Sources: Bucks championship coach Mike Budenholzer, Kings associate Jordi Fernandez and Suns associate Kevin Young have emerged among the finalists for the Brooklyn Nets head coaching job. Details at @TheAthletic

Sources: Bucks championship coach Mike Budenholzer, Kings associate Jordi Fernandez and Suns associate Kevin Young have emerged among the finalists for the Brooklyn Nets head coaching job.

Details at @TheAthletic: https://t.co/EeGrjl23hl

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 13, 2024

The Nets have been conducting a comprehensive coaching search following the dismissal of Steve Nash in early November 2023. With a talented roster boasting Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the search has focused on identifying a coach who can optimize the team’s potential and lead them to a championship.

A Look at the Finalists

• Mike Budenholzer: Budenholzer is the most decorated coach among the finalists. He led the Milwaukee Bucks to their first NBA championship in 50 years in 2021. Prior to that, he achieved success with the Atlanta Hawks, leading them to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2015. Budenholzer’s experience and championship pedigree make him a strong contender for the Nets job.

• Jordi Fernandez: Fernandez is a rising star in the coaching ranks. Currently serving as an associate coach with the Sacramento Kings, he has garnered recognition for his offensive schemes and player development skills. While he lacks head coaching experience at the NBA level, Fernandez’s potential and innovative approach could be intriguing for the Nets.

• Kevin Young: Another assistant coach on the rise, Kevin Young has been with the Phoenix Suns since 2018. He’s credited with playing a key role in the Suns’ transformation into a championship contender. Young’s experience under head coach Monty Williams and his emphasis on player development make him a viable candidate for the Brooklyn Nets.

The Brooklyn Nets’ choice will likely depend on their specific needs and vision for the future. Budenholzer offers a proven track record of winning, but his style might not mesh perfectly with the offensive firepower of Durant and Irving. Fernandez and Young, on the other hand, present a blend of potential and strategic philosophies that could unlock the Brooklyn Nets’ full offensive capabilities.

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A post-game tweet by ESPN’s Lakers insider Dave McMenamin (@mcten) captured the essence of James’ performance:

“The word Anthony Davis used to describe LeBron James’ 9-for-10 night from 3?” “Masterful.”

The word Anthony Davis used to describe LeBron James’ 9-for-10 night from 3? “Masterful.” pic.twitter.com/cCOosU0van

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 1, 2024

This single word perfectly encapsulates the brilliance of James’ shooting display.

LeBron James Silences Doubters with Masterful Shooting Night: Breaking Down the Brilliance

LeBron James, often hailed as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, has consistently amazed us with his versatility. His ability to dominate in various aspects of the game is unparalleled. However, his 3-point shooting has sometimes been a point of contention. Critics have questioned whether he can consistently deliver from long range.

On that fateful night, LeBron silenced the doubters. His 9-for-10 performance from beyond the arc was nothing short of masterful. Each shot seemed effortless, as if he had unlocked a secret formula for precision. But what made this display so remarkable?

Breaking Down the Shots

1. Form and Mechanics: LeBron’s shooting form was impeccable. His release was smooth, and he maintained balance throughout. Whether catching and shooting or pulling up, he executed flawlessly.
2. Shot Selection: LeBron chose his shots wisely. He didn’t force contested attempts but rather found open looks. His basketball IQ allowed him to read the defense and exploit gaps.
3. Confidence: Confidence plays a crucial role in shooting success. LeBron exuded confidence, and it translated into his accuracy. When a player believes every shot will go in, it often does.

The Lakers’ victory over the Nets has the potential to be a turning point in their season. They have struggled with inconsistency throughout the year, but James’ masterful performance serves as a spark of hope. The Lakers will look to build on this momentum as they navigate the remaining games of the regular season.

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The Clippers went all guns blazing against The Brooklyn Nets and completed a late comeback. The Clippers went on an unbelievable 22-0 run against the Brooklyn Nets. LA Clippers went Down by 15 in the fourth quarter and were trailing by 18 at one stage during the period, LA went home with a 41-15 final stanza including holding the Nets scoreless in the final five and a half minutes in a wild collapse from the  Nets . The Clippers delivered a solid overall team performance to snatch the victory from the visitors. The Clippers showcasing consistency has made their fans dream of a Championship trophy this season.

Russell Westbrook’s masterclass saves the LA Clippers

Russell Westbrook went on to produce 23 points,6 assists, and 9 rebounds against the Nets and was probably the best player on the pitch, he racked up 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden were also brilliant for the Clippers the other night they contributed 21 points,4 assists,4 rebounds, and 24 points 10 assists and 5 rebounds respectively.

LA Clippers are currently fourth in the Western Conference with 27 wins and 14 losses in the 41 games they have played and the cherry on the cake is their recent red-hot form, LA Clippers won 8 of their last 10 matches.

Fans react to LA Clippers comeback against the Brooklyn Nets

“That’s why the clippers are going to be the 2024 nba champs.” one user commented 

“Im following it on ESPN app since my VPN is on the fritz, it looked like a Hadassah comeback. Thank god for Russ huh” Another X user added

“Nets were tired from a back to back and it’s not impressive when yall got 4 hof players and the best coach in the NBA” a Twitter user tried to defend the Brooklyn Nets performance.

LA Clipper’s comeback against the Brooklyn Nets has excited the fans and made them dream again, LA Clippers will be looking to throw everything they have and bring the trophy home.

Read more – LA Lakers’ LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell combine for an extraordinary counter attack

A total of nine fixtures were conducted with the teams settling into their grooves in the first week of action after a lengthy off-season.

Hornets 129 – 140 Celtics 

The Charlotte Hornets’ winning streak ended at 3 as they succumbed to defeat against Boston Celtics. The Celtics, after already having been subjected to overtime this season, ended up on the winning side following an onslaught in the extended period.

They outscored the Hornets 18-7 in overtime to claim a topsy-turvy game on their side. Mikal Bridges and LaMelo Ball recorded 25 points each. For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum led the proceedings with a 41-point display.

Pacers 109 – 119 Bucks 

Defending NBA champions Milwaukee Bucks recorded a comfortable win over the Indian Pacers, a contest where they outscored their opponents across three quarters.

Giannis Antetokoumnpo top scored with 30 points and missed out on a triple-double by a single assist. He, however, led his side in points, rebounds, and assists with Khris Middleton chipping in with 27 points of his own.

Nets 104 – 90 Wizards 

Brooklyn Nets notched a win to bring their 0.500 record back in a season that has started with inconsistency. Kevin Durant top-scored in the contest by recording 25 points. James Harden notched 14 points while Patty Mills put in another impressive 21-point showing.

No one among the Wizards crossed the 20-point barrier with Bradley Beal coming the closest with 19 points.

Hawks 122 – 104 Pistons 

Detroit Pistons’ dismal start to the season continued as they slumped to defeat against Atlanta Hawks. Trae Young led the proceedings with a 32-point display.

Raptors 108 – 111 Bulls 

The Chicago Bulls’ fairytale start to the season following an eventful off-season continues as they win four in a trot. The franchise have recorded a 4-0 start for the first time in 25 years.

The Bulls evaded a fourth-quarter rampage from the Raptors and ended up on the winning side by 3 points. Fred VanFleet recorded 17 assists for the hosts, but it ended in vain. DeMar DeRozan notched 26 points to be the top scorer and was ably supported by the rest of the side.

Heat 107 – 90 Magic 

Jimmy Butler thumped in 36 points to make easy work of Heat’s state rivals Orlando Magic. A poor shooting effort by Magic saw no player score over 15 points.

Timberwolves 98 – 107 Pelicans

Karl Anthony-Towns’ 32 point, 14 rebound display ended up being in a losing cause as Pelicans recorded their first win of the season. Brandon Ingram recorded 27 points for the win.

Nuggets 87 – 99 Cavaliers 

Denver Nuggets faced their first defeat this season after having won their first two games. They were undone by a sparkling performance by Kevin Love, who scored 22 points in 21 minutes off the bench.

Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic amassed 24 points and 19 rebounds in a losing cause.

Clippers 116 – 86 Trailblazers 

Los Angeles Clippers got their season rolling with a win over the Portland Trailblazers. Luke Kennard put in a brilliant shift from the bench and scored 23 points in 24 minutes.

Damian Lillard was far from his best after putting in a shift that only brought 12 points and 3 assists.

NBA Standings 2021-22 

Eastern Conference 

1. Chicago Bulls
2. Charlotte Hornets
3. Milwaukee Bucks
4. New York Knicks
5. Philadelphia 76ers
6. Miami Heat
7. Washington Wizards
8. Atlanta Hawks
9. Brooklyn Nets
10.  Cleveland Cavaliers
11. Boston Celtics
12. Toronto Raptors
13. Orlando Magic
14. Indiana Pacers
15. Detroit Pistons

Western Conference 

1. Golden State Warriors
2. Utah Jazz
3.  Memphis Grizzlies
4. Denver Nuggets
5. Minnesota Timberwolves
6. Dallas Mavericks
7. Los Angeles Clippers
8.  Sacramento Kings
9. Phoenix Suns
10. Houston Rockets
11. San Antonio Spurs
12.  Portland TrailBlazers
13. Los Angeles Lakers
14. New Orleans Pelicans
15. Oklahoma City Thunder

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NBA Week 1 Oct 21 Results: Scores, standings, match summary and highlights

The 2021-22 NBA season is finally underway after the longest ever off-season. Lots of activities and controversies gripped ever since Milwaukee Bucks claimed the title last season. To kick start the new campaign, the defending champions took on the odds-on favourite Brooklyn Nets. On the Western Conference, two star-studded sides in the form of Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors took on each other.

Bucks 127 – 104 Nets 

Milwaukee saw its first ring ceremony after a long 50-year wait. Following the ceremony, it was usual business for the side with reigning NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo starting things right from where he left.

The Greek Freak amassed 32 points and 14 rebounds in a dominant performance which also proves as a statement to the rest of the league. He showed significant improvement in his three-point shooting and free throws, both of which posed a concern in previous years.

Bucks’ dependable entourage also stood up to the task with Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday accounting for 32 points combined. Giannis led across all three departments during the match which turned out to be a memorable season opener.

Kyrie Irving’s absence was noticeable as the Nets struggled with their flow. Kevin Durant led the scoring charts with 32 points and 11 rebounds off his own. James Harden chipped in with 20 points as well but the bench proved to be lackluster with Patty Mills being an exception.

Watch the match highlights right here

Lakers 114 – 121 Warriors 

Entering the season on the back of a winless pre-season, Los Angeles Lakers were put to test by a Warriors side who aim to make it to the playoffs and even further after missing out on the postseason for consecutive seasons.

The new-look Lakers started things on a bright note and ended the first half with a 6-point lead. Lakers were once again reliant on the prolific duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis with the rest of the team settling in.

James and Davis both notched over 30 points, but a poor fourth quarter meant that they started the season with a loss. Warriors outscored the Lakers 38-29 in the final quarter to register the win.

Steph Curry stepped up, but it was not a typical performance from him. He was rusty when it came to his shooting. His 21 points came off 5-for-21 attempts. But he managed to record 10 assists and rebounds to record his first triple-double since the 2015/16 season.

Another big difference between the two sides came in the form of their bench. Warriors’ players scored 55 points coming off the bench compared to Lakers’ 29.

Debutants Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony struggled with only James and Davis being the members who scored at least 10 points in the game.

Watch the match highlights right here

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Irving will forfeit up to $16 million in wages if he chooses to remain unvaccinated and miss all of the franchise’s games. The former NBA Champion will be a free agent if he is not offered an extension by the Nets.

“He was willing to sacrifice, at the end of the day, $16 million in salary this upcoming year and $186 million as far as an extension that he will not be offered now.” Shams Charania reported

The Nets were on the lookout to extend the Big Three’s stay with them as they look to claim their first-ever NBA Championship. But the recent turn of events have caused the board to rethink Irving’s future with the franchise.

Kevin Durant has already signed a four-year, $198 million extension with the Nets. While they have not come to an agreement with James Harden over a new contract, there is optimism across both parties to get the deal over the line. However, at the same time, Harden is also curious to enter free agency for the first time in his career.

Kyrie Irving provides an explanation behind his decision to remain unvaccinated 

The root cause behind the saga is arguably Kyrie Irving’s take on the vaccine. He confirmed that he is not against the vaccine, the league, or anybody in particular.  He feels that people should have a choice and should not be forced. He went on to confirm that he is not going to retire. Speaking on Instagram Live, he said:

“Once again, I’m going to repeat this. This is not about the Nets, this is not about the organization, it’s not about the NBA, it’s not politics,”

“No, I’m not retiring and no I’m not going and leaving this game like this,” Irving said. “There’s still so much more work to do and there still so many other (youngsters) to inspire, because I know they want to be better than me.”

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Philadelphia 76ers GM reportedly wants to bring James Harden in from the Nets

The former Rockets GM is keen on reuniting with James Harden. The duo enjoyed a prolific partnership from 2012 till last year. The arc marked the rise of Harden from a youngster from Oklahoma City Thunder to a consistent MVP candidate.

Stephen A Smith hinted that Morey could make a move for James Harden while the Brooklyn Nets are engrossed in the Kyrie Irving vaccination saga.

“Now you might lose James Harden because Daryl Morey is lurking in Philadelphia. Don’t think for one second that Daryl Morey ain’t trying to get his hands on James Harden. I’m telling you what I know.”

Morey had tried to acquire the services of Harden in the past as well

After departing from the Rockets, Morey tried to bring in Harden with him to Philadelphia. This was a time when Harden wanted an exit from the franchise. However, the deal could not materialize due to Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta. He sanctioned Harden’s move to the Nets instead of the 76ers to not give Morey the satisfaction.

With Fertitta, not part of the equation anymore, Morey could potentially make another attempt to reunite with the ace player.

The star player will become a free agent after the end of the upcoming season and he had recently expressed his desire to experience free agency for the first time in his career. In an interview for ESPN with Mallika Andrews, he said:

“You know, I think over the course of my career I’ve never been a free agent before, so I’ve always just been loyal and just signed it, you know, the contract extension. Just being there, being there, being there. I just want to take my time with it. It would be very, very difficult to leave here, or to even leave Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving.

Even if a trade were to take place, Ben Simmons emerges as the viable trade candidate. 76ers have been looking hard over the course of the off-season to find a guard. They initially pursued Portland TrailBlazers’ Damian Lillard, but he chose to remain loyal and remain with the franchise.

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Kyrie Irving will not be able to play for Brooklyn Nets unless fully vaccinated

Irving has been adamant when it came to his stance against the vaccine and from the looks of it, Nets owner Joe Tsai has had enough of the ongoing saga. Nets General Manager said:

“Kyrie’s made it clear that he has a choice in this matter and it’s ultimately going to be up to him what he decides. We respect the fact that he has a choice, he can make his own and right now what’s best for the organization is the path that we’re taking.”

 “If he was vaccinated, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. I think that’s probably pretty clear.”

New York City conveyed to the franchise that the practice venue is not a private venue and hence a dose of vaccine would be required to enter the premises.

Kyrie Irving could miss the entire season unless he gets vaccinated 

Irving trained with the team in an outdoor facility but missed their pre-season fixture against the Philadelphia 76ers.

While NBA have not made vaccination mandatory criteria, but several state regulations require the player to be vaccinated in order to be eligible for both home and away games. If they are not vaccinated, it would prove to be a hassle in terms of testing and potential quarantine. The league has stated that players won’t be paid for the games because they are ineligible to play, but the Nets will pay for the road games that Irving misses.

There have been several inputs by fans and pundits alike to trade Irving and be done with the saga. A potential trade between the Nets and 76ers was in question as well with both teams facing issues from their point guards.

Brooklyn Nets are currently 2-1 in their pre-season with one more fixture left against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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Steve Nash ventured into the coaching circuit with his very first assignment being the Brooklyn Nets. After the franchise confirmed the appointment prior to the season, Irving said that Nash’s arrival as the coach does not change much as they have more than one head coach.

“And I think it’s also going to change the way we see coaches. I don’t really see us having a head coach. You know what I mean? KD could be a head coach. I could be a head coach.” Irving said last season

Payton feels that those comments were disrespectful and that coaches deserve more respect. While talking on CBS Sports’ “Nothing Personal with David Samson.” he said:

“That’s just a shame right there, That should not be said. I think that that was a bad statement by him. You should respect the coaches. You should respect the guys that have been put in those positions,”

Payton adds that making comments about Nash right after his appointment was not good on Irving’s part. He added:

“That was a situation where he should have let [head coach] Steve Nash come to him and say … ‘Kyrie, what you need? What should we do? What do you like?’ But just to blow him off on Day One, it’s just kinda far-fetched.”

Irving had an on and off-season under Nash 

Under Steve Nash, Brooklyn Nets secured the second seed in the Eastern Conference during the regular season. After making easy work of Boston Celtics in the first round, they succumbed to Milwaukee Bucks in the conference semi-finals.

Kyrie Irving stirred things up right from the start of the season after refusing to talk to the media. He had an on and off-season throughout with absences due to personal reasons and injuries taking up the spotlight.

Brooklyn Nets are touted to be favourites to clinch their maiden NBA title. They open their season against defending champions Milwaukee Bucks in October.

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“Healthy James Harden…it’s scary, SCARY HOURS”: James Harden issues warning to the rest of the NBA ahead of upcoming season

James Harden had aggravated his hamstring issue in the very first minute of the series against the Bucks. While he returned back to action in the latter stages, he could only play a minimal role.

Ahead of the upcoming season, the former Houston Rockets player has claimed that he is fully fit, and it is going to get scary for the rest of the league.

During the recent weekend, Harden celebrated his 32nd birthday and following the celebrations that ensued, he was asked about his status for the upcoming season.

Talked to James Harden today and asked him what #Nets fans can look forward to:

“Healthy James Harden…it’s scary, SCARY HOURS” pic.twitter.com/FOSlnJzVEp

— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) August 29, 2021

James Harden finished his first season with the Nets 

The former MVP was subjected to a high-profile move to Brooklyn Nets following his desire to leave Houston Rockets. After a long-drawn-out saga that included suspensions and much more, Harden was granted his move.

He fit well with the Nets, right from the word go. However, coach Steve Nash could rarely deploy the big three of James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving on the court together due to persistent injury concerns. In his first season with the franchise, he averaged 24.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 10.8 assists per game.

While harden was initially slated to represent Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics, he withdrew from the squad. On the other hand, his teammate Kevin Durant led the team to the gold medal following a patchy pre-season.

The Nets are currently touted to be favourites for the NBA title with the only possible hurdle being injuries in the playoffs.

Brooklyn Nets will start their NBA campaign against defending champions Milwaukee Bucks on October 20.

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