Bruno Manrique Articles - Page 104

The NBA league office has rescinded the technical fouls issued to Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and Houston Rockets center Nene in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. Both players were hit with a double-technical by official Ed Malloy in the dying seconds of the third quarter. The […]

The Golden State Warriors have developed a new strategy to keep Stephen Curry from fouling out of games. If it wasn’t enough to scheme against the reigning MVP in James Harden, head coach Steve Kerr and his staff have also put work in to keep their star on the floor, as Curry has now picked […]

Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals didn’t disappoint, as two determined teams clashed once again at Oracle Arena. The Golden State Warriors grabbed a 2-0 lead on the Houston Rockets by correcting their mistakes and showing a brand new level of intensity, but the long wait until Game 3 in Clutch City will leave […]

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green had yet another controversial eye poke, as he got Houston Rockets guard James Harden across both eyes when hoping to tap away a rebound to a teammate. Harden immediately went to the ground and stayed there for a minute before being helped to the locker room. Green approached him […]

Stephen Curry is not heavily concerned with the dislocated finger he suffered in the opening minutes of Game 2 against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. The Golden State Warriors point man leaped for a steal on center Clint Capela, jamming his left middle finger and later being forced to the bench with the injury: “It […]

A recent SportsCenter video featuring longtime anchor Scott Van Pelt gave further context and a sense of clarity surrounding the landing spot controversy that has engulfed the narrative of an otherwise fantastic rivalry between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets. The tape shows James Harden’s antis of fishing for foul calls during his 3-point […]

Kevin Durant won’t point the finger at James Harden for how the officiating has taken over the narrative of a barn-burner Western Conference Semifinal series between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets. Harden has taken an onslaught of criticism after exaggerating his landing to induce foul calls, but Durant notes there’s not much […]

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is expected to come back for his 24th season and soon expected to sign a three-year contract to keep him as the highest paid coach in the NBA, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. This contract extension has been on the works for quite a while, but Popovich, as […]

Vince Carter plans to return for a 22nd season in the NBA, he announced on the Winging It podcast on Tuesday. Carter is coming off playing the 2018-19 season as a veteran mentor for the Atlanta Hawks, showing flashes of the elixir of youth throughout the course of the season. The former dunk champion put […]

The Boston Celtics will anticipate a change of plans after handing the Milwaukee Bucks a 112-90 beatdown on their home floor in Sunday’s Game 1. However, head coach Brad Stevens is not expecting any major changes to their plans, saying there’s often “way too big of a deal” made about adjustments from game to game.. […]

Kyrie Irving has wowed his competition through the course of the postseason, not only leading his Boston Celtics in scoring with an average of 21.3 points per game, but also posting career-high numbers in assists — averaging 8.4 dimes per game in five postseason wins thus far in the playoffs. Known as a lethal scorer, […]

Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens isn’t surprised at the recent showcase of Kyrie Irving’s passing mastery, as he’s followed the young point guard’s career from an early age. Stevens, who used to coach Butler University, had seen him from the time he played for Duke during his lone year as a collegiate player, and […]

The Houston Rockets’ data-driven case accusing officials of providing the Golden State Warriors with an unfair advantage of the whistle in “heavy-hitter” matchups circumvented a key rule provided by the league in hopes of maintaining transparency. According to Zach Harper of The Athletic, the league sent out a memorandum to all playoff participants reminding them of […]

Joel Embiid managed to suit up for Game 2 against the Toronto Raptors, despite his status being murky after dealing with symptoms of gastroenteritis before Monday’s tip-off. The Philadelphia 76ers big man told teammate Jimmy Butler to get the win, given that he was doing all he could to be out on the floor: “He […]

Four of the five Philadelphia 76ers starters received new defensive assignments ahead of Game 2. Among them, Ben Simmons got Kawhi Leonard duty for the majority of the game. Leonard scored a game-high 35 points in Monday’s tilt, but the Toronto Raptors ultimately came up short, losing at home and bringing a 1-1 series to […]

Jimmy Butler’s heroics were enough to complete the task for the Philadelphia 76ers, stealing a road game and tying up the Eastern Conference Semifinals at 1-1 against the Toronto Raptors. Butler’s brilliant 30 points spearheaded the win, but the two-way star wasn’t impressed or relieved by the Sixers finally coming to The Six and winning after […]

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic gave the Portland Trail Blazers fits during a 121-113 win to grab a 1-0 series lead in the Western Conference Semifinals on Monday night. Blazers point man Damian Lillard, who scored a game-high 39 points, noted his team must make the big dipper uncomfortable if they are to win the […]

Paul Millsap has become aware of the jigsaw puzzle star teammate Nikola Jokic has been for opposing defenses throughout the postseason, as several have tried and failed to find an answer for the big man in the middle of the Denver Nuggets core. Millsap even went as far as to compare his star center to […]

Damian Lillard is aware that his turnovers had an impact in deciding a closely contested Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The Portland Trail Blazers were unable to shock the Denver Nuggets and steal home-court advantage, instead losing 121-113 to a fundamentally sound team that took care of the ball formidably on Monday night. […]

Gary Harris provided the home fans at the Pepsi Center with a delicious finish over Portland Trail Blazers center Zach Collins on Monday night. The Denver Nuggets guard took off from the baseline after a Nikola Jokic bounce pass caught him backdoor, eluding CJ McCollum’s defense and slithering around the 7-footer with an airborne up-and-under […]

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard was seen constantly talking to the officials throughout an electric Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Denver Nuggets. Despite a game-high 39 points, the Blazers star constantly approached them in efforts to understand their approach: “It was a game we wanted to win, it was […]

Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals was meant to be as close to an NBA Finals preview as the league could offer, as two high-octane offensive teams squared up against one another on Sunday. Yet James Harden’s foul-enticing antics were the storyline that engulfed what would have been a majestic display of high-level play. […]

The NBA’s most-awaited Last Two Minute Report is in, and the verdict is (drumroll please) … no foul on James Harden’s last 3-point attempt. However, the report indicates there was a foul on Stephen Curry with 5.2 seconds left, a call that Chris Paul protested to the sideline referee before earning his second technical of […]

Klay Thompson dismissed James Harden’s complaints following a Golden State Warriors Game 1 win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday, one filled with controversy surrounding the officials and their shy whistles in regards to 3-point shooters. After the loss, Harden argued that he just wanted to be officiated fairly, using Kawhi Leonard’s injury as a […]

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant said there was no such rivalry with LA Clippers point man Patrick Beverley, yet people were hoping the latter’s aggressive and pestering style of defense could forge an epic narrative between the two: “I felt a lot of people wanted to make a thing out of me and Patrick […]

Klay Thompson has slowly developed into the iron man of the Golden State Warriors, and he showed just why in Game 1 after making a start once again, despite sporting a pretty nasty sprained ankle from Game 6 of their first-round series against the L.A. Clippers. Teammate Andre Iguodala has noticed his toughness throughout the […]

An animated Jay Williams took to explaining the foul/no-foul debate from Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals, as the controversy once again surrounded James Harden and his beef with the whistle. Williams explained just how Harden’s constant manipulation of the officials backfired against the Golden State Warriors during a 104-100 loss. He argued that […]

ESPN analyst Jay Williams debated with former NBA forward Richard Jefferson about Sunday’s controversy surrounding the calls and no-calls to Houston Rockets star James Harden. Williams admitted Harden didn’t get the benefit of the call in several shots, but ultimately he turned to exaggerate his landing space in hope to entice officials to make the […]

Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni kept money in his pocket after Game 1 by declining to go all-in on the officials following a controversial end to a 104-100 loss on Sunday. D’Antoni’s star James Harden shot and missed a closely-contested 3-pointer, which cause for teammate Chris Paul to confront the sideline official for a […]

The Houston Rockets’ bench did not produce as expected during Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Golden State Warriors. Head coach Mike D’Antoni went with a nine-man rotation, using the likes of Iman Shumpert, Gerald Green, Nene and Danuel House Jr. However, they were unable to hold their own against a starter-heavy […]

Chris Paul finished Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors earlier than he expected thanks to being ejected with 4.4 seconds left in regulation after arguing a foul call for teammate James Harden. Harden took a 3-pointer that was closely challenged by Draymond Green, but the Houston Rockets guard did not get the benefit of […]

Boston Celtics veteran forward Marcus Morris knew his name would be called on for this pivotal Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Milwaukee Bucks before it even started “I knew I was starting when we won. Once we swept (Indiana),” said Morris, according to John Karalis of MassLive. “I was in practice with the first […]

Brooklyn Nets forward Jared Dudley is reportedly interested in joining the Boston Celtics as a free agent this upcoming offseason, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Dudley played for Boston College and has enjoyed a sound bounce-back year for the Nets as a veteran leader and a 3-point weapon. The veteran forward will turn […]

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is tired of the side-to-side swipe foul, one Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant popularized dating back to his days with the Oklahoma City Thunder. After watching Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Warriors and the Houston Rockets, Cuban took to Twitter to explain his displeasure. It’s […]

The Golden State Warriors were able to hold down their home court for a 1-0 series lead against the Houston Rockets after two disappointments at Oracle Arena in the previous series against the L.A. Clippers. A close game throughout, this 104-100 win had it all: tough competition, a game-winning dagger, and drama — lots of […]

Kevin Durant’s surgical night against the L.A. Clippers saw him score a career-high 50 points in a playoff game, enough to bury them in Game 6 after squandering a pivotal chance to do so at home in Game 5. The Golden State Warriors forward has been impossible to guard in the last four games, and […]

Utah Jazz point man Ricky Rubio is still unsure if he will return to the team next season, following a 4-1 first-round series defeat at the hands of the Houston Rockets. The 28-year-old wasn’t fully convincing when talking with the front office, which led general manager Dennis Lindsey to say the following regarding his situation […]

Clint Capela was his usual bold self when asked for his thoughts after disposing of the Utah Jazz in a 4-1 first-round series. The Houston Rockets center openly said he was looking forward to becoming a champ by beating the champs after dispatching the Jazz 100-93 in Game 5, but the Golden State Warriors failed […]

Jimmy Butler’s escape from the Minnesota Timberwolves brought along a bevy of questions after he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, a team that wasn’t initially on his shortlist of preferred destinations. Butler’s camp had Miami, Los Angeles, and New York as his favorite landing spots, but as it turned out, Sixers GM Elton Brand […]