So now after their horrendous season, Los Angeles Lakers’ principal owner Jeannie Buss is seeking the input from Phil Jackson and Magic Johnson with regard to the hiring of the franchise’s next Head Coach and the reshaping of roster for next season. Several players are among their free agents , while there appears to be rumblings as to whether or not Anthony Davis or Russell Westbrook will be traded during the off season . What might be even more astounding , the possibility of LeBron James actually bolting from Los Angeles for even greener pastures.
LeBron’s relationship with Lakers’ GM Rob Pelinka isn’t quite as amenable as some might believe it to be. It was clear with the Lakers having missed the NBA Playoffs, the fallout would begin with a great deal of finger pointing. Pelinka has all but laid the blame for the Lakers’ failures jointly upon the shoulders of LeBron James and his agent , Rich Paul of Klutch Sports .
If nothing , we can agree , that real chpuinship teams are built on real acquiring of talent, along with a group of players be they rookies or sophomores capable of being productive. While excuses will be made about injuries playing a part in the Lakers’ woes. What cannot be overlooked, was the very fact Frank Vogel and his coaching staff seemed incapable getting the best out of his players. Granted, LeBron James was productive and yet, few if any of his teammates were willing to follow his lead.
From my own perspective, I don’t believe that there’s anything that either Phil Jackson or Magic Johnson can really do to make the Lakers any better . This roster by way of it’s makeup was one where they had one of the oldest rosters in the NBA. Two years from their last championship success , the Lakers have now become an afterthought.
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https://www.spotrac.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/yearly/cap
https://www.spotrac.com/nba/free-agents/los-angeles-lakers/2022
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I’ve come to the conclusion Jeanie Buss and the front office of the Los Angeles Lakers have lost touch with reality.
To understand mediocre the Los Angeles Lakers were this past season. Merely look at record over their last fifteen games (4-11) and that of their players .
It may well be in the Los Angeles Lakers’ best interest to impolde this roster completely and begin to move on from LeBron James .
This much is clear Lakers’ GM Rob Pelinka has no idea how to assess talent much less the notion of >a href=https://nba.com/stats/history/draft?Season=All&TeamID=1610612747> drafting ood players. Acquisitions asides, Pelinka’s overtures there have been equally disastrous.
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https://nba.com/lakers/news/
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I firmly believe that during this off season , neither James Harden or Kyrie Irving are likely to remain with their respective teams , Philadelphia 76ees orBrooklyn Nets . To re-sign both to max contract deals would prove to be very costly for both franchises.
As it is, neither proved to be extremely effective for their teams during the NBA Playoffs.
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https://nba.com/stats/players/traditional?SeasonType=Playoffs&PlayerExperience=Veteran&sort=PTS&dir=-1
https://nba.com/schedule/?cal=May&pd=All®ion=1
https://www.spotrac.com/nba/free-agents/2022/ufa
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The Boston Celtics (3-3) have now forced a game seven of their conference semi finals series against the Milwaukee Bucks (3-3) The winner of game seven will go on to face the Miami Heat in the “https://nba.com/playoffs/2022/ Conference Finals within the East .
In the Western Conference Finals the Golden State Warriors have clinched their berth and the now await the winners of the series between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks .
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Sunday afternoon will see two pivotal and vital game seven series’ contests , as the Phoenix Suns (3-3) will play host to the Dallas Mavericks (3-3) , while the Boston Celtics (3-3) will host defending NBA champions , the Milwaukee Bucks (3-3) . While the home team might well be favored to win , that is by no means a certainty at this juncture.
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Can someone now explain to me what are to be the intended roles of Phil Jackson and Magic Johnson as consultants after they were brought in by team owner , Jeannie Buss . For some reason former Lakers’ player Kurt Rambis also has a role within the front office as an aide to GM Rob Pelinka . Given the disastrous season by the Lakers with the only noteworthy productivity coming from LeBron James .
With the Lakers having failed to make the Play In Tournament as well as the NBA Playoffs itself. It would be a genuine understatement to suggest that their season wasn’t mired in mediocrity .
This off-season the Lakers will have some serious decisions to make as it relates to the makeup of the team’s roster.
Moving forward , it’s clear that neither Russell Westbrook or Anthony Davis can coexist alongside LeBron James. It’s either lack of productivity or persistent injuries which have caused the Lakers ti be so bad. Yet in terms of real depth and genuine young talent , there’s absolutely nothing to be found. This current roster is among the oldest in the NBA by way of
age and experience .
In terms of a relevant draft class and the nurturing of talent , this last took place with the Lakers’ drafting of Kobe Bryant and then prior to that with Magic Johnson .
From my own perspective beyond the profitability of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise, it’s clear that the Buss family have lost control and the direction is going in. Somehow , I don’t believe that either Phil Jackson or Magic Johnson will be able to counter the growing influence which LeBron James and Rich Paul have over Rob Pelinka.
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The defending NBA champions the Milwaukee Bucks (3-4) were ousted from the NBA Playoffs , losing a taut game seven played today against the Boston Celtics (4-3). Leading the way for the victors was the Celtics’ best player Jayson Tatum .
For Celtics’ Head Coach Ime Udoka , this has been an impressive season , with several of the players making the Eastern roster of NBA All Stars. Marcus Smart was also named NBA Defensive Player of The Year .
The Boston Celtics will now advance to the Eastern Conference Finals where they will meet the Miami Heat.
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Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns (3-4) fell at the last possible hurdle when they lost game seven of their conference semi final series against the Dallas Mavericks (4-3) . Leading the way for the Mavericks was Luka Doncic , as he wastop scorer forDallas throughout the series.
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Highly favored to make it out of the Western Conference Playoffs the Phoenix Suns advanced to the conference finals only to then succumb to the Dallas Mavericks in seven exciting games. Mavericks’ forward Luka Doncic led all scorers in that pivotal game seven , as he rallied his team during the closing moments of a truly riveting contest.
In the subsequent fallout, Patrick Beverly has been critical of Suns’ Head Coach Monty Williams for not having taken out his veteran point guard Chris Paul in what waa a devastating blowout loss. What now follows will likely be an in depth study as to what went wrong and why? This much we do know , the Suns gave it all that they could , but the Mavericks were far more determined as Jason Kidd and his coaching staff came up with a successful gaming strategy to negate the offense of the Suns and in particular their playmaker Devin Booker .
Patrick Beverley’s idiotic rant and diatribe smacks of jealousy , envy and in actuality , utter nonsense.
To read article in full , click on link shown.
What we are certain of Monty Williams and the Suns’ front office will.seek to revamp the roster as they seek to become a perennial contender.
What Patrick Beverley has seemingly failed to undestand about Chris Paul is the very fact that the player is the vocal and physical leader , with Devin Booker being the main facilitator in terms of the team’s offense.
NBA Playoffs Western Conference Semifinals
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Highly favored to make it out of the Western Conference Playoffs the Phoenix Suns did’nt advance to the conference finals , only to then succumb to the Dallas Mavericks in seven exciting games
Mavericks’ forward Luka Doncic led all scorers in that pivotal game seven , as he rallied his team during the closing moments of a truly riveting contest.
In the subsequent fallout, Patrick Beverly has been critical of Suns’ Head Coach Monty Williams for not having taken out his veteran point guard Chris Paul in what was a devastating blowout loss. What now follows will likely be an in depth study as to what went wrong and why? This much we do know , the Suns gave it all that they could , but the Mavericks were far more determined, as Jason Kidd and his coaching staff came up with a successful gaming strategy to negate the offense of the Suns and in particular their playmaker Devin Booker .
NBA Playoffs Western Conference Semifinals
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Game one for the opening series of the Eastern Conference Finals , with the Miami Heat playing host to the Boston Celtics . Leading all scorers was Jimmy Butler of the Heat. Butler with his field goal shooting dropped 41 points against the league’s defense . It will be interesting to see if the Celtics can rebound from this loss when these two teams meet for game two . Boston’s defense will certainly have to raise the level of their play .
Jimmy Butler and Jayson Tatum
have created a great match-up and this series should provide us with a master class in how stars go about playing the game.
Wednesday and the first game of the Western Conference Finals will pit the Dallas Mavericks who’ll be guests of the Golden State Warriors .
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The Orlando Magic were the winners of the NBA Draft Lottery for the 2022 NBA Draft , wherein they will have the one overall pick . As to whom that player might well be is open to a great deal of conjecture and speculation .
The Magic’s front office is unlikely to forgo the pick and offer it up to another franchise. If anything they’ll be looking to draft a player who’ll be able to add to the team’s productivity and make them a contender within their division and conference . It has been several years since the Magic had the number one pick overall , with their most celebrated pick being Shaquille O’Neal , currently a member of the Hall of Fame .
O’Neal was part of a celebrated class from the year , 1992. The Orlando Magic’s forays into the NBA Playoffs have been infrequent with their last playoff appearance coming in 2020 . The team would be eliminated in the first round , losing to the Milwaukee Bucks . During this off season , it will be interesting to see what options are taken by way of the Magic and how they intend to revamp their roster .
Jeff Weltman as Head of Basketball Operations along with the coaching staff of the Orlando Magic will have some serious decisions to make with regard to the upcoming Draft as well as free agent acquisitions.
Orlando Magic news and other news categories …
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Game two of the Western Conference Finals’ matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks .
The Warriors will be seeking to add to their opening home game victory , by taking Friday night’s game being played in Oakland , California. Team owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber have to be very impressed with what they’ve seen from their players not just in this series , but throughout the NBA Playoffs to date. Golden State will be seeking to win their fourth NBA title in the last seven years. Few teams have been able to accomplish such an achievement in that time-frame in NBA history .
For Jason Kidd , as Head Coach of the Dallas Mavericks , his hope has to be that All Star , Luka Doncic is at peak fitness and injury free for this contest.
In the Eastern Conference Finals , the Miami Heat will be looking to take a 2-0 lead over the
Boston Celtics . In this contest the intriguing matchup will be between Jimmy Butler of the Heat and Boston’s Jayson Tatum . Boston on Thursday night played at a heightened level , defeating Miami , 126-102 with what seemed effortless ease and Boston’s defense playing soundly.
NBA Playoffs
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Tom Thibodeau as Head Coach of New York Knicks presided over a team which had one of their worst seasons in recent years . Not only was the team bad , but from a competitive standpoint , the Knicks barely played with any effort.
New Yorks’ front office and team owner , James L Dolan might well have one of the most valuable though not profitable franchises in the NBA. Yet for all of the economic prowess shown, one indelible fact remains the Knicks have been woefully inept in each of their playoff appearances over the last fifteen years.
Knicks’ GM Leon Rose clearly has some serious decisions to make concerning their cap availability and impending free agents . New York is no longer the desired destination. for free agents , even with cap availability at their disposal. The Knicks in the upcoming NBA Draft have a first round pick. The franchise’s most successful draft class might well have been from as far back as 2008 which featured Danilo Gallinari .
New York Knicks news …
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The next four games within the NBA Playoff schedule should prove to be very interesting
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Golden State Warriors have now taken a 2-0 lead over the Dallas Mavericks , with a pivotal game three taking place on Sunday 21st May , 2022.
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On Saturday night , the Boston Celtics played host to the Miami Heat in game three of the Eastern Confrence Finals . A series , which many believe could very well go to seven games, if both teams play to their full potential .
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The Golden State Warriors have now taken what appears to be an insurmountable 3-0 lead over the Dallas Maverivks in the Western Conference Finals
Game four will take place on Tuesday , with it being in Dallas , Texas. Jason Kidd and his coaching staff will need to have his players best prepared for this pivotal contest. A win for the Warriors will place the team back in the NBA Finals for the fourth time in the last eight seasons.
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The impetus which teams are hoping for seems, now seems to be in the hands of the top seeds and their having homecourt advantage during the NBA Playoffs and this would appear to be the case during the conference finals’ series.
It remains to be seen how things will pan out as the playoffs continue .
Theplay of several players have been truly impressive. It seems somewhat unimaginable that Luka Doncic can lead all scorers during the postseason by way of his average and his statistics place him among many of the NBA’s best during the postseason. Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks now find themselves in an almost insurmountable hold as they try and play themselves out of a 0-3 deficit against the Golden State Warriors .
Game four of this series will take place on Tuesday , 25th May , 2022.
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Last night the Boston Celtics evened the series between themselves and the Miami Heat , with a great victory victory at home , T D Gardens in Boston , Massachusetts. Leading the way for Boston was their All Star Jayson Tatum who was ably supported by his teammates .
Game five will be pivotal for both teams as a victory would place the winner with an added advantage . There’s a strong possibility that the Eastern Confrence Finals could very well go to the full stretch of seven games , given the defense capabilities being shown by both teams and their offense .
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With all of the current and impending free agents within the NBA , it’ll be very interesting to see how the teams go about playing around the salary cap for the upcoming regular (2022-23).
With their being mounting speculation that several players could be on the move. There’s a feeling that among the players on the move are , Kyrie Irving , Damien Lillard , Anthony Davis , Donovan Mitchell , Rudy Gobert and several high profiled players including James Harden , whose likely to opt out of of the final year of his contract .
Harden can re-up and sign a max deal paying him more than $210 million over five years. The current hard cap for this upcoming season is $129 million , with the luxury tax threshold being set at $149 million .
Heading into next season the highest paid player in the league will be Steph Curry , whose salary will be in excess of $48 million . Curry from his off the field activities is likely to earn in excess of $95 million , when one considers endorsement deals. The Warriors’ player is also a keen investor and entrepreneur.
Curry and the Golden State Warriors are embarking on another postseason run , seeking to win the franchise’s fourth NBA title over the last seven years and fifth overall. The
team now has now made it to the Western Conference Finals , where they currently hold a 3-0 lead over the Dallas Mavericks , with a possible elimination game four taking place on Tuesday , 24th May , 2022 at American Airlines Arena , Dallas , Texas .
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There’s a sound reason why the Los Angeles Clippers will remain the poor little sister to their in city rivals ,the Los Angeles Lakers . Inasmuch as their rivalry might well enthrall fans at the Staples Center , home to both franchises. The real difference between both franchises remains the historical achievements by way of NBA titles won and the number of Hall of Famers .
This past season was a real indication how bad things were for both the Clippers and Lakers. Neither came close to making deep run in the Play In Tournament, much less the NBA Postseason itself. The Lakers never made the Postseason , while the Clippers had an early exit during the Play In Phase.
Steve Ballmer as owner of the Clippers paid a whopping $2.6 billion to buy the club , after Donald Sterling was forced to sell , due to his repugnant behavior, seeds of misogyny and racism. With the departure of Sterling , it was hoped that there’d be a change of fortune for the Clippers. Alas , the Gods have not been kind to the Clippers their duo of stars, Paul George and Kawhi Lenoard . Both are highly paid and were touted as being one of the best duos in the NBA. That has yet to materialize and Clippers’ fans remain starved of success.
Over their last 12 games of the regular season the Los Angeles Clippers played with no real fervor at all. Tyronn Lue as Head Coach did his best , but the response from the players was very lackluster .
This off-season it will be interesting to see how the Clippers will navigate this period by way of the NBA Draft , their free agents and trades to revamp the overall roster . It’s rumored that Kawhi Leonard has spoken with front office executives Lawrence Frank and Mike Winger as to what he’d like to see done with to the direction of the Clippers and their overall competitiveness.
Los Angeles Clippers news
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Bradley Beal and Damien Lillard are two players who could very well be on the move during this off season should their respective teams allow them to leave while seeking to create cap space in making tqhese proposed trades. With both guards having been productive for Washington Wizards and Portland Trailblazers . It’s understandable to see the why both Beal and Lillard would be highly sought after. There are several teams around the league in need of some truly productive play at the guard and point guard position .
With rumors circulating that the Los Angeles Lakers might well be listening to offers for Russell Westbrook , albeit that both Phil Jackson and Magic Johnson have stated that they’d rather have Westbrook with the team for next season . From my own perspective, I’m not of the belief that the Los Angeles Lakers can
continue to go with a bloated cap , albeit, that the franchise remains highly profitable .
The issue for both Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard is the very fact their supporting cast of teammates are not particularly good .
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Tonight will be extremely interesting as Jayson Tatum and his Boston Celtics’ teammates will seek to take a decisive victory in Game Five of Eastern Confrence Finals .
Tatum and the Celtics , should they take a 3-2 lead over the Miami Heat , it’ll increase the likelihood of their inching towards another NBA Finals’ appearance since defeating the Los Angeles Lakers and that much vaunted
team from the season . Coached by Phil Jackson , that Lakers’ roster was highly favored to defeat the Celtics with ease , because the team was filled with All Stars at almost every position . The Celtics would flip the script, humiliating the Lakers and have Paul Pierce be named Finals’ MVP .
Boston’s history is well chronicled with the Celtics and Lakers being among the most lauded franchises in NBA history.
Ime Udoka as Head Coach of the Boston Celtics has shown the type of coaching acumen not seen among a rookie coach. The players have bought into his concerts on both ends of the floor , which made Boston the best defense in the NBA during the regular and postseason.
Game Five of the Eastern Conference Finals will be played TD Bank North Gardens in Boston , Massachusetts. This contest will be pivotal for both teams , as they each seek to make this season’s NBA Finals. Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra will be seeking to win his third title as a Head Coach and fourth overall .
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The Miami Heat (2-3) are now , one game away from being eliminated from this NBA Postseason having lost game five to the Boston Celtics (3-2) . Miami had a lackluster second half during this contest , but yet it reflects badly when you consider play throughout this postseason as exhibited .
With the Boston Celtics now needing to take game six to make it to to their second NBA Finals’ appearance in the last twelve years .
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Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors have made it to the NBA Finals for the fifth time in the last 9 seasons. Curry and his teammates dismissed the Dallas Mavericks with relative ease ,dispatching them in five games.
Golden State now awaits the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals Series between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat . Boston holds a 3-2 lead over Miami and they’re now one win away from making another appearance in the NBA Finals .
Dallas’ downfall remains their lack of real defensive play .
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So there will be a game seven after all in the Eastern Conference Finals with Miami Heat defeating the Boston Celtics in game six .
East Conference Finals ..
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Darvin Ham has been formerly announced as the new Head Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers .
Rob Pelinka, GM of the Lakers introduced Ham to the media and the likelihood that LeBron James was waiting on the sidelines to meet his new coach.
The scrutiny and search wasn’t intense, but the choice may well have come as a surprise to many.
Darvin Ham will inherit an aging roster with few bargaining chips in order to make a meaningful trade.
The play of the Lakers can best be described as underwhelming and lackluster. LeBron James might well have averaged 30 points a game , but defensively and from an offensive standpoint this team was just mediocre
.
The troubling aspect of this hire was the input sought from Phil Jackson , Magic Johnson and Kurt Rambis . With Rambis being a low level consultant within the franchise . Linda Rambis , wife of Kurt Rambis is a close friend of Lakers’ owner Jeannie Buss .
Linda Rambis also works within the front office as she heads up the philanthropic efforts of the Los Angeles Lakers.
At this juncture it’d be safe to say Rob Pelinka’s role is being diminished, rather than his having any real influence. Hell, LeBron James’ agent Rich Paul has more influence concerning player personnel decisions than Rob Pelinka himself. That’s not a great look for a once proud franchise.
This upcoming season, I seriously doubt that the Los Angeles Lakers will be to compete , win their division , much less be considered among the best in the Western Conference or the NBA overall .
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There’s now growing concerns as to the direction which the Brooklyn Nets should be taking this off season. Owner Joseph Tsai had to contend with the Nets being ousted in the first round , while their two superstars , Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant are now want to be aspiring coaches and directors of player personnel decisions. Sean Marks GM of the Nets , now has to convince Steve Nash that his job as Head Coach is not in jeopardy.
The fact that the Nets were blown out in a
4-0 mauling by the Boston Celtics tells you all that you need to know.
Absolutely no one expected such a poor showing from the Brooklyn Nets , where the form of Kyrie Ivring and Kevin Durant was simply abysmal. The duo accounts for more than $73 million of the Nets’ cap for this past season. Kyrie Irving can choose to opt out of his contract and become a free agent, but it’s the belief that he’s likely to remain in Brookyln with the Nets. Sean Marks has to weigh up all of his options in order to bolster the roster . One such option would clearly to rid themselves of Ben Simmons and buying out his contract. The point guard has not played a game in more than eighteen months . It’s senseless to keep a player whose mental and physical continues to come into question. Brooklyn should also be looking at what the draft has to offer
Brooklyn Nets news
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Can the Boston Celtics enter the American Airlines Arena in Miami and win a pivotal game seven against the hosts the Miami Heat . Celtics’ player Jayson Tatum and his teammates will be under a tremendous amount of pressure along with Head Coach Ime Udoka . One thing is certain this game could be played at a frenetic pace given what is at stake , a berth in the NBA Finals .
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The Golden State Warriors (1-2) now find themselves down 2-1 in their NBA Final Series against the Boston Celtics (2-1) with the Celtics
having shown their resolute defense throughout this series and much of the regular season. which proved the reason why they’ve been the best defense team in the NBA over the regular and playoffs.
Leading the way for the Celtics for the playoffs have been Jayson Tatum , Jalen Brown and current League Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart . Long considered to be the vocal and physical leader of this roster .
How the Warriors look to fight back over the remainder of this series remains to be seen.
I’ve long believed the Warriors’ dynasty never actually ended>. with the departure of Kevin Durant . For his part, the player has struggled with the Brooklyn Nets and his new found team . The drama there continues , with not only the drama of Ben Simmons and his now inexplicable future with the Nets , but there’s now ongoing discord with team starting point guard, Kyrie Irving and his long-term future with the franchise and the Nets’
financial obligation to the player.
On Friday night , when the Boston Celtics play host to the Golden State Warriors for game four, for what now seems to be turning into an epic series , this encounter will not only tell us great deal about the team , but also how determined they are to square off the series to two games apiece, tying things up at 2-2 .
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The Golden State Warriors have now taken a 3-2 lead over the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals , with a pivotal game six coming up ,with the contest being of vital importance for both teams.
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