The Newlette BOUNCER 
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Kevin during will be 37 years today. He has one of the most impressive curriculum vitae in the history of basketball: 15 star selections, 11 all-nba honors (first six teams), four score titles, a MVP, two MVPs from the NBA final, two titles, eighth more points, 12th more shooting, 14th the most at 3 points and eighth of eighths of eighths. NBA. And he’s always going!
Linked finals!
Mercury eliminate the lynx in hand
For the first time since 2021, the Phoenix Mercury heads for the WNBA final. They hope to win their first WNBA title since 2014, when they swept the sky of Chicago in three games. In their victory in the 86-81 series on the Lynx of Minnesota to seed, Mercury followed the same formula as all the other games in the series: Win the fourth quarter and you will win the match.
The Mercury dropped by 13 points in the last period, then struck a lynx team exhausted with a 31-13 quarter to finish the great season of Minnesota. These are the fourth quarters (and an extension) in this series:
- Match 1 (min win): Mercury with 10 points (3 on 17 FG), three assists, three reversals | Lynx with 23 points (10 on 19 FG), six assists, zero turnarounds
- Match 2 (PHX Victoire, OT): Mercury with 34 points (12 out of 31 FG), 10 assists, two reversals | Lynx with 21 points (9 on 24 FG), four assists, six reversals
- Match 3 (PHX victory): Mercury with 21 points (6 on 17 FG), four assists, two reversals | Lynx with nine points (3 on 16 FG), two assists, four reversals
- Match 4 (PHX victory): Mercury with 31 points (10 on 12 FG), eight assists, two reversals | Lynx with 13 points (5 on 18 FG), two assists, zero turnarounds
It is important to note that Napheesa Collier, which has finished second in the MVP, voted in the past two seasons, did not play in match 4 Due to an ankle injury suffered on a key (and controversial) Playing late in match 3. It is also important to note that the necklace was terrible offensively in fourth quarter of this series, scoring two points on a 1 of 6 shot before his injury in match 3. Despite these difficulties, they could at least have used his defense in match 4.
While we expect the opponent of the Mercury finals (Indiana fever Forced a Win-Or-Vacation 5 game Against the Aces of Las Vegas on Tuesday!), It is worth discussing the other absence of game 4 of the lynx. It was their coach, Cheryl Reeve,, who was suspended for the game. For what? She lost her S *** at the end of match 3 when Alyssa Thomas stole the collar ball, and there was no fault on Thomas. Admittedly, it was a clean flight, even if necklace ended up injuring the game by accessory contact. It was the declaration of the League on the reasoning of the suspension:
“His conduct and comments included an aggressive prosecution and verbally abusing a field official on the ground, leaving the court timely during his ejection with 21.8 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, inappropriate comments made to fans during the exit of the court and the remarks made during a post-match press conference,” the league said in a press release.
You may be wondering: what were these comments after the match? Reeve discharged.
“If that’s what our league wants, then ok, but I want to call for a change in leadership at the League in terms of officer,” said Reeve after the match. “It’s bad for the match. The crew officiating that we had this evening, for the management team to consider these three people in the semi-finals worthy of the playoffs is a professional fault. I can take a ‘the best of them. I don’t think we should have to play more than they did.”
In the words of Owen Wilson: WOW! Our own Ben Pickman had the impression that the suspension was justified, but at the same time, Reeve made valid points. I understand that Ben’s line of thought but respectfully disagree on the suspension being justified.
Reeve’s comments, as aggressive as they may be, deserve the greatest authorized fine, however. This is what happens when you criticize the officer in this way. It is a risk that coaches will take at any level with post-match press conferences.
You may also remember that Reeve said that the title of the WNBA 2024 had been stolen from its team after the New York Liberty won a closely disputed match 5. The officer was odious in this match, and the WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert strangely wore an outfit to New York sequest for the match in Brooklyn. Reeve had one point that evening, and she has a few points here, even if she crossed the line.
Las Vegas AS coach Becky Hammon commented Reeve’s quote with: “From what I heard, she didn’t say lies. She said the truth.”
The suspension of people who question what is happening by talking to me about limits. Anyway, Mercury has won its place in the final, and the accomplishment should not be withdrawn. But to suspend a coach on vocal and valid criticism is the real line that should not be crossed.
The last 24
Are there more offers like Kawhi?
💰 Let’s compare! How does the Kawhi-aspiration agreement compare to other sponsorships? Asked Joe Vardon.
🏀 Help with veterans. The Warriors add a tall man to the list. Al Horford agreed to sign.
🎥 Back so early? Jayson Tatum torn his Achilles in May. He already publishes training images!
🏀 See you slowly. Joel Embiid practiced with the Sixers without knee lining. But he is right to take things slowly.
🏀 Training ‘CLA’. This revolutionary coaching method quietly feeds the best athletes in the world.
🏀 ⚽ European expansion. How does the NBA develop a company’s strategy in euros? He looks at football.
Jazz
Does Utah have a direction?
We are about three weeks before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, and I couldn’t be more excited. By October 21, we will preview some teams every day, one of each conference.
We will preview in the opposite order of the way I think these teams will finish in their respective conferences. You should eat your vegetables before getting steak or salmon or duck in confit or pizza (now I just call food).
Let’s start:
Drama Metter: You are probably wondering why the jazz counter is a 5. The organization of jazz began to float the idea that last season was the first year of their reconstruction and marked the two previous seasons of 37 and 31 victories, respectively, as the years of dismantling. I will remind you that they exchanged their two all-nba talents in Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert before these two seasons. Sorry, Utah, but you have been reconstructing for three years.
There seem to be disorders in the fans base and the local media, ask questions about the moment when this reconstruction could give positive results, especially when you charge good money to watch a team that was 24th in attack and 30th in defense. And then there is the whole situation of the coach. There is certainly pressure to show progress towards the future.
Hot slut: Will Hardy signed a contract extension Until 2031 this offseason. This seat is frozen.
Question intersaison: While Lauri Markkanen, 28, is a phenomenal player as part of a long -term agreement (until 2029), jazz seeks the future of their franchise. The president of jazz of Austin Ainge basketball operations hopes to have found this star in the fifth overall choice Ace Bailey. Bailey has a ton of talent and can really set up points. We just need to see what else is at the NBA level.
2026 free agents: Jusuf nurkić | Georges Niang | Walker Kessler (limited if no recruit extension) | Kevin Love
Contractual talks have blocked Between Kessler and jazz, but that would not shock me if they came to an agreement on an extension before the start of the season. Niang is a very interesting player in a contractual season, with him being a career in a career of 30% at 3 points. It could be precious on the deadline for trade.
Expectations for this season: They are extremely low. It is not a team ready to win in a coherent way, even if Markkanen is in good health and is not seated for reasons of Tanking. If this team wins around 20 games and we consider Bailey as a future star and a few other young players are making a big step forward, it will be positive for jazz fans.
Overview of wizards
Washington finally reconstructs properly
This organization has been a laughing stock for years. It was not well managed, and the wizards just seemed to be content to try to sell “stuck in the limbo” as progressing towards something significant.
In the past two seasons, we have seen a big change in the direction. They are not content to rebuild; Sorcerers understood how to reconstruct properly. They assess the right contracts and acquire assets. They stored a very fun and interesting group of young players to build and, hopefully, around. And although this team probably worsened during the offseason, the locker rooms became very strong with the leadership of the veterans for the young nucleus.
I love what the Wizards have done by removing part of the removal from the list while maximizing the flexibility of the CAP for next summer. Let’s move on to what we are waiting for this season:
Drama Metter: The only potential drama with this franchise is that the property may decide to be frustrated by the product in the field. Even it seems nitpicking their leadership and their vision of the past. The wizards are in an ideal place, as long as they stay up and develop.
Hot slut: Brian Keefe is in the second year to be full-time head coach for Wizards after joining the organization as an assistant in 2023. The team has only 26-95 in their time as an temporary and full-time chief trainer. Perhaps the wizards could decide that it is replaceable if the development is not going well this season, but it seems quite sure.
Question intersaison: Wizards have the same question as jazz, and it’s about looking for a future star. I’m not sure they answered someone on this list. Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly have a potential, but I’m not sure that it is a star potential. The Wizards hope that the sixth choice Tre Johnson (outside Texas) will be this answer. Even if he is not, Johnson could be a big shooter and a scorer at the NBA level.
2026 free agents: Khris Middleton | CJ McCollum | Malaki Branham (limited) | Marvin Bagley III
It will be fascinating to see what the Wizards do with Middleton and McCollum before the deadline for trade. Do they try to move them to hopes in exchange for assets? Will it be good enough to make a good return good for Washington? Or do they keep them in the locker room and on the ground to help guide young people?
Expectations for this season: The wizards will be terrible, but they will be fun and terrible. And it’s by design. This team has eight players 22 years old or less in rotation. If Johnson can be a Knockdown shooter and we see major improvements by Coulibaly and Sarr, then the structure will be formed on the ground to give an overview of their future.
(Joe Ronde / The Republic / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
