1.מצעד הנצחון של הסלטיקס ברחובות העיר: מפגן של אחדות ואהבה

היו הרבה מפגני נצחון לבוסטון סלטיקס. למעשה 17 לפני המפגן הזה. עדיין, לפי הבוסטון גלוב מפגן זה עלה על כולם במספר הצופים, בעליזות ובשמחה. אולי ציפייה של 16 שנה עזרה, אבל דומה שהיה יותר מזה. מצעד הנצחון החזיר לעיר את ה-GLORY של שנות ה-80 המזהירות.

אהבתי את השורה הבאה מבוסטון גלוב:

It was one more delightful reminder that Boston never looks better than when confetti is fluttering from above.

עוד מהגלוב:

What we’ve experienced over the past couple of weeks with the Celtics reminds me so much of how wonderful it felt around here during the ‘80s glory days of Larry Bird and the Big Three.

לסלטיקס של 2024 לא יכולה להיות מחמאה גדולה מזו.

2. הסלטיקס מאמינים שישנה עוד אליפות באמתחתם כמות שהם

אני מסתכל על הסלטיקס הזאת וחושב 'מה הקבוצה צריכה לשנה הבאה'. נראה שמלבד ברכיים חזקות לקריסטפאס פרוזינגיס הקבוצה הזאת קרובה – עד כמה שניתן להיות קרוב – לשלמות. אם תשאלו אותי את מי אני מעדיף לחמישייה במקום דרו הולידיי, דריק ווייט, ג'יילן בראון, ג'ייסון טאטום, ופרוז'י – הייתי מגרד בראש לחפש מתאימים יותר לסלטיקס. אולי ניקולה ג'וקיץ' במקום פרוז'י? נניח שכן. אבל כאן הייתי נעצר. סטפן קרי שחקן עילאי יותר מדריק ווייט אבל אולי לא לסלטיקס כפי שהיא.

הקבוצה האלופה הזאת היא כבר פייבוריטית ל-2025. היא נראית כמו הווריורס של 2017, אלופה שמיד נבאו לה את אליפות 2018.

שלא כבעבר, אין יותר שאלה אם בראון וטאטום יכולים לחיות יחד. ומה שמנעים לסלטיקס את החיים הוא הידע שכולם, ללא יוצא מין הכלל, הם על חוזים לשנה הבאה. גם השאלה בקשר למאמן ג'ו מזולה נענתה: אולי הוא גאון טקטי ב-"X" ו-"Y", אבל הוא בדיוק המאמן השקט, הנחבא אל הכלים, והמסור שהסלטיקס זקוקה לו. והחשוב ביותר: הוא קנה את האמונה של שחקניו.

נ.ב עם אל הורפורד, סם האוזר, פייטון פריצ'רד, לוק קורנט, וקסווייר טילמן, גם הספסל הוא הין הטובים בליגה.

3. דאלאס מאמינה שיש לה את הקבוצה לנצח. כל מה שצריך זה שיפור של 10% בכל פוזשיון עם אותם שחקנים שיש לה

מיד אחרי ההפסד לסלטיקס, הג'נרל מנג'ר של הקבוצה ניקו הריסון אמר שהוא "מצפה ומתכנן שכל הקבוצה תחזור כפי שהיא – חמישייה ושחקני רוטציה – בדיוק כפי שהיא"

"אבל" הוא הוסיף, "כדי להגיע לשלב הבא על כל שחקן לתרום בעשרה אחוזים יותר מאשר בעונה שזה עתה נסתיימה"

זה כולל כמובן גם את לוקה דונצ'יץ' who just became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in total points, rebounds, assists and steals during a postseason.

כשהוא נשאל כיצד לוקה יכול להשתפר, הריסון לא היסס: "הוא אחד משחקני ה-NBA הטובים בליגה אבל יש מקום לשיפור בכושר גופני ובהגנה".

הוא הוסיף:

"We're not where we're at without Luka," Harrison said Friday. "I think that's important to point out, and we also won't be able to get where we want to go without the best version of Luka. If you look at a guy who after Game 3 had the world on his neck — the scrutiny, which was crazy, the amount of scrutiny that he had to face — for him to focus in and do what he did in Game 4, I just think it just shows the character of him. He's willing to fight through adversity, and I think he's going to continue to get better.

4. הדיונים בין קליי תומפסון והווריורס 'עלו על שרטון'

מה'אתלטיק':

The Warriors do not have an offer on the table for Thompson and the two sides have not had any constructive negotiations on a new contract, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Talks between the two sides are characterized as “frozen” and the chance of Thompson leaving via free agency is increasingly likely.

5. מיאמי היט מסרבת לדרישה של ג'ימי באטלר והסיכוי הוא שהוא לא יהיה שחקן מיאמי בעונה הבאה

לפי Howard Beck of The Ringer wrote ג'ימי באטלר, שנותרה לו שנת חוזה אחת עם מיאמי, דורש חוזה מובטח לשנתיים עבור 113 מיליון ופט ריילי מסרב בתוקף. המטרה של ריילי היא להוסיף כוכב לקבוצה ואם ישלמו לבאטלר מה שהוא מבקש זה יחסל כל סיכוי להביא כוכב מעולה לקבוצה בתקופת הפרי אייג'נטס.

הסיכויים הם שמיאמי תטריד אותו.

6. לפחות שחקן לייקרס אחד "RAVE" (משתולל בהתלהבות) עם הידיעה שרדיק יהיה מאמנם

I asked Lakers star and Arkansas native Austin Reaves about the hiring of new Lakers coach JJ Reddick. Reaves says Reddick is a basketball genius and he can't wait to work with him. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/NP60LHPkeQ

— Cierra Clark (@CierraClarkTV) June 22, 2024

7. עשרת הסמול פורוורדים הטובים העונה לפי .HOOPS-HYPE

1Jayson Tatum (Boston)

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2023-24 stats: 26.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 5.2 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.6 bpg, 46.2 FG%, 35.9% in 93 games
Salary ranking: No. 37 ($32,600,060)

Jayson Tatum this year became the first player ever to lead his team in playoff scoring, rebounding and assists during a championship run and not win Finals MVP. However, when you look closer at the numbers, his scoring was inefficient in the postseason, even more so in the Finals, enough to somewhat justify the decision by voters.

So it’s tough to come up with a conclusion for that playoff run for Tatum. On the one hand, he put up a 25/9/6 stat line with over a steal per game. On the other, he shot the ball poorly, especially in the Finals, while his star wing teammate was more efficient with better defense. Tatum also rarely got tested late in games this postseason since Boston had not-the-most-difficult path to the championship. (Boston’s 2024 title run was the fourth-easiest of the 2000s and the 20th-easiest all-time, based on opponent regular-season win percentage, and that’s without even accounting for all of the injuries to Eastern Conference All-Star this playoffs.)

Tatum shot 42.7 percent from the floor and 28.3 percent from three in the postseason, 38.8 percent and 26.3 percent in the Finals. Let’s put it this way: If you replace 2024 Playoff Doncic with 2024 Playoff Tatum in the postseason, does Dallas even get out of the second round, let alone win a title?

Now, all that might be a bit harsh, as Tatum was 1st Team All-NBA this season for the third straight campaign, had a great overall showing and now has a championship under his belt. And we still rank him as the seventh-best player in the league this year, so it was still a massively successful year for Tatum.

It just could have been a bit more glorious with better shooting marks in the playoffs.

2LeBron James (LA Lakers)

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

2023-24 stats: 25.8 ppg, 8.3 apg, 7.3 rpg, 1.3 spg, 0.6 bpg, 54.2 FG%, 40.9 3P% in 76 games
Salary ranking: No. 3 ($47,607,350)

Nobody’s been as good at the same age as LeBron James was this season, who, in Year-20, with as many miles as he has on his body, still averaged over 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, earned 3rd Team All-NBA (with many believing he was actually snubbed from 2nd Team honors), was an All-Star and won the inaugural NBA Cup (in-season tournament).

That didn’t translate to much playoff success this season and there are legitimate questions about whether or not James can still be the best player on a championship team but what he’s doing at his age really is astounding.

Just looking at BPM in age-39 seasons, James ranks first all-time for his 2023-24 contributions at +6.5 with John Stockton ranking second at +5.3. The same rings true for VORP in age-39 seasons, with James at 5.4 ahead of Stockton, in second place, and his 4.8 mark. In fairness to the legends of yesteryear, James does rank third all-time in WS/48 in age-39 seasons, behind Stockton and former teammate Karl Malone.

Regardless, there’s no doubt no superstar player has ever aged as well as James currently is, as it truly looks like he has another two years of high-level basketball in him. Still a fringe Top 10 player in the league, James’ GOAT case only continues to get stronger.

3Kevin Durant (Phoenix)

Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

2023-24 stats: 27.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 4.9 apg, 1.2 bpg, 0.9 spg, 52.4 FG%, 41.3 3P% in 79 games
Salary ranking: No. 2 ($47,649,433)

Although his season ended early in 2023-24, Kevin Durant was still terrific in earning 2nd Team All-NBA honors, but he wasn’t carry-you-to-promise-land terrific, raising questions about whether he’s still got that all-world ability in him.

Lest we forget, Durant just a couple of seasons ago nearly took a depleted Brooklyn Nets team to the Eastern Conference Finals, falling to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in overtime of Game 7. Now, instead, with a full roster around him including two other stars in Phoenix, he got swept in the first round.

Even so, it should be said Durant didn’t have true proper support, as the Suns were an oddly put-together mishmash team featuring two star shooting guards taking turns running point without a serviceable backup true point guard on the roster.

Maybe with more balanced help next season, Durant can find his way back into the Top 10 of this ranking, as he does still remain one of the game’s elite players.

4Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers)

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

2023-24 stats: 23.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.9 bpg, 52.4 FG%, 41.1 3P% in 70 games
Salary ranking: No. 7 ($45,640,084)

Still a high-level scorer and defender when healthy, we might be reaching the point where it’s just going to be difficult to depend on Kawhi Leonard to be on the court come playoff time, as the two-time Finals MVP has played in just four playoff games over the past two seasons. That’s not even accounting for the ACL tear he suffered in the 2021 Western Conference Semifinals, either.

It’s truly a shame, too, considering Leonard is a big-time playoff performer with two championships and two Finals MVP, carrying the Toronto Raptors to an impressive 2019 championship, dethroning a dynastic Golden State Warriors team in the process.

Even so, Leonard remains an elite player when he’s out there, earning 2nd Team All-NBA and All-Star honors this season.

5DeMar DeRozan (Chicago)

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

2023-24 stats: 24.0 ppg, 5.3 apg, 4.3 rpg, 1.1 spg, 0.6 bpg, 48.0 FG%, 33.3 3P% in 79 games
Salary ranking: No. 47 ($28,600,000)

The runner-up for Clutch Player of the Year after finishing third last year, DeMar DeRozan is aging like a fine wine, putting up a 24/5/4 stat line in 2023-24 and remaining one of the best midrange scorers in the NBA today.

It’s unfortunate that the 34-year-old is spending the end stages of his prime toiling away for a pretty mediocre team in the Chicago Bulls when he could be doing big things for a contender somewhere. 

Nonetheless, DeRozan is building up his Hall of Fame resume, as he’s about to enter the Top 30 in scoring in NBA history and with his game aging as well as it has so far, we should see a few more seasons of good basketball out of the Compton native. 

6Paul George (LA Clippers)

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

2023-24 stats: 22.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.5 spg, 0.5 bpg, 46.7 FG%, 41.0 3P% in 80 games
Salary ranking: No. 7 ($45,640,084)

Still one of the best two-way wings in the NBA, there are questions about Clippers forward Paul George and his potential future, especially after L.A. already max extended his star teammate Leonard. After years of playoff failures for the Clippers (in fairness, health has had a lot to do with that), will Los Angeles be willing to shell out another max extension for George? Or could his time with the Clippers be coming to an end this summer?

The most smoke right now is tying George with the 76ers, who are in search of a star-level wing to play alongside Embiid and Maxey; we’ll see if anything comes of that.

Regardless, in 2023-24, George was an All-Star but wasn’t able to lead the Clippers past the first round of the playoffs with Leonard in and out of the lineup due to a knee issue. George is still a high-level tough-shot-maker and a very good, versatile defender, but if he’s your team’s best player, how good can your team be?

We might have gotten our answer in the 2024 playoffs.

7Jimmy Butler (Miami)

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

2023-24 stats: 20.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.3 bpg, 49.9 FG%, 41.4 3P% in 60 games
Salary ranking: No. 11 ($45,183,960)

The problem with Jimmy Butler’s most recent campaign was just that: effort. Maybe it’s the age catching up to him but Butler’s 2023-24 was an injury-plagued one that featured Butler seeming to sleepwalk through most of the regular season as the Heat once again had to get into the playoffs through the Play-In.

Except this wasn’t a repeat Playoff Jimmy performance to save Miami and carry it back to the Finals. Butler instead got hurt in the team’s first Play-In Game and he wasn’t able to return for the second or for the playoffs, leading to the Heat getting eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in five games by the Celtics.

The one positive was that Butler did shoot a career-best 41.4 percent from three, which should bode well for his future as a star-level player. But even so, he might need to start giving more effort in the regular season to stay on that Top 10 player strata many had him on after the 2023 playoffs.

8Michael Porter Jr (Denver)

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2023-24 stats: 16.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 bpg, 0.6 spg, 40.1 3P% in 93 games
Salary ranking: No. 34 ($33,386,850)

A poor second-round showing in the playoffs sullied what was otherwise a strong 2023-24 campaign for Nuggets swingman Michael Porter Jr., who used his great shooting and shot-making at his size to help keep Denver contending until it ran into a well-built Timberwolves squad in Round 2.

Even just prior to that, Porter was playing very well, averaging 22.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals on 48.8 percent shooting from three in the Nuggets’ five-game first-round victory over the Lakers.

Porter is also an underrated defender and rebounder, as his size against fellow wings is often too much to keep him off the glass, while his length helps the Nuggets disrupt foes on the perimeter.

The next step for Porter will be to become a more willing and able passer, something that might be difficult for the Nuggets to get out of him considering how much he likes to shoot.

9Franz Wagner (Orlando) 

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2023-24 stats: 19.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.5 bpg, 47.5 FG%, 28.0 3P% in 79 games
Salary ranking: No. 236 ($5,508,720)

Already having shown big-time promise over his first two seasons with the Orlando Magic, former Michigan Wolverine Franz Wagner took another step forward in 2023-24, really cementing himself as one of the most promising two-way wings in basketball.

A three-point shot is really all that’s stopping Wagner from getting even closer to that All-Star potential he appears to possess, as he’s got a great feel for scoring as a slasher and from the midrange. His outside shot is just too inconsistent at this point, causing his game-to-game output to be erratic at times.

The playoffs were a good example of that, as there were times Wagner looked like one of the best players on the floor and others, particularly in the Game 7 defeat to the Cavaliers (he went 1-for-15, 0-for-5 from three and was a -13 in a 12-point loss for Orlando), where he was a big negative.

Once Wagner can shore up that outside stroke, he’ll be able to hit another level as a player. We’ll see if he’s able to do just that in 2024-25.

10Brandon Ingram (New Orleans)

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

2023-24 stats: 20.4 ppg, 5.5 apg, 5.0 rpg, 0.8 spg, 0.7 bpg, 48.4 FG%, 35.2 3P% in 68 games
Salary ranking: No. 32 ($33,833,400)

At one point thought of as a player with a huge ceiling, New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram actually has appeared to peak since his 2019-20 All-Star, failing to take a jump when some thought he might be an All-NBA-level player.

Instead, the former Duke standout has seemed to max out his potential as a fringe All-Star, still very clearly a good player just not a full-blown star.

Ingram is a do-everything swingman with great length who can score at a high clip from all three levels, rebound, create and disrupt on defense. He’s just not consistent enough on a nightly basis, perhaps due to his lack of an elite first step, to reach that next level of player. He’s also had a lot of injury problems over recent seasons, including in 2023-24.

Could Ingram’s future take him to another team this summer? With Williamson playing so well and Ingram’s skills kind of overlapping with his frontcourt mate, that possibility appears to be very real.