Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers and the team he led to the best record in the Eastern Conference last season put their hands together in the middle of a huddle at the end of practice and counted off, “1-2-3! Together!”
Lingering outside the huddle, holding a basketball and looking uninterested was the $147 million puzzle piece in Ben Simmons. With Simmons focused and engaged, the Sixers are again a team to beat in the East this season.
Adam Silver, the basketball fan, would prefer to see Kyrie Irving on the court again with the Brooklyn Nets as soon as possible.
Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, would prefer to see Irving vaccinated.
Silver said Monday he hopes Irving — one of the few players in the league who has not yet chosen to be vaccinated — changes his mind before long and clears a path to get back on the floor with the Nets.
With Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, the New York Knicks can do things they couldn’t last season.
Or the three seasons before that.
Walker scored 19 points in his best game with his hometown team and the Knicks snapped a 15-game losing streak against the Philadelphia 76ers with a 112-99 victory Tuesday night.
Eddie Hearn was in a state of shock moments after watching his fight Mikey Garcia go down in defeat in losing a 10 round majority decision to Sandor Martin last Saturday night at the Chukchansi Park, Fresno, California. The scores were 95-95, 97-93, and 97-93.
Mikey was outboxed by Sandor, who proved to be as slippery as an eel and almost impossible to be hit cleanly.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
Atlanta Hawks coach Nate McMillan believes big men entering the league from other countries thrive because they were taught the fundamentals of the game at a young age.
That grasp of the all-around game has helped international big men dominate the NBA.
Last season’s MVP voting confirmed the return to prominence of big men in the NBA. The voting also highlighted the dominance of big men from other countries.
Kyrie Irving said Wednesday he didn’t want to lose salary or a chance to compete for a championship with the Brooklyn Nets, but was doing “what’s best for me” by refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Nets decided Tuesday that Irving wouldn’t be with the team because he isn’t eligible to play in home games, where a New York mandate requires professional athletes on one of the city’s teams to be vaccinated to practice or play in public venues.
The Brooklyn Nets look like such a title favorite that James Harden felt the need for a reminder they aren’t a title team.
“We’re not the target. The defending champions are the targets,” Harden said. “They won last year. We’re trying to catch them.”
It may be a roster like none other.
The Los Angeles Lakers have four of the NBA’s top seven active scorers. The top three leading active rebounders. Three of the top four active leaders in assists. Three of the top five in blocks. Three of the top five in wins. Four of the top six in steals. They could even have five Olympic gold medalists on the floor at once and another on the bench.
This much is known: Ben Simmons is back in Philadelphia. But there’s no clear sign yet the All-Star guard is set to rescind his trade request and actually play for the 76ers.
Even coach Doc Rivers — publicly, at least — says he’s unsure of the status of the trade demand, the latest wrinkle in the on-again-off-again relationship between Simmons and the Sixers.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr is a curious as any NBA observer to see how former league MVP Russell Westbrook blends with incumbent Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis as part of the latest “Big Three” to chase a championship together in Los Angeles.
