Tag: nytimes.com

Sometimes, the most important moves are the ones you don’t make. Exactly one month ago today, entering Game 4 of their first-round series against Atlanta, it seemed like the New York Knicks were set to reshuffle their starting lineup in order to keep their season alive. The first unit — Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh…

If and when the NBA pushes through its 3-2-1 draft lottery policy later this week, the league would not just change future team behavior but also impact several teams based on previously made trades. That is one of the unintended consequences of the rules the league will look to enshrine Thursday when it asks its…

SAN ANTONIO — The Oklahoma City Thunder’s depth, magnificent throughout this season and this Western Conference finals series, had no magic to give Sunday night. Depth went from a helpful tool to dire. Down Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, two of the team’s most important creators, the Thunder delivered their flattest game of the postseason,…

SAN ANTONIO — This backbreaker wasn’t as audacious as the last. Unlike Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, when Victor Wembanyama’s 32-footer to force a double overtime was the product of flow state and downright arrogance, his half-court 3-pointer at the end of the first half of Game 4 was born out of desperation…

SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs knew how badly they blew it. The metal door to their locker room deep under the stands wasn’t strong enough to hold out the reality of their situation. The stench of their performance seeped through the slim opening underneath, wafting around the locker room. There was no respite…

Turquoise, pink and orange words mount an exhibit of books immediately noticeable when patrons walk into San Antonio’s Central Library, the bright red building in the middle of the city’s downtown: “Read Like Wemby.” Just to the right of the circulation desk, where people can sign up for a library card and check out books,…

SAN ANTONIO — Legendary former Spurs coach Gregg Popovich went into San Antonio’s locker room immediately after their Game 3 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder to deliver some choice words about their performance. The speech, first relayed by De’Aaron Fox on NBC’s postgame show Sunday and confirmed to The Athletic by multiple Spurs players,…

Before Game 4 of the Western Conference finals tipped off Sunday night in San Antonio, the Spurs received an early blessing. A group of nuns seated near the floor at Frost Bank Center were shown on the arena video board blessing Spurs center Luke Kornet before their matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, drawing one…

Victor Wembanyama scored a game-high 33 points, and the San Antonio Spurs’ defense smothered the Oklahoma City Thunder throughout a dominant 103-82 win in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Sunday. San Antonio evened the series at 2-2 after leading by as many as 25 points. The Spurs took the lead for good…

As the conversation about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s foul-drawing heats up, one San Antonio Spurs fan has found a unique way to poke fun at the Oklahoma City Thunder’s two-time MVP. A woman seated near the floor of Frost Bank Center brought a fake MVP trophy mocking the Thunder star’s reputation of embellishing contact, turning one of…