<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Kevin-Durant-Devin-Booker-Kawhi-Leonard-spearhead-second-Playoff-Pack-release.jpg"><figcaption>June 23, 2021</figcaption></figure><h1>Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Kawhi Leonard spearhead second Playoff Pack Drop</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-23T21:58:23-07:00">June 23rd, 9:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-23T21:58:23-07:00">June 23rd, 9:58pm</time><address><a>Dijo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-top-shot-alphabet-everything-you-need-to-know-from-a-to-z/">NBA Top Shot</a> collectors finally get a glimpse of the upcoming 2021 Playoff Pack Drop #2 which includes the best plays from the second round of the postseason. Now that the second round of the playoffs has officially wrapped up, Top Shot has now unveiled the Moments that will be hidden in the <a href="https://blog.nbatopshot.com/posts/nba-playoff-packs-release-2">second release</a> of the 2021 Playoffs Set which is scheduled to drop this Friday, June 25 at 11:00 PDT.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Round 2️⃣<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#NBAPlayoffs</a> Packs drop Fri 🔥</p><p>Get ready: <a href="https://t.co/vFgrzgi37v" target="_blank">https://t.co/vFgrzgi37v</a> <a href="https://t.co/rqTmNSc8Gx" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/rqTmNSc8Gx</a></p><p>— NBA Top Shot (@nbatopshot) <a href="https://twitter.com/nbatopshot/status/1407825287367245826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 23, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The full list of Moments has yet to be released but the platform unveiled a sneak peek on Wednesday via <a href="https://twitter.com/nbatopshot/status/1407825287367245826">Twitter</a>. It will be Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant’s headlining the drop with his insane <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-kevin-durant-hits-insane-game-tying-fadeaway-to-force-ot-in-game-7/">game-tying shot</a> in Game 7 against the Milwaukee Bucks. In addition, Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker killer crossover en route to a huge slam as well as Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard’s monster slam against Derrick Favors will also be part of the release.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">KD’s epic game-tying bucket. ⚡️<br>Giannis' soaring pin block 💥<br>Kyrie’s dash &amp; dime 💨<br>Middleton’s clutch Game 7 shot 🏆</p><p>6⃣ <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@bucks</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/nets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@nets</a> Moments coming Friday. <br>2⃣ Challenge Rewards on the way.</p><p>➡️ Get ready: <a href="https://t.co/vFgrzgi37v" target="_blank">https://t.co/vFgrzgi37v</a> <a href="https://t.co/dFYWwpOrmR" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/dFYWwpOrmR</a></p><p>— NBA Top Shot (@nbatopshot) <a href="https://twitter.com/nbatopshot/status/1407852688696647685?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Remember that John Collins <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hawks-news-john-collins-ends-joel-embiid-with-absolutely-disrespectful-slam/">poster</a> on Joel Embiid? It’s on there, too.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Collins’ HUGE oop 💥<br>Trae’s vision 👀<br>Seth catching fire 🔥<br>Embiid’s lob thru traffic🚦</p><p>6⃣ <a href="https://twitter.com/sixers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@sixers</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/ATLHawks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@ATLHawks</a> Moments coming Friday. <br>2⃣ Challenge Rewards on the way.</p><p>➡️ Get ready: <a href="https://t.co/vFgrzgi37v" target="_blank">https://t.co/vFgrzgi37v</a> <a href="https://t.co/RY5xvG6xDK" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/RY5xvG6xDK</a></p><p>— NBA Top Shot (@nbatopshot) <a href="https://twitter.com/nbatopshot/status/1407859206661840898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 24, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Unlike the first drop of the 2021 Playoffs Pack, things will go differently this time. Here’s what you need to know about this Friday’s drop:</p><ul><li>Pack cost: $19</li><li>Number of Moments per pack: 5 (1 Second-Round Playoff Moment, 1 First-Round Playoff Moment, 3 Common Base Set S2 Moments)</li><li>Total number of packs available: 185,000</li><li>Collector Score Requirement: 100</li></ul><p>As mentioned, the drop is scheduled at 11:00 AM PDT on Friday, June 25. The waiting room should be open around 30 minutes beforehand and 185,000 eligible collectors will have the chance to snag one Playoff pack. This isn’t going to be a free-for-all release contrary to the first drop so make sure to head to the waiting room ahead of time and keep praying to the blockchain gods that luck will be on your side.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Kawhi Leonard spearhead second Playoff Pack Drop

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/nets-rumors-spencer-dinwiddie-to-lakers-clippers-in-free-agency.jpeg"></figure><h1>Nets’ Spencer Dinwiddie to Lakers, Clippers in free agency?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-23T19:41:41-07:00">June 23rd, 7:41pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-23T19:41:41-07:00">June 23rd, 7:41pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The free-agent rumors season is upon us, and one of the most targeted free agents will be Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie. Despite Dinwiddie suiting up for just three games with Brooklyn this past season, he has been cleared for basketball activities, and a ton of teams will be kicking the tires for his services.</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/nets/ny-nets-dinwiddie-contract-20210624-ztddau6qgrdznf5yxunui6icni-story.html">Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News</a>, Dinwiddie wants to get paid, but also wants to return home to LA, leaving the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers as the preferred destinations.</p><blockquote>“Home is the preferred destination. But he wants to secure his financial future, too.”</blockquote><p>As Winfield reports, the only way for Dinwiddie to go to LA is via sign-and-trade, and that might work for either LA team, with both looking to be active once again in the offseason.</p><p>When healthy, Dinwiddie is one of the better scoring guards in the game and a dangerous player to bring off the bench, especially against second-units around the league.</p><p>So, if Dinwiddie wants to go home and ultimately leave the Nets, he can theoretically decide between the pairing of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, or LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Both teams will have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/los-angeles-lakers-offseason-review/">questions</a> to answer in the offseason, and Dennis Schroder is a possible sign-and-trade option for the Lakers, with Kyle Kuzma being another reported trade option.</p><p>Dinwiddie to LA makes sense for either team and clearly, that is where he wants to be. All in all, Dinwiddie’s days with the Nets appear close to an end.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets’ Spencer Dinwiddie to Lakers, Clippers in free agency?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/lakers-warriors-nets-lebron-james-kobe-bryant-stephen-curry-kevin-durant.jpeg"></figure><h1>Lakers star LeBron James’ biggest rival among Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-23T18:58:29-07:00">June 23rd, 6:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-23T18:59:06-07:00">June 23rd, 6:59pm</time><address><a>Arlos Sara</a>Arlos Sara graduated with a degree in Psychology. He is an NBA writer and editor for ClutchPoints and Cavs Nation. Back in the day, while other kids were consumed by their toys and comic books, young Arlos was already thumbing through the pages of sports magazines.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers">Los Angeles Lakers</a> superstar <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/lebron-james/b1a9094f">LeBron James</a> has waged countless battles against Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry, giving fans treats straight from the basketball gods.</p><p>Such head-to-head matchups have ignited plenty of debates between fanbases but who among these foes deserve the title of James’ one true rival? ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who’s been covering the four-time MVP’s career for the longest time, chimed in during an episode of <a href="https://twitter.com/GetUpESPN/status/1407379842996346887">ESPN’s Get Up</a>, where he awarded Durant with the distinction.</p><blockquote>“LeBron’s great rival was not Kobe Bryant, it is Kevin Durant.”</blockquote><p>If people were to put an immense weight on an analyst’s opinion about LeBron, then Windhorst is the only person who deserves such treatment. He’s followed James’ rise from his high school days to the peak of his NBA powers. If the banana boat crew were to arrive at an exclusive party for James’ circle, Windy would probably be at the bar drinking wine already.</p><p>Bryant and James never met each other in the NBA Finals—the league was robbed of that opportunity in 2009. Meanwhile, Stephen Curry can make a legitimate case for himself after having fought James in four straight June dances.</p><p>As for Durant, he and James met each other thrice in the NBA Finals but everyone was already looking forward to the crossing of their paths on the big stage dating back from KD’s early years. In terms of playing style, Durant was Larry Bird to LeBron James’ Magic Johnson.</p><p>The good news is these two superstars may very well arrange another Finals date in the coming years as the Lakers and Brooklyn Nets are looking like title contenders for a few more seasons.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers star LeBron James’ biggest rival among Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Chris-Bosh_s-brutally-honest-take-on-LeBron-James-Heat-Big-3-vs-Kevin-Durant-Brooklyn-Big-3.jpg"></figure><h1>Chris Bosh’s brutally honest take on LeBron James, Heat Big 3 vs Kevin Durant, Nets Big 3</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-23T16:10:39-07:00">June 23rd, 4:10pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-23T16:14:33-07:00">June 23rd, 4:14pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving might be this era’s most dominant Big 3 iteration, but when talking about the originators of this very concept, you cannot not talk about the Miami Heat Big 3. For his part, however, Chris Bosh seems to believe that his trifecta with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in Miami would not have stood a chance against Brooklyn’s current Big 3.</p><p>In a recent interview with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-vmzkIEmfM&amp;feature=emb_imp_woyt">fubo Sports</a>, Bosh revealed exactly why he believes the Heat Big 3 — in their prime — would struggle against Kevin Durant and Co.:</p><blockquote>“I’m gonna give the nod to them,” Bosh said, via <a href="https://heatnation.com/videos/chris-bosh-says-brooklyn-nets-big-3-in-its-prime-would-beat-miami-heats-big-3-in-its-prime/">Brandon Younan of Heat Nation</a>. “I could score pretty good, and I’ll go out there and compete, but you know, they can do things I’ve never seen.“In a 3-on-3 game, it’s just about what could happen. These guys could just make all jumpers. … I mean all three of them have that ability to be like that’s not fair.”</blockquote><p>Fair point from Chris Bosh here, but I’m not entirely sure I’d agree with this notion. After all, we’re talking about LeBron James in his prime here. Not to mention two future Hall of Famers in Wade and Bosh. Then again, Kevin Durant, Harden, and Irving are absolutely no pushovers, and they too could one day go down in history as one of the greatest trifectas in league history.</p><p>What’s a clear fact, though, is that, unlike Miami’s trio, Kevin Durant and his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-brooklyns-major-roster-plans-for-kevin-durant-big-3-per-gm/">Big 3</a> in Brooklyn haven’t won anything. At the end of the day, this will always be the ultimate barometer of success. Until they win a championship, they will always fall short of LeBron’s Big 3.</p><blockquote> </blockquote><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chris Bosh’s brutally honest take on LeBron James, Heat Big 3 vs Kevin Durant, Nets Big 3

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/james-harden-zach-lavine-jerami-grant-team-USA.jpeg"></figure><h1>James Harden changes mind, 2 new players Team USA finalize roster</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-23T13:35:17-07:00">June 23rd, 1:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-23T13:35:17-07:00">June 23rd, 1:35pm</time><address><a>Michael Corvo</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Team USA’s men’s basketball roster for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics is one step closer to being finalized. On Wednesday, Brooklyn Nets star James Harden <a href="https://theathletic.com/news/nets-james-harden-out-of-olympics-sources-say-lavine-grant-complete-team-usa/ZIMbBLAUoNFj">pulled out</a> of the competition, while Chicago Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine and Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant were added to fill out the 12-man squad.</p><p>The Athletic’s Shams Charania <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1407778458403541000">reported</a> the news on Wednesday, two days after reporting that Harden had <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1407039322302341124">committed</a> to play.</p><p>Harden’s withdrawal isn’t wholly unsurprising considering the hamstring injury he suffered in the playoffs, although Nets general manager Sean Marks <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/06/22/nets-unlikely-to-stop-kevin-durant-james-harden-from-playing-in-olympics/">said</a> the organization would not prevent Harden from participating.</p><p>Harden’s Brooklyn teammate, Kevin Durant, will be heading to Japan with the hopes of winning his third gold medal. At the moment, these nine stars are set to join Durant, Grant, and LaVine.</p><ul><li>Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard</li><li>Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal</li><li>Boston Celtics wing Jayson Tatum</li><li>Cleveland Cavaliers big Kevin Love</li><li>Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker</li><li>Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo</li><li>Milwaukee Bucks wing Khris Middleton and guard Jrue Holiday</li><li>Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green</li></ul><p>Booker, Middleton, and Holiday are still active in the postseason, and a run to the Finals could affect their status for Tokyo.</p><p>Opening ceremonies for the postponed Summer Games will take place on July 23, one day after Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The preliminary round of the men’s basketball competition is slated for July 24.</p><p>Booker is committed to playing regardless of the Suns’ playoff outcome, per <a href="https://theathletic.com/2665684/2021/06/22/nba-finals-and-bust-how-devin-booker-and-kevin-love-could-end-up-playing-for-team-usa/">The Athletic</a>.</p><p>On Tuesday, Suns point guard Chris Paul declined an invitation to participate, opening up a spot for Holiday.</p><p>The 12 stars will be coached by Gregg Popovich, helming his first Olympic team. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, former Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce, and Villanova head coach Jay Wright will serve as Pop’s assistants.</p><p>LaVine made his first All-Star team in 2019-20, averaging 27.4 points per game. Grant shined for the lowly Detroit Pistons, putting up 22.3 PPG.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

James Harden changes mind, 2 new players Team USA finalize roster

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Bucks-Pat-Connaughton-Trae-Young.jpeg"></figure><h1>Bucks’ Pat Connaughton offers Trae Young bulletin board material with Kevin Durant comment</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-23T10:17:56-07:00">June 23rd, 10:17am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-23T10:17:56-07:00">June 23rd, 10:17am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/milwaukee-bucks">Milwaukee Bucks</a> forward Pat Connaughton may have given Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young some motivation after heaping praise on Kevin Durant.</p><p>Connaughton spoke about the Bucks’ upcoming series against the Hawks after warring with Durant and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/brooklyn-nets">Brooklyn Nets</a> for seven games in the conference finals. He seemed quite pleased not to be facing KD anymore:</p><blockquote>“Each team just went to war, for lack of a better term, for seven games,” Connaughton said, via <a href="https://twitter.com/malika_andrews/status/1407738120490131460">ESPN’s Malika Andrews</a>. “It’s refreshing to play against a different team… especially one that doesn’t have Kevin Durant on it.”</blockquote><p>Connaughton is hardly offering the most earth-shattering statement here. Durant torched the Bucks for 35.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists during the series. He nearly led the Nets to the conference finals practically on his own.</p><p>Ultimately, the Bucks managed to outlast Brooklyn. Milwaukee sounds relieved to be facing a different team, which might inspire Young to put on a show.</p><p>The Hawks star posted inefficient shooting numbers in Atlanta’s matchup with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/philadelphia-76ers">Philadelphia 76ers</a>, shooting below 40 percent from the field and just over 32 percent from beyond the arc. However, Young still averaged close to 30 points per contest thanks in part to his ability to get to the line. He also dished out over 10 assists and consistently seemed to make plays late in games.</p><p>The Hawks can’t expect Young to be as prolific as Durant, especially since the Bucks will probably stick with Jrue Holiday as his primary on-ball defender. Still, perhaps “Ice Trae” will be intent on showing the Bucks they need to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-giannis-antetokounmpos-drops-truth-on-trae-youngs-skill-level/">keep their guard up</a> despite moving on from Durant and the Nets.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bucks’ Pat Connaughton offers Trae Young bulletin board material with Kevin Durant comment

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Kevin-Durant-LeBron-James-comparison-ripped-apart-by-Scottie-Pippen.jpg"></figure><h1>Kevin Durant-LeBron James comparison ripped apart by Scottie Pippen</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-22T20:14:32-07:00">June 22nd, 8:14pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-22T20:17:07-07:00">June 22nd, 8:17pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Despite Kevin Durant’s heroics for the Brooklyn Nets throughout the postseason, Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen just refuses to jump on the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-michael-jordan-vs-kevin-durant-debate-gets-mind-blowing-verdict-from-steve-kerr/">hype train</a>. While Pip did credit KD for the amazing job he did this season, the Hall of Famer was also quick to sound off on the LeBron James comparisons.</p><p>In a recent interview for <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/scottie-pippen-next-steps-kd-230126637.html">Yahoo Sports</a>, Pippen explained bluntly why he believes the Nets superstar just isn’t at the same level as LeBron:</p><blockquote>“Surpassing LeBron James takes a little bit more than an individual effort,” Pippen said, via <a href="https://larrybrownsports.com/basketball/scottie-pippen-harsh-comments-kevin-durant/580632">Larry Brown Sports</a>. “LeBron James is a complete team player who understands team and winning.“Has (Durant) gotten to that level yet? He went home (in the playoffs) … I think he still has some learning to do in terms of what it takes to will a team to victory.”</blockquote><p>Quite a harsh assessment from Pippen here. Especially considering how Kevin Durant left everything on the floor for the Nets. You absolutely cannot fault KD for how his Nets were ousted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round. Then again, Pippen’s argument still stands in that Durant is no longer contending for a title right now.</p><p>Pippen has been a long-time LeBron fan, and he is clearly showing a bit of bias here. The Bulls legend seems to have conveniently overlooked how Kevin Durant won two chips with the Golden State Warriors not too long ago. In spite of the fact that KD played alongside the likes of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson while with the Dubs, this does not take away from the fact that he’s a two-time NBA champion.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kevin Durant-LeBron James comparison ripped apart by Scottie Pippen

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Michael-Jordan-vs-Kevin-Durant-debate-gets-mind-blowing-verdict-from-Steve-Kerr.jpg"></figure><h1>Michael Jordan vs Kevin Durant debate gets mind-blowing verdict from Steve Kerr</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-22T17:55:34-07:00">June 22nd, 5:55pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-22T18:01:44-07:00">June 22nd, 6:01pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant just proved to the world that he’s without a doubt one of the greatest players of all time. If you ask Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, however, it looks like KD’s former coach is now ready to crown Durant as the GOAT. Yup, even over the great Michael Jordan.</p><p>According to Kerr, he believes that the Nets star is definitely a cut above the rest:</p><blockquote>“He just showed he’s the most talented basketball player on earth, if not of all time,” Kerr said, via <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/why-kevin-durant-more-gifted-michael-jordan-steve-kerr">Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports</a>. “Honestly. He’s just so gifted. I loved coaching him, and I’m looking forward to doing so again (with Team USA).”</blockquote><p>Hold up, did Steve Kerr just really say that Kevin Durant is better than Michael Jordan? Well, if the above statement was not clear enough, then here’s what he had to say next:</p><blockquote>“I think he’s more gifted, I really do,” Kerr said in comparing Durant to MJ. “That’s saying something, but Kevin is a different … entirely different breed. He’s 6-11 with guard skills, unlimited 3-point range, passing, shot-blocking — his shot-blocking at the rim, it’s just stunning. Watching him this year was really, really gratifying to see.”</blockquote><p>Kerr then touched on Durant’s time with the Warriors and how he just feels so delighted and proud of how KD has battled through adversity:</p><blockquote>“You think about what he did for this organization, not only helping us win titles but to come back and try to play through injuries and then suffer the devastating Achilles injury, we all just wanted to see Kevin healthy and to see him in the playoffs playing at the level he reached, it was really, really gratifying for all of us,” Kerr said.</blockquote><p>Let’s also not forget that Kerr had the privilege to play alongside MJ during his prime. Needless to say, Kerr is a bit of an authority in this matter, so his opinion here is absolutely valid. Not to mention that he’s also had the opportunity to coach other all-time greats in the likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Durant himself.</p><p>Durant absolutely wowed the entire basketball world with his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lets-give-a-round-of-applause-to-nets-star-kevin-durant/">historic performance</a> throughout the postseason. Nevertheless, to say that the Nets star has eclipsed Michael Jordan still remains to be a rather contentious statement, to say the least.</p><p> </p><blockquote> </blockquote><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Michael Jordan vs Kevin Durant debate gets mind-blowing verdict from Steve Kerr

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Kevin-Durant-teammates-celebrate-after-playoff-loss-to-Bucks.jpg"></figure><h1>Kevin Durant, Nets teammates celebrate after playoff loss to Bucks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-22T17:09:36-07:00">June 22nd, 5:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-22T17:11:12-07:00">June 22nd, 5:11pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kevin Durant and the rest of the Brooklyn Nets are living their best lives. After being unceremoniously ousted by the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 of what turned out to be an epic second-round series, KD and the crew decided to blow off some steam in the best way they know how — by partying.</p><p>According to <a href="https://pagesix.com/2021/06/22/kevin-durant-and-nets-celebrate-end-of-season-at-rooftop-bar/">Mara Siegler of Page Six</a>, Durant booked JIMMY rooftop located in the newly opened ModernHaus SoHo for an exclusive party. The event was held on Monday — one day after the Nets lost Game 7 to the Bucks in the Barclays Center — with players such as Blake Griffin, Nicolas Claxton, DeAndre Jordan, Bruce Brown, and Tyler Johnson among those who reportedly made an appearance.</p><p>Interestingly enough, it looks like both Kyrie Irving and James Harden snubbed KD’s party invite. Irving was probably doing a bit of soul-searching after a bitter end to the season while Harden, well, who knows where James Harden was at on Monday. What we know is that the former MVP is fond of exotic dancers, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he was making his rounds around town, so to speak.</p><p>The report also suggests that Durant’s party was pretty laid back and that nothing crazy went down:</p><blockquote>“It was just a bunch of folks enjoying cocktails in the breeze outside by the pool,” says a source who added that the party seemed “very informal.”</blockquote><p>Durant left everything on the basketball court for the Nets in what was nothing short of a spectacular performance not only in Game 7 on Sunday, but for pretty much the entire playoffs. He definitely deserves some R&amp;R over what will be a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-brooklyns-major-roster-plans-for-kevin-durant-big-3-per-gm/">very interesting offseason</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kevin Durant, Nets teammates celebrate after playoff loss to Bucks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Kevin-Durant-trolls-Klay-Thompson-after-_big-milestone_.jpg"></figure><h1>Kevin Durant trolls Warriors star Klay Thompson after ‘big milestone’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-22T16:28:05-07:00">June 22nd, 4:28pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-22T16:28:05-07:00">June 22nd, 4:28pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson celebrated a “<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-headband-klay-thompson-returns-to-dubs-arena-drops-buckets-and-injury-update/" rel="noopener">big milestone</a>” on Tuesday after he returned to Chase Center to work out. However, Kevin Durant didn’t waste the opportunity to troll him.</p><p>Thompson posted  photos of his shooting workout on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQcCPvuMlWH/" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>, but instead of congratulating his former Warriors teammate, KD trolled him hard and poked fun at his shot. The Brooklyn Nets star commented “Shortbread,” which is something that Klay yells when someone hits the front rim on a shot (per <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1407462321526476806" rel="noopener">NBC Sports</a>).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">KD commented “shortbread” </p><p>Steph said Klay yells that when someone hits front rim on a shot 😂 <a href="https://t.co/xcMq9J6hHy" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/xcMq9J6hHy</a></p><p>— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1407462321526476806?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Talk about giving Klay a taste of his own medicine…in this case trolling.</p><p>Kevin Durant has probably heard Klay Thompson say that to him during his time with the Warriors, and what better time to get back at his teammate, right?</p><p>However, KD probably put himself in a dangerous situation here. After all, he did end up having a “super shortbread” in the Nets’ Game 7 against the Milwaukee Bucks after his supposed game-winner in OT didn’t even hit the rim. It is possible Thompson would remind him of that in his rebuttal (and we’ll be waiting for it!).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">KD couldn't get this final shot to go. <a href="https://t.co/5zBXuxRMXQ" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/5zBXuxRMXQ</a></p><p>— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1406453601623371777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 20, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>While Durant’s final season with the Warriors in 2018-19 was surrounded with a lot of controversies, it is clear he remains in a good relationship with the likes of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. They can still have that friendly banter from time to time, and it is obvious in this case.</p><p>Thompson is working his way back from Achilles injury after missing the past two seasons. It will certainly be nice to see him and the Warriors face KD and his Nets next season, and hopefully, we can hear them yelling “shortbread” at each other.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kevin Durant trolls Warriors star Klay Thompson after ‘big milestone’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Nets-news-Spencer-Dinwiddie-hit-with-crucial-update-ahead-of-free-agency.jpeg"></figure><h1>Nets’ Spencer Dinwiddie hit with crucial update ahead of free agency</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-22T15:55:54-07:00">June 22nd, 3:55pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-22T15:55:54-07:00">June 22nd, 3:55pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets got bounced in a wild Game 7 against the Milwaukee Bucks to put an end to their season. Now, the Nets have a ton of questions to answer in the offseason, with one of the most notable being the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-rumors-spencer-dinwiddie-plan-12-3-million-player-option-revealed/">future</a> of Spencer Dinwiddie, who missed the year with an ACL injury.</p><p>Just months before free agency hits, Dinwiddie received some terrific <a href="https://twitter.com/shamscharania/status/1407461929011105797?s=21">news</a> that should make NBA teams and scouts thrilled.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nets free agent Spencer Dinwiddie has been fully cleared for all basketball activities, his operating surgeon Dr. Riley Williams says. Dinwiddie recovered from a partial ACL tear in just over five months. He enters free agency as one of the top point guards on the market.</p><p>— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1407461929011105797?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>That is certainly fantastic news for Dinwiddie on a personal level. All signs point to him hitting the open market, and rightfully so. Dinwiddie should command a big-money deal after the past couple of seasons he has had.</p><p>He played just three games this past season, but the year before he played 64 games and averaged 20.6 points per game and averaged 16.8 the year before that, so his ability to score is no secret across the league.</p><p>He is ready to roll and his phone should be ringing nonstop as soon as free agency begins, and the fact of the matter is the Nets most likely won’t be able to afford him.</p><p>He will have his suitors, and it will be interesting to see just how much money is thrown around– not just to Dinwiddie, but to everybody.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets’ Spencer Dinwiddie hit with crucial update ahead of free agency

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/warriors-news-kevin-durants-face-was-buried-in-his-phone-too-much-in-last-season-steve-kerr-claims-2.jpg"></figure><h1>Kevin Durant’s face was buried in his phone too much in last Warriors season, Steve Kerr claims</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-22T13:35:21-07:00">June 22nd, 1:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-22T13:36:06-07:00">June 22nd, 1:36pm</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s well-known at this point that Kevin Durant wasn’t all that happy in his final season with the Golden State Warriors. There was drama with Draymond Green and Steve Kerr, and Durant was irked by Stephen Curry getting more attention as the face of the franchise despite that fact that it was KD who had just won two straight NBA Finals MVPs. That season ended with Durant tearing his Achilles in the NBA Finals before he left that offseason for the Brooklyn Nets.</p><p>Kerr was <a href="https://twitter.com/sullduggery/status/1407075379534340096" rel="noopener">interviewed by Matt Sullivan</a> for his new book called <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/cant-knock-the-hustle-matt-sullivan?variant=32201645490210" rel="noopener">“Can’t Knock the Hustle,”</a> and the Warriors head coach highlighted just how unhappy Durant seemed to be in that final Warriors season:</p><blockquote>“I could see the strain on his face every day, especially that third year, just all day. But it was, really, he was staring into that phone all the time.”</blockquote><p>Durant is a habitual social media poster, so it’s not like this is all that surprising to hear. We also know that KD was plotting his exit from the Warriors that season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-secret-kyrie-irving-kevin-durant-dinner-that-spawned-superteam/" rel="noopener">talking</a> with Kyrie Irving about teaming up in Brooklyn, so being a bit aloof in 2018-19 tracks.</p><p>Durant, Kerr and the Warriors had a ton of success during their short partnership together, winning two NBA titles and reaching the Finals a third consecutive time in 2019 before losing to the Toronto Raptors. However, it’s clear there wasn’t much joy by that third season, with all all those egos butting heads and making for a toxic atmosphere. It helped drive KD away from the Warriors and to the Nets with his pal, which will all be chronicled in Sullivan’s new book.</p><p>While Durant’s Nets lost in the second round of this season’s playoffs due to injuries, he does seem happier with his situation in Brooklyn.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kevin Durant’s face was buried in his phone too much in last Warriors season, Steve Kerr claims

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/NBA-Luka-Doncic.jpeg"></figure><h1>NBA implementing new rules that will irk Trae Young, James Harden, Luka Doncic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-22T09:53:37-07:00">June 22nd, 9:53am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-22T12:46:33-07:00">June 22nd, 12:46pm</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NBA will indeed be instilling new rules and instructing officials on preventing the foul-baiting ways of stars like Trae Young, James Harden and Luka Doncic.</p><p>League officials had <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10005703-nba-rumors-unnatural-motions-like-traes-hardens-subject-of-possible-rule-change">previously</a> discussed a way to discourage players from using “non-basketball moves” to draw fouls and get to the free-throw line. <a href="https://theathletic.com/2666954/2021/06/22/the-nba-will-have-new-rules-to-limit-foul-calls-on-non-basketball-moves-what-to-know-and-where-things-stand/">Shams Charania</a> of The Athletic reported Tuesday the NBA plans to translate those discussions into action with a new set of rules and training for officials.</p><p>Charania noted the changes could take place as soon as the <a href="http://fanatics.ncw6.net/YrDmj" rel="noopener">NBA</a> Summer League in Las Vegas. Players will also receive training with respect to what is deemed a non-basketball move. Those are as follows, per Charania:</p><p>The NBA has been trying to find ways to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-james-harden-trae-young-luka-doncic-the-latest-targets-of-leagues-new-plans/">limit</a> the likes of Young, Harden and Doncic from baiting defenders and being excessive about seeking contact. These new rules will apparently stipulate certain moves, with officials now having the discretion to blow the whistle for an offensive foul or decide on a no-call if the move is deemed “marginal.”</p><p>Young’s exploits in particular have come under fire from some around the league. New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-trae-young-the-latest-target-of-new-york-atlanta-playoff-conspiracies/">hinted</a> Young was officiated differently in the fourth quarter of Game 1 in the team’s first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks, when Young attempted (and made) nine free throws.</p><p>Time will tell whether this actually alters how certain players approach the game, but that appears to be what the <a href="http://foco.vegb.net/dbKJk" rel="noopener">NBA</a> is going for.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA implementing new rules that will irk Trae Young, James Harden, Luka Doncic

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Blake-Griffin-Nets.jpg"></figure><h1>3 reasons the Nets should re-sign Blake Griffin</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-21T22:59:47-07:00">June 21st, 10:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-21T22:59:47-07:00">June 21st, 10:59pm</time><address><a>Virgil Villanueva</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets weren’t able to meet expectations that they would cruise their way to the NBA Finals and win it all. Credit should still be given to the coaching staff and players for playing through what has been a tough season for the team and the rest of the NBA. They have a number of key issues to address in the offseason. One of which is the future of Blake Griffin who will become an unrestricted free agent.</p><p>There are really no reasons why the Nets should not re-sign Griffin. He was great in his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/blake-griffin/99b208ed/stats">short stint with them</a>. And if he leaves for another squad, he’ll likely be as productive as well. The Nets will likely get him back. But just for the sake of it, here are the three reasons why the Nets should re-sign Blake Griffin.</p><h2><b>Productive Stint</b></h2><p>In 26 regular season games (10 starts), Griffin averaged <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/griffbl01.html">10.0 points</a> (49.2 percent from the field), 4.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. In the postseason, he had 9.0 points (53.2 percent from the field) 5.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. Yes, they are nowhere near Griffin’s averages in his prime but these are still pretty good numbers for someone who joined the team midway into the season. More than his numbers, analysts have noticed the other intangibles he brings to the floor. If you’ve been in the league for over 10 seasons like Griffin, you pretty much have a good understanding of the game—the nuances and the little details that must be done. In other words, Griffin will likely be at the right place at the right time on offense and on defense. Note that Griffin led the league in charges with 22—a tangible sign that he’s willing to do the dirty work to win.</p><h2><b>Steve Nash Can Further Integrate Him</b></h2><p>As noted, Griffin had little time to figure out Nash’s system and how he could be effective in it. Both parties did a stellar job. And the most sensible thing to do is to continue building on this relationship. We should note that the Nets had several setbacks due to injuries and COVID-19 protocols. While these are part of the game, it prevented Nash from fully figuring out how Griffin can be effective.</p><p>Besides, stability has always been a key part of championship teams. Contending teams always have a set of core players who have been together for more than one season. The Nets should be able to identify that Griffin can be one of their core players along with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden.</p><h2><b>Will Prioritize Winning Over Money</b></h2><p>Griffin understands where he’s at in his career now. He can still play and be effective. But gone are the days when he dunked on the heads of his enemies. Joining the Nets was a clear sign that he wants to snag a title before he calls it quits. Given this, the Nets likely won’t have a hard time negotiating with Griffin. He won’t demand a ton of money. But the Nets have to prove to Griffin that they are serious about winning the title. A way to do this is by being busy in the offseason. They should also prioritize Bruce Brown and at the same time, add more key pieces to the roster. Blake Griffin is not about the money anymore. And for a contending team, that’s always a good sign.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 reasons the Nets should re-sign Blake Griffin

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/spurs-news-demar-derozans-interesting-picks-on-top-three-players-in-the-nba-right-now.jpg"><figcaption>June 21, 2021</figcaption></figure><h1>VIDEO: DeMar DeRozan snubs Kevin Durant, James Harden on top player list</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-21T22:40:56-07:00">June 21st, 10:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-21T23:03:38-07:00">June 21st, 11:03pm</time><address><a>Dijo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>San Antonio Spurs swingman DeMar DeRozan had an interesting take when asked who he thinks should be on the list of the best one-on-one players in the NBA right now aside from himself. DeRozan is arguably one of the best individual talents in the league and no, that’s not up for debate.</p><p>When asked who he thinks should go after him in the list of the NBA’s best one-on-one players, his answer was quite simple.</p><blockquote>“Me, me, and me,” DeRozan jokingly said (via <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1407037934507806723">NBA on ESPN</a>).</blockquote><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">DeMar DeRozan names his top three 1-on-1 players in the league <a href="https://twitter.com/DeMar_DeRozan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@DeMar_DeRozan</a> 👀</p><p>(via shotbymuhammad/Instagram) <a href="https://t.co/uXw6Fac60C" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/uXw6Fac60C</a></p><p>— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1407037934507806723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Sorry, James Harden and Kevin Durant, ya’ll ain’t getting no love from DeMar.</p><p>Amid doubts about <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/demar-derozan/b5360a01/splits">his career</a> and the lack of success in his time in the league, the 31-year-old DeRozan has proven that he has one of the best isolation games in the NBA and it’s been that way for the past few seasons.</p><p>Unfortunately, his individual accolades have been clouded by the lack of success of the teams he’s been on. More specifically, his time in San Antonio has been rather dull given that the Spurs, who were perennial playoff contenders prior to his arrival, have missed the postseason twice in DeRozan’s three-year stint.</p><p>Still, the four-time All-Star continues to build his legacy as one of the best individual scorers in recent time and has proven that he can go toe-to-toe with the best of them. In each of his last eight seasons, the Spurs swingman has been averaging over 20 points per game and continues to be one of the most lethal scorers in the entire league when it comes to iso ball.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: DeMar DeRozan snubs Kevin Durant, James Harden on top player list

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/nets-news-joe-harris-disappointing-playoff-run-gets-interesting-take-from-nets-gm.jpg"><figcaption>June 21, 2021</figcaption></figure><h1>Joe Harris’ disappointing playoff run gets interesting take from Nets GM</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-21T21:18:16-07:00">June 21st, 9:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-21T21:18:16-07:00">June 21st, 9:18pm</time><address><a>Dijo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Brooklyn Nets starting guard Joe Harris had a forgettable playoff run this season and Brooklyn GM Sean Marks gave his own take. The Nets’ starting swingman went ice cold from the field in the postseason which sparked a ton of conversation regarding the future of the 29-year-old shooter.</p><blockquote>“Am I disappointed? For sure,” Marks said on Monday (via <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/06/21/nets-support-joe-harris-after-playoff-nightmare/">The NY Post</a>). “But I cannot be more disappointed in Joe than he already is in himself. I know that. He’s taking this tough and difficult and hard, and I know he’ll be back to being Joe and shooting lights-out like he always has. In terms of his future on the team, there’s no comment: Joe is a Brooklyn Net until otherwise, whether that’s his decision or mine. We 100 percent support Joe and will be here for him, and I expect Joe to bounce back and be the elite shooter he’s shown.”</blockquote><p>For context, the contrast of Harris’ numbers this season was quite stark. After signing a huge <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-joe-harris-agrees-to-4-year-75-million-deal-with-brooklyn/">$75 million four-year deal</a> last off-season, the former Three-Point Contest champ shot a career-high of 50% from the field during the 2020-2021 regular season, including shooting 47.5% from deep which was, coincidentally, not only his best shooting form from outside the arc in his seven-season in the NBA but also the best percentage across the league the entire regular season.</p><p>Harris’ shooting was huge to help the Nets secure the second spot in the East entering the playoffs but it was also his shooting woes that ended up being quite costly for Brooklyn. Harris’ shooting clipped dropped to 39.8% from the field in 12 playoff games this postseason while his outside shooting was also below his own standards at 40%.</p><p>As they always say, shooters have to shoot and Harris will definitely learn from this. If Brooklyn wants to go the next level, Joe Harris must step up to the plate and knock down his jumpers. Hopefully, the trust from his GM helps boost his confidence.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Joe Harris’ disappointing playoff run gets interesting take from Nets GM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/LeBron-James-Magic-Johnson-Kevin-Durant-Lakers-Nets.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James gets bold warning from Magic Johnson after praising Kevin Durant</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-21T20:40:49-07:00">June 21st, 8:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-23T11:34:28-07:00">June 23rd, 11:34am</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has made it known that he’s far from done. While he showed signs of breaking down after another injury-riddled season, LeBron implied he’ll be back with a vengeance.</p><p><a href="https://fanatics.ncw6.net/a1NMWZ">Lakers</a> great Magic Johnson, however, doesn’t necessarily agree. For him, LBJ is already on his last legs and his reign will soon be over. In an appearance on <a href="https://twitter.com/GetUpESPN">ESPN’s Get Up</a>, Magic boldly said LeBron only has one year left before Brooklyn Nets main man Kevin Durant owns the NBA.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">.<a href="https://twitter.com/MagicJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@MagicJohnson</a> on Kevin Durant:</p><p>"I think LeBron's got one more year to be the man, and then it's Kevin Durant's league right after that." <a href="https://t.co/5OPSGZRYcn" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/5OPSGZRYcn</a></p><p>— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/GetUpESPN/status/1407019942873124869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>While LeBron is arguably the most durable NBA superstar in history, spending millions of dollars every year to maintain his body, he got hampered by injuries for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/lebron-james/b1a9094f/stats">second straight year</a>. His high ankle sprain clearly bothered him in the NBA Playoffs and he failed to lift <a href="https://foco.vegb.net/6OdQQ">the Lakers</a> past the first round.</p><p>The King has repeatedly proven critics wrong that he’s already washed up. He was on pace to win his fifth MVP trophy last season—at 36 years old—before he got derailed by injuries.</p><p>BUT, and that’s a big but, Magic’s comment isn’t entirely preposterous. Durant showed everyone that he can take over any game when he’s healthy. He was extra special in the NBA Playoffs, saving the Nets almost every single game with his incredible shot-making ability that opposing defenses have no answer for.</p><p>LeBron James and Kevin Durant surely have had their battles. While LBJ won in the early goings, KD has had the advantage in recent years. Magic Johnson’s statement wasn’t exactly shade, but knowing The King, he might just use it as motivation to keep pushing the boundaries.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James gets bold warning from Magic Johnson after praising Kevin Durant

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/nets-news-brooklyns-major-roster-plan-for-kevin-durant-big-3-per-gm.jpg"></figure><h1>Nets’ major roster plans for Kevin Durant, Big 3, per GM</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-21T19:38:22-07:00">June 21st, 7:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-21T19:40:06-07:00">June 21st, 7:40pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There’s no denying that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/brooklyn-nets">Brooklyn Nets</a> are facing a tough offseason ahead following their unceremonious second-round exit at the hands of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/milwaukee-bucks">Milwaukee Bucks</a>. Nets general manager Sean Marks addressed the press in his exit interview, and as it appears, the high-ranking team executive has just hinted at a potential <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2-trades-nets-must-make-to-improve-roster-around-big-3-after-losing-game-7-to-bucks/">squad overhaul</a> in the offseason.</p><p>The future of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/kevin-durant/b0360985">Kevin Durant</a> and the rest of the Big 3 is undeniably the biggest concern for the Nets front office in the offseason. However, as Marks implied in his statement, there might also be a number of key pieces on the move this summer:</p><blockquote>“Inevitably, there’s going to be change, here. That’s the tough thing with pro sports. You love continuity throughout and so forth, but there’s going to have to be changes. They may not all be because of the decisions that we decide to make. Our players have to make these decisions too. We have multiple players that have whether it’s options on their contract, their free-agent status is up, and so forth,” said Sean Marks, via <a href="https://www.netsdaily.com/2021/6/21/22543960/sean-marks-on-nets-offseason-inevitably-theres-going-to-be-change-here">Chris Milholen and Matthew Brooks of Nets Daily</a>. “We’ll come together as a collective group and the opportunity for them and the opportunity for us is to go up there and put the best Brooklyn Nets team forward to start training camp next season.”</blockquote><p>Spencer Dinwiddie (player option), Blake Griffin, and Jeff Green, are all going to enter free agency in the offseason. The same is the case for the likes of Bruce Brown, Tyler Johnson, and Mike James. It doesn’t look like the Nets will be able to/are willing to keep all of these guys on the roster for next season, so we could be looking at a new-look Brooklyn side for 2021-22.</p><p>It is important to note that Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving are all on long-term deals that extend to the 2022-23 season. However, the fact that all three will be eligible for an extension is something that the Nets front office will also have to take into consideration.</p><blockquote>“It’s probably too early to start discussing what their futures are. Obviously, we’re committed to them,” said Marks. “They play a big role in how we’re going to continue to build this, how we’re going to drive our culture and the identity of our team. I think what you see out there is that when they were healthy, that’s a very, very elite unit and I don’t see any shortage of people wanting to play with them, people wanting to play alongside them.”</blockquote><p>At this point, one thing is clear — that the Big 3’s first season with the Nets ultimately ended in failure. It’s back to the drawing board for them as they look to exact some revenge next season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets’ major roster plans for Kevin Durant, Big 3, per GM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/nets-news-kevin-durant-rips-toure-for-nba-finals-take.jpeg"></figure><h1>Nets star Kevin Durant rips TOURE for NBA Finals take</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-21T14:02:08-07:00">June 21st, 2:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-21T14:02:08-07:00">June 21st, 2:02pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets lost a heartbreaking <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-kevin-durant-james-harden-bare-emotions-on-game-7-loss-vs-bucks/">Game 7</a> against the Milwaukee Bucks, closing the door on their hopes for an NBA title after compiling a talented, daunted Big Three. Just days after the loss, Nets star Kevin Durant has been active on<a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1407072796820357120"> Twitter</a> and ripped TOURE for his take on the unfortunate state of the league after the stars got bounced.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Imagine TOURE knowing what’s best for professional basketball <a href="https://t.co/nfLpEFBet8" target="_blank">https://t.co/nfLpEFBet8</a></p><p>— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/1407072796820357120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Durant didn’t hold back his true feelings, not one bit. After a crushing loss, Durant is not listening to any of that and let TOURE know it.</p><p>Anyways, the NBA is happy regardless, as players such as Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Trae Young, and Paul George aim to bring home a championship, with all of those stars waiting to capture their first-ever Larry O’Brien trophy.</p><p>While the Nets were long considered the favorites to run away with the title, injuries ended up doing them in and forcing their hand against a talented Bucks squad.</p><p>For the NBA, this might be a good thing, considering the legacy teams have been regulars in the Finals and now the four remaining groups are gunning for their first NBA title in some cases. For others, it has been decades and decades since they brought home a title.</p><p>Sure, the big-ticket names are out, but the NBA might end up enjoying the diversity of the final four teams.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets star Kevin Durant rips TOURE for NBA Finals take

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Team-USA-Nets-James-Harden.jpg"></figure><h1>Nets star James Harden makes Team USA decision after dealing with hamstring injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-21T11:38:44-07:00">June 21st, 11:38am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-21T11:56:55-07:00">June 21st, 11:56am</time><address><a>Quinn Allen</a>Freelance Sports Journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After playing through a Grade 2 hamstring strain in the conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets star James Harden has committed to play for Team USA in this summer’s Tokyo Olympics, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1407039322302341124">per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium</a>:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nets star James Harden has committed to play for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics, joining teammate Kevin Durant on the USAB squad, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@TheAthletic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Stadium</a>. Kyrie Irving is unlikely to play as he recovers from his ankle injury.</p><p>— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1407039322302341124?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>It does seem rather odd that <a href="http://fanatics.ncw6.net/15bD1B" rel="noopener">James Harden</a> wouldn’t want to rest the hamstring that gave him several problems throughout the course of the season. However, the Olympics basically don’t start until August, so he has some time to rest up.</p><p>The Nets guard played in just three full games against Milwaukee as Brooklyn was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/brooklyn-nets/schedule">eliminated in seven games</a> by Giannis Antetokounmpo and co. He was clearly not 100% and lacked clear explosiveness off the dribble.</p><p>James Harden now joins teammate Kevin Durant with the US along with numerous other NBA superstars such as Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, Jayson Tatum, and, most recently, Bam Adebayo.</p><p>Team USA is absolutely stacked and will be looking to secure their fourth straight gold medal at the Olympics in Tokyo. They still have a few spots to fill out their 12-man roster with training camp starting on July 6 in Las Vegas.</p><p>The last piece of the <a href="http://foco.vegb.net/15GNdB" rel="noopener">Nets’</a> Big 3 in Kyrie Irving won’t be joining James Harden and KD as he continues to rehab a sprained ankle that kept him out for the last few games of the Bucks series.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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