Mike Curtis: The NBA just announced an updated version of the Western Conference semifinals schedule between the Thunder and the winner of the Mavs-Clippers series. pic.twitter.com/WnX0WMWAfe The NBA just announced an updated version of the Western Conference semifinals schedule between the Thunder and the winner of the Mavs-Clippers series. pic.twitter.com/WnX0WMWAfe — Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) May 3, 2024 ..read more

Clemente Almanza: Mark Daigneault on the playoffs: “The one thing we haven’t had to handle yet is a loss in the playoffs but in all likelihood, we’re gonna be facing that at some point. We’re gonna have to get back to 0 in that situation ..read more

Clemente Almanza: Mark Daigneault on his tenure starting the same time as SGA became the top option: “That’s not accidental. I think that’s some of the wisdom that Sam’s done with this 2nd time around. He was very transparent at that time with that the plan was… It gave everybody the same ..read more

Clemente Almanza: Jaylin Williams on the playoffs: “The environment is crazy. You can feed off the crowd. I like it. I like that version of basketball ..read more

Clemente Almanza: Jaylin Williams on being a supportive teammate during games: “It’s just me being hype for my teammates. I’m happy for them to succeed… The way this team is built, I feel we’re happy for each other ..read more

Clemente Almanza: Josh Giddey on Chip Engelland: “We talk every day. We’re in here together every day. If he’s not here, we’re texting and calling. He’s been great. He’s told me he’s proud of me… I love that guy. We’ve spent a lot of time together these last 2 years ..read more

“When I was a G League coach, I used to ask players — I met a lot of players — I haven’t asked this in a long time, but what’s the secret to coaching you? That’s a question I’d ask a player,” Daigneault said. “Most of the players — I would say 80% of the answers — had something to do with honesty… I’ve learned when you hear the same answer over and over again from a lot of different players, a lot of different backgrounds, a lot of different people, there’s something to that. “There’s nothing harder than lying. You got to lie 100 times to cover for your first lie. I just try to be very transpa ..read more

Daigneault’s transparency and open communication channels are some of the strongest features of the culture he’s helped build. Jalen Williams talked about how much he appreciated his ability to hold each other accountable and stay on the same page. “We have a lot of straight shooters on our team so it helps when your coach is not beating around the bush,” Williams said. “… I think when you’re trying to avoid confrontation on things that can help guys get better, it slows down progress ..read more

Daigneault was then asked about his Twitter usage. He said he scrolls through the app as a skeptical consumer but never actually tweets or has a photo of himself on his account. He refused to reveal the account’s name to keep it a secret. “How else are you supposed to get information? I’m not like reading a newspaper every morning,” Daigneault joked ..read more

On the reason why there’s so much parity this year in the NBA Playoffs… George Karl: I think it’s a little bit of the changing of the guard. The old guys are getting older, but they STILL know how to win. The young guys think they’re really good but they have to figure out how to win and I think when you got teams like Boston and Minnesota — very young basketball teams… Oklahoma State is really young; now do I think that they’re gonna win the NBA Championship? I don’t know. I still think that by far Denver is the best team. I still think that Denver is the strong STRONG favorite that can get i ..read more