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The Golden State Warriors continue to present their opponents with the ultimate math problem, but they need to finish math as adults.
Claymation!
If you were hoping for another hard-hitting game similar to Game 1 between the Lakers and Warriors, unless you’re a Warriors fan, you’ll be very disappointed with Game 2’s results. If so, to make this laugh en route to a 127-100 win, Golden likes the Warriors’ dominance over the Lakers, including his state completely blitzing his LA in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. bottom.
The Warriors outscored the Lakers 84-47 between those quarters. Klay Thompson hit eight 3-pointers en route to a 30-point night, catching the ball high and sending it flying on multiple attempts. Stephen Curry was excellent with a 20-point, 12-assist performance as Draymond Green (9 assists) coordinated a brilliant attack.
The Warriors launched an attack from deep in the semifinals. After trailing by plus-45 in Game 1, they went deep to plus-33 in Game 2, during which the Lakers dominated free-throw attempts and paints to close the gap. The Warriors won both categories in Game 2.
Kevon Looney came off the bench due to bad weather and sent the Jamaican Green to the start. That meant that Draymond guarded Anthony Davis often early on, leading to the act disappearing completely from Davis. He scored 11 points on 11 shots. Draymond’s historically superior defense once again outperformed his opponent.
Now the Warriors have to prove whether their first-round wins in Games 5 and 7 against the Sacramento Kings have fixed their road problems this season. And see if the Lakers can move his AD again and defend the home-court advantage they stole in Game 1.
Check with Shams for the latest.
The latest from Shams
Bucks sack Bud two years after title
The Bucks’ decision to part ways with coach Mike Budenholzer on Thursday was an important development in the coaching carousel.
Of course, the Milwaukee opening is a highly coveted job for available candidates, but it adds a certain urgency to the current opening in Detroit.
As athletic James Edwards III reports that the Pistons will meet with a group of shortlisted Pistons owner Tom Gores in Los Angeles next week. The list of finalists includes Kevin Ory, Charles Lee and Jaron Collins.
Welcome back, Zack.
Budenholzer Fallout Detail
Milwaukee did the seemingly inevitable following a five-game first-round elimination by the No. 8 seed Miami Heat. Front his office said of the choice to transfer from Budenholzer:
“The decision to make this change was extremely difficult,” said Bucks general manager Jon Horst. Bucks’ first title in 50 years, and into an era of sustained success. We appreciate the culture of winning and leadership that Budd has created in Milwaukee.
“This is an opportunity to refocus and reinvigorate our efforts as we continue to build for the next championship season.”
Budenholzer is the fourth coaching change of the offseason so far, after Stephen Cyrus (Houston Rockets), Dwayne Casey (Pistons) and Nick Nurse (Toronto Raptors). He is also his third coach of the last four champions to be fired. Frank Vogel was waived last offseason after leading the Lakers to a title three years ago. Watch out, Steve Kerr!
In his five seasons as Bucks coach, Budenholzer has won 271 regular season games (third most in team history) and 39 playoff wins (second most).
Milwaukee can look to Charles Lee, the coach’s favorite top assistant. Or maybe bring in Nurse, a coaching free agent.
Read David Aldridge: Money does not require large-scale changes.
See you on the weekends, ladies and gentlemen
What’s at stake this weekend?
We can see the semi-final series come to an end this weekend, but other series could go a long way or come closer. All times are Eastern time.
action on friday
7:30 p.m. on ESPN: Sixers vs. Celtics Game 3: How will the Sixers successfully control the 3-point line, turn the Celtics on Joel Embiid and force Miami to face the MVP big man?
10 p.m. ESPN: Nuggets-Suns Game 3: Without Chris Paul, could the Suns score at least 80 combined points from Kevin Durant and Devin Booker while hoping Nikola Jokic wouldn’t book a trip to Cancun?
action on saturday
3:30 PM, ABC: Heat Knicks Game 3: Can the Knicks hold back Jimmy Butler, who has practically returned after a week off?
8:30 pm ABC: Lakers vs. Warriors Game 3: Will the Lakers’ defense have math problems against the Warriors? Will they be able to dominate the paint and free throw line again?
action on sunday
3:30 p.m. on ESPN: Sixers vs. Celtics Game 4: Embiid’s career record with Boston is 4-13. Will MVP help Philadelphia break the road curse on the Celtics?
8 p.m. TNT: Nuggets–Suns Game 4: This obviously depends on the outcome of Game 3. Will the sun set over Phoenix any time soon?
wolf conundrum
Shall we re-evaluate Rudy’s deal?
John Krawczynski wrote a staggering season-ending breakdown of the Rudy Gobert trade. Appropriately critical, not dramatic. He then discusses the cost of the trade, Minnesota’s options, positive results, and what went wrong. Also, where do wolves go from here?
It’s easy to dismiss this as one of the worst deals ever. The Wolves’ regular-season struggles appear to be heading in that direction. And they haven’t fought enough in the postseason to feel warm and dim about this year. It’s a combination.
On the surface, its clunkiness and constipation mirrored Action Bronson’s album title. Digging into his 27 games (just 27!) of the duo’s regular season, you’ll find that Minnesota’s defense has been terrific. The Wolves gave up just 105.6 points per 100 possessions, the highest defensive rating in the NBA. But Minnesota’s offense against Gobert and Towns was downright terrible. Net he had a rating of just 105.6 (potentially bottom).
Now let’s add superstar-in-the-making Anthony Edwards to the mix. Aggressive Rating: 106.7 | Defense rating: 104.4
Throw in defensive specialist Jayden McDaniels into that trio. Aggressive Rating: Still 106.7 | Defense rating: 102.9
Well, let’s include midseason acquisition Mike Conley. Aggressive Rating: 106.4 | Defense rating: 100.0
The Wolves are building a defensive identity they haven’t had since Kevin Garnett’s heyday. Offensive ratings aren’t reliable enough, so Minnesota have a lot to figure out with this team’s scoring. It looks like it’s not bad for
bounce pass
Did you know there is a Hustle Prize? Marcus Smart wins for the third time!
Doug Haller and Tony Jones discuss the future of the Suns-Nuggets series.
Will the Kings sign Domantas Sabonis to an extension this summer?
Bam Adebayo rightly blamed himself for Miami’s Game 2 loss.
In Game 2 against Miami, Jalen Brunson proved to be an absolute talent for the Knicks.
Has Nikola Jokic ever quarterbacked a championship-level defense?
athletic NBA Show catches all of playoff basketball.
(Photo by Klay Thompson: Andrew D. Bernstein / Getty Images)
