What’s Happening in the NBA?

Wes Wilcox and the Atlanta Hawks have parted ways. The general manager for the team, Wilcox had been working very closely with Mike Budenholzer, after joining the Atlanta team in 2012. Previously involved with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Wilcox attained the status of GM 3 years later, in 2012. Wilcox was disciplined by the Atlanta Hawks after he was overheard making a racist remark in January at an event for individuals holding season tickets.

The Hawks are now facing another vital offseason, in which their franchise’s direction will largely be under the determination of Paul Millsap, a free agent.

The Hawks are refuting the report, however, and released a statement to Chris Vivlamore that stated that there were no changes to account for currently, and that any rumours stating otherwise were not accurate. The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that decisions about Wilcox’s future are still under review, and that Budenholzer could well be dropping his duties as president whilst staying on as Head Coach.

All the Action on the Court

The old cliché holds that adjustments are required during the NBA playoffs, and this is not without reason. Even Gregg Popovich has accepted the fact that Swapping David Lee out for Pau Gasol midway through the Spurs’ starting line-up was not going to make a massive amount of difference.

But, in the wake of a turnaround of 121 – 96 that has evened this series with the Houston Rockets at a game each, Popovich is now having to deal with the kind of massive adjustments that come when a huge earthquake has brought buildings down and opened up cavernous holes in the city’s streets. Those who enjoy sports betting in NZ and the rest of the world have sat up taken notice as too, as any changes in line-ups can mean a readjustment of who gets backed.

Tony Parker, point guard, was lifted up off of the floor for an 8 foot runner in the lane early on in the 4th quarter, and, by the time he whacked the ground again, the challenge the Spurs are facing for the remainder of the series, and potentially even beyond, had become a lot bigger.

Upcoming NBA Games

The Boston Celtics take on the Washington Wizards on the 5th of May, as well as Utah Jazz facing up to the Golden State Warriors on the 6th and both games promise to deliver some nail biting action. 

Current News

The Golden State Warriors managed to shoot 54.5%, and committed 4 turnovers against excellent defence during the initial 24 minutes of playoff basketball in 8 days.
The Warriors, after they were able to average 87.3 shots in the opening rounds of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers, and 87.1 in the regular season, worked their way up to 82 on Tuesday nights, ostensibly whilst still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes.

Golden State has gone from finishing the 4-game sweep of the Trail Blazers on the 24th of April to an abnormally extended layoff, to starting the new series, against opponents who are operating from within the momentum of 3 wins out of the last 4. Yet the Warriors did not show that any of the uncommon circumstances surrounding them mattered in the slightest: they were slick and well-organised, in-sync and in control, as if they were coming off a usual rest.