<!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>        <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', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/spurs-news-jamal-crawford-adding-victor-wembanyama-game');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jamal Crawford reveals how he’s adding to Spurs star Victor Wembanyama’s game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Jamal-Crawford-reveals-how-hes-adding-to-Victor-Wembanyamas-game.jpg"></figure><h1>Jamal Crawford reveals how he’s adding to Spurs star Victor Wembanyama’s game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-20T19:07:55-07:00">June 20th, 7:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-20T19:07:55-07:00">June 20th, 7:07pm</time><address><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@LedesmaHector">Hector Ledesma</a>Hector Ledesma has been covering the Spurs in San Antonio since 2005, but he has been following them for even longer than that. An award-winning journalist born and raised in San Antonio, Hector has worked across all types of television and radio platforms. His work extends online and through social media (@HectorLedesmaTV) where he continues that work with ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Generational talent Victor Wembanyama actually is trying to do it all. The 20-year-old marvel is continuing to work with Jamal Crawford, who’s considered one of the NBA’s best ever ball handlers as well as a three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner. It appears to be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/why-victor-wembanyama-will-be-a-problem-for-nba-in-2024-25-per-paul-george">another step Wembanyama</a>, who carried loads of expectations before a Rookie of the Year campaign with the San Antonio Spurs announced he was for real.</p><p>Crawford joined the Dan Patrick Show to discuss <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-news-jamal-crawford-convinced-victor-wembanyama-better-than-hype">working with Wembanyama</a> this summer. It’s a relationship <a href="https://x.com/dpshow/status/1803480363823448085" rel="noopener">that started when</a> the former top overall draft pick appeared on TNT.</p><p>“We go back to earlier this season when we had him on the show,” Crawford said of his first interaction with the Spurs leading scorer.</p><p>“He had been doing some crazy moves so I asked him if he could do this particular move and he’s like, ‘Yeah, I’ve been doing that for years.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, OK,'” Crawford continued. “We hooked up at All-Star and I just showed him some freestyle moves and from there our relationship kind of took off.”</p><p>Wembanyama qualified for All-Star Weekend courtesy of the Rising Stars Challenge.</p><p>“I showed him a wrap around move where he wraps around his body; it’s only reserved for tall guards, guys with long arms that could pull this off. I thought he could take it to the next level,” Crawford said. “But, it was funny, when I started showing him, all the other rookies, sophomores on the court – all the attention, they stopped shooting, they went over there. I’m like, ‘Ok, let’s just keep this surface level because everybody’s watching right now.'”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">If Victor Wembanyama develops the Jamal Crawford dribble package, how on Earth will he be guarded? 🤯</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/YahooSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YahooSports</a>)<a href="https://t.co/ySpbu2UfUy">pic.twitter.com/ySpbu2UfUy</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1758576983192252922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Victor Wembanyama, Jamal Crawford team up </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TNT-analyst-Jamal-Crawford-second-from-left.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>A recent picture that Wemby posted on his Instagram account <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C8UwrP6Jwuy/?img_index=1" rel="noopener">showed him working with</a> the man regarded by many as the greatest reserve to ever play. Crawford went on to describe what would help Wembanyama’s game going forward.</p><p>“They absolutely can,” Crawford answered the host’s thoughts about whether San Antonio will add a veteran floor general.</p><p>“I can see why it would take a little bit because he’s such a unique talent and you can use him in so many different places on the court,” Crawford continued. “You can use him bringing up the ball, you can use him in the mid post area, you can use him in the post area. He can shoot transition threes and he do everything in between so I understand Pop [Gregg Popovich] and those guys’ thinking because you just don’t know exactly what you have until you have it and, even then, he can stretch the imagination.”</p><p>“But, you’re right, getting that point guard to grow with him and that fits him will definitely serve him well,” Crawford concluded.</p><p>Including the one game he logged for the Brooklyn Nets in 2020, Crawford played in twenty NBA seasons. He suited up for nine teams over a career that averaged at least 17 points per game for the better part of that two decade career. That’s tons of knowledge he can share with a young man who’s just starting his legacy. Wembanyama appears to be well on his way with every aspect he adds to an already scary combination of size and skill.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jamal Crawford reveals how he’s adding to Spurs star Victor Wembanyama’s game

<!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>        <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', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/clippers-news-jj-redick-jamal-crawford-fx-clipped');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ex-Clippers’ JJ Redick, Jamal Crawford reveal the truth behind FX’s Clipped');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Clippers-news-JJ-Redick-Jamal-Crawford-reveal-the-truth-behind-FXs-Clipped.jpg"></figure><h1>Ex-Clippers’ JJ Redick, Jamal Crawford reveal the truth behind FX’s Clipped</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-14T12:53:27-07:00">June 14th, 12:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-14T12:53:27-07:00">June 14th, 12:53pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Former Los Angeles Clippers players have been reacting to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clipped-review-fx-limited-series-donald-sterling-racist">FX’s new show Clipped</a>. Chris Paul <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-chris-paul-clipped-show">previously shared his thoughts</a> on the show, which focuses on Donald Sterling’s controversy when he was the owner of the team. JJ Redick and Jamal Crawford are the latest ex-members of the team to weigh in on Clipped.</p><p>Redick played for LA from 2013-2017. Crawford was a member of the team from 2012-2017. Both players were impactful for the mid-2010’s Clippers.</p><p>Redick was one of the best three-point shooters in the league, while Crawford implemented a mixture of shooting and elite dribbling to make him one of the best sixth men of all-time. In fact, Crawford won two of his three NBA Sixth Man of the Year Awards in LA.</p><p>So what do Redick and Crawford <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9zHLa53LxQ&amp;t=1530s" rel="noopener">think about the show</a>?</p><p>“I’ve watched two, I can’t wait to watch three,” Crawford said, via The Old Man and The Three podcast. “It’s hilarious because some things I remember and some things like that did not happen but I understand it’s entertainment. But my hair, I’ve never used a piece of spray paint in my life, why do they have my hair looking like that.”</p><p>“Some of the stuff with my free agency was actually accurate,” Redick said later. “We had a charity golf tournament at Palos Verdes at the Trump Course there and that was the only interaction I ever had with him (Donald Sterling). This was after he tried to cancel my deal because he woke up and decided he didn’t want to sign a white player. I went up to him just to say hello and I said hey Mr. Sterling, ‘nice to meet you’, and he said ‘hey JJ I’ve heard a lot about you.’ That was the only words I ever spoke to him.”</p><h2><b>Clipped draws mixed reviews from former Clippers players</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Clippers-players-Blake-Griffin-Matt-Barnes-Jamal-Crawford-and-JJ-Redick-in-2015.jpg"><figcaption>Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The mid-2010’s Clippers featured no shortage of potential. They failed to win a championship, but produced plenty of memorable moments and highlights. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin led the “Lob City” era Clippers. Deandre Jordan also played an impactful role along with Redick and Crawford.</p><p>Paul called out one specific scene that <a href="https://x.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1798773423214358878" rel="noopener">he said never happened</a> while speaking on The Pat McAfee Show.</p><p>“Me and my wife watched the first episode,” Paul said in early June. “It was kind of cringy, right? Honestly, because you got somebody who’s telling their vantage point… One perspective. I seen my wife kicking it with Donald Sterling’s wife. And I was  like ‘what? That ain’t ever happened.'”</p><p>The show has received mixed reviews from others as well. Many NBA fans have tuned in. Of course, only those involved with the Clippers truly know what occurred since they lived it.</p><p>The idea for the show is interesting. The Donald Sterling era was obviously far from ideal, and Steve Balmer has done an impressive job since taking over. The inside look at the team itself will catch fans’ attention.</p><p>It just needs to be remembered that some of it may not be completely accurate. With that being said, Redick did mention that some of the show was “actually accurate.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ex-Clippers’ JJ Redick, Jamal Crawford reveal the truth behind FX’s Clipped

<!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>        <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', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-jamal-crawford-kyrie-irving-guarantee-celtics');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jamal Crawford’s Kyrie Irving Mavericks guarantee will worry Celtics');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mavericks-news-Jamal-Crawfords-Kyrie-Irving-guarantee-will-worry-Celtics.jpg"></figure><h1>Jamal Crawford’s Kyrie Irving Mavericks guarantee will worry Celtics</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-03T22:40:42-07:00">June 3rd, 10:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-03T22:40:42-07:00">June 3rd, 10:40pm</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson is ClutchPoints' Portland Trail Blazers reporter and also serves as an Associate Editor. He has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks are taking on the favored Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, which get underway on Thursday night.</p><p>As we ramp up to Game 1, NBA commentator and former sharpshooter Jamal Crawford had a bold prediction for the Mavericks’ star guard, while appearing on the ‘Bully Ball’ podcast.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“He’s definitely going to average 25 PPG [in the NBA Finals]… I think if Dallas wins this series, I think this championship can mean more to Kyrie [Irving] than the one he got in Cleveland.”</p><p>– Jamal Crawford 🤔</p><p>(via “Bully Ball”, <a href="https://twitter.com/allthesmokeprod?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@allthesmokeprod</a>)<a href="https://t.co/tATkrx8FH6">pic.twitter.com/tATkrx8FH6</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1797809765730628035?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>“He’s definitely going to average 25 [points per game]. He’s saging, he’s playing Sade on the way to the gym, he’s averaging 25 in that place., he’s gotta average 25 for [the Mavericks] to win, and I think he knows that.</p><p>So far in his 17 playoff games for the Mavericks this season, Irving has averaged 22.8 points per game, to go along with 3.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists. He’s also shot better than 42 percent from beyond the 3-point line in that span.</p><p>That follows an impressive regular season where Kyrie dropped more than 25 points per game in making up half of the best offensive backcourt in the NBA – certainly this season and probably among the list of best backcourts in NBA history.</p><h2><b>Crawford thinks Mavericks-Celtics means more to Kyrie Irving</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kyrie-Irving-1.jpg"><figcaption>© Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Crawford went a step further when talking about Kyrie Irving’s thoughts on this series between the Mavericks and Celtics.</p><p>Said Crawford, “If Dallas wins this series, I think this championship can mean more to Kyrie than the one he got in Cleveland.”</p><p>After everything that Irving has been through over the last several years, whether self-inflicted or not, it makes sense that coming back and winning a championship would be all the sweeter, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-kyrie-irving-admits-boston-stint">especially against the Celtics</a> – his former team whose fans immediately turned on him when he signed with the Nets in the summer of 2019.</p><p>It’s been a rocky last several years for Irving. After making it sound like he would re-sign with the Celtics, Irving forced his way out and joined Kevin Durant and James Harden with the Brooklyn Nets. Due to injury and Irving’s unwillingness to get vaccinated for Covid-19, the trio only managed to play a handful of games together before Harden forced his way to the Philadelphia 76ers.</p><p>As the team broke up, the Nets shipped Irving to the Mavericks in a deal that was widely panned around the NBA as one that could potentially cause enough problems to upset star Luka Doncic should Irving continue to be a perceived distraction.</p><p>Now, Irving and the Mavericks are getting the last laugh, as the team sits just four wins away from an NBA Championship.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jamal Crawford’s Kyrie Irving Mavericks guarantee will worry Celtics

<!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>        <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', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-jamal-crawford-drops-ultimate-praise-of-gangster-luka-doncic');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jamal Crawford drops ultimate praise of ‘gangster’ Luka Doncic');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mavericks-news-Jamal-Crawford-drops-ultimate-praise-for-gangster-Luka-Doncic.jpg"></figure><h1>Jamal Crawford drops ultimate praise of ‘gangster’ Luka Doncic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-03T19:04:26-07:00">June 3rd, 7:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-03T19:04:26-07:00">June 3rd, 7:04pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is based in Los Angeles and currently covers basketball at every level from NBA/WNBA to men/women college and boys/girls high school.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Other</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Behind superstar Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-kyrie-irving-kobe-bryant-nba-finals">have reached</a> the NBA Finals for only the third time in franchise history. Doncic <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-dallas-jason-kidd-nba-finals">has led</a> the Mavericks as a No. 5 seed, beating three higher-seeded teams in the process without homecourt advantage. On a recent appearance on the Bully Ball Podcast hosted by Rachel Nichols and DeMarcus Cousins, former NBA player Jamal Crawford <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1797785816753672387" rel="noopener">referred to</a> Doncic as a ‘gangster,’ in the most endearing way possible.</p><p>“Luka’s a gangster, and I mean that in the most respectful way. What Luka’s seen, where he came from in Slovenia, Luka is really like that,” Crawford said. “We know in the league, there’s some real like dogs and there’s some dogs that are dogs when it’s okay, they’re kind of puppies a little bit, they ain’t really dogs like that.”</p><p>“Luka’s a real dog, like he’s going to get it. The bigger the moment, the bigger the play, the better Luka is. Even some greats don’t do that. He’s different. . .and he’s playing like he got headphones on. You can’t speed him up, he’s just out here doing his thing. . .it’s his pace but his pace can make you go his pace and then he just dissects you. He’s something different.”</p><p>Luka Doncic was No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks who traded his rights to the Mavericks. He’s developed into one the best players in the league and he finished in the top three in the MVP award voting this past season.</p><h2>L<b>uka Doncic searching for his first ring<br></b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Luka-Doncic-after-winning-the-Western-Conference-Finals.jpg"><figcaption>Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>With the Mavericks in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, Luka Doncic is looking for his first NBA championship. It’s the third time the Mavericks have made an NBA Finals appearance.</p><p>The first time the Mavericks reached the NBA Finals was during the 2005-06 season when they lost to the Miami Heat in six games. The second time they reached the Finals was during the 2010-11 season when they defeated the Heat in six games. Both of those times, the franchise was led by Dirk Nowitzki.</p><p>Nowitzki is widely considered to be the greatest player in Mavericks franchise history and also the top overseas player in NBA history. Doncic has a chance to achieve both once his career is over.</p><p>This past season, Doncic appeared in 70 games for the Mavericks at a little over 37 minutes per game. He averaged a career-high and league-leading 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 1.4 steals with splits of 48.7 percent shooting from the field, 38.2 percent shooting from the three-point line and 78.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>Throughout the Mavericks playoff run so far, Doncic has been averaging 28.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, a league-leading 8.8 assists and 1.6 steals with splits of 43.8 percent shooting from the field, 34.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line and 80.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>Last season, the Mavericks paired Doncic with a second star in Kyrie Irving whom they acquired at the 2023 NBA trade deadline from the Brooklyn Nets. The team struggled though to close the season and ended up missing the playoffs.</p><p>That enabled them to get a lottery pick that turned into Dereck Lively II who has been an immediate contributor as a rookie. Along with their 2024 trade deadline acquisitions of P.J Washington Jr. and Daniel Gafford, the Mavericks were able to clinch a Finals berth.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jamal Crawford drops ultimate praise of ‘gangster’ 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>        <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', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jamal-crawford-drops-eye-opening-golden-girls-comparison-to-inside-the-nba');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jamal Crawford drops eye-opening ‘Golden Girls’ comparison to Inside the NBA');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Jamal-Crawford-drops-eye-opening-Golden-Girls-comparison-to-Inside-the-NBA.jpg"></figure><h1>Jamal Crawford drops eye-opening ‘Golden Girls’ comparison to Inside the NBA</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-05-29T17:02:06-07:00">May 29th, 5:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-05-29T17:14:25-07:00">May 29th, 5:14pm</time><address><a>Nick Meyer</a>Nick Meyer is a sports writer for ClutchPoints based in the Metro Detroit area. He has covered everything from Major League Baseball to the NFL, UFC, and College Football.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The ‘Inside the NBA’ crew on TNT has been a staple of NBA gamedays since its introduction way back in 1989.</p><p>Recently, the tea leaves have revealed that there is a real chance the popular show could go the way of the dinosaur next season, if the league shifts to new outlets like Disney Plus and Amazon Prime as expected. Charles Barkley, the former NBA MVP with the Phoenix Suns and longtime ‘Inside the NBA’ host, said that he’d be open to moving to another network if asked, although it’s not known exactly how things will shake out at this particular time.</p><p>The show was compared to the popular sitcom ‘Golden Girls’ recently by former NBA sixth man extraordinaire Jamal Crawford for one crucial and some might say unique reason.</p><p>Crawford revealed the comments during a colorful time for the NBA. Western Conference Finals star Anthony Edwards spoke about <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-watching-anthony-edwards-live-ended-nfl-nba-debate-travis-kelce">an NFL legend recently</a> and whether or not he could hack it in the NBA. An embattled but previously successful NBA coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-tyronn-lue-reacts-to-new-5-year-70-million-deal-with-la">received a new contract</a> that had fans talking.</p><p>Crawford’s comments were shared in a video that was viewed over 100,000 times as of Wednesday night.</p><h2><b>Crawford’s Golden Girls/Inside the NBA Shout-out</b></h2><p>Crawford compared ‘Inside the NBA’ to a sitcom in his comments on the video, which was shared by <a href="https://x.com/awfulannouncing/status/1795855064986271964">the Awful Announcing page</a> on Twitter. The comments were originally made on the Pat McAfee Show.</p><p>“They got their own sitcom, they’re bigger than just the sport,” Crawford said, adding that he is in the growing camp of current and former players who would love to see the iconic ‘Inside the NBA crew’ of Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith and Barkley return for another season.</p><p>“We have to have them.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jamal Crawford on the popularity of ‘Inside the NBA’: “They transcend sports, they’re almost like ‘The Golden Girls.’ They got their own sitcom, they’re bigger than just the sport…we have to have them.” <a href="https://t.co/sCjvnFCfKW">pic.twitter.com/sCjvnFCfKW</a></p><p>— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) <a href="https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1795855064986271964?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>NBA’s Western Conference Finals Continue </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Charles-Barkley-laughing.jpg"><figcaption>© Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption></figure><p>The Western Conference Finals continue on Thursday, May 30 with the Mavericks traveling to Minneapolis to take on Coach Chris Finch’s Minnesota Timberwolves.</p><p>The Mavericks lead the series three games to one and are hoping to punch their ticket to the league’s Finals against the Boston Celtics, who recently beat the Indiana Pacers in a clean four-game sweep.</p><p>It could be the Inside the NBA team’s last game of the season if Dallas wins.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jamal Crawford drops eye-opening ‘Golden Girls’ comparison to Inside the NBA

<!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>        <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', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/timberwolves-news-jamal-crawford-names-2-players-who-will-dictate-fate-vs-mavericks-after-game-1-loss');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jamal Crawford names 2 Timberwolves players who will dictate fate vs Mavericks after Game 1 loss');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/7429772618.jpeg"></figure><h1>Jamal Crawford names 2 Timberwolves players who will dictate fate vs Mavericks after Game 1 loss</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-05-23T09:49:16-07:00">May 23rd, 9:49am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-05-23T09:49:16-07:00">May 23rd, 9:49am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-draymond-green-vocal-caused-game-1-downfall-mavericks">The Minnesota Timberwolves had a disappointing start</a> to the Western Conference Finals as they lost Game 1 to the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday night, 108-105. While it was a close game, it was a relatively frustrating outing for star Anthony Edwards, but it could be like that for the whole series according to former NBA player and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-kyrie-irvings-game-6-heroics-jamal-crawford">basketball analyst Jamal Crawford</a> who pinpointed the players on the Timberwolves that need to step up.</p><p>Crawford took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and talked about who he thinks needs to come up huge in the conference finals this series as he believes the Mavericks may have found a way to maintain the explosive star that is Edwards. He would explain Dallas’ strategy against the 22-year old <a href="https://x.com/JCrossover/status/1793479751757357435" rel="noopener">while saying that it could be on his teammates</a> in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-calls-out-major-culprit-game-1-debacle-vs-mavericks">Karl-Anthony Towns and Jaden McDaniels to win Minnesota</a> the series.</p><p>“Ant [Edwards] will still do his thing of course,” Crawford said. “But the way they are playing Ant isn’t a full out trap, but it’s “ man and a half defense” where it’s the guy guarding him, and the help is in the gaps that he likes to drive too…so this may be a Kat [Towns]/ Mcdaniels series.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">For Minny to win: Ant will still do his thing of course, but the way they are playing Ant isn’t a full out trap, but it’s “ man and a half defense” where it’s the guy guarding him, and the help is in the gaps that he likes to drive too…so this may be a Kat/ Mcdaniels series.</p><p>— 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) <a href="https://twitter.com/JCrossover/status/1793479751757357435?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>McDaniels had a solid night for the Timberwolves as he led the team with 24 points, shooting six of nine from three-point range.</p><h2><b>Edwards talks how the Timberwolves “came out flat” in Game 1 </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Anthony-Edwards-attempting-to-drive-in-during-the-Timberwolves-loss-to-the-Mavericks-in-Game-1-of-the-Western-Conference-Finals.jpeg"><figcaption>Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>In Game 1, Edwards scored 19 points off of making just six out of 16 shots from the field while also recording eight assists and collecting 11 rebounds. The young star would say to the media after the outing that the team as a whole “came out flat” according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune as there was a spurt where they <a href="https://www.startribune.com/nba-minnesota-timberwolves-dallas-mavericks-anthony-edwards-kyrie-irving-luka-doncic-conference-finals/600368053/?refresh=true" rel="noopener">“found our energy,”</a> but ended up losing the game to the Mavericks.</p><p>“I think we just came out flat today,” said Edwards, who had 19 points on 6-for-16 shooting from the field. “And then we found our energy and then we went back to being flat. I think it was on us. Everything was on us today.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-most-to-blame-for-disappointing-game-1-loss-to-mavericks">What was very apparent in Edwards’ performance</a>, especially towards the end of the contest was how gassed he was from not just trying to carry the weight of the offense, but also in guarding the speedster in Mavericks star Kyrie Irving. The 32-year old was great scoring 30 points as Edwards recalled a moment where he said he was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5513931/2024/05/23/minnesota-timberwolves-dallas-mavericks-game-1/" rel="noopener">“just exhausted”</a> according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.</p><p>“Y’all can see it, we was a step behind everybody, especially myself,” Edwards said. “Kyrie got a transition layup from when I think we scored, and he just outran me. I was just exhausted. So yeah, for sure … but we’ll be all right.”</p><h2><b>Towns, who Crawford said needs to step up, talks Minnesota’s struggles</b></h2><p>In terms of the two other players that Crawford said need to step up, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-minnesota-fans-hit-draymond-green-with-rude-welcome-west-finals">one was Towns who scored</a> 16 points as he made six of his 20 shot attempts from the field. He also spoke after the game about not doing enough to get past the Mavericks and their dynamic duo of Irving and star Luka Doncic who had 33 points.</p><p>“I think we’ve done a great job of adjusting all year, so we just didn’t do enough (Wednesday),” Towns said. “We didn’t make shots, they did. It’s frustrating when you feel that you could’ve given yourself a better chance to win.”</p><h2><b>Chris Finch talks about the Timberwolves’ “terrible offense”</b></h2><p>Minnesota was arguably in the driver’s seat throughout the first half as they started fast, but once the second half started, it all went downhill for the team. Some could say that the Timberwolves are still tired from their grueling seven-game series against the Denver Nuggets and while there could be some validity, head coach Chris Finch said there was “no composure.”</p><p>“Terrible offense down the stretch,” Finch said. “Bad shots, turnovers, no composure. It was the same at the end of the first half. We haven’t really closed quarters very well, closed halves very well over the last handful of games. It cost us a game in the Denver series. It certainly had an impact on this game tonight, too. We’ve got to be better in clutch moments.”</p><p>“I thought most of them were good shots, to be honest,” Finch continued. “We were driving, making the right play, kicking out. I thought there were even more 3s to be had….We would like to get him downhill a little bit more,” Finch said. “We’ll look at the tape and see ways to do that. But I thought there were opportunities to go downhill, particularly in the first half.”</p><p>Another player that had a relatively disappointing performance <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-karl-anthony-towns-pays-tribute-deceased-minnesota-player-mavs-series">for the Timberwolves was big-man</a> Rudy Gobert who scored 12 points and two blocks while only collecting seven rebounds. This was a key opportunity for Minnesota to control the glass, but they lost that battle 48-40 on the whole as Gobert said he has to “do a better job” on grabbing as many boards as possible.</p><p>“I got to do a better job on the rebounds,” Gobert said. “I can’t let these guys just get offensive rebounds. I’ll be better.”</p><h2><b>Mike Conley cites a lack of energy from Minnesota</b></h2><p>Joining in Gobert in having a frustrating outing was veteran point guard Mike Conley who only mustered out six points to go along with three assists. He would express that “there was not a lot of energy put into” the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-anthony-edwards-tyrese-haliburton-get-41-million-reason-celebrate-nba-award">game plan that the Timberwolves</a> had as they have to find that for Game 2.</p><p>“No matter what call we made or set we tried to get into, there was not a lot of energy put into it,” Conley said. “And you can’t effectively run anything without having that energy. We have to find that.”</p><p>“Guys looked tired in a sense that we weren’t moving without the ball, we weren’t setting screens, we weren’t getting guys open,” Conley continued. “We were holding on to the ball a lot. No matter what call we made or set we tried to get into, there was not a lot of energy put into it. And you can’t effectively run anything without having that energy. We have to find that.”</p><p>In any sense, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-vs-timberwolves-game-2-prediction-odds-pick">the Timberwolves are now down 0-1</a> in the series where their next chance to bounce back will be Friday night as they look to at least win once in home to start. They are looking to get to their first ever appearance in the NBA Finals as they are one of 10 teams in the NBA to never hoist up the trophy.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jamal Crawford names 2 Timberwolves players who will dictate fate vs Mavericks after Game 1 loss

<!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>        <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', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-kyrie-irvings-game-6-heroics-jamal-crawford');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks star Kyrie Irving’s Game 6 heroics sparks ultimate Jamal Crawford praise');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Kyrie-Irvings-Game-6-heroics-sparks-ultimate-Jamal-Crawford-praise.jpg"></figure><h1>Mavericks star Kyrie Irving’s Game 6 heroics sparks ultimate Jamal Crawford praise</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-05-04T07:40:18-07:00">May 4th, 7:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-05-04T07:40:18-07:00">May 4th, 7:40am</time><address><a>Gerard Angelo Samillano</a>Gerard Angelo Samillano is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, with his focus primarily on the NBA, NFL, MLB and Gaming. When he's not writing for CP, Gerard can often be seen playing VALORANT or playing pick-up basketball. He's also working on his BS Mathematics degree.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Now THIS is the Kyrie Irving that the Dallas Mavericks faithful signed up to see! After the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hawks-news-trae-young-pops-up-injury-report-after-win-vs-luka-doncic-mavs">disappointing end to last season</a>, more than a few fans likely soured on the former NBA champion. With the team struggling and the Irving trade seemingly not working out, some even called for Dallas to cut bait with the star.</p><p>Well, now, Irving is proving why the front office wanted to acquire him. The Los Angeles Clippers have long been the Mavericks’ boon in the postseason. With a chance to close out the Clippers at home, Irving balled out and then some. He dropped 30 points, six assists, and four rebounds to help lead Dallas to the second round.</p><p>Irving was incredible all night long for the Mavericks. He was his usual creative self, carving out the Clippers defense with his fancy dribbling and his shot-making abilities. Kyrie’s timely buckets staved off any potential Los Angeles comeback. After the game, former NBA star Jamal Crawford <a href="https://twitter.com/JCrossover/status/1786619624223637840">praised</a> the Mavs star on X.</p><p>“I don’t care how some try and cut it- but Kyrie Irving is one of the best players to EVER touch a basketball..”</p><p>Irving has been excellent all series long for the Mavericks. Save for a dud in Game 5, he’s scored at least 20 points in every single game. In Game 4, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-kyrie-irving-luka-doncic-admissions-dallas-game-4-clippers">he dropped 40 points</a> in a losing effort. Now, he and Luka Doncic joined forced to finally put away the pesky Clippers for good.</p><h2><b>Luka-Kyrie connection finally paying off</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Mavericks-Kyrie-Irving.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>There were initially a lot of concerns about how Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving would fit together when the latter first joined the team. Both players were almost the same archetype: ball-dominant shot creators that worked best with the ball on their hands. Many felt like it was a bad idea to combine these two together.</p><p>Of course, there were also concerns about Irving’s attitude. Over the last few years, Irving earned a bit of a reputation as a locker room cancer. We can never be too sure of what truly goes on in a locker room, but those rumors certainly took a toll on Kyrie’s image in the league. Completely missing the playoffs right after the trade only made Irving (and the Mavericks’ decision to trade for him) look worse.</p><p>After a full offseason together, though, the Mavericks have finally figured out how to make the two stars work together. More off-ball movement from both Irving and Doncic have helped them unlock their full potential. In addition, Doncic has made a much better effort on defense, using his size and IQ to cut off attacks.</p><p>The result is the Mavericks earning the fifth seed in a highly competitive Western Conference. Both Doncic and Irving <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-kyrie-irving-nba-playoffs-game-3-clippers">shone brightly for Dallas in the series</a>, with Luka finally conquering his demons and eliminating the Clippers. All the while, Irving has shown himself to be a great locker room leader for a relatively young Dallas team.</p><p>Next up on the Mavericks’ plate is another tough matchup. The Oklahoma City Thunder are waiting for Dallas on the other side, and they are fresh off of a sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans. How will Irving, Doncic, and the rest of the team game plan against OKC’s ferocious defense?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks star Kyrie Irving’s Game 6 heroics sparks ultimate Jamal Crawford praise

<!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>        <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', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-could-isaiah-thomas-save-season-jamal-crawford-thinks-so');   ga('set', 'title', 'Could Isaiah Thomas save Suns’ season? Jamal Crawford thinks so');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Suns-news-Could-Isaiah-Thomas-save-season-Jamal-Crawford-thinks-so.jpg"><figcaption>4/24/24</figcaption></figure><h1>Could Isaiah Thomas save Suns’ season? Jamal Crawford thinks so</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-04-24T15:43:09-07:00">April 24th, 3:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-04-24T15:43:09-07:00">April 24th, 3:43pm</time><address><a>Jack Winter</a>Jack Winter is a veteran NBA writer and editor based on the West Coast. He currently lives in Oakland, covering the Golden State Warriors.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The highly anticipated first-round matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns shifts to the desert with the home team facing what might as well be a must-win Game 3. Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and company were sorely out-classed at Target Center during the first two games of this series, unable to stem Anthony Edwards’ rising tide in the playoff opener then getting <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jaden-mcdaniels-timberwolves-overwhelm-suns-on-both-ends-en-route-to-2-0-lead">overwhelmed by Minnesota’s all-around physicality</a> on Tuesday night.</p><p>The Suns’ offense is in the mud. They couldn’t find sustainable answers defensively even with Edwards struggling and Karl-Anthony Towns in foul trouble for Game 2. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-phoenix-grayson-allen-injury-silver-lining-ugly-game-2-loss-to-timberwolves">Grayson Allen’s balky right ankle</a> continues to nag him, potentially leaving Phoenix without its top spot-up shooter and another semi-viable on-ball defender going forward.</p><p>Other than home-court advantage and the deluge of mid-range jumpers they’ve always relied on suddenly starting to fall, do the Suns really have much reason for optimism entering Friday’s Game 3? Three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner turned TNT broadcaster Jamal Crawford at least has one adjustment he thinks could help Phoenix unlock its offense against the most fearsome defense in basketball.</p><p>Asked Wednesday on <i>The Pat McAfee Show</i> how the Suns could possibly <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1783196025282240568" rel="noopener">turn their fading playoff fortunes around</a>, Crawford advocated for coach Frank Vogel to dust off Isaiah Thomas from the end of the bench.</p><p>“It’s tough. I honestly think Isaiah Thomas would be good. I think they need a point guard,” he said. “And what’s happening is, we know those guys can handle the ball, but I think it’s taking too much wear and tear on their bodies to have to start the play and finish the play. I want Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant shooting the ball, you know what I mean? I don’t want them having to set up the offense, get guys shots, think about shots, do this, and now I’m trying to score.</p><p>“Minnesota’s a good team and they’re aggressive, and they’re defensively trying to get after you. They have no fear,” Crawford continued. “And you can see at times the Suns aren’t as connected. They need that point guard just to organize things. I think that’s why they gave up so many leads in the fourth quarter in the regular season. They need somebody to organize and just conduct. He doesn’t have to be a star with those guys, but he can star in his role while he’s on the court with those guys.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I honestly think Isaiah Thomas would be good. They need a point guard… I want Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant shooting the ball.”</p><p>Jamal Crawford says the Suns need to make an adjustment to beat the Timberwolves 👀</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PatMcAfeeShow</a>) <a href="https://t.co/WWZef7NA6R">pic.twitter.com/WWZef7NA6R</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1783196025282240568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Could Isaiah Thomas <i>really</i> fix what’s ailing the Suns against the Timberwolves?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Suns-guard-Isaiah-Thomas-sits-on-the-bench.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>There’s no doubt that Phoenix’s oft-stagnant halfcourt offensive would benefit from the presence of an experienced table-setter. The Suns’ ghastly <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced?SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=OFF_RATING" rel="noopener">98.9 offensive rating</a> through the first two games of the postseason—third-worst in the NBA so far—is most indicative of Durant, Booker and Beal’s inability to punish the Wolves’ onslaught of long, active defenders one-on-one.</p><p>There may not be a better trio of on-ball perimeter defenders in the league than Jaden McDaniels, Anthony Edwards and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-rudy-gobert-why-triggers-players-fans">Rudy Gobert is re-writing the misunderstood narrative</a> about his defensive effectiveness in the playoffs every time he’s  switched onto one of Phoenix’s stars, and even Towns hasn’t been complete meat when matched up with Durant in isolation. Minnesota switching the majority of off-ball screens has only further flattened the Suns’ offensive attack, too.</p><p>Phoenix’s greatest success in the halfcourt has come while running layered offensive sets that rely on organization and precision, forcing the Wolves’ defense to think on the fly lest give shooters too much space to launch or get stuck in a less-than-ideal isolation matchup. But is it really surprising a team led by born scorers like Durant, Booker and Beal has proven unable to lean into a more cohesive halfcourt offense against a defense like Minny’s?</p><p>No way. The Suns went 3-0 versus the Wolves in the regular season, but no one should be shocked their offense has so frequently devolved into standing and watching one of their stars play hero ball under the playoff microscope.</p><p>Inserting Thomas into the rotation would certainly give Phoenix more offensive firepower, ensuring Minnesota has to stay attached to another proven shooter on the weak side of the floor. If he’s content playing the floor general-type role he never did during his pre-injury NBA heyday, maybe Thomas really could help the Suns’ manage the offensive consistency that was so lacking in Games 1 and 2.</p><p>But he’s never been that kind of player, and at 35 with a history of hip surgeries in his recent past, Thomas definitely doesn’t have the burst and explosiveness that once propelled him to stardom with the Boston Celtics. What seems more likely than Thomas settling into a caretaker role offensively is him monopolizing Phoenix’s offense even further, but absent the size needed to shoot over the Wolves’ litany of long-armed defenders.</p><p>The other side of the ball could be more problematic for Thomas. Minnesota’s 117.8 offensive rating is higher than the Suns would like, built on the back of points off turnovers and offensive rebounding. At least Phoenix has some semblance of control whether those factors continue looming so large going forward. The same definitely can’t be said for putting an imminently flammable defensive target like Thomas into the mix, automatically forcing the Suns to put two on the ball whenever he’s involved in screening action or risking Edwards catching fire on a completely overmatched defender.</p><p>All potential adjustments should be on the table for Vogel in Game 3. While pushing the Bol Bol button seems a better option given his combination of length and scoring instincts amid dire labors of backup center Drew Eubanks, maybe giving Thomas a brief second-quarter stint against Minnesota’s bench unit—when Edwards is getting a breather, basically—could give the Suns the early offensive jolt they so badly need.</p><p>Thomas is still capable of getting hot quickly before heading back to the bench, helping the home crowd come alive and boosting his deflated team’s morale. But any role bigger than that for Thomas against Minnesota would come as a major surprise, hinting at both his lagging viability as a postseason performer so late in his career and the stylistic and personnel deficiencies that have dogged Phoenix all season long.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Could Isaiah Thomas save Suns’ season? Jamal Crawford thinks so

<!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>        <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', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/bulls-news-jamal-crawford-recalls-michael-jordans-pickup-games-featuring-beyonce-jay-z-courtside');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jamal Crawford recalls Bulls star Michael Jordan’s legendary pickup games featuring Beyonce, Jay-Z courtside');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bulls-news-Jamal-Crawford-recalls-Michael-Jordans-legendary-pickup-games-featuring-Beyonce-Jay-Z-courtside.jpg"></figure><h1>Jamal Crawford recalls Bulls star Michael Jordan’s legendary pickup games featuring Beyonce, Jay-Z courtside</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-04-16T17:48:18-07:00">April 16th, 5:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-04-16T17:48:18-07:00">April 16th, 5:48pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Bulls have been trying to once again reach championship heights since Michael Jordan departed the franchise in the 1998 offseason after winning six championships in the span of eight years in the Windy City. The closest the Bulls have come to getting anywhere close to those heights in the years since was in the days of Derrick Rose, but the shadow of Jordan still looms large over a franchise that is one of the NBA’s most iconic despite not having really competed for anything in 26 years.</p><p>One of the first building blocks for the Bulls in the post-Jordan days was Jamal Crawford, who was drafted by the organization in 2000. Although Jordan was out of the league at that point, he joined the Washington Wizards the next year, and apparently still kept in contact with members of the Bulls, including a younger Crawford, as the former Sixth Man of the Year winner recently recounted playing pick-up with Jordan on multiple occasions in those days.</p><p>“The first time people hear about the story of us playing together and we never lost,” said Crawford, per The Pivot Podcast on YouTube. “The first time we actually played against each other, different teams, not one-on-one, and I think our team won. And I saw how mad he was, like he was pissed off and he went and sat in a corner, and he just sat there. Like he reacted as if he had lost a game seven this summer pickup dude almost 40 years old. It’s Michael Jordan. The next day this run starts at 2 o’clock because young players got work out with your team first and then you can go do what you want. Grover’s blowing up my phone, yo where you at, I’m like, ‘bro it’s 1 o’clock.’ ‘MJ’s waiting on you, where you at, we ain’t starting until you get here.’ So we’re about to start early, he waited until I got there, from that moment on we played together and we never lost.”</p><p>Crawford also remembered some celebrity guests that he and Jordan played against and in front of.</p><p>” We played against everybody, Penny Hardaway, Mike Finley, Tim Hardaway, Antoine Walker, Paul Pierce, everybody came through Chicago. How UCLA is now, it was like that,” said Crawford. “…He was the first one I’ve seen having refs in pickup. Then it got to a point through the summer you got Jay-Z and Beyonce sitting court side at a pickup run. Bro just watching him like this is Jordan. We had everybody come through the gym.</p><h2>An iconic legacy</h2><p>Michael Jordan was indeed known for his legendary work ethic and competitive spirit during his playing days, which ended in the early 2000s after his Wizards stint.</p><p>As previously mentioned, the Bulls nowadays largely live in Jordan’s shadow, as the team was once the NBA’s symbol of prosperity and is currently its arguably symbol of mediocrity ahead of their upcoming play-in game vs the Atlanta Hawks.</p><p>That game is slated to tip off at 9:30 PM ET on Tuesday from the United Center.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jamal Crawford recalls Bulls star Michael Jordan’s legendary pickup games featuring Beyonce, Jay-Z courtside

<!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>        <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', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-kyrie-irving-combo-goat-proclamation-jamal-crawford');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving combo gets GOAT proclamation from Jamal Crawford');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Luka-Doncic-Kyrie-Irving-combo-gets-GOAT-proclamation-from-Jamal-Crawford-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving combo gets GOAT proclamation from Jamal Crawford</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-04-09T22:38:04-07:00">April 9th, 10:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-04-09T22:38:47-07:00">April 9th, 10:38pm</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are two players that are on opposite ends of their careers, yet are each two<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-dallas-offense-playoffs-nuggets-thunder"> of the greatest guards</a> to ever grace the court. The two of them joining forces on the Dallas Mavericks has been predictably lethal, so much so that former NBA players are now anointing them as the most skilled backcourt duo ever.</p><p>Specifically, retired guard Jamal Crawford <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1777879549482516682" rel="noopener">made the aforementioned claim</a> on Tuesday on TNT’s <i>Inside the NBA</i>. The three-time Sixth Man of the Year’s opinion shouldn’t be taken lightly, as he saw many quality backcourt duos over his 20-year career. Is Crawford exaggerating, or is he onto something?</p><h2>Jamal Crawford may be right about the Mavericks’ backcourt</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mavericks-Kyrie-Irving-and-Luka-Doncic-1.jpg"><figcaption>© Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>While Crawford’s claim may be an eyebrow-raiser at first, it makes sense upon further thought. Irving is seen by many fans and analysts as the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=2050&amp;v=HgA-l-pGZP0&amp;embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fnba%2F2024%2F02%2F26%2Fallen-iverson-crowns-kyrie-irving-nba-player-best-handles&amp;feature=emb_imp_woyt" rel="noopener">greatest ball-handler</a> who ever lived, including the guy who previously held that title.</p><p>“He got the best,” Iverson said on <i>The Big Podcast </i>with Shaquille O’Neal and Adam Lefkoe. “Kyrie will have you beat, and then bring it back and play with it. He’s toying with people, you know what I mean? He can still just go, but if he feels like playing with you…”</p><p>Iverson’s stamp of approval is significant, as the Hall-of-Fame point guard was a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-allen-iverson-names-best-ball-handler-ever-play-association">pioneer for Irving’s style</a> of play, employing mesmerizing crossovers and behind-the-back moves. Of course, “AI” even crossed up the great Michael Jordan once.</p><p>In addition to his dribbling skills, Irving can knock down any type of shot, from any range or body position. His left-handed game-winner from midrange a few weeks ago was another reminder that the only one that can stop him is himself.</p><p>Doncic, on the other hand, is simply a triple-double machine. The Slovenian international is averaging 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game this year, and is neck-and-neck with Nikola Jokic in the MVP race. He’s also a lights-out shooter, sporting a 48.8% clip from the field.</p><p>The 25-year-old is the clear leader of the team and has already had a signature playoff moment back in 2022. Doncic spearheaded the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavs-x-factor-vs-warriors-in-2022-western-conference-finals-and-its-not-luka-doncic-or-jalen-brunson">Mavericks’ Western Conference Semifinals victory</a> over the Phoenix Suns, including the infamous 123-90 blowout in Game 7 away from home.</p><p>Putting the two of these players together has been a treat for NBA fans. While the initial fit was questionable on paper due to their ball-dominant natures, both eventually figured out how to play off of each other. They’ve led Dallas to fifth place in the ultra-competitive Western Conference with three games to go.</p><p>One other historically great backcourt that could rival this duo is Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. The “Splash Brothers” revolutionized the modern NBA, destroying defenses with an unheard-of level of shooting accuracy. Curry is regarded as the greatest shooter of all time, while also sporting strong handles. Thompson balanced Curry’s skill with a more stationary, catch-and-shoot style that provided a perfect secondary option for the offense.</p><p>The argument between these two duos comes down to personal preference. Doncic and Irving provided triple-doubles and all-time great playmaking, while the Splash Brothers changed the game with other-worldly shooting. While many may defer to the Splash Brothers due to their four championships, the Dallas duo still has plenty of time to continue rising.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving combo gets GOAT proclamation from Jamal Crawford

<!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>        <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', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/timberwolves-news-jamal-crawford-playoff-warning-anthony-edwards-minnesota');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jamal Crawford’s playoff warning for Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves won’t please fans');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Timberwolves-news-jamal-Crawford_s-playoff-warning-for-Anthony-Edwards-Minnesota-won_t-please-fans.jpg"></figure><h1>Jamal Crawford’s playoff warning for Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves won’t please fans</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-04-01T22:49:06-07:00">April 1st, 10:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-04-01T22:49:06-07:00">April 1st, 10:49pm</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson is ClutchPoints' Portland Trail Blazers reporter and also serves as an Associate Editor. He has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves are having a breakout season, currently sitting in third place in the NBA Western Conference standings with a 51-23 record.</p><p>Clearly the Timberwolves are gearing up for a playoff run. But former NBA sharpshooter Jamal Crawford doesn’t like their chances.</p><p>Speaking on NBA TV, Crawford <a href="https://x.com/NBATV/status/1774999374604415159?s=20" rel="noopener">weighed in</a> on the Timberwolves:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“Anthony Edwards is my favorite player to watch right now… but I’m just not sure their regular season success will translate in the playoffs.”<a href="https://twitter.com/JCrossover?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JCrossover</a> on the T’Wolves 👀 <a href="https://t.co/7hcGk2fNMT">pic.twitter.com/7hcGk2fNMT</a></p><p>— NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1774999374604415159?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Said Crawford, “Don’t be fooled by the Minnesota Timberwolves. I love the Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards is my favorite player to watch right now. Let’s make that clear. But, I’m just not sure that their regular season success will translate in the playoffs. The game’s gonna slow down. There’s going to be even more pressure on him to score and make plays. Who knows if Karl-Anthony Towns is going to be back healthy. I’m just not sure they’re built right now for the playoffs.”</p><p>Crawford then explained how he could see Minnesota flaming out early.</p><p>“They’re a strong matchup. If they get the Lakers in the first round or somewhere early? That could be tough”</p><p>The Timberwolves are maintaining their success without Karl-Anthony Towns, who has been out due to a knee injury that he suffered on March 6. He is out for at least the rest of the regular season, and possibly some of the playoffs. It remains to be seen when he will be able to come back.</p><h2><b>Anthony Edwards carrying the Timberwolves</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Anthony-Edwards-celebrates.jpg"><figcaption>Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>In the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-alex-rodriguez-marc-lore-issue-responses-to-failed-majority-ownership-bid">midst of an ownership crisis</a>, Anthony Edwards has carried the Timberwolves. Though Minnesota fell to the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, they managed to beat the defending champion Denver Nuggets on the road on Friday.</p><p>The first half was arguably the best 24-minute stretch of basketball the Timberwolves have played all season. Behind 19 assists and an unbelievable zero turnovers, the Wolves left Nuggets fans in shock with a convincing 62-43 lead over Denver at the break.</p><p>Edwards <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-insane-30-point-feat-never-been-seen-before-minnesota-history">continued his dominance</a> despite a poor shooting night from behind the three-point line. His lockdown defense and fancy footwork made him a matchup nightmare for the defending champions.</p><p>Edwards has taken significant steps forward in his development this season. His ability to read a defense in the pick-and-roll and deliver timely, precise passes has elevated his offensive game to new heights. Maximizing his teammates around him, Ant has become a dynamo as a lead guard. With his dribble pull-up, euro slow step, step-through and usual deep-range shot-making make him a tough task to defend based solely on skill. Add in the fact he’s one of the strongest, most athletic guards in the entire NBA and you’re looking at a matchup nightmare on the perimeter.</p><p>Edwards’ physical gifts and ever-improving skills were on full display in Minnesota’s dismantling of the Nuggets. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, one of the league’s better point-of-attack defenders, doesn’t match up well with Edwards. Despite excellent screen navigation and foot speed, Edwards’ physicality completely dwarfs KCP. Due to that dynamic, Caldwell-Pope has to work even harder to keep Ant from getting downhill.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jamal Crawford’s playoff warning for Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves won’t please fans

<!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>        <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', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-why-jamal-crawford-thinks-la-must-trade-anthony-davis');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Jamal Crawford thinks Lakers must look to trade Anthony Davis');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/akers-news-why-jamal-crawford-thinks-la-must-look-to-trade-anthony-davis.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Jamal Crawford thinks Lakers must look to trade Anthony Davis</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-28T13:34:27-07:00">March 28th, 1:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-28T13:34:27-07:00">March 28th, 1:34pm</time><address><a>Peter Sampson</a>Peter Sampson has been covering all things sports (with a focus on the Portland Trail Blazers) for more than a decade, most recently hosting "The Pulse with Peter Sampson" in Afternoon Drive for 750 The Game. Prior to that, he hosted an NBA wrap-up show that aired immediately at the conclusion of every Trail Blazers game. Peter had previous stops at Blazer's Edge and XRAY.FM - where his show "Blazer's Edge Radio" was named "Portland's Best Sports Radio" in the 2017 Willamette Week reader's poll. When he's not telling the stories of your favorite sports team, Peter can be found recording the next garage rock classic in his basement studio, whipping up an authentic Italian meal in the kitchen, or trying to figure out the appeal of Minecraft with his 9-year-old son in the living room.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Lakers are currently sitting at 41-32 and in ninth place in the NBA Western Conference standings. While the team has been a disappointment, record-wise, the Lakers are led by the dominant pairing of Anthony Davis and LeBron James. But former NBA shooting guard Jamal Crawford thinks that Los Angeles should look to trade Davis.</p><p>Appearing on <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1773418053771932055?s=20" rel="noopener">‘The Big Podcast’</a> with Shaquille O’Neal, Crawford made his case:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“They don't have enough to even compete right now. And my thing is, if LeBron [James] is still your best player at this point, I’m looking at trading Anthony Davis.”</p><p>Jamal Crawford says the Lakers should trade AD 👀</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/playmaker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@playmaker</a>)<a href="https://t.co/cWlz1ZljM6">pic.twitter.com/cWlz1ZljM6</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1773418053771932055?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Said Crawford on the Lakers’ situation, “They don’t have enough to even compete right now. And my thing is, if LeBron’s still your best player at this point, I’m looking at trading Anthony Davis. I’m just telling you. You can get four or five pieces to go with him, that fit LeBron, if LeBron is still going to be your best player. But really, if I can get a Kyrie Irving type, they need another wing, a dominant wing scorer.”</p><p>It would be a risky move for the Lakers to trade Davis. James is 39 years old and, while he is still playing at an elite level, it’s valid to wonder how much longer he’ll be able to do so.</p><h2><b>Should the Lakers trade Anthony Davis?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Anthony_Davis_Hyped.jpg"><figcaption>Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Davis is having another stellar season for the Lakers. He’s averaging 24.7 points and 12.6 rebounds on the season so far. Additionally, Davis continues to play the high-level defense that he’s known for -racking up 2.4 blocks per game.</p><p>Most importantly for Davis and the Lakers, he’s played in 68 of the team’s 73 games so far this season. As a player who has earned a reputation as fragile, Davis being available at this frequency is a major boon for his value to the team.</p><p>So why would the Lakers consider trading AD? It comes down to whether or not they want to go all in with LeBron while he’s still the team’s best player.</p><p>Should Los Angeles look to move Davis, they could get a haul, especially if they’re looking to get back a good young piece plus a role-player or two, as opposed to draft picks. It’s reasonable to assume that the Lakers could surround LeBron with talent at more positions and that, in turn, would have a bigger impact on Los Angeles’ chances.</p><p>Ultimately, at this point it’s debatable whether Davis or James is the team’s best player, and with Davis a full nine years younger than LeBron, it doesn’t make sense to move a player than likely has 3-5 peak years left just for a shot that may or may not be more effective with James. Not to mention that, in this scenario, once James hangs it up, the Lakers are likely back at square one.</p><p>Davis is having arguably his best season as a Lakers player, and is playing more frequently than ever. Los Angeles needs to stick with him, because when he’s on, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-anthony-davis-monster-performance-bucks-pushes-celtics-legend-out-top-30-list">Davis is a game-changer</a>, even if James isn’t available.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Jamal Crawford thinks Lakers must look to trade Anthony Davis

<!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>        <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', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jamal-crawford-news-calls-out-delusional-aau-parents-who-are-ruining-kids');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jamal Crawford calls out ‘delusional’ AAU parents who are ruining kids');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Jamal-Crawford-calls-out-_delusional_-AAU-parents-who-are-ruining-kids_1.webp"></figure><h1>Jamal Crawford calls out ‘delusional’ AAU parents who are ruining kids</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-05T06:53:47-08:00">March 5th, 6:53am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-05T06:54:28-08:00">March 5th, 6:54am</time><address><a>Benjamin Adducchio</a>Ben Adducchio is a journalist and writer with more than a decade of experience in news. Ben is a passionate sports fan who loves college football, basketball, and the New York Yankees.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Former NBA basketball player Jamal Crawford is revealing what he thinks is harming the game today for young players. Crawford says that <a href="https://twitter.com/jcrossover/status/1764451978640498699?s=46&amp;t=hdMYR5VNI3D4hupTVErxeg">parents are being delusional</a> in the AAU circuit and harming their kids, per his social media.</p><p>“If we’re always making excuses for our children’s behavior where it has to be someone else’s fault, and we’re not teaching them accountability, we’re setting them up to fail,” Crawford said. “As parents we have to be better.”</p><p>Crawford goes on to say that it’s not wise for parents to criticize their children’s coaches, and put the blame on them. Crawford expressed his gratitude for how his parents expected him to take responsibility for his own mistakes when playing AAU basketball.</p><p>“Looking back when I played AAU, the thing I take the most pride in, is my mom or dad NEVER complained to one coach I ever played for from 8 years old on,” Crawford added.</p><p>It’s safe to say that Crawford knows what <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-jamal-crawford-proposes-hypothetical-veteran-rule-league" rel="noopener">he is talking about</a>. The former player spent 20 years in the NBA, playing for nine different franchises. He was known as an expert ball handler and was the NBA Sixth Man of the Year three times. Crawford was also named the NBA Teammate of the Year in 2018. He <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-jamal-crawford-gets-real-how-long-it-took-kobe-bryant-acknowledged-him" rel="noopener">finished his pro career</a> with 19,419 points in the league.</p><p>AAU basketball is definitely a high stakes game for many children and their families. Success in AAU can lead to scholarship offers for a young player to a high-profile school. That can in turn lead to a professional basketball career for a player. Parents certainly want what is best for children, but it is understandable that sometimes things can get out of hand. It will be interesting to see how Crawford comments on this issue in the future.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jamal Crawford calls out ‘delusional’ AAU parents who are ruining kids

<!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>        <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', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/spurs-news-jamal-crawford-convinced-victor-wembanyama-better-than-hype');   ga('set', 'title', 'Spurs: Jamal Crawford is convinced Victor Wembanyama is ‘better than the hype’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Spurs_news_Jamal_Crawford_is_convinced_Victor_Wembanyama_is__better_than_the_hype_.webp"></figure><h1>Spurs: Jamal Crawford is convinced Victor Wembanyama is ‘better than the hype’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-20T22:55:57-08:00">February 20th, 10:55pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-20T22:58:47-08:00">February 20th, 10:58pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sportswriter who is comfortable covering many different sports. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Victor Wembanyama entered the NBA as the most anticipated prospect since LeBron James, and with the presence of social media, the gap felt fairly negligible. It was not a question of if he would be great but rather how great he would become. It is difficult to live up to such enormous hype, but Wembanyama might actually be exceeding it during <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-media-poll-2023-24-rookie-of-the-year-victor-wembanyama-chet-holmgren" rel="noopener">his rookie season</a> with the San Antonio Spurs.</p><p>Jamal Crawford <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1760162572110549023" rel="noopener">thinks so</a>, at least. “This is what you’ll love about him, he’s a little things dude,” the three-time Sixth Man of the Year and current analyst told The Draymond Green Show on Tuesday (includes NSFW content). “That’s the game-changer, so he’s better than the hype. Not cause of the s**t you can see, it’s the s**t you can’t see.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“He sees me… He comes down, shakes my hand. He doesn’t even say nothing, just puts his head down. He wants some wisdom… I said ‘Oh he’s gonna be great’.. He’s actually better than the hype.”</p><p>Jamal Crawford on Victor Wembanyama 🗣️</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/TheVolumeSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheVolumeSports</a>)<a href="https://t.co/05vG8zXglF">pic.twitter.com/05vG8zXglF</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1760162572110549023?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama transcends the box score  </b></h2><p>When looking at Wembanyama’s 7-foot-3 frame and witnessing his superb skill level (20.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and league-leading 3.2 blocks per game), it is easy to overlook the intangibles he regularly displays on the court. The 20-year-old has composure and emotional intelligence beyond his years, which pairs nicely with an undying will to win.</p><p>San Antonio is wasting away at the bottom of the Western Conference with a record of 11-44, but Victor Wembanyama has the tools to quickly launch this franchise <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-effect-in-full-bloom-in-san-antonio-despite-ugly-record" rel="noopener">back into prominence</a>. He is not allowing this to be a lost season and is absorbing as much knowledge as possible.</p><p>It is that keen ear that is really impressing Jamal Crawford, who got a chance to speak to the French center when broadcasting a game against the Atlanta Hawks earlier this year. “He sees me… He comes down, shakes my hand,” the crossover savant told Green. “He doesn’t even say nothing, just puts his head down. He wants some wisdom.”</p><p>The Spurs have the right man leading them through these dark days. Wembanyama hopes to soak up a bit more knowledge in Thursday’s road matchup against the Sacramento Kings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Spurs: Jamal Crawford is convinced Victor Wembanyama is ‘better than the hype’

<!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>        <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', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-news-jamal-crawford-proposes-hypothetical-veteran-rule-league');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jamal Crawford proposes hypothetical veteran rule to NBA');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.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 id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Jamal-Crawford-proposes-hypothetical-veteran-rule-to-league.webp"></figure><h1>Jamal Crawford proposes hypothetical veteran rule to NBA</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-20T09:43:54-08:00">February 20th, 9:43am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-20T09:43:54-08:00">February 20th, 9:43am</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jamal Crawford recently appeared on Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors’ podcast, and he <a href="https://youtu.be/0OClf7kYHxc?t=873" rel="noopener">proposed a rule</a> for NBA teams to have a certain number of players with years of experience in the league to help the development of young players.</p><p>“There should be a rule that on every team you need three guys that have 10 years or more experience, because you could help like slow some of the things that are happening now with the younger generation on and especially off the court,” Jamal Crawford said on the Draymond Green Show. “We see it, like no no no, like slow down you have to move like this. And if they just have one and it’s still just a bunch of young guys then they’ll just be like look at this old dude. But if you have two or three like no, you need to slow down, I think they hear it a little bit differently. I think that should be a mandatory (rule) I think it will help the league, it will help the young players set their foundation.”</p><p>It is an interesting proposal from <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jamal-crawford-takes-issue-over-mavericks-coach-jason-kidds-luka-doncic-michael-jordan-comparison" rel="noopener">Crawford</a>. Most of the time in the NBA, the youngest teams are towards the bottom when it comes to record, and are often on their own when it comes to finding their way in the NBA. Maybe they could benefit from some guidance from veterans in the league.</p><p>It would be hard for the league to legislate <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-learns-new-move-from-jamal-crawford" rel="noopener">Crawford’s</a> proposal, but it could give teams something to think about, even if they bring in veterans who do not get minutes.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2019-20 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
5.0	-	3.0	-	-

2019-20 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
5.0	-	3.0	-	-

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