Good morning. Let’s basketball.
Good morning. The NBA Finals are coming (eventually).
That and more in Tuesday’s NBA newsletter.
LET’S NBA FINALS CONTENT.
BALANCING THE PERSONALITIES: Satchel Price on how Steve Kerr gamely boosted Harrison Barnes at the expense of Andre Iguodala without angering the latter.
LET THIS SINK IN FOR A MINUTE: How J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov saved the Cavaliers’ season.
BEEP BEEP: These are the keys to the finals, as shared by Dan Rubenstein and Ryan Nanni. The good Mr. Nanni also discusses the evolution of the three-pointer from novelty to necessity.
WHOA: Dwyane Wade will be working as a studio analyst for up to four games during the finals on ABC. He’s one of LeBron’s closest friends but could also be critical of his supporting cast since WADE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HIS SUPPORTING CAST.
TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED: Mark Jackson talks about the awkwardness of calling Warriors games this postseason.
MILDLY INTERESTING: Joe Lacob is flying the entire full-time Warriors staff to Cleveland for Game 3. I feel like this is bad finals etiquette.
THE WEEKEND A TEENAGE LEBRON SPENT IN THE BAY AREA: Great history lesson by Marc Spears.
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
SUPER OFFICIAL: The Bulls will introduce Fred Hoiberg as their new head coach Tuesday afternoon. He’s getting the Steve Kerr special, per Woj: five years and $25 million. Tom Thibodeau was making less than that despite the No. 7 winning percentage all-time. The Bulls are kind of gross, in case you haven’t noticed. Say, I wonder how Friend-of-Thibs Jeff Van Gundy feels about this?
THE ROAD TO CIVIL WAR: I wrote about Dwyane Wade’s free agency fight with Miami serving as a prelude to the coming war between superstars, role players and the league.
LOVELY: Kevin Love reaggravated his shoulder celebrating the Cavs’ ECF triumph with a teammate. This is why he doesn’t attend games with those louts.
SMART: The Pelicans are reportedly trying to hire Darren Erman from Boston. He was previously fired by Mark Jackson in the midst of the playoff push.
FASCINATING: Really fascinating piece by Chuck Culpepper on Britney Griner and same-sex domestic violence.
NEAT: How wearable tech could improve sports leagues’ concussion protocols. Plus Sam Amick talks to the NBA’s concussion doc about the inexact science of diagnosis.
WHO IS KRISTAPS? Grantland is running a video series on the most excellently named draft prospect in years, Kristaps Porzingis.
Happy Tuesday. See you next time.
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