Rockets’ Chris Paul Out For Game 6
Rockets point guard Chris Paul will be sidelined for Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday due to a right hamstring strain, the team confirmed today (via Twitter). According to the Rockets, Paul will be re-evaluated after the club returns to Houston.
Paul suffered the injury during the final moments of the Rockets’ Game 5 win over the Warriors, having reportedly felt “a twinge” when he landed after taking a shot on one of the team’s final possessions. As Golden State took the ball back up the court, Paul got to his feet but was unable to get back on defense. He came out of the game at the next whistle, as Houston held on for the victory.
It’s a devastating blow for both the Rockets and for Paul, who has dealt with injuries in the past and has never made an NBA Finals appearance during his 13-year NBA career. With CP3 on the shelf, Houston figures to lean more heavily on Eric Gordon to make plays out of the backcourt alongside James Harden. However, the Rockets – who had already been playing a shortened rotation – will face an uphill battle in Game 6 with the series headed back to Oakland.
If the Warriors pull out Game 6, it would set up a potential Game 7 back in Houston on Monday. Paul will certainly do everything in his power to try to return to the court for that deciding contest, though Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link) suggests there’s an “unmistakable” pessimism emanating from Houston about the point guard’s potential availability.
Thompson, Green Not Currently Eligible For Super-Max
The results of this year’s All-NBA voting will have an impact on a pair of Warriors, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks observes (Twitter links). If Klay Thompson had earned a spot on an All-NBA team, he would have been eligible for a super-max extension this offseason. If Thompson doesn’t sign an extension with the club in the coming months, he could still gain super-max eligibility in 2019 by being named to next year’s All-NBA squad.
Meanwhile, Draymond Green, who also missed out on All-NBA honors this year, would’ve been eligible for a super-max in 2019 if he’d made the First, Second, or Third Team. Like Thompson, he could gain eligibility by earning an All-NBA nod next season, though only one of those two players could actually sign an early super-max extension with the Warriors — teams are limited to two such contracts, and Stephen Curry has already signed one (Kevin Durant‘s next deal isn’t a factor in this equation, since it’s a different form of contract).
While it’s worth monitoring Thompson’s and Green’s eligibility for those contracts worth 35% of the cap, it seems unlikely that the Warriors would be willing to offer either player that sort of deal anyway. The Dubs and Thompson have reportedly engaged in talks on an extension that would be worth well below the max, and Green will be on the wrong side of 30 when his current contract ends.
Chris Paul To Undergo MRI On Injured Hamstring
Although the Rockets took a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference Finals against the Warriors on Thursday night, the health of Chris Paul is a cause for concern heading into Game 6. Paul suffered an apparent hamstring injury during the final minute of Game 5, and will be re-evaluated after undergoing an MRI on Friday, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.
A team source tells Shelburne that Paul felt “a twinge” in the hamstring when he landed after shooting a jumper on one of Houston’s final possessions, and was still “really sore” after the game. While CP3 didn’t speak to reporters during the postgame presser, Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said that his point guard is “worried” about his hamstring and his status for the rest of the series, as Sam Amick of USA Today details.
“They’ll do whatever they can do,” D’Antoni said. “If he’s there, great, good for him. If he isn’t, we have enough guys, and it’s time for somebody else to step up. We got plenty of guys over there that will have some fresh legs. That’s for sure.”
Paul played a key role in the Rockets’ Thursday night win, and if he’s unable to play in Game 6 and a potential Game 7, Houston’s odds of knocking off the defending champions would decline significantly. It would also be a brutal turn of events for the 13-year veteran, who finds himself one win away from reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in his career.
We’ll wait for an official update on Paul’s health, but for what it’s worth, the 33-year-old remained optimistic as he left the arena on Thursday night. Caught by Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link) as he hopped into a car outside the Toyota Center, CP3 said he’ll “be all right” and expressed hope that he’ll be ready for Game 6.
Andre Iguodala Out Again For Game 5
Warriors forward Andre Iguodala will miss his second consecutive game in the Western Conference Finals, according to the team’s Twitter feed (Twitter link).
Iguodala has a left lateral knee contusion, suffered during Game 3 when he bumped knees with James Harden. Iguodala missed Game 4 on Tuesday, when Houston rallied in the fourth quarter to even the series at 2-all. Iguodala has started 12 of 13 postseason games, averaging 7.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.1 APG and 1.4 SPG in 27.5 MPG.
Kevon Looney could draw his second consecutive start. On the positive side, shooting guard Klay Thompson is available to play despite a left knee strain, according to the tweet.
NBA Announces 2017/18 All-NBA Teams
The NBA has formally announced the All-NBA First, Second, and Third Teams for the 2017/18 season, with James Harden and LeBron James leading the way as the two unanimous selections for the First Team.
The voting results will have major financial implications for the three All-NBA centers, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, and Karl-Anthony Towns. As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), Davis is now eligible for a supermax extension from the Pelicans next summer. Davis will be eligible to sign that deal, which projects to be worth $230MM, as of July 1, 2019.
As for Embiid, missing out on a First Team nod means his maximum-salary contract will remain at 25% of the cap rather than being bumped up to 30%. That means he’ll miss out on approximately $29MM over the next five years, as Dan Feldman of NBC Sports details.
Towns, meanwhile, will be eligible for an extension worth 30% of the cap this summer, Marks tweets. An extension of that sort, which would make the cap outlook in Minnesota very interesting, would go into effect for the 2019/20 season.
The full All-NBA teams are listed below, with their vote totals in parentheses. Players received five points for a First Team vote, three points for a Second Team vote, and one point for a Third Team vote, so Harden and James scored a perfect 500 — First Team nods from all 100 voters.
First Team
- Guard: James Harden, Rockets (500)
- Guard: Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers (432)
- Forward: LeBron James, Cavaliers (500)
- Forward: Kevin Durant, Warriors (426)
- Center: Anthony Davis, Pelicans (492)
Second Team
- Guard: Russell Westbrook, Thunder (322)
- Guard: DeMar DeRozan, Raptors (165)
- Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (354)
- Forward: LaMarcus Aldridge, Spurs (236)
- Center: Joel Embiid, Sixers (294)
Third Team
- Guard: Stephen Curry, Warriors (164)
- Guard: Victor Oladipo, Pacers (105)
- Forward: Jimmy Butler, Timberwolves (81)
- Forward: Paul George, Thunder (54)
- Center: Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves (99)
Among those results, the tightest race saw DeRozan edge Curry by a single point for a spot on the All-NBA Second Team. Both players received two First Team votes and 39 Second Team votes, with DeRozan grabbing one extra Third Team vote (38 to 37) to bump him up to the Second Team ahead of Curry.
As for the players who didn’t quite make the cut, Rockets point guard Chris Paul (54 points), Jazz center Rudy Gobert (51), Celtics guard Kyrie Irving (42), and Sixers guard/forward Ben Simmons (36) received the most support.
Al Horford (Celtics), Nikola Jokic (Nuggets), Andre Drummond (Pistons), Clint Capela (Rockets), Draymond Green (Warriors), Kyle Lowry (Raptors), Steven Adams (Thunder), Donovan Mitchell (Jazz), Klay Thompson (Warriors), Trevor Ariza (Rockets), DeMarcus Cousins (Pelicans), Dwight Howard (Hornets), Kevin Love (Cavaliers), and Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks) also each received at least one All-NBA vote.
Latest On Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala Injuries
MAY 24, 12:15pm: Kerr indicated today that Thompson is expected to play, while Iguodala is listed as a game-time decision (Twitter link via Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News).
MAY 23, 7:20pm: In somewhat surprising news, both Warriors forward Andre Iguodala and shooting guard Klay Thompson are listed as questionable for Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals tomorrow night, per an official tweet from the team.
Head coach Steve Kerr is confident both Thompson and Iguodala will play, per Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post, but the fact that both remain questionable is noteworthy nevertheless.
Iguodala, who suffered a knee contusion in Game 3, was sorely missed in the team’s Game 4 loss to the Rockets last night, while Thompson is one of the team’s four marquee stars, along with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green. Missing either one of the two could hamper the Warriors’ chances in Game 5, let alone both.
Thompson suffered a strained right knee during the second quarter of Game 4, forcing him to leave the game for several minutes before returning before halftime. Per Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area, GM Bob Myers was concerned while accompanying Thompson back in the locker room.
“Watching him try to run up and down, I thought it was bad. I was thinking meniscus or something. So then when he got back to the locker room, you can always kind of gauge a player’s concern by their mannerisms. And he just threw a towel over his face and laid down on the training table. And that’s not a good sign.”
It’ll be interesting to see how Kerr will adjust his rotation if Iguodala, Thompson, or both can’t play, but one would assume both Kevon Looney and Nick Young are logical candidates to receive the increased playing time, as they did in Game 4.
Warriors Notes: Durant, Looney, Kerr, Green
As Kevin Durant continues his quest to win a second consecutive NBA Championship during the Western Conference Finals, Darren Rovell of ESPN takes an interesting look into how Durant is using his new home in the Bay Area as a means to grow his financial portfolio.
Durant has invested in Nike, Alaska Airlines and American Family Insurance, among other businesses, while his own media company, Thirty Five Media, is producing original content such as Swagger, which was recently sold to Apple, and two other projects that are currently in development with major TV networks.
Rovell also touched Durant’s endorsement battle between Nike and Under Armour during the summer of 2014 when Durant ultimately signed a 10-year, $300 million deal with Nike. Said Durant:
“I knew I had a supreme skill that needed to be compensated for, and I knew I played my way into having these negotiations. But I didn’t want to start over at Under Armour or Adidas. I knew where I wanted to be, and $300 million was more than enough.”
Finally, Durant spoke about his interest in potentially owning an NBA franchise someday, if possible.
“I wish I had the money. It’s crazy. Obviously, the financial part is definitely going to be the hardest part. (But) I would love to (own a team). All the aspects of owning a team, I would love to be involved in — from the financial and marketing side to the team-building to the camaraderie to the coaching.”
There’s more out of Oakland:
- Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post says that while the Warriors have four of the top 20 players in the NBA on their roster, the lack of a reliable supporting cast is threatening to derail the team’s run to a third championship in four seasons. Bontemps specifically mentions the signings of Nick Young and Omri Casspi as “spectacular failures.”
- Head coach Steve Kerr has won the Professional Basketball Writes Associations’ 2017/18 Rudy Tomjanovich Award, which honors the NBA coach who, in addition to exuding excellence on the bench, best cooperates with media and fans, reports Marc J. Spears of ESPN.
- As we’ve noted before, it’s looking more and more likely that Kevon Looney will be playing basketball somewhere other than Oakland next year as he continues to impress during this year’s playoffs. After the team’s Game 3 win, Kerr specifically remarked on Looney’s ability as a big man to switch out onto talented playmakers such as Chris Paul and James Harden, reports Logan Murdock of the Bay Area News Group.
NBA Announces 2017/18 All-Defensive Teams
The NBA has officially announced its 2017/18 All-Defensive First and Second Teams, with Defensive Player of the Year candidates Rudy Gobert and Anthony Davis headlining the First Team.
Gobert led the way in voting, receiving 94 of 100 potential First Team votes. He also received four Second Team votes, and was left off of just two ballots, earning him 192 total points (two points per First Team vote; one point per Second Team vote). It’s his second All-Defensive First Team nod.
[RELATED: NBA Announces 2017/18 All-Rookie Teams]
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), the All-Defensive recognition will pay off financially for Gobert, who earns a $500K bonus as a result of his spot on the First Team. Meanwhile, Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday will receive a more modest $100K bonus for being named to the All-Defensive First Team.
Here are the full voting results for the All-Defensive First and Second Teams, with each player’s point total noted in parentheses:
First Team
- Rudy Gobert, C, Jazz (192)
- Anthony Davis, F/C, Pelicans (163)
- Victor Oladipo, G, Pacers (136)
- Jrue Holiday, G, Pelicans (105)
- Robert Covington, F, Sixers (90)
Second Team
- Joel Embiid, C, Sixers (90)
- Draymond Green, F, Warriors (86)
- Al Horford, F/C, Celtics (85)
- Dejounte Murray, G, Spurs (80)
- Jimmy Butler, G/F, Timberwolves (79)
Rockets point guard Chris Paul (74 points) and Thunder forward Paul George (69) narrowly missed earning spots on the All-Defensive Second Team. A total of 29 other players received at least one vote, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson.
You can find the full voting results right here.
LiAngelo Ball To Work Out For Warriors
- After a stint in Lithuania, LiAngelo Ball has returned stateside to audition for NBA teams ahead of the 2018 draft. According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype (Twitter link), Lonzo Ball‘s younger brother interviewed with the Thunder and Suns at the Pro Basketball Combine, and has private workouts on tap with the Lakers, Clippers, and Warriors.
Poll: 2018 NBA Finals Matchup
The Cavaliers faced a significant uphill battle in the Eastern Conference Finals after falling behind 2-0, and the Rockets looked to be on life support in the Western Conference Finals after being blown out in Golden State in Game 3. However, after Houston’s dramatic win on Tuesday night, both series are all tied at two games apiece, guaranteeing we’ll get a couple Game Sixes, and perhaps even a Game Seven or two.
With both Conference Finals having essentially become best-of-three series, the next several days should be fascinating. Coming into the third round, a Warriors/Cavaliers rematch in the Finals was widely expected, and oddsmakers are still forecasting that outcome. Sports betting site Bovada.lv currently lists both Golden State and Cleveland as 2-to-1 favorites.
Still, despite being favored, neither the Warriors nor the Cavs has home court advantage, which could be an important factor. Historically, in best-of-seven series that are tied after four games, the team with the home court edge wins 80% of the time, per Dan Feldman of NBC Sports (Twitter link).
The Rockets and Celtics have been particularly effective at home this year. No team posted a better regular-season home record than Houston’s 34-7 mark, and the Rockets are 6-2 in the postseason at the Toyota Center. As for the Celtics, they’ve yet to lose in Boston during the playoffs, reeling off nine straight home wins.
What do you think? Will either the Rockets or Celtics prevent a fourth straight Warriors/Cavaliers showdown in the 2018 NBA Finals? Which two teams do you expect to continue playing into June?
Vote in our poll, then jump into the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts on the Conference Finals!
Which two teams will play in the 2018 NBA Finals?
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Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors 30% (376)
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Boston Celtics vs. Golden State Warriors 28% (353)
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Boston Celtics vs. Houston Rockets 22% (276)
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Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Houston Rockets 20% (255)
Total votes: 1,260
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