Campers receive mentorship from current and former NBA players and follow an advanced training regimen designed to prepare them for the next level. In addition, every camper participates in group discussions and classes centering on topics such as stress management, recruiting pressures and more. 

Since ’94, hundreds of NBA players have come through the Top 100 Camp. This year’s event is set to take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, FL, from June 8-13.

But first, to celebrate 30 incredible years, we’re looking back at the top 30 NBPA members who have hit the court at the Top 100 Camp.

30. Zach LaVine 

Of all the high-flyers on this list, Zach LaVine might have the craziest hops. At 6-5, 200 pounds, he somehow makes zipping past defenders, soaring through the air and punching a nasty jam over a seven-footer look effortless. His jaw-dropping highlights and incredible performances in dunk contests—like his legendary duel with Aaron Gordon in 2016—alone make him a suitable candidate for this list, but LaVine is also a two-time All-Star and an elite all-around scorer who has averaged over 20 points per game for his career. 

29. Zion Williamson 

It’s rare for a high school player to land on the cover of SLAM. But then again, it’s rare for a high school player to be like Zion Williamson was in 2017. The kid from Spartanburg, SC, demanded our attention, regularly going viral on social media for his unfathomable dunks and blocks. The eventual cover line: “He’s 16. He’s 6-7. He’s explosive like Russ. He dunks like LeBron. Are you ready for Zion Williamson?” No lies told. In fact, at the Top 100 Camp in 2016, he was named MVP. Unfortunately, the Zion experience has been limited in the NBA due to injuries, but when the New Orleans Pelicans star has been healthy, he’s been an unstoppable force who still lights up social media.

28. Bam Adebayo

In an interview with SLAM in 2019, Jimmy Butler described his teammate Bam Adebayo—now a 3x All-Star—perfectly: “He works super hard and he’s everywhere on the floor. You need him to pass it, he can pass it. He rebounds, he handles the ball, he sets great screens. You can’t take him off the floor. He’s a key part to what we want to do and what we will continue to do. [Head coach Erik Spoelstra] knows—in order to win, you gotta have Bam out there on the floor.” That all still applies today.

27. De’Aaron Fox

Don’t blink—you might miss De’Aaron Fox do something spectacular. The lightning quick guard was a McDonald’s All-American in high school, ranked as one of the top recruits in the nation. He went to the University of Kentucky for one year, starring alongside Bam Adebayo and Malik Monk, before entering the 2017 NBA Draft, where he was picked fifth overall by the Sacramento Kings. Slowly but surely, Fox has developed into an All-Star and made the Kings exciting and relevant for the first time in a long time. 

26. Karl-Anthony Towns

We have seen very few big men in the history of the NBA with the versatility and skill set of Karl-Anthony Towns. That’s to say: We have seen very few big men in the history of the NBA who are just as comfortable behind the arc and in the mid-range as they are in the paint. KAT, now 28, stands seven feet tall, has averaged 10.8 rebounds per game over his nine seasons in the League and is a career 40 percent three-point shooter. And he just helped lead the best Timberwolves team in two decades all the way to the Western Conference Finals.

25. DeAndre Jordan

During those peak Lob City years, DeAndre Jordan owned the paint for the Los Angeles Clippers. He controlled the glass, averaging 13.1 rebounds per game from 2013-18. He protected the rim, averaging 1.8 blocks over that same span. And occasionally, he threw down a dunk so vicious, so powerful, so unbelievable, that teammates and fans were left wondering what the hell just happened (please go rewatch his poster on Brandon Knight). Jordan now brings veteran leadership to the Denver Nuggets, where he helped the franchise capture its first championship in 2023.

24. Donovan Mitchell

Twelve teams passed on Spida in the 2017 NBA Draft. Twelve. Mitchell, who hails from Elmsford, NY, and went to college at Louisville, made most of those teams regret that decision almost immediately. He averaged 20.5 points as a rookie and was an All-Star by his third season. He’s now made five straight All-Star Games, including in 2023 when he was named a starter. Very few players in the League possess Mitchell’s combination of athleticism and skill. To put it plainly: the explosive guard—currently on the NBPA Executive Committee—is impossible to stop. And at 27 years old, he’s just entering his prime.

23. Al Horford

For the past 16 years, Big Al has been a big presence in the NBA. The reliable center is still playing a pivotal role for a historically good Boston Celtics team that just tore its way through the Eastern Conference. Horford was a star at Grand Ledge High School in Michigan, won back-to-back national championships at the University of Florida (2006, 2007) and has been named an All-Star five times during his lengthy NBA career (four times with the Hawks, once with the Cs). And he ain’t done yet. 

22. Kyle Lowry

When he entered the League in 2006, Kyle Lowry didn’t take off right away. In fact, it wasn’t until his fifth season in the NBA that the 6-0 point guard, who had been traded by the Grizzlies to the Rockets in ’09, became a permanent starter. Lowry hasn’t looked back since, guiding teams in Houston, Toronto, Miami and Philly with his hard-nosed, aggressive, energetic style of play—a style that has made him a fan favorite and earned him six All-Star selections. In the North, where he won a championship in 2019, Lowry will always be known as Mr. Raptor.

21. Baron Davis 

Baron Davis was an artist with the basketball. Ridiculous dribble packages, flashy assists, monster posters—the 1997 Gatorade National Player of the Year and two-time NBA All-Star always put on a show. After starring at UCLA, Davis was the third overall pick in the 1999 Draft and helped lead a formidable Hornets team for the first stretch of his pro career. He later joined the iconic “We Believe” Warriors squad that advanced to the second round of the 2007 playoffs as a No. 8 seed. Injuries robbed us of more years watching him play, no question, but when the electrifying guard was at his best, that was some of the most entertaining ball to watch.

The post NBPA Top 100 Camp Top 30 Players: 30-21 appeared first on SLAM.

Jimmy Butler is everywhere these days.

There he is at the US Open, serving as an honorary ball boy for an exhibition match between Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe. There he is in the new music video for Fall Out Boy’s “So Much (For) Stardust,” sporting his now-legendary “Emo Jimmy” look. There he is in ads for Hulu, Alo, State Farm and Hotels.com. There he is sampling products for BIGFACE, his budding coffee brand, and at the first-ever Reserve Cup, a padel competition that he helped bring to Miami. There he is at the Kaseya Center, soaring for lobs and knocking down threes.

And here he is at ZZ’s Club Miami, singing and dancing along to Lloyd’s “You,” breathing energy into the club’s swanky sports bar. He is, after all, five cups of coffee in, and it’s just 2:30 p.m. (he drinks 10-12 cups a day, by the way). A wide-ranging playlist booms through a handheld speaker—everything from “Let Me Love You” by Mario to “Jamming” by Bob Marley & the Wailers to “Loop Hole” by Tee Grizzley featuring 21 Savage. In between posing for photos, the Heat star snacks on sushi and sips an old fashioned.

Welcome to Jimmy Butler’s SLAM cover shoot, and welcome, more broadly, to his ever-growing universe, where you’re invited—err, encouraged—to be your authentic self at all times. To follow whatever passions you may have.

SLAM 249 featuring Jimmy Butler is available now. Shop here.

Butler is a man of many interests: coffee, wine, country music, tennis, padel, soccer (which he calls football), dominoes, spades, UNO, traveling—the list goes on. He is always up to something, always surrounded by family and friends. His house in Miami doesn’t even have TVs. Instead of binge-watching shows, Butler does things like chase tennis balls around Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, NY, because, well, it’s fun and he felt like doing it. He is currently working on his own country album; right now, it features 62 songs (!) and Butler, who has played a DJ Khaled-like role, is debating whether to hop on one.

“He loves to get into a whole bunch of stuff that you wouldn’t think he would enjoy doing,” says Butler’s teammate Caleb Martin. “He’s just super active, man, whether he’s doing something on an off day or meeting up with certain types of artists or playing dominoes or going to tennis matches. He’s definitely a dude full of surprises.”

Surprises like…starring in that aforementioned Fall Out Boy video in an all-purple cowboy outfit. 

“Anything to shake up anything on the internet and continually be myself, be happy and love my life and what I’m doing, I’m down,” Butler says. The video was shot over All-Star break and it dropped less than two weeks later. And yes, it shook up the internet.

Butler strikes a difficult balance: he doesn’t take life too seriously, but he is also extremely competitive. He cracks jokes, but often leaves people wondering…was that really a joke? 

“Don’t be fooled because you see me on TV or a commercial or a billboard, I do a lot of the same stuff y’all do,” he says, before adding with a grin, “I’m probably just better at it than all y’all…but I can’t help that.”

The truth (and irony) is, Butler engages in many extracurricular activities, such as tennis and songwriting, “to humble” himself. He wants to experience firsthand the challenges of other professions. Of course, he is also certain that if he keeps working at something, he will excel at it. He has a burning desire to be the best at everything he does. 

To win at everything he does. 

Take spades, for example. The Heat like to play on the team plane during long road trips. “When I say he does not lose, he does not lose,” forward Jamal Cain says. “Me and Haywood Highsmith beat him once and he was kind of shitty after that. I kind of saw it in his face. He’s very competitive. He does not like to lose.”

Or take dominoes, which might be the game Jimmy is best at (including the one he’s famous for). “He’s a top-five, top-10 dominoes player in the world,” claims Chris Brickley, Butler’s trainer. “I know this because he and [Colombian singer] J Balvin have flown in the top dominoes players in the world, like, world champions. And he’s beat them.”

“That’s some Jimmy shit,” Martin remarks with a laugh. He and his twin brother, Cody, are a rare duo that have actually beat Jimmy in dominoes. “And we ain’t played since,” Martin says. “On and off the court, he doesn’t like to lose. He’s ducking me, for sure. Ever since we played him, he tells me and my brother, ‘Y’all are The Funky Brothers.’ Me and Cody play funky, so it messes him up.”

Butler brings that same competitive mindset to his brand, BIGFACE, which he is very dedicated to building. Along with the BIGFACE team, he has visited Colombia and Ecuador on a quest to find the best coffee. He is even trying to master latte art and how to make the perfect cappuccino. 

“People can see this on the court as well—his dedication to something and to knowing everything there is to know about it translates from basketball to coffee,” says Britt Berg, Chief Operating Officer at BIGFACE. She and Butler text about coffee almost every day. 

BIGFACE is set to open its first brick-and-mortar shop in Miami later this year, a milestone that Jimmy is eagerly awaiting. “When I’m not practicing, when I’m not with my kids, when I’m not in a game, I can tell you where I’m gonna be, and that’s in this coffee shop, meeting all the fans of myself and of coffee,” he says. “Because I do love coffee, I do want to bring the best coffee to Miami. I don’t think there’s a spot like that here yet, and I want the first BIGFACE café to be that, so that’s where I’m gonna be. And we need that. Miami needs that…along with a championship!”

Ah, yes. We should probably talk a bit about basketball. It’s mid-March when we shoot this cover—or, as Butler calls it, “that time.”

Allow him to elaborate: “It’s the time where people really gotta think about going up against the Miami Heat and myself. I know what I’m capable of. I know what my squad is capable of. And don’t nobody want to see us in a seven-game series anyways. We know that.”

We do.

Miami finished eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 46-36 record. But, then again, the Heat entered last year’s playoffs as the No. 8 seed before going on an epic run to the Finals. In 2019-20, the League’s bubble season, Miami reached the Finals as the No. 5 seed.

“Nobody can tell you anything right now,” Jimmy says. “There are three things that you gotta have in order to win a championship: you’ve gotta be playing your best basketball at the right time, you gotta be healthy, and you gotta be lucky. That’s just the way that it is. So can’t nobody tell right now who’s going to have all three of those things.”

Butler quietly had another stellar year, posting 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game and shooting a career-high 41.4 percent from behind the arc. Don’t expect him to be launching more threes in the postseason, though. “I just don’t like shooting threes because I want to run into you,” he says. “I want to hit somebody. You can’t hit nobody if you shoot threes. I want to see who’s going to quit first. I’m gonna keep running in there, I’m gonna hit you, and I’m gonna hit you again, and I’m gonna hit you again, and we’re gonna see who’s gonna quit.”

That sounds like something the fabled and fearless “Playoff Jimmy” would say, doesn’t it? Only thing is, Butler continues to deny that Playoff Jimmy exists. 

“That’s not a thing for the hundredth time,” he insists. “Playoff Jimmy is not a thing. Emo Jimmy, thing. Football Jimmy, thing. Tennis Jimmy, thing. Daddy Jimmy, thing. Zaddy Jimmy, thing. But Playoff Jimmy, not so much.”

OK, fair enough. But worth noting: over a four-season stretch, Butler has led Miami to the Eastern Conference Finals three times and to the Finals twice, averaging 24.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.9 steals through 64 playoff games. During the 2020 Finals, he registered two triple-doubles, including just the third 40-point triple-double in Finals history. In Game 6 of the 2022 ECF, he hung 47 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals on the Celtics to force a Game 7 (one of four 40-plus-point performances he had that postseason). He set a franchise playoff record with 56 points in Game 4 of last season’s first-round series against the top-seeded Bucks, then followed it up with 42 points in Game 5 as his team pulled off one of the biggest upsets ever. 

Butler will admit that things “ramp up a notch” this time of year. Amid the last few weeks of the regular season and into the playoffs, he and Brickley start working out the night before every single game. They study the defense Miami is about to face and try to replicate the exact situations Butler will find himself in. What spots on the floor will be open? What shots will be available? What switches might occur? Butler’s basketball IQ is “probably the highest IQ out of any player I’ve worked with,” says Brickley.

Martin, who has been with the Heat since 2021, notices a “mental shift” in Jimmy as the playoffs loom. “I think him having the experience of going through this phase so many times, he knows how to time stuff up with his body, and then [there’s] the mental part of it, too, him just being so steady mentally,” Martin explains. “He’s very strategic. He knows when it’s time to ramp up. He knows what games probably hurt more than others or whatever the case is. Everything he does, he thinks about.”

The added reps in the gym help, as does Butler’s very calculated approach. But if there’s one reason to believe Playoff Jimmy is real, and that other teams should fear his impending arrival, it’s this: Jimmy Butler is fully confident in who he is and what he’s capable of. There’s a comfort in that, a peace. Any feelings of self-doubt and pressure are gone. He doesn’t care one bit what others think about him—what others predict he and his team will or won’t do.

That type of confidence has a way of rubbing off on the people around him: friends, colleagues, teammates. 

“When you have a leader like that, it gives you a sense of confidence in your abilities and what you’re doing,” says Berg.

“The first thing I noticed with Jimmy, he’s very comfortable being in his skin. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks about him,” Cain adds. “Seeing how he carried himself and how confident and comfortable he was in his skin only made me more comfortable being who I am.”

Cain remembers one game day when he and other members of the Heat huddled up to pray before taking the court, as was their ritual, and requested that Jimmy turn down the music he was blasting. “Y’all need to be praying to me!” Butler responded. “He said it in a joking manner, but just the fact that that was the first thing on his mind, I was like, Wow, this is Jimmy in a nutshell,” Cain recalls with a chuckle.

It’s no coincidence that Butler describes the Heat as being “overly confident in a good way.” In large part, that identity stems from him. Despite the ups and downs of the regular season, Butler has no doubt that his team has what it takes to make another deep playoff run. 

Why? 

“We just have a different way of going about things,” he says. “Our coaching staff cares and they’re constantly studying how we can make everybody on our roster stick to their strong suits and stay away from the weak points of their games. Ownership cares—they’re at every practice, they’re on the plane. We’re talking to one another. We really fuck with one another, which is a good thing. And, um…” 

He pauses for a moment and flashes a sly smile. 

“I’m on the team. So, I’m taking my chances every time.” 

Portraits by Alex Subers

The post The Undeniable Realness of Jimmy Butler: Heat Star Talks Leadership, Staying True and the Playoffs appeared first on SLAM.

Get your copy of SLAM 249, also featuring Caitlin Clark, the Knicks and Jimmy Butler, right now.

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So, right now, here we are. 

We’re in an empty room in the bowels of the Paycom Center in downtown Oklahoma City. Good energy is flowing freely. These five players are in sync with each other. There’s a lot of laughter, a lot of jokes, a lot of compliments and some healthy trash talk (Shai swears that none of them have ever beaten him in King of the Court). 

As the core of this squad, these five players have somehow quickly learned invaluable lessons in chemistry. They’re very much linked. They pass one ball back and forth to each other throughout our interview. Even though Holmgren missed all of last season with a right foot injury, he was still with the squad and he easily breaks down why the Thunder click so well. 

“This is my first NBA team,” Holmgren says, “but I’d say what separates this team from most NBA teams is most NBA teams got a bunch of 30-year-olds and then you’ll have some new dudes come in every couple years and, like, cycle through that. There’s no real connection because you got the OGs and then you got the lil’ bros and it’s like, the lil’ bros gotta carry the bags, you know what I mean? It’s, like, a hierarchy. But here, we’re damn near all still kids. So we all cool.” 

SLAM 247 featuring one of the coolest teams in the League is out now.

Yes, this group is young. Gilgeous-Alexander is the oldest at 25, followed by the 24-year-old Dort, the 22-year-old Williams, and Giddey and Holmgren, the pair of 21-year-olds. But last season proved how well they play high IQ basketball together, minus Holmgren. Their defense was in the top half of the League, an impressive accomplishment for a group without years of experience. Their offense is an ever-evolving organism of dynamic movement, only possible through selfless harmony.

Mark Daigneault has crafted a system that emphasizes this togetherness. Beyond the highlights of Gilgeous-Alexander’s scoring outbursts, Williams’ dunks, Giddey’s passes, Dort’s steals and Holmgren’s blocks, a true foundation has been built. It stands on unity and commitment. They’ve pledged themselves to crisp ball and player movement and highly timed switchability. It’s easy to miss. All five of these guys, and many other players on the Thunder, are cold as ice. They play in rare sneakers, rock clothing that displays their distinct auras and move with a general ease. But this is a real basketball team. They can hoop. 

“I’d say what separates this team from most NBA teams is most NBA teams got a bunch of 30-year-olds…But here, we’re damn near all still kids. So we all cool.” 

– Chet Holmgren

Nothing better illustrates how equally smart and well prepared they are than their strong side cuts. It jumps out immediately when watching Giddey’s individual highlights and Williams’ individual highlights. The same plays pop up in both film studies. The rhythm to their offense starts to emerge when Giddey drives to the right side of the floor. Williams regularly hits the same cut from the right wing whenever Giddey approaches his defender. Time it out next time the Thunder play. Usually two or three dribbles from the Melbourne native, JDub finds his angle and then…BOOM. A big dunk. JDub already has a few serious body bags. 

“We practice it every day,” Giddey says about the strong-side cuts to the rim. 

Hold up, though. Record scratch. We can’t know that. Nobody’s supposed to know that. 

“Cut that out, bro,” Gilgeous-Alexander jumps in after a seemingly nervous laugh from JDub. “We don’t wanna give away the sauce.” Sitting on the far right, Gilgeous-Alexander looks over to his teammates and says it again with a sly smile. “We don’t practice that, bro. We don’t practice that. It just happens. They just figure it out,” he says with another smile. 

Alright, so Gilgeous-Alexander just happened to average 31 points a night. And Dort just happened to figure out how to increase his total points scored in every season of his career. And Giddey just stumbled upon pulling down 8 rebounds and dishing out 6.2 assists each game. And JDub somehow walked into playing 30 minutes per game as a rook. And Holmgren was the No. 2 overall pick by happenstance. Alright, alright, alright. 

There’s no reason for any of it. It all just…happened?

Maybe. But probably not. Because we’re here right now in the present, with the past’s impact being fully felt and the future too far away to be a thought, we can look at each of these players truthfully. 

There’s the dynamic scorer, the young big whose potential might be limitless, the trusted playmaker, the lockdown perimeter defender and the versatile do-everything-forward. To varying degrees, each of them can dribble, pass and find their own looks. To varying degrees, each of them can sink an open shot. To varying degrees, each of them can make game-defining plays. To the same degree, each of them have bought into Daigneault’s vision. That vision started with patience. They’ve been biding their time. For now…

Gilgeous-Alexander’s rise in the NBA dates back to his rookie year. He started for a surprising Clippers squad that caught everyone off guard by taking the dominant Warriors to six games in the 2019 playoffs. He was just 20 years old gifting the defending champs with 25 points in a playoff game. There was substance to his game that a lot of people didn’t realize. They saw him, and they saw a young kid. He made them see him as an expanding problem. The Thunder saw him as a certified solution. They brought him to Oklahoma City in July of 2019 (the same trade gave OKC the pick that JDub was eventually selected with in 2022). Gilgeous-Alexander’s iso game continued to grow. He’s become nearly unguardable. Most know him as crafty. Very few know him as a reader. But he’s not reading books. He’s reading defenses like they’re children’s books. He gets to his spots and cashes out. A lot of his damage comes from the…duh-duh-duh…dreaded midrange area.

“If you look at it, the most prolific scorers in the NBA and over the years have shot midranges,” Gilgeous-Alexander says. “Kevin Durant, T-Mac, Kobe, Devin Booker right now, Bradley Beal, Jimmy Butler. At the end of the day, you just make shots. Where it comes from is your choice, but as long as you make them, you’ll be alright.”

Gilgeous-Alexander plays at his own pace. He’s methodical with the ball in his hand. The Thunder, as a squad, play fast, thanks in part to Giddey. He’s a pure point guard who stands 6-8, blessed with sightlines high above defenses. Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams sing his praises right after we’re sworn to secrecy about those strong side cuts that definitely don’t get practiced every day. 

“I’m gonna give you the answer right now—it’s Josh Giddey,” Gilgeous-Alexander says. “When you have a passer like that, it’s inevitable.”

“It makes you move,” Williams joins in. 

“You have to cut, you have to move,” Gilgeous-Alexander continues. “And he’ll find you.”

“There’s only one team in the world with a Josh Giddey,” Holmgren adds. 

“I’m being dead serious,” Gilgeous-Alexander emphasizes. “A lot of it is Josh. He’ll find you if you’re open. So get open.”

“Vanilla Magic,” Holmgren says. 

Giddey silently sits in between his teammates. He’s not boisterous. He’s just effective. Very effective. 

“It feels good to make other [teammates] feel good,” he says. 

One of the teammates that is consistently on the other end of Giddey’s dimes is Williams. They were undeniably aligned with each other. Giddey loves to initiate the offense from below the three-point line. He finds JDub because JDub never stops moving. It seems like JDub has echolocation on for gaps in the defense. But the rook also demonstrated advanced ability with the rock in his hand. He’s already efficient in the pick-and-roll, which he credits to spending three years in college at Santa Clara. Whether he’s got the ball or is setting the screen and diving to the rim, he knows how to do it far better than most players his age. He played almost every position and role at Santa Clara. His time at school served as a first class education in hoops. Like Gilgeous-Alexander, JDub reads the defense and takes what he’s being given. 

“Especially since I got into the NBA, a lot of it has been tailored toward playing off of who’s on the court,” Williams says. “If I’m out there with them, a lot of it is reading stuff,” he says about his high-profile teammates. “Where am I going to cut from or where I’m going to get open shots from? Other than that, it’s just kind of, like, going downhill.”

The Thunder do indeed play fast and they drive to the tin a lot. A lot. There are already a handful of names in Dub’s graveyard. Those questions about his lack of athleticism going into the draft have been disproven over and over. Not only do those downhill attacks produce Jalen Williams dunks—they also produce Lu Dort threes. Dort has worked extremely hard on his jumper since coming into the League back in 2019. His reputation as a defensive stopper is of course very true. Dort’s footwork while evading on-ball picks should be taught to every kid in the nation.

Dort’s revamped jumper hides a unique and often overlooked detail. Shooters are taught to extend and hold their follow-throughs. It really does aid in the shot’s probability of dropping, especially when shooting from over 24 feet away. Dort, however, rarely holds his follow-through. Most of the time, his right hand retreats. He doesn’t hold it up. 

Taken by surprise when it’s pointed out, Dort shows how his right wrist has a hitch in it.

“My wrist is messed up, you know what I mean? So when I do it, I’m not doing it on purpose,” he says.

The reveal makes Gilgeous-Alexander gasp. It makes Giddey grin. It makes Holmgren stare. 

“Oh my God, I’m learning so much,” JDub says. “Wow, I did not know that.”

It’s a comfortable and natural reaction for him. And it’s worked. His shot has consistently gotten better throughout his career, while his defensive prowess has grown, too. He has tons of lockdown knowledge to share with Holmgren. Last season, the Thunder’s defensive principles were specifically designed to mitigate their lack of size on the interior. That all changes with the return of the 7-1 rookie. Holmgren is gonna score. OKC’s offense will get him open looks. But he’s gonna make his name on the other side of the ball. He has switchability in the pick-and-roll, so he’ll be tasked with guarding smalls in space. He has weak side swats on lock thanks to his 7-6 wingspan. Plus, he’s much more competitive than he looks. People have been trying him for years now. He always responds.

“I really just learned how good the talent level is in the NBA,” Holmgren says about his one year away from the court. “You could play great defense and literally not make a mistake and still give up three points. There’s great players in this League and great players make plays. Sometimes it’s just good defense, better offense.”

He’s ready for the challenge. 

But that’s looking just ahead to the future. It’s still a little far away. 

Right now, these five guys got a few more things to do. They gotta throw on some jewelry. They gotta take some photos. They gotta laugh some more. And they gotta fully be where their feet are, down here in the basement of the Paycom Center, all eyes on the coming season.

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Portraits by Marcus Stevens.

The post The OKC Thunder are the Coolest Team in the NBA Right Now. Here’s the Secret to their Sauce appeared first on SLAM.

He initially named the runs “Black Ops” because he wanted the workouts and open runs to be discreet. Here, Brickley is giving you an insider breakdown of another year of Black Ops Basketball.

The 2023 SLAM x BlackOps Awards

Breakout Season: Bones Hyland 

This was my first off-season working with Bones. Every time we worked out, he was very impressive. I was surprised at how well he shot the ball along with his positive attitude. I think the Clippers are a great spot for him and I’m ready for him to have a breakout year.

Mentor Award: Donovan Mitchell

Over the past few off-seasons, the Mentor Award went to Carmelo Anthony. Donavan Mitchell is now the new recipient of that award—not only is he a mentor towards young players in the NBA but he also is a mentor to some of the nation’s most elite. After workouts, he would talk to guys like Ian Jackson and Elliot Cadeau and give them some real gems on the journey of becoming a pro.

Draft Day Award: Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore 

The Houston Rockets had a great NBA Draft. I think both Amen and Cam could have immediate impacts this season. Both players play both sides of the ball and are super eager to get better. Shout out to the scouting department in Houston, they did their thing.

The Future Award: Cooper Flagg

I think Cooper is a once in a generation type of player. He is super versatile and can finish above the rim, with both hands. He’s a constant matchup problem on offense and great on the defensive end. He’s a beast. His knack for blocking shots is as good as I’ve seen at the high school level and he has something that you can’t teach. He has that DOG in him. 

Prior to reclassifying, Cooper was one of the most impressive players at the Brickley invitational. 

Best BlackOps Duo: Klay Thompson and Kevin Love

Klay Thompson and Kevin Love grew up together, but they never played on the same team. This offseason when they played on the same team at the Black Ops run, it was special to watch. They won five straight games, which I think was the first time a team did so in BlackOps history. The way they complimented each other, you would have thought they were teammates in the past. 

Klay was moving out the ball, K-Love was finding him and vice versa. It seemed like they both didn’t miss a shot. 

Shooting Award: Paige Bueckers 

We did a bunch of shooting drills, but Paige hit 29 threes in a row. That was the most threes we’ve seen consecutively all offseason. I’m excited to watch Paige play this year at UConn, she’s going to remind people how good she is. The last time she’s played a full season, she was college basketball’s Player of the Year. 

Surprise Player Award: Ty Jerome

Ty has been in the League for four seasons. The Cavaliers will be his fourth team. I think with the right opportunity Ty is going to shock a lot of people in the League. He’s very elite from a skill standpoint. There’s nothing that he can’t do: he shoots at an elite level, his ball handling is elite and so is his decision-making. I think he could be a bright spot off the bench for the Cavs this year. 

Early Bird Award: Jimmy Butler 

Nobody works out as early in the morning as Jimmy Butler. He comes with a different type of energy in the mornings; he’s going to have either country music or heavy metal blasting on the speakers and the gym is going to feel like a sauna. I think I still dream about the number 78— that’s what the gym needed to be set for every time Jimmy worked out. Not only did he get a good workout but everyone in the gym got in a good sweat, too.

Jimmy is ready to have one of the best seasons of his career! He had a great summer of workouts. 

Best Black Ops Matchup: Donovan Mitchell vs Trae Young

It was fun seeing two of the most elite guards in the NBA go at each other. Originally, Donovan was just supposed to work out and watch the run but once Trae arrived, he persuaded Donovan to play. Both of them were going at each other and the series ended 3-2. Donovan’s team got the win for the day.

High Flyers Award: Obi Toppin and Jacob Toppin

Every time the Toppin brothers came to a run, both of them were above the rim the entire time. They both posterized many players this offseason. I’m excited to watch Obi with the Pacers. 

Most viral picture picture: Jan (Russell Westbrook workout) 

Shoutout our intern from Vietnam, Jan. Jan had a hard task all offseason with guarding  some of the NBA’s best players. He definitely had a difficult time guarding Russell Westbrook! I don’t blame him but this picture in particular went viral across the world. We joke about it with him to this day.

Football Player Hooper Award: Tom Brady and Steffon Diggs

If I was starting a basketball team of NFL players. I would definitely have Stefon Diggs as my point guard and Tom Brady as my shooting guard. Both of these guys are really talented on the basketball court. I would say Tom Brady is a better shooter, but Diggs is a better playmaker. Diggs has bounce, too. 

Most Surprising Shooter Award: H.E.R.

Grammy award-winning artist H.E.R. has developed a big-time jumpshot!! In the past, the best artist shooting award would go to J. Cole, but I think Gabi would make a run for that award now. She can really shoot it. Ask Jimmy Butler. 

‘He’s Next’ Award: Kiyan Anthony 

Not only did he grow a few inches this summer, but Kiyan Anthony really made a name for himself on the EYBL Circuit. He has developed some of his dad’s footwork, which has made him one of the most elite grassroot players in the country. Sky’s the limit for Kiyan. 

Most Viral Moment: Tom Brady 

The most viral moment was definitely the Tom Brady workout. It got 34 million views across all platforms within the first 48 hours. On my page, it was shared 58,600 times. That’s the most of any video this summer. Tom Brady is the GOAT! 

• 
  The 2024 SLAM x BlackOps Awards: LeBron James, Jalen Brunson and More
  by Chris Brickley

The post The 2023 SLAM x Black Ops Awards: Jimmy Butler, Tom Brady and More appeared first on SLAM.

Let’s take it back to ‘06. Long before he became a six-time NBA All-Star, Jimmy Butler was dropping buckets as a senior at Tomball High School in Texas, where he averaged 19.9 points and served as team captain. Still, he was considered a two-star recruit, and went on to play at Tyler Community College before catching the attention of Marquette. 

The story goes that the same young player who once was overlooked emerged into a college standout, and is now one of the most dominant players in the League. Butler wears that on his sleeve through his gritty playing style and his unwavering confidence, and quite literally: the Miami Heat superstar has rocked personal and custom-made high school and college varsity jackets inside arena tunnels throughout the season. 

While the apparel is personal to Butler—his Tomball varsity jacket even features a captain patch as well as the year 2007 and his jersey number—he’s teamed up with TOP DRWR, an innovative platform that’s the premier destination for all things high end fashion, to bring a unique experience to NBA fans and style icons.

TOP DRWR, which was co-founded by one of the illest artists in the game, French Montana, is now offering their first unveiling which includes an auction of ten items from Butler’s personal closet, including both varsity jackets, a pair of Jordans and more.

Done in partnership with The Shop Miami, all of the items have been curated by longtime stylists Calyann Barnett and Khalilah Beavers. Barnett, who has worked with everyone around the game including Dwyane Wade, is one of the most innovative visionaries in the NBA fashion world. Then there’s Khalilah Beavers, who has styled everyone from Butler to Carmelo Anthony to Jimmy Butler, and has redefined the style across the League through her work. 

The first auction is available at www.topdrwr.io and will close on Thursday, August 31, 2023. A portion of the proceeds from TOP DRWR’s initial auctions will be donated to the Social Change Fund United to support important issues impacting the Black community. 

To get a better sense of what kind of heat TOP DRWR offers, look no further than their vast collection of apparel, sneakers and luxury accessories from designers including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Fendi, Versace, Fear of God, Off White, and Rolex. You don’t have to be a 6-7 NBA All-Star to show out like you’re in the tunnel or on LeagueFits—but thanks to TOP DRWR, you can look like one. 

Don’t just cop clothes, cop pieces. Sign up here. 

The post Inside Jimmy Butler’s Closet: TOP DRWR is Auctioning the Superstar’s Varsity Jackets, Sneakers and More appeared first on SLAM.

Now, through his determination and an unyielding love for the game, Brickley’s become one of the most sought-after fitness trainers working with NBA superstars across the League, including Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Carmelo Anthony, Paolo Banchero, Cole Anthony and more.

Over the years, Brickley’s Black Ops Basketball, an elite training destination has become the go-to spot for your favorite NBA players to train and compete. Located in Midtown Manhattan, the facility trains athletes at every level, including high school, college and the pros.

Amidst all the accolades and recognition, Brickley is just as focused on supporting and empowering his community through basketball. He recently helped renovate the same basketball court where he got his start, Wolfe Park, in his hometown of Manchester, NH.

“I spent countless hours training on this court to develop the skills that I now share with athletes and fans,” Brickley says. “My hope is that this space can now become a home to others determined to reach their goals both on and off the court.”

Located at Wolfe Park Harvell Road, Manchester, NH, the new courts were unveiled on July 15, which is also now proclaimed as Chris Brickley Day by the city’s mayor, Joyce Craig. It features a two-court setup with the words “Brickley Believes the World is Yours” on each of the two courts and “Chris Brickley Court” at the center circle.

In addition to the proclamation of Chris Brickley Day, the event also featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a basketball clinic for attendees.

As he continues to cement his legacy as one of the most distinguished trainers in the game, his impact goes well beyond the hardwood. With a court named after him, Brickley is empowering the next generation of future hoopers, trainers and entrepreneurs, all while setting the example that they, too, can ascend to the same heights he’s reached and beyond.

The post Chris Brickley’s is Empowering the Next Generation of Hoopers with Renovated Court in Manchester, NH appeared first on SLAM.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly interested in trading for Lowry too. The Timberwolves could move D’Angelo Russell to Miami for Lowry, and the Lakers have reportedly decided to stand pat at the trade deadline.

The Heat are still finding itself at the moment. Miami (23-20) is eighth in the Eastern Conference standings due to a dearth of injuries to key players like Lowry, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, and Victor Oladipo. Lowry is averaging 13.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game while shooting 39.8 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Miami trading Lowry could help them create a younger backcourt that could help reverse their fortunes for the season. Making a move with either the Lakers or T-Wolves could help them make a move in the offseason in the draft or the free agent.

Miami will host the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday afternoon.

The post REPORT: Lakers, Timberwolves Interested in Trading for Kyle Lowry appeared first on SLAM.

There’s optimism Durant will miss less time than he did with a six-week absence last season; a significant sigh of relief around the Nets and their MVP candidate. https://t.co/MrfAPtU90W

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 9, 2023

Kevin Durant will likely undergo MRI testing on his right knee on Monday, according to Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn (via Nick Friedell of ESPN).

Vaughn said Durant will likely get an MRI on Monday.

— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) January 9, 2023

Durant injured his knee late in the third quarter as Heat swingman Jimmy Butler drove to the rim and got his shot blocked by Nets point forward Ben Simmons. Butler fell back into KD’s knee, and the two-time Finals MVP stayed on the ground for a few moments before he remained in the game. The Nets called a timeout 30 seconds later as KD kept rubbing at the knee up and down the floor.

Durant went back to the locker room to get examined and didn’t return.

“He’s in good spirits as we all are,” Kyrie Irving said of Durant, per ESPN. “The strength of our team is us picking each other up. Just being ready for whatever’s thrown at us. I think one of the greatest qualities of our team is our bench and the way we support each other, despite who’s in the lineup. And now it’s time to go out and exemplify that until we find out the timeline with K and when he could be available again. So we just got to be mature about it.”

The injury couldn’t have happened at a worse time for Brooklyn. The Nets have won 18 of their past 20 games, going on a 12-game win streak that catapulted them into second place in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Brooklyn will have to rely on Irving and a next-man-up mentality to keep up their momentum and prevent a collapse like they suffered last year.

Nearly a year ago, Durant suffered a knee sprain on Jan. 15, 2022, that forced him out of action for close to two months. The Nets were 27-15 at the time and went 5-17 during his absence, including an 11-game losing streak. Brooklyn ultimately made the playoffs as a play-in team but got swept in the first round by the NBA Finals runner-up Boston Celtics.

KD has averaged 30 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game as he’s led the Nets back to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. It’ll be interesting to see how Brooklyn will survive his absence and how they play on learning from the lessons they learned during their collapse last year.

The post Nets Will Re-Evaluate Kevin Durant’s Knee in Two Weeks appeared first on SLAM.

He just turned 23 in September, but Precious Achiuwa has already lived a lifetime’s worth of experiences.

Born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, the 6-8 forward did not start playing basketball until eighth grade, when he moved to the Bronx to play at Our Savior Lutheran School. From there, his hoops journey took him to St Benedict’s Prep in Newark, NJ, followed by a year at Montverde Academy in Florida before he joined the University of Memphis. After winning AAC Player of the Year as a freshman, Achiuwa entered the 2020 NBA Draft and was taken 20th overall by the Miami Heat.

Following a rookie season of learning under the tutelage of Jimmy Butler, Andre Iguodala and Udonis Haslem, Achiuwa was lying in his bed inside the Olympic Village in Tokyo, Japan, where he was representing the Nigerian national team in the summer of 2021, when he got a text from a friend. “You getting traded bro?” the message read. Achiuwa went on Twitter and found out he had indeed been traded to the Toronto Raptors, who were sending Kyle Lowry in a sign-and-trade to the Heat.

When I met Achiuwa inside a dimly-lit contemporary Italian eatery in the heart of downtown Toronto for dinner in early November, the first order of business wasn’t discussing his season—one in which he’s averaging 8.8 ppg and 7 rpg, as we went to press. On this evening, it was to figure out which bottle to order off the wine menu. Over the next few hours, Achiuwa shares with me all of his off-the-court curiosities, a reflection of the new worlds he’s discovered since moving to North America.

He’s tried Port wines (which I learned is a sweet, red, fortified wine from Portugal), sampled different reds, including Bordeaux, Malbec and this evening’s choice, a Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir. He’s saved this one on his wine app, which tracks everything he’s tried. He even has a vintage bottle from the Opus One Winery in Napa Valley at his home. He’s waiting for a special occasion to crack that one open. More importantly, he’s put all his friends—who were once skeptical—on to wine.

Achiuwa decided to move to New York at the age of 14 to be closer to his brother, God’sgift, who was playing basketball at St. John’s. In the Big Apple, he discovered a wide range of ethnic cuisine. Since being traded to Toronto, Achiuwa has tapped into the city’s diversity in food. Foran upscale dining experience, he prefers Via Allegro Ristorante, which also boasts a 5,000-bottle wine cellar. Achiuwa is among many Raptor players who have become regulars at Pai, a Northern Thai spot near Scotiabank Arena. His favorite restaurant in the city is Patois, known for its award-winning jerk chicken/Asian/Caribbean cuisine.

There’s a general curiosity within Achiuwa’s soul. Every hobby is a new deep dive. During the pandemic, he started to learn how to DJ, and after a cameo appearance behind the turntables at a recent team function, he’s now exploring the idea of DJing more events. There’s also fashion, something Achiuwa didn’t start to care about until high school. He admits his style isn’t meant to be flashy, like some of his NBA counterparts. He prefers his outfits to be personal and pay homage to Nigeria. This was evident in his Draft night suit, which Achiuwa picked out himself. The jacket was customized with his siblings’ names (Promise, Grace, God’sgift, Peace and God’s Will) stitched on the inside lining. He also wore an Aso Oke hat to pay homage to his home country. This summer, Achiuwa attended New York Fashion Week for the third time and rubbed shoulders with A-listers at the GQ party. He has started to work with his friends to design and produce one-of-one pieces for his tunnel entrances.

While he enjoys spending time expanding his wine palate, discovering new food spots and dipping his toes into fashion, Achiuwa knows it is the sport of basketball that has allowed him to discover the world. When our conversation turns to his improbable journey from Nigeria to the NBA, I ask him if he realizes how crazy his life story is to an outsider hearing it for the first time. As he finishes his glass of wine, he entertains the question and laughs.

“I think about it all the time,” he says. “Where I am right now, it makes sense, but it doesn’t make sense. Sometimes I sit and think, How did I end up here?”

To fully appreciate how far he has come, Achiuwa had to return to where it all began. He traveled back to Port Harcourt this summer for the first time in seven years to host a basketball camp through his non-profit foundation, WHAT IF UNLIMITED. After he announced the camp on his social media, kids from all over his home country started designing custom flyers to drum up excitement for the event. When Achiuwa arrived at the gym on the first day of camp, which had been planned for 350 kids, there was almost double the number in attendance. The four-day camp, which included a tournament on the final day, helped put Achiuwa’s entire journey into perspective.

“It was amazing,” he says. “These kids have probably never been around an NBA player before, and for them to see someone from the same place as them, that was special.”

The camp also allowed him to reunite with friends and family. He convinced his childhood friends to fly in from different parts of the country to play a pick-up game together, as they reminisced about how they would spend their weekends growing up trash talking each other on the court. By the end of the trip, Achiuwa was reinvigorated and felt a new sense of purpose and responsibility. The camp also changed how he viewed his stature as an NBA player.

“I told the kids that I got more out of the camp than they did,” he says. “It was a reminder of where I’m from and a reminder that I can’t take this for granted. I had no idea all these kids looked up to me.”

He already has plans to set up another camp back home.

Not long ago, Achiuwa was one of those kids, convincing his family to make the six-hour drive from his hometown to Lagos so he could attend a basketball camp organized by the Giants of Africa Foundation. “I was, like, 12,” he says. “I was probably the youngest camper they ever had.” (The foundation is run by Masai Ujiri, the current president of basketball operations for the Raptors.) The camp and the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program ignited Achiuwa’s interest in basketball and eventually landed him in the United States.

Now, everyone in Port Harcourt is rooting for him as he continues to grow with an up-and-coming team in Toronto. Playing for the only Canadian team in the League has allowed Achiuwa to have yet another brand-new experience in a new country. It’s the first time he’s gone to the grocery store and found bagged milk. The first time he hopped on the highway, Achiuwa was confused by the speed limit signs, which were in kilometers. “I saw 100,” he says, “and I was like, What?! Is this NASCAR? Then I got on the highway, and everyone was driving so slow.”

The stereotype of Canadians being generally nicer than their neighboring Americans has also been proven true. “When I first came here, people were so nice to me that I was confused,” Achiuwa says. “I had to start telling people there’s nothing to be sorry about. I still have to tell people that.” In Toronto, he’s also discovered the city’s enthusiasm for their basketball team. “The best fan base in the NBA,” he says. “It’s not even close.”

In his third NBA season, Achiuwa now has the potential to become a core piece on a Raptors team hoping to return to contention in the Eastern Conference with a full roster of athletic wings. After a promising finish to the ’21-22 season, Toronto is looking to him to take another step forward. And following a summer trip back home, the motivation is bigger than ever for him to become one of the best young players in the League. He wants to continue setting an example for those following him closely in Nigeria home.

“I want to be one of the most respected players in the NBA,” Achiuwa says. “I’m a role model for the kids back home. It’s given me a different type of fire.”

Photo via Getty Images.

The post Inside Precious Achiuwa’s Deep Curiosity for the World and the Fire that Drives Him appeared first on SLAM.

The former first-round NBA draft pick has evolved from carving out a valuable 3-and-D wing to a versatile swiss army knife capable of scoring and defending in multiple ways. This season, Anunoby is averaging 18.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and an NBA-leading 2.4 steals per game on 47.4 percent shooting from the floor and 33.6 percent from beyond the arc.

NBA leaders in Matchup Difficulty (min 250 minutes):

1. Quentin Grimes
2. Dorian Finney-Smith
3. Jrue Holiday
4. Lu Dort
5. Jevon Carter
6. OG Anunoby
7. Herb Jones
8. Kevon Harris
9. Deni Avdija
10. Alex Caruso

These defenders guard the NBA’s elite most often.

Explainer Vid pic.twitter.com/Bojz552Kkq

— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) December 20, 2022

According to Lowe, if Anonoby gets traded, people around the League will be surprised that the return “might be on par almost with what the Cavs gave up for Donovan Mitchell.”

Anonoby’s two best offensive performances came in season-high 32-point efforts against Miami in Orlando. Defensively, he collected six steals in a win against the Atlanta Hawks. He’s held former MVP Kevin Durant to 2-6 shooting, Mitchell to 2-7 shooting, and Jimmy Butler to just one field goal with his unique blend of strength, size, and athleticism.

At his current level, Anonuby’s game represents the ideal example the Raptors or any NBA franchise seek, a two-way menace capable of locking down their matchups that can create turnovers and extra buckets and can get buckets in various ways.

For now, Anonuby will suit up with the Raptors (13-18) and look to break up their six-game losing streak with a win against the Knicks (17-13).

The post REPORT: the ‘Entire League’ is Looking to Add OG Anunoby appeared first on SLAM.

The six-time All-Star expressed how he was grateful that the NBA at least sent Miami to play in Mexico this year since they are not getting any nationally televised games.

“I don’t feel like the NBA rock with the Miami Heat too much anyway,” Butler said per Heat Nation. “At least we get to play somewhere. We don’t got no TV games or nothing.”

The Miami Heat finished the 2021-22 campaign with an Eastern Conference-best 53-29 record. Although Miami was last year’s top seed in the East, the Heat weren’t even in the top 10 for most games televised on the major networks. Surprisingly, teams who were missing key pieces for most of the season, like the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers, had more nationally televised games.

Earlier in December, Heat center Bam Adebayo also chimed in on Miami not getting enough media attention.

“You’ve got to think about: we were No. 1 in the East and people didn’t even pay us any mind,” Adebayo said. “Us being where we’re at, they’re definitely not talking about us. The biggest thing for us is to keep stacking these wins.”

The post Jimmy Butler Finds Motivation in Miami Playing Zero National TV Games appeared first on SLAM.

Herro makes NBA History by becoming the first player to record nine or more three points on back-to-back nights. On Thursday, he tied the franchise record for most three-pointers (10) in a single game against the Houston Rockets, which featured a career-high 41 total points for him.

Wednesday night was a similar performance with a victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, as Herro knocked nine 3-pointers to his 35 points. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has been on a tear lately, but Herro is only focused on what he can contribute to pushing the Heat back into one of the contenders of the East.

“I didn’t know it was the record until last night when I hit nine, and they said I was one short,” Herro said per ESPN. “I didn’t have any intention of coming in to tie the record, but I was just trying to get 3s up. I think shooting more 3s is helping.”

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It’s not like he’s just chucking three balls out there, either. His numbers are looking as efficient as ever from the outside. Herro shot a career-best 10-15 from beyond the arc. While he shot 12-23 from the field against the Thunder, Herro hit the game-winning basket from 15 feet to aid him as the best field goal percentage made shooter among starting guards the last two games.

“Regardless, he’s too good of a shooter for us to not take 3s off the catch,” Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game. “He has to continue to be assertive in those opportunities. He’s just a brilliant shooter. He can do it off the dribble and off the catch.”

The back-to-back historic nights for the Kentucky product aren’t one of his first marks in NBA history. Against the Boston Celtics in the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals, Herro recorded a 37-point game in a critical Game 5 that listed him with the second most all-time playoff points for a player 20 years old or younger behind Magic Johnson(42).

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This time around, Herro, at 22-years-old achieves another Heat record by becoming the youngest player to have a 40-point game in the regular season, breaking franchise legend Dwyane Wade‘s at 23.

Herro has lived up to his $130 million contract this season, and more importantly, he earned himself a spot in the starting lineup, a role he was excited to grab this past summer.

With the presence of All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, the Heat may have solidified a Big Three that can contribute at all ends of the court to reach the destiny of a fourth championship.

For now, only one thing is certain; Herro is indeed a Bucket.

The post Tyler Herro Makes History After Hitting Nine Triples in Back-to-Back Games appeared first on SLAM.

There’s not much to be proud of in their 12-14 record, but the superstardom of Bam Adebayo has finally blossomed, and it’s greatly benefited, Jimmy Butler.

His aggressiveness has been on display, especially in the last six games. The Kentucky product has scored 18.3 points per game in the second half, which is second-best among centers behind Los Angeles Laker superstar Anthony Davis.

Bam keeps getting the job done by any means necessary pic.twitter.com/HIbWrG5Kdk

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 9, 2022

After a tight battle last night against the Los Angeles Clippers, Adebayo (31) and Butler (26) combined for 57 points while showing efficient shooting from inside the three-point line. Even with Adebayo’s point total and improvement in the second half, the center wanted Butler to score the team’s last eight clutch points, which he delivered.

“The ball finds the right places,” Adebayo said, according to Sports Illustrated. “Jimmy had the hot hand. He scored our last eight, and that’s what he does. At the end of the game, if he wants to keep doing, I’m fine with that. I have no problem with him shooting step-back, one-footers.”

JB with a game on the line is just different… the Clippers were the latest to find out. #ClutchJimmy

Popular Moment of the Week // @popularbank pic.twitter.com/Zil4anyaCW

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 9, 2022

The number one option is expected to deliver in crunch time, no matter the circumstance. In his return from a nearly two-week absence, Butler knocked down a stunning fadeaway blow a week ago against the Boston Celtics to steal a victory at TD Garden.

Adebayo quietly recorded 28 points in that same outing and collected seven boards, forcing the Celtics to account for two of the Heat’s superstars.

The tear Adebayo is on right now has made Butler’s job easier. With Adebayo drawing much more attention, the closing minutes rely on no. 22 to take on isolation assignments in which he’s so potent. Another Adebayo eruption with a closing call from Butler is in the possibilities Saturday night as the San Antonio Spurs come into town.

The post Bam Adebayo Has ‘No Problem’ with Jimmy Butler Closing Games Out appeared first on SLAM.

The aggressive play of star center Bam Adebayo and the leadership of Kyle Lowry have brought the team to four victories in their last five games, with the most notable one being this past Friday against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.

A game that featured the return of Miami superstar Jimmy Butler saw the forward shatter the hearts of the 19-5 Celtics by hitting one clutch shot after another. After the game, he posed high confidence in the Heat and its resiliency in tight situations but most notably made a promise to team President and all-time NBA legend Pat Riley, as he hopes this season shapes up to be Riley’s 10th championship run.

“When you’re talking about the Heat,” Butler said. “Deep run into the playoffs, championship caliber, that’s the second two is about. You put the two together, Pat Riley; we’re getting your 10th championship.”

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Butler came within reach of Riley’s 10th title on two separate occasions, as in the 2020 NBA Finals, the Heat came up short against the Los Angeles Lakers, losing the series 4-2. Last season, the Heat were once again in the Eastern Conference Finals against the rivaled Celtics, and in Game 7, Butler missed a critical go-ahead three-point shot in the final 18 seconds to give Boston the opportunity to ice the game and move on to the championship series against the Golden State Warriors.

Though the Heat hasn’t looked themselves this season, when Butler is on the court, his elite level of play places him in the upper echelon of star players across the League. He’s currently averaging 21.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.7 steals.

The Heat Culture embodies a ‘bounce back’ mentality through their grit and determination on the floor, and Butler has certainly embraced it. However, at 33-years-old, time is certainly closing on him to achieve the dream of winning a championship.

Butler is capable of taking on the challenge on his own, but basketball is a team game, and Heat fans know that if a championship comes to South Beach, it’ll have to be a high-level team effort.

“We’re still going to win the championship, and I don’t care what nobody says,” Butler said on the early struggle of the Heat. “Count us out. We’re going to win the f—— championship. I’m telling you.”

The post Jimmy Butler to Pat Riley: ‘We’re Getting Your 10th Championship’ appeared first on SLAM.

Butler averaged 25.6 points per game in that series while shooting 47 percent from the field. Butler was clearly on a whole other level in that series, including a 47-point Game 6 performance in TD Garden to force a Game 7 back in Miami.

The Heat and Celtics have matched up in the playoffs twice in the past two years, with Miami getting the best of Boston in 2019-2020 and Boston beating the Heat last year.

So far this year, the Heat (10-12) haven’t looked like themselves, as they currently sit in 11th place in the East. On the flip side, you look at the Boston Celtics, which seem to be clicking on all cylinders. They sit in first place in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 18-4 and are winners of their last five straight games.

The two teams recently played an exhibition together this past Wednesday, but the undermanned Heat was no match for the healthy Celtics and ended up losing 134-121. Celtics star Jayson Tatum went off for a season-high 49 points as well.

Butler took to his Instagram story yesterday with a little hype-up video giving Heat fans hope and Celtics fans flashbacks to last year, saying he is “on the way.” Hopefully, Butler’s return helps to change the course of this Heat team’s record and shifts the momentum to a positive one going into the All-Star break.

We’ll have to wait and see if the Heat can start the month of December off strong.

The post Jimmy Butler’s Message to Boston Ahead of Friday Matchup: ‘I’m On the Way’ appeared first on SLAM.

Taco Jay is on a rampage, and he’s launched himself to the top of the MVP race. Wednesday, Tatum dropped a season-high 49 points on 8-12 threes and 15-25 shooting from the floor in a 134-121 win over the Miami Heat. TD Garden lauded the guard’s stellar performance with MVP chants.

“That means everything,” Tatum said per NBC Sports Boston about the MVP chants during the game. “That’s something I’ve dreamed about as a kid, and to hear it in front of our home crowd from the best fans in the world, it holds a special place in my heart.”

“I love this place, I love being here, and hearing that during the game gives you chills.”

Leading the No. 1 ranked Celtics with 31.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game, Tatum is locked in as an early-season MVP candidate. 

The C’s are a League-best 18-4 a quarter of the way into the season, and they are hungry as ever following their Finals run.

Tatum has been vocal about the devastation he felt following Boston’s Finals loss to the Warriors and the subsequent motivation he and the Celtics’ have to get back to the championship round and ultimately win a championship. 

While Tatum’s first five seasons with the Celtics were riddled with inconsistency, injuries, and both roster and front-office changes, the C’s may have finally found their footing. Undoubtedly their most consistent and confident start to the season, the Celtics rely on an unusual metaphor to stay locked-in day after day: the sandcastle.

Every time the Celtics enter the film room, head coach Joe Mazzulla has a picture or video of sand castles up. The “cheesy” message is that you build great sandcastles on vacation, but when you leave the beach, the tide inevitably comes in and washes the sandcastle away. So the next day, you arrive at the beach, and you build another sandcastle. 

The C’s are focused on being a one-win-at-a-time team. They are trying to show up each day and build the best sandcastle they can. 

“It’s a choice that we’ve got to make every day when we come in and try to be the best version of ourselves — and knowing that it’s never going to be easy,” Tatum said per MSN. “We’re always going to get the other team’s best shot.”

An 18-4 record and a dominant win over an Eastern Conference rival in Miami don’t mean much to Boston today. That record and that win were yesterday. The tide came in, washed the win away, and left a fresh beach for Boston to build another great sandcastle. 

The Celtics refuse to be complacent. They refuse to be satisfied. Until they win Banner 18, it’s “done, next” for the C’s.

Boston faces the Heat again tomorrow night and looks to add another W to their win column.

The post Records and Sandcastles: An MVP Candidate and Unique Mindset Keep the Celtics Rolling appeared first on SLAM.

With three of the four losses coming down to the wire, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra feels the quality of his star players on the court, can set a difference in a short amount of minutes.

“At some point, hopefully, we’ll be getting some guys back,” Spoelstra said per Sports Illustrated. “Even if they’re not fully 100 percent, even if they’re close enough, maybe they can give us a little bit of reinforcement, even if it’s just short minutes. That’s where we are right now.”

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The Heat is dealing with a loss of their defensive identity in just one season. They were one of the best defensive teams last season; now, the Heat are currently tied for 14th in the League with the Atlanta Hawks, who both hold a 111.1 defensive rating. They average the second lowest blocks, even with the 16 out of the 18 games Adebayo has played.

Kyle Lowry isn’t the same focal point of an offense as he once was, but he has kept the Heat within reach in the last four games while averaging 18.3 points and 7.3 assists. The resurgence of Lowry is encouraging, considering his struggling performance in last year’s playoffs, but it’ll have to remain once Butler returns and looks to reclaim his spot as Miami’s top scorer.

“Just give us whatever you have,” Spoelstra said. “Whatever you have, just give us. If you’re used to playing 30 minutes, just give us 15. If you’re used to playing 20 minutes, give us eight, so we can kind of manage things right now.”

For now, the Heat remains without several of their former All-Stars, and it may stay that way for the time coming. Questions are piling up, and a fired-up Spoelstra may be the finishing touch to what has been a roller-coaster season for South Beach.

The post Head Coach Erik Spoelstra Awaits The Return Of Star Players appeared first on SLAM.

It wasn’t the prettiest of victories to their now three-game win streak, as the Suns held a 13 point-advantage at one point, but the dominance of Bam Adebayo showed up at the perfect time in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 of his 30 points.

His two-way play seems to be pushing the team in the right direction, as his screens and playmaking are getting Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry in much needed rhythm.

After the game, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke on the value Adebayo provides on both sides of the ball and how his responsibilities can benefit the rest of the team.

“He’s such a winner. He’s an absolute winner,” said Spoelstra. “He can morph into so many different roles for us where he makes it look so much easier to the average fan – everybody just wants him to score 40.”

Adebayo had been off to a slow start for the first seven games of the season, resulting in the Heat winning just two games in October. Now, winners of five of their seven games in November, Adebayo has jumped his averages to 20.7 points per game, 10.3 rebounds, and 40 assists per game on 52.7 percent shooting from the field.

The Heat is doing better once Adebayo takes over a game, but as co-star Jimmy Butler mentioned last week, Miami’s defense is “not where it needs to be.”

With a 111.8 defensive rating, the Heat are 17th in the League in that category, a major drop from their fourth-best rating last season. However, the team is third in the League in points allowed in the paint (44.7), courtesy of Adebayo’s anchoring down inside.

“Understanding how to read defenses and what’s necessary for this team,” said Spoelstra on Adebayo. “when to be assertive, when to create for others, when to set screens for guys, look, I’ve never coached really somebody where there’s been so many different responsibilities,”

Spoelstra has taken leadership over legends like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and of course, Butler, the current face of the team. Encouraging words like the one Spoelstra said on Adebayo should factor into how confident the big man plays the rest of the year.

The post Erik Spoelstra: Bam Adebayo ‘Can Morph into Many Different Roles’ appeared first on SLAM.

The team comes off a 117-112 overtime victory over the Charlotte Hornets Thursday night. In a game that featured the Heat forcing 20 turnovers, nine of them steals, the team just could not put away the Hornets in the regular period, even when their lead was as big as 15.

“Not where we need it to be,” Butler said on the state of the Heat’s defense, per Sports Illustrated. “It’s not all bad, but there are a lot of mistakes, miscommunication, not getting back easily correctable stuff. Hopefully, we start doing that pretty soon and stacking some Ws because we’re in dire need of some wins.”

35 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists last night… and his teammates appreciated every bit of it. #HEATCulture

Popular Moment of the Week // @popularbank pic.twitter.com/Dptz8fiddc

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) November 11, 2022

Their 110.8 defensive rating puts the Heat near the middle of the pack across the League. It’s not a dramatic drop, but the team did have a 108.4 defensive rating last season, fourth-best behind the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and Boston Celtics.

The Heat was defeated at the buzzer against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, a game where the Heat also had a chance to run away with a sizable victory.

Butler had 16 points to go along with six steals, but leaving Blazers guard Josh Hart open at the corner three-point line left the FTX Arena stunned as he knocked in the winning trey.

HART FOR THE WIN #RipCity | @joshhart pic.twitter.com/kTTLL5dcam

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) November 8, 2022

Though they’ve managed to give up close ones, the Heat seems to be finding their defensive approach to avoid living in those late-game circumstances, according to head coach Erik Spoelstra.

“It’s part of our identity that we really need to be disruptive and get teams out their comfort zone in a lot of different ways, which requires a big energy and focus commitment,” Spoelstra said. “To be able to be active, get our hands on balls, deny passes, play multiple schemes, that’s our lifeblood defensively.” 

The Heat have a chance to prove they’re back to their pesky defensive habits again against the Hornets tomorrow night.

The post Jimmy Butler Says the Miami Heat Defense is ‘Not Where it Needs to Be’ appeared first on SLAM.

All four of these games were part of a season-opening homestand. The last of which came in a 98-90 loss to the Toronto Raptors. However, Veteran point guard Kyle Lowry has a fix and a bit of perspective to help keep the Heat on track. 

“We’re just trying to figure it out. I mean, honestly, it’s four games in. I think we’re trying to figure it out. I know we said running it back, and I agree with that, but we still have different guys in different roles in different situations,” Lowry told The Miami Herald in Miami’s locker room following the loss. “So we have to figure it out how to all be on the same page.” 

Lowry is an NBA Champion and 36-years-old in his 17th NBA season, so he knows a lot about figuring it out. He’s averaging 10.8 points per game on 28.2 percent shooting from the field and 28.0 percent from three through four games this season. 

Lowry’s most significant adjustment has been his rise in playing next to Tyler Herro, who has been elevated to a starting position after his Sixth Man of the Year performance last season. Lowry is playing off-ball a lot more and has his lowest usage rate since his days in Memphis. 

“We got guys who can really play basketball. We’ve got guys who can really make plays, and we’ve just got to all find ways to mix and match, not take turns, but figure out how to play off each other a little bit better and play with each other a little bit better,” Lowry said. “Honestly, everybody has a different role this year; things are a little bit different, right? Tyler’s in the starting lineup, and Bam’s more aggressive. We’ve got different lineups with this, that and the other, and we’re just trying to figure it out right now.”

The Miami Heat will have plenty of time to set their season straight, and Lowry believes they have the talent to do so. 

The post Kyle Lowry Says 1-3 Miami Heat Are ‘Trying to Figure It Out’ appeared first on SLAM.

The Heat seemed like the clear landing spot for Mitchell as NBA fans believed they had enough assets to send the Utah Jazz in exchange for the shooting guard. A deal like that would have pushed the Heat toward favorited championship odds, especially considering Mitchell and Adebayo’s chemistry at the Miami Pro League over the summer. Mitchell and Adebayo were also seen working out with one another throughout the offseason

“I said this to somebody, I was like, ‘Man, I’m working out with Bam [Adebayo] and others, and I’m thinking like, ‘This is just preparing. This is what it’s going to look like.'” Mitchell said on J.J Redick’s “Old Man and the Three Podcast.”

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Adebayo wasn’t the only player in the Heat roster that would spark rumors of Mitchell joining the Heat. Jimmy Butler had spent the second week of his off-season with Mitchell at a restaurant in Miami for basketball media influencer Chris Brickley’s birthday

In that same late June period, rival Kevin Durant had requested a trade from his team and the NBA world believed Heat President Pat Riley would pull the trigger for the future Hall of Famer.

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The Heat ended up standing pat during the off-season, but they extended Tyler Herro to a four-year deal worth $130 million. Though securing the young star bodes well for the Heat, the East has gotten much more competitive, especially with Mitchell making the Cavs a potential top-five seed in the conference.

Cleaveland’s future success rides on the play of Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley in order to consider the Cavs the winners of the trade. As for Miami, the team’s lack of trades and signings puts pressure on them to succeed at the same rate they did last season. If this season goes any worse, the question arises of why the Heat didn’t make the effort of making the Butler, Adebayo, and Mitchell big three.

The post Donovan Mitchell Touches On Working Out With Bam Adebayo Over the Summer appeared first on SLAM.

The energy has truly shifted around the Association since the Golden State Warriors put the haters to sleep and won another NBA championship. This offseason, there was a sudden coaching change in Boston, a reported trade request in Brooklyn by Kevin Durant (that didn’t actually happen), and some major moves during free agency, from Donovan Mitchell teaming up with Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley on the Cavaliers to Jalen Brunson becoming a New York Knick. Then there’s the highly-anticipated return of Zion Williamson, Ben Simmons and SLAM 240 co-cover star Kawhi Leonard, who is sure to be a scary sight alongside Paul George now that they’re both healthy.

While we’ve dished out some bold takes in the past, this year’s preview might feature our boldest takes yet. Here’s the official 2022-23 SLAM Staff NBA Preview:

Anthony Holt, Slam Goods Apparel Designer

The Cavaliers will emerge as a top three seed in the East. 

With the blockbuster trade for Donovan Mitchell, the Cavaliers will claim the No. 3 seed. The championship experience of Kevin Love and Luke Walton will evolve Mitchell into the leader the franchise needs to make a playoff run. The Cavs will reach the second round of the playoffs before being eliminated by the Celtics, who will face the Bucks in the ECF.

NBA Finals Matchup: Bucks vs Grizzlies

Deyscha “Sway” Smith, Associate Editor

Ben Simmons will make a case for winning Most Improved Player of the Year.

Before any of you mention me on Twitter or pop off in the comment section, hear this one out. We all know what happened last year, and by no means is Ben Simmons, a three-time NBA All-Star, any sort of “up and coming player.” But if this preseason showed us anything, it’s that Ben is actually back and playing basketball again. After averaging 15.9 points per game during his time in Philly, if he brings that same energy and presence (both literally and in terms of his defensive game) to the Nets this year, by technicality, it’s really only up from here in terms of his overall improvement.

Will he win MIP? Unlikely, but then again, just imagine if he actually did put himself in the running for the award.

PS: When I predicted the Celtics would make the ECF in our season preview last year, y’all called me real bold for that take back then. If Ben gets active and starts playing at that All-Star level again, just make sure your apology is as loud as the disrespect has been.

ECF Matchup: Celtics vs Nets

Joshua Tapia, Editorial Intern

Damian Lillard takes the Portland Trailblazers to a top 5 seed in the West while securing his first MVP. 

Damian Lillard will finish the season above 32 points a night with eight assists. If he disciplines himself defensively, Dame could become a reliable defender against the League’s best scorers.

Here’s my playoff prediction: Lillard will lead the Blazers past the No. 4 seed Mavericks in the first round, the Warriors in round 2, but get defeated in Game 6 against the Clippers.  

Adam Figman, Chief Content Officer

The Sixers are winning the championship.

Everything is coming together at the perfect time in Philly: James Harden is healthy and more motivated than ever, Joel Embiid has a better understanding of how to treat his body to make it last a full season plus playoffs, Tobias Harris is the perfect starter to play next to two stars, Tyrese Maxey is making a leap, and Daryl Morey is going to be aggressive adding role players throughout the season to put around this group in order to ensure the team has everything it needs come postseason time. The 76ers: 2023 Champs. 

Michael Harris, Editorial Intern

The Lakers will make the Western Conference Finals.

The Los Angeles Lakers will figure it out this season. Russell Westbrook will embrace his role off the bench, Anthony Davis will be healthy and be a top three candidate for MVP, while Patrick Beverley will bring the defense at the guard spot necessary to help the Lakers lock down shooters. The Lakers will also finish as the top three seed in the West and make it all the way to the WCF to face the Grizzlies.

NBA Finals Matchup: Heat vs Lakers

Ajayi Browne, Editorial Intern

The Dallas Mavericks will win the NBA Finals.

The Dallas Mavericks will reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011 and Luka Doncic will average career-highs across the board while having his most efficient season on his way to winning MVP. The team’s new additions, Christian Wood and Javale McGee, will give this team what they were missing last year, while Tim Hardaway Jr’s return will be vital, too.

Theus McBee, Co-Host of No Pump Fakes

Anthony Edwards will make his first All-Star Game and the Minnesota Timberwolves will make it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in nearly 20 years. 

The conversation of Ant Man “possibly” being a part of the top five under 25 group will come to an end and we will finally give him his rightful title of “Best Shooting Guard in the NBA.”

Check out the latest episode of No Pump Fakes below:

Najee AR Fareed, Editorial Intern 

Trae Young will make First Team All-NBA, lead the League in assists and take the Hawks all the way to winning a championship. 

The Hawks had a down year last season but their defense should be bolstered by a resurgent Clint Capela, Dejounte Murray’s arrival, and the rise of Onyeka Okongwu. The offense? Ice Trae might hold it down on the offensive end, but the Hawks have much more than just him. Deandre Hunter is taking big steps and John Collins’ lesser offensive load, with the addition of Murray, should free up his game for lobs and catch-and-shoot threes.

The Hawks will win one this season. For 3 Stacks and Lemon Pepper Wings and Zone 6 and Old Nat and everything else we love.

Colby Cusano, Brand Partnerships and Analytics Intern

Zion Williamson will bring the New Orleans Pelicans from an No. 8 seed to a No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and take home the Most Improved Player Award. 

After a decent season that saw them squeeze into the playoffs, the Pelicans are ready to make another run and with a healthy Zion Williamson. They now contain one of the most talented trios in the League.

NBA Finals Matchup: Mavs vs Celtics

Delon George, Marketing Manager SLAMgoods

The Brooklyn Nets will win the title.  

Though a lot of politics surround the Nets’ Big 3, I believe they have a lot to prove individually and together as a team this season. With Kyrie Irving will playing full-time from the start of the season and Kevin Durant avoiding injuries, the Nets are bound to have momentum this year. 

Brooke Brennan, WSLAM Intern

Lonzo Ball will return mid-season and take control of the Bulls’ offense, pushing them to be a top four seed team in the East.

While injury plagued his 2021-2022 season, Lonzo’s return mid-way through this year could give the Bulls the point guard anchor they need to take control on offense. After losing in the first round to the Bucks last year, the Bulls proved that they can be a playoff team, but have to make those adjustments. Returning key players, rising young talent, and added veteran depth will help to develop this team unit.

As for Zo, I project he’ll make an All-Star team in the near future. 

Andrew “Pitt” Pitagorsky, VP of Brand Partnerships

RJ Barrett will win Defensive Player of the Year. 

RJ Barrett will become an NBA All-Star and win Defensive Player of the Year. Going into Year 4 of his young career, RJ will take the next step in his growth and make the leap to the All-Star player we all know he could become. With the help of the coaching staff, and a pure point guard in the lineup, RJ can focus more on the defensive side of his game, and be an elite defender of the League.

Andres Puerta, Social Media SLAMFTW 

The Miami Heat will win the Eastern Conference Finals. 

The Miami Heat have a solid starting lineup. They are coming off a great season, with a solid performance in the playoffs from Jimmy Butler who showed what he can do in the playoffs. Tyler Herro showed out as the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year. They have a competitive group of guys and it doesn’t matter who is on the court. With the Heat being one of the top teams in the East last year, this will be the year they win the Eastern Conference Finals.

Arvind Pitchai, VP of Social Media

Luka Doncic will average a triple double and win MVP. 

Here’s another Luka Doncic prediction: when he averages a triple-double this season, he’ll definitely win MVP. We all know about Luka’s scoring prowess and ability to see the floor, but he also can clean the glass at a high clip. Will this lead the Mavs to the Finals? Who knows but it’s going to be a fun season watching Luka regardless.

Marcus Allen, Social Graphic Designer

The Knicks will make the Eastern Conference Finals.

A big season from the New York Knicks is upon us as they will make the ECF in 2023. Future star, RJ Barrett will have the best season of his career with his new backcourt partner Jalen Brunson and ultimately earn Most Improved Player and or Defensive Player of the Year. Let’s get it.

Dave Schnur, President

The T-Wolves and the Cavs will go on a playoff run and make the Conference Finals.

Karl-Anthony Towns moving to the 4 full time will be a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. He’ll hit a career high number of threes this season, Ant Edwards will make his first All-Star Team, Rudy Gobert is gonna Gobert and D-Lo will get his, too. The Cavs already have a great young core with Garland, Mobley and Allen. Adding a perennial All-Star SG like Spida that can stretch the floor and facilitate will bolster an already potent offense. Garland and Donovan may be the best backcourt in the East. 

Max Resetar, Editor 

Stephen Curry will break his own record of 402 threes in a season. 

The Dubs finally have everyone healthy. Every player on the roster has a clearly defined role and they each understand that their number one target on offense is No. 30, whether that means passing to him, screening for him, or getting the f— outta his way when the reign starts to rain. With a complete season of all the major hitters, their offense is gonna hum all the way to an easy 450 threes for the most recent Finals MVP. 

Celebrate the return of the NBA season, the 2022 WNBA champs and the future of the game with SLAM 240.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post SLAM’s 2022-23 NBA Preview: Crazy Bold Takes for this Season appeared first on SLAM.

The second-year man had the opportunity to fill in a roster spot last season, but he suffered a similar injury to the one he’s dealing with now. Although Garrett’s chances of filling the Heat roster spot have slimmed, Coach Erik Spoelstra offered an optimistic outlook to Garrett for when his time will come.

“This is the journey for young players sometimes,” said Spoelstra. “Sometimes you just can’t predict it. Sometimes it doesn’t go how you want it to. But he has that perseverance and grit to get healthy and get back at it.”

As demoralizing as the injury is, Spoelstra doesn’t rule out the possibility of Garrett making the roster. He, and small forward Jamal Cain, have put in extensive hours during practice and proved their worth on the court, making effort plays.

Recent Undrafted players for the Heat, like Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, and Gabe Vincent, had made their impact offensively when the team needed it most. In Garrett’s case, his defensive tenacity during the Summer League put Miami’s front office on notice, leading to his second two-way deal with the South Beach franchise.

“We’re all here getting at it every day,” says Jimmy Butler on the significance of pre-season games. “Whenever you get in the game, I think that’s the easy part. You just need to maintain your conditioning and then make sure you’re in a rhythm.”

Garrett may not be involved in the rotation or even be on the roster to start the season, but his determination has earned the locker room’s respect, and he now presents himself as a ‘Next Man Up’ target.

The Heat opens its 2022-2023 season at FTX Arena against their Eastern Conference rivals, the Chicago Bulls.

The post Marcus Garrett Set to Miss Final Preseason Stretch After Suffering a Wrist Fracture appeared first on SLAM.

Preparation Award: LeBron James 

LeBron is LeBron because of his insane work ethic. This summer, if a workout was scheduled for 10 AM, LBJ would walk in early at 9:15 AM. He’d then do a workout routine that included stretching, balance, and core for about 40 minutes. Once he was done with that, he’d go back to his post workout routine—stretching, some cool down and then balance exercises. For a player going into his 20th season, his body sure doesn’t look like it but he moves on the court like he’s 31, not 37.

Early Bird Award: Jimmy Butler 

Jimmy and I travelled the world this summer. From time zone to time zone, we worked out in New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Miami, the Hamptons, Switzerland, Paris…the list goes on. No matter where we were, we would always start our workouts at 6 AM—I’m not going to lie, but sometimes, depending on the time, I would be super tired when my alarm rang at 5 in the morning. But it was always a great feeling to be done with his first workout by 7:30 AM. In Europe, we even did double sessions. Jimmy had a great summer and I’m excited for him to show off his work this season. 

Biggest Black Ops Surprise (Non-NBA Player): Ian Jackson 

Over the years, I’ve had many elite high school players play in the summer Black Ops Runs: Donovan Mitchell, Obi Toppin, Cole Anthony, Adrian Griffin to name a few. But no high school player had a summer like Cardinal Hayes’ Ian Jackson. His first Black Ops Run was a learning lesson—the pace of the game was very fast for him and he struggled. However, he did come back the next day and played great and had eight threes and a series of nice dunks and passes. After that day, he was comfortable and he surprised NBA players all summer.

The Record Holder: CJ McCollum

There are a few drills each summer that I keep track of, specifically the player shooting 50 threes off the dribble or 100 threes off of the move. Well, CJ McCollum holds the record in almost all of them. He has an incredible work ethic and a very consistent jump shot. He made 92 out of 100 threes in one of the drills and also broke a few other records. 

Viral Sneaker Moment: LeBron James 

LeBron came to a workout one time with a light brown box in his hand. But there was no writing on the box. It wasn’t until after he did his pre-workout stretching routine that he laced up his sneakers and revealed that they were the LeBron 20s. It was the first time anyone had seen them. Within minutes of me posting a picture of them, the photo was everywhere and the top story on every sneaker blog across the world. Definitely a special moment. 

Breakout Season: Dre Hunter 

Dre Hunter worked out with me for the first time this summer and he was hungry! He learned very quickly and always pushed himself. I was very impressed with his professionalism and his skill level, too, and I think this year will be a huge year for Dre. 

Best 1 Day Performance in a Black Ops Run: Jaylen Brown

Jaylen Brown came to NYC during Fashion Week and pulled up to a Black Ops run. He dominated the run offensively and defensively, even hitting a series of game winners. He couldn’t be stopped and the entire gym saw how talented he was that day. On top of dominating the game, he had asked me to put Ian Jackson on his team so he could mentor him. He’s truly a great leader. 

What People Don’t Know: Drake’s Jumpshot

Everyone knows about Drake’s new gym at his house in Toronto but not everyone knows about how he’s improved his jumpshot. His form looked completely different from when I saw him last—he even played in a run at the Summit and hit 13 threes. The video went viral. 

Most Focused: Ty Jerome 

Ty Jerome’s work ethic this summer was on 1,000. He came to the gym all summer long to workout; he would jump into others players workouts to learn and he really improved. Every player that came to the gym consistently improved their games but Ty improved the most. I’m excited that he has landed on the Warriors. I think that’s a great fit for him. 

Efficiency Award: Kevin Love 

Kevin Love had a very productive offseason. Coming off of getting runner up for Sixth Man of the Year, he had an extra pep in his step this summer. We would shoot 100 threes after each workout and Kev would never get below 75; he’d average between 80 and 85. That is what I call efficient shooting. 

Best Conditioned: Julius Randle 

By the end of the offseason, Julius would come to the gym and workout for 90 minutes straight with no water break and free throws. He would ask me to push him as much as possible and most of the drills would be full court, too. He has to be one of the best conditioned athletes in all of the NBA. 

Biggest Surprise in a Black Ops Run: Paolo Banchero

Paolo came to a run after he was drafted No. 1 and people didn’t know what to expect at first. Well, when they left that day, they knew that Paolo was going to be a very special player. He scored in a number of ways: slashing to the hoop, mid post, offensive rebounds and threes. Funny part about his performance was that after the first game, I went up to him and said, “Can you please be aggressive!” He definitely listened and after a slow start, he stringed off about eight great games. 

Viral Moment: Donovan Mitchell’s Dunk

The angle of the video did not do the dunk justice, but when Donovan blew by his opponent and raised up for a two-hand dunk, he dunked it so hard that the entire backboard shifted. We had to stop the game and shift it back into center. The video went viral and the funny part was that one of the players had yelled out to Paolo Banchero, “Welcome to the NBA.” Unfortunately, Paolo was the one Donovan had blown by.

King of the Hill Award: Kevin Porter Jr.

During the course of the summer, one of my favorite things to do is have the players play 1-on-1. Kevin Porter Jr. was unstoppable in that setting and it didn’t matter if there was a three dribble limit or a single dribble limit. Kevin won every 1-on-1 matchup that summer.

Point God Award: Darius Garland and Cole Anthony

We’ve had some incredible performances by point guards this summer, but both Darius Garland and Cole Anthony played tremendously. The game looked so easy for them: not only do they make their teammates better, but they can get to anywhere they want on the court and make tough shots. Both of those guys have bright futures in the NBA.

Watch Out For: Kiyan Anthony 

Kiyan Anthony, who will be a sophomore at Christ the King, had one of those summers where you say, Man he got so much better! Not only did he grow about four inches this summer, but his game has really developed. He already has a handful of Division I offers and he’s nationally ranked.

The post The 2022 Black Ops Basketball Summer Recap and Awards appeared first on SLAM.

Haslem entered the League in 2003 as an undrafted rookie out of Florida. With all-time great Dwyane Wade, the pair won an NBA Championship in just their third season with the Heat after defeating the star-studded Dallas Mavericks squad. Haslem would make another 17 years of unforgettable memories for the Heat.

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A post shared by Miami HEAT (@miamiheat)

UD was part of the back-to-back championship roster for the Heat from 2012-2013. Haslem started in 59 games in 2013 and proved his vocal leadership from the forward slot would end up making one of the Heat’s best defensive lineups in League history. He still shows that leadership on the bench as he constantly directs where a Heat defender should be on plays. Of course, it worked, as the Heat were one of the best defensive teams last season.

That stout defense had its moments, like when Jimmy Butler and Erik Spoelstra got into a heated argument over a defensive possession. Haslem broke up this matter; and assured the team and press that he wouldn’t condone Butler’s behavior by yelling “I’ll whoop your a–” towards the six-time All-Star.

Udonis Haslem addresses what he says is the beginning of his “The Last Ride.“ pic.twitter.com/qA7OxZSeyC

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) September 27, 2022

Fans thought the team was falling apart, but it was only a wake-up call to get back into their winning ways. Butler would then lead the Heat to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they would end up a Game 7 victory short of playing in the NBA Finals for the second time in three years.

“Got one more in me for Pop,” said Haslem per Heat Nation. “Got one more in me for the city. Got one more in me for the team.”

The Heat forward dedicates his last season to his late father, Johnnie Haslem, who passed away in August 2021. The UD farewell tour starts Oct. 19 against the Chicago Bulls. A lot of emotion heads into this season, but the best thing Haslem and the Heat can do is bring a fourth banner to the 305 and write off Haslem with a legendary career.

The post Udonis Haslem Announces His 20th Season Will be His ‘Last Ride’ appeared first on SLAM.

Miami is headed for another season of action as a top contender to come out of the Eastern Conference and is looking to push one of their stars Bam Adebayo, to have an increased scoring role. Doing so can take the team over the hump.

Last year, Adebayo only averaged 13.7 shot attempts a game. For someone that shoots it at 55.7 percent, the expectation is that more volume will cede more outstanding production. Even Butler chimed in about this push on Media Day.

“We know he knows we want him to score more; we want him to be aggressive. He can do it, and he’s going to — He always is and always will be the engine, the key part on both ends of the floor. So we’re going where Bam takes us.”

Adebayo understands that the team wants him to score more, so he is setting a new goal for himself going into the 2022-23 campaign. On Media Day, the Heat star revealed that he wants to average close to 18 shot attempts per game.

“I’m going to try to get it up this year,” said Adebayo. “I feel like we’re a lot better team when I’m scoring the basketball.”

If the Heat star can remain efficient with that many shot attempts this season, we are potentially looking at an early MIP candidate.

The post Bam Adebayo Tabbed for Bigger Role this Upcoming Season appeared first on SLAM.

Sixers star Joel Embiid had an MVP-worthy campaign. Tyrese Maxey had his breakout season. James Harden was brought into the mix on the trade deadline, giving the team a much-needed go-to scoring option to pair alongside Embiid, which can also facilitate. Although this seemed promising enough to go all the way, some pieces of the puzzle had to be filled.

A busy offseason for the organization led to Philadelphia bringing in players like former Sixth Man of the Year winner Montrezl Harrell, sharpshooter Danuel House, and veteran PJ Tucker. The acquisition of Tucker reunites him with Harden. The two had a lethal on-court connection back on the Houston Rockets, where they played four seasons together.

The grit that Tucker provides is something that every team needs. He will harass you on defense. He can stretch the floor. He will even trash-talk you the whole game. Since leaving the Rockets, the veteran played a crucial role for the Milwaukee Bucks on their way to winning a championship in 2021 and the Miami Heat last season when they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals as the first seed. 

On Media Day, Embiid declared Tucker as one of the X-Factors for the Heat in their series against Philadelphia in last year’s playoffs. 

“Obviously, playing against PJ, I thought if you don’t wanna mention Jimmy (Butler), I thought PJ was one of the X-Factors that really had a big impact for them against us. Obviously, Daryl (Morey) went out and did his job.”

As for Tucker’s former teammate and, of course, current teammate, Harden, believes having the veteran on the team this year is significant.

“I feel like we got the right pieces we need on both ends of the ball to make us a legit contender and be the last team standing,” said Harden during Media Day.

The post James Harden and Joel Embiid Fans of Newly Acquired PJ Tucker appeared first on SLAM.

Udoka will be away from the team while he serves his season-long suspension for “violations of team policies.”

With such a chaotic situation right before Media Day, of course, players were going to be asked their thoughts about it. When Jayson Tatum was asked when he found out about Udoka’s suspension, Tatum said he learned what had happened in real-time just like everybody else through Twitter. According to Brain Robb, Tatum also said that Udoka’s suspension was “a lot to process.”

Tatum said he hasn’t spoken to Udoka since the suspension was handed down, but he’s excited to get on the court for training camp and get back to playing basketball.

“We were all kind of caught off guard,” Tatum said

Tatum: "You read the statement, you watch the press conference, apparently there are a lot of things they can’t speak about. I’m kind of in the same boat. I don’t know. It’s hard for me to answer if things were handled in the right way or they weren’t … I just don’t know."

— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) September 26, 2022

While a head coach controversy is not the way any team wants to start their season, it seems that Tatum as a whole is not letting this sidetrack his or the team’s goals for this season. In an interview per NBC Sports, Tatum spoke about what he learned from the Celtic’s 2022 NBA Finals run.

“It’s extremely tough to even get to that point; not many people have even gotten there,”. Tatum continues. “You think about (we) sweep the Nets, and go seven with Milwaukee that could’ve obviously gone the other way, then seven with the Heat if Jimmy Butler made that shot, we could not have been in the championship, then you know getting to that point and then accomplishing the goal, it’s hard to put in words, it’s tough.”

Tatum also told NBC Sports that he’s heading into year six with that “plan of things that you like you can do differently.”

“Approaching the off-season with a plan of things that you feel like you can do differently coming into next season so that you know you’re more than capable of going all the way.”

Heading into his uncertain year with the Celtics, it looks like Tatum is more ready and eager to take that next step individually as well as a team.

The post Jayson Tatum On Ime Udoka’s Suspension and What He Learned During Boston’s Finals Run appeared first on SLAM.

The Miami Heat come off a 53-29 record that earned them first place in a loaded Eastern Conference. Their championship dynamic seemed to have shined all post-season long as they knocked off the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers.

In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Vincent scored 17 points to go along with three blocks, helping Miami rally to a 118-107 victory over the Boston Celtics. Vincent’s production took a slight decline for the next few games as Miami ended up finding themselves down 3-2 in the series.

The back-and-forth bout left for a critical Game 6 in Boston’s roaring TD Garden. Players and fans around the league had already written off the Heat before the pivotal game, as Draymond Green boldly said that the Warriors were prepared to face Boston in the NBA Finals.

The confident statement from Green sparked Jimmy Butler to go off for 47 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists to force a series-deciding Game 7.

The Heat had fought through Game 7, even when trailing by 15 with three minutes to go in the fourth quarter. It came down to a transition three attempt from the top of the break by Butler that, had he made it, would’ve punched Miami’s ticket back to the NBA Finals. However, the ball went off the rim and landed in the hands of Boston, allowing them to ice the game and have a date with the Warriors.

That miss started the off-season of the Heat, and there were many rumors about everyone not named Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo. PJ Tucker joined the 76ers while Max Strus, Tyler Herro, and Kyle Lowry were linked to trade talks for big-name superstars around the League like Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving or now-Cleveland Cavalier Donovan Mitchell.

The summer of rumors had worn off, and the Miami Heat kept most of their pieces together. Miami will be on the short list of Eastern Conference Finals threats that can make it out of the conference and into the Finals.

The post Gabe Vincent: Miami Has ‘What It Takes to Get Back to the NBA Finals’ appeared first on SLAM.

With a resume like that, the Greek Freak is the epitome of hard work, undergoing a physical transformation that has helped him become, if not a top 3 player, a top 5 player in the League today. He averaged 29.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game on 55.3 percent shooting from the field and 29.3 percent from beyond the arc.

The Bucks lost in seven games to the eventual ECF champion Boston Celtics this year. During that second-round series against Boston, Antetokounmpo became the first player to post 200/100/50 in a single playoff series. The six-time All-Star finished with 237 points, 103 rebounds, and 50 assists and averaged 31.6 points, 14.1 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in the 12 playoff games he played.

However, despite everything the six-time All-NBA selection has accomplished since being drafted 15th in the 2013 draft, one former superstar believes Giannis Antetokounmpo has a lot to learn.

The Giannis disrespect is WILD.

And he’ll just keep making them look like idiots. pic.twitter.com/JJEBGRGejP

— Nathan Marzion (@nathanmarzion) August 26, 2022

Last week, Gilbert Arenas stated on his podcast that Antetokounmpo “doesn’t really understand how to be great,” reiterating in a later post that while Antetokounmpo has become “stronger on his rim runs and wiser,” he still has to improve his jump shot and passing. Overall, Arenas believes Antetokounmpo has “the same flaws he walked into the game with.”

“Give him Tim Duncan’s knowledge, a whole different player isn’t he?”

Longtime NBA guard Gilbert Arenas joined @RickKamlaSports & @adaniels33 to clarify his comments about Giannis.#FearTheDear pic.twitter.com/G6it9PsDoG

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) August 31, 2022

Although Arenas has a point that Antetokounmpo does rely on his unguardable physical tools, to say he hasn’t improved his jump shot is misleading. He’s a 41.5 percent shooter from midrange, better than LeBron James (41.5 percent), Kyrie Irving (39.2 percent), Jimmy Butler(37.8 percent), and Jayson Tatum (37.0 percent). He’s also hovered around 30 percent as a long-distance shooter since 2017-18.

By the raw numbers, The Greek Freak has averaged better than five assists per game for five of the last six seasons. By advanced stats, Antetokounmpo earned a 30.4 assist percentage and owned a 1.77 assists/turnover split while carrying a 34.0 percent usage rating.

Regardless, the Bucks and Antetokounmpo are entering 2022-23 a season of winning the 2021 title. If they can remain healthy when it matters the most, the Bucks should reemerged as a 2023 NBA title contender.

The post Gilbert Arenas: Giannis Antetokounmpo is a ‘Whole Different Player’ if ‘Given Tim Duncan’s Knowledge’ appeared first on SLAM.

The visit to Mexico is the first time the NBA has played the Mexico City games since December 2019.

San Antonio will showcase their newest rookie Tari Eason, recently re-signed Keldon Johnson, and of course, Coach Gregg Popovich. Meanwhile, Miami returns a team that just went to the Eastern Conference Finals led by Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.

San Antonio made their debut in Mexico in 1994, and the Heat will play in Mexico for the first time since 2017.

The 2022-23 game also be the 30th season of the Mexico Games, which began in 1992 between the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets.

The post Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs Set to Play Mexico City Game in 2022 appeared first on SLAM.

However, at 42-years-old and as the oldest active player in the NBA, the Heat legend has made it clear he’s still figuring out if he wants to play basketball next season.

“I don’t know,” Haslem said, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “We’re thinking about it. But either way, I’m always going to be a part of the Heat family. I’m not going nowhere, whether I play or not. I’m always going to impact that organization.”

Last season, Haslem played in 13 games and averaged 2.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. After 20 years, Haslem isn’t a major or consistent contributor in the Heat’s lineup. The former Florida Gator added that there’s a laundry list of things he has to consider before making his final decision.

“For me,” he said, “it’s just a lot going on. I have a lot of things that I had to really, really think about. 20 years is a conversation I had with my father.”

If U.D. decides to hang it up, the Heat will be out of a team leader who also played a pivotal part as the veteran who knows what buttons to push. If Haslem leaves, it’ll be up to the Heat’s other vets like Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry to fill in that void Haslem’s absence creates.

The post Udonis Haslem Still ‘Thinking About’ if he Wants to Play 20th Season appeared first on SLAM.

NBA All-Star Zach LaVine has agreed to a five-year, $215.2 million maximum contract to return to the Chicago Bulls, with a player option in Year 5, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2022

LaVine’s contract contains a player option for the last year of the deal.

LaVine has emerged as a two-time All-Star during his tenure in Chicago. LaVine arrived from Minnesota after the Bulls and Timberwolves exchanged LaVine for Jimmy Butler. Along with the arrival of DeMar DeRozan last summer, the Bulls returned to the postseason for the first time since 2017, when they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Boston Celtics. Chicago’s five-game loss to the Bucks marked LaVine’s first trip to the playoffs.

LaVine has averaged at least 23.7 points per game in the past four seasons while being a dynamic three-level scorer and passer while dishing at least four assists per game. Last season. LaVine put up 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game on 47.6 shooting from the field and 38.9 percent from deep.

LaVine will be entering the 2022-23 season, coming off an offseason knee surgery.

The post REPORT: Zach LaVine Agrees to Five-Year Max Contract appeared first on SLAM.

On Monday, Wiggins didn’t need to be the alpha dog to save the Warriors from a dismal performance from Curry. The 2015 Rookie of the Year finished Game 5 with 26 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block. It was the type of performance that reminds you why Wiggins was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Most importantly, it gave the Warriors a 3-2 series lead and pushed them to within one win of a title.

“We knew we needed his athleticism and defense and his versatility,” Kerr said per Sports Illustrated. “We had no idea that he would make this kind of contribution. But I think it’s a reminder that for almost every player in the NBA, circumstances are everything. You kind of need to find the right place, the right teammates, that kind of stuff. Wiggs has been a great fit.”

HOW’S THE AIR UP THERE WIGGS? (via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/dR3ehMFnft

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) June 14, 2022

After Wiggins helped lead the Warriors to a pivotal win, his teammates gave him his flowers. Draymond Green gave Wiggins particular kudos with an enthralling story he told reporters about the 2022 All-Star. Green said the Warriors knew that they could trust Wiggins to deliver in big moments based on the belief the notoriously demanding Knicks Coach Tom Thibodeau had in Wiggins.

What really punctuated the moment was the fact that the equally demanding Jimmy Butler raved about Wiggins despite his ugly and infamous departure from Minnesota in 2018.

“I mean that trust has been building for two and a half years now since he got here. A lot of people looked at the trade as it’s another piece that they can move,” Green told reporters. “And we looked at the trade from the very beginning like that is a guy who can fit next to a healthy group absolutely well. When he first came here, and I’ll never forget, it’s when Thibs wasn’t with the Knicks, and Thibs was like, ‘you guys are going to love him. He competes, he defends’ — and he was telling us Jimmy (Butler) loved him, and we all know how Jimmy Butler is, if you got any softness to you Jimmy don’t like you. That’s just how Jimmy is cut, and he’s continued to show that, he’s continued to get better, he’s taken on every challenge that we’ve thrown in front of him, and it’s huge, and we need him to do it for one more win.”

Draymond Green on the trust they have in Andrew Wiggins. Some great perspective, and even something Tom Thibodeau told the Warriors after the trade happened: pic.twitter.com/imd2iWZDB7

— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) June 14, 2022

Wiggins has averaged 16.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game on 47.4 percent shooting from the field in 20 games this postseason. Wiggins has thrived as a two-way player in Golden State’s vaunted system and will play a key role in guarding Tatum and being a security blanket late in the shot clock as a capable off-the-bounce bucket.

The Finals shifts to Boston for Thursday’s Game 6, and the Celtics will likely play with force and urgency to tie the series back and force a do-or-die Game 7 back in San Francisco.

The post Draymond Green Raves About Andrew Wiggins After Game 5 appeared first on SLAM.

Oladipo is on the verge of free agency and could draw legitimate outside suitors after playing well in 15 playoff appearances. The former Indiana Hoosier is also headed towards the first offseason where he could have an offseason where he can work on his game and conditioning for the first time in years after he’s worked his way back from rehabbing a few quadriceps procedures, most recently going under the knife in May 2021.

“He’s going into the summer physically able to work at his craft,” Spoelstra said. “He’ll get back to the player that people were accustomed to seeing.”

That player is the one who is the 2018 Most Improved Player. The one who averaged over 20 points per game for the Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets. After Oladipo showed, he’s still got some motion in him during Miami’s playoff run, and he’s likely to garner a better deal than the League-minimum deal he signed last year.

According to Ira Winderham of the South Floria Sun-Sentinel, the New York Knicks could be looking to sign the 2018 Most Improved Player of the year. The 2022 free agency market beings July 1, and Miami owns Oladipos Bird Right, which means the Heat can match a contract worth $20 million-plus this summer.

“So we’ll see where that goes,” Heat President Pat Riley said this week, “because Vic’s obviously a free agent, and we have his Bird Rights, and we’ll definitely be talking to his agent.”

Miami must ask themselves whether Oladipo would be worth that kind of money after showing enough playoff flashes of brilliance. With Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, and Tyler Herro already in tow, it could be challenging for Heat president Pat Riley to rationalize that decision. Herro is entrenched after bouncing back from a tough sophomore season and winning the 2022 Sixth Man of the Year. Lowry is 36-years-old but is still as cerebral as ever at point guard.

If Miami is to keep Oladipo, they could use him as a combo guard off the bench. He’s impressed Riley and Spoelstra with his hard work since coming back from being cleared for court work in January. He’s already got fans rooting for him within the organization, like assistant coach Chis Quinn, who has reminded Spoelstra just how unique Oladipo’s play has been after playing just 60 games over the last three years.

“Coach Quinn showed me — look, I’m aware of this, I’m fully aware because I’ve been with him for a full year — but that stat, in the last three years, how many games that he had missed, and then how many regular-season games he’s played in the last three years,” Spoelstra said, with that total at 60 over the three years, compared to a standard 82-game regular season. “For him to do what he did in this playoff run is really unheard of.”

The two-time All-Star has played 12 games in Miami since Houston traded him to South Beach in 2021. He averaged 12.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game during that time.

During the Heat’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals, Oladipo averaged 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.1 dimes per game, scoring 23 points twice against Atlanta (Game 2) and Boston (Game 4).

“There’s a great story in watching him work, watching him come back, and then watching him get into games,” Riley said of Oladipo’s progression this past season. “It wasn’t easy at the beginning. When he had 21 in Toronto, then 40 in Orlando, and you started to see some of the things he could do again, like you saw in the past.”

“And then in the playoffs, I thought he had some great moments for us. He was the kind of player that I felt as the series began to grow, and all of them began to grow and became more competitive defensively, that you do need players that can break down a defense on their own or with their quickness and slashing can create their own shots.”

The post Miami Mulling Re-Signing Victor Oladipo This Summer appeared first on SLAM.

The controversial call came nearly a minute into the third frame. Strus knocked down a corner three-ball to cut Boston’s lead to 56-54. After the Celtics went on a run, League officials at the NBA replay center in Secaucus, New Jersey, elected to overturn the ball because Strus’ heel was out of bounds on the ball. The call left Spoelstra “in shock” as Miami’s points were taken off the board.

“I was in shock,” Spoelstra said. “I was asking [assistant coach] [Chris Quinn] about that. The fact that it happened three to four, five minutes in-game time, that does change the context of how you’re playing. We were starting to gain some momentum. You feel like it’s a seven-, eight-point game, and you look up, and it’s a 13-point game, and there’s no other explanation for it other than it’s gone back to the league offices. You feel like if it happens like that, it should happen immediately, and you can adjust accordingly.”

Although the call was a major source of frustration, Spoelstra repeatedly reiterated that the overturned play wasn’t the reason Miami lost.

“Look, that’s not the reason we lost,” he said. “We still had plenty of opportunities. We just couldn’t get control of the game. A lot of that was Boston. We didn’t stop grinding, and we gave ourselves a shot at it at the end. We just couldn’t make enough plays during the course of the game. It felt like most of the game we were grinding from an eight-to-10-point deficit.”

However, because of the nature of the game and how high-profile the controversial the call was, Spoelstra knows it will be discussed at future League meetings.

“I’m sure they will look at that, and we’ll probably be the case study for it,” Spoelstra said. “I’m OK if it happens the way it used to. They would look at it at the next foul or break and look at it and notice it, but it was probably 10 minutes of real-time — somebody check on that.

“I’m not crying or whining. Come on; we got beat. This was two competitive teams going at it. We had a crack at it at the end. Even as uneven as the game seemed, we had a crack at it. Our guys are never going to, like, not think we have a chance at it.”

After Strus’ three was waved off, Miami still had a chance to win in the waning seconds after cutting a seven-point deficit to two with just over a minute to go. Butler’s potential game-winner was shot, and Boston iced their 100-96 win with two free throws from Defensive Player of the Year winner Marcus Smart.

In the aftermath, Spoelstra had no issue with the best player on the Heat taking the possible game-winner, calling it a clean look and “better than anything we could have designed.”

Butler played all 48 minutes of the win-or-go-home Game 7 tilt, finishing with 35 points and nine rebounds.

“My thought process was go for the win,” Butler said. “Which I did. Missed a shot. But I’m taking that shot. My teammates liked the shot that I took. So I’m living with it.”

As tough as it is for Miami, their season is finished. Boston and the Golden State Warriors take center stage for Thursday’s Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Warriors will host Game 1 of the series at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

The post Erik Spoelstra in ‘Shock’ After Overturned Max Strus Three-Pointer appeared first on SLAM.

Wednesday’s Game 5 was perhaps their best chance to head back to Boston with a 3-2 lead. The Heat was up by five coming out of the halftime break, but Boston outscored Miami 56-38, with their suffocating defense forcing the Heat to miss their first nine shots of the third quarter. The Celtics grabbed a lead they wouldn’t surrender with an 8-0 run, taking a 69-58 lead into the final frame.

From there, Boston blew the game wide open, creating a 23-point cushion in the fourth quarter. Jaylen Brown (25 points) took over in the fourth, knocking down a trio of three-pointers, slamming the door shut on any Miami comeback when he drove down the late and threw down this hammer in the half-court.

“As disappointing and as frustrating as this game can be,” Spoelstra said per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, “We get on to Boston and just come together.”

JB RELAX (via @NBATV) pic.twitter.com/GPksWm5fuG

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 26, 2022

Now, the Heat have one more night to keep their season going, and should they win Friday’s Game 6, they host a win-or-go-home Game 7 in FTX Arena.

Miami’s consecutive losses have been flustering, starting with an uncharacteristic blowout loss 102-82 Game 4 loss in Boston after getting outclassed in the first quarter 18-1. In Game 5, Boston’s decisive 24-2 run in the third quarter put any notion of Miami taking a 3-2 lead into Boston to bed.

Miami’s problems are punctuated by the sudden ineffectiveness of their veteran leaders, Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry.

Both have been a step slow in the ECF due to respective knee and hamstring injuries, especially Butler, who hasn’t played with his typical relentlessness. Lowry is 5-23 from the field in the conference finals, going 0-6 from the field and 0-5 from long-distance. Butler finished with 13 points, six rebounds, and four assists, but he’s only attempted six free throws in the past three games after shooting 26 in Games 1 and 2.

To top it off, Sixth Man of the Year winner Tyler Herro has missed the last two games due to a groin injury. Miami’s numerous injuries make it challenging to thrive against a physical defense that ranks No. 1 amongst the final four teams in the playoffs.

“We’re not making any excuses for any kind of health or anything like that,” Spoelstra said. “We’re just going to figure it out and get on up there to Boston and enjoy that competition.”

BAM ON CLEAN UP DUTY!!! (via @NBATV) pic.twitter.com/oF9dSGWtPS

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 26, 2022

Now from this point on, it’s about surviving, taking it one game at a time

Lowry has held himself accountable, telling reporters that he has to play better while he’s out there.

The message is similar is from Butler. The six-time All-Star said that his bothersome knee is okay, but he needs to play better while on the court and help find ways to win. Bam Adebayo also said it’s time to adapt, not accepting the excuse that the Heat is injured when every team is dealing with the same bumps and bruises this late into the season.

“We’re still alive,” Spoelstra said. “We have an opportunity to play in front of a great crowd and an opportunity to make a memory that you’ll remember for a long time. That’s all we’re thinking about right now.

“And we have the kind of warriors that are going to tape up, brace up, do whatever we’ve got to do to get ready for the next one, and just embrace and enjoy that competition.”

Boston has a chance to close the ECF out on Friday when they host Miami for Game 6.

The post Miami Hopes to ‘Make a Memory’ in Wednesday’s Game 6 Against Boston appeared first on SLAM.

The Heat scored just 11 points in the first quarter and immediately found themselves down 18 at the end of one. Miami then went on to only reach 33 points at the end of the second quarter and was down by 24 points at halftime.

Heat star Jimmy Butler scored just six points on 3-for-14 shooting as Miami’s starters scored a combined 18 points in an underwhelming performance.

“This is part of the playoffs; there are these extreme highs and lows,” Coach Erik Spoelstra said, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “We’ve proven that we can find solutions offensively in a lot of different ways.”

The Heat is struggling with multiple injuries, as Butler (knee inflammation), point guard Kyle Lowry (hamstring), and power forward P.J. Tucker (knee contusion) are all playing through nagging injuries. Tyler Herro, the 2022 Sixth Man of the Year winner, is also hobbled and missed Game 4 with a groin injury.

“We are not making any excuse,” Spoelstra said. “We can do it in the mud. We can win it ugly. We can win it when the floodgates come open, hitting threes. We can do it with Jimmy taking over a game. We can do it when he’s facilitating. We have the mental fortitude and the collective toughness to be able to embrace what we have. It’s just a very competitive, good series.”

“No excuse for how I played tonight. It don’t got nothing to do with my knee,” Butler said. “I’ve just got to be better. I will be better. I’m not too worried about it.”

On the other side, Boston star Jayson Tatum scored 31 points on 8-of-16 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Big men Al Horford and Robert Williams III combined for 22 rebounds and six blocked shots.

Both teams will look to take a 3-2 advantage as the series heads back to Miami for an 8:30 tip-off at FTX Arena Wednesday night.

The post Erik Spoelstra On Game 4 Performance: ‘We Are Not Making Any Excuse’ appeared first on SLAM.

#MIAvsBOS INJURY UPDATE: Tyler Herro (groin) has been ruled out of tonight’s Game 4 vs the Celtics.

Jimmy Butler (knee), Kyle Lowry (hamstring), Max Strus (hamstring), Gabe Vincent (hamstring) & P.J. Tucker (knee) will all warm up with the intent to play.

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 23, 2022

The injury preventing Herro from playing is a groin injury. The Heat also announced that Jimmy Butler (knee), Kyle Lowry (hamstring), Max Strus (hamstring), and P.J. Tucker (knee) would warm up and likely play, barring any setback.

The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has averaged 12.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game during the Eastern Conference Finals. He finished the season averaging 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 dimes per game.

The post Miami Heat Announce Tyler Herro Will Miss Monday’s Game 4 appeared first on SLAM.

The Heat have thrived in the regular season, the No. 1 seed in the East with a 53-29 record, and have made it to the ECF due to their veterans ensuring that the teams’ most significant strength is their communication with one another. Vets like Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker, Jimmy Butler, and Udonis Haslem have made sure that the Heat has held each other accountable while also letting each other know something they noticed on the court.

Having a team with solid veteran leadership makes life easier for you guys like Max Strus or Bam Adebayo, who is coming into his own as a veteran voice on the team. Haslem encouraged Adebayo to be more aggressive on Game 3, leading to the former Kentucky Wildcat scoring 31 points and 10 rebounds on a career-high 15-22 shooting from the field.

Strus (16 points on 4-7 threes) knocked down a clutch triple with two minutes left in Game 3 to stretch Miami’s lead from one point to four moments after Lowry suggested Coach Erik Spoelstra should run a play for Strus.

“To me, it’s a good thing everyone has an opinion instead of Spo always doing the talking and trying to figure everything out,” Adebayo said per the Miami Herald.

“It’s good that we have four or five guys communicating and talking about schemes so we can all get to a comfortable place where we can all agree on [things].”

Lowry has also been a critical mentor for backup point guard Gabe Vincent (11.3 points per game in the ECF). Vincent said Lowry has made sure to speak with Vincent about what he see’s on the court as an OG lead ballhandler and encourages him to maintain Miami’s preferred pace of play.

Spoelstra has solidified and encouraged the Heat’s culture of players leading the players. According to Tucker, Spoelstra permits his veteran circle so much leeway to speak up because they are high IQ players with substantive ideas to contribute to the game. Tucker further gave Spoelstra credit for not being “the dictator-type that he expected.”

“It’s about smart guys respecting each other, knowing what each other brings, and being able to bring that out of each other,” Tucker said. “Each of us calls each other out for not doing something right[but then] respect [each other] and keep going and not take it personally.”

Second-year center Omer Yurtseven summed up the Heat’s leadership structure as so: Tucker is the defensive guy, being more vocal on that side with some bits and pieces for the offense. Lowry is “very detail-oriented and very smart — he will see something and relay it to the team exactly, a clear picture.” Butler and Adebayo are vocal on both ends, and Haslem is “always talking, especially during timeouts.”

Having too many cooks in the kitchen could be a problem for some players. However, according to Strus, it helps “having a lot of guys that keep us stable.”

“All our veterans are really great about that,” Spoelstra said. “You can develop young guys all that you want, and we do — But what really kicks into another gear is just the veteran leadership of infusing confidence. That’s what Kyle has done the entire year.”

The Heat and Celtics will play Game 4 on Monday night, with Miami looking to leave Boston with a 3-1 series lead and home-court advantage heading back to FTX Arena.

The post Miami’s Veteran Voices Power 2-1 Series Lead in Eastern Conference Finals appeared first on SLAM.

Gabe Vincent and Victor Oladipo scored 14 each, and Tyler Herro followed up with 11 points of his own. The loss drops Miami to 7-1 at FTX Arena during the 2022 playoffs.

“This only counts as one,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s what the experienced players in the locker room and staff understand. We don’t like it. They played extremely well. You have two really good teams, and we just have to figure some things out.”

The Miami Heat will have to have a short memory before Game 3 after this blowout loss. Everything that could’ve gone wrong did after Miami raced out to a 10-point in the opening minutes of the first quarter. That was about the only bright spot of the night before Boston went on a 17-0 fueled by five made triples in six possessions. The superstar duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined to score 51 points, including 33 in the first half.

Boston eventually outscored Miami by 39 points in the next 18 minutes and headed into the locker room with a 70-45 lead at halftime. After the break, Butler did everything he could to bring Miami back into the game, cutting the lead to 17 after scoring 16 points in the third quarter.

However, Boston responded with a 12-2 run to shut the door on any comeback bid, restoring a 27-deficit while heading into the final frame with a 96-71 lead that was never threatened. Had Miami not gone on a late run, Game 2 of the 2022 Miami-Boston ECF series would’ve set a Miami record for the biggest loss in their franchise history. Miami avoided that historic achievement, but Boston broke their franchise record for the biggest road playoff game lead at halftime (25).

“It has to hurt,” Butler said. “They tried to embarrass us. They did embarrass us. — Overall, we just have to be better.”

The next time Miami and Boston meet will be Saturday’s Game 3 in TD Garden. Whoever wins Game 3 will leave with a 2-1 series and home-court advantage.

The post Erik Spoelstra On Miami’s Game 2 Loss: ‘This Only Counts As One’ appeared first on SLAM.

“Wake up,” Udoka told his team.

And boy, did they wake up. The Celtics tied the series up at 1-1 with a 127-102 win in FTX Arena, stealing home-court advantage as the series shifts to Boston for Games 3 and 4. Jayson Tatum (27 points, five rebounds, and five assists) and Jaylen Brown (24 points and eight rebounds,)rebounded from their disastrous Game 1 performances and combined to score 51 points.

The return of Marcus Smart (24 points, nine rebounds, 14 dimes) and Al Horford (10 points, three rebounds, three assists) also helped Boston roll past Miami on Thursday. Boston knocked down 20 three-pointers also, with Smart hitting 5-12 and Tatum and Brown combining to hit eight triples.

“I got to get my rest, got to get my health back, got to watch and see some things and come out and execute in this game,” Smart said.

MARCUS SMART DROPPED EM! (via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/4rChRnG6mL

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 20, 2022

The Celtics used a 17-0 run late in the first quarter, fueled by five triples in six possessions, to take control of Game 2. The momentum-shifting run helped Boston outscore Miami 60-21 over the next 18 minutes, which turned into a 70-45 halftime lead. Brown led the surge with 11 points in the opening frame, Boston shot 9-11 from beyond the arc in the first quarter, and Tatum added fuel to the fire by scoring 17 points in the second quarter.

20+ in the 1st half. Tatum came out HOT! (via @ESPNNBA) pic.twitter.com/FRkgqt5Giy

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 20, 2022

The 25-point halftime lead was the largest lead the Celtics have had in a road playoff game, topping the previous record of 22 against the Chicago Bulls in 2009. Miami cut the deficit to 17 off Jimmy Butler’s 16 points in the third quarter, but Boston went on a 12-2 run to close the door on any comeback bid. By the time the final frame began, Boston was 96-71.

“Guys have pride and looked at a golden opportunity that we kind of lost (in Game 1) and thought we could do much better,” Udoka said. “And we did that tonight.”

The Celtics are 4-0 following a loss this postseason. The ECF shifts to Boston on Saturday with both Eastern Conference foes looking to leave Game 3 with a 2-1 lead.

The post Celtics ‘Wake Up’ and Win Game 2 of ECF 127-102 appeared first on SLAM.

Boston led by 13 points going into halftime; however, a 22-2 run sparked a comeback for Miami, led by 27 second-half points from Butler. He finished the game 17-18 from the free-throw line, the second-most by a player against the Celtics this playoff behind Kevin Durant.

Jaylen Brown told ESPN that Butler was too comfortable in Game 1 and that they would have to play him better the rest of the series.

“He’s very comfortable right now, and we’ve got to do a better job of breaking that rhythm that he’s in. That’s it. We’ve got to take the challenge.”

The Duo of Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for 53 points, but their dismal second-half effort hurt the guys in green badly as they finished the game with 16 total turnovers. Tatum only scored eight points in the second half.

Celtics Coach Ime Udoka told reporters that the Heat didn’t do anything different to throw them off the slow second half was a huge momentum shifter in the game.

“It wasn’t anything different that they did. They just came out and imposed their will,” Udoka said. “We semi-bounced back in the fourth and started to play well again and match their physicality, but 39-14 on 2-for-15 is tough to overcome.”

The Celtics look to even the series tonight for Game 2 and head back to the TD Garden with a 1-1 tie.

The post Jaylen Brown on Stopping Jimmy Butler Game 2: ‘We Gotta Break the Rhythm He’s In’ appeared first on SLAM.

The disappointing, shocking third quarter led to Marcus Smart laying into his teammates. Smart missed Game 1 due to a right mid-foot sprain he suffered during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy used the break going into the fourth quarter to ignite the fire within his teammates, reportedly pounding his chest and challenging his teammates to give more.

“Just have heart,” Smart said, according to Payton Pritchard.

“He was just telling us to compete, get after it,” Pritchard added. “We were kind of playing soft there for a little bit.”

This isn’t the first time Boston has suffered similar losses due to disastrous quarters. The Celtics lost the ECF to the Heat in the Orlando Bubble because they weren’t physical enough, poised enough, or together enough to work through what Miami was putting the Celtics through. The 25-point deficit Miami created ranks as the second-worst quarter in Celtics playoff history.

According to Coach Ime Udoka, Boston spoke about how Miami would look to ramp up their physicality to impose their will after the break. Despite knowing that Boston still failed to meet the moment and matched Miami’s intensity. One play illustrates just how much more intense and powerful Miami was in Game 1.

On the first possession of the second half, Jimmy Butler (41 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals, three blocks) caught the ball in the paint, spun through four Celtics defenders, and drew a foul. The next time the Heat touched the ball, P.J. Tucker missed a corner 3-pointer, but Bam Adebayo (10 points, four boards, four blocks) crashed the glass hard enough to force Grant Williams to foul him.

Had Williams not fouled Adebayon, the play could’ve resulted in a Butler bucket after he beat Jaylen Brown to a rebound anyway.

“Got out-toughed, out-physicaled,” Udoka said. “They looked like they came out in the second half and wanted to up their physicality and aggression on both ends, and they did that. I don’t think we obviously responded well on either end of the floor. We had eight of our 16 turnovers in that quarter, played in the crowd on offense, and got sped up. And then defensively, offensive rebounds, getting muscled around in the post. Some poor fouls got them to the free-throw line. (The game) flipped very quickly, and (we) just lost our composure.”

The destructive third-quarter outing was punctuated by the Celtics not scoring a field goal for the first seven minutes of the second half. Not to mention Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for all eight of Boston’s third-quarter turnovers. In fact, Boston finished the third frame with as many turnovers (eight) as buckets (two).

The moment is here now for Boston to learn from the failures of the 2020 ECF and Game 1 of the 2022 ECF. Boston lost in six games two seasons ago despite outscoring Miami by one point. However, they lost because they didn’t respond when it mattered the most, allowing the Heat to go on big runs during the fourth quarter.

“Throughout the course of the playoffs, we’ve done a great job of responding to runs after calling timeout, things like that,” Tatum said. “But for whatever reason, we didn’t today. I’ll be the first one to say I’ll take the blame for that. I’ve got to lead better. I’ve got to play better, especially in those moments.”

Maybe Boston’s Game 1 was due to coming off an emotionally challenging seven-game series against the 2021 NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks. The Celtics had just one day off between ending their second-round series and beginning the Eastern Conference Finals. Missing Smart and Al Horford (virus protocols) certainly didn’t help either. Regardless, Boston can’t afford to repeat the same mistakes of 2020.

The revenge tour Boston has been on since the 2022 playoffs began has gone well so far; in order for that to happen, the Celtics will have to respond to the Heat’s intensity and physicality and play with a next-man-up mentality until Smart and Horford return., Tatum and Brown need to cut down on turnovers and to respond better to the rough play of the Heat when the two stars have the ball in their hands.

The post Marcus Smart Calls on Boston to ‘Just Have Heart’ appeared first on SLAM.

Not only did Butler drop 41 points, 27 of which came in the second half, but he also posted nine rebounds, five assists, four steals, and three blocks, including a block on Jayson Tatum when the Duke alum attempted a three-pointer in the left corner. Butler is now the first player in NBA history to put together a 40/9/5/4/3 game in the playoffs, according to Statmuse.

“Jimmy Butler is an elite competitor,” Spoelstra said, per ESPN. “There’s a lot of guys in this League that are playing basketball. He’s competing to win. That’s a totally different thing, and he does that as well as anybody in this League.”

Masterful in the midrange.
(via @ESPNNBA) pic.twitter.com/Q57Dh8Pgtx

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 18, 2022

Butler has now become the second player in franchise history to score 40+ points in five games this postseason, the first being Dwyane Wade. Butler has also recorded his fifth career playoff game with 40 points on 60 percent shooting, tied with Charles Barkley for third-most in the last 30 postseasons, followed by Shaquille O’Neal (8) and LeBron James (12) via ESPN Stats and Info.

The only other players to have a 40-5-5-4 playoff game are James, Russell Westbrook, Paul Pierce, Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and Larry Bird, according to ESPN Stats and Info. Per Statmuse, Jimmy G. Buckets surpassed James and Wade for most 40/5/5 playoff games in Heat history.

“I don’t do this to score 40 points; I play the way that I play to win,” Butler said following the game. “It just so happened I scored 40, but if I scored 40 and lose, I’m gonna be really ticked off.”

Jimmy Butler is everywhere.
(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/d8eKSNt2CK

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 18, 2022

Miami will look to take a 2-0 lead on Thursday’s Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The post Erik Spoelstra Praises Jimmy Butler After 41 Point Effort in Game 1 Win appeared first on SLAM.

Butler’s 41-point effort is his fifth of the postseason. He is the second player in franchise history to record five 40+ point efforts.

Jimmy Buckets enacted an all around MasterClass.

41 PTS
9 REB
5 AST
4 STL
3 BLK
63% FGM

: @MiamiHEAT pic.twitter.com/2R7iyMoMTQ

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 18, 2022

Coming out of the break, Boston was up by eight; just three minutes into the third quarter, Miami took a lead they would never surrender after Butler knocked down a put-back layup. The lead-changing layup was a part of a game-changing 22-2 run punctuated by back-to-back-back steals from Max Strus and Butler to take a 10-point.

That double-digit lead eventually grew to 20 points after Tyler Herro hit three free throws a 1:15 into the fourth quarter after getting fouled on a three-point attempt.

“Keep the game easy,” Butler said about what was said in the locker room during halftime. “Simple. We gotta learn how to capitalize off of their mistakes, and we gotta get back. I think that’s what changed in the second half.”

Masterful in the midrange.
(via @ESPNNBA) pic.twitter.com/Q57Dh8Pgtx

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 18, 2022

Butler was the catalyst for Miami imposing their will in the second half. The Marquette alum scored 27 points in the second half, along with three assists, three steals, and four rebounds (two on the offensive glass).

When Boston tried to capitalize on a 10-0 run that cut Miami’s lead to nine points with 7:35 seconds left on the clock, Miami continued to impose their will, silencing Boston each time they made it a single-digit game with triples from P.J. Tucker and Strus.

Their job on Jayson Tatum illustrated Miami’s second-half effort. Miami held the Duke alum to eight points after Tatum scored 21 in the first half, tied for a career-high in the first half. The defensive intensity on Tatum was highlighted by Butler blocking Tatum on a three-pointer from the left corner pocket. Miami also forced the St. Louis native to turn the ball over seven times.

“Contesting every shot,’ Butler said about Miami’s key to defending Tatum in the second half. “Try not to foul; he’s crafty as hell and just putting multiple bodies in front of him.”

Jimmy Butler is everywhere.
(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/d8eKSNt2CK

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 18, 2022

Boston will look to tie the Eastern Conference Finals when they face Miami on Thursday’s Game 6.

The post Miami Heat ‘Keep the Game Easy’ in Game 1 Win Over Boston appeared first on SLAM.

Boston is coming in hot after blowing out the Bucks in Sunday’s Game 7 thanks to the hot scoring of Jayson Tatum, who has emerged as a top superstar as he averaged 28.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists per game in 41.2 minutes per game. The man who will likely be taking on the challenge of guarding Tatum will be Jimmy Butler, who has reclaimed his spot as a top superstar, averaging 28.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game.

“Either team that we were to end up facing, whether it be Milwaukee or Boston, is a really, really, really good team,” Butler said per ESPN. “It is Boston. We’re looking forward to it. I guess you got to beat the best to be the best.”

Slowing down Tatum, who’s scored 30+ in four games and scored 46 points in Game 6 of the Boston-Milwaukee series, will be pivotal to Miami advancing to their NBA Finals since 2020.

Meanwhile, Butler has scored at least 40 points twice and dropped 30+ points three times.

Locking in on the two featured weapons of their respective weapons will be pivotal for the success of both Eastern Conference titans.

“He’s one of the best in the game right now,” Butler said. “As much attention as he draws on the offensive end — and then I think what’s really impressive is the way that he’s picked up his defensive intensity. You got to tip your hat to that and respect him; I think those are the guys that you want to go up against.”

The post Jimmy Butler Looking Forward to Matchup With Jayson Tatum appeared first on SLAM.

“Pat’s [Riley] probably is going to enjoy this,” Spoelstra said on Monday. “This is like a throwback series. If both teams are really on top of their games, this should be a series where neither team is scoring 130 points. Both teams hang their hats on rock-solid team defense, and making multiple efforts, and being disciplined to schemes. So it will be a lot of plays and things in the margins. That’s what you expect. Really, we were the two best teams in the East most of the season, and it’s fitting that we’re moving into the conference finals.”

The ECF series will feature the two best teams in the conference, with the Heat saying they see a lot of similarities between themselves and the Celtics, especially on the defensive side of things. The main thing that helps Heat remain confident in themselves is that they found a way to win games in different ways throughout the year.

With different guys out of the lineup due to injury or COVID-19 being able to win a game no matter, the circumstance bodes well for a team looking to get back to the Finals for the first time since 2020.

Going into Tuesday’s Game 1, Spoelstra and Jimmy Butler echoed a similar sentiment of the Heat loving competition and looking forward to the challenge of playing Boston.

Both Spoelstra and Butler echoed a similar sentiment with Game 1 looming on Tuesday night.

“Our guys love competition and love being challenged,” Spoelstra said. “They love taking on big challenges. That’s what we’re facing. Boston has played as well as anyone in the entire league once they got to 2022. It’s not by accident. They’re playing very strong basketball. They do it on both ends.

“I say throwback; I really want to clarify. It’s not going to be like football. We don’t need the extra officiating, or we don’t need anyone thinking they need to clean it up. It’s not going to be like that. It’s just that you have two really committed defensive teams that should lend itself if both teams are playing at a high level; it shouldn’t be 150-point games.”

The post Erik Spoelstra Anticipates ‘Throwback’ Heat-Celtics ECF Finals appeared first on SLAM.

The two All-Stars grew a close bond while Butler was with the 76ers, helping complete the infamous process by helping Embiid lead Philly to a second-round playoff series in 2018, their first appearance since the 2012 postseason. In the 2019 offseason, Butler left Philly during the 2019 offseason, choosing to play in Miami after agreeing to sign and trade deal.

Miami pulling away (via @NBATV) pic.twitter.com/oyskAqcSve

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 13, 2022

According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, the decision boiled down to Philly choosing to invest in Ben Simmons, who was reportedly growing disenfranchised with Butler’s leadership and playstyle. Butler and Simmons are ball-dominant players, which pitted them against each other, per Shelburne. Eventually, the Sixers chose Simmons due to his youth and cheaper contract. Philly also believed Simmons had a higher ceiling.

Since then, Butler has led Miami to two Eastern Conference Finals as of Friday and one Finals appearance in 2020, losing the 2020 championship to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

“I’m happy for him,” said Joel Embiid. “I won’t sit here and say I didn’t wish he was my teammate. I still don’t know how we let him go. I wish I could’ve gone to battle with him still, but it is what it is. Just gotta keep building and keep tryna reach that goal.”

“That’s my guy, that’s my brother. It’s tough, but I’m proud of him. He’s playing at an unreal level. He’s something else right now, and I’m proud of him for being at this level and carrying them and what he’s been able to do.”

During his live TV interview, Butler revealed what he said to Embiid as The Process left the court.

“That I love him,” Butler said. ” I’m proud of him. Yes, yes, yes, I wish I was still on his team; I definitely love the Miami Heat, though; I’m glad that I’m here, but I got so much respect and love for Joel Embiid.

“Still don’t know how we let him go”

Embiid on Jimmy Butler no longer being a 76er pic.twitter.com/kyGhZ4dLuI

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 13, 2022

The Heat will play the winners of the other Eastern Conference semifinals series between the Celtics and Bucks. The Bucks are in the driver’s seat with a 3-2 lead heading into Friday’s Game 6 in Milwaukee.

The post Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid Both Reveal They Wish They Were Still Teammates appeared first on SLAM.

The Heat had seven scorers in double-figures, led by Jimmy Butler (23 points), Max Strus (19 points, and Gabe Vincent (15 points). Victor Oladipo scored 13, followed by a 12-point effort from Bam Adebayo and 10 points apiece from Tyler Herro and P.J. Tucker.

Jimmy Buckets.

23 PTS
9 REB
6 AST

(via @MiamiHEAT) pic.twitter.com/Q07uFchjN7

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 11, 2022

Defensively, the Heat held the Sixers to 36.5 percent shooting from the field and 28.1 percent from beyond the arc. As for the superstars of the Heat, Joel Embiid was held to 17 points (7-12 shooting) and five rebounds, while James Harden contributed 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists on 5-13 shooting 2-6 from the three-point line.

BAM JAM!

(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/hzLqkmDuvb

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 10, 2022

The 76ers had a rough night; overall, Miami came out firing on all cylinders, outscoring Philly in all four quarters. Miami shut the door on any comeback hopes immediately in the fourth quarter when they went on a 12-0 run powered by a 7-0 spurt from Herro and Struss, who scored five straight points to open the fourth frame. Adebayo stretched the lead to 25 with a three-point play, forcing Coach Rivers to sub out Embiid since Game 5 was no longer in question.

“We did what we were supposed to do once again,” Butler said during his postgame interview with Chris Haynes of YahooSports. “We won at home, we’re a different team when we make shots, and I don’t like that. I want us to be able to get spots no matter what, and then we worry about making shots. Right now, we’re cool.”

This interview is gold

(via @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/RlR8OdXRsd

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 11, 2022

The post Jimmy Butler on Miami’s 120-85 Win in Game 5: ‘We Did What We Were Supposed to Do Once Again’ appeared first on SLAM.

As the League celebrates it’s 75th anniversary, there’s quite a few Top 75 lists out there already. In fact, we’ve got quite a few of our own, from SLAM’s Top 75 Players of All Time Special Issue to most recently our Top 75 NBA Teams of All Time (shop here). We could’ve easily left it at that, but after checking out Tracy McGrady’s new Ones Basketball 1-on-1 League, we started thinking about the best 1-on-1 NBA players of all time.

So, we decided to have some fun with it and put together a bold list, categorized based on height, of all of the names that should be included in that conversation.

6-3 AND BELOW

1. Allen Iverson
A one-man revolution where the cross was just the beginning. He’s the master mixer on
our list for a reason.

2. Kyrie Irving
Hang it in the Louvre. KAI’s game is entirely its own art form.

3. Stephen Curry
The greatest shooter of all time needs just a sliver of space to make you pay, all while
staring down the crowd as the ball drops through the net. Uncanny.

4. Derrick Rose
Athleticism that was unparalleled and the nonexistence of fear had D. Rose bullying the
League as the youngest MVP ever.

5. Chris Paul
A mid range savant. A floor general. A Point God.

6. Gilbert Arenas
Agent Zero was lethal, tactical and surgical in leaving defenders guessing what portion
of the bag was about to be unleashed.

7. Damian Lillard
You can pick him up, but what comes next is entirely on you.

8. Russell Westbrook
Shot out of a cannon, if No. 0 is barrelling down the court, you best clear the runway.

9. Isiah Thomas
Lower to the ground just meant more ways to attack as the handle powered the
creativity that No. 11 enacted on his way to snagging two.

10. Jerry West
The Logo was constantly carving up defenses to drop buckets and dimes left and right.

11. Ja Morant
The ascension has been recognized. Call 12, and he’s always gonna answer.

12.Baron Davis
A blend of everything. Baron gave birth to the uber athletic displays of guard play that
we’ve become enthralled with over the years.

13. Trae Young
There’s a new villain in town and he’ll take your heart and your team’s straight to the
offseason.

14. Tiny Archibald
Ain’t nothing tiny about this man’s game. Nothing.

15. Stephon Marbury
The inspiration behind one of the greatest hoops flicks of all time attacked the game entirely on his own terms.

16. Tim Hardaway Sr
Having a killer crossover named after you is a mic drop moment.

17. CJ McCollum
The slipperiest shooting guard in the L. Shaking and baking is his M.O

18. Deron Williams
D Will mastered his own pace to the game. Separation was key and once he created it, you might as well just head back down for O.

19. Donovan Mitchell
Picking up this man is like taking a trip throughout the Spida-Verse, sprawling, spinning and overstimulated with flashes of colorful creativity and blinding moves.

20. Jrue Holiday
Always reliable, always locked in, always ready to pull it in your eye. Second-guessing is the greatest compliment a hooper can recognize and Jrue sees it often.

21. Steve Francis
Constantly sending defenders stumbling, Steve Francis doesn’t often get his due as one of the shiftiest guards to ever step on the hardwood.

22. Tony Parker
Some speed is built, some is gifted. TP’s froze defenders in a picture frame as he weaved around the paint for dimes and buckets.

23. Kemba Walker
We know y’all remember THE step back. Nuff said.

24. Chauncey Billups
Decidedly different. Big guard, big body, big buckets.

25. John Wall
Revolutionary athleticism instilled John Wall as the next box-office point guard. Go do your Google searches and watch his mixtapes to see what we’re seeing.

26. Lou Williams
Lou Williams is too smooth with it: a certified bucket, 3x NBA Sixth Man Player of the Year and a derserver of the utmost respect. 

27. Monta Ellis
Those 360 layups were just a regular thing for Monta Ellis. That’s what type of time he was on. 

28. Nick Van Exel
Nick Van Exel was waaaaaay too quick with it, from the crossovers to the high-flying drives to the lane to those insane dishes and dimes.

29. Jamal Murray
We’ve already told you this before: there’s music in Jamal Murray’s game. Try not to get lost in the melody, though, because he will drop 50 on you. Again and again.

30. Brandon Jennings
Dropping 55 points as a rookie is quite the statement, but then again, Brandon Jennings was never one to shy away from any moment. His game was too electric.

6-4 TO 6-8 

1. Michael Jordan
   The greatest. Put MJ in any situation, matchup or moment and you already know the outcome. Nothing more needs to be said.

2. Kobe Bryant
   He was constantly ascending past the depths of what competing truly meant. He knew your next move before you’d even had a chance to formulate the thought.

3. Tracy McGrady
   Scoring 13 points in 33 seconds is wild, but that’s just what T-Mac was about. One of the most complete scorers in the history of the Association.

4. Carmelo Anthony
   The fadeaway. The jab step. The spot-up jump shot, and his signature “washing machine” spin move. Carmelo Anthony remains one of the game’s most unstoppable scorers of all time. 

5. Kawhi Leonard
   Best believe, any matchup against the Klaw will result in him getting the last laugh. Trying to defend him in a 1v1? Now that’s pure comedy. 

6. Dwyane Wade
   The nickname was fitting: the Flash was one of most elite and efficient shooting guards who attacked the basket with an explosiveness that couldn’t possibly be contained. 

7. James Harden
   Equipped with a signature-move so iconic, a few names on this list have tried it out, the Beard is truly lethal with the rock in his hands.

8. Julius Erving
   A wizard who truly transcended the game. Every move was a symphony of basketball played at its finest. 

9. Charles Barkley
   A relentlessly physical rebounder with an attitude to match, Sir Charles was a force to be reckoned with.

10. Devin Booker
    With the words “Be Legendary” tattooed on his forearm, D-Book has continued to transcend his game towards just that no matter if he’s pullin’ up from midrange or hitting clutch shots from deep. 

11. Scottie Pippen
    One of the game’s greats could really do it all, from dishing out dimes and orchestrating an offense to snagging boards and holding it down on the defensive end. Versatility at it’s finest.  

12. Paul George
    PG’s all-around game is just one of the many things that define his greatness. His explosiveness and ability to create his own shot is another.

13. Paul Pierce
    The Truth can be hard for many to accept, but his dominance was nothing but pure facts. Shaquille O’Neal had a thing for nicknames, and when Paul Pierce dropped 42 on the Lakers in ’01, Shaq went over to the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett and told him to write this down: “My name is Shaquille O’Neal and Paul Pierce is the truth. Quote me on that and don’t take nothing out.” Enough said.

14. DeMar DeRozan
    The King of the Fourth is a true revolutionary when it comes to the art of the midrange.

15. Jimmy Butler
    They call him Jimmy Buckets for a reason. That’s exactly what you’re gonna get.

16. Jayson Tatum
    JT moves different out there on the parquet floor, from the lethal step back and sidestep threes to the sheer dominance every time the rock touches his hands. That’s what happens when you’re mentored by none other than the Mamba.

17. Vince Carter
    Once Vince Carter got within eyesight of that line, it was over before it had even begun.

18. Zion Williamson
    You can’t be contained when the limits never existed. The same goes in the paint, or anywhere on the floor, when it comes to Zion Williamson. 

19. Penny Hardaway
    One of the greatest guards ever. That spin fake into a stepback, move? Pure magic.

20. Luka Doncic
    Luka plays at his own pace while completely dominating in the process. Different.

21. Dominique Wilkins
    With legs like propellers and arms that could absorb contact, Nique had underrated shot-making ability that went along with his otherworldly athleticism. 

22. Grant Hill 
    Versatility in a human being. Grant Hill was a threat to score from all three levels.

23. Elgin Baylor
    Surrender the skies to Elgin Baylor. Aerially gifted with merciless finishes at the rim.

24. George Gervin
    Smooth, refined, patient, disciplined and measured. Ice’s game was where fundamental met flash.

25. Alex English
    Nobody scored more points in the 1980s than Alex English. Nobody.

26. Joe Johnson
    His nickname is Iso Joe. Nothing more needs to be said.

27. Bradley Beal
    Bradley Beal technically has a perfect jumpshot. Pair that exquisite form with his handles and the result is a scoring machine.

28. Klay Thompson
    One of the best shooters ever is also a big body that precisely clamps players of all heights and weights.

29. Gary Payton
    Possibly the best perimeter defender to ever play, Gary Payton could also get to the tin whenever he wanted.

30. Jamal Crawford
    Jamal Crawford is creativity unleashed through instinct and intellect.

6-9 AND UP

1. Shaquille O’Neal
   The most physically dominant player ever. Realistically, there’s nobody stopping the Diesel.

2. Kevin Durant
   Size, skills, smarts. There have been very few other players that are more offensively complete than Kevin Durant.

3. LeBron James
   The case can be made that LeBron James is the best player ever. Full stop.

4. Giannis Antetokounmpo
   Try guarding Giannis Antetokounmpo without any help defense. Get the picture?

5. Kevin Garnett
   The only part of Kevin Garnett’s game that outshined his skills on both sides of the ball was his competitiveness, a trait that’s gone nearly unmatched throughout history.

6. Hakeem Olajuwon
   Possibly the best two-way center ever, who dominated with equal doses of agility and nimbleness, power and force.

7. David Robinson
   Dunks and jumpers with the left, blocks and steals with both of his hands and a compressed trampoline in his right leg, David Robinson’s basketball IQ was just as ridiculous as his athletic capabilities.

8. Karl Malone
   Brute strength. Left side of the post to the right side of the hoop every single time. Never could be stopped.

9. Wilt Chamberlain
   Scored 100 points in a game, averaged 50 points for a season and if blocks and steals were tallied when he played, Wilt Chamberlain’s mythic status would be even greater than it already is.

10. Joel Embiid
    Joel Embiid is a guard stuck inside a 7-2, 280-pound body.

11. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
    The author of the game’s most unstoppable shot, its leading scorer and a shot-blocking terror.

12. Larry Bird
    Larry Bird was so good at scoring that he would tell bigger, stronger and more athletic defenders exactly what he planned to do with the ball and they still couldn’t contain him.

13. Anthony Davis
    Middies, catch-and-shoot threes, barrels to the rim, pick-and-roll ball containment, weakside shot-blocking and passing lane invader properly describes Anthony Davis.  

14. Moses Malone
    Quite possibly the most underrated great in NBA history, Moses Malone was unstoppable from the block and even if he did miss, he’d consume offensive rebounds with such ferocity that the ensuing putbacks would be uncontested.

15. Dirk Nowitzki
    It’s real when a singular shot is credited to a player. Basketball now has the one-legged fadeaway thanks to Dirk Nowitzki.

Subscribe to the official podcast of the basketball bible, SLAM’s “No Pump Fakes.”

Follow host Theus McBee on Instagram @theuselijah and Ahmad Smith, @akisnba.

The post SLAM’s Official Top 75 Greatest 1-on-1 NBA Players of All Time List appeared first on SLAM.

“A lot of it comes to us making shots,” Butler said. “We make shots; we tend to play defense. When we don’t, we don’t. We’ve got to get back to being a defensive-minded team, and then our offense comes to us second.”

“We’re gonna take the same shots next game, and they’re gonna fall.”

Jimmy Butler remains confident after the Heat’s Game 4 loss with the series headed back to Miami tied at 2…#HEATCulture pic.twitter.com/BafGRh2x3P

— Bally Sports Sun: HEAT (@BallyHEAT) May 9, 2022

While his 40 points, six assists, two steals, and two blocks helped keep Miami alive, James Harden carved up their defense late with a 16-point fourth-quarter performance that stripped away any hope of getting a stop.

As a team that averaged 110 points per game in the regular season, putting up just 79 points in their Game 3 loss to Philly was a shock for a team that’s capitalized off of turning turnovers and defensive pressure into offense all season long.

“I think every shot that we shoot we think is going in. And we’re going to take the same shots next game and they’re gonna fall because that’s the way we’ve been playing all year long,” Butler said.

The Heat will face off against the 76ers at home for Game 5 on Tuesday before traveling back to Philly for Game 6 on Thursday.

The post Jimmy Butler Says the Heat Need to ‘Get Back to Being a Defensive-Minded Team’ appeared first on SLAM.

In the post-game conference, Coach Erik Spoelstra talked about how his team fought through the adversity of losing Lowry and Butler to close out this series. The Game 5 win was Spoelstra’s 89th career playoff win since becoming the head coach of Miami in 2008.

“This was just a really inspiring team win,” Spoelstra said. “We clearly had some adversity in this game not having Kyle or Jimmy, and our group doesn’t even blink. That wasn’t something we even had to address; we just pivot and out in the game plan. Defensively there were some incredibly inspiring plays all game long.”

Victor Oladipo led the team in scoring with 23 points shooting 8-of-16 from the floor. Bam Adebayo followed up with 20 points and 11 rebounds, snagging the game-winning steal to send the Hawks packing back to ATL.

Spoelstra boasted about Adebayo and Oladipo’s great performances to close the series out, especially in the fourth quarter.

“I thought Bam was just tremendous; that’s just winning basketball all the way around. Vic was really good for us, he was able to generate some looks for us in the paint, and I thought it was fitting for us to win this game off that last stop at the end.”

The Heat will face the winner of the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors series, where the Sixers currently have a 3-2 lead. Game 6 of that series will continue Thursday in Jurassic Park.

The post Erik Spoelstra On Heat Advancing to Eastern Semifinals: ‘We Clearly Had Some Adversity in this Game’ appeared first on SLAM.

Through it all, Oladipo has worked hard to regain his All-Star form and provide some production to the No. 1 seeded Miami Heat. In their 97-94 Game 5 win, the resilience of Oladipo paid dividends after the two-time All-Star finished the elimination game with a team-high 23 points, three assists, and three steals.

Victor is hooooping rn.

(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/IoeooP25ks

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 26, 2022

His big-time performance helped lift a Heat team that was missing Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler due to hamstring and knee injuries, respectively.

“There’s nothing I can’t handle,” Oladipo told NBATV. “At the end of the day, I feel like I can come back and get through anything. So when they told me I needed to start tonight, I just stepped up to the plate and did everything I could to help my team win.

“I credit my coaching staff and my teammates for believing in me, my family, my God in heaven for getting me through. It’s only the beginning.”

“There’s nothing I can’t handle.”@VicOladipo talked to @RebeccaHaarlow after the Heat close out the Hawks in Game 5. pic.twitter.com/l6fuHbQlCy

— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 27, 2022

The Heat also relied on their fourth-ranked defense to bottle up Trae Young (11 points, eight rebounds, six assists on 2-12 shooting from the field, 0-5 from the three-point line) and secure the series-concluding win on Tuesday. Miami was down for most of the first half before the Heat went on a 17-0 run late in the second quarter, never surrounding their lead.

However, the Hawks still put their head down and kept making pushes to make a comeback, going on 8-0 and 10-0 runs. Atlanta closed a deficit as large as 15 to within 95-93 before Oladipo closed the door on the comeback after diming Bam Adebayo for a clutch dunk with 59 seconds remaining on the clock.

Vic Oladipo dimes it to Bam to push the lead back to 4!#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel on NBA TV
https://t.co/rTTQ9EtLON pic.twitter.com/afYL5sVV39

— NBA (@NBA) April 27, 2022

The Heat advanced to the second round and will play the winner of the 76ers-Raptors series.

I’m just trying to ball and live. How can I lose when we the who’s who’s? pic.twitter.com/XlaJD69cBp

— Victor Oladipo (@VicOladipo) April 27, 2022

The post Victor Oladipo Leads Miami to Series Closing Win Over Atlanta appeared first on SLAM.

Playoff Jimmy always brings that energy.

(: @_theeyeg) pic.twitter.com/QRAEh79qO0

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 20, 2022

Last season, the Heat could not recreate that magic from their Orlando Bubble and fell to the eventual champion Miluwake Bucks in a first-round sweep. The playoff failure led to the Miami office bringing in Kyle Lowry to relieve Butler of playmaking duties. That change led to the Heat earning the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference after going 53-29 in the regular season.

Since he doesn’t have to be as ball-dominant as he was during the bubble, Butler has been able to focus more on getting buckets, which led to Butler being able to score 45 points in a 115-105 win over the Atlanta Hawks to grab a 2-0 lead as the first-round series shifts to Atlanta. A personal 7-0 run punctuated the primetime performance in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter to increase Miami’s lead from three to 10 to cement the Heat’s win.

“I am a different player now than I was then,” Butler said per ESPN. “I just always want to play basketball the right way and do whatever it takes to help this team, this organization, win. That’s why they brought me here.”

JIMMY BUTLER.

45 PTS
5 REB
5 AST
2 STL

(via @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/914leJRDH9

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 20, 2022

Butler’s big-time outing arrived on the strength of some hot shooting. Butler finished the game shooting 15-25 from the field, 11-12 from the free-throw line, and hit 4-7 three-pointers as well. During the regular season, Butler shot 23.3 percent on triples; Jimmy G. Buckets is a career 32.1 percent shooter from beyond the arc.

Erik Spoelstra, head coach of Miami, said that Butler’s shooting from outside reminded him of the exploits of franchise legends Dwyane Wade. Wade, James, and Butler are the only Heat players to finish a playoff game with 40-points three times.

“It actually is a good comparison because if you get in those pressure moments and the moments of truth, if you’re on the other side, would you ever want to just give Dwyane Wade an open 3? You would not,” Spoelstra said. “Because he’s a killer. He’s going to seize that moment. And Jimmy has a lot of those same qualities. You can say whatever the percentage is — throw those all out when it becomes about winning. He’ll find a way to kill you.”

The Heat-Hawks first-round series resumes on Friday in Atlanta.

The post ‘Different’ Jimmy Butler Drops 45 to Lead Miami to 115-105 Win appeared first on SLAM.

As great as limiting Young to that low of output is, the Heat are also aware that Young and the Hawks coaching staff led by Nate McMillan will find a way to unlock their star point guards offensive talent. Young sat out the final 14 minutes of the game to gather his thoughts on what went wrong and the adjustments he could make for Game 2.

According to ESPN Stats and Information, Ice Trae’s 8.3 percent shooting from the field was the worst single-game shooting performance of his career spanning the regular and post-season. Despite bottling Young up like they did, the Heat are aware that a shifty guard that can shoot the three-ball like Young will never be bottled entirely up for at least four losses.

“Miami played at another level,” McMillan said per ESPN. “We have to get to another level. There is another level of intensity where you are locked in on winning every possession. We have to execute and value every possession in these games.”

The Heat finished the regular season fourth in defensive rating. The game plan from Coach Erik Spoelstra was to switch longer, rangier defenders onto Young whenever the Hawks ran pick-and-roll. According to Second Spectrum, the scheme resulted in the Heat switching 21 times against Young in Game 1, allowing 0.8 points per direct pick.

The Oklahoma product scored 0.96 points per direct pick against all opposing defenses that switched against him during the regular season.

“Keep him in front,” explained Jimmy Butler. “He is constantly breaking down defenses and causing you to help, and if you don’t help it’s a layup, [or] it’s a floater. And if you do help, he’s hitting the right guy every single time [with a pass]. I think we did a great job of not fouling and just moving our feet and staying in front of him.”

Young acknowledged that fatigue set in after a short turnaround from playing in the play-in tournament.

“You definitely feel the heavy legs, but you have to give them credit,” Young said. “They came out aggressive; they came out with a lot of energy.”

Game 2 of this first-round series will take place on Tuesday in Miami.

The post Miami Heat Limit Trae Young But Know He’s Capable of Big Game appeared first on SLAM.

The addition of the two has brought a new dynamic to a franchise known for its futility and recently for being soft after the infamous practice altercation between Jimmy Butler and his former teammates and the T-Wolves’ front office. Now, the Timberwolves have a new look to them, one of toughness and swag, refusing to lay down and be an easy win for any of their adversaries.

Their confidence and belief in each other led to the Timberwolves’ epic 109-104 comeback win against the Clippers to clinch their first playoff appearance since 2018. The combined 59-point effort from Edwards (30 points on 5-11 shooting from three-point territory) and D’Angelo Russell (29 points, five rebounds, six assists) helped the Timberwolves overcome a tough night from Karl-Anthony Towns who fouled out after playing just 24 minutes.

Ant is cheffin up.

(via @Timberwolves) pic.twitter.com/prop8PW8Tl

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 13, 2022

”The game had to go in a different direction,” coach Chris Finch said per NBA.com. ”That’s why you have a team because a lot of other people step up.”

The Timberwolves’ comeback effort started after a Reggie Jackson triple gave the Clippers a nine-point with just nine minutes to go in the second half. However, the T-Wolves responded with a 16-2 run, taking the lead it would never relinquish on a Russell pull-up three, followed by a tomahawk slam from Edwards that punctuated their gutsy effort.

THERE IT IS pic.twitter.com/epHTOH8dwF

— x – Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 13, 2022

As the Timberwolves relished their playoff-clinching performance, the always entertaining Edwards left the media and fans with a quote that won’t be forgotten due to his memorable performance and especially due to his part in helping to change the culture in Minnesota.

”I took what the game gave me. That’s what they gave me. They were scared to guard me, and I took advantage of that,” Edwards said.

The post Anthony Edwards On Epic Timberwolves Comeback: ‘They Were Scared to Guard Me’ appeared first on SLAM.

After battling the Warriors to a 50-50 halftime tie, the Heat gave up a 19-0 run to start the third quarter to a Golden State team without the services of Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, and Green.

Then during the timeout, it looked as if Jimmy Butler and Coach Erik Spoelstra had words. It was then when long-time veteran Udonis Haslem got into an altercation on the sideline with Butler. After teammates separated them, Spoelstra got angry with Butler as well, and then Heat players had to separate them.

Jimmy Butler was HEATED in the Miami huddle after the Warriors went on a big run to start the second half pic.twitter.com/6waBmHlL1r

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 24, 2022

Just moments later, the combative situation woke Miami up and sparked them to go on a momentum-shifting run to cut the lead to 81-80 by the end of the third quarter before the Warriors pulled away again to win 118-104.

So, to recap. Tied 50-50 at halftime. Warriors 19-0 run to 69-50. Then Haslem and Butler go at it. Now Heat within 81-80 going into fourth. Bananas.

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) March 24, 2022

“You can use moments during the season to catapult you,” Spoelstra said about the potential effects of the event going forward via ESPN. “You can galvanize together over frustration and disappointment. Teams can also go the other way. I don’t see that with our group. I don’t see that with our locker room. But we have needed a kick in the butt.”

Wednesday night’s loss was the Heat’s second straight to a short-handed opponent. The Philadelphia 76ers beat them Monday night without James Harden and Joel Embiid in the lineup. 

When Heat point guard Kyle Lowry was asked about the heated moment, he downplayed the incident as not as big a deal as some make it out to be.

“It’s crazy, but it’s passion. … It’s good sometimes to get some anger and frustration out and just talk about it,” Lowry said via CBS Sports.com. “We’re gonna have situations that make people uncomfortable, but at the end of the day, as long as we’re comfortable and we figure it out, that’s all that really matters as long as we’re together. And we are.”

Miami has a chance to show their unity against the New York Knicks on Friday.

The post Heat Inspired by Altercation Despite Loss to the Shorthanded Warriors appeared first on SLAM.

#HOUvsMIA UPDATE: Victor Oladipo, Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin will all warm up with the intent to play in tonight’s game vs the Rockets.

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) March 7, 2022

After three years of dealing with surgeries and rehabs due to some troubling leg injuries, Victor Oladipo’s play status has been upgraded to questionable, heading into the Heats game against the Rockets on Monday.

With the Heat saying he’s questionable to play, that means there’s a coin flips chance of the two-time All-Star will make his season debut on Monday. Oladipo last played competitive basketball last year on April 8. Since then, he’s undergone a second surgery on his quadriceps tendon. He first suffered the injury in January 2019 while he played for the Pacers.

“He has great fortitude,” Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra said per ESPN. “That’s the toughest thing for a professional athlete is to get injured, and most of your time is away from the team. Probably, when you talk about mental health, that is the most challenging thing for an athlete.

“You don’t necessarily always feel like you’re a part of it. You have doubts; you don’t know what it’s going to look like on the other side when you do get healthy; you’re not sure if all the work is really mattering. That’s a tough place for an athlete.”

With the Indiana product back in the lineup, the Heat have another layer of depth to rely on with 17 games left on the schedule. For his career, Oladipo has averaged 17.5 points per game, 19.5 with the Heat, Rockets, and Pacers before going down with his knee injury.

Oladipo has missed 89 games since last season, including the Heat’s playoff run. Since his initial surgery three years ago, he’s made 56 appearances, missing 201 games within that same timeframe.

“He looks great,” Heat forward Jimmy Butler said. “He’s been working for, whew, a long time, countless amounts of hours, rehab, in the gym, in the weight room. And I’m excited for him to get back.”

Oladipo has ramped up his rehab with the Heat’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls in anticipation of his return.

“Through this entire process, I’ve really respected and admired how Vic is able to keep his positive spirit,” Spoelstra said. “It really is a unique quality. I love that quality about him.”

The post Heat Announce Victor Oladipo Will Warm Up Against Rockets With ‘Intent’ to Play appeared first on SLAM.

With a team built around a lot of upcoming players, head coach Eric Spoelstra leans on his superstars, including Jimmy Butler, to make the plays needed to win. Butler is currently averaging 21.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.8 assist on the season.

“I don’t dial him back. We have our team rules, and then there’s the Jimmy Butler rules,” Spoelstra said to Brady Hawk. “He can do whatever he wants because he can do some things I’ve never seen before–particularly when he’s on the weak side. The only guy you can compare it to is really when Dwyane [Wade] in his prime, would just be an incredible, instinctual playmaker off the ball. Jimmy can be that guy.”

The Miami Heat will look to extend their five-game winning streak on Wednesday as they matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The post Erik Spoelstra on Jimmy Butler: ‘He Can Do Some Things I’ve Never Seen Before’ appeared first on SLAM.

On Thursday night, LeBron James and Kevin Durant – the two captains for the All-Star game – selected their teams for the All-Star Game taking place in just under two weeks.

Each captain had to select their starting lineups first and then select their reserves. Because Durant is injured and will not be playing in the game, nine players were available to be drafted instead of eight, with Jayson Tatum replacing Durant as a starter.

James opened the draft up by selecting Giannis Antetokounmpo first overall, with Durant using his first pick to draft Joel Embiid.

James rounded off his starting lineup by selecting Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Jokic. Durant’s starting lineup will consist of Embiid, Tatum, Ja Morant, Andrew Wiggins, and Trae Young. Wiggins and Young were the final two starters selected in the draft.

Between the two, Durant has the least experienced starting lineup with Wiggins and Morant, both first-time All-Stars and Young just in his second All-Star Game.

Durant got the first pick to open up the reserves section of the draft and used the pick to select Devin Booker, and James used his first pick to draft Luka Doncic.

Durant filled out his reserves by selecting Karl Anthony-Towns, Zach LaVine, Dejounte Murray, Khris Middleton, LaMelo Ball, and Rudy Gobert.

James reserves will be Darius Garland, Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Fred VanVleet, and James Harden.

Harden was the last pick of the All-Star Draft, with Durant creating a funny moment where he opted against drafting his former teammate, who was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, to take Gobert instead.

The All-Star Game is scheduled to occur in Cleveland on Sunday, Feb. 20.

The post NBA All-Star Teams Set, Giannis Antetokounmpo Selected First Overall appeared first on SLAM.

On Thursday, during a broadcast on TNT, the NBA announced the reserves for the upcoming 2022 All-Star game, a week after the starters had been announced.

In the West, the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz had two players named: Chris Paul and Devin Booker for the Suns and Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell for the Jazz. The roster comprises Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl Anthony-Towns, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic.

The West will have to add one additional player before the All-Star game, as Green won’t be active for the festivities. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will name Green’s replacement before the All-Star Game draft.

The remaining West All-Stars are made up by the five starters, Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, and Ja Morant.

In the East, Zach LaVine, Jimmy Butler, Darius Garland, James Harden, Fred VanVleet, Jayson Tatum, and Khris Middleton all got the nod, representing different teams from each other. They’ll be joining the East’s five starters of Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMar DeRozan, Joel Embiid, and Trae Young.

While there is a boatload of talent in this year’s All-Star game, some names that arguably deserved consideration were left off. Dejounte Murray and Deandre Ayton are putting together excellent seasons in the West but were not named to the All-Star team. Paul George was having another All-Star-caliber season but hasn’t played in over a month due to an elbow injury.

In the East, Jarrett Allen, Jrue Holiday, and Jaylen Brown have seasons potentially worthy of the All-Star distinction.

All-Star captains James and Durant will draft their teams live on TNT on Feb. 10 at 7:00 p.m. EST. The NBA All-Star Game is on Sunday, Feb. 20.

The post NBA Announces Reserves for 2022 All-Star Game appeared first on SLAM.

The Heat superstar returned to action against the Memphis Grizzlies after missing four games with a tailbone injury only to reaggravate it in a 105-90 loss Monday night.

Butler reinjured himself in the first quarter driving to the basket and landing on his back at the tailbone area.

Heat Coach Eric Spoelstra spoke on the matter after the game via ESPN.

“He drew contact and got shoved and landed on his tailbone again,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game. “There could not have been a worst scenario for us to start the game. It is a contact sport. It’s an unpredictable thing. Insult to injury, we didn’t get the call on that either.

“But he definitely re-aggravated it. You can tell from that point on he was not his usual self. So we’ll reevaluate him [Tuesday] and see where we are.”

Butler returned to the game after the fall but eventually left for good in the third quarter with 10 points.

The team will hold Butler out for Wednesday’s home game against the NBA champion, Milwaukee Bucks.

Butler’s injury is just the latest of a long list of players who are banged up or unavailable for the game.

Heat injury update for Wednesday vs. Bucks:
Jimmy Butler (tailbone) out
Markieff Morris (neck) out
Bam Adebayo (thumb) out
Victor Oladipo (knee) out
Marcus Garrett (G League) out
Caleb Martin (knee) questionable

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) December 7, 2021

Markieff Morris will miss his 16th consecutive game because of a neck injury. At the same time, All-Star Bam Adebayo is reportedly expected to miss four to six weeks after undergoing right thumb surgery last week.

The post Jimmy Butler Held Out Of Miami Lineup Due to Lingering Tailbone Injury appeared first on SLAM.

Let’s get something out of the way right up front—Kevin Garnett’s No. 21 not being retired by the Timberwolves yet is some straight-up bullshit. Garnett retired in 2016 after 21 seasons, was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, finished his career back in Minnesota out of respect for Flip Saunders when he could have just let the clock run out in Brooklyn. But that’s not who Kevin Garnett was. That’s not who Kevin Garnett is. Did he want something from it? Yes. He wanted a chance to finally get equity in the franchise that he elevated, to own part of what he built. That didn’t happen. It still hasn’t happened. Maybe it never happens. Maybe certain bridges that burned never get rebuilt. Because of all that, Garnett has flatly stated he doesn’t even want the Wolves to retire his number. But dog, you do it anyway. You give him his day at the arena he poured so much blood, sweat and tears into. He may not have delivered the Wolves a championship, but he gave them so much more than that.

Look too closely for Kevin Garnett’s legacy and you just might miss it. There’s more obvious ones out there. Watch a game on any given night and you have guys pulling up from midrange like Kobe or pulling their version of Iverson’s crossover. You have guys shooting one-legged stepbacks like Dirk or going glass like Timmy. More blatantly there’s a lot of people wearing Michael Jordan’s number or Kobe’s shoes. Garnett wore 21, 5 and 2, numbers that were already common enough. Jimmy Butler wore 21 for his draft position and an old college teammate. Joel Embiid wears 21 for a guy who is entering the Hall of Fame next to Garnett—longtime foe Tim Duncan. And sneakers. KG wore a lot of sneakers, bouncing from Nike to AND1 to adidas to Anta. He doesn’t have an ongoing line with any of those brands, doesn’t have a retro signature model at the moment. Maybe PJ Tucker will eventually break out a pair of KG’s old Nikes, assuming they can still hold up to NBA action. There’s nothing super specific you can point to and say, Oh yeah, that right there, that’s for KG.

But don’t look even closer trying to figure it out. Do the opposite. Pull back. Take a wider view. Not to get too Obi Wan Kenobi with it, Garnett’s legacy in the NBA is everywhere. So much of the NBA now is made in his image. It’s younger, less position-centric, filled with players in full control of their own destiny. A lot of that gets credited to LeBron James and The Decision in the summer of 2010, when he told a national audience he was taking his talents to South Beach. And yes, that was a moment that made a difference. But the groundwork for that was laid 15 years earlier, by a mature-beyond-his-years kid from South Carolina by way of Chicago. A pickup game against some Bulls superstars, a deep conversation with a Pistons legend, and he was ready to do something no one else had done in 20 years.

In the two decades after Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby went pro straight out of high school in 1975, no one else even tried it. Which is surprising, seeing that both Dawkins and Willoughby did OK. Dawkins played 14 seasons primarily with the 76ers and the Nets, shattered a couple backboards, built up a whole mythology around himself. And while Willoughby might be remembered as a bust by some, he was still in the League for nearly a decade. Blocked one of Kareem’s skyhooks, too. A confluence of events drove Garnett to follow their path. He moved to Chicago for his senior season, hooping for Farragut Academy alongside Ronnie Fields and looking after his younger sister. He got pulled into a pickup game with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen and held his own. He had a long conversation with Chicago native Isiah Thomas about life in The Chi and his NBA readiness. And his test scores weren’t up to par. By the time they were, it was too late. He had already plotted his course. Garnett was selected fifth overall and pushed open a door that had long been shut. The following year, two high schoolers went in the first round. Six years after his selection, Kwame Brown was the first overall pick. From 1995 to 2006, when the NBA imposed an age limit, 39 high schoolers were drafted by NBA teams. Ten became All-Stars. When Garnett is finally inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer, the pandemic having scuttled last summer’s ceremony, he and fellow 2020 inductee Kobe Bryant will become the second and third straight-outta-high-school Hall of Famers. They won’t be the last.

Long before LeBron made his Decision, Garnett made his. The flood of high schoolers and college freshmen who followed after made it seem like a matter of course. But Garnett was the pioneer. When Garnett declared for the Draft in ’95, he was doing something that hadn’t been done since before he was born. He wasn’t going to play at junior college, wasn’t going to wait for his latest set of test scores to come back. He was ready and he was going to go. He took control of his own destiny and molded others to it.

Convinced he was ready, he convinced others. He convinced agent Eric Fleisher to take him on, used a single 90-minute solo workout to convince NBA GMs that they absolutely had to use the fifth overall pick on a high school kid. Timberwolves VP Kevin McHale and GM Flip Saunders went into that workout plotting to overstate their enthusiasm over Garnett in order to get a team picking ahead of them to bite, that way one of the four college can’t-miss guys would slip to them. They came out of it with the realization that Garnett was the guy. And Garnett’s faith in himself never wavered. He signed a three-year rookie deal, then two years into it turned down an extension that was worth more than Wolves owner Glen Taylor had paid for the team two years earlier. Garnett knew his worth. And when the Wolves came back with a higher offer and he signed that historic deal, he ignored all the doomsayers about what it would mean and just worked harder.

Garnett’s NBA legacy is complicated, because he did things that rule changes ensured no one could do again. That huge contract he signed prompted a lockout and restructuring that imposed limits on extensions—and structured rookie deals so they couldn’t sign them so quickly. In 2006, the NBA put in an age limit requiring a would-be draftee be 19 years old plus one year removed from high school. Only three active players—LeBron, Dwight Howard and Lou Williams—remain who entered the League straight out of high school. And then the way the game itself is played has changed. Garnett took 632 three-pointers over his 21 seasons. Embiid took less than four seasons to top that. Ask KG who in the League reminds him of himself these days, and he cites Embiid, along with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. But then he gets to talking about someone else and woo, does it sound like he’s talking about himself. “Giannis is what, Giannis is 7-foot, yo,” Garnett says excitedly. “He keep talkin’ about this 6-10 shit, that motherf***er’s 7-1, he won’t get measured, he’s 7-1 and he plays like he’s 8-11. You know what I’m sayin’? It’s a different league, bro.”

Maybe so. But a league where a 7-1 guy (not saying names here) who insists on never being measured can guard every position on the floor, both start the break and finish it, and fill stat sheets while winning an MVP in the process sounds awfully familiar, whether you’re talking 2004 or 2020. Sure, Westbrook displays Garnett’s ferocious intensity and Durant combines spidery length with height-defying moves on either end, and Embiid is a self-taught, self-assured terror. But if anyone singlehandedly carries forth the blueprint Garnett laid down, it’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, 6-11 (lol) unicorn.

At this point it’s almost a throwback, a guy who’s clearly seven feet tall not being listed as a seven-footer, seeing that the NBA is a league where the openly 7-3 Kristaps Porzingis can spend a majority of his time floating around the perimeter and firing up threes like a funhouse mirror Stephen Curry. Garnett famously insisted on being listed at 6-11 since seven-footers inevitably found themselves lodged in the paint—and while he never really took to shooting threes, coming up as he did in the Jordan era, he was able to feast on face-ups and operate out of the high post while being the ultimate disrupter on defense. Get by him somehow and well, you still weren’t out of his long-armed range. Garnett’s true height was always the NBA’s worst-kept secret, and something he could have copped to long ago—no one was going to force him to be a back-to-the-basket center—but he kept insisting he was 6-11. Still does.

Garnett’s career was bracketed by team excellence in a way no one else’s was. He entered the NBA the season the Chicago Bulls went 72-10 and retired from it the season the Golden State Warriors went 73-9. Two historic teams that set records playing distinct styles. Garnett can be seen as a throughline between them, alchemizing Pippen and Jordan (and Rodman, too) into Durant and Draymond Green. Garnett was the ultimate complementary superstar, a defensive juggernaut and matchup nightmare who made everyone else’s job easier. “I was really an unselfish player to a fault,” he says, “and my mentality was more of, Man, if I can get everybody else involved and they get going, then I can take advantage of one-on-one opportunities.” 

The game changes, but the mentality stays the same. Remember to thank KG for that. 

KEVIN GARNETT: Anything Is Possible is a feature-length chronicle of Kevin Garnett’s remarkable career and the pivotal moments that defined it. Stream the documentary on SHOWTIME. 

Photos via Getty Images.

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Thirteen All-Star appearances. Eight-time All-NBA. Three-time NBA champion. One Finals MVP. One scoring title. Dwyane Wade arrived to the NBA on June 26, 2003 with little fanfare that night, relatively speaking, of course.

With LeBron James stepping into The Theater at Madison Square Garden (where the draft was held annually for 10 consecutive years, starting in 2001) touted as the greatest HS prospect ever and Carmelo Anthony having led Syracuse to a national title as a freshman, Wade’s buzz after an underrated collegiate career at Marquette was somewhere in their shadows at the time. By the end of his rookie season, though, he had proven himself as a tier-one hooper and a certified bucket-getter. And from then on, he rose to worldwide superstardom and is now a multifaceted entrepreneur (including an ownership stake in the Utah Jazz) and showman. 

We hopped on a Zoom call with Wade in early June to take a trip down memory lane, discussing his career, the impact the ’03 draft class had on and off the court as well as his most recent endeavors.    

SLAM: Your rookie season in Miami, you guys were able to make a run into the second round of the playoffs while you quickly became a household name after coming into the draft with not as much love. Looking back on it, what was it like, to experience that type of early—and maybe unexpected—success?   

WADE: We sucked when I first got in. The year before I got drafted, Caron Butler could’ve won Rookie of the Year. I think he came in second or third behind Amar’e [Stoudemire] and Yao [Ming]. They had won 25 games the year before Udonis [Haslem] and I came in. And we wasn’t good to start the year off. We started off 0-7. We were terrible. And eventually we just kept working. We kept believing in each other. We kept getting closer as a unit and started to figure it out. Lamar Odom was on that team. He was the star player on that team. Skip to My Lou [Rafer Alston] was the point guard on that team. Eddie Jones was a vet. Brian Grant. We had some guys on there that were good guys but we wasn’t that good. And eventually we worked it to a point where we started becoming dominant at home. We started really beating people at home and we learned how to win a little bit on the road. And so, we end up making it to the playoffs and end up getting a fourth seed because of how everything shaped out at the last minute. Shout out to Jalen Rose for making a shot in Milwaukee that gave us the fourth seed because they beat the Bucks on, like, the last night.

And I just remember going in there and was like, Yo, this is what I’ve always heard about. This is what I always wanted to get to! The playoffs is where you make your name. This is where it starts—I build. So, I just remember going into it, like, Yo, I’m about to give it everything I got! The first playoff series was against Baron Davis. I had to go against BD. I’m talking about a real good BD. In the prime BD. We beat them in seven, and then we went against Indiana, who at that time, the Pacers could’ve been champions. Everyone thought the Pacers was going to be champions if everything don’t go down the way it went with the brawl in Detroit. They had a team that can go. So, to take them six games, to average 20 points a game in that series, for me, I was like, Oh, young fella rise! I felt coming out of that series, like, Oh, I’m about to—I’m gonna be a good NBA player. I’ve seen it. I know. Now it’s just about putting the work in.

SLAM: Do you remember any specific game or moment that you can pinpoint as the exact time when you realized that you were in the midst of taking off that rookie season? 

WADE: I think what switched my mindset was after All-Star [Weekend]. I remember going to All-Star and that was the first time when I felt like the third wheel. When we were there and it was all about Melo and it was all about Bron. And no hate [or] nothing to them, because they deserved all of it, but I was sitting there and I was having a pretty good year at that point in Miami—I was exciting, I was doing some cool stuff—but nobody [was speaking about me], people were like, Hey, can you spell your name? I’m like, Still?! Like, I’ve been doing this since I was in kindergarten, spelling my name. I just remember coming back from that All-Star and I just clicked into, like, another person. I remember telling Lamar Odom, Yo, you’re going to see a different me this second half of the season. And so I started building that confidence. I started having games where I put up a couple of 30-point games back-to-back-to-back. I started doing all these things, it was just about trying to do it consistently. Once I was able to consistently do it, I knew I was going to be a pretty good player. But once I performed in the playoff level and against the teams and the talent—Ron Artest was guarding me in that second round; I remember one time I blew by Ron Artest and he was hitting me, he was doing all this, and I was able to take the hits. I was like, Oh. Oh yeah. You here! My confidence just kept going.

SLAM PRESENTS THE ’03 DRAFT AVAILABLE NOW!

SLAM: By year three, you had already captured your first NBA championship. At the time, LeBron had just made the playoffs for the first time, Bosh had not even been to the playoffs at all, and Carmelo hadn’t been able to get out of the first round yet. What was it like looking around at your ’03 peers and seeing how far you’d been able to go in comparison to their first three years?  

 WADE: It was just like, Let me try to beat these guys to it. I had the team that they didn’t have at that point. I had the team that was built to win a championship. Shout out to the Miami Heat and Pat Riley for making that big move to bring in Shaq. And then eventually Antoine Walker, Gary Payton, J Will, James Posey. We had a squad. Those guys didn’t have that kind of team yet. Bron didn’t have that. Melo didn’t have that. And CB definitely didn’t have it at the time in Toronto. So, for me, I was like, Let me get to this now! Before these guys come in and take it. Let me get me a ring first. So, I just had the opportunity before those guys, and I took advantage of that opportunity in 2006. It was a total team effort.

But as growing into the leader of that team, I had to do more than I knew I could do to help us achieve that. And shout out to Shaq, and UD, and Posey, and GP, and all these guys who played their role to a T that allowed me to be able to perform at that level—the defensive role, the leadership role, Shaq getting double-teamed, all these kind of things helped me go to a different level. I was just happy I got a chance to get that first championship before LeBron got in here and started hogging all the Finals appearances [laughs].

SLAM: A few years later, the three biggest names in the ’03 draft class decide to team up when LeBron and CB joined you in Miami. People coined it the start of “superteams” but in reality, it changed forever the way teams were put together and the way players went about it. How do you look back at that monumental time a decade later?

WADE: We knew it in that moment. We didn’t know what it was going to be or what it was going to look like, but we knew that we were shifting the culture. And it’s not even the superteams. Everyone wants to make this about superteams. It’s only the fact that players started controlling the destiny of putting these teams together because ownership was putting together these teams for years. And then we just shifted the power a little bit. Once again, a lot of credit goes to LeBron, and Leon Rose and my agent [and Chris’ agent] Henry Thomas for understanding this vision, and putting us in a situation where we all were set up to control our own destiny. We signed that three-year deal and that put us in a position to control our own destiny. From there, we knew we were shifting the culture. We just didn’t know what was going to happen—we didn’t know that Kevin Durant was going to go to Golden State later. We didn’t know these things were going to happen, but we did know that, Hey, we’re doing something special. And we knew in 10, 20 years we’d be able to look back and be like, Yo, that was a key moment, a pivotal moment. So, it’s great to see. It’s great to see players have power, because they should. They are the talent. They’re the ones. I’m on the other side now. And being on the other side [ownership], I still want players to have the power. I want them to understand what it means to have that kind of power, and use it for what it is that they want to get because organizations, we’re going to get out of the players what we want to get out of them. So you want the players to get out of this game what they deserve as well. So I’m all for it.

SLAM: Not everyone understood the vision at the time, though. There was a lot of criticism that came from it back then. What was it like adjusting to the newfound hate?    

WADE: We didn’t know the media, and the fan base, the hate was going to come the way it did. We definitely didn’t prepare for that. We knew it wasn’t going to be the most popular decision but didn’t know it was going to be the most unpopular decision. We didn’t really prepare for that. And we couldn’t. So, we had to go through all of that in real-time. We all went from being kind of loved—Chris ain’t ruffle no feathers in Toronto, he was quiet. I didn’t ruffle no feathers in Miami, I was quiet. And LeBron was LeBron and loved. And, so, we get all together, and everyone is like, Hate [it]! And you’re like, Wait a minute. Where is this coming from? But we still had a job to do…For us, I look back and I say, I’m so glad that three Black young men were able to sit down and make that decision. And by making that decision, shifted the culture.

SLAM PRESENTS THE ’03 DRAFT AVAILABLE NOW!

SLAM: There was that two-year period where you ended up playing for the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers. How do you remember that small but very different chapter of your life?

WADE: I remember it very well. It’s a part of it. You can’t just think about all the good and not think about anything else. And not saying that it wasn’t good because it was something I wanted to do once everything broke down in Miami the way it did. I never wanted to leave Miami. That was never my goal. But once we broke down in negotiations, I decided to do something for myself. And to go back home and play, that will always be one of my favorite moments. When I got called out and it said, Six-four guard, from Chicago, Illinois, Dwyane Wade—I will never forget that. That moment was so powerful for me. I grew up watching this team. I grew up wanting to be an NBA player because of this team. And now I’m wearing this jersey and I’m here. And also, too, that was the last time the Bulls went in to the playoffs. Shout out to us once again for doing our job and getting to the playoffs. [Rajon] Rondo don’t get that injury, we’re having a different conversation right now.

That year, it was fun. I had a great time. I built a great relationship with my brother Jimmy [Butler]. I got a chance to see my mom and [she] got a chance to see me play up close and personal every home game. I got a chance to be there the last year of my agent’s life in Chicago. If I was in Miami, I would have never got the opportunity to do that. So, there was a lot of great things that came out of me being there that last year. And then it led me to Cleveland.

Once Jimmy got traded and I got bought out, I decided to give it one last hurrah to try to go compete for a championship, and I wanted to do it with my brother who I competed for four other championships with. We thought we had a good chance. We know Golden State was unbelievable and it was going to be hard to beat them regardless. We thought we put together a good team to be able to do that, [but] management thought different, and so they broke us up before we had an opportunity to go compete for a championship together. But I enjoyed my time away from Miami because I got a chance to experience the NBA in a way—I only knew one team, I only knew one way, so I got a chance to get out there and kind of experience the NBA in a different way. I use those experiences til this day.

SLAM: You’ve mentioned your agent Henry Thomas a couple of times. He was the only agent you ever had for those first 15 years of your career before he passed away in 2018. How did his passing impact the tail end of your career?

WADE: That was hard. It’s still hard. Even right now, I get emotional just thinking about it. I remember not wanting to play basketball no more. At that time, things in Cleveland was going the way they were going—we weren’t riding that high wave no more. I was dealing with a loss, a potential loss, throughout that time, that I never experienced before. So, it was hard for me.

Me and Hank, we connected so much from the game of basketball. Our love of the game of basketball was our connection. And once I knew he wasn’t going to be around no more, I lost a piece of me from the connection to basketball. I really wanted that to be my last season. I really didn’t want to play another year after I got traded back to Miami. Shout out once again to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ management for putting me in a good place, knowing everything I was dealing with. When they decided to make the change with the team, they asked me did I want to go back to Miami. They had worked out a trade—if I accepted, I could go back. And it was the perfect thing for me at the time. I needed to be back with family. I got a chance to go back and it was great. It was great for me to get a chance to get back and bring some excitement and some life back to that community, [and] be home with my family. But basketball wasn’t the same for me no more. Even that last year, I played and did my one last dance, and it was incredible—to see the response and just the ovations and the love that I got—but the game was never the same. When Kobe retired, the game wasn’t the same for me anymore. When my agent passed away, the game wasn’t the same anymore.

SLAM: You have your own wine company. You’re now part of the Utah Jazz’s ownership group. You founded a multicultural marketing agency with CAA. And now you are the TV host of a primetime gameshow, The Cube on TBS. How did that last one find itself in front of you?

WADE: I dreamed of going to the NBA. I prayed many nights that hopefully I got that opportunity. But everything else since then has just been nothing but whipped cream and cherries and sprinkles. Once I retired, one thing I did do out here in L.A., I went to every studio, every streaming service, I went and sat down with everybody about, like, Hey, I’ve started my own production company. I really want to get into the storytelling space. I really want to get into the scripted, non-scripted space. And an opportunity came to me about The Cube. The Cube was successful in the UK for 11, going on 12 years. And they wanted to adapt the game show over here…We wanted to bring something that people can do stuff for communities with. And, so, I was like, Cool, I’m an EP! This would be my first thing, that I will be Executive Producer on for [my production company] 59th & Prairie. I’m excited! And they were like, So, yeah, we also want you to host it. And I’m like, Alright, stop. I don’t want to host [laughs]. And [eventually] I just decided to do it because the one thing is when I can control something and I’m fearful of it, I have to do it. I can’t sleep good at night if I know that I have the ability to control this but I’m afraid and I won’t do it. I was afraid of doing it because I’ve never done it before. And I just said, You know what? Let me give this a try. I put the work in and hopefully you guys get a chance to follow us.

Hopefully we’re on for 10 years. Hopefully we have as much success as The Cube has in the UK—whether I’m the host or not. Whether I’m good or not. Hopefully the show can continue to keep going and we can continue to change the lives of people’s families—and have some fun and some joy while doing it.

SLAM: You mentioned putting the work in—did that involve taking classes or extra training sessions?

WADE: I started putting the work in—I had my own vocal and speech coach. I started putting the work in on myself because there was a lot of things I needed to work on, a lot of things I needed to clear up. I’m from Chicago [and] my family is from Jackson, Mississippi—I had this real southern accent. Real thick. Where I come from in Chicago, we don’t follow through with our words. We may say a word and we say bet—we don’t say best. We don’t finish, we don’t follow through. So, I was like, If I’m gonna get on TV, I gotta work on myself. I did that first and then this opportunity came, and I was already months into that, then they gave me a hosting coach to teach me how to host…I spent weeks in my house, in the basement, going over what these games could be. Going over how to talk to the camera, going over the rules.

I put in a lot of work and a lot of hours to try to hopefully bring something to television that people can enjoy.

GET YOUR COPY OF SLAM PRESENTS THE ’03 DRAFT NOW!

Photos via Getty Images.

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In fact, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Lowry had an offer on the table worth $5 million more from the New Orleans Pelicans to sign for three years.

Lowry obviously opted to sign the three-year, $85 million contract with the Heat instead, highlighting hopes of competing for a title and playing alongside one of his close friends in star forward Jimmy Butler.

Interestingly enough, the Pelicans’ offer didn’t finish second in Lowry’s priority list, as Jackson reports that an offer he received from the Dallas Mavericks was actually Lowry’s second choice.

It’s easy to see why Lowry’s interest may not have been in New Orleans, as the Pelicans finished 11th in the Western Conference last season, traded away starting point guard Lonzo Ball last week and hired a first-time head coach in Willie Green. While both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram have shown themselves to be a dominant offensive forces, other variables (likely including Lowry’s age at 35) likely made the Pennsylvania native’s decision easier.

Lowry had a difficult season with the Toronto Raptors last year, as the team finished 12th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 27-45, and rumors swirled all season about a potential trade. However, Lowry had a solid individual season, averaging 17.2 points and 7.3 assists per game (46 games) on a true shooting percentage of 59.3.

The post REPORT: Kyle Lowry Turned Down Larger Offer from Pelicans appeared first on SLAM.

Oladipo will eye 2022 free agency to return to the market and sign a big contract once he’s fully healthy. Miami will retain Oladipo’s Bird Rights, allowing them to find the means to sign him again next offseason. https://t.co/IRPUndKXgj

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 4, 2021

The signing could be considered a surprise due to Oladipo’s health after undergoing a second surgery in 28 months on his right quad in May.

The Heat will look for him to get back to the best two-way player that won the NBA’s Most Improved Player while making the All-NBA third-team and All-Defensive first-team in 2017-18.

Miami has been very busy since the free agency started. The Oladipo deal follows the Kyle Lowry sign and trade acquisition with the Toronto Raptors. Then they signed Jimmy Butler to a multi-year extension.

Victor was part of the huge four-team James Harden trade early last season. The Indiana Pacers dealt him to Houston, and at the trade deadline, Houston sent him to South Beach.

He averaged 19.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 40.8 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from deep across 33 games in 2020-21.

The post REPORT: Victor Oladipo Will Return to Miami appeared first on SLAM.

Butler has been the heart, soul and engine of multiple franchises and his grit, work ethic and development have all been recognized over the past few seasons as he’s been named as a multi-time All-Star and All-NBA selection.

Now 31-years-old, the tough-nailed forward has been stamped as the face of the Heat, who traded for the veteran in July 2019 after his brief stint with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Ultimately, although the Sixers would retain their dominant standing in the Eastern Conference, Butler’s play would make the Heat a noteworthy opponent—one even capable of making it to the NBA Finals in 2020.

Universally regarded as one of the league’s best two-way forces, Butler averaged 21.5 points, 7.1 assists, 6.9 rebounds and a league-high 2.1 steals per game last season while shooting 49.7 percent from the field.

The post REPORT: Jimmy Butler Expected to Sign Max Extension with Heat appeared first on SLAM.

As first reported by The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, the Mavericks, and Heat plan to hard push to acquire Leonard this summer with his potential impending free agency looming. 

O’Connor also reported that Dallas is considered by some executives to be the most serious threat to land Kawhi because of Luka Doncic’s presence and the front office’s ability to create maximum cap space or work out a sign-and-trade.

Leonard tried to recruit Jimmy Butler to the Clippers before George was acquired in 2019, so Miami could be an attractive destination for him if he desired a pairing with Butler still. 

As with nearly every superstar, the Knicks are also expected to have interest in Leonard if he does become available. The list of teams who would take a shot at Leonard should be extremely long, but for now the Mavericks and Heat seem to make sense early on. 

The post Heat, Mavericks To Make Run At Kawhi Leonard appeared first on SLAM.

In what’s become one of the most arduous processes, with so much talent at every position and only 15 spots to fill, debates have raged about players thought to have been snubbed. Nonetheless, most would be hard pressed not to agree with the honorees.

All-NBA First Team

The 2020-21 All-NBA First Team:

Giannis Antetokounmpo
Stephen Curry
Luka Dončić
Nikola Jokić
Kawhi Leonard pic.twitter.com/WYSz2le2Be

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) June 16, 2021

The recently crowned Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić (99 votes); Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (100 votes); and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (98 votes) dominated the 2020-21 All-NBA First Team voting.

Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic and Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard rounded out the top five players on the All-NBA First Team.

All-NBA Second Team

The 2020-21 All-NBA Second Team:

Joel Embiid
LeBron James
Damian Lillard
Chris Paul
Julius Randle pic.twitter.com/t5iZu1MahA

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) June 16, 2021

With his second team selection, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James added to his record for most All-NBA Team selections with 17, including: 13 First Team selections (also a record), three Second Team selections and one Third Team selection. Friend and Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul collected his 10th All-NBA Team selection, which ranks second among active players behind LeBron.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and New York Knicks power forward Julius Randle—the 2020-21 Most Improved Player—rounded out the Second Team.

All-NBA Third Team

The 2020-21 All-NBA Third Team:

Bradley Beal
Jimmy Butler
Paul George
Rudy Gobert
Kyrie Irving pic.twitter.com/s4aEK3ivcs

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) June 16, 2021

With his selection, Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal made his first All-NBA team after battling Curry for the NBA’s 2020-21 scoring title. Los Angeles Clippers wing Paul George made his All-NBA sixth team while three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler each notched their fourth selections.

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving made his third All-NBA team.

The All-NBA teams were voted in by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Voters select two guards, two forwards and one center for each team.

The post All-NBA Teams Announced for 2020-21 Season appeared first on SLAM.

Headlining the All-Defensive 1st team were the two players in the running for Defensive Player of the Year—Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert and Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons. Simmons and Gobert were the only two players in the league to be unanimously voted to the 1st team. 

The 2020-21 NBA All-Defensive First Team:

Giannis Antetokounmpo
Rudy Gobert
Draymond Green
Jrue Holiday
Ben Simmons pic.twitter.com/ZlflnyWlLR

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) June 14, 2021

This was Gobert’s fifth straight year on the All-NBA Defensive first team, and Simmon’s second.

Rounding out the top-five were Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (his fourth time on the first team), Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday (his second) and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (his third consecutive first team nomination).

The All-NBA Defensive teams are selected from a group of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters from across the League — a first-team vote notches a player two “points,” while a second-team vote notches them one. Each voter chooses two guards, two forwards, and one center.

The Lakers had the league’s best defensive rating this season.

They have 0 All-Defense players. pic.twitter.com/NZQUa31ewg

— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 14, 2021

The second team boasts Kawhi Leonard (his seventh overall selection), teammates Joel Embiid and Matisse Thybulle, and Heat duo Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. As is the case every year, there were some surprising omissions from the ten players selected. Perhaps most notably, there were no Lakers on either team, even as the Lakers finished with the best defensive team in the league (106.8). Specific players to just miss selection were Mikal Bridges (Bridges finished with 39 total points, 4 less than Leonard), Clint Capela, and Myles Turner.

The post NBA Announces Selections for All-NBA Defensive Teams appeared first on SLAM.

Now that the playoffs are finally here, and the bracket completely set, it’s time to preview the Eastern Conference side of the playoffs.

1 Philadelphia 76ers (49-23)

8 Washington Wizards (34-38)

#WizPacers W in a tweet

– CLINCHED 8 in the East
– BB3 25p
– Russ 18p-8r-15a
– DG 15p-13r-5b pic.twitter.com/GhfjflXlrY

— x – Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) May 21, 2021

On the surface, this is just another one-seed that should dominate this eight-seed Wizards team that went 34-38 in the regular season, but the Wizards have more fight than that. The Wizards have two All-Star level guards in Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal and are coming into the playoffs hot, having won 14 of their last 20 games. The Wizards will look to win games by pushing the pace, as their 104.1 pace rating is far and away the highest mark in the NBA.  

With that being said, the 76ers should expect nothing less than an easy four or five-game series. Philadelphia has the best record in the Eastern Conference, going 49-23, paired with an elite defense, ending the season with a defensive rating of 107.0, second-best in the NBA. If the 76ers championship ambitions are to be taken seriously, they need to dispose of the Wizards with minimal problems to open their playoff push.

2 Brooklyn Nets (48-24)

7 Boston Celtics (36-36)

Get ready for Game 1 with a look back at some of our top moments vs Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/DFt2vLztHl

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 22, 2021

The Nets have the most dynamic offense in the League, featuring a lethal trio of future Hall of Famers Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. But all eyes will be not on the Nets’ offense, but rather their defense, which ranked eighth-worst in the NBA in defensive rating. The Celtics will serve as an excellent test to see if the Nets’ potent offense has enough firepower to overcome their defensive lapses.

The Celtics torched the Wizards to earn the seven-seed thanks to Jayson Tatum’s 50 point outing, but the Nets will prove to be a different foe. The Celtics have struggled this season and enter the playoffs having lost six of their last eight games to end the regular season, and All-Star forward Jaylen Brown due to a wrist injury. Boston will need even more Tatum heroics to get them out of this series. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the Celtics to keep pace with the high-powered Nets’ offense.

3 Milwaukee Bucks (46-26)

6 Miami Heat (40-32)

Khris is locked in. pic.twitter.com/SseanrLZ7K

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) May 22, 2021

This Bucks vs. Heat matchup serves as a repeat of last year’s Eastern Conference Sem-Finals, where the Heat dispatched the Bucks in just five games. However, this is a different Bucks team. The addition of point guard Jrue Holiday to pair with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo makes the Bucks defense more formidable than last year with Eric Bledsoe. But head coach Mike Budenholzer will have to show a willingness to adapt on the fly, as that has been his Achilles heel in the past two playoffs.

The Heat have had a rollercoaster season, with many key players missing serious time, eventually landing them the six-seed in the Eastern Conference. Jimmy Butler had another fantastic season in Miami, and him paired with defensive menace Bam Adebayo will undoubtedly give them a strong shot at taking down Milwaukee. They’ll have to do it without Victor Oladipo though; he will miss the entire playoffs due to a quad injury.

4 New York Knicks (41-31)

5 Atlanta Hawks (41-31)

Playoff basketball is back where it belongs.

WE HERE. pic.twitter.com/4W7HVAuo2b

— x – NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 19, 2021

The Knicks vs. Hawks series is a battle between two teams that had very different paths to get here. The Knicks earned their way into the playoffs with their elite defense, finishing the season with the fourth-best defensive rating in the League of 107.8. The Hawks, on the other hand, got to the playoffs with their offense, finishing with the ninth-highest offensive rating with 114.3. One commonality between the two teams can be seen with their coaches. Both Tom Thibodeau and Nate McMillan have come to these franchises after disappointing at their previous stops to help turn their new franchise around

The Hawks will have to find a way to hide Trae Young’s defensive woes, as they need him on the floor to run their offense. Clint Capela had a monster defensive season and will prove a worthy matchup to All-Star Julius Randle. The Knicks will need R.J. Barrett, Derrick Rose and Alec Burks to continue their strong regular seasons into the playoffs to score enough points to beat the Hawks.

The post 2021 NBA Playoff Matchups: Eastern Conference appeared first on SLAM.

To Jimmy Butler, that means there’s unfinished business. In fact, he recently talked about how things will be different this time around.  

““I want to let Miami know that we, this organization, want to bring another championship here,” Butler said in an interview with Ocean Drive. “When we get there, which we will, we’re gonna get it done this time.”

Butler is confident that the Heat will make their way back to the NBA Finals, but also finish with a series win and a championship trophy this time around. After acquiring Victor Oladipo at the trade deadline, Miami certainly has the depth to make some noise down the stretch. 

Currently 26-25, the Heat have had quite a bit of success recently, climbing their way up the standings in the East. With teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers having extremely talented rosters, the path back won’t be easy. Yet, with their roster featuring the trio of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Victor Oladipo, don’t count the Miami Heat out. 

The post Jimmy Butler On NBA Finals: ‘We’re Gonna Get It Done This Time’ appeared first on SLAM.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Houston Rockets are reportedly trading the 28-year old guard to the Miami Heat. Oladipo was traded to the Rockets last season in exchange for James Harden, who was sent to the Nets.

According to the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen, the Rockets will acquire Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, and a 2022 pick swap.

Houston is trading Victor Oladipo to Miami, source tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021

Rockets acquire Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk and a 2022 pick swap from Miami for Victor Oladipo, per source.

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) March 25, 2021

This is the fourth time he has been traded in his career, yet the Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported back in January that Oladipo had hopes to play in Miami. He also reportedly turned down a two-year, $45.2 million contract extension with the Rockets according to Wojnarowski.

Despite suffering a quad injury in 2019 that limited him to 55 games combined in two seasons, Oladipo has been making a comeback this year and is currently averaging 20.8 points, 4.7 assists, and 5.0 rebounds a game while shooting 41.1 percent from the field.

Now on the Heat, the two-time All-Star will add an athletic skillset and offensive game to a team that had a solid run in the playoffs last season and reached the NBA Finals. Oladipo, who is also a solid defender and led the League in steals (2.4) during the 2018-19 season, could pair well with Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro.

The post Houston Rockets to Trade Victor Oladipo to Miami appeared first on SLAM.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, league executives believe the Miami Heat have emerged as the leaders for Tucker.

Tucker has been praised for his defensive skills over the last decade, providing the type of defensive pressure and versatility that’s needed in an increasingly positionless league that’s lacking stout defenders.

Aside from Tucker’s on-court abilities and intangibles like toughness, experience and charisma, it’s clear why the Heat are interested in acquiring the North Carolina native. A team looking to make another deep playoff run after reaching the 2020 NBA Finals, Tucker would provide much-needed depth for Miami’s weakest position group.

Furthermore, while Heat stars Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler have both missed time this year, veteran Andre Iguodala has struggled to be consistent this season.

The Heat aren’t the only team interested in Tucker’s services, as The Athletic’s Sam Amick reports that 70 percent of league is interested in adding him to their stable of talent.

Tucker has been sitting out of recent games while he waits for the Rockets to trade him ahead of the Mar. 25 trade deadline.

The post Rival Executives Believe Heat are Favorites to Land Rockets Veteran P.J. Tucker appeared first on SLAM.

How do you capture the life of legend? Someone who has transcended the game, shifted the culture, impacted those around the world. A legend is a person even when they’re not doing legendary things, but when their resume includes winning three NBA Championships and holding the Heat’s all-time record in points, assists and steals, capturing the entirety of their journey, and all of the moments that led to all of those accolades, is no easy feat.

There are trials and tribulations, injury hardship, fatherhood, and marriage. Even for a legend, life can be unexpected.

Bobby Metelus spent ten years documenting the life of superstar Dwyane Wade, capturing footage that would eventually become the feature-film documentary, WADE: LIFE UNEXPECTED. The film follows the Flash as he looks back at every part of his life, from growing up in Chicago to getting drafted by the Heat as the fifth overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, and his journey since then.   

Directed by Metelus, the film reveals who the legend is even when the ball stops bouncing. 

“You have to never forget that when you’re shooting a legend, you’re still shooting a person. That’s why I say one day at a time because we all do everything one day at a time,” Bobby says over ZOOM in March. “I’ve been able to let a legend be seen in his natural habitat.The moment can’t get too big for you, no matter who is in the room. To me, that’s my schtick. Once I get into a room, no one knows I’m there sometimes.”

Chronicling the life of a 13x All-Star takes paramounts of trust and a level of comfortability that’s been built over time. Bobby and D-Wade go way back. 

The two met in 2008 through Wade’s assistant, Lisa, who Bobby was just starting to date at the time. After the Heat lost to Dallas during the 2011 NBA Finals, Wade jetted off to Milan with his family and Bobby, who brought his camera along with him to take photographs. While on another trip to Paris, Wade’s Twitter and email accounts got hacked, and Bobby recorded him talking directly into the camera. This was the first time he began experimenting with video, and he hasn’t put his camera down since. 

Bobby quickly became Wade’s go-to guy whenever he wanted a moment to be captured. When Wade and LeBron James were working out in the summer during the NBA lockout, Bobby was there to film it. When Wade flew to China for a Gatorade event, he was there, too. Fashion Week? Bobby was there. Another workout with ‘Bron and Mario Chalmers? Yeah, Bobby captured the whole session. 

“I’ll never forget when I walked in and I was so nervous I ain’t going to lie,” he says. “ It’s not an event it’s literally just capturing life at this moment and it wasn’t like we were on vacation it was different. I’ll never forget he sees me and was like “oh my guy is here!”. From that moment on, every time he needs something, he knows I’m not going to waste his time. You know it’s a familiarity level, being comfortable, so it’s easy for us and that’s kind of been our story.” 

At the time, neither Bobby nor Wade had any intentions of using the footage for a documentary. It wasn’t until Wade saw Kobe Bryant’s documentary, “Muse” that he starting bringing up the idea of creating his own film. Bobby had never done a film before, having only dabbled with that type of cinematography while doing a feature on Chris Paul in 2015. 

“I’m very confident in who I am but I was like, ‘Do you want me to do this with someone else or individually?’” Bobby says. “[Wade] was like, ‘The only person who could do this is you, you’ve seen everything.’ I was like you know what, you right, you right.”

Bobby quickly began putting a team together, and spent three weeks going through ten years of archived photos and videos to create a teaser for the documentary. Then, at the suggestion of Lisa, he set up meetings with production companies to assist with the film, ultimately partnering with Imagine Productions. While Bobby had “been in the game a little bit” and worked with NBA players such as Wade, Paul, Jimmy Butler and Carmelo Anthony, he found himself now talking to experts in filmmaking and sports documentaries. 

With D-Wade’s trust, and tens years worth of footage, even the production companies knew Bobby was the man for the job.

“They said, “You already got a handle on this, you know this more than anybody. We just want to help you make it.” 

D.Wade: Life Unexpected reveals the person behind the championships, the accomplishments and the accolades. The film is honest and real—it includes footage from multiple three hour “therapy sessions” that Wade had with Bobby, completely unfiltered, where he discusses his childhood, his marriage with Gabrielle Union, supporting his daughter, Zaya, and retiring from the game.

When the film premiered last year during All-Star weekend in Chicago, Wade’s loved ones, friends, Miami Heat teammates and even Pat Riley all came out to support. Bobby remembers being so nervous that night. Having spent years capturing one person’s life, and all the people that are a part of it, he wanted everyone to be happy with the final product, and to feel like they had a chance to tell their truth. 

When the credits rolled, Bobby felt like had done something truly special, monumental even.

“At that moment, I might have seen it like five, six, seven or eight billion times, but watch it with everyone else for the first time, aw man, it was a labor of love [and] a moment of accomplishment. I havn’t won an NBA championship or anything like that but I felt real proud to do something like that with him.” 

In life, things eventually come full circle. Bobby, who was born in raised in South Florida, knows how much Wade has impacted his home state and the entire world. After all, before he was a filmmaker, he was a fan who would cheer on the Heat and their standout shooting guard, wearing the same shirt every single game, hoping it would spark some good luck. It was unexpected, but that same fan became the very person that Wade trusts to tell his story. 

“I tell Dwyane, he helped me understand that legends are real, and legends are people too.”

—

D.WADE: Life Unexpected—Watch the film now on ESPN+

For a decade, Dwyane Wade documented his life and career with an all-access film crew. Stream the candid portrait of one of the greatest NBA players of all time. Stream now on ESPN+

The post Capturing The Life Of A Legend: Stream Dwyane Wade’s Documentary on ESPN+ appeared first on SLAM.

The ninth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft out of the University of Florida, Noah was praised for his defensive intensity, rebounding prowess and passing ability at the height of his career.

Suiting up for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies on his way to eight playoff appearances, Noah’s individual accolades include two All-Star selections, three All-Defensive Team selections, a first-team All-NBA selection and a Defensive Player of the Year award (2014).

The plan is for Noah to, eventually, retire as a member of the Bulls. Chicago, who drafted Noah, returned to prominence during his nine seasons there thanks to the franchise’s fortune in finding players like him, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose.

Among other distinctions, Noah will retire ninth in Bulls franchise history in games played (572), ninth in steals (481), fourth in rebounds (5,387), third in blocks (803). He currently ranks in the top-20 among all active players in career blocks (874), rebounds (6,058) and triple-doubles (7).

The post 13-Year NBA Veteran Joakim Noah Officially Announces Retirement appeared first on SLAM.

While most players typically talk about the things they develop playing alongside their own teammates, Barrett told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that his two matchups against Butler taught him some valuable lessons. 

“He draws a lot of fouls…Something I can pick up from his game. He is also really smart, making all the right plays and getting his teammates involved. Really good to go against.”

RJ Barrett in his second NBA season has been spectacular. Through 26 games, he’s averaged 17.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. 

The post RJ Barrett Learned From Matchups Against Jimmy Butler appeared first on SLAM.

“You simply cannot put a modern-day analytic to Jimmy’s will to win. He was not going to let us lose, no matter what it took.”

Butler hadn’t played since January 9 due to a case of COVID-19 and has been working his way back to full health and conditioning. While this was only his seventh game of the season, it perhaps has been his best thus far. 

Butler produced 30 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds in 30 minutes of play against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday. There’s something about Jimmy Butler and his impact on the game. Even outside of the box score, he’s a winner and excellent motivator on the court. 

The post Erik Spoelstra: ‘You Simply Cannot Put A Modern-Day Analytic To Jimmy Butler’s Will To Win’ appeared first on SLAM.

Source: NBA considering a 7 to 14 day pause amidst the growing rate of positive cases within the league. The NBA brass & GMs will meet virtually today or tomorrow to reconsider safety protocols. The league wants to avoid a pause but it is on the table. @kron4news

— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) January 11, 2021

NBA spokesman Mike Bass commented on the situation, stating that: “[they] anticipated that there would be game postponements this season and planned the schedule accordingly. There are no plans to pause the season, and we will continue to be guided by our medical experts…”

It should be noted that Bass’ insistence that there are no plans to pause the season doesn’t contradict Dumas’ assertion that a plan to halt play is on the table. However, considering that the League indeed opted to release the schedule in two parts, it’s clear that the NBA was prepared for the possibility that COVID-19 cases would increase at some point; especially with games no longer being held in a bubble.

More than 117 players have contracted COVID-19, per NBC Sports’ Dan Feldman, including marquee players such as Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant.

Miami Heat stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and Denver Nuggets rising star Michael Porter Jr. are among the players who have been listed out due to the NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols.

The NBA announced that 48 of 546 players have tested positive “since testing resumed last week.”

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the “NBA and NBPA are currently working through a minimum two-week window of protocol tightening,” such as enforcing coaches and players on the bench to wear masks and restricting social-interaction and hugging amongst players during games.

Also, sources say: More enforcement of mask-wearing, including coaches during games and players on bench. https://t.co/HgcEghtIYQ

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 12, 2021

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Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson have shown up to work through the first stretch of the season and will be instrumental in the team’s success for the rest of the year.

For more information about the numbers behind our Heat Check series, hop over to our main Heat Check 2020-21 post.

Tyler Herro	17.0p, 6.5r, 4.5a
Gabe Vincent	7.0p, 2.0r, 2.0a
Avery Bradley	14.0p, 2.0r, 1.7a
Max Strus	7.0p, 0.0r, 1.0a
Kelly Olynyk	8.3p, 5.3r, 2.3a
Goran Dragic	16.5p, 2.8r, 4.8a
KZ Okpala	1.5p, 2.0r, 0.0a	–
Duncan Robinson	12.5p, 3.8r, 0.5a
Bam Adebayo	19.0p, 7.3r, 5.0a
Andre Iguodala	2.0p, 5.0r, 1.7a
Chris Silva	1.0p, 0.0r, 0.0a
Jimmy Butler	11.5p, 4.5r, 6.0a
Meyers Leonard	4.5p, 1.5r, 0.5a
Kendrick Nunn	6.0p, 1.7r, 2.3a
Maurice Harkless	0.8p, 1.0r, 0.3a

Team-by-Team Breakdown

The post Heat Check 2020-21: Miami Heat appeared first on SLAM.

We broke down the Heat’s depth chart for the 2020-21 season below. We’ve also previously published a summary of the Heat’s offseason.

Biggest Questions

• Were the things the Heat did on the 2020 postseason run sustainable? They kicked it into another gear once the regular season came to a close. Will the Heat be a top three or four seed in the East?
• Can Goran Dragic stay healthy? He was one of their most important players early in the playoff run and ultimately got hurt. If he gets hurt again in the upcoming season, Miami will look like a completely different team.

All NBA Team Offseason Summaries

The post Miami Heat: Projected 2020-21 Depth Chart appeared first on SLAM.

In a recent media availability session, Spoelstra gave additional insight into the Heat’s priorities. He talked about how they owe it to Jimmy Butler to make sure they’re making moves to win now, rather than building for the future. 

“We feel a great responsibility for Jimmy to win now, instead of pushing this thing down the line.” 

After losing in the 2020 NBA Finals, Miami will look to run it back and try to win a title this season. This experience will be good for their young players in Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, and Duncan Robinson. 

The post Erik Spoelstra: ‘We Feel a Great Responsibility tor Jimmy to Win Now’ appeared first on SLAM.

However, to return to the NBA Finals in 2021, Miami would have to get better with teams like the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks appearing far more formidable than last season.

Heat Roster Additions

Biggest Acquisitions

• Precious Achiuwa: Precious Achiuwa could have been a lottery pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, as the combo forward is prized for his athleticism and defense. If that sounds like it’s right up Miami’s alley, it’s because it is.
• Avery Bradley: Avery Bradley continues to be one of the league’s better 3-and-D guards, and with his playoff experience, he’s going to provide a veteran presence in the Miami Heat’s locker room.

Heat Roster Subtractions

Biggest Losses

• Jae Crowder: Jae Crowder has made a name for himself as a tough and mobile combo guard who can be relied upon as a 3-and-D option. Perhaps the drafting of Precious Achiuwa made him question his future role in Miami but a $30 million contract is an incentive in and of itself.

• Derrick Jones Jr.: The high-flying Derrick Jones Jr. was a decent defender who used his athleticism to sky for rebounds and blocks when in position. Fortunately for Miami, by drafting Achiuwa, they’ll at least be able to replace what Jones provided.

All NBA Team Offseason Summaries

The post Miami Heat: Offseason Summary 2020 appeared first on SLAM.

On paper, they’re a good team. Chicago made a couple of smart moves this offseason but their improvement in the immediate future will be dependent upon the players that are already there.

Bulls Roster Additions

Biggest Acquisitions

• Patrick Williams: Patrick Williams was one of the fast-risers in the 2020 NBA Draft, which usually means he has a higher boom-or-bust potential. The rookie forward projects as a versatile defender with a strong slashing ability; almost a re-hashing of current teammate Thaddeus Young.
• Garrett Temple: Garrett Temple is a heady veteran point guard with great length, a high basketball IQ, commendable defensive performances and a decent 3-point stroke. He averaged a career-high 10.3 points per game last season with the Brooklyn Nets.

Bulls Roster Subtractions

Biggest Losses

• Shaquille Harrison: A 6’7″ combo guard, Shaquille Harrison was primarily known for his defense in his time with the Chicago Bulls.

• Max Strus: Max Strus’ calling card is his perimeter shooting, as he knocked down .363 percent of his 3-point attempts (8.9 per game) as a sophomore at DePaul in 2018-19. However, last season, he only converted .305 of his threes (9.1) in 13 games with the G League’s Windy City Bulls.

All NBA Team Offseason Summaries

The post Chicago Bulls: Offseason Summary 2020 appeared first on SLAM.

Guided by one of the league’s best coaches in Erik Spoelstra and one of the most influential NBA executives in Pat Riley, the Heat have excelled in the player development department and built a gritty culture in Miami. This bodes well for the Heat entering the 2020 NBA Draft, as they hold a top-20 selection that could be as impactful as Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn, Bam Adebayo or Tyler Herro have been for them.

With Goran Dragic’s future with the team unclear though, Miami may not have the luxury of missing on the pick.

Related: Full Miami Heat 2020 Salary Cap Preview

2020 NBA Draft Picks

Heat Draft Needs

Miami appeared to run out of gas in the 2020 NBA Finals, raising questions about whether or not the Heat truly have enough high-level shot-creators.

Yes, Miami had seven players averaging at least 10 points last season. Yes, the injuries to Dragic and Adebayo severely hampered the offense. Yet, the Heat ranked 15th in the NBA with 112.0 points per game in the 2019-20 regular season and only averaged 104.5 points in the NBA Finals.

This could be an effect of multiple Heat players being better as an off-ball option offensively rather than making a move with the ball in their hands.

In fact, four of Miami’s rotation players — Robinson, Jae Crowder, Andre Iguodala and Kelly Olynyk — took at least 50 percent of their total shot attempts from 3-point range in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. Two others, Nunn and Herro, took at least 45 percent of their total shot attempts from 3-point range.

2020 NBA Draft Prospect Watchlist

What The Mocks Are Saying

Projected Roster

Team-by-Team NBA Draft Guides

More: SLAM’s 2020 NBA Draft Preview

The post Miami Heat: 2020 NBA Draft Preview appeared first on SLAM.

In a postseason press conference, Riley said that the Heat will focus on keeping their core group together this offseason.

“We know what our priorities are…It is to take care of the players that we have, that we have to make decisions on almost immediately. We know Bam has a decision to make and we do with him. We know the guys that have sacrificed for us that we really like, our free agents, especially Goran.”

With guys like Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and others, the Heat have great chemistry and play well together. Adebayo is due for a new contract, and Dragic is someone they want to bring back in free agency. 

While it’s likely that Miami is monitoring the Antetokounmpo situation, keeping their current core together will be crucial leading up to that potential opportunity.

The post Pat Riley Says Heat’s Focus Is Keeping Core Intact appeared first on SLAM.

In the 2019-20 regular season, Doncic nearly averaged a triple-double with 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game. He ultimately finished fourth in MVP voting, ahead of guys like Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard and Jimmy Butler.

Now, heading into the 2020-21 season, Vegas is favoring Doncic to win the award outright. Sites like Odds Shark, SportsBetting.com and My Bookie among others have Doncic at the top of the pack.

Doncic is certainly talented enough to win the award, even at his young age. In fact, Derrick Rose was the youngest MVP in NBA history at age 22. However, it will likely come down to how the Mavs are as a team. In most cases, the MVP of the league is on a team who is near the top of their respective conference when it comes to their record.

If Doncic can have Dallas near the top of the Western Conference and put up the numbers that he did last season, he has a real shot at winning MVP.

The post Luka Doncic is Sportsbook Favorite to Win 2020-21 NBA MVP appeared first on SLAM.

According to The Athletic‘s Shams Charania, the Heat are “preparing to go all in” on two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in free agency next offseason:

Miami is preparing to go all in on the pursuit of Milwaukee’s two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021 free agency, sources said. There is a school of thought that salary-wise, waiting on Adebayo’s extension would allow for as much space as possible for 2021.

By holding off on offering Bam Adebayo—their All-Star multifaceted big man—a contract extension, Miami would give themselves a shot at signing the Greek Freak.

Giannis has publicly stated his willingness to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks for his entire career. But the Heat could sway the young superstar’s decision by making another deep playoff run next season.

A team with Antetokounmpo, Adebayo and Jimmy Butler would be a perennial championship contender due to their potential to dominate both offensively and defensively.

The post Report: Heat To Go ‘All In’ For Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021 appeared first on SLAM.

In addition to a summary for each of the 30 teams (accessible in the link grid below), we’ve also tiered the top NBA free agents league-wide and published a general comparison of all teams’ cap space. Follow @SLAMnewswire on Twitter for constant offseason updates as we head into free agency.

Projected Roster Players

Projected Free Agents

Projected Dead Money

Projected Renouncements/Waivers

2020 NBA Draft Picks

Exceptions Available

• Room Exception – $4,767,000

Key Offseason Decisions

• Will the Heat stay over the cap or go under? Miami projects to get to about $22M in cap space this summer if they choose to that route. The other option is to stay over the cap and retain most of their own free agents.
• How much does planning for the 2021 offseason factor into the 2020 offseason? Miami is positioned to go big game hunting in 2021. The market will be filled with superstars and stars. Expect the Heat to be conservative this offseason, in order to retain flexibility for next year.

Projected Team Salary

$85,425,589

Expect the Heat to initially stay over the cap, but to dip under if an unexpected player or deal comes their way. Either way, look for Miami to re-sign Goran Dragic, and possibly Jae Crowder, to bigger than expected contracts, but for only one year. That way, the Heat can overpay both players as a form upfront payment now, for more team-friendly deals down the line. That will allow Miami to have them next year, while maintaining flexibility moving forward. (@KeithSmithNBA)

Cap Space Forecast

$21,917,791 (4^th out of 30)

Team Salary Cap Outlooks

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Butler, who promised Heat president Pat Riley and coach Erik Spoelstra that he would bring a title to Miami, told reporters after the Game 6 loss that he and his teammates already want to get back to work (starting at 3:23 in the video below).

“We’re going to learn from this. We’re going to get better. We’re going to come back. We’re going to come back. We’ll be back. That’s what we’re all saying in that locker room.

“We got guys that want to do it. We got guys that already want to get back in the gym and get to working at this thing. That’s what we do here.”

Heat guard Goran Dragic, who valiantly played 19 minutes in Game 6 with a torn plantar fascia, tweeted that he was proud of his team for leaving everything out of the court throughout the Finals.

“What we’ve built is something special,” wrote Dragic, “and we’ll be back!”

The post ‘We’ll Be Back’: Jimmy Butler, Heat Vow To Return To NBA Finals appeared first on SLAM.

“I told Coach Pat, I told Coach Spo I’m here to win one. I didn’t do my job, so moving forward, I got to hold up my end of the bargain.”

Although it ended in a loss, it was a historic finals performance for Butler. He became just the third NBA player to record a 40-point triple-double in an finals game and one of three players in Heat history to score 30 in a finals game. Butler was the first player to outscore, outrebound and out-assist LeBron James in an NBA Finals game, including LeBron’s teammates. Lastly, Butler became the second player to record multiple 30-point triple-doubles in an NBA Finals, joining LeBron James.

He did all of this with some of his best teammates missing significant time and not playing fully healthy. After Game 6, Spoelstra talked about the health issues that plagued the Heat the entire series.

“We had several guys who were not even close to being 100 percent, probably shouldn’t have been playing, but that’s how this group was.”

Butler is certainly happy in Miami and will look to make his way back to the NBA Finals to win a ring. He further emphasized this after their loss talking about what this city means to him.

“This is where I belong. This is what makes me smile. This is what makes me happy. I wish I could have done it for the city. I wish I could have done it for my teammates, for the organization.”

Jimmy Butler ultimately finished with the most minutes played and fourth most points in the playoffs in a run that we will never forget. The Heat will look to continue to build their roster over the coming years in hopes to win their first championship since LeBron James left the team in 2013.

The post Jimmy Butler On Losing In Finals: ‘I Didn’t Do My Job’ appeared first on SLAM.

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“His will to win is remarkable,” Spoelstra said. “To do that in 47-plus minutes, and take the challenge on the other end? Every young player coming into the League should study footage on Jimmy Butler, the definition of a two-way player, competing on both ends.”

Butler has indeed been tremendous for the Heat, averaging 29.0 points, 10.2 assists, 8.6 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game in his first-ever Finals appearance. Butler is getting it done on both ends, taking the challenge of guarding LeBron James and matching his output on the offensive end.

Despite it being his first season with Miami, Butler has embodied the franchise’s culture in a way that may only be matched by Heat lifer Udonis Haslem.

Refusing to be rattled by the pressure of the moment, Butler continues to defy the odds, and that’s a quality that all young hoopers should try to embody.

The post Erik Spoelstra: Every Young Player Should Study Jimmy Butler appeared first on SLAM.

Aside from the superstar matchup, Heat forward Duncan Robinson dazzled in Game 5, dropping 26 points with 7 three-pointers—setting the record for most threes made in a Finals game by an undrafted player.

While in college at Michigan, Robinson knocked down 41.9 percent of the threes. Last season, while playing for the G League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce, Robinson buried an eye-popping 48.3 percent of his threes on 9.8 attempts per game.

This season, Robinson made 44.6 percent of his threes on 8.3 attempts per game. His percentage has dipped a bit in the playoffs, where he’s shooting 39.6 percent from deep.

With little wasted motion and a lightning-quick release, the 26-year-old sharpshooter should be one of the League’s premier three-point threats for a long time.

The post Duncan Robinson Sets NBA Finals Record appeared first on SLAM.

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Per StatMuse’s Justin Kubtako, Butler is the first player to record two triple-doubles in his first NBA Finals, the second player to record two 30-point triple-doubles in the NBA Finals (LeBron James did so in 2015), and the second player to record at least 20 points and 5 assists in each of his first five NBA Finals games (Michael Jordan did so in 1991).

Butler will never challenge either LeBron or MJ in terms of all-time greatness but, by putting his name in their company, he’s done nothing but illuminate the level of his talent.

The post Jimmy Butler Puts His Name in Elite Company With NBA Finals Performance appeared first on SLAM.

Regardless of what happens, the Heat seem to be in one of the best positions in the entire league. According to Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer, front office executives around the league believe the Heat have become the league’s top destination for the next star with a wandering eye.

After the 2020-21 season, Miami is set up to potentially only have $50 million in guaranteed salary on its books, giving them enough cap space to sign a max player while also retaining their current core.

It’s worth mentioning that the free agent class that offseason could be one of the best we’ve seen in a while, headlined by guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Rudy Gobert, Paul George, Jrue Holiday and Victor Oladipo.

Additionally, even outside of free agents, it’s believed that with Miami’s financial flexibility and assets that could be traded, they could be a top destination for a disgruntled star who demands a trade. With the excellent core they currently have comprised of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn and others, the Heat are already one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

If you add another star to their roster, they could be the best team in the NBA down the road. It also helps that they have an excellent head coach in Erik Spoelstra who has a successful history of coaching some of the NBA’s top players.

The post Report: Executives Think Miami Heat Are Primed To Add A Superstar appeared first on SLAM.

Following Game 4’s win (in which he nearly notched a triple-double), James would express an increasingly rare sentiment in what’s become one of the league’s most storied careers.

“I just felt that vibe. I felt that pressure. I felt like for me, personally, this was one of the biggest games of my career and I just wanted to relay that message to my teammates, what type of zone I was in, what type of moment it was, because I just know how great of a team that we’re playing against.”

Perhaps it was the gritty performance from the Miami Heat, led by Jimmy Butler, in the Heat’s Game 3 win. Or the fact that James left his home state Cleveland Cavaliers to join Dwyane Wade in Miami in 2010, where they made four consecutive Finals appearances, could also be a factor. Putting himself just one win away from winning his fourth NBA championship is noteworthy as well.

Then again, it could be the fact that he’s 35 years old, in his 17th NBA season, playing for one of the League’s most illustrious franchises and continuing to build his legacy in ways that only a handful of players can match.

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The post LeBron James: Game 4 ‘One of The Biggest Games Of My Career’ appeared first on SLAM.

Bam Adebayo, who was able to play in Game 4 after coming off of injury, reminisced on the Warriors blowing a 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals.

“Our backs are against the wall. It’s not like it’s never been done before. We still got hope. We’re still gonna fight until the end.”

It’s ironic because the last time a team came back from being down 3-1 to win the NBA Finals, it was LeBron James who was able to pull it off. It will be difficult for Miami to flip the script and do the same to him just a few years later.

Jimmy Butler, who is the undisputed leader of the Heat, talked postgame about their confidence and how it’s his job to make sure his team stays that way heading into a huge Game 5.

“Our confidence ain’t going nowhere. It’s gonna stay high. I’ve gotta make sure that it says high because it’s gonna have to be at an all-time high to get this next win…I’m excited to see how we bounce back. It’s our time to bounce back. I know we can do it.”

The two days off to rest between Game 4 and Game 5 is much needed for the Heat. With Adebayo confirming postgame that he wasn’t playing at full strength and with Goran Gragic still sidelined due to injury, the extra time off will be beneficial.

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The post Bam Adebayo: ‘It’s Not Like It’s Never Been Done Before’ appeared first on SLAM.

Durant, who has played in the league for 12 seasons, signed a four-year, $164 million contract with Brooklyn in the 2019 offseason. By the time the deal expires, he’ll be 34-years-old and young enough to secure one more lucrative contract.

Of course, nothing is set in stone, but if he was to play out the rest of his career with Brooklyn, that would give Nets fans at least five more years or rooting for KD.

In the age of nonstop player movement, it’s always refreshing to hear that a player doesn’t plan to leave their team.

Such a mentality arguably made the careers of players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Larry Bird more respectable. Meanwhile, modern-day contemporaries like Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid have either stated or demonstrated their loyalty to their first and only teams.

However, quite a few current superstars have already played for more than one team.

In fact, Durant, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard — who many would be tempted to list as the three best players in the league — have each played for three different franchises. Other All-NBA talents, like Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler, are already on their second, third or fourth team.

Durant spending the rest of his career with Brooklyn can only enhance his legacy, as it will be one of the toughest challenges in his career. Whatever success he has there will be seen in a quite different light than his accomplishments with the Golden State Warriors.

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