Horford to have that much impact on defense — at his age, no less — is just remarkable. No wonder the Celtics blew the Heat out in Game 2 after falling down 0-1: Horford missed the first game!
Right now, the Celtics have +185 odds to win the 2022 NBA title with oddsmakers at Tipico Sportsbook. That’s second only to the Warriors (+105). If they keep churning out stellar defensive games, I have a hunch their title odds will only improve. And they should certainly thank Horford for his individual efforts.
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).
Welcome to Layup Lines, our daily NBA newsletter where we’ll prep you for a tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every afternoon.
What’s good, family. It’s Sykes, once again, here to usher you into tonight’s playoff action. But first, a quick word on Bam Adebayo.
Daniel Theis was too slow. Everyone else was too small. He got to the rim at will. I haven’t even mentioned the terror that he was on the defensive end — something that probably still haunts Jayson Tatum’s nightmares to this day.
That’s the Bam Adebayo Heat fans remember. That’s the Bam that looked like he could be the best player on the Miami Heat in a year or two.
But that Bam has yet to show up in this year’s postseason — especially not against today’s version of the Boston Celtics. Miami Heat fans are two seconds away from photoshopping his face on a virtual milk carton.
Through two games, Adebayo has just 10 shots and he’s only scored 16 points. He’s got four blocks, but he got them all in Game 1. He hasn’t attacked at all. He’s only setting screens, catching the ball, and looking for the next dribble handoff.
It’s not just this series, either. Adebayo has taken a step back throughout this postseason. The most alarming stat? His field goal attempts per game. It’s a basic stat, sure. But it also helps us track aggression. It can tell us just how involved a player is in the offense.
Adebayo’s shot attempts have fallen from 13 per game in the regular season to just 8.2 per game in the postseason. As the team’s second-best player and an offensive fulcrum, that’s unacceptable.
Now, all of that might not be on Bam. Per NBA.com’s stats tool, his touches per game have also dropped to 54.2 in the playoffs from 65 per game in the regular season. The Heat need to find more creative ways to get him the ball and he needs to attack with it.
In Game 3, they’ll need to figure this out. Because what’s happening now? It simply ain’t going to cut it here. Not if the Heat want to make it back to the NBA Finals.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
(Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
As a Wizards fan, I’m finding myself diving deeply into NBA draft content. Luckily, I work with draft guru Bryan Kalbrosky who has kept me in the loop with all the buzz surrounding every prospect in the draft.
One that Bryan hipped me to early was Jalen Williams, who measured in at 6’5 with a 7’2 wingspan at the NBA Draft Combine. Sounds intriguing, right? Yet, somehow, this kid was viewed as a 2nd round pick coming into this week. I can assure you that won’t be the case after the combine, though.
“Williams is just 6’4.5″ without shoes, but his max vertical reach of 12’0.5″ is ahead of vertical athletes like Aaron Gordon and John Collins as well as rim protectors like Rudy Gobert. (Yes, you read that right. This man can actually get higher than Gordon, Collins, and Gobert.)”
Man, what? Wizards, please. Y’all know what to do, man.
Warriors (-6.5, -280) vs. Mavericks (+220), O/U 213.5, 9 PM ET
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Warriors looked absolutely dominant in Game 1. They did one of the best jobs we’ve seen all season in defending Luka Doncic — he was held to just 20 points on 18 shots. But Luka is a great player. And great players aren’t normally held down like that two games in a row. I think the Warriors win a close game 2, but I’m taking the over.
Who’s in and out?
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Andre Iguodala (neck) remains out for the Golden State Warriors with a neck strain.
Gary Payton II (elbow) also remains out for the Golden State Warriors with a fractured elbow.
Shootaround
Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
— The 76eres have a long list of offseason goals they’ll need to accomplish. Here are 3 of them from Sixers Wire.
— Al Horford passed through the NBA’s COVID protocols in the nick of time for Game 2. Here are details on the whirlwind leading to that.
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).
They’ve all experienced their share of success and failure with the franchise. Well, all except Schröder — that was pretty much all bad. But I digress.
The point I’m making here is that the Celtics have gone through the ringer in search for a proper point guard for their team. That’s been the biggest knock on their team since Irving left for Brooklyn in 2019.
But, as it turns out, they’ve always had the answer right there in house. And it was always going to be Marcus Smart. No matter what happens through the rest of these playoffs, he is the Celtics’ answer at point right now and moving forward.
Look no further than game 2 against the Heat to see exactly why. The difference he makes for Boston is stark. He finished the game nearly pouring in a triple-double with a plus/minus of +32, which is staggering.
Single-game plus/minus isn’t the greatest stat, but when the difference is that big it’s definitely something to take note of.
What is truly remarkable is that Smart was 1-for-10 at halftime of game 2 but it’s also hard to argue that there was anyone on the Celtics’ team who’d had more of an impact to that point. He’d only scored 7 points but had 7 assists.
He also did an incredible job of helping and forcing turnovers like this one Steve Jones shared in his excellent game thread here.
Jimmy/Bam P&R with an empty side again and Smart/Horford navigate without even having to get to a coverage. Great help from Smart at the end. pic.twitter.com/Ijc519E1lK
That’s just Marcus Smart doing Marcus Smart things, man. He’s incredible. That’s why he’s the Defensive Player of the Year from the guard spot. His impact is undeniable.
And, offensively, he isn’t flashy. Sure, he’ll hit the occasional stepback jumper and maybe he’ll slide a few people across the floor once every few games. But that’s not what makes him great.
It’s the hit ahead passes. It’s the screening. It’s making the right plays and finding the open man for 3. We’ve seen that all postseason long starting with Game 1 in the first round when everyone in the building thought he was taking the final shot.
Instead, he passes the ball up. It gets to Jayson Tatum and the rest is history. Now, the Celtics are here. And they look like they might be title favorites.
It’s been a long time. Smart has had to wait his turn and he knows it.
"I just waited my turn… I think everybody in the organization and the world is seeing what I can do at that point guard position"
“My whole career, this is what I got drafted here to do. I just waited my turn. And I’m blessed to be able to have the opportunity to show what I can do. I think everybody in the organization and the world is seeing what I can do at that point guard position.”
But the wait is over. He’s showing and proving now. That point guard slot in Boston is his until he doesn’t want it anymore.
