State Champ Radio nba playoffs
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The NBA playoffs are winding down with the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Finals in full swing. In the east, the Boston Celtics are now down 0-3 in their best-of-seven series against the Miami Heat, with the Los Angeles Lakers sharing the same record against the Denver Nuggets.
In NBA lore, few teams are as notable as the Celtics and Lakers given the long length of their rivalry and dominance on the court in different eras. In fact, it was expected by some that the two teams would meet in the 2023 NBA Finals, but both teams are on the brink of elimination.
On Sunday (May 21), The Celtics headed down to Miami to face the Heat in a must-win game after going 0-2 at their home arena. It was expected that the trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart would have an offensive explosion.
Instead, it was Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Gabe Vincent, who led all scorers with 29 points, owning the night. It was also a night that saw Tatum and Brown shoot 33 and 35 percent from the field respectively, and they didn’t get much help elsewhere although Grant Williams did give 12 off the bench. Butler scored 24 for the Heat but did so on 5-13 shooting, and got to the line seven times and sinking six.
On Saturday (May 20), Jamal Murray went off for 37 points against the Lakers, with Nuggets big man passing wizard Nikola Jokic dropping 24 with eight assists. The Lakers have been competitive in spurts but each game in the series has been huge swings and momentum changes that LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and coach Darvin Ham haven’t been able to figure out.
Tonight, the Lakers will take on the Nuggets in a win-or-go-home game for King James and Los Angeles. Even still, they would need to win four games to climb out of this major hole they’ve built for themselves. On Tuesday, the Celtics and Heat resume their series in a must-win for Boston.
On Twitter, the reaction to how the NBA Playoffs are currently playing out is all over the place. We’ve got reactions from NBA fans below.
[h/t NBA.com]
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Ben Simmons is definitely persona non grata in the city of Philadelphia after flaming out as a member of the city’s professional basketball team. The former Philadelphia 76ers star has Twitter talking after fans took notice of Ben Simmons taking in Game 7 of his former squad taking on the Boston Celtics in a loss and speculation is high that he was throwing shots.
Ben Simmons, who will be 27 this summer, is now a member of the Brooklyn Nets after a disappointing stint with the Sixers ended with a whimper. Simmons didn’t go on to resume his former glory with the Nets but he’s still considered a player with the potential to turn around his basketball fortunes.
What has Twitter reacting to at the moment is an image from Simmons’ Instagram story feed featuring the Australian player taking in the Sixers-Celtics game without any further context. Why that has sparked such curiosity is an unspoken and largely unconfirmed beef between Simmons and the Sixers considering the strained relationship between him and the team.
Adding to this, the Sixers lost in explosive fashion in the semifinal contest against the Celtics and looked poised to take the series at one point. However, 51 big points from Tatum and 25 from co-star Jaylen Brown nullified Joel Embiid, James Harden, and the rest of the Sixers. In fact, Tobias Harris led all Sixers with 19 points.
On Twitter, folks are assuming that Simmons is smoking on that Sixers pack. We’ve got the reactions below.
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Joel Embiid, the current Most Valuable Player of the NBA winner, and his Philadelphia 76ers squad looked poised to make their way to the Eastern Conference finals. However, after falling to the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the series on Sunday (May 14), Joel Embiid is catching the wrath of NBA fans questioning his mettle.
Joel Embiid, 29, had a strong playoff run with the scoring heroics of James Harden aiding him when the points weren’t coming as easily for the big man. Even after suffering an injury, Embiid showed incredible grit in the paint and on the perimeter, proving why he won MVP honors this season.
That said, the Celtics, featuring the core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart, were heavy favorites heading into the Eastern Conference finals and proved why on Mother’s Day. Especially Tatum, who led all scorers with 51, followed by Brown, who poured in 25. In contrast, the 76ers’ leading scorer was Tobias Harris with 19, followed by Tyrese Maxey, who dropped 17, and Embiid with 15. Harden, who has been lights out for much of the series, scored 9.
In the postgame press conference, Embiid put himself and Harden above the team in his comments and seemingly took shots at his supporting core by saying they didn’t show up. In fairness, Embiid also put the blame on himself, especially as he gave wider context.
Given Embiid’s offensive output and the way the Celtics rolled over them in a win-or-go-home matchup, Embiid’s comments invited a barrage of criticism. Further, given the recent firings of NBA head coaches such as Monty Williams in Phoenix and Mike Budenholzer in Milwaukee, many believe 76ers coach Doc Rivers could be on the chopping block next.
Make no mistake. Joel Embiid is an elite NBA big man and one heck of an all-around player. The 76ers just ran into a prepared, hungry, and focused Celtics team on their home floor. Still, many on Twitter aren’t as forgiving and the tweets prove it. We’ve got them listed below.
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The NBA Playoffs are in full swing and many of the games have been nail-biting thrillers, to say the least. The New York Knicks, one of the marquee teams of the NBA, were thought to be favorites in their series against the Miami Heat but now find themselves down 3-1 in their seven-game series on Monday (May 8).
The drama in the Eastern Conference NBA Playoffs has been high with the Boston Celtics tied 2-2 in their best-of-seven series with the Philadelphia 76ers and in the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets locked in a 2-2 series against the Phoenix Suns. Also last night, the Los Angeles Lakers went up 3-1 in their series against the defending champions, Golden State Warriors.
The Heat, which upset the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, are continuing their winning ways on the back of the heroics of Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, and Bam Adebayo. The Knicks, led by the talented duo of Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson, are now scrambling from behind.
Last night in Miami, the Heat took down the Knicks 109-101 with Butler, back from an injury, scoring 27 points and dropping 10 assists and Adebayo pouring in 23 points and grabbing 13 boards. Brunson led all scorers with 32 points to go along with 11 assists and R.J. Barrett scored 24 points for the Knicks.
The Heat are down a man in their three-point specialist, Tyler Herro, who went down with a broken hand in the Bucks series. However, signs are pointing to the fact he may return but the Heat might not need him at this juncture. The series returns to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday (May 10) as the Knicks hope to salvage their NBA championship hopes.
On Twitter, folks are reacting to the eighth-seeded Heat putting on a clinic against the Knicks. We’ve got those reactions below.
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50 Cent was sitting courtside during an NBA playoff game on Monday night (April 17), during which the Golden State Warriors lost 114-106 to the Sacramento Kings. Besides watching an intense basketball game, the rapper also had a front row seat to a scuffle between players Draymond Green and Domantas Sabonis, which led to Green stomping on Sabonis’ chest.
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“Said @money23green, what the fvck you do that for?” the “In Da Club” rapper wrote on Instagram following the event, alongside a photo set of the altercation. “He said 50 im a big stepper, I’m out here steppin on s— it’s the playoffs. i was sitting there looking like [wide-eyed emoji] oh s—!”
The whole situation went down when Sabonis attempted to rebound during the fourth quarter of the game, which led to him falling on the ground and grabbing Green’s leg. Green then shook off Sabonis’ grip, before he appeared to step on Sabonis’ chest. Green was then given a “flagrant two” foul and ejected from the game, while Sabonis got a technical foul.
In a post-game press conference, Green explained what happened, clarifying that the stomp was an accident. “My leg got grabbed,” the NBA star explained. “The second time in two nights — and the referee is just watching. I got to land my foot somewhere, and I’m not the most flexible person, so it’s not stretching that far. I can only step so far with someone pulling my leg away.”
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