One of the reasons why I appreciate what Butler brings to the table is that he continues to prove that good things happen when you’re willing to put in the work, a sentiment that should motivate and inspire each and every one of us.
COLUMN: FLAGRANT FACTS
By: Jack Fredericks
A weekly NBA column where we go buzzer to buzzer to buzzer with the book.
Frankly put, Nick Nurse would be the favorite, but there have been zero reports of him even being granted an interview with the Bucks, which is surprising.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets face off in the Western Conference Finals. Jayson Tatum’s heroics sent the Boston Celtics to yet another Eastern Conference Finals matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers.Â
For the Grizzlies, they have to think long and hard about the next steps. From a pure basketball standpoint, he’s worth every penny of that massive extension. From an organizational perspective, cutting ties with Morant would send Memphis back into a tough spot, especially with Dillon Brooks’ antics and his rumored departure this summer.Â
Unfortunately, that is where the good times ended for the Suns. They played the top-seeded Denver Nuggets to a stalemate through the first four games, with each team winning on its home court. However, Denver closed out the series in six games, including a lopsided 125-100 victory in the series finale.Â
After all, aside from the conference finals appearance in the playoff bubble three seasons ago, this team has not had a ton of postseason success. Furthermore, they do not have the same level of star power as the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis or Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
Boston holds an 8-3 record ATS spread in the last 11 meetings between the two teams. Furthermore, the Celtics are 35-17-1 ATS in their last 53 games against teams that had a winning percentage of .600 or better. Philadelphia’s winning percentage was .659 during the regular season.Â
The series goes back to Boston, which is the worst-case scenario for Philadelphia after they choked Game 6. Furthermore, Jayson Tatum does his thing in Game 7. He has a 4-1 record in Game 7s, averaging 24.4 PPG with 8.2 rebounds in the do-or-die game.Â
Let’s begin with the positive first. This squad played its butt off from a defensive perspective. The Heat ranked second in scoring defense, giving up 109.8 points per contest. Miami also finished in the top 10 in defensive efficiency, allowing 113.3 points per 100 possessions.