Bruno Manrique Articles - Page 196

Following a demoralizing loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, rookie shooting guard Donovan Mitchell vowed to play with more intensity in Game 6, hoping to defend home court one last time in this series and reach the Western Conference semifinals, currently up 3-2. The Jazz were forced to play without both of their twin towers, […]

The Milwaukee Bucks have forced a Game 7 after an inspired performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo and a heavy dose of defense from the team, hoping to make the most of their opportunity and steal a pivotal game on the road to move on to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Despite his lack of experience in these […]

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra will have to address plenty of issues going into the offseason — among them, the potential retirement of his star shooting guard, Dwyane Wade. The man at the helm admitted he’s yet to have this conversation with the man that helped him earn his two championship rings in 2012 […]

The legend of “Playoff Rondo” still lives on, perhaps even more so after an impressive first-round sweep of the series against the Portland Trail Blazers. Rajon Rondo put up an impressive 11.3 points and a league-leading 13.3 assists per game in four games against the Blazers, quarterbacking this team to very convincing wins against a […]

The disarray between Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and star center Hassan Whiteside has been a recurring theme throughout the season, with the latter sustaining a myriad of injuries and forced to make the necessary adjustments to find himself back in the rotation. Spoelstra had to tinker with his lineup constantly, as his team was […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder completed an unforeseen 25-point comeback on a Utah Jazz team that had grabbed this series by the head, winning three games in a row and holding OKC to a mere 12 points in the second quarter of Game 5, sporting a healthy 15-point lead heading into halftime. Yet there are a […]

The Indiana Pacers have shockingly kept themselves from double-teaming the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, who is leading the league in postseason scoring with a furious clip of 34.8 points per game on 55 percent shooting from the field. While double-teaming a star with his vision has been a long-debated strategy, the Pacers have been carved […]

The Golden State Warriors were in need of a shake-up after a crushing loss to the Portland Trail Blazers right before the All-Star Weekend. With that in mind, forward Draymond Green lobbied for JaVale McGee to get a shot of starting at center, knowing the team needed a jolt of energy after coach Steve Kerr […]

Stephen Curry’s impending return to the court has been the main issue in the Bay Area after the former two-time MVP missed the last 15 games for the Golden State Warriors between the regular season and the playoffs. The 6-foot-3 guard went through a full-contact practice on Thursday, showing no setbacks and is due to […]

A security video, presumably showing KGO TV sports anchor Mike Shumann stealing a jacket of a Golden State Warriors’ official at AT&T Center last week, has surfaced. The Warriors had exited the building, but a few people remained in the premises, Shumann (in a red shirt and black shorts) picks up a stranded jacket and […]

Jrue Holiday’s emergence as one of the key difference-makers has been perhaps the main spark fueling the New Orleans Pelicans’ quick sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers, surprisingly booting out the third seed in convincing fashion and becoming the first team to secure a ticket to the next round of the postseason. The 6-foot-4 guard […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo has vowed to be more aggressive, after attempting a playoff-low 10 shots in a Game 5 loss to the Boston Celtics. He made good on his promise on Thursday night, dropping 31 points on 13-of-23 from the field, including 5-of-8 from the line and a game-leading 14 rebounds for the Milwaukee Bucks. Walking […]

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan explained his reasoning for sitting Carmelo Anthony as long as he did during a Game 5 win over the Utah Jazz. While his All-Star teammates Russell Westbrook and Paul George played 44 and 45 minutes, respectively — Anthony played a mere 25, going only 2-of-6 and recording a […]

The Philadelphia 76ers mustered a tough Game 5 win over the Miami Heat to close out the series, despite what the 104-91 final score might indicate. Head coach Brett Brown is expecting yet another rugged series in his future, with their opponent potentially decided tonight as the Boston Celtics take on the Milwaukee Bucks on […]

Prior to a Saturday night Game 1 tilt with the New Orleans Pelicans in the Western Conference semifinals, the status of All-Star point guard Stephen Curry is the top question in the team’s mind as the date approaches. Curry is slated to be re-evaluated on Friday, coincidentally a day prior to the start of the series. […]

The high-scoring duo of Russell Westbrook and Paul George have been encouraged after a splendid 25-point comeback against the Utah Jazz in Game 5, staving off elimination and closing the gap, now trailing 3-2 in the series. At the start of a searing 32-point run in which the All-Star pairing scored and assisted on 32 […]

The Miami Heat faces multiple questions surrounding its roster heading into next season. Only a year removed from doling out long-term contracts to Dion Waiters, James Johnson, and Rodney McGruder, the Heat will now have to evaluate Hassan Whiteside’s future with the organization. According to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Whiteside’s time with […]

The Golden State Warriors have been forced to adapt their system with All-Star point guard Stephen Curry out with a Grade 2 sprained MCL injury, suffered 10 games before the end of the regular season. Using a heavy dose of Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant, however, still hasn’t proved anywhere close to what the former […]

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart has no hard cap on his minutes for tonight’s Game 6 against the Milwaukee Bucks, but coach Brad Stevens said he won’t play 35 minutes, claiming “anything below that is game,” according to A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston. Smart was one of the catalysts in the Celtics’ pivotal […]

Enes Kanter came back to his old stomping grounds at Chesapeake Energy Arena, taking part on the Oklahoma City Thunder as an spectator for Wednesday’s 25-point comeback over the Utah Jazz. During an in-depth interview with Fred Katz of The Norman Transcript prior to Game 5, Kanter revealed his love for OKC and even let some […]

In light of an earlier reporter’s mishap, Khris Middleton is now called “Jabari” after he was confused to be teammate Jabari Parker following an interview. Middleton ruthlessly put him to shame after a Game 4 win with the help of his running mate Giannis Antetokounmpo, to the laughter of the press. The chronically underappreciated Khris […]

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and TNT analyst Chris Webber seem to have made up after the latter made a comment on-air comment about Green not being suited to be a starter in other teams. In the grand context of his quote, Webber tried to compliment Green’s special fit with the Warriors, rather than […]

The San Antonio Spurs face a myriad of questions with the ominous absence of Kawhi Leonard throughout most of the regular season, and now including their short postseason stint. Recently requesting a meeting with him to resolve their communication issues, the franchise could be divided in whether to sign him to a supermax extension or […]

The Utah Jazz had a chokehold on Game 5 during the first half before falling victim to an Oklahoma City Thunder avalanche in the third quarter, as Russell Westbrook and Paul George took over, mounting a 25-point comeback and taking the game 107-99. Head coach Quin Snyder warned that even in the playoffs, no lead […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are finishing the framework to make J.B. Bickerstaff their head coach for the next few seasons, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Bickerstaff had been the interim coach of the team for the vast majority of the season after former head coach David Fizdale was fired by the franchise, following an […]

Karl-Anthony Towns got a much-awaited playoff experience this season for the Minnesota Timberwolves, facing some obstacles and also finding success coming in as an eighth-seeded team against the squad with the best overall record in the league, the Houston Rockets. Following a series-deciding 122-104 loss in Game 5, the Kentucky product explained his experience from playing […]

Mike Budenholzer has now become the New York Knicks’ top choice to wound up as their future head coach, after the former agreed to part ways with the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, given the rebuilding direction the team was heading into. New York, though another rebuilding team, isn’t expected to take a similar Trust-The-Process-style rebuild […]

Jimmy Butler was surprisingly held out of the game during the entire fourth quarter, being taken out at the 2:33 mark of the third quarter for sixth man Jamal Crawford, and never entering again, as the Minnesota Timberwolves fell to the Houston Rockets 122-104 in a decisive Game 5. Asked for the reasoning behind his […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder mounted an assault on the Utah Jazz during the second half of Game 5, rallying from a 25-point deficit to tie affairs at 78 by the end of the third quarter. While the Thunder would march on to avoid elimination and win last night’s contest, head coach Billy Donovan won’t go […]

Despite a colossal downfall in Game 5 of the first-round series, Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell had no hesitation calling this series for one of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s fans, as he made his way to the visitors’ locker room. “Hey, we’ll see y’all next year,” said Mitchell confidently on his way out of the […]

Having finished their first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs, the Golden State Warriors found a way to individually express their love for coach Gregg Popovich as each took the microphone during their post-game press conference. Before answering a question of whether he is an underrated player or not, Draymond Green deviated from the question […]

Draymond Green might have been too busy locking up LaMarcus Aldridge and gobbling up rebounds during a crucial Game 5 against the San Antonio Spurs, but never too distracted to not hear the hoopla during the national broadcast. TNT analyst Chris Webber noted the importance of Green’s motor, but ended up bad-mouthing his prowess at […]

New York Knicks big man Enes Kanter came back to his old stomping grounds of Oklahoma City to take part in Game 5 of the Thunder, this time as an spectator, as they host the Utah Jazz. Well 🍀 pic.twitter.com/h2eZheD2xL — Enes FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) April 25, 2018 Kanter announced his visit to former frontcourt partner […]

LaVar Ball has pulled his two sons, LiAngelo and LaMelo out of Lithuanian club Prienu Vytautas after yet another tiff with coach Virginijus Seskus, according to Lithuanian reporter Donatas Urbonis of 15min. Vytautas is fighting to avoid relegation with two games left in the season, but The Ballfather is determined to bring both of his sons […]

Steve Kerr had a heart-warming moment with his friend and former teammate Manu Ginobili after the Golden State Warriors closed out their first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs with a 99-91 win on Game 5. The two were seen embracing before Ginobili was met by a sea of fans and reporters hoping to get […]

The New Orleans Pelicans will have to evaluate the contracts in the franchise after the end of their season. Among them is the impending contract of big man DeMarcus Cousins, who was a sure-shot to land a five-year max deal, but since his injury, the Pelicans have shown to have a better record without him, […]

The San Antonio Spurs face a summer of uncertainty, with several of their aging veterans approaching the end of their careers and a star forward with an unknown future with the franchise. Kawhi Leonard, who is approaching the last two years of a five-year, $94.3 million deal (the last one a player-option in 2019-20) is […]

Dwyane Wade didn’t approve of Hassan Whiteside’s post-Game-5 comments, blaming his lack of minutes for his collective poor outings throughout the postseason. The veteran shooting guard gave his best advice to the young big man after a 4-1 series loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, which culminated with a 104-91 loss on Tuesday. “The thing is […]

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry has been preparing for a matchup against the Golden State Warriors even prior to their eventual Game 5 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night. “If there is any way (Curry) can play he will play,” noted Gentry, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. […]