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NBA All-Star: Back to East vs West?

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – A possible change to the NBA All-Star Game could bring back a familiar format — East vs. West.

With an eye toward increased competitiveness in the exhibition game, the NBA and the players’ union are considering that change and possibly others in the next collective bargaining agreement, The Athletic reported.

The league’s Board of Governors and general managers have talked of scrapping the current format, which has two players drafting teams of All-Stars for the game, regardless of the players’ conference. Changes are possible for the 2023-24 season, per the Athletic.

The game featured All-Stars from the Eastern and Western conferences until 2018. A format tweak in 2020, known as the Elam ending, had the fourth quarter played without a game clock, but with a set target score. The first team to reach that point total was the winner.

This year’s All-Star Game was the first in which the captains chose sides just before tipoff. In previous incarnations under the captain-selecting format, the teams were determined well in advance of game day. The game was met with severe criticism, including coach Mike Malone of the Denver Nuggets stating, “It’s an honor to be here, it’s an honor to be a part of a great weekend, great players, but that is the worst basketball game ever played,” Malone said.

–Field Level Media

Miami Takes 2-0 Lead Over Celtics

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Miami’s Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, including the tiebreaking basket with 2:33 remaining, and the Heat took control of the Eastern Conference finals with a 111-105 victory over the host Boston Celtics in Game 2 on Friday night.

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Miami won in Boston for the second straight game to grab a 2-0 edge in the best-of-seven series. Games 3 and 4 will be played in Miami on today and Tuesday, respectively.

Caleb Martin established a career playoff high with 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting off the bench for the eighth-seeded Heat. Miami’s Bam Adebayo contributed 22 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists and reserve Duncan Robinson chipped in 15 points.

Jayson Tatum had 34 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for second-seeded Boston but didn’t convert a field goal in the fourth quarter for the second straight game. All five of Tatum’s final-quarter points came on free throws in the final minute.

Jaylen Brown scored 16 points but shot just 7 of 23 from the field for the Celtics. Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III had 13 points apiece.

Miami Heat, “Playoff Jimmy” Take Game 1 of NBA Eastern Conference Finals

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Miami’s “Playoff” Jimmy Butler carried the Heat during the first two rounds of the NBA Playoffs. The opening game of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals was no different.

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Butler played a solid all-around game, stacking-up 35 points, seven assists, six steals and five rebounds while leading the Heat to a 123-116 upset victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference series that will determine the participant of the 2023 NBA Finals.

Butler raised his 2023 postseason average to 31.5 with his fifth 30-point effort in 11 games. He stopped short of saying he is playing better than ever but asserted the Miami coaching staff has set him up for success.

“I’m playing at an incredible level because they are allowing me to do so and not putting a limit on my game,” Butler said. “They are trusting me with the ball and on the defensive end, and I think that’s what any basketball player wants. What anyone wants in life is to be wanted, to be appreciated and just let you go out there and rock.”

Butler and the Heat were doing most of the rocking — particularly during a 46-point third quarter — while delivering the opening salvo in the best-of-seven series.

Bam Adebayo recorded 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Heat recovered from a 13-point, second-quarter deficit. Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent all scored 15 points for Miami.

Jayson Tatum had 30 points and seven rebounds and Jaylen Brown added 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists for Boston. Malcolm Brogdon scored 19 points, Robert Williams III had 14 points and seven rebounds and Marcus Smart registered 13 points and 11 assists for the Celtics.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night in Boston.

Letting a double-digit lead get away at home was disappointing to Tatum.

“We’re going to watch film and talk about it,” Tatum said. “We’ll discuss the things we did well and the things we can do better and come out and execute better on Friday.”

The Heat led 114-105 after Butler’s basket with 5:33 remaining before the Celtics scored the next five points. Martin halted a Miami scoring drought of 3:23 by burying a 3-pointer to make it 117-110 with 2:10 to go.

Butler then made a 3-pointer that went in and out, bounced high and back in to make it a 10-point game with 1:03 left, and the Heat closed it out.

“He’s not playing for numbers,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said of Butler. “He’s trying to help the offense get the best possible high-percentage shot.”

Miami shot 54.1 percent from the field, including 16 of 31 (51.6 percent) from 3-point range.

Boston made 51.9 percent of its shots and was 10 of 29 (34.5 percent) from behind the arc. Derrick White added 11 points for the Celtics.

Miami trailed 66-57 at halftime before outscoring Boston 46-25 in the third quarter to take a 12-point advantage. The Celtics led 71-59 after Smart’s 3-pointer 65 seconds into the period before the Heat’s explosion began.

Miami used a 13-1 burst to tie the score. The Heat later went on a 10-2 push to move ahead 86-80 on a 3-pointer by Strus with 4:25 left in the period. Miami took a 103-91 lead into the final stanza.

“We got away from who we are in the third quarter,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I thought the first half was good. I thought we just let go of the rope in the third quarter. Lost our sense of urgency. We played harder than them in the first half, and they played harder than us in the third quarter.”

Tatum scored 18 first-half points. The score was tied at 47 before the Celtics went on a 15-2 run to open up a 13-point lead with 2:08 left in the second quarter.

Butler scored 15 points and Lowry had 13 in the first half for the Heat.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Prepare for Playoff Jimmy

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Miami Heat playoff hero Jimmy Butler is known for speaking his mind, and he didn’t disappoint Tuesday, one day before eighth-seeded Heat play the veteran Boston Celtics in the opener of the Eastern Conference finals at TD Garden.

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Butler insisted this Miami team will not be deterred on its way to the NBA title.

“This year is our year,” Butler said. “We’re going to go into this Game 1 and do what we’re supposed to do and be the first one to four (victories). We are very capable of it.”

This is the third time in the past four seasons that the Celtics and Heat have met in the East finals. And it will be a different Boston coach on the sideline for the third occasion.

Miami eliminated Brad Stevens’ Boston team in six games in 2020 before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. Last season, the Ime Udoka-coached Celtics ousted the Heat in seven games before falling to the Golden State Warriors in the championship round.

Udoka was fired prior to the season due to a workplace affair and was replaced by Joe Mazzulla, a first-time head coach who gets to match wits against Miami’s well-respected Erik Spoelstra.

“It’s definitely going to be a challenge for Joe, but I think he’s going to handle it well,” Boston star Jaylen Brown said. “He’s handled it well all season. He’s been scrutinized, but he’s done a good job. He is a rookie coach, but he’s taken a championship-caliber team and now we’re back in the Eastern Conference finals.

“He deserves some credit for that. But he’s going against one of the greatest coaches of all time, and I think there’s a level of respect there and understanding that Spoelstra is going to make adjustments.”

Brown averaged 24.1 points in last season’s matchup with the Heat, just behind star Jayson Tatum’s 25 per game.

Tatum is coming off a performance for the ages. He poured in a Game 7-record 51 points as the Celtics pounded the Philadelphia 76ers 112-88 to reach the Eastern finals.

“It’s a big movie,” Boston guard Marcus Smart said of Tatum’s show. “Being able to just sit back, eat your popcorn and watch. Sometimes we do get in that mode where we forget that we’re on the court playing with him.”

Tatum has quickly put that epic effort behind him and is focused on competing against the Heat.

“A team that we’re extremely familiar with,” Tatum said about the matchup. “A very well-coached team, they compete with the best of them, play hard. They defend, they make plays and they figure out a way to win games. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be highly competitive and I’m looking forward to it.”

The intensity level is always high when Butler is on the floor. He averaged 25.6 points against Boston in last season’s series.

He also produced a milestone effort in this season’s playoffs with 56 points in a first-round victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. The 56 points tied for fourth most in an NBA playoff game.

Butler was plagued by an ankle injury in the conference semifinal series win over the New York Knicks. The ankle is feeling better, and so is Butler’s outlook about Miami’s supporting cast.

“Guys are playing some incredible basketball,” Butler said. “I like our chances, as does everyone in this organization.”

Heat center Bam Adebayo hasn’t forgotten the critics that pounced when the team lost to the Atlanta Hawks in its first play-in game before beating the Chicago Bulls to move into the playoffs.

“It’s a crazy story being written,” Adebayo said. “Through all the ups and downs of this season, a lot of people counting us out and saying we weren’t even going to make it past the first round and now we’re in the Eastern Conference finals. It just shows the determination and the will that this team has.”

Boston and Miami split four regular-season meetings. Each club split the two games on its home floor.

–Field Level Media

Nuggets Hold Homecourt, Defeat Lakers in G-1

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DENVER – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Denver Nuggets tried to run the Lakers out of the arena early behind another big game from Nikola Jokic, but the experienced Los Angeles team didn’t flinch — and nearly stole Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

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The Nuggets built an 18-point halftime lead in front of their home crowd and were up by 21 in the third quarter but had to hold off a furious Los Angeles rally to pull out a 132-126 win on Tuesday night.

Jokic had 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists for his third straight triple-double, and teammate Jamal Murray scored 31 points despite battling an ear infection.

“The whole playoffs he is playing amazing,” Jokic said jokingly of Murray. “Maybe he faked it, he doesn’t want to practice just to get a couple of days off.”

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope contributed 21 points, Bruce Brown had 16, Michael Porter Jr. added 15 points and 10 rebounds and Aaron Gordon finished with 12 points for the Nuggets.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Thursday night in Denver.

Anthony Davis had 40 points and 10 rebounds, LeBron James finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, Austin Reaves scored 23 points and Rui Hachimura put up 17 points for the Lakers, whose second-half rally came up short.

“We’ll go back and look at the film, see what we need to clean up,” Los Angeles coach Darvin Ham said. “Take a good look at that second half, see what went well, try to sustain the good stuff and alleviate and repair the bad stuff.”

The Lakers lost Game 1 for the first time this postseason.

“It’s the playoffs, we need to be aggressive, we need to win the game, especially in front of the home crowd,” Jokic said. “They won two Game 1s.”

Los Angeles chipped away at the large deficit, getting within three points three times in the final four minutes. Denver responded by scoring the next points each time.

The Lakers opened the fourth on an 8-2 run to pull within 108-100 with 10:10 left.

Porter and Jeff Green hit corner 3-pointers and Murray scored on consecutive possessions to make it 118-104.

Los Angeles got within 124-118 with 3:53 left, and a Nuggets turnover led to a Reaves 3-pointer that made it a three-point game. Denver got the margin back to six, but another Reaves 3-pointer made it 127-124 with 2:18 left.

James had a chance to tie with 45 seconds left but missed a 3-point attempt, and Jokic closed it out at the line.

“I think we did a good job of just making shots and weathering the storm,” Murray said. “But that’s why it’s a series. Both teams will make adjustments.”

Denver used a 36-13 edge in rebounding to take a 72-54 lead into halftime. Jokic had 12 rebounds in the first quarter and finished with 16 for the half to go along with 19 points and seven assists.

“It took us a half to get into the game, and that was pretty much the ballgame,” James said.

Murray hit a pair of 3-pointers at the start of the third, giving the Nuggets a 78-58 lead. Jokic notched his triple-double when he fed Caldwell-Pope for a floating jumper midway through the third quarter. It is his 12th postseason triple-double, the most by a center in NBA history.

Jokic put the Nuggets ahead 93-72 with a 3-pointer and fed Caldwell-Pope for another before Los Angeles closed the third strong. The Lakers went on a 16-7 run, but Jokic drained a 28-footer at the quarter buzzer to make it a 14-point game entering the fourth.

–Field Level Media

Spurs Win NBA Lottery; Rights to Wembanyama

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CHICAGO – (Staff Report from Official News Release) –  The San Antonio Spurs won NBA Draft Lottery 2023 presented by State Farm, which was conducted at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. The Spurs will have the first overall pick in NBA Draft 2023,

which will be held on Thursday, June 22.

Below are the results from NBA Draft Lottery 2023:
1. San Antonio
2. Charlotte
3. Portland
4. Houston
5. Detroit
6. Orlando
7. Indiana
8. Washington
9. Utah
10. Dallas
11. Orlando (from Chicago)
12. Oklahoma City
13. Toronto
14. New Orleans

Below is the order for the remainder of the first round of NBA Draft 2023 presented by State Farm:

15. Atlanta
16. Utah (from Minnesota)
17. Los Angeles Lakers
18. Miami
19. Golden State
20. Houston (from LA Clippers)
21. Brooklyn (from Phoenix)
22. Brooklyn
23. Portland (from New York)
24. Sacramento
25. Memphis
26. Indiana (from Cleveland)
27. Charlotte (from Denver via New York and Oklahoma City)
28. Utah (from Philadelphia via Brooklyn)
29. Indiana (from Boston)
30. LA Clippers (from Milwaukee via Houston)

Note: The draft order above assumes that a team with the right to swap one pick for another exercises such right only if it is favorable to do so.

 

Celtics’ 33-10 Third Quarter Beats 76ers

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – All season long, the Boston Celtics battled their opponents for the right to host a possible game against the Philadelphia 76ers at home.  When it came time for that Game 7, Boston’s Jayson Tatum poured in a record-setting 51 points and the Boston Celtics used a 28-3 run in the third quarter to defeat the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 112-88 Sunday in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Tatum’s 51 points broke the NBA record for points scored in a Game 7, set earlier this postseason when Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry scored 50. Tatum was 17-for-28 from the field, including 6-of-10 on 3-point attempts. Tatum also had 13 rebounds, five assists and two steals.

“It felt great,” Tatum said. “This was a back-and-forth series. Obviously I didn’t play well in the first half last game and I was just happy to get that opportunity to bounce back. … Game 7 is all about win or go home.”

John Havlicek holds the record for points scored by a Celtics player in a playoff game. Havlicek scored 54 points in Game 1 of the 1973 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks.

Jaylen Brown added 25 points for the second-seeded Celtics, who will face the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals. That best-of-seven series begins Wednesday in Boston.

Celtics Force Game 7 vs Sixers

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PHILADELPHIA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – “See You Sunday, See You Sunday” was the common chant when the Philadelphia 76ers upset the Boston Celtics, 115-103, in Game 5 at TD Garden this past Tuesday night. The chant echoing after Game 5 but born in 1982, passed the torch to the 2023 Celtics and their All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum who hit four 3-pointers in the final 4:14 of the fourth quarter and the Boston Celtics defeated the host Philadelphia 76ers 95-86 on Thursday to tie their Eastern Conference semifinal series at three wins apiece.

Game 7 will be played on Sunday in Boston.

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Tatum started 1-for-14 but rallied to finish with 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists on 5-of-21 shooting.

“I’m one of — humbly, one of the best basketball players in the world,” Tatum said in a postgame interview on ESPN. “You go through struggles. You go through slumps. My teammates trusted me.”

Marcus Smart led the Celtics with 22 points and Jaylen Brown added 17. Malcolm Brogdon contributed 16, Robert Williams chipped in with 10 points and nine rebounds, and Al Horford grabbed 11 rebounds.

Joel Embiid put up 26 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots and Tyrese Maxey added 26 points for the Sixers, who haven’t advanced to the Eastern Conference finals since 2001.

James Harden had 13 points and nine assists.

The Sixers shot just 8-of-34 (23.5 percent) from 3-point range, with Harden going 0-for-6.

“I would say we had a lot of wide open threes,” Sixers coach Doc Rivers said. “We just didn’t make them.”

Philadelphia is looking for its first playoff series victory over the Celtics since 1982, having lost to Boston five times in the postseason since then.

Tatum hit back-to-back contested 3-pointers and the Celtics led 87-83 with 3:35 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Maxey shot an airball on a trey attempt but then came back to hit 1 of 2 free throws to cut the deficit to 87-84.

The 76ers led by five points late in the third quarter and by two in the middle of the fourth.

In the second quarter, the Celtics controlled the tempo, led by as many as 16 and took a 50-43 lead into halftime even with Tatum shooting 0-for-10 from the field.

Smart paced the Celtics with 15 first-half points. Maxey kept the Sixers close with 15 points before the break.

The Sixers led 73-71 at the end of the third.

–Field Level Media

Antetokounmpo, Tatum, Embiid Headline All-NBA First Team

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NEW YORK – (Staff, Wire Service and Official News Release Report) –  Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum were among those selected to the 2022-23 Kia All-NBA First Team on Wednesday night.

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The duo led the voting, with Antetokounmpo receiving 100 first-team votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Tatum trailed close behind with 92 first-team votes while also receiving eight for the second team. It was the seventh All-NBA team selection for Antetokounmpo, and the fifth for Tatum.

In 63 games this season, Antetokounmpo averaged a career-high 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists. But it was a sour end to the campaign for Antetokounmpo, who saw his top-seeded Bucks ousted by the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Tatum posted averages of 30.1 points, 8.8 points and 4.6 assists per game during the regular season, all of which were career highs. Boston is on the brink of elimination, as it trails 3-2 in its semifinal series against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Celtics will attempt to keep their season alive on Thursday, when they travel to Philadelphia for Game 6.

Joining Antetokounmpo and Tatum on the first team is Sixers center and league MVP Joel Embiid (fifth All-NBA team selection, 87 first-place votes), Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (first, 63) and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (fourth, 60).

Embiid and Doncic posted the highest scoring averages in the NBA during the regular season, averaging 33.1 and 32.4 points per game, respectively. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged the fourth most (31.4) while leading the Thunder to an appearance in the play-in tournament, where they beat the Pelicans before losing to the Timberwolves.

In his first season with his new team, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell received 45 first-team votes, but ended up on the second team along with Denver Nuggets center and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Heat forward Jimmy Butler and Celtics forward Jaylen Brown.

After a surprising season in which they broke the longest playoff drought in North American professional sports, the Sacramento Kings had two players selected to the All-NBA third team in guard De’Aaron Fox and center Domantas Sabonis. Both Fox and Sabonis celebrated their first selection to an All-NBA team.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, New York Knicks forward Julius Randle and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James also made the third team. James has the most All-NBA selections with 19.

Notable players to receive votes but not be named to an All-NBA team included Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, forward Kevin Durant and guard Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns and Lakers center Anthony Davis.

–Field Level Media

Embiid Proves MVP Resume vs Celtics

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Philadelphia’s center Joel Embiid scored 33 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked four shots to lead the 76ers to a 115-103 road victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

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Tyrese Maxey added 30 points and seven rebounds for Philadelphia, which leads the best-of-seven series 3-2. The 76ers can wrap up the series on Thursday, when Game 6 will be played in Philadelphia.

James Harden of the 76ers added 17 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, while Sixers’ forward Tobias Harris contributed 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Jayson Tatum led Boston with 36 points and 10 rebounds. Jaylen Brown (24 points) and Marcus Smart (14) were the only other Celtics who scored in double figures.

The 76ers never trailed after the first quarter, and the lead never dipped below nine in the second half.

Boston was within 11 points early in the fourth quarter, but Philadelphia went up 98-81 on an Embiid 3-pointer with 8:33 to play. The 76ers took a 113-92 lead — their largest advantage of the series — on a Maxey 3-pointer with 3:57 remaining.

Boston’s Al Horford missed each of his seven 3-point attempts and didn’t score in the game.

Philadelphia had a 49-36 edge in rebounds, and Boston shot 39.8 percent from the field (33 of 83). The 76ers hit 50.6 percent (40 of 79) of their shots.

Philadelphia led 33-26 after one quarter, then opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run. The Celtics closed the half with an 8-3 spurt but trailed 58-49 entering the third quarter.

Embiid had 21 points and five rebounds in the first half. Tatum missed his first six shots on the night but had 15 points at the break.

The 76ers stretched their nine-point halftime lead to 18 points on two Harden free throws with 2:44 left in the third, then went up by 19 on a Maxey layup with 29 seconds left in the period. Boston trailed 88-72 with 12 minutes to play.

The Celtics took their third loss in six home playoff games this season. The 76ers improved to 4-1 on the road in the postseason.

–Field Level Media