NBA 101

Draymond on Kerr’s future: ‘Felt like that was it’

Draymond Green said while he hopes Steve Kerr is back, he’d guess that this past season was Kerr’s last as coach with the franchise.

📸 Celebrity sightings at NBA playoffs games

Celebrities have been out in style courtside at the NBA playoffs.

Wembanyama joins SGA, Jokic as MVP finalist

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama were named finalists for this season’s Most Valuable Player award.

Blazers’ lack of fan T-shirts invites questions

The Portland Trail Blazers won’t give away T-shirts for fans when they take on the San Antonio Spurs in Games 3 and 4 of the opening series, another in a series of moves that has drawn questions about the team’s cost-cutting and finances.

Sources: Bulls get OK to interview multiple execs

The Bulls have started the search for their new head of basketball operations, receiving permission to interview multiple NBA executives, sources told ESPN.

'We've just got to be ready': Jalen Brunson, Knicks embrace playoff intensity entering Game 2 against Hawks

After Game 1 at MSG, Knicks‘ first-round series with the Atlanta Hawks does not lack playoff intensity.

Saturday’s 113-102 New York win saw Knicks captain Jalen Brunson outduel CJ McCollum, who took issue with his technical foul after a kick to Brunson’s midsection during a shot at the third quarter’s 1:40 mark and the Hawks facing a 57-55 deficit.

“I shot a jumper and Jalen thought we were at a Broadway show,” McCollum said after Saturday’s game. “He acted it out until they reviewed it. It’s a normal jump shot, nothing there — unnecessary, and I look forward to getting my $2,500 (fine) back.”

Brunson told reporters after the Knicks’ Sunday practice that he has “no reaction” to McCollum’s postgame comments.

“I didn’t see it,” New York coach Mike Brown said Sunday of McCollum’s postgame comments. “A lot of guys are going to say a lot of things throughout the course of the playoffs. So, whatever people want to say, that’s up to them.”

Brunson’s game-high 28 points edged McCollum’s 26, combining with Knicks co-star Karl-Anthony Towns to lead a full team effort for third-seeded New York against sixth-seeded Atlanta.

“We’ve just got to be ready for them,” Brunson said Sunday, referencing Monday’s 8 p.m. tipoff for Game 2. “You just know that teams usually bounce back after a loss, and so we’ve got to be ready to up our intensity, up our physicality and just be ready to match theirs. They’re a good team, they’re well-coached and they’re going to be ready to go.”

The Knicks seek a 2-0 lead at the Garden before the best-of-seven set goes to Atlanta for Thursday’s 7 p.m. Game 3.

“It’s one of those things you have to be there and experience it to really understand it,” New York wing Josh Hart said of MSG’s postseason energy Sunday. “Obviously, regular season’s always fun, it’s always cool. And I was talking to (Yankees right-hander) Cam Schlittler (Saturday) about it — playoffs in New York is different. The vibe is different. Everything is heightened in the Garden and, obviously, for them at Yankee Stadium. You’ve got to experience it, man — the energy, the passion, the love, it’s crazy.”

East playoff takeaways: Celtics dominate Sixers in 32-point drubbing

Here’s what has stood out from the latest playoff games of the Eastern Conference’s first round.

Takeaways: Lakers overcome injuries, Murray shows out for Nuggets

Here’s what has stood out from the latest playoff games of the Western Conference’s first round.