<!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/2020/12/Kawhi-Leonard-Paul-George-Reggie-Jackson-Chauncey-Billups-Clippers.jpg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><h1>Clippers’ Reggie Jackson, assistant Chauncey Billups given excused absence under NBA’s health protocol</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2020-12-14T05:51:33-08:00">December 14th, 5:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2020-12-14T05:51:33-08:00">December 14th, 5:51am</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Clippers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-twitter-reacts-to-talen-horton-tucker-going-en-fuego-in-preseason-game-vs-clippers/" rel="noopener noreferrer">played preseason game No. 2 on Sunday night</a>, taking on the Los Angeles Lakers in the city they both share. Noticeably absent in the game and on the bench was backup point guard Reggie Jackson, as well as newly hired assistant coach Chauncey Billups.</p><p>The Clippers wouldn’t specify the reason for their absences, but both members have been excused under the NBA’s health and safety protocols.</p><p>“All teams are going through the same thing,” Tyronn Lue said after the game about the NBA’s current protocols for keeping everyone as safe as possible. “We just got to follow protocol as best as we can and we have to adapt, I keep saying it all season. We got to adapt, just like everyone else, and so we’re gonna follow the protocols and you know what we’re supposed to do. And you can do that and it can still happen, so we just want to continue to do what we’ve been doing and continue to keep building, growing as a team.”</p><p>When asked if he knew how long the team would be without both Billups and Jackson, Lue was pretty blunt.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>At this time, it’s unclear what the two may be dealing with, but speculation is sure to run wild.</p><p>Just prior to the NBA’s return in July, Landry Shamet, Ivica Zubac, and another member of the Clippers tested positive for COVID-19. Both Shamet and Zubac were forced to miss time, arrived to the NBA’s bubble late, and spent time playing catch-up as the regular season continued.</p><p>Reggie Jackson was re-signed by the Clippers on Dec. 1, just one day before the start of individual workouts in Los Angeles. Jackson, who signed with the Clippers after reaching a contract buyout with the Detroit Pistons, averaged 9.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 21.3 minutes of action per game.</p><p>Chauncey Billups joined the Clippers last season as a color commentator, but took on the role of assistant coach with the new staff brought on by new head coach Tyronn Lue. Billups would often take notes during his year broadcasting, and he will serve as a mentor for a lot of the guards on the team and be another mind for Lue to pick throughout the season.</p><p>The Clippers’ final preseason game of the season will be Thursday night when they host the Utah Jazz. After that, LA will <a href="https://www.nba.com/clippers/schedule" rel="noopener noreferrer">officially start the regular season</a> against the Lakers on Dec. 22.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clippers’ Reggie Jackson, assistant Chauncey Billups given excused absence under NBA’s health protocol

<!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/2020/11/clippers.jpg"></figure><h1>Chauncey Billups, Larry Drew set to join Ty Lue’s Clippers coaching staff</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2020-11-08T15:49:48-08:00">November 8th, 3:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2020-11-08T15:49:48-08:00">November 8th, 3:49pm</time><address><a>Christopher Denson</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Clippers have agreed to terms with both Chauncey Billups and Larry Drew, welcoming them on as the newly hired assistant coaches in head coach Tyronn Lue’s staff, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1325575935295361024">ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Chauncey Billups and Larry Drew are finalizing assistant coaching deals to join Ty Lue's staff with the Clippers, sources tell ESPN.</p><p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1325575935295361024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2020</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Billups has often been linked with multiple teams in the past, even coming pretty close to becoming the new president of basketball operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2017 before ultimately turning the offer down. While his name hasn’t been heavily mentioned in coaching positions this offseason, it comes as no surprise to see the Clippers snag him off of the market.</p><p>His role with the Clippers will likely be to allow him more exposure in the coaching field for future endeavors. He returns to Staples Center, a franchise that he briefly called home during his playing days.</p><p>For Drew, this will be his return to the coaching section after deciding to part ways with the Cavaliers back in April of 2019. Drew’s resume comes stacked with coaching positions, being the head coach also of the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks while serving as an assistant for multiple teams elsewhere. With both Billups and Lue being rather young for coaches in their early 40’s, Drew can bring on almost 30 years worth of experience.</p><p>The Clippers began reforming their coaching staff since being eliminated in the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets. After a number of reports surfaced detailing the discombobulation that enveloped the Clippers’ locker room, the front office thought it best to move on from former head coach Doc Rivers, opting to go with then–assistant coach Lue.</p><p>Lue came as a must-win for the Clippers, seeing as how he was highly sought out by a number of teams in the offseason and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-tyronn-lue-claims-doc-rivers-blessed-him-take-coaching-job/">regarded by the franchise’s top stars</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"><iframe><script>  (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){  (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),  m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)  })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');  ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', 'auto');  ga('set', 'campaignSource', 'Facebook');  ga('set', 'campaignMedium', 'Instant Article');  ga('set', 'title', ia_document.title);  ga('send', 'pageview');</script><script type="text/javascript">      window._taboola = window._taboola || [];      _taboola.push({          article: 'auto',          ref_url: 'http://instantarticles.fb.com'      });      !function (e, f, u, i) {          if (!document.getElementById(i)) {              e.async = 1;              e.src = u;              e.id = i;              f.parentNode.insertBefore(e, f);          }      }(document.createElement('script'),          document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0],          'https://cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/clutchpoints-clutchpoints/trk.js',          'tb_loader_script');      if (window.performance) {          if (typeof window.performance.mark == 'function') {            window.performance.mark('tbl_ic');          }        }</script></iframe></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chauncey Billups, Larry Drew set to join Ty Lue’s Clippers coaching staff

<!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/2020/09/Chauncey-Billups-Pacers.jpg"></figure><h1>Chauncey Billups candidate for Indiana coaching job</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2020-09-09T20:14:36-07:00">September 9th, 8:14pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2020-09-09T20:14:36-07:00">September 9th, 8:14pm</time><address><a>Virgil Villanueva</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Five-time All-Star and NBA Champion Chauncey Billups has been named a candidate for the Indiana Pacers head coaching job.</p><p>In a report by <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29848523/former-nba-guard-chauncey-billups-now-candidate-coaching-vacancy-indiana-pacers-sources-say">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN</a>, the Pacers have begun interviewing candidates for the head coaching post. They have spoken with Billups and are planning to talk again soon.</p><blockquote>As the Pacers begin preliminary interviews with a number of candidates, Billups and the Pacers officials have recently engaged and are planning to talk further conversations about the job, sources said.</blockquote><p>Billups, who now works as an analyst and broadcaster, has been offered front-office opportunities by several teams since his retirement in 2014. However, the former Detroit Pistons stalwart has repeatedly declined. NBA executives seem to have a penchant for Billups’ strong personality, leadership style, and of course, his hefty basketball resume which includes an NBA title.</p><p>Though Billups has never worked as an assistant coach, he has worked with several NBA guards and has aided in their development. In recent years, Billups has spent time with the likes of Kyle Lowry and Marcus Smart. He has also formed a relationship with the Pacers’ Victor Oladipo and Malcolm Brogdon. Although it’s still a matter of wait-and-see if this is going to be a key factor in the Pacers’ decision.</p><p>Indiana has long been perennial playoff contenders in the East. Over the last 10 seasons, they have only failed to qualify for the postseason once. But in the last five years, they have failed to go past the first round. Now, they are looking for a coach that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-rumors-indiana-said-have-serious-interest-hiring-mike-dantoni/">would get them out of this rut</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"><iframe><script>  (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){  (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),  m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)  })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');  ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', 'auto');  ga('set', 'campaignSource', 'Facebook');  ga('set', 'campaignMedium', 'Instant Article');  ga('set', 'title', ia_document.title);  ga('send', 'pageview');</script><script type="text/javascript">      window._taboola = window._taboola || [];      _taboola.push({          article: 'auto',          ref_url: 'http://instantarticles.fb.com'      });      !function (e, f, u, i) {          if (!document.getElementById(i)) {              e.async = 1;              e.src = u;              e.id = i;              f.parentNode.insertBefore(e, f);          }      }(document.createElement('script'),          document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0],          'https://cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/clutchpoints-clutchpoints/trk.js',          'tb_loader_script');      if (window.performance) {          if (typeof window.performance.mark == 'function') {            window.performance.mark('tbl_ic');          }        }</script></iframe></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chauncey Billups candidate for Indiana coaching job

<!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/2020/08/Chauncey-Billups-could-join-Tyronn-Lue-as-associate-head-coach.jpg"></figure><h1>Chauncey Billups could join Tyronn Lue as associate NBA head coach</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2020-08-15T13:29:09-07:00">August 15th, 1:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2020-08-15T13:29:09-07:00">August 15th, 1:29pm</time><address><a>Ashish Mathur</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>If Tyronn Lue takes one of the head coaching openings in the NBA, Chauncey Billups could join him as an associate head coach, per <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29668602/tyronn-lue-once-again-emerging-leading-nba-coaching-candidate">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN</a>.</p><p>The Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans and Brooklyn Nets will conduct <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-tyronn-lue-expected-frontrunner-several-nba-coaching-jobs/">coaching searches</a> this offseason and Lue could interview for all three openings, with the Bulls and Pelicans vacating their head coach positions as recent as the last two days.</p><blockquote>“Here’s something else that makes Lue’s candidacy even more intriguing to contenders: Teams are aware that Lue has been talking with Chauncey Billups about joining his potential staff as an associate head coach, sources tell ESPN. Billups had been grooming himself for a top front office role, but turned down the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017, and his interest in leaving television for the team-side has evolved from the front office to coaching, sources said.”</blockquote><p>Lue won the 2016 championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers after taking over the head coach job following David Blatt’s mid-season dismissal. He was fired near the beginning of the 2018-19 season after the Cavs got off to an 0-6 start following the departure of LeBron James.</p><p>Nets superstar point guard Kyrie Irving always had a good relationship with Lue on the Cavs, so that could possibly benefit Lue once Brooklyn’s interviewing process begins in the offseason.</p><p>Billups, a former Finals MVP with the Detroit Pistons, currently works in television broadcasting for the Los Angeles Clippers. He and Tyronn Lue are longtime friends and interested in working together in the NBA.</p><figure class="op-tracker"><iframe><script>  (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){  (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),  m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)  })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');  ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', 'auto');  ga('set', 'campaignSource', 'Facebook');  ga('set', 'campaignMedium', 'Instant Article');  ga('set', 'title', ia_document.title);  ga('send', 'pageview');</script><script type="text/javascript">      window._taboola = window._taboola || [];      _taboola.push({          article: 'auto',          ref_url: 'http://instantarticles.fb.com'      });      !function (e, f, u, i) {          if (!document.getElementById(i)) {              e.async = 1;              e.src = u;              e.id = i;              f.parentNode.insertBefore(e, f);          }      }(document.createElement('script'),          document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0],          'https://cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/clutchpoints-clutchpoints/trk.js',          'tb_loader_script');      if (window.performance) {          if (typeof window.performance.mark == 'function') {            window.performance.mark('tbl_ic');          }        }</script></iframe></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chauncey Billups could join Tyronn Lue as associate NBA head coach

<!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/2020/04/Chauncey-Billups-claims-Lakers-should-have-swept-Detroit-in-2004-NBA-Final.jpg"></figure><h1>Chauncey Billups claims Lakers should have swept Pistons in 2004 NBA Finals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2020-04-30T07:02:48-07:00">April 30th, 7:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2020-04-30T07:02:48-07:00">April 30th, 7:02am</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There are few bigger upsets in recent NBA Finals history than that of the Detroit Pistons in 2004. Despite being huge underdogs, the Pistons were still able to defeat a powerhouse side in the Los Angeles Lakers en route to their third title in franchise history.</p><p>Recently, five-time All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups, who happened to be the Finals MVP of that memorable series, opened up about how he believes the Lakers should have dominated them some 16 years ago:</p><blockquote>“If you look at the names on the back of the jerseys, yeah, they should have swept us,” he said on ESPN’s Hoop Streams, via <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2889412-chauncey-billups-says-lakers-shouldve-swept-pistons-in-2004-nba-finals">Scott Polacek of Bleacher Report</a><i>. </i>“They really should have.”</blockquote><p>For those who may have forgotten, that particular Lakers squad did not only have Shaqullie O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in their prime, but also Karl Malone and Gary Payton. Malone and Payton were past their prime, sure, but they were still</p><p>Nonetheless, Billups knew that the Pistons’ style made up for the lack of name recognition:</p><blockquote>“Styles make fights, and our style against theirs was superior even in the regular season when we played them,” explained Billups.“I was happy because I felt like there was no way the Lakers could beat us,” he said.</blockquote><p>There nearly was a sweep in the series, but it was the Pistons that came away with the championship in a five-game destruction of the mighty Lakers. Billups took home Finals MVP honors thanks to his 21.0 points, 5.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game.</p><p>For the record, that was also the last season Shaq played for the Lakers. The famed big man made his way to the Miami Heat soon after the Lakers fell to Detroit. It could be said that the Pistons’ upset of 2004 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-shaquille-oneal-reveals-la-told-him-hed-be-traded-if-they-lost-2004-finals-pistons/" rel="noopener noreferrer">effectively ended the Shaq-Kobe era in Hollywood.</a></p><figure class="op-tracker"><iframe><script>  (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){  (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),  m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)  })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');  ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', 'auto');  ga('set', 'campaignSource', 'Facebook');  ga('set', 'campaignMedium', 'Instant Article');  ga('set', 'title', ia_document.title);  ga('send', 'pageview');</script><iframe>    <script type="text/javascript">        window._taboola = window._taboola || [];        _taboola.push({            article: 'auto',            ref_url: 'http://instantarticles.fb.com'        });        !function (e, f, u, i) {            if (!document.getElementById(i)) {                e.async = 1;                e.src = u;                e.id = i;                f.parentNode.insertBefore(e, f);            }        }(document.createElement('script'),            document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0],            'https://cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/clutchpoints-clutchpoints/trk.js',            'tb_loader_script');        if (window.performance) {          if (typeof window.performance.mark == 'function') {            window.performance.mark('tbl_ic');          }        }    </script>    </iframe></iframe></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chauncey Billups claims Lakers should have swept Pistons in 2004 NBA Finals

https://twitter.com/1MrBigShot/status/1252282539743428611/

Why is it that The Last Dance has brought on so much unwarranted, unnecessary hate on @KingJames??
Why cant people just enjoy the greatness of both guys. I think MJ is the 🐐, but @KingJames is on Mt. Rushmore EASY!!!!

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Chauncey Billups could join Tyronn Lue as associate NBA head coach

Chauncey Billups claims Lakers should have swept Pistons in 2004 NBA Finals