Tag: nytimes.com

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The first time a powerful European soccer club asked the NBA if, in two years, it might be allowed to buy one of the league’s stars for NBA Europe, the answer was immediate. No. Imagine it: A rich, powerful, proper football conglomerate overseas starts a basketball team. It picks up the phone and dials the…

Who’s NBA’s most overrated player? Underrated? Best coach? Anonymous player poll results

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How do NBA players feel about which of their peers is most underrated and most overrated? And what do they think when it comes to the league’s head coaches? We asked them those questions, and more, for The Athletic’s 2026 Anonymous NBA Player Poll. From late February to early April, our writers fanned out across…

2026 NBA playoffs second-round odds: Thunder are now minus-odds title favorites

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The Oklahoma City Thunder have been favored to win the NBA title all season, but as contenders struggle or get eliminated, it’s starting to look less and less likely someone will take them down. The Thunder have had no trouble this postseason and are now favored against the field. OKC has minus odds (-170) to…

Thunder run away with Game 1, but Lakers show some fight: Takeaways

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The Oklahoma City Thunder opened Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers with more of the same suffocating defense, riding it to a 108-90 blowout victory Tuesday and a 1-0 lead in this Western Conference semifinals series. Chet Holmgren (team-high 24 points), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell, starting in place of the injured Jalen Williams,…

NBA fines Jaylen Brown $50,000 for public criticism of officiating on a livestream

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BOSTON — Even a playoff exit couldn’t stop Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown’s season-long crusade against NBA referees. The league announced Tuesday night that it fined Brown $50,000 for comments he made on a livestream the day after the Celtics were eliminated by the Philadelphia 76ers. The Celtics lost Game 7 of their first-round series…

Masai Ujiri to examine Jason Kidd, Mavericks ‘from head to toe’

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DALLAS — In 2014, Masai Ujiri was a fresh-faced executive in his first season as general manager of the Toronto Raptors. Before the team’s first-round playoff series that spring, Ujiri got a little carried away at a fan rally in Toronto and cursed his team’s opponent, the Brooklyn Nets. “F— Brooklyn!” Ujiri yelled to Raptors…

Beer sabres, skates and tusks: NHL, NBA teams surpassing MLB in souvenir cup innovations

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Creative concession souvenirs have long been dominated by baseball. From ice cream in a mini-helmet to popcorn buckets shaped like Yankee Stadium, ballparks have been the domain of consuming regrettable amounts of unhealthy food and drink out of super fun receptacles for decades. But when it comes to souvenir drinking cup innovations in particular, hockey…

Chris Finch says Victor Wembanyama’s playoff blocks record was aided by missed goaltends

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SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama had a historic night on defense in the Game 1 loss of the San Antonio Spurs’ second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, the Timberwolves are sending a clear message: They’re not backing down and plan to keep coming at the newly minted NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Advertisement…

Sixers coach Nick Nurse steps away to mourn brother, expected back for Game 2

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Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse was away from the team Tuesday, attending funeral services for his older brother, Stephen. Stephen Nurse, 62, passed away unexpectedly last week, the day before the Sixers defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of their first-round series. Nick Nurse coached in Games 6 and 7 of the Boston…

The Bounce: A Wemby record in a loss. Plus, Lakers-Thunder and Cavs-Pistons begin

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