Virgil Villanueva Articles - Page 71

Even before the Los Angeles Lakers hired Jason Kidd as an assistant coach, there were already speculations that he could aim for the head coaching position. However, new LA coach Frank Vogel is not one bit worried about it and is, in fact, ready to rust Kidd. As noted by Corey Hansford of Lakers Nation […]

According to whispers gathered by Stephen A. Smith, Kyrie Irving — who’ll be one of the top free agents this summer — has been talking to Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant. As posted by Twitter user SagaOfNas, the initial consensus among those close to Irving says that there’s no way that the 27-year-old will […]

Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz has been selected to the NBA All-Defensive First team for the third straight year. Upon hearing the news, the French man reverted to praise his team and not himself. Per Eric Woodyard of Deseret News, Gobert sees the selection as a reward for his team’s efforts: “Always an honor. […]

Golden State Warriors star forward Kevin Durant is back arguing with fans on Twitter. However, his manager Rich Kleiman isn’t bothered and, in fact, loves everything about it. In an interview with Jason Gay of Wall Street Journal, Kleiman was asked about Durant’s recent activity on Twitter of answering back to his critics. For Kleiman, […]

After a series of struggles in the playoffs, Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet put up an inspired performance in their Game 4 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. As it turned out, VanVleet’s motivation was his newborn son. VanVleet admitted that his son, Fred Jr., inspired his Game 4 performance. The 25-year-old guard scored 13 points […]

After their blowout loss to the Toronto Raptors in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Milwaukee Bucks star Khris Middleton was disappointed by his team’s defensive efforts. The Bucks were down by as much as 25 points. In the end, they lost by 18 points, 120-102. In the postgame conference, Middleton observed that the […]

After their Game 4 loss to the Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer challenged Eric Bledsoe to step up in the next games. Bledsoe just had five points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field in 20 minutes of play. Per Ben Golliver of the Washington Post, Budenholzer said that they need Bledsoe to […]

An NBA impersonator showed how Stephen Curry’s off-ball movement is like in a hilarious clip. The video reached Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and he shared some interesting details about it. Via Twitter, Kerr said that they refer to the play as ‘fist side.’ It pretty much involves Curry constantly moving around the […]

Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard just put Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo in a poster. In a nifty half-court play, Marc Gasol slipped in a pass to a cutting Leonard. The Klaw took care of business by spiking it all over Antetokounmpo using his left hand. Kawhi went right at Giannis at the rim…AND WON […]

For Steve Kerr, Kevon Looney is one of the ‘foundational pieces’ of the Golden State Warriors, and not just a player added to fill in the roster spots as most people think. Kerr praised Looney’s performance in their dominance over the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals. For Kerr, Looney’s rebounding and ‘great […]

Some NBA fanatics are still not used to the fact that LeBron James is a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s also the similar group of fans who are not used to watching a LeBron James-less postseason. It’s not just fans who are seeing the difference. NBA commissioner Adam Silver, too, has seen a drop […]

After being swept by the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard is still proud of his team’s accomplishment. This is the farthest that Lillard and the Blazers have gone in the playoffs. Last season, they were swept by the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round. It […]

PJ Tucker is fully confident Mike D’Antoni will get a contract extension and remain as the head coach of the Houston Rockets for next season and beyond. “I think [the contract extension] will get done,” Tucker told Alykhan Bijani of The Athletic. “Everyone loves him, I think it will get done, he’s my guy” D’Antoni […]

Draymond Green considers himself lucky after the Golden State Warriors booked their ticket to a fifth straight NBA Finals appearance. After all, careers don’t usually last long and only a few can really make it to the biggest stage in basketball. In his post-game presser, Green talked about the Warriors’ dominance and how special it […]

For Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Seth Curry’s loss in the Western Conference Finals is just the beginning of a budding career. Right after winning Game 4 and completing the sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers, Curry shared what he told his younger brother when they met midcourt to swap jerseys. For the […]

Stephen Curry’s four-year free throw streak in the playoffs for the Golden State Warriors has come to an end in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. According to Warriors PR, Curry had a streak of 81 consecutive free throws made in the fourth quarter and overtime of the playoffs. The streak started way back […]

The Golden State Warriors are heading to their fifth straight NBA Finals appearance after sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers in their Western Conference Finals series. Golden State trailed for the most part of Game 4, but they stormed back in the fourth quarter to force an overtime and close out the series. They edged the […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves have hired Gianluca Pascucci as assistant general manager, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Pascucci was previously the Director of Global Scouting for the Brooklyn Nets. He also worked closely with Timberwolves President Gerrson Rosas with the Houston Rockets where he was the director of player personnel. Minnesota is hiring Brooklyn’s Gianluca […]

After sending Alfonzo McKinnie to the floor, Portland Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard drained a deep 3-pointer, igniting the Moda Center crowd and extending the Portland Trail Blazers’ lead over the Golden State Warriors. Peep the clip below posted by the NBA. Damian Lillard unleashed an ankle-breaking behind the back move which forced McKinnie […]

Contrary to what many analysts and NBA legends believe, P.J. Tucker is very confident the Houston Rockets’ style of play can win them a championship. When asked for his response to Scottie Pippen’s staunch insistence otherwise, Tucker alluded to analytics as why Houston’s oft-criticized offensive approach is good enough to win in June. Per Alykhan […]

Toronto Raptors center Marc Gasol admitted that he “felt pretty crappy” after his poor showing in Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. However, right after their Game 3 victory which brought the series to 2-1, he feels a whole lot better. “When you play like crap and your […]

In  Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Toronto Raptors star forward Kawhi Leonard favored his leg early and late in the game. But after the win which cut the Milwaukee Bucks’ series lead to 2-1, Leonard downplayed concerns. After their double-overtime victory wherein he played 52 minutes, Leonard shared that he’s not worried about […]

In his first postseason donning the Toronto Raptors jersey, Kawhi Leonard has already set the franchise record for most 35-point playoff games. In 15 playoff games so far, Leonard has a total of six games with at least 35 points. He first recorded 37 markers in Game 2 of their first-round duel with the Orlando […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse praised Kawhi Leonard’s defense on Milwaukee Bucks star player Giannis Antetokounmpo, noting that it was the biggest key in their Game 3 victory. Per NBA TV, Nurse was asked about Leonard’s defense on Antetokounmpo — this year’s leading MVP candidate. Nurse believes that the Raptors forward’s defense was key […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse surprised everyone at the start of Game 3 as he kept his starters from Games 1 and 2. After all, he directly said heading into the contest that he will make plenty of lineup changes to prepare for the Milwaukee Bucks. Nurse, however, clarified his comments after the match […]

Down 3-0 in the Western Conference Finals, Portland Trail Blazers fans have created a needle-themed cake to hex the Golden State Warriors. Voodoo Doughnut, an Oregon-based bakeshop, has created a needle-themed cake with hopes of turning the tides in favor of the Blazers. Not a single team has come back from a 3-0 deficit. But […]

The Toronto Raptors survived a huge Milwaukee Bucks comeback in Game 3 to keep their NBA Finals hopes alive. In what ended as a double-overtime thriller, the Raptors eked out a 118-112 victory at Scotiabank Arena to steal one game and cut the Bucks’ series lead 2-1. Kawhi Leonard, who seemed bothered with what appears […]

After Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks unleashed yet another Euro step en route to a layup, Jeremy Lin of the Toronto Raptors was confused as to why the referees didn’t blow the whistle for a traveling violation. Peep the clip below posted by Bleacher Report. Observe how the Raptors bench reacted after Antetokounmpo did […]

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has admitted that the injury to Kevin Durant was ‘more serious’ than the team initially thought. In a postgame interview after their Game 2 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Kerr shared the news, per Marc Stein of the New York Times. “It’s a little more serious than […]

After a Game 2 loss which put his team down 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard believes the Blazers can extend the series and come back to Oracle Arena. In the postgame press conference, Lillard said this, per ESPN: “I doubt this will […]

The Golden State Warriors mounted a comeback despite nailing just one 3-pointer in the final 15:48 of their Game 2 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals. The last 3-pointer from the Warriors in the last 15:48 was from Alfonzo McKinnie, which he hit in the third quarter with 1:28 left. […]

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard suffered an apparent rib injury in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors. The apparent injury occurred in the third quarter on a scramble for the loose ball. Kevon Looney ended up with the rock and passed it forward. But he landed on Lillard’s […]

Sonya Curry, mother of Seth Curry and Stephen Curry, changed her pregame routine in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. The information was shared by her husband Dell, who spoke for her as she was so nervous watching her sons play against each other. […]

DeMarcus Cousins of the Golden State Warriors has progressed to some on-court work but will be re-evaluated in one week. Per the Warriors PR, Cousins is still not ready for live action after suffering a torn left quadriceps muscle on April 15. Along with teammate Kevin Durant (calf strain), the big man will be re-evaluated […]

For NBA icon Isiah Thomas, Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors is the biggest free agent this summer. The other free agents are ‘a tier or two below’ the two-time Finals MVP. Per Ian Begley of SNY, Thomas believes that Durant is the best player in the game. Thus, in the event that he […]

Despite the loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick nurse hailed Kyle Lowry’s performance. Per NBA TV in a postgame conference, Nurse was confident that every shot that Lowry took would swish the net. “Every time he let it go tonight, you were like […]

After holding Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors to just two points in the critical fourth quarter of Game 1, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks revealed that their defensive strategy against Leonard was to make him ‘play 1-on-5.’ Per Michael Lee of The Athletic, Antetokounmpo detailed their defensive scheme against the former Finals MVP. […]

For Portland Trail Blazers guard Rodney Hood, his knee injury will be ‘an ongoing thing’ moving forward but remains focused on the task at hand. Per Joe Freeman of Oregon Live, Hood shared that his knee injury — which he suffered in Game 7 of the Western Semis — is still sore and would likely […]

NBA insider Chris Haynes said that he’d be ‘surprised’ if the Los Angeles Lakers doesn’t trade the fourth overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft. Per Yahoo Sports NBA, Haynes believes that the fourth overall pick won’t be donning the purple and gold come the 2019-2020 season. He has a strong belief that the Lakers […]