The Memphis Grizzlies finished their so-called coaching search right where they started: on Thursday the team officially made their outgoing interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff their new head coach with a reported three-year deal. Bickerstaff coached the final 65 games of the season for Memphis after David Fizdale was fired amid clashes with Marc Gasol and some disappointing results in the wake of Mike Conley’s injury.
The Grizzlies’ coaching search was no search at all
We have that and more in Friday’s NBA newsletter.
Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
On the one hand, the Grizzlies were atrocious under Bickerstaff. On the other hand, wasn’t that the point for, like, at least 50 of those games he coached? You really cannot judge Bickerstaff’s performance because he wasn’t working with a full deck of players, and because we have no idea what the front office told him in terms of sitting Gasol in fourth quarters and other weird tank-adjacent maneuvers.
In April I ranked Memphis highly in terms of tanking teams equipped to be good soon. The path? Use a top-four pick on an instant contributor, get Conley back healthy, keep Gasol upright, and get something out of Chandler Parsons. Whether that will actually happen — any of it — remains to be seen.
Thursday’s Scores
Bucks 97, Celtics 86
Series tied 3-3
Recaps: Brew Hoop | CelticsBlog
Friday’s Schedule
Raptors at Wizards, 7 p.m. ET, ESPNews/NBA TV
Toronto leads 3-2
Cavaliers at Pacers, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Cleveland leads 3-2
Thunder at Jazz, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Utah leads 3-2
Links on Links on Links
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the best healthy player in the Celtics-Bucks series by a substantial margin, and that’s what mattered in Thursday’s Game 6. (The dude’s eurosteps are basically short-haul regional flights at this point. Scary.) Antetokounmpo had 31 and 14 in Milwaukee’s win to force a Saturday night Game 7. The winner of that game will face the resting 76ers beginning next week.
The other two teams moving on in the East could be decided Friday night ... or one or more could wait until Sunday Game 7s. The same applies to Jazz-Thunder: if Utah wins we’ll get Jazz-Rockets started on Sunday. If the Thunder win, we’re going back to OKC for a Sunday Game 7.
Ricky “Rick” O’Donnell has a glorious, resplendent Q&A with the glorious, resplendent Carlos Boozer, where they talk about HolDat, spray-on hair, and more.
I wrote about Russell Westbrook again.
Dawn Staley explains how Lindsay Whalen can coach college basketball and play in the WNBA at the same time. (Staley did it for years!)
Caitlin Cooper on the familiar forlorn feeling LeBron’s buzzer beater gave Pacers fans.
How the Thunder stormed back to save their season.
After breaking up with Mike Budenholzer, what’s next for the Hawks?
Candace Parker explains why she will no longer be representing Team USA in international play. Meanwhile, Team USA coaches have some tough roster decisions ahead.
Be excellent to each other.
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