Chіcago Bulls legend Scottie Pіppen has hаd mаny dіfferent nіcknames gіven to hіm over the рast few deсades. For fаns, he іs а legendаry рlayer аnd for Mіchael Jordаn, he wаs the greаtest teаmmаte. He even ѕtated thаt іn the 10 eрisodes long doсuseries, ‘ The Lаst Dаnce .’ However, Pіppen lаter ѕhared thаt they were never сlose. He сalled out hіs former teаmmаte for mаny thіngs thаt hаppened durіng theіr double three-рeat. Aѕ Steрhen A. Smіth rememberѕ, there wаs рarticularly one thіng out of аll, thаt mіght hаve uрset MJ.

And іt wаs Pіppen аdmitting thаt he іntentіonally dіdn’t offer hіs сondolenсes to Jordаn аfter hіs fаther’s deаth. He hаs аlso exрressed hіs regretѕ for hіs аctions. Before reveаling Jordаn’s reаction, Smіth ѕpeculated thаt whіle MJ hаd never been bothered by аny сomments before, he felt “betrаyed” by Pіppen’s аction.

“How he (Pіppen) dіdn’t gіve hіs сondolenсes on рurрose, Mіchael Jordаn’s wordѕ were ‘I hoрe іt’s worth іt for hіm I hаve nothіng аnd he lіterally ѕaid I hаve nothіng elѕe to ѕay’ аnd I know Mіchael Jordаn well enough to know whаt thаt meаns,”  Smіth ѕaid durіng the lаtest eрisode of the PBD Podсast.

In hіs memoіr,  ‘Unguarded’,  Pіppen exрressed hіs dіsapproval of how  The Lаst Dаnce  рortrayed hіm. However, even іf he exрressed hіs remorѕe for not offerіng hіs сondolenсes, ѕome іncludіng the ESPN аnаlyst сlaimed thаt theіr relаtionship mіght not be ѕalvageable аfter thіs.

“Pіppen сrossed the lіne”:  Steрhen A. Smіth

Jаmes Jordаn Sr.’ѕ deаth wаs one of the moѕt heаrtbreаking аnd lіfe-changіng momentѕ for Jordаn. MJ’ѕ fаther wаs ѕhot аnd murdered іn July 1993 іn North Cаrolinа. It рroved to be а wаtershed event іn the legend bаller’s lіfe. Jordаn retіred from the NBA іn Oсtober of the ѕame yeаr to deаl wіth the рain аnd went to ѕeek ѕolace іn рlaying hіs fаther’s fаvorite ѕport, bаsebаll.

In аn eрisode of  Fіrst Tаke , Smіth рredicted thаt thіs odd geѕture by Pіppen mіght hаve ѕevered hіs relаtionship wіth Jordаn for good. He ѕaid,  “Mіchael Jordаn never even thought аbout thаt untіl he ѕaw іt, аnd then he reаlized, ‘Wаit а mіnute, you dіdn’t gіve me сondolenсes on рurрose. I dіdn’t even thіnk аbout thіs.’ He’ѕ (Pіppen) сrossed the lіne. Hіm аnd Jordаn, іt’s over. Tаke іt from me. It’ѕ over.”

The duo’ѕ feud wаs reсently іn the ѕpotlight аgаin аfter Pіppen аnnounced hіs ‘No Bullѕ’ tour eаrlier thіs yeаr. Whіle mаny exрected іt to be аn аnti-Jordаn ѕcheme, the event turned out to be greаt, аnd hіghly аppreciаtive of the Bullѕ’ journey to vіctory. But now, the аnаlyst’s  Fіrst Tаke hаs only revіved the сlassiс сourt frіctіon of the NBA.

It’s time to spoil Boston Celtics fans’ fun before the postseason even starts.

In related news, don’t count on the Celtics to throw a parade through Boston’s streets this summer.

The Celtics are the overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Finals after their outstanding regular season. They also have almost everything going for them. Boston boasts a star-studded roster with a large supporting cast to help fill in the blanks. With possibly their biggest opponent coping with an injury to one of its key players, the Eastern Conference’s path to the Finals is also clear for them.

Although it seemed inevitable that the Celtics will win the NBA championship, that isn’t actually the case. The Celtics still have a lot of opportunities to lose this postseason.

And for the following three main reasons, the Celtics’ quest for Banner 18 will end in failure:

Late-game incompetence

Boston left a lot to be desired in terms of their game-ending performance. Does anyone really think that Joe Mazzulla or Jayson Tatum will make the perfect play in the closing seconds?

During the regular season, the Celtics struggled with a stagnating offense with Tatum simply dribbling the ball into the floor in the closing minutes of games. Boston, which finished 13-11 this season in games decided by six points or less, appears to focus more on isolations than on its amazing ball movement, an issue that is prevalent in the NBA.

Tatum has also not fared well in certain circumstances. It seems as though he hasn’t made a game-winning basket since defeating the Brooklyn Nets a few postseasons ago by making a layup at the buzzer. Since then, he’s had many more opportunities that have merely fallen flat.

The pressure in the playoffs will increase exponentially at game’s finish. During these thrilling finishes, execution must be nearly flawless, and the Celtics have demonstrated that they become overly eager and frequently crumble under such strain.

Turnover defect

The Celtics’ two most recent postseason runs have been wrecked by turnovers, which come at the worst possible time for Boston. The Celtics committed 23 turnovers when the Golden State Warriors finished the Finals on the parquet floor in 2022, and Jaylen Brown had eight turnovers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals the previous year.

The Celtics’ record at home during the previous two postseasons has been 11-12 in part because of their turnover rate.

Without a doubt, Brown and Tatum are the main offenders. While Tatum became the first player in NBA history to commit 100 mistakes in a single postseason in 2022, Brown—who has struggled with a hand injury this season—had a team-high 3.3 turnovers per game during the playoffs last year.

The playbook for defending Brown and Tatum is clear to opposing defenses: get up on them and ruin their life. Although the famous pair has reduced their turnovers per game this season, they have not improved their ball handling sufficiently, particularly in light of the NBA’s recent changes that let defenders to be more aggressive.

It makes sense that the Celtics frequently want to get the ball into the hands of Brown and Tatum. They are the two top players on the team and have a wide range of scoring options. But the Celtics will have difficulties if they haven’t entirely resolved their ball-handling troubles.

The biggest star in the NBA is the most visible.

Sometimes, a team’s only option is to tip its hat to the top player on the floor. If the Celtics face the Denver Nuggets in the Finals, there is a scenario that could come to pass.

Tatum and Brown are not on the same level as Nikola Jokic. The two-time MVP ate up Kristaps Porzingis near the rim with a gorgeous variety of post moves in their two regular-season encounters, and the Celtics have no answer for him. Are we certain Porzingis can even survive the grueling postseason grind in good health? The idea that Luke Kornet or even Al Horford would have to try to protect Jokic is unsettling.

In Denver’s two victories over the Celtics, Jokic averaged 33 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists while shooting 60.1% from the floor. This is probably what he’ll do in the Finals.

Nobody else compares to Jokic. He’s an incredible individual talent who makes those around him feel better. He also possesses championship mettle. Even against a team as talented as Boston, trying to defeat him when he understands what it takes to win a championship is an extremely difficult challenge. Thus, Celtics, good luck with that.

LeBron James Gets Brutally Honest About Lakers’ Denver Nuggets Matchup

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers will face off against the Denver Nuggets this week in the opening round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

Last season, L.A. and Denver faced off in the Western Conference Finals – with the latter side earning a clean sweep. In the aftermath, they went on to win an NBA championship.

A lot of bad blood exists between these two teams dating back to last season. The Nuggets talked a lot of smack about beating the Lakers, and Nikola Jokic’s brothers event went so far as to bully Jack Nicholson.

This week LeBron James spoke to the media and gave his brutally honest assessment on his squad’s opening round matchup. He doesn’t think the Nuggets’ dominance over the Lakers in the last few games they have played means anything.

“I think you’re putting a little bit too much emphasis on it,” James said.

“This is our first-round matchup. I mean, we’re looking forward to the postseason. But I haven’t been, like, looking forward to the rematch. The game is played how it’s being played, and this is the matchup. So we’re looking forward to that challenge.”

When pressed on whether this showdown with Denver was in any way personal, James made the case that it wasn’t.

“It shouldn’t be personal at all,” he replied.

“I think you allow yourself to get away from the game plan when you make it too personal. We have a game plan. You go out there and execute it and you live with the results. I’m kind of the last person you should [ask that] — I just stay even-keeled.

“I’ve been in the postseason way too long in my career to know that you don’t get too high off of Game 1 or get too high over whoever the matchup is. You got to just stay even-keeled.”

Will the Lakers be able to shock the world and beat the Nuggets in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs? An answer one way or the other is coming over the next few weeks.

Michael Jordan Bet $100,000 On ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’

Featured Image Credit: Image: PA

NBA legend Michael Jordan had a love/addiction for gambling that was so crazy, he would even place big money on rock, paper, scissors.

Jay Williams, a former Chicago Bulls teammate of Jordan’s before a motorcycle accident ended his career prematurely, told a story of how ‘MJ’ went up to $100,000 on the classic childhood game.

Jordan loved trips to the casino and also enjoyed betting on golf games he was playing in. Put simply, he would bet on absolutely anything without any hesitation.

“Think about gambling to the next degree. Rock, paper, scissors — you bet $20,000 all day long. Why wouldn’t you? You get bored,” Williams revealed on The Brilliant Idiots podcast in 2015.

“And don’t get yourself down in the dice game. Don’t be in the corner and let some dude keep fading you out and all of a sudden you’re down $100,000 and he’s like, ‘Yo, bet it back — rock, paper, scissors for $100,000.”

Normally one would play rock, paper, scissors for a bit of a fun or to decide an outcome but with Jordan there was always money involved.

Another gem of a Jordan gambling story from ESPN recalls the time Jordan bet his teammates that his luggage would arrive first at the airport. Image: PA

The Bulls were in Portland waiting for their bags on the conveyor belt. He managed to get nine teammates to participate in the wager, and lo and behold, his belongings were first on the scene.

However, without his teammates knowing, Jordan had actually fixed it. He bribed staff at the airport so that his bags would arrive first and ended up making a few hundred bucks.Although he liked earning a pretty penny, Jordan was a tad particular about appearances and deals even if was easy money.

LeBron James once touched on his on-court battles with Michael Jordan as a teenager. James first hit the court with MJ in 2001, when Jordan was preparing to make his final comeback and LBJ was just 16 years old.

“The dude looked like Jesus Christ to me,” James said in a video released by Uninterrupted. “He was Black Jesus to me.”

LeBron didn’t play on the same team as Jordan that day, but he did get the chance to team up with his hero two years later. Not long after he was drafted in June 2003, James was invited to Jordan’s annual summer camp at UC-Santa Barbara.

“We used to play around 9 p.m. The camp would end..and we would stay along with the college kids that he would invite,” James said. “We would get a good-ass run in for about an hour, an hour-15. I was on the same team with MJ and we didn’t lose a game.”

Now that is the secret MJ footage the world needs next. Here’s hoping someone was filming that day, and that we don’t have to wait 22 years to see it.

James was a Bulls fan growing up and believes he would’ve been a perfect fit alongside Jordan. Sadly, they only just missed each other in the league, with Jordan retiring just a few months before James was drafted.

Danny Ainge Believes Jazz Players Lacked Faith

POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 13, 2022 BY BONNY JOHNSON

Danny Ainge wasn’t at a loss for words when describing his first impression of the Utah Jazz when he first joined the team last December.

“What I saw during the season was a group of players that really didn’t believe in each other. Like the whole group, I think they liked each other even more than what was reported, but I’m not sure there was a belief,” said Ainge during a news conference on Monday. “When we got to the playoffs, I thought, well, this is a team that has had some disappointing playoffs, so I thought maybe they’re just waiting for the playoffs. I gave them that benefit of the doubt, but it was clear the team didn’t perform well in the playoffs again.”

The Jazz lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2022 Playoffs.

“I think individually they have resolve, but I just don’t believe collectively they did. So you see a lot of players trying to do it on their own as the belief in one another wasn’t as great as teams I’ve been on and around that I’ve seen.”

As a result, Utah traded All-Star player Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a bunch of players and picks during the offseason.

“Previous results kind of told us who we were,” Zanik said. “It wasn’t just a one-year thing. This was a good three-year period where we won a lot of games and had a lot of success, but we were tapped out from a potential standpoint, and we needed to reset that.”

Gobert and Mitchell had mended their relationship after Gobert’s faux pas during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Jazz never made it further than the Conference Semifinals.

The Jazz held on to veteran players Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley, and Bojan Bogdanovic

Utah Jazz Deny Report Saying They Traded Donovan Mitchell Out Of Spite To Cavaliers

POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 BY ERIC MAGANA

The Utah Jazz trading Donovan Mitchell to the Cavaliers caught the NBA off guard this offseason.

Rumors of the Cavaliers’ interest had circulated, but sources had told various outlets that the Knicks remained the clear frontrunners.

In the wake of the surprise trade, a lot of speculation, and finger-pointing, took place, dissecting what led to Mitchell ending up in wine and gold.

One theory is that the Jazz front office, frustrated with the Knicks executives over things such as showing up to their playoff game, took a lesser offer from the Cavaliers out of spite.

Utah executives are shooting that one down, ESPN’s Zach Lowe said on the Lowe Post Podcast with Ian Begley (hat tip Real GM).

“I’ve seen some reports, forgive me I can’t remember who said ‘Well, the Jazz were upset Donovan Mitchell maybe wasn’t all-in forever with Utah and as punishment we’ll send him to a place he doesn’t want to go do,’” said Zach Lowe on his podcast.

“Emotions can play into this. I’ve been assured by the Utah side that ‘No, look, we’re mature people. Yes, we were upset with particularly the Mavs’ game incident, but we’re not going to make decisions based on those kind of things that now happened four months ago or whatever. We’ve made the best deal possible.’”

Never say never, but smart and veteran executives work to keep emotions out of most decisions.

The NBA is a cold, hard business at times, and a lead executive will have moments where logic and what is best for the team will overrule that emotion.

It’s debatable if Ainge and the Jazz made the right call, would you rather have two unprotected picks from a Knicks franchise that has been turbulent in recent decades, or three from a Cavaliers team now set up with a strong young core that could be a force for five years or longer?

The same applies to the pick swaps, between the Knicks and Cavaliers, which team is likely to finish with a worse record than the Jazz in four or six years?

The Utah Jazz made their call and went for the volume of picks farther out.

It will be years before we know if that was the right call.

But it was not one made out of spite.

Warriors Floated Idea of Trading for Kevin Durant to Steph Curry

POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 BY CHRIS HECKMANN

The Golden State Warriors floated the idea of trading for disgruntled superstar Kevin Durant to franchise cornerstone Steph Curry.

“There was a conversation internally about ‘If he was available, would you?’ I was never hesitant,” Curry said in a profile with Rolling Stone.

“Every team has those conversations, and obviously, they’re gonna call me and ask, ‘How do you feel about it?”

The Warriors were rumored to have interest in a reunion with Durant after the Brooklyn Nets’ star requested a trade out of the Big Apple.

However, no trade materialized, and Durant eventually rescinded his request.

The Warriors won two NBA championships with Durant and Curry.

However, Curry and the Warriors also won two additional championships without Durant.

The cost of trading for Durant, who turns 34 in just a couple weeks, was reported to be exorbitantly high.

Curry and the Warriors will look to repeat their 2021-22 season with another championship run in 2022-23.

The Best NBA Player Reactions to 2K23

POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2022 BY NICK JUNGFER

NBA 2K23 has dropped and players around the league have some thoughts.

Here are the best reactions:

Seeing myself in 2k really crazy I ain’t going to lie🤣🤣🤣🤣…like wow

Due to his incredible competitive nature, Michael Jordan rarely gave his rivals special compliments. However, when once quizzed to name the toughest matchups of his Hall of Fame career several years ago, “His Airness” anointed the “little guards” from his era as the ones who gave him the most problems during games.

According to Jordan, guys like Allen Iverson and even Muggsy Bogues were a handful, but when someone from the crowd asked if former New York Knicks guard John Starks was one of them, MJ smiled and said nope.

“The hardest opponent for me to play against in terms of 1-on-1? Small guys: [Allen] Iverson, Damon Stoudamire, Rod Strickland, Muggsy [Bogues]… Those little guards like that, it was hard for me,” the six-time NBA champion confided. “Starks?!… [I had] No problem with Starks.”

John is at peace

Indeed, we don’t need to search for proof that Jordan was one of, if not the most unstoppable player of his generation. And no lies are detected when he says Starks wasn’t on the list of players who gave him a hard time on the court. In fact, even Starks once admitted that it was almost impossible to stop Jordan from dominating his opponents, let alone limit him from scoring during 1-on-1 plays.”I’m not exaggerating that much when I say that MJ could jump out of the gym. And he had those big hands that could palm the ball. He could create space for himself. He was special in that way. When Mike was out there, he was trying to kill your spirit. He took everything personally, and when he stepped out on the court, he felt that he had something to prove every single time. That was just him, whether it was me or whoever else guarding him. His mentality wasn’t just to score a lot of points. He wanted to crush your soul,” Starks confessed.

Despite often falling short against Jordan, Starks is content knowing he had epic duels with the GOAT.

“After guarding Jordan, I can say that I played against the greatest. Even if I failed a lot of the time, I can live with that,” he concluded.

How MJ thinks he would fare in a 1-on-1 game against today’s NBA superstars

Smaller guards during MJ’s era differed from those in today’s NBA. Back then, smaller guards were fast, athletic, and durable, and, more importantly, they played pesky defense. Jordan is not slighting the little guys from this era, but he is confident he has a better chance of beating Steph Curry than LeBron James in a 1-on-1 game. However, that doesn’t mean he couldn’t maul James as well.

“I’d go against Stephen Curry because I’m a little bit bigger than him so I could back him in, but LeBron’s a little bit too big,” Jordan assessed. “If I was in my prime, could I beat LeBron in a one-on-one game? No question. And he’s going to say no question. [Curry] is a great player. Not a Hall Of Famer yet, though. He’s not.”

Last weekend’s race at Kansas witnessed Bubba Wallace and the 23XI Racing team on the cusp of victory, but the outcome was a tough pill to swallow for the team and ringmaster, Michael Jordan. With the first playoff elimination race of 2023 looming ahead, the pressure is skyrocketing to new peaks in order to secure a spot in the playoffs round of 12. In a sport ruled by uncertainty, the drivers in the cutoff bubble are all under threat, and Bristol is shaping up to be a last-chance showdown for those below the cutline to snatch a playoff berth. Wallace finds himself among those drivers aiming for a breakthrough.

However, the buzz in the 23XI garage ahead of Bristol is not centered on playoff drama. Instead, it’s tied to whispers about a certain “I’m loving it” brand. Could there be a sponsorship surprise in store for Bubba Wallace and his team?

The anticipation of the NASCAR crowd has reached its adrenaline-filled peak as the remaining races of the 2023 season draw near. However, leading up to Bristol, the 23XI garage is abuzz with palpable excitement as the team unveils a new paint job for Wallace. As is customary, the shenanigans surrounding the unveiling were as grand as ever, engaging fans in deciding the final paint job decision.

 

Wallace’s primary sponsor this year, McDonald’s, created three paint jobs, all inspired by their media franchise and fictional fantasy characters: Grimace, Birdie, and Hamburglar. Fans were asked to vote from the three liveries, and the Grimace livery, featuring a striking purple paint job, won the poll by a leap. It captured the hearts of fans and took the NASCAR scene by storm. This striking livery is set to grace the tracks this year at Homestead, where Wallace will trade car number 23’s signature red and yellow colors for an all-over purple.

Balvin, one of the best-known artists of reggeaton is a worldwide celebrity, However, it depends on what kind of celebrity status you have in order to have certain privileges, such as being able to meet and greet the GOAT, which is why this happened to the Colombian singer when he came face to face with Michael Jordan, on Sunday at the Nascar Cup Series in Bristol.

Watch: Michael Jordan’s bodyguards mistake J Balvin for a random fan

Michael Jordan’s bodyguards mistake J Balvin for a random fanRoberto Ortega

Both figures came face to face in the pit area and when Balvin tried to approach to greet ‘His Majesty’, his security team simply made a gesture asking him to move away and leave MJ alone. However, Mike did immediately gave the order to let him pass and hugged him warmly.

How did J Balvin and Michael Jordan meet?

It turns out that there is a good relationship between the musician and the NBA legend because they have had several collaborations for Jordan’s apparel division with Nike, ‘Air Jordan’. Balvin partnered with Nike and Michael Jordan to launch some models and even MJ himself got to wear the sneakers they designed in a collaboration with the Colombian singer

“It’s an honor for me, to be able to have by my side people I’ve always admired and today to see that we are a team, that we are friends and that we are ambassadors of the Medellin sunset in my own car in Nascar! Never stop dreaming and working to achieve your goals. THANK YOU Jordan“, the singer on social media.

Once they become big enough, players start to be recognized by a lot of factors other than their names. Nicknames, signature moves, and of course, jersey numbers become synonymous with the best in the NBA. And nobody comes close to Michael Jordan in terms of fame and popularity at their basketball peak. MJ’s jump became iconic, so there’s no doubting the fact that No. 23 was always going to be associated with him.

Considering that 23 is a pretty random number though, there has always been curiosity regarding why MJ would choose to wear it. And it’s not the only number he’s worn in his career either, when he came back from his first retirement, Jordan wore No. 45 for a while before switching back to No. 23. He explained the reasoning behind his choice in a short documentary during he went to several prominent European cities.

“My brother wore No. 45 which was my number. So when we was on the same team, we couldn’t wear the same number. So I chose half of what his jersey was, which was 22.5, which I would rather have 23.”

MJ learned a lot from his brothers, something he spoke about in the Last Dance documentary. His older brother Larry also played basketball at the collegiate level although he never did quite make it professionally. It’s no surprise that Michael Jordan would want to have a number similar to his brother, the Chicago Bulls icon got his single-minded determination thanks to him.

And whatever his reason was behind picking it, he surely made the No. 23 one of the most popular jersey numbers in the history of sports. Most people that see it will always think of Michael Jordan and the greatness he achieved wearing it. And those that wear the number for other franchises will always feel the weight of what it signifies.

Savannah James is currently 37 years old. She celebrated her birthday on Instagram earlier this week with her husband, NBA player LeBron James, often known as “King James.” James shared the article again on his Stories, adding a heart-shaped emoji this time.

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In the picture, Savannah looks chic as ever, wearing an all-black voluminous one-piece with little jewelry, well styled hair, and high heels. The happy pair, along with their family, are well known for leading lavish lives; LeBron, understandably, often calls his extremely stylish wife his “queen.”

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