Dallas Mavs WATCH: Dereck Lively II Hilariously Tries to Avoid OKC Thunder Intentional Foul: NBA Playoffs Tracker
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MAY 12 DERECK LIVELY & CHET HOLMGREN PLAY TAG During the fourth quarter of the Dallas Mavericks' 105-101 Game 3 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, OKC head coach Mark Daigneault, who recently won Coach of the Year for the 2023-24 season, decided to use the 'Hack-a-Shaq' strategy on Mavs rookie big man Dereck Lively II in an attempt to give his team an advantage.
Lively ended up going 8-12 on his free throws during Game 3, so OKC's plan backfired, but the intentional foul strategy created a funny moment where the Dallas big man was running away from Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren to avoid being fouled.
"We came back to the bench, and I was just like 'You don't have to do all that. Just let them foul you. Take it as a compliment. And go up there and knock down your free throws. We believe in you, you put in a lot of reps,'" Kyrie Irving said of the incident.
"Although he is a rookie, going up there I think he showed a lot of poise. He showed a lot of preparation and his confidence and whether he makes or misses, I feel like that's a good opportunity for us. That shows where we are as a team. Especially in the halfcourt or playing in transition. I'm talking about the respect from the OKC team, where they don't want us to play in halfcourt. So, they go to the 'Hack-a-Dereck Lively' and it worked out in our favor tonight. I want him to go to the line and shoot it confidently."
MAY 10 KYRIE IRVING TELLS OFF FAN
In the closing moments of Game 2, Kyrie Irving had some choice words for an Oklahoma City Thunder fan while at the charity stripe.
MAY 9 LUKA INJURY UPDATE
Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals? A Dallas loss ... maybe a Thunder cheap shot ... and a wobbly Luka Doncic.
But despite Doncic appearing to be in pain after tripping over Luguentz Dort (or being tripped by?) ... and despite what Dallas is now terming a "right knee sprain,'' will be in for Game 2 against the Thunder on Thursday night in OKC.
Maxi Kleber (right shoulder AC separation) and Olivier-Maxence Prosper (left ankle sprain) will be out.
MAY 9 THE NBA SUSPENDED PATRICK BEVERLEY FOR MULTIPLE MISCONDUCTS
Patrick Beverley finally aggravated the NBA's top executives to the point of suspension. After hitting a fan in the face with a basketball and overstepping boundaries regarding media credentials, the league's home office hit Beverley with a four-game suspension.
May 9 JALEN BRUNSON PASSES CARMELO ANTHONY IN KNICKS PLAYOFF POINTS
Although Carmelo Anthony holds the heart of New Yorkers, Jalen Brunson is already accomplishing more in significantly less time with the New York Knicks. In Game 2 of the Indiana Pacers-Knicks series, Brunson passed Anthony in Knicks playoff points by scoring 591 total.
May 6 RUDY GOBERT TO MISS GAME 2 VS. NUGGETS FOR THE BIRTH OF HIS CHILD
Rudy Gobert is a family man, and there is no further proof than missing a playoff game for the birth of his child. The Minnesota Timberwolves lead the Denver Nuggets 1-0, but without Gobert in the paint, the series could be tied after the final buzzer sounds.
May 5 CAVS DONOVAN MITCHELL KNOCKS DOWN DEEP FOURTH QUARTER THREE-POINT SHOT VS. MAGIC
Despite falling down 18 points to the Orlando Magic, the Cleveland Cavaliers stole away the Game 7 momentum. Donovan Mitchell is mainly to thank for such a turnaround in a do-or-die scenario. To set the precedent in the fourth quarter, Mitchell netted a deep three-point shot.
May 4 LEBRON JAMES TO EXECUTIVE PRODUCE NEW DOCUSERIES
Thanks to the Denver Nuggets, LeBron James has more to focus on than "just basketball," starting with a new docuseries airing on Vice TV in June. The title of the docuseries "Uninterrupted: The Real Stories of Basketball" coincides with James's brand and is jointly produced by SpringHill Company and MY Entertainment.
May 2 LEBRON JAMES GOES GAGA FOR KYRIE IRVING DURING GAME 5 VS. THE LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
The Dallas Mavericks handily beat the Los Angeles Clippers 123-93 on Wednesday night. During the contest, Kyrie Irving's former teammate LeBron James praised the Mavs guard for an outrageous highlight play.
With LeBron's future with the Los Angeles Lakers in doubt, speculation surrounding the possibility of him joining Irving and Luka Doncic in Dallas next season has grown. This will surely add to that growing fire.
May 1 DOC RIVERS OPENS WINDOW OF POSSIBILITY FOR GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO AND DAMIAN LILLARD
Following the 115-92 victory over the Indiana Pacers, Doc Rivers spoke to the media, pumping life into the Milwaukee Bucks with a single sentence. "I think they're very, very, very close."
Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) hasn't played a game in the series, and Damian Lillard (Achilles) missed the last two games. As the Pacers failed to close out the battered-and-bruised Bucks last Tuesday night, the idea of the two aforementioned stars intensifies the pressure.
April 30 LEBRON JAMES GOING BACK TO CALI AFTER NUGGETS SEND LAKERS PACKING; JOEL EMBIID MISSES GAMEDAY SHOOTAROUND
Despite leading the scoreboard for over 150 minutes against the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers fell 4-1 to the reigning NBA champions. Jamal Murray hit his second game-winner of the series. Denver plays the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.
Joel Embiid missed Tuesday's gameday shootaround due to a migraine. The 76ers face the New York Knicks tonight down 3-1.
April 29 THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES GET THE LAST OVER THE PHOENIX SUNS
At the age of 22, Anthony Edwards led the Minnesota Timberwolves to their first playoff series win since 2004, sweeping the previously favored Phoenix Suns. Naturally, the Timberwolves' social media team took the Suns to task on X.
In the close-out game, Edwards finished with 40 points, including a ferocious dunk over his childhood idol, Kevin Durant, en route to the sweep. The T-Wolves will face either the Denver Nuggets or the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round.