More on NBA Beefs
Jared Weiss: Marcus Smart comes out for his post game presser still in his jersey. "(Embiid) alone shot 21 free throws, we shot 20. Can't beat that." Smart: "We got our hands up a lot of the times and (Embiid) flails and he gets the call. Meanwhile on the other end we attack and we don't get the whistles. It's tough playing like that."
Derek Bodner: Joel Embiid, on Marcus Smart calling him a flopper: "Marcus Smart just told me that I flail a lot? Come on. I'm sure he knows himself and he knows his game. You know he does a lot of that."
ClutchPoints: Shaq: “Chuck, if 11 points gets you $200 million, 38 points will get you $600 million, right? Chuck: “If I played today, I’d be going to the games in a space ship. ”
ClutchPoints: Shaq retweeted someone calling Rudy Gobert "Baguette Biyombo". The beef continues...
Because of that, it should come as no surprise that Nowitzki couldn’t stand LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat. That tidbit comes courtesy of Nowitzki’s longtime teammates J.J. Barea, who revealed Nowitzki’s hatred for the Heat on JJ Redick’s podcast. Barea made the following comments about Nowitzki around the 35 minute mark of the podcast: “[Nowitzki] was not going to let us lose. The way he prepared the whole year for it. He hated Miami. He hated LeBron, Wade, Bosh. He’s never going to say that, but he couldn’t stand it.”
Clutch Points: Trae Young had some words for Ja Morant after icing the game 👀 pic.twitter.com/RJse3fU5PA
Montrezl Harrell: 😂😂😂😂 OK!
Eric Nehm: "I'm good." - Brook Lopez, when @Kane Pitman asked about Robin leaving Milwaukee. Said his mom is probably sad about not getting to see them in the same place anymore.
Kane Pitman: Asked Brook about Robin heading to Washington: "I think my mum enjoyed it so for her I feel a little sad because she loved coming to Milwaukee to watch all our games but I'm good. He couldn't really cut it so he had to leave. It's tough for him and we'll be alright here" 😂
TJ McBride: “Blowing the 3-1 lead, you know they had heart. It wasn’t a tough decision.” JaMychal Green on choosing to join the Nuggets.
NBA Central: "If I had anything negative to say about him, I won’t ever say it in the public eye...he has family, he has kids and he has people who love him. I just wasn’t brought up that way. I respect him for all the work he’s done." - Dwight Howard on Shaq 🤝 (Via @basketbllnews ) pic.twitter.com/QCpVQIb2Pk
NBA Central: "I feel like Giannis out here . . . Where Pat at?" - Hassan Whiteside 😂😂😂 (🎥 @swishcultures_ ) pic.twitter.com/rhk3xfFWWL
Stefan Bondy: Big win for Knicks owner James Dolan as it appears his enemy Max Rose will lose his congressional seat to hardline conservative Nicole Malliotakis. Rose pleaded for Dolan to sell the Knicks and Dolan responded by donating over $50k to Malliotakis.
Smith did not really specify what Dekker did that was bad, but said the former Wisconsin star was talking some “Trump s—.” Dekker responded on Twitter in a since-deleted tweet. “Well I am just as confused as yall (sic) lol. I’m pretty simple, I’ve never been one to get into politics. Especially ‘Trump s–t’ … I’ve never been a Trump guy, so this blindsided me … “When they go low we go high” “Thanks moving on,” Dekker wrote.
Olivia Dekker: Extremely inaccurate and unfair. Consider the source. JR Smith: Would you like to explain why your husband can’t say NI&&@R or should I? I don’t mind at all.
In the same year (2018) Smith and Dekker were teammates, the latter found himself in headlines after comments he made on social media. Dekker had a problem with an article his former teammate at Wisconsin, Bronson Koenig, tweeted out. The article was headlined: "White People Have No Culture." In response to Koenig tweeting this, Dekker said in a tweet: "Don't put it in my face that being a white guy is something I'm supposed to be ashamed of. I'm proud of who I am and so should you. But you're Native American and also white BK. This article speaks very many untruths about most of our 'culture' that we supposedly don’t have."
NBA Central: Nick Young says D’Angelo Russell is the most annoying teammate he’s ever played with (🎥 @ComplexSports) pic.twitter.com/3Kpb1g5LOx
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Sen. Ted Cruz are battling on Twitter over Cruz's claim that he and other fans are not watching the NBA Finals due to the league's political stance this season. Cruz, Republican senator of Texas, shared an article on Twitter Tuesday claiming that NBA ratings are at an all-time low. "Not surprising. Personally speaking, this is the first time in years that I haven’t watched a single game in the NBA Finals. #GoWokeGoBroke," Cruz tweeted.
Cuban quickly responded. "A US Senator with 3 @NBA teams in his state, employing thousands of people and he is rooting for their businesses to do poorly. This is who you are @tedcruz. Every minute of your life, this is exactly who you are," Cuban tweeted.
NBA Central: Breaking news: Paul Pierce praises LeBron James (ESPN). CJ McCollum: Baby steps . I like it Paul. Signs of maturity lol
Bleacher Report: Dwyane Wade calls out Paul Pierce after his Heat beat the Celitcs.
L.A. Lakers guard J.R. Smith is clapping back at Tory Lanez after getting DISSED on his latest album ... calling the artist a "clown" and a "lil a-- boy." A bit of a refresher -- the NBA vet was outspoken after Megan Thee Stallion accused Tory of shooting her in July ... saying, "This clown shoots a female and ya’ll listening to his music." "TF Tory Lanez," J.R. added. "You a straight clown. Facts. And tell whoever to hit my line. It’s whatever.”
Smith -- fresh off the Lakers' 114-108 win over the Denver Nuggets -- heard Tory's bars loud and clear ... and fired right back on his Instagram story. "i got time today too! 🤣🤣," J.R. said. "bout to get real 🌶🌶" There's more ... "He not even 30 stay in ya place lil a-- boy." "bust ya gun at a female you all types of 🤡"
CJ McCollum: I wonder if they packed before the game
CJ McCollum: Yoooo @Dame_Lillard you got an extra villa available in Cabo ?
Spencer Dinwiddie: Petty CJ is basketball twitters favorite CJ lol
RJ Hampton: CJ and Dame wild
NBA Central: Kendrick Nunn 💀💀💀 pic.twitter.com/dMePjPH130
Chris Broussard: It's time for the Blazers to dump Terry Stotts. Stan Van Gundy: It’s time for Fox Sports Radio to dump Chris Broussard. This is just stupid. He doesn’t like the Blazers’ offense. It was the 3rd best offense in the NBA. Get a clue.
Stan Van Gundy: It’s time for Fox Sports Radio to dump Chris Broussard. This is just stupid. He doesn’t like the Blazers’ offense. It was the 3rd best offense in the NBA. Get a clue. Chris Broussard: Unless u would’ve called for a fellow coach’s job while coaching, u need to keep from calling for the jobs of fellow media now that you’re media. I’m doing my job as an analyst. I’m paid to give my opinion. Saying I should be fired cause u disagree is just stupid. Get a clue.
George Karl: I heard @MarkJackson13 is taking shots at my defensive coaching during tonight’s broadcast. Remind me, how many all-star teams did you coach, Mark? How many DPOYs? How many Finals appearances? How many of my teams became dynasties right after I left? Mark Jackson: Wasn’t even thinking of u! Btw I never lost to u in the playoffs as a Player or as a Coach! God Bless u and urs!
George Karl: I heard @Mark Jackson is taking shots at my defensive coaching during tonight’s broadcast. Remind me, how many all-star teams did you coach, Mark? How many DPOYs? How many Finals appearances? How many of my teams became dynasties right after I left?
Rache Nichols: Just another day in the NBA...
Bleacher Report: Dame responds to PG and Pat Bev
Casey Holdahl: "They still hurt, that's why." -- @Damian Lillard
Bradley Beal: It’s getting SPICY!!!!!!!!!!
Kendrick Perkins: It’s disturbing when a Rookie in Zion Williamson can act more Mature than NBA vet Lou Williams!!! Lou Williams: 15 years in this business and the most dirt you have on my name is stopping to get hot wings during a pandemic. Perk. Shut up. And stop laughing and saying it’s just tv when you run into me too.
Lou Williams: But I digress. I went home to see a man off to his final resting place that was a giant in my life. I don’t want that to get lost in all this attention. So again, LONG LIVE THE GREAT PAUL WILLIAMS SR. back to my quarantine so I can join the guys soon. Peace
Isiah Thomas opened up about his feud with Michael Jordan, which re-surfaced after the Last Dance documentary series. The Chicago Bulls had to go through the “Bad Boys” Pistons, before reaching to the first three-peat. The former Pistons superstar said that he is not having a feud with Michael Jordan, despite what being said on “The Last Dance” docu-series. “I’mma call a timeout on the feud because really I wasn’t fighting him. I was winning all the time so why am I mad at him?” Thomas told Jason Whitlock on Speak Ya Self.
NBA Central: “He only had really one job. And that was to just score. And he did that at an amazing, amazing rate. But I don’t feel like his way of winning then would translate to what it is now. Guys wouldn’t want to play with him.” -Channing Frye on Michael Jordan (NBC Sports North West). Evan Fournier: @channingfrye bro you bugging for real. Lol. Channing Frye: Boris Biaw is the best French player of all time. Evan Fournier: Lol na you aint getting away from that statement with this s---.
@BS25PHI21: Are you and Embiid good now? Andre Drummond: We never had a problem, it's basketball I talk a lot of trash. He does it on social media, I do it in the game.
Spencer Dinwiddie: It’s come to my attention that @tobiasharris said they forced me left last night and it led to an L. Although that may be true, I just wanted to post a picture of the actual last time I went left in a live game with fans. Now back to reverse grilling Tri-Tip. Happy Quarantine 🤙🏾 #AudienceOfOne
@BS25PHI21: Are you and Embiid good now? Andre Drummond: We never had a problem, it's basketball I talk a lot of trash. He does it on social media, I do it in the game.
Spencer Dinwiddie: It’s come to my attention that @tobiasharris said they forced me left last night and it led to an L. Although that may be true, I just wanted to post a picture of the actual last time I went left in a live game with fans. Now back to reverse grilling Tri-Tip. Happy Quarantine 🤙🏾 #AudienceOfOne
Chris Kirschner: I asked Trae Young if he was going to stop nutmegging now because of Trevor Ariza's (old man yells at cloud) comments. "Nah, I ain't about to stop nutmegging. That's going to be in my game until I'm done."
Chris Kirschner: I asked Trae Young if he was going to stop nutmegging now because of Trevor Ariza's (old man yells at cloud) comments. "Nah, I ain't about to stop nutmegging. That's going to be in my game until I'm done."
. @JaMorant dedicated the end of a 5-game losing streak to a Twitter troll: "I'm thankful for this guy who tweeted and said I don't have that fire in my eye no more. That game right there was for him."
James Harden said in an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that he wished he could be seven-feet tall and just dunk referring to Giannis Antetokounmpo. No big comeback from the Greek Freak who responded via ESPN on Friday attempting to lay the evolving feud to rest. “It hasn’t been a back-and-forth,” he mentioned before the win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, “I’m not that type of guy, I never try to take stabs at somebody. Maybe sometimes it might come out like that, but I’m definitely not. At the end of the day, if that’s what he believes, that’s what he believes.”
“My game is not just power for sure,” he replied to gathered reporters following the 2019-20 NBA Regular Season contest, “I came in when I was 18, I was 180 pounds, so to power through big guys was kind of tough. But obviously, it’s going to be times where you’ve got to power through guys.”
“Amazing," coach Mike Budenholzer said. "I don’t know who is criticizing him. He’s a winner. He brings it in every way, shape and form. He brings it in practice, in the locker room, he’s a great leader, he’s a great player. He does everything.”
Nichols asked Harden about a comment Antetokounmpo made during the 2020 NBA All-Star Game draft as he selected his team against LeBron James. When the TNT crew pressed Antetokounmpo about choosing Kemba Walker over Harden, he said “I want someone who will pass the ball” with a chuckle. Harden didn’t hold back when Nichols asked him about it.
NBA Central: “He cares about me. I really don’t” -Giannis on Drake 😬 (🎥 @YahooCASports) pic.twitter.com/pk3Elr7KGA
Sean Cunningham: Kings coach Luke Walton after picking up a technical in the 3rd quarter, calls over to Luka Doncic and says: "Hey Luka, do me a favor, give him your autograph after the game. (points at official) - He's a fan, he's a fan of yours." 😂😂
In a game the Mavericks controlled most of the night, Walton versus Dončić was the most compelling part of a second half dominated by the Mavs. “(Walton) said something I didn’t like about me. That was just it,” Dončić told Fox Sports Southwest in his on-court postgame interview.
“I don’t know,” Walton said. “I have all the respect in the world for him. He got what he wanted tonight, wherever he wanted. I wasn’t saying anything to him. I don’t know if he thought I said something to him, but he had a great game, he’s a great player and he led his team to victory, so give him credit.”
He left that to the youngsters in Memphis, 24-year-old Dillon Brooks and 20-year-old Ja Morant, who felt disrespected by the 36-year-old who chose not to report after he was traded from Golden State to the Grizzlies on July 7. And, of course, to his old(er) Warriors pal, 31-year-old Steph Curry, who came to his friend’s defense. “Yeah, that’s my guy,” the 36-year-old Iguodala said with a laugh on Friday as he looked back with The Athletic on the wild week that was. “I would do the same for him. But I understand the generation that we’re in, and the new millennials we’re dealing with, and how social media comes into play and how someone could feed (ideas) to a young guy and it (grows). …But it’s all love. At the end of the day, it’s all love.”
He left that to the youngsters in Memphis, 24-year-old Dillon Brooks and 20-year-old Ja Morant, who felt disrespected by the 36-year-old who chose not to report after he was traded from Golden State to the Grizzlies on July 7. And, of course, to his old(er) Warriors pal, 31-year-old Steph Curry, who came to his friend’s defense. “Yeah, that’s my guy,” the 36-year-old Iguodala said with a laugh on Friday as he looked back with The Athletic on the wild week that was. “I would do the same for him. But I understand the generation that we’re in, and the new millennials we’re dealing with, and how social media comes into play and how someone could feed (ideas) to a young guy and it (grows). …But it’s all love. At the end of the day, it’s all love.”
Ja Morant: @Rachel__Nichols 🤷🏽🤫
Throughout his eight seasons in the NBA, Lillard has never been one to trash talk during games. He has always preferred to have his play do his talking for him. But two players have always tried to test him, bait him, needle him into getting out of his focused mindset: Patrick Beverley and Westbrook.
“Every time I play against Russ, I say something back. Same thing with Pat Beverley,” Lillard said. “With both players, I have always backed up anything I need to say with how I’m playing. But they are two players who it’s important to me to let them know that if that’s what you want to do, you’ve met your match. I’m not intimidated, and I don’t really care what you gotta say, I’m gonna say something back. You know, kind of set that tone. Like, ‘All right … so what?’”
So in that Jan. 15 game in Houston, the Blazers were up 102-88 with 8:08 left in the fourth quarter when Westbrook took Lillard into the post. “He was backing me down and being real physical, and I was being physical back, and he swept (his arms) through and I swiped down and fouled him, on purpose. Hard fouled him.” As Westbrook walked to the free-throw line, he began talking at Lillard. “As he was going to the line, he said, ‘That’s automatic two points. Two points,’” Lillard recalled.
As Lillard walked behind Westbrook to position himself near the 3-point line for Westbrook’s free throw, he dropped a barb. “You a 60 percent free-throw shooter,” Lillard said he told him. “You gonna miss both of them.” Westbrook looked back to Lillard and said, “Impossible!” “And you can see, if you look at the (video) clip, he says ’82 (percent)!’” Actually, Westbrook was a 79 percent foul shooter entering that game, but at any rate, he missed the first free throw. Lillard poked back, adjusting that 60 percent jab. “I said, ’50 percent now,’” Lillard said.
Unwilling to let Lillard have the last word, Westbrook shot back. “What seed you all? What playoff seed are you all?” Lillard remembered him saying. Then Lillard ended the conversation. “I said, ‘You know I’m the last person you want to see in the playoffs.’”
A quick side note on the Lillard-Westbrook relationship: They have become one of the biggest rivalries, if not the biggest rivalry, going in the NBA. They are both elite, intense and don’t back down. It has created some great theater. But Lillard says there is a funny thing people don’t realize: The two don’t dislike each other. “People get it confused that we have an issue with each other, when we really don’t,” Lillard said. “That’s the weirdest thing about it.”
"He's not even in my f---ing league. ... I would never put him on me. ... Put somebody else on me, 'cause I'm gonna tear his ass up every time we play." Jimmy Butler went off on TJ Warren.
With Nick Young getting ready to tie the knot to fiancee Keonna Green -- our guy asked an interesting question ... does D'Angelo Russell get an invite to the wedding?! Nick's response??? "HAHAHAHA!!!"
Look, in a way ... D'Lo is responsible for Nick's upcoming marriage -- because had he not posted that infamous video back in the day, Iggy Azalea and Nick might still be together! It was messy at the time, but things seemed to have worked out for everybody since. Nick's happily engaged (that went down over the Christmas break).
