Texas Tech ends Oklahoma's 4-year run as Women's College World Series champ with walk-off 3-2 win
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma's run of four straight Women's College World Series titles ended when Lauren Allred's walk-off sacrifice fly gave Texas Tech a 3-2 victory in the semifinals on Monday night.
Coach Patty Gasso's Sooners (52-9) were down to their last strike in the top of the seventh inning when Abigale Dayton summoned a bit of magic, hitting a tying two-run homer against Red Raiders ace NiJaree Canady. It was just her third longball of the season.
But the Red Raiders (53-12) responded quickly in the bottom half. Mihyia Davis singled with one out and Hailey Toney followed with a double. Allred hit a flyball to right field and Sydney Barker's throw to the plate was wide, allowing Davis to score easily.
Texas Tech, in its first trip to the WCWS, will play Texas in the best-of-three championship series starting Wednesday. The Longhorns reached the finals for the third time in the past four years. They lost to Oklahoma in 2022 and 2024.
Oklahoma had won nine straight elimination games.
Canady lost the shutout but got the win. She is the two-time reigning National Fastpitch Coaches Association Pitcher of the Year and was the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year last season.
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton boost legacies with NBA playoffs success
About two months ago, we examined the possible effects the 2025 NBA Playoffs would have on certain legacies. We looked at nine players and a coach, and how a potential title or deep playoff runs might affect how they're viewed both in the short and long term. With the Thunder securing the franchise's first championship in OKC, star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander arrived on the NBA Finals stage, but two months ago, we wondered whether he could lead such a young team to the championship. Advertisement This Thunder team is the second-youngest squad to win the NBA title. Only the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers, led by Bill Walton, had a younger average age (24.9) than this Thunder team (25.6). And OKC's 26-year-old star compiled a dominant season that also saw him net his first MVP award. He tallied more than 3,000 points this season (regular season and playoffs), and his scoring has been transcendent to the point that fans of opposing teams are finding complaints about how the dominance happens. They've wished they could take their ball and go home or turn off the video game console. But Gilgeous-Alexander doesn't allow opponents to do that. Now, SGA is where Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić and Jayson Tatum found themselves in recent years. The first title is under his belt, so what comes next? The NBA has been desperate for parity in this era, but this Thunder team, led by Gilgeous-Alexander, seems set up to buck the trend of a different champion every year. That second title has escaped Giannis and Jokić so far, and Tatum will have a long journey ahead as he recovers from his Achilles injury. Gilgeous-Alexander is at the top of the mountain and has one of the most dominant teams in NBA history. His legacy is truly just beginning, but the NBA is set up to jump-start someone else's legacy next year. We'll see if SGA and the Thunder can block that. Let's check in on the rest of the legacies we examined in late April and see how things changed over the past two months. Haliburton wasn't featured in our original story in April, but he arguably was the story of the postseason. He had one of the most clutch playoff runs you'll ever see. He's made journalists rip up their plans in the blink of an eye. He and his teammates made you feel like you couldn't flip the channel or fire up a new series on a streaming platform just because it's a 10-point game with 90 seconds left. Advertisement Haliburton, whose playoff run came to an end with an unfortunate Achillies injury early in Game 7 of the finals, thrust himself into the superstar conversation after putting himself really on the map during the NBA Cup last season and making a whole meal out of being voted the league's most overrated player in The Athletic's Anonymous NBA Player Poll this year. Regardless, Haliburton has seen the absolute biggest boost to his legacy over the last two months and nearly led his team to a title out of nowhere. I'm not sure Big Honey's legacy needed a boost, but he got a little nudge of positivity by taking the champion Thunder to seven games in the second round. This Nuggets team was not great this season and fired coach Michael Malone with three games left in the regular season. They didn't even know if they would avoid the Play-In Tournament at that point. The Nuggets couldn't play defense, had injuries and had no bench. The supporting cast was unreliable, and Denver had an interim coach with only assistant experience facing the most dominant team in the NBA in the playoffs. Denver had no business pushing OKC to seven games. But Jokić is that good. I know the Clippers were eliminated in seven games, but Leonard at least reminded everybody of how good he is. And he did it by playing in every game in the first round. He's been the poster child for 'load management' because most talking heads spouting off about the subject are too lazy to recognize that he's legitimately injured. Leonard has been dragging his knee around for years and still looks dominant when he can play. I think the Clippers should just start up his season on Jan. 1 to try to time his health correctly to have him right for the start of the playoffs. That almost happened this season; they just ran into Jokić. Leonard was awesome in that series, and it's a good reminder of how incredible the two-time NBA Finals MVP still can be. Advertisement The Thibodeau one is odd. When the Knicks made it to the conference finals, there was a referendum on his style of coaching. We saw a lot of, 'I was told Thibs' style of playing his guys too many minutes couldn't be successful in the postseason' type of rhetoric to throw in the face of people who doubted his coaching and the Knicks in general. It was a celebration of Thibodeau, the lifer coach dedicated to grinding out everything. Then the Pacers made that ridiculous comeback in Game 1, and you saw many people calling for him to be fired. Three days after the Knicks lost that series, he was fired, and public perception seemed to shift back to defending Thibs against James Dolan and the Knicks front office. Ultimately, I believe his legacy received a boost, but it was a roller coaster to get there. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics The question coming into the playoffs was whether Tatum and his Celtics could end this recent trend of a new champion every single year. Not only did we get a seventh different champion in seven years, but also the Celtics were knocked out in the second round. To add injury to elimination, Tatum ruptured his Achilles tendon against the Knicks and will likely miss all of next season based on the typical timeline of these recoveries. He's still only 27, so it shouldn't derail his career. And these recoveries are far more reliable than they were even a decade ago. The Celtics were struggling against the Knicks before the injury, so maybe his legacy was headed toward taking a hit regardless, but you never know how these series can turn. We'll see how the Celtics reshape the roster monetarily, as any legacy-boosting for Tatum is on pause. It looked like Curry was going to get a chance to at least make things interesting in the second round against Minnesota before he strained his hamstring. Golden State won Game 1, but Curry missed the rest of the series, and the Warriors limped out of the postseason. Before that, Curry had a dramatic first-round affair against the Houston Rockets, which the Warriors pulled out in seven games after going up 3-1 in the series. As with Tatum, a second-round injury (far less severe, though) prevented any kind of fun drama from unfolding. I struggled a bit with whether or not this one should be in the category below. Playoff Jimmy has been a thing, and people either love to embrace that persona or love to hate it. Playoff Jimmy, or just Butler in general, is very polarizing. Once Curry went down in the second round, that Warriors team didn't have nearly enough offense to solve Minnesota. Maybe Butler should be expected to lead them to a greater fight, but he was also banged up in the Rockets series. I think we should give a pass for injuries to the players. I've never been one for the 'Playoff Donovan' stuff because I think he's been living off the 2020 NBA Bubble performance for quite some time. However, I don't know if this playoff ouster was really on him. Advertisement Some people want to offer the excuse that the Cavs' failure was due to injuries to Darius Garland (and also Evan Mobley and De'Andre Hunter, who missed Game 2 against Indiana). I'm not here for that. This Cavs team was simply not ready to step up and do what it needed to do, and it's been a consistent problem for Cleveland, in one form or another, for the last three years. This time around, I felt Mitchell was doing the right stuff and then would look around at his teammates not seemingly being ready for the moment and deciding someone had to do what was necessary to win. So he'd try to take over, and it didn't work. Ultimately, he takes the hit because it wasn't good enough, and he did make mistakes. But I think this failure is different from the previous times. The Luka thing is a little weird. For the most part, he was good against the Wolves, but questions about his conditioning and defense did come up. When Minnesota took out the Lakers in five games, there was even some chatter about how Mavs GM Nico Harrison may not have been completely off-base for shockingly trading Dončić this season. Granted, that chatter could have just been because the people saying it wanted to zig for attention when everybody else was zagging. The conditioning stuff is always going to be there with Dončić when his team is eliminated early, and he does have a bigger spotlight on him by being in a Lakers uniform. His legacy didn't take a big hit, but it's enough of a needling to see how he responds. This was brought up to me by my friend Shaker Samman, and I had to steal it, run with it and give him a little bit of credit for it at the same time. The idea of tanking did take a bit of a hit in these playoffs. You can start with the shenanigans of the NBA Draft Lottery, when the Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets all landed outside of the top three after so blatantly putting a horrendous product on the floor all season long. The hope for months was that Cooper Flagg would save them. Now one of them will end up with Kon Knueppel. That's not exactly why you put unwatchable basketball in front of your fans for full price and try to tell them it will be worth it for months. The real shot against tanking, though, is the Pacers and their success. They haven't had a top-five pick since Rik Smits in 1988. They've acquired their lineup through cunning drafting and trades. They've trusted their coach to form a system around a style of play they feel fits their best player, and then built out from there. Imagine! A vision! A plan! What a revolutionary concept. (Top photo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
NBA Power Rankings: Thunder on top (of course); offseason outlook for all 30 teams
We have a new NBA champion, just in time for the summer to officially begin and for everyone to return to the real games: doomscrolling transaction rumors. I'm just pulling your chain, but we do have a new champion. Congratulations to the Oklahoma City Thunder. What we've seen speaks for itself. With the talent and assets they have accumulated, we knew they would soon be here. And I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords. The Thunder spent the entire season in our Top Contenders tier and most of the season in the top spot. These Power Rankings are here both to put a final bow on the 2024-25 NBA season as well as look ever so slightly ahead to the action many of you crave, and that is offseason player movement. I'll retain the tiers as we break down each team's outlook: Let's enter the final terms of the contract for The Athletic's NBA Power Rankings this season. Previous rankings are from the end of the regular season — that's where grades, records and ratings will be. Last ranking: 1 Playoffs? Swept Grizzlies in West quarterfinals, beat Nuggets in West semifinals Game 7, beat Timberwolves in Western Conference finals, beat Pacers in NBA Finals Game 7 What happened, and what's next? They're the NBA champions, capping off one of the most dominant seasons ever. They won 64 games by double digits between the regular season and the playoffs. They had the No. 1 defense. They swallowed teams up in the possession battle. But winning championships is hard. Advertisement The Thunder were down by 29 points in Memphis. The depleted depth of the Denver Nuggets dragged them to seven games. The Timberwolves beat them by 43 points. And the Pacers were perhaps a Tyrese Haliburton injury away from a major upset. No matter — the Thunder got it done. They have the reigning NBA Finals MVP/regular season MVP/scoring champion (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander), an All-NBA/All-Defense selection (Jalen Williams) and a second-overall pick just scratching the surface of his capabilities (Chet Holmgren). Jaylin Williams is their top free agent. And, because they're the Thunder, they have one lottery pick set to debut next season (Nikola Topić) and the 15th and 24th picks in this week's draft. It's an embarrassment of riches, and they're not 'too young.' They're young champions. Last ranking: 7 Playoffs? Beat Bucks in East quarterfinals, beat Cavaliers in East semifinals, beat Knicks in Eastern Conference finals, lost Game 7 to Thunder in NBA Finals What happened, and what's next? This isn't a Power Rankings to predict what will happen in June 2026. It's a placement of where we are after the postseason and going into the wave of player movement. What a run the Pacers had. They started 10-15. Then they won a rematch against the Bucks, featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo this time. They beat the best offense in basketball in Cleveland with multiple games to spare. They beat the Knicks, again, on a bigger stage. And they played their first game in franchise history with a chance to win an NBA championship. Haliburton's Achilles injury disrupts Indiana's outlook. Myles Turner is a free agent, and the Pacers traded their 2025 first-round pick to get their 2026 pick back. That move looks prescient now. This offseason will answer a lot of questions about how the Pacers will proceed post-Haliburton injury. But for now, respect to arguably the most unlikely 15-win postseason run the league has ever seen. Advertisement Last ranking: 8 Playoffs? Beat Pistons in East quarterfinals, beat Celtics in East semifinals, lost to Pacers in Eastern Conference finals What happened, and what's next? It's a major credit to the Knicks that they won multiple road games this postseason in Detroit and Boston. Their upset of the defending champions was not something I saw coming after they went 0-10 against the Celtics, Cavaliers and Thunder in the regular season. But once those player street signs went up and Haliburton grabbed his throat in a Madison Square Garden that Aaron Nesmith used as target practice, it was a wrap. The Knicks played 18 playoff games and trailed by double figures in 12 of them. They looked like a blessed team, until they didn't. Ultimately, the embarrassing Eastern Conference finals run cost head coach Tom Thibodeau his job. A new head coach will have to figure out how to get New York to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. If Thibodeau couldn't build a top-10 defense around Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, who can? Last ranking: 9 Playoffs? Beat Lakers in West quarterfinals, beat Warriors in West semifinals, lost to Thunder in Western Conference finals What happened, and what's next? Anthony Edwards has now led the Timberwolves to more playoff series wins (four) than they had in the franchise's first 34 years combined (two). But it was the size and versatility of Minnesota's roster that allowed it to brutalize the Lakers and Warriors as much as Edwards' supposed legend killing. Once the Timberwolves ran into the Thunder, Minnesota's size didn't matter as much, and the Timberwolves didn't have enough to bother the Oklahoma City offense. The Timberwolves do have a first-round pick, one year after trading into the lottery and using multiple first-round picks. The big decisions come down to the player options of Julius Randle and Naz Reid, as well as Nickeil Alexander-Walker's unrestricted free agency. Minnesota also must consider Mike Conley's age (38 in October) as it looks to optimize its starting lineup around Edwards. Last ranking: 3 Playoffs? Swept Heat in East quarterfinals, lost to Pacers in East semifinals What happened, and what's next? The Cavaliers flexed the expected dominance in the first round against Miami, then failed to win a single home game against the Pacers. While they went out looking like a team that had its toughness and roster fit questioned yet again, Cleveland should feel like it should give itself another chance for a few reasons. Advertisement For one, Coach of the Year Kenny Atkinson had a great first season while fostering the best offense in the league. Second, the Pacers validated their performance against the Cavaliers by getting to the NBA Finals. Third, the Cavaliers were the lone team in the entire East to win a regular-season game against the Thunder. And fourth, All-Star Darius Garland played through a toe injury that caused him to miss multiple playoff games and required surgery that will likely delay the start of his 2025-26 season. The Cavs still have multiple All-NBA players in Donovan Mitchell and Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley. They have a case as the best team that didn't make the conference finals, especially in the East. But they do need better reserve frontcourt options, and Ty Jerome is a free agent. Last ranking: 11 Playoffs? Beat Clippers in West quarterfinals Game 7, lost Game 7 to Thunder in West semifinals What happened, and what's next? You can change the general manager, and you can change the head coach, but the fact remains that Nikola Jokić is as tough an out as it gets. On a team that had a dearth of depth and defense, Denver still had the MVP runner-up, and the Nuggets got the best version of their supporting cast in a Game 7 win against the LA Clippers. But while the Nuggets got better as that series went along, they eventually didn't have enough to pull off a similar upset on the road in Oklahoma City. The Nuggets don't have any draft picks, and Russell Westbrook declined his player option. David Adelman will remain the head coach after replacing Michael Malone in April. The question for Denver is how much it will consider breaking up a starting lineup that works to give its shallow roster more of a chance to get through a season. Last ranking: 13 Playoffs? Beat Rockets in West quarterfinals Game 7, lost to Timberwolves in West semifinals What happened, and what's next? The Warriors exorcised their Play-In Tournament ghosts by lighting up the Grizzlies, then avoided revisiting 3-1 lead ghosts by lighting up Houston in a Game 7 (just like old times). Unfortunately, the toll of the regular season, Play-In Tournament and a full playoff series against a physical Rockets team reared its ugly head in the semifinals. Stephen Curry's first career hamstring injury cut short his playoff run after a Game 1 win in Minnesota, and Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green couldn't lead Golden State to a single win to give Curry a chance of returning. Advertisement The Warriors are good, but have a poor combination of age and size. And that's before you get to their biggest offseason decision, which is what to do with Jonathan Kuminga. The Warriors need a center who can start and provide credible offense on both sides of the 3-point line; Brook Lopez may make the most sense. Last ranking: 2 Playoffs? Beat Magic in East quarterfinals, lost to Knicks in East semifinals What happened, and what's next? It seemed to be business as usual for the Celtics when they eliminated the Magic in five games and led Game 1 of the semifinals by 20 points in the second half. What transpired over the following week was a catastrophic series of events that might vaporize Boston's short-term title window. The Celtics blew three double-digit leads to the Knicks, a team they swept in the regular season, with the third blown lead capped by Jayson Tatum tearing his right Achilles tendon. That's not all, as Jaylen Brown underwent right knee surgery this offseason, and Kristaps Porziņģis was hampered all spring by post-viral syndrome. Boston now faces roster-management consequences that may involve 35-year-old Jrue Holiday and 39-year-old free agent Al Horford. Boston will need more guard help, especially if Holiday is moved. Last ranking: 5 Playoffs? Lost Game 7 to Warriors in West quarterfinals What happened, and what's next? Houston had a chance to pull off a 3-1 comeback on its home floor, but it ultimately made 34 fewer 3s than the Warriors did in the seven-game series. Houston resisted making a big move during the season and saw what its core looked like in a playoff setting. The Rockets knew they needed to acquire shooting to take the next step. Enter Kevin Durant! Over the last five seasons, 150 players have attempted at least 1,000 3s. In Houston's trade with Phoenix for Durant, the outgoing Dillon Brooks ranked 116th in 3-point percentage (35.4), while the outgoing Jalen Green ranked 134th (34.2). Durant ranked sixth (41.5). The biggest decision Houston has now is Fred VanVleet's team option, but business has already been underway for the rising Rockets. Head coach Ime Udoka has been extended, along with backup veteran center Steven Adams. The Rockets also traded the 10th pick in the draft to acquire Durant, who will be 37 when the season starts. Last ranking: 4 Playoffs? Lost to Timberwolves in West quarterfinals What happened, and what's next? Anthony Davis and Luka Dončić were traded for each other last season. Davis and Doncić combined for 31 games for a Dallas team that won 39 games. Davis and Dončić combined for 70 games for a Los Angeles team that won 50 games. It was an accomplishment for the Lakers to win the Pacific Division and get another All-NBA season out of LeBron James, this time under rookie head coach JJ Redick. But the Lakers lost all three clutch-time games against the Timberwolves in a series where they canceled their starting center and most of their bench and got pulverized in the possession battle. The Lakers have a new ownership situation now as they look to do a better job of building the roster around Dončić. James also has a player option. Last ranking: 6 Playoffs? Lost Game 7 to Nuggets in West quarterfinals What happened, and what's next? LA's powerful finish to the regular season with a fully healthy roster distracted many fans from the fact that the Clippers were never a contender last season. They had a regrettable playoff series against the Nuggets pockmarked by a blown lead, a buzzer-beater and multiple instances of being unable to respond to force at various points. Advertisement The Clippers were among the biggest overachievers in the league last season, anchored by the All-NBA performance of James Harden, a defense led by All-Defensive selection Ivica Zubac and bolstered by the return of Kawhi Leonard in what was supposed to be a transitional bridge year. Harden has a player option, as does veteran Nicolas Batum, while Amir Coffey and Ben Simmons are free agents. They're a constant hub for the rumor mill due to their ambiguous state of always competing while being led by old stars, but it would be imprudent for the Clippers to disrupt the team they have for another star or an ill-fitting piece. They remain focused on another guard to help reduce turnovers, as well as frontcourt help after struggling to deal with Aaron Gordon in the postseason. Last ranking: 12 Playoffs? Lost to Knicks in East quarterfinals What happened, and what's next? The Pistons still haven't won a home playoff game since 2008, as they couldn't stop Brunson. But Detroit now has a bona fide All-NBA player to build around in Cade Cunningham. There are major free-agency decisions with rotation players Tim Hardaway Jr., Malik Beasley and Dennis Schröder hitting the market. The Pistons also have to determine what the best role is for the returning Jaden Ivey (fibula). Cunningham and the Pistons need to reduce the turnovers. But those are good problems to have for Detroit compared to the start of the 2020s. Last ranking: 15 Playoffs? Lost to Celtics in East quarterfinals What happened, and what's next? Cole Anthony's last big contribution to Orlando was securing a playoff berth with a big performance against the Hawks in the Play-In Tournament. The Magic brought their brand of physical defense to the postseason but couldn't stop Tatum and went out in five against Boston. Orlando decided now was the time to make a move, sending Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and control of five first-round picks to Memphis for shooting guard Desmond Bane. On the court, it's a big upgrade, as Bane is a much better (and much younger) player and shooter than Caldwell-Pope at this point. But the Magic are pretty much locked into Bane, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero moving forward. Last ranking: 10 Playoffs? Lost to Pacers in East quarterfinals Advertisement What happened, and what's next? The Bucks beat the Pacers three times in the regular season but couldn't overcome Indiana in the playoffs. Most critically for the Bucks, Damian Lillard tore his left Achilles tendon, an injury that immediately put Giannis Antetokounmpo's short-term future with the franchise on the clock. Antetokounmpo has a 2027 player option, and if he decides to leave, he would be the most coveted trade target of the year, given his age and production. Milwaukee hasn't won a playoff series in three years, firing two head coaches since winning the 2021 championship, and now Antetokounmpo heads into next season with Lillard injured and with Kyle Kuzma in place of Khris Middleton. Champions Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis (player option) can also be free agents. The Bucks should be in the market for a disruptive, defensive-minded point guard, whether Antetokounmpo stays or not. Last ranking: 14 Playoffs? Swept by Thunder in West quarterfinals What happened, and what's next? The Grizzlies couldn't stop Stephen Curry or Jimmy Butler III in the Play-In Tournament, and though Jaren Jackson Jr. dominated the Mavericks to secure a return to the playoffs for Memphis, it was a short-lived experience, lowlighted by a 51-point Game 1 loss at Oklahoma City and a 29-point blown lead in Game 3. Things will look different in Memphis; the only question is to what degree? Tuomas Iisalo shed the interim tag after replacing Taylor Jenkins as head coach at the end of March, and Memphis has already traded Bane to Orlando for Caldwell-Pope, Anthony and a handful of first-round picks. One of those selections is the 16th pick of the 2025 draft. Zach Edey will also miss the start of next season after ankle surgery. Santi Aldama and Luke Kennard are the biggest free agents. Memphis has needed size on the wing for years, and that should be the focus of its offseason. Last ranking: 19 Playoffs? Swept by Cavaliers in East quarterfinals What happened, and what's next? One of the ways to look at how much of a talent deficit the Heat were at this year: Butler and Andrew Wiggins were traded for each other, and those two combined to play in only 42 games for Miami. By contrast, Wiggins and Butler combined to play in 73 games for Golden State. Tyler Herro capped an All-Star season with an Erik Spoelstra-branded Play-In Tournament run to keep Miami's postseason appearance streak active and become the first team to go from 10th place to the playoffs. But all that got the Heat was the wrong end of the most lopsided playoff series in NBA playoff history, as they were outscored by 122 points by Cleveland. They lost a lottery pick for their efforts as well. All for the (Heat) Culture, I guess. The Heat can at least move forward in what will only be the second season without one of Alonzo Mourning, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James or Butler being on the roster since 1995. More athleticism is needed on a team that doesn't have the same high-end talent that it's accustomed to having. Advertisement Last ranking: 20 Playoffs? Did not qualify (eliminated by Grizzlies in Play-In Tournament) What happened, and what's next? Of all teams to get the top pick in the Cooper Flagg draft, it goes to a team that traded Luka Dončić eight months after winning the Western Conference. This is also the same franchise that was fined for tanking a year after making the 2022 Western Conference finals to secure the lottery pick that turned into Dereck Lively II. General manager Nico Harrison's team alternates deep runs with blessed lottery results, so anything is possible next season. Jason Kidd could use Flagg as a point forward, much like Kidd did when he coached a neophyte Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee a decade earlier. That should be a necessity of sorts, as Anthony Davis is much more effective as a play finisher, while Kyrie Irving (player option, ACL) shouldn't be expected to play at a high level at any point next season. Last ranking: 17 Playoffs? Did not qualify (eliminated by Heat in Play-In Tournament) What happened, and what's next? I warned in April that I didn't have a great feeling about the Hawks in the Play-In Tournament, and then they failed to secure a playoff spot after losing at Orlando and against the Heat. Atlanta was unable to stop Cole Anthony or Tyler Herro when it mattered most. Landry Fields was fired as general manager, and now former Pelicans general manager Bryson Graham is the senior vice president of basketball operations while working with newly appointed general manager Onsi Saleh. Atlanta has two first-round picks to use, including a lottery pick at No. 13. Clint Capela and Caris LeVert are free agents. The Hawks still need to find plus defenders despite the presence of Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels. Last ranking: 16 Playoffs? Did not qualify (eliminated by Heat in Play-In Tournament) Advertisement What happened, and what's next? Josh Giddey was two different players with the Bulls last season. The first version averaged 11.5 points, 6.7 assists and 1.2 3s per game while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from 3 in 43 games. The second version averaged 19.6 points, 8.0 assists and 2.0 3s per game while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from 3 in 27 games. That was the difference between Giddey with Zach LaVine in Chicago and Giddey after the Bulls traded LaVine. Now, Giddey is a restricted free agent for Chicago. The Play-In Tournament was a big disappointment as Chicago couldn't stop Herro, but the Bulls played very well to end the year and have a lottery pick. Chicago could use another interior scorer, especially with Nikola Vucević entering the final year of his contract. Last ranking: 18 Playoffs? Did not qualify (eliminated by Mavericks in Play-In Tournament) What happened, and what's next? For the second year in a row, the Kings failed to make it out of the Play-In Tournament. But at least they ended Golden State's season in 2024. Sacramento hosted the Mavericks and put forth a thoroughly uninspiring performance. General manager Monte McNair left the organization almost as soon as the game was over, and was replaced within a week by former Knicks general manager Scott Perry. Doug Christie will be the head coach going forward, shedding the interim tag he obtained after the December firing of Mike Brown. Sacramento had all of De'Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell on the same team and used a lottery pick last year on Devin Carter. Yet the Kings still don't have a point guard. They need to focus more on a defense that allowed the highest 3-point percentage in the league. Keon Ellis is the biggest free-agent decision. Last ranking: 23 Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 34-48) What happened, and what's next? It's officially the end of an era, as this is the first offseason since 1997 that Gregg Popovich is not the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs. Popovich is now president of basketball operations, while Mitch Johnson will manage the team and lose the assistant tag. And it promises to be an extraordinary offseason for the Spurs ahead. First, Victor Wembanyama is a monk now. Second, that's the draft slot the Spurs won in the lottery. Third, Chris Paul is a free agent. And for fourth, Stephon Castle won Rookie of the Year after being the fourth pick of last year's draft. Add in that the Spurs also have the last pick of the lottery, and you can see where they have enough trade ammunition to make a big trade while Wembanyama still has two more years on a rookie contract. Just as long as they come out of this offseason with another big who can help Wembanyama on the boards, especially when Wembanyama is not on the floor. Advertisement Last ranking: 21 Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 36-46) What happened, and what's next? The Trail Blazers have a lottery pick for the fourth straight draft, but it's outside the top 10, unlike the previous three drafts. That should be fine for a team that has way too many mouths to feed as is. Only the Jazz had a worse turnover percentage than the Trail Blazers last season. Matisse Thybulle has a player option, and Dalano Banton is a free agent, but other than that, Portland still has most of its rotation under contract. What will happen with the expensive Portland vets? The Trail Blazers were 8-4 when Anfernee Simons didn't play and had a better record without Deandre Ayton than they had with him, and Jerami Grant shot 37.3 percent from the field. Last ranking: 22 Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 36-46) What happened, and what's next? An abject disaster of a season. The Michigan State owner (Mat Ishbia) now has a Michigan State general manager (Brian Gregory) and a Michigan State head coach (Jordan Ott). Ott was on Kenny Atkinson's staff in Cleveland and got his start in Atlanta's film room for recently fired former Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer. Points for continuity there, at least. Phoenix traded Durant, who won all of one playoff series in three seasons with the Suns, for the 10th pick in this draft, five second-round picks and the contracts of Green and Brooks. Devin Booker is on his eighth head coach now, and has only won a playoff game with one of them. It looks like he's going to have to play point guard yet again. Bradley Beal's no-trade clause is also still here. The one-year contracts of Tyus Jones, Mason Plumlee and Monte Morris have expired. The Suns need to come out of this offseason with some players who aren't opposed to making some plays defensively; someone like Russell Westbrook, though I doubt Westbrook would want to go there. Last ranking: 24 Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 30-52) What happened, and what's next? The Raptors have a lot to look forward to in terms of talent infusion. Bruce Brown only played 18 games before being traded for Brandon Ingram, who didn't play at all. Scottie Barnes missed 17 games. RJ Barrett missed 24 games. Immanuel Quickley played in only 33 games. The only free agents are Chris Boucher and Garrett Temple, and Toronto gets a top-10 pick. Now, figuring out how to get all of those ball-dominant players to play together is going to be tricky, especially considering how pass-heavy Darko Rajaković prefers to operate. But the Raptors should be able to focus their offseason on complementary players. Advertisement Last ranking: 26 Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 24-58) What happened, and what's next? The Sixers went to great lengths to keep their pick out of the hands of the Thunder, and that stands as their greatest accomplishment of the season now that they have the third pick. What they do on draft day will be fascinating, but this is still a team that can't be encouraged by the status of its top three players. What does Joel Embiid look like at 31 and a knee that hasn't allowed him to play more than six games in a row since Christmas 2023? What does Paul George look like at 35, after 15 NBA seasons? And how much more can you expect from Tyrese Maxey if he has to be the team's best player at 6-foot-2? Philadelphia needs another athletic defender with size, and it has big free-agency decisions to make at almost every position. Last ranking: 25 Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 26-56) What happened, and what's next? The Nets will get to use a top-10 pick and add to a relatively barren talent base. Keon Johnson, a free agent, led the team in total field goal attempts. Only the Hornets had a worse field goal percentage than Brooklyn this season. There are a ton of free agents here who saw rotation minutes, including starters D'Angelo Russell, Cam Thomas and Ziaire Williams. De'Anthony Melton, who was traded for former starter Schröder and never played for Brooklyn after ACL surgery, is also a free agent. Brooklyn should target a center who can supplement what it gets from Nic Claxton. Last ranking: 28 Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 21-61) What happened, and what's next? This franchise has had Chris Paul, Anthony Davis or Zion Williamson on the roster for 19 of the last 20 seasons. The Pels have two playoff series wins to show for it. Joe Dumars replaces David Griffin as the lead personnel executive, and Willie Green remains head coach. Advertisement Injuries were a major issue last season, but look at the roster. It's going to be an issue next season as well. How Green rebuilds a defense that completely collapsed last season should be a priority this offseason. The only rotation free agent is Bruce Brown, whom the Pelicans acquired in the Brandon Ingram trade. It's worth noting that the Pelicans traded the only first-round pick they got in the Ingram deal to Indiana for the rights to the 23rd pick in this year's draft. Last ranking: 29 Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 19-63) What happened, and what's next? The Hornets have a top-five pick, which is more than they could say at this time last year. Charlotte also doesn't have any notable free agents, unless you count the veteran presence of 3-point percentage leader Seth Curry or soon-to-be 40-year-old big man Taj Gibson. No team was worse from the field than the Hornets last season, a combination of LaMelo Ball's chronic absences (in addition to the complete lack of continuity at the center position) as well as his crippling inefficiency when he did play. Last ranking: 27 Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 18-64) What happened, and what's next? The Wizards are the first team to lose at least 64 games and not get control of a top-five pick in the following draft since the 1982 Cavaliers lost 67 games and watched the new champion Lakers draft Hall of Famer James Worthy with the first pick. Tough scene. Washington's brain trust all worked in Oklahoma City: president Michael Winger (assistant GM), general manager Will Dawkins (vice president of basketball operations) and head coach Brian Keefe (assistant under Scott Brooks and Billy Donovan), so that may serve as some inspiration. They just need to find their Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; for now, they have Jordan Poole. The only rotation player with an offseason decision to make is Khris Middleton, and it seems unlikely that he will decline a $33 million player option as he turns 34 this summer. Advertisement Last ranking: 30 Playoffs? Did not qualify (finished 17-65) What happened, and what's next? The Jazz were fined $100,000 for violating the Player Participation Policy, lost 60 games for the first time and wound up with the lowest pick possible. Like Durant said, tanking must be stressful. The only free agent from the rotation is power forward John Collins, and he has a player option. The Jazz recommitted to head coach Will Hardy with a multi-year extension, while hiring Austin Ainge (son of CEO Danny Ainge) as president of basketball operations. It appears that the Jazz are moving forward with a Celtics West brain trust, without a Jayson Tatum or a Jaylen Brown. Maybe they can get themselves a Jrue Holiday or Derrick White. (Top photo of Alex Caruso and Lu Dort: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Thunder's road to 2025 NBA title: A series of ahead-of-schedule jumps
OKLAHOMA CITY — The longest and most emotional embrace during the 15-minute trophy ceremony for the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder came when general manager Sam Presti spotted team owner Clay Bennett from across the stage and the two met in the center. Bennett first interviewed Presti in 2007, so impressed with the young executive that he made Presti, at 29, the youngest general manager in the league and delivered him a level of autonomy rare for a lead basketball decision-maker. Presti jumpstarted his first rebuild that summer. The franchise was still in Seattle. Advertisement Eighteen years later, Presti is a veteran executive — the third-longest tenured lead decision-maker behind only Pat Riley and Gregg Popovich — with a flush résumé that now, finally, includes an NBA championship. Bennett, meanwhile, still remains the silent supporter, persistently praised internally because of his financial backing and lack of basketball meddling. He hires well and stays out of the way. Presti and Bennett shared an extended hug next to commissioner Adam Silver, the two architects who have been around the longest and are credited most for this build. Then Silver handed Bennett the trophy, he quickly handed it over to the players and immediately stepped off the stage and into the background, declining to take the microphone. Presti was the first to speak. He kept it short and almost appeared bashful when acknowledging the swiftness of a title for this particular core, the youngest finals team since 1977. 'This just kind of unfolded very quickly,' Presti said. Presti was committed to the patient rebuild ever since he hit the eject button on the end of the Russell Westbrook era. In his biannual state of the franchise news conferences, he continually delivered memorable quotes about the need to embrace the slow but organic process. 'Shortcuts cut long runs short,' Presti said in 2021. 'I'm not trying to dismiss everyone's excitement, but we're not a .500 team,' Presti said in the 2023 preseason. 'We have to finish our breakfast before we start acting like we're on the cusp of something.' But the Thunder went from 40 to 57 wins in 2023-24, becoming the youngest one-seed in history. They leaped again this season to 68 wins, the best point differential in NBA history and a dream season capped with a title, all before most of their rotation players have entered the front side of their prime. Advertisement Presti and Bennett set out to slow build, but the players they acquired and drafted sped up the process, beginning with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the combo MVP and Finals MVP who capped his season with a 12-assist night in Game 7, solving the last haymaker that Rick Carlisle's Indiana Pacers defense threw at him. 'At the end of the day that's going to go down in history as one of the greatest seasons that's ever been had by a player,' Chet Holmgren said of Gilgeous-Alexander. 'It's amazing to be a part of that, to witness somebody going through it, succeeding in so many different ways … I'm so happy that we were able to put a shiny cap on what he did this year.' Jalen Williams is the co-star whose third-season elevation bumped this core over the top. He struggled in the second-round defeat to the Dallas Mavericks in the previous playoffs and spent the next year sharpening and adding to his offensive game. He made All-Star, All-NBA and just wrapped up a playoffs where he averaged 21.5 points, including a 40-point Game 5 in a had-to-have-it finals moment. 'Jalen Williams is a once-in-a-lifetime player,' Gilgeous-Alexander said while trying to hand him the Finals MVP trophy during the ceremony. 'Without him, his performances, big-time moments, shot-making, defending and everything he brings to this team, we don't win this championship. This is just as much my MVP as it is his.' Holmgren fractured his hip during the 11th game of the regular season. He was bedridden for six weeks and missed 50 games, feeling detached from the action and success for months. But he recovered in time to catch enough of a rhythm to deliver in a playoff run where he averaged 29.7 minutes and didn't miss a single game. In the title-clincher, Holmgren set a Game 7 finals record with five blocks. 'I'm proud of the guys for holding it down when I was hurt,' Holmgren said during an emotional moment of his news conference. 'I got to give big props to big (Isaiah Hartenstein) and especially (Jaylin Williams). They came in and held things down when I was hurt … A lot of things changed for them personally, individually, when I came back. So I have to give them all the credit in the world. They never expressed any sour feelings about it. They never stepped outside of the team about it. They were all-in no matter what it took. I'm just so happy to have guys like that in our big man room that are so selfless. Advertisement 'Back to my injury,' Holmgren continued. 'It sucked. If you told me this would be the end point when I got hurt, it would be easy not to quit. But this isn't guaranteed. That's why only one team gets to do it every year. So I'm so happy I didn't quit. There were a lot of nights where I was out there on willpower and anti-inflammatories. I'm just so happy I didn't quit and we made it. We did it.' Presti completed the championship core with two shrewd moves this past summer, flipping Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso — who had a handful of massive playoff sequences — and using the leftover cap space to lure Hartenstein away from the Knicks. Those two veterans added different dimensions to a young core that needed more on-court versatility and off-court leadership. Caruso is now a two-time champion and, as the Thunder organization settled into its first post-title celebration late Sunday night, he had to teach them how to pop champagne bottles. 'None of us knew how to do it,' Hartenstein said. 'We were asking AC how to do it. It was not really in sync because no one really knew how to do it.' 'We didn't do it all at the same time until the third try,' Caruso said. 'I tried my best when we got in there. 'All right, let's get a head count, make sure everyone is here before we do the first one.' Through the learning experience of taking the foil off, undoing the metal, having the cork ready, there's three or four guys that popped their corks. Then it happened again. We went through the process a couple times and eventually we got everybody on the same page. It was a good first try. We'll get some rest, reset, try to go again next year and see if we can do it again. We'll be better. We'll be better next year.' That's as close as anyone on the Thunder would get to indicating an expectation of a repeat.
