Bruno Manrique Articles - Page 194

Golden State Warriors sixth-man-turned-starter Andre Iguodala has plenty of praise for Kevin Durant, after he dropped a game-high 38 points in a pivotal Game 4 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Unlike in previous games, Durant wasn’t hesitating or settling for threes, this time with a ruthless, attacking mindset — determined to punish smaller defenders […]

The Milwaukee Bucks plan to interview San Antonio Spurs assistant Ettore Messina, former Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford, and Spurs Vice President of Basketball Operations Monty Williams, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Bucks are expected to interview at least 10 candidates during their coaching search, already having David Fizdale out of the picture […]

Rajon Rondo has gone from one of the most prolific dime enthusiasts to a veteran point guard labeled a “selfish” ball-dsitributor, a ball-stopping, coach-killing, mercurial player that has great intellect, but poor ability to remain content with a team. While some of his teammates have raved about him and his leadership, some others; most notably […]

Following a rousing Game 2 win over the Houston Rockets to even out the series, Donovan Mitchell took to Twitter to relive his put-back dunk over three Rockets players, fittingly captioning it “Game… Blouses” after the Prince parody from Chappelle’s Show. “It was pretty funny,” said Mitchell prior to Friday’s Game 3. “My coaches kept […]

David Fizdale’s hiring was unanimously approved after a conscious effort to make an in-depth search for the New York Knicks coaching job, but no one was more excited than center Enes Kanter, who is fresh off finishing his first season with the team. “I like him a lot,” Enes Kanter told Mike Vorkunov of The […]

Despite a painful loss at home to the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni will remain committed to his small lineup against the twin towers of Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert, hoping the small adjustments will suffice to pay back with the same coin. The Rockets swiveled between P.J. Tucker and Ryan Anderson, […]

Ben Simmons had by far the worst playoff game of his young career in a Game 2 loss against the Celtics on Thursday, falling victim of a hawking defense that kept him hesitant and dubious of his decisions, mustering only a lone point with an 0-for-4 line throughout the game. Simmons noted this poor performance […]

The Golden State Warriors will head into Game 3 knowing there won’t be an easy task to win on the road at the Smoothie King Center. Steve Kerr has even more pointed expectations as the tilt approaches. “Yeah, we’re going to get some fouls called on us early, for sure,” Kerr said, according to Anthony […]

The New York Knicks’ process of team bonding is already underway, as newly-hired head coach David Fizdale plans to visit his new star player, Kristaps Porzingis, in his native Latvia, according to ESPN’s Ian Begley. The relationship between Porzingis and the franchise has not been fully repaired, according to Begley’s report, which means Fizdale will […]

Stephen Curry had a more passive take than his teammate Kevin Durant, noting the back-and-forth between TNT analyst Charles Barkley and teammate Draymond Green is just a part of what will take place in the entertainment business. “Draymond handled it amazingly,” said Curry, when asked about their tiff, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. […]

Following the hiring of David Fizdale by the New York Knicks, the Milwaukee Bucks only have two of their top three prospects remaining on this coaching carrousel. According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt could wind up as the winner of it, especially if former Atlanta […]

Kevin Durant didn’t buy what seemed to be a staged apology to Draymond Green by TNT analyst Charles Barkley, who first apologized, then excused his behavior (followed by his co-panelists doing the same) — saying his words were taken out of context and just read to him during the press conference without any indication of […]

The Indiana Pacers overachieved to what most around NBA circles expected after the Paul George trade took place last offseason. Fresh off a Game 7 four-point loss to the reigning Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers, the organization will be forced to fine-tune the roster in hopes to take the next step for 2018-19. With Cory […]

The LeBron James sweepstakes are still on, even after the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to surprise with a 2-0 series lead against the Eastern Conference top dogs in the Toronto Raptors. Adding themselves to the race for The King’s services are the New York Knicks, who are fresh off hiring coach David Fizdale, who coached James […]

After three seasons of having consistently improved his game, Minnesota Timberwolves guard/forward Andrew Wiggins admitted his game has taken a step back this season. “I didn’t have the best season,” Wiggins admitted, according to Jace Frederick of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press. “Learned a lot, but I don’t think I had the best season. It’s […]

Following a heart-breaking loss that saw the Denver Nuggets out of the playoffs, the team will have Nikola Jokic’s future with the franchise as its No. 1 impending decision during this summer. According to Jokic’s agent, allowing his client to become an unrestricted free agent in 2019 by picking up his option this year would […]

The Houston Rockets saw a reversal of roles in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinals against the Utah Jazz, as the latter flipped the tables and stole home court with a 116-108 win on Wednesday night at the Toyota Center. Following the loss, forward P.J. Tucker, one of the team’s many three-and-D architects, said […]

Only days after the team was eliminated from playoff contention, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George has started to show the first signs of leaving OKC this summer. According to Gabe Ikard of The Franchise Players, George pulled his kid out of Heritage Hall this morning. There’s a rumor going around that Paul George pulled […]

It didn’t take long for the Stephen Curry effect to take place in Oracle Arena, entering the game with 4:20 left in the first quarter and drilling a wing 3-pointer within 11 seconds of his imminent return to the court. Uncanny as ever, Curry proceeded to score eight points in his short first-quarter stint, finishing with […]

Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge was faced with an interesting scenario, asked which guard he’d rather keep on the roster heading into next season between a feisty Marcus Smart or the evolving Terry Rozier. Being the diplomat he is, Ainge went for a third option. “Keep ’em both!,” he said during an interview with 98.5 […]

Donovan Mitchell didn’t have a stellar Game 2 to the series against the Houston Rockets, but his highlight-reel put-back dunk over three defenders shone the spotlight bright over him, quickly elevating over his opposition. The rookie shooting guard hilariously immortalized this moment with a photo of him hanging on the rim, alluding to an episode […]

Stephen A. Smith was the second ESPN figure to give his two cents on the Draymond Green-Charles Barkley fiasco, after Jalen Rose noted the TNT analyst had gone “too far” with his comments. The longtime ESPN voice noted he is aware of Barkley’s intentions, which weren’t malicious at all — having apologized on live television […]

Joel Embiid has been perfectly aware of how the scope in which the Philadelphia 76ers have been seen through for the last few years has changed after their sudden success, winning 52 games in the regular season and breezing through the first round of the playoffs, now with a chance to claim supremacy in the […]

The Utah Jazz tied up the series at one game apiece, making the adjustments the Houston Rockets expected them to make, yet they still proved unable to stop the inevitable — a surging road team playing with superior intensity and forcing the Rockets into difficult shots and decisions. Forward Luc Mbah A Moute, who faced […]

The surprising hiring of Igor Kokoskov as the Phoenix Suns head coach brought forth a potential reunion between him and his national team point guard, Goran Dragic of the Miami Heat. Though Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel doesn’t think this would be a viable option for either party. “But for as much as […]

Despite being out of his first playoff stint as a member of the Boston Celtics, All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving has watched enthusiastically as his teammates have conquered the first round and now boast a 1-0 lead over the favored Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Celtics were viewed as underdogs after missing […]

First-year sensation Donovan Mitchell brought part of the Slam Dunk Contest into Game 2, showing out a spike-down put-back dunk after getting his own rebound. The Utah Jazz rookie shooting guard missed a floater short, only to snatch his own board and throw it down over three Houston Rockets defenders. Donovan Mitchell brought the dunk […]

The Milwaukee Bucks are embarking in their coaching search, reportedly targeting interviews with former Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer and former Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. While the two are the most experienced in the list, the Bucks will also interview other popular candidates like Monty Williams, David Fizdale, and […]

The Houston Rockets were unable to keep their home court dominance, falling to the visiting Utah Jazz 116-108 in Game 2 to even up the series at 1-1. Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said his team didn’t have the right approach coming into the game, bested by a team with more intensity. “We can correct […]

The Toronto Raptors were unable to extend their Game 1 winning streak past one game, getting trumped by their grim reaper in the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers, who took a 113-112 win in overtime to make them rally from behind once again. Expletives were reportedly heard from the home showers, a clear sign of the utter […]

Despite being unable to steal home court advantage during the opening part of their series against the Golden State Warriors, the New Orleans Pelicans are confident their adjustments will translate into wins during their home stretch. “We’ll go home. Our crowd will be into it,” said forward Anthony Davis, according to William Guillory of the […]

Looking back into a colossal collapse during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, DeMar DeRozan admitted to be surprised officials didn’t call a blatant Kevin Love elbow to the face during the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. “I don’t know why they didn’t look at it,” said DeRozan, according to Ryan Wolstat […]

L.A. Clippers small forward Wesley Johnson will exercise his $6.1 million player-option for next season, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical. This will be the third of a three-year, $18 million deal for the Syracuse product. As was the case with Indiana Pacers point guard Cory Joseph, the NBA will enter into a recessive […]

Boston Celtics point guard Terry Rozier isn’t done making a statement, after dropping a team-high 29 points in Game 1 against the Philadelphia 76ers, claiming there’s more business to take care of during Thursday’s Game 2. “We can play a lot better,” Rozier said, according to Scott Souza of The MetroWest Daily News. “We had […]

The Toronto Raptors had all the right circumstances lined up for a second consecutive Game 1 victory this postseason after a 16-year tough luck streak without winning one in the postseason. Yet as the game went on, it became more and more apparent that the team was about to squander that possibility, resulting in a […]

The Philadelphia 76ers won’t be pressing the panic button just yet after sustaining a convincing loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Despite one of Joel Embiid’s better postseason games, the Sixers were unable to find the basket and struggled, shooting a ghastly 5-of-26 from deep, while the Celtics […]

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti spoke at length during today’s press conference, giving his ultimate vote of conference to head coach Billy Donovan continuing in his role, despite an underwhelming season. The Thunder massively underachieved after scoring two perennial All-Stars in Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, managing a fourth seed in the West […]

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti gave some eye-opening insight into the outlook of this past season. Known to be one of the most forthcoming front office executives, Presti acknowledged he was excited about the possibility of keeping Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Steven Adams throughout the prime of their careers, according to Erik […]

Stephen Curry’s playoff debut has been long awaited by his teammates, coaches, and fans — and the 4:20 mark of the first quarter couldn’t come soon enough, as the Golden State Warriors trailed 18-11 and he checked in for Splash Brother Klay Thompson. Curry didn’t take long to make his presence felt, as the arena […]