Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (11) takes control of the ball after Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) and Thunder forward Nick Collison collided during the first half of Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball pl…
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Win, and you advance.
The Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers are on the verge of advancing in in the postseason and setting themselves up for a little extra rest. A few trash talking remarks and stare downs later, and a bevy of security personnel, referees, ushers and Mavs coaches were all rushing near Oklahoma City’s bench trying to clam everyone down. The Thunder have also won seven of eight in the playoffs since losing to Dallas in the 2011 Western Conference finals. Lillard was went 10 for 20 from the floor, including 3 of 8 from behind the arc, on his way to a game-high 32 points.
And this is in a series that the Mavs have a minuscule chance to win. Not only do these quotes highlight Salah’s confidence in himself, but they also heighten the intensity of the series.
The Thunder lead the series 3-1. Hardly anyone thinks another team is an option, so it leaves the main options of him opting into the past year of his deal or retiring from the game of basketball. But from the perspective of a Mavs fan, Dallas had basically just stolen home court advantage.
Durant has been inconsistent from game to game with his good nights coming in Games 1 and 3. “We’ve just got to keep our focus and concentration on what we’ve got to do each and every possession”. Coach Dave Joerger stuck with his veterans Zach Randolph and Matt Barnes in Game 3.
Cleveland’s trio of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love has been too much for the Pistons. But he re-aggravated his injury 89 seconds into the game and did not return…. Now a candid Stan Van Gundy hopes his players can maintain their intensity in the face of long odds.
“We just went down swinging, and that’s all you can ask for”, Randolph said. “Just unfortunate I fouled him over the head”.
Watch this video from the 1:30 mark. Then again, maybe it’s not.
The Warriors haven’t lost back-to-back games in their record-setting season.
Toronto coach Dwane Casey doesn’t want DeRozan to force shots, and his teammates are confident they’ll come through when the Pacers force DeRozan to give up the ball.
“We all gotta enjoy it while we can”, Carlisle said, “We’re seeing one of the most special athletes in sports history”. “So… we get kind of angry I guess”. 7 p.m., TNT.
Isaiah Thomas was asked what he could do for an encore after scoring a career-high 42 points to help Boston avoid a 3-0 hole against Atlanta. KD’s bad foul of Justin Anderson at the end of Game 4 is a great example.
Celtics: Guard Isaiah Thomas was spared a suspension for taking a swing at Atlanta’s Dennis Schroder.
Since the summit of Nowitzki’s spectacular career, the 2011 title run when he was the world’s best player for two magical months, the Mavs have failed to get out of the first round.
“We made a lot of mistakes”, Deng said.
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Forward Jae Crowder said the Celtics talked about maintaining their composure as the teams become more familiar and perhaps more antagonistic.
