Becky Hammon coached a hell of a game. Negated the Alyssa Thomas middle pick-and-roll with the zone and by having the guard reach into AT's dribble. That kept Dana Evans on the floor, and you saw the offensive benefits.

Jake LaRavia might be the only NBA player with a hobby where Nikola Jokic, LeBron James and Luka Doncic can stink and where Ryan Rollins is a find! I ripped some packs this summer with the Lakers' new forward and wrote about his collecting www.nytimes.com/athletic/658...

Everybody Eats Episode 1: @mikepradanba.bsky.social joins the show to take a big picture look at the Wizards rebuild. Check it out! Apple: podcasts.apple.com/cl/podcast/s... Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/7AXv... Youtube: youtu.be/JlQCDohloNg

This is fascinating stuff. Really well done by @jaredweissnba.bsky.social

CLA is a concept I teach in my undergraduate motor learning class. It’s a counterintuitive approach because the athletes often struggle with performance during practice, but the science is telling. Worse performance in practice that leads to better performance during competition.

What if "muscle memory" is a myth? What if the very basis for how humans learn new skills is wrong? A growing number of coaches and athletes see a problem with the way we train. And they're solving it with a new method called CLA. Read @jaredweissnba.bsky.social. www.nytimes.com/athletic/666...

We've been busy....

Reed Sheppard SZN is upon us.

I can't believe those goofy gold Wizards jerseys from the early blog days are now considered vintage. Where did the time go?

Tough to win a road elimination game playing 3 on 5.

In awe of Breanna Stewart tonight. I dunno how she's still standing, much less playing and carrying her team.

The winner of this game has to play the Lynx in Minnesota in 42 hours lol

I dunno how you officiate a game like this. These teams are mauling each other.

Home court elimination games are good

Fever-Dream was, well, a fever dream.

Read this

Tonight — and many nights this year — underscored the impact of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton's absence. She was the one who got down in the mud when defenses tried to muck up the Liberty's offensive flow. She was also the one to take on tough assignments and guard up. They've missed that element all year

How often do you see someone beat A'ja Wilson down the floor?

Noelle Quinn displaying more off-ball movement than most of her players

The Storm have no shooting, but at least they have glacially slow ball and player movement

The coach interviews during the game are good. Makes you feel the energy of the game as a viewer, and coaches can deal with the minor inconvenience.

I wrote about the strange lack of criticism Kawhi Leonard has received.

Sengun with more space around him this year is a scary thought

The @pablotorrefindsout.bsky.social reporting that Steve Ballmer may have circumvented the NBA salary cap underscores one under-covered trend: the exploding wealth inequality between (already super rich) sports owners. Since 2019, the wealth gap between Ballmer and the bottom tier has grown >3X

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer made a second, previously unknown, investment into Aspiration in March 2023 for $9.999 million, while the company was struggling financially and just months after an investment by Clippers vice chairman Dennis Wong. www.nytimes.com/athletic/662...

New for @theathletic.com - Wrote some words on Kawhi, the NBA's circumstantial case against the Clippers, and why some words might be added to the next CBA that are familiar to SMU fans. www.nytimes.com/athletic/661...

In 2019 Kawhi Leonard’s uncle asked the Raptors for a piece of the Leafs and a Paul George trade, but also for two notable extras: no-show sponsorships, and ownership shares in outside companies. Which he seems to have gotten with Aspiration, and the Clippers. www.thestar.com/sports/rapto...

"The matter has been handled and resolved internally," according to public statement announcing public punishment.

My read on the Kawhi Leonard-Steve Ballmer-Clippers saga, with some early feedback from folks around the league on the severity of the situation, at @theathletic.com "This does not happen," one GM said. "I've never seen it," said another exec. www.nytimes.com/athletic/659...

Had a chance to follow up with @pablo.show about his reporting on Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers, alongside @samamick.bsky.social for @theathletic.com podfollow.com/nba-daily/ep...

Wizards legends

Elie Okobo

Nice to see someone in Dallas getting two first round picks for their generational star in his prime.

A'ja Wilson clinched my hypothetical WNBA MVP vote tonight. It's amazing to see her dominate from so many different spots on the court.

All the slow-developing stuff the Mystics run for Citron is good for most of the game and too complicated for the end when you just want the ball in her hands sooner.

Sonia Citron is such a baller

"We're all throwing dildos at women athletes to promote our memecoin" really puts a fine point on not just how sexist, mean and stupid so much of right now is, but also the grim degree to which we're just inundated with Stuff a 15-Year-Old Dipshit Would Think is Cool. A confederacy of Beavises.

NEW: Over the last few days, I've listened to more than 5 hours of streams re: a memecoin community, the WNBA and neon green sex toys On what I've heard, the group's stated mission, and the link to recent incidents (w/ an "Inglorious Bastards" tie) www.nytimes.com/athletic/654...

Hello. I've decided to be someone who talks to NBA head coaches about basketball. Here's a sneak peek of what's coming. Full episode about random offense (with a bit of breaking news) drops tomorrow

New: Adam Silver meets with Real Madrid in Paris to discuss NBA’s Europe league venture, potential huge step toward getting something started overseas www.nytimes.com/athletic/652...

Along with Tony Jones, I wrote about restricted free agency, whether it still has a place in the NBA and, if it's going to still exist, what could be changed to make it a fairer process.

The Wizards owe the Knicks a protected first-round pick in 2026. Keeping that draft choice will be critical for Washington — but will put a cap on how good the team can be. So why won't the Wizards attempt to regain the pick in its entirety? Story in @theathletic.com: www.nytimes.com/athletic/652...

Had a fun time putting this project together, and I think the results will be interesting for those following the four biggest free agents who are still on the market:

The best (and I'd argue only) place you need to go to be up to date on the MLB trade deadline www.nytimes.com/athletic/liv...

The NBA bubble, 5 years later: ‘The most exclusive basketball camp in world history,’ missed children birthdays, and, an asterisk? www.nytimes.com/athletic/652...

For my debut story at @theathletic.com, I pulled up to watch Derrick Rose play chess. He’s seemingly found fulfillment in his new obsession. Now he’s out here hoping to grow the game: www.nytimes.com/athletic/649...

A decade after Point Giannis, Jason Kidd is at it again. Watch @justesbaraheni.bsky.social's newest Athletic Spotlight video here. www.nytimes.com/athletic/650...

For those who are unfamiliar with me or my recent move…here’s my introduction to The Athletic: www.nytimes.com/athletic/650...

LeBron James hasn’t had buyout, trade discussions with Lakers, both sides expect that he will be with team for training camp. Reporting with @danwoikesports.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/athletic/649...