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Time of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Brandon Jennings and Boston Celtics' star player in cold war after the former NBA player revealed reason for criticism
Former NBA player, Brandon Jennings finally explained his reason for calling the Boston Celtics' star player, Jayson Tatum 'soft.' The infamous comment was made just after Tatum got hospitalized for having a severe Achilles tear, which was not well received by fans and Celtics' staff. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Months after, Brandon Jennings finally got a chance to explain the reason behind calling Tatum soft, by comparing him to legendary players. However, as usual Tatum replied in a nonchalant way by giving an update on his injury just an hour after the podcast video surfaced. Brandon Jennings reveals why he called Jayson Tatum 'soft' Brandon Jennings recently appeared on 'The Big Podcast' where he was asked about the infamous comment he made when Tatum got hospitalized for having an Achilles tear. Jennings went on to say, 'Yeah, because I said Tatum was the softest Celtics' superstar ever. But I never say he wasn't great.' When asked to explain his reason for calling Tatum soft, the former NBA player went ahead and revealed the actual reason. 'I guess I'm going off because of Jaylen Brown getting Final MVPs and Easter Conference, and this is supposed to be your team in the moment. That's just like when you went to the Finals, and if Kobe would have got Finals MVP, it would have been looking like kind of like, well, Shaq ain't really like, you would be just looking like, well, Shaq ain't really like that, like when it comes down to it.' He also went ahead and added, 'So for a Celtics superstar, you know, and the toughness and what the Celtics bring…So, but that doesn't mean that he's not a great player. I just, you know, as far as what a Celtics.' Though he was berated on the podcast as well, where the NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal called him out for using the word. O'Neal went on to say that it was a harsh word, and there were other words that Jennings could have used, to which the latter had nothing to say. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Jayson Tatum gives nonchalant reply to Brandon Jennings Exactly an hour after the podcast video surfaced all over the Internet, Jayson Tatum gave a nonchalant reply to Jennings. Tatum took to his official X handle and gave a short injury update. The tweet read, 'Day 25… days starting to get a little easier.' Whether it was a direct jab to Jennings or simply an injury update, is up for debate. As per sources, Tatum is supposed to make full recovery and will be back by next season. Also Read:
CNN
19-04-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Miami Heat become the first 10th place team to advance out of the NBA's play-in tournament as playoff field is set
The NBA playoff picture came into full focus Friday night with the final two games of the play-in tournament. The Miami Heat, who were the last team into the Easter Conference play-in bracket with the 10th-best record in the regular season, knocked off the Atlanta Hawks with a 123-114 overtime win to become the No. 8 seed in the East. In the Western Conference, it was the Memphis Grizzlies pummeling the Dallas Mavericks 120-106 to take the eighth seed in the West. In the first game of the night the Heat rolled into looking for a second straight do-or-die win after defeating the Bulls in Chicago on Wednesday in their first play-in game. The Heat caught the Hawks flat-footed, leading by as much as 17 points in the first half. The Hawks shook off a poor shooting performance early in the game and rallied to take the lead in the fourth quarter, sparked by some clutch shooting from guard Trae Young. It was a driving lay-up from Young that tied the game at 106 with just a second left on the clock to force overtime. Heat reserve guard Davion Mitchell took over in the added period with a trio of 3-pointers to outscore the Hawks single-handedly in overtime. Mitchell scored nine of his 16 points in OT. The Heat's Tyler Herro led all scorers with a game-high 30 points, while Young had a team-high 29 points for Atlanta. With the win, the Heat slide into the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and become the first 10th place team to ever advance out of the play-in tournament. Miami will now face the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in a first round series beginning Sunday. In Friday's nightcap, the Grizzlies were not about about to let Dallas become the second 10th place team to advance, as Memphis dealt the Mavericks a decisive defeat. The Grizzlies pounced all over the Mavs early, walloping Dallas from the opening tip to establish a 39-24 lead after the first quarter. Memphis continued to pour it on in the second quarter, running their lead up to as many as 25 points. The Grizzlies would coast from there. With star guard Ja Morant playing on an injured right ankle after rolling it in Grizzlies' loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Memphis was lifted by an all-around team effort on Friday. All of the Grizzlies' starters scored in double figures, led by Jaren Jackson Jr.'s 24 points. Morant scored 22 for Memphis. The Mavericks, on the other hand, were more or less a one-man band. Anthony Davis, who joined Dallas as part of the much-scrutinized trade with the Los Angeles Lakers involving Luka Dončić, scored a game-high 40 points. The next highest scorer for Dallas was Klay Thompson with 18, and two of the Mavericks' starters – PJ Washington and Dereck Lively II – didn't score at all. It was a lackluster ending to a disappointing season for the Mavericks, who entered the season with championship dreams fueled by the presence of their MVP-candidate Dončić. But the surprising mid-season decision to trade the Slovenian superstar coupled with a slew of key injuries, including to star guard Kyrie Irving, ultimately derailed any title aspirations Dallas might have had. With their win, the Grizzlies earn the final spot in the Western Conference and a showdown with the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, owners of the NBA's best record during the regular season. That series will begin Sunday. First round playoff action begins Saturday with the NBA Finals scheduled to tip off on June 5.
CNN
19-04-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Miami Heat become the first 10th place team to advance out of the NBA's play-in tournament as playoff field is set
The NBA playoff picture came into full focus Friday night with the final two games of the play-in tournament. The Miami Heat, who were the last team into the Easter Conference play-in bracket with the 10th-best record in the regular season, knocked off the Atlanta Hawks with a 123-114 overtime win to become the No. 8 seed in the East. In the Western Conference, it was the Memphis Grizzlies pummeling the Dallas Mavericks 120-106 to take the eighth seed in the West. In the first game of the night the Heat rolled into looking for a second straight do-or-die win after defeating the Bulls in Chicago on Wednesday in their first play-in game. The Heat caught the Hawks flat-footed, leading by as much as 17 points in the first half. The Hawks shook off a poor shooting performance early in the game and rallied to take the lead in the fourth quarter, sparked by some clutch shooting from guard Trae Young. It was a driving lay-up from Young that tied the game at 106 with just a second left on the clock to force overtime. Heat reserve guard Davion Mitchell took over in the added period with a trio of 3-pointers to outscore the Hawks single-handedly in overtime. Mitchell scored nine of his 16 points in OT. The Heat's Tyler Herro led all scorers with a game-high 30 points, while Young had a team-high 29 points for Atlanta. With the win, the Heat slide into the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and become the first 10th place team to ever advance out of the play-in tournament. Miami will now face the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in a first round series beginning Sunday. In Friday's nightcap, the Grizzlies were not about about to let Dallas become the second 10th place team to advance, as Memphis dealt the Mavericks a decisive defeat. The Grizzlies pounced all over the Mavs early, walloping Dallas from the opening tip to establish a 39-24 lead after the first quarter. Memphis continued to pour it on in the second quarter, running their lead up to as many as 25 points. The Grizzlies would coast from there. With star guard Ja Morant playing on an injured right ankle after rolling it in Grizzlies' loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Memphis was lifted by an all-around team effort on Friday. All of the Grizzlies' starters scored in double figures, led by Jaren Jackson Jr.'s 24 points. Morant scored 22 for Memphis. The Mavericks, on the other hand, were more or less a one-man band. Anthony Davis, who joined Dallas as part of the much-scrutinized trade with the Los Angeles Lakers involving Luka Dončić, scored a game-high 40 points. The next highest scorer for Dallas was Klay Thompson with 18, and two of the Mavericks' starters – PJ Washington and Dereck Lively II – didn't score at all. It was a lackluster ending to a disappointing season for the Mavericks, who entered the season with championship dreams fueled by the presence of their MVP-candidate Dončić. But the surprising mid-season decision to trade the Slovenian superstar coupled with a slew of key injuries, including to star guard Kyrie Irving, ultimately derailed any title aspirations Dallas might have had. With their win, the Grizzlies earn the final spot in the Western Conference and a showdown with the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, owners of the NBA's best record during the regular season. That series will begin Sunday. First round playoff action begins Saturday with the NBA Finals scheduled to tip off on June 5.
