Latest news with #TaylorJenkins
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
New York Knicks Fire Head Coach Tom Thibodeau
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 25: Head coach Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks reacts against the ... More Indiana Pacers during the fourth quarter in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 25, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by) After being eliminated in the eastern conference finals this past saturday, the New York Kmicks have decided to relieve head coach Tom Thibodeau of his duties. After 5 seasons and 4 playoff trips, New York has decided to find a new sideline leader for their team. Thibodeau had a record of 2226-174 during his time in New York, and he represented a new era of successful Knicks basketball. When he was hired back in 2020, the Knicks were looking for some direction and identity, and safe to say he provided them with that. The Knicks reached the conference finals for the first time in over two decades under Thibodeau's leadership. New York decided that it was time for a new voice after falling in 6 games to the Indiana Pacers in this year's eastern conference finals. There are plenty of notable head coaches for New York to choose from this offseason, such as former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, and former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins. Thibodeau was fired even after Knicks superstar guard Jalen Brunson spoke out in support of him, perhaps signifying that this decision did not involve all the players. Thibodeau was recently extended by the Knicks in 2024, and that contract was set to end in the 2027-28 season, so they will still have to pay that money to him. With the Knicks benign on the cusp of a championship, they are hoping that a new head coach is the final piece that will get them over the championship hump.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA play-in tournament: How to watch and everything to know
NBA play-in tournament: How to watch and everything to know Golden State Warriors will face the Memphis Grizzlies for a spot in the Play-Offs. - Brandon Dill/AP A thrilling finale to the NBA regular season shook up the play-in tournament places in the Western Conference, while there will be some familiar faces taking part in the East. The play-in has already provided many memorable moments and there are yet more enticing match-ups in 2025. How to watch Tuesday's games will be shown on TNT Sports – which shares parent company Warner Bros. Discovery with CNN – and Wednesday's games on ESPN. TNT will then show the Eastern Conference Play-In game for the No. 8 seed and ESPN will air the West's. Advertisement All of the games can also be streamed on the NBA's League Pass. What is the play-in tournament? The play-in tournament has been around since the Covid-era NBA bubble at Disney World, Orlando in 2020 and was adopted fully by the league in 2022. It was brought in to try and provide a more competitive end to the long regular season, giving an extra two teams – placed ninth and 10th – in each conference the chance to make the eight-team playoffs. The No. 7 seed hosts the No. 8 seed in a single-elimination game, with the winner clinching seventh and a best-of-seven first-round series against the No. 2 seed. Advertisement The No. 9 seed then hosts the No. 10 seed, with the loser eliminated and the winner going on to face the loser of No. 7 vs. No. 8 to decide who clinches the eighth seed. No. 7 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies Tuomas Lisalo (left) was brought in to replace Taylor Jenkins as Memphis Grizzlies head coach. - Marta Lavandier/AP Starting in the Western Conference, an overtime classic between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers decided the fate of both teams on the final day. The Clippers earned a 124-119 win – the team's eighth straight to end the season – in San Francisco to clinch the No. 5 seed and relegate Golden State to a play-in spot to face the Memphis Grizzlies. The Warriors are 3-1 over the Grizzlies this season and have been one of the NBA's hottest teams since acquiring Jimmy Butler in a trade from the Miami Heat at the start of February. Advertisement The move has also helped elevate both Steph Curry and Draymond Green, with the latter now the leading candidate to win Defensive Player of the Year for the second time. Add in some helpful role players and the presence of 'Playoff Jimmy,' who helped carry the Heat to two NBA Finals, and the Warriors will feel they can be a threat this postseason. The Grizzlies' season was turned upside down when head coach Taylor Jenkins was fired on March 28, just nine games before the postseason. The timing of the decision was shocking, but the Grizzlies were at the time on a run of winning just six out of 16 games. Interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo then lost his first three games in charge, before the team began to show signs of improvement, and it finished 4-2 over the last six games. Advertisement Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant ended the season strongly, but he will need plenty of support from running mates Jaren Jackson Jr and Desmond Bane if Memphis is to go on a deep run. This roster is certainly still inexperienced when it comes to the postseason and, after a tumultuous end to the regular season, the odds are stacked against the Grizzlies. No. 9 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 10 Dallas Mavericks Anthony Davis was sent to the Mavericks in the Luka Doncic trade. - Mark J. Terrill/AP Only two seasons have passed since the Sacramento Kings reached the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in 2023, but it must already feel like a lifetime ago for fans. The Kings dropped to the No. 9 seed last season and find themselves there again now, only this time with a much-changed roster. Advertisement The Kings brought in DeMar DeRozan in 2024 free agency, but then traded away franchise star De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs in February this year as Sacramento's season began to implode. The addition of Zach LaVine, acquired in the Fox trade, did little to change the team's fortunes as the Kings limped to the No. 9 seed with a losing record. Beyond this postseason, for which there is already little hope of making any sort of run, the Kings will have some tough decisions to make about the future direction of the franchise. But, chin up, Sacramento fans. It could always be worse. This season, Dallas Mavericks fans endured one of the bleakest stretches for any fanbase in modern sports history. Advertisement After reaching the 2024 NBA Finals, losing 4-1 to the Boston Celtics, optimism was high in Dallas coming into the season. The team had shown it wasn't far away from winning it all and, in Luka Dončić, the team boasted a generational talent entering his prime, plus the supremely gifted Kyrie Irving as his No. 2. On February 2, everything changed. In the midst of a difficult but by no means unsalvageable season, it was announced that the Mavericks would be trading Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the most stunning trades in NBA history. Anthony Davis, the main piece the Mavericks got in return for Dončić, got injured on his Dallas debut, before Irving went down with a season-ending ACL injury. Advertisement Davis managed to return to action before the end of the regular season, but it would be a tall ask for him to lead an injury-depleted Mavs roster on a postseason run. No. 7 Orlando Magic vs. No. 8 Atlanta Hawks Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) shoots from the outside over Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22). - Dale Zanine/Imagn Images/USA Today Sports/Reuters Orlando Magic fans will likely be left with an overwhelming feeling of what might have been for the 2024-25 season. It began with so much promise for this talented young core, which found itself as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference after the opening couple of months of the season. However, then the injury bug hit. Orlando was without star Paulo Banchero for 34 games this season, while Franz Wagner also missed an extended period. Guard Jalen Suggs also played just 31 games before undergoing season-ending knee surgery. Advertisement While the team and the fanbase will no doubt be excited about next season already, this postseason could provide the young team – in particular key men Banchero and Wagner – with invaluable playoff experience, even if going on a run this season is a long shot. It was shaping up to be an exciting season for a young Atlanta team, but the season-ending shoulder injury to Jalen Johnson in January was a real hammer blow to the Hawks' chances this year. In addition to Johnson's promise, Dyson Daniels took a leap forward this season after being acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans in the trade that sent Dejounte Murray the other way in the offseason. Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, is also looking like a valuable piece already, while star guard Trae Young is as wonderful on offense as ever. Advertisement It seems unlikely the Hawks will have enough this season to challenge the top seeds if they make the playoffs, but the future looks promising for this young core. No. 9 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 10 Miami Heat Can Tyler Herro lead Miami to the playoffs? - Nam Y. Huh/AP The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat are familiar faces now in the play-in. Appearing in the play-in tournament for the third straight season, the Bulls look vastly different now than they did to start the campaign. Star man Zach LaVine and highly touted defender Alex Caruso were traded away, while Lonzo Ball returned to the court this season but still struggled with injuries. The Bulls lost in the play-in in each of the last two season, and a win this time around is perhaps as far as they can expect to go this postseason. Advertisement The Heat's already waning season crumbled after the team traded away Butler to Golden State. Miami, also appearing in its third straight play-in tournament, improbably reached the NBA Finals after coming through the play-in in 2023. Without 'Playoff Jimmy' to lead them this year, however, the Heat's chances of repeating that feat are next to zero. While Tyler Herro has taken a leap forward in his development this season, Bam Adebayo has been underwhelming. Fourth-quarter struggles have become a recurring theme for Miami, too, with that historic Finals run now a distant memory. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at
New York Times
04-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Who is the Grizzlies' interim head coach trying to save their season? Meet Tuomas Iisalo
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — While growing up in Finland, Tuomas Iisalo found a few ways to expand his knowledge of the English language. One of them doubled as the source that taught him the language of basketball. 'I learned English in a lot of Slam Magazines,' he said. Iisalo and his younger brother, Joonas, who became an assistant to Tuomas on several stops, were obsessed with the game from a young age. They spent hours pouring through the pages of every Slam they could find. They learned the names of their favorite players, the color schemes associated with each team and the slang that was an essential part of NBA fandom. Advertisement As his love for the game grew, he started watching old VHS tapes of '90s NBA games. He still remembers devouring the tape of Michael Jordan's 55-point game against the Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals. 'We were basketball freaks,' Iisalo said. His passion for the game was tied to so many of those greats in the '90s, but his personal preference for how the game should be played blossomed as he obsessed over the '07 Seconds or Less' Suns in the early 2000s and the soccer-indebted San Antonio Spurs in the 2010s. As he became more immersed in the game, his ultimate goal was to cross the Atlantic Ocean and make it to the NBA one day. That journey has unfolded stunningly, as he has become an NBA head coach less than a year after the Memphis Grizzlies hired him as an assistant. Iisalo, 42, has gone from a relative unknown among most NBA fans to the man tasked with righting the ship for a Grizzlies team that's been shrouded in turmoil the past few weeks. In a shocking decision, the Grizzlies announced the firing of Taylor Jenkins, the franchise's all-time winningest coach, last Friday and named Iisalo interim head coach with only nine games left in the regular season. It certainly isn't an ideal situation for someone to be thrown into as a first-time head coach, but it was an indication the organization has immense trust in Iisalo's ability to thrive in a tumultuous environment. GO DEEPER What we're hearing about the Grizzlies' firing of Taylor Jenkins 'I think everybody was in shock in the beginning. Then, everybody tried to get their bearings,' Iisalo said earlier in the week. 'I've been extremely pleased and really thankful for the guys and how they've accepted (me) in a tough situation.' Both Grizzlies management and Iisalo have pushed back on any talk of him using this final stretch of the season as an audition to remain the Grizzlies head coach heading into the 2025-26 season. However, the Grizzlies showed how much they thought of Iisalo by pursuing him as aggressively as they did last summer. As reported by The Athletic last week, Memphis paid a lucrative buyout to lure Iisalo from Paris Basketball of LNB Élite, the club run by ex-Timberwolves general manager David Kahn, to Memphis, offering him an above-market deal for an assistant worth millions to join Jenkins' staff. Advertisement The Grizzlies also forced Jenkins to fire several assistants he worked with for years ahead of the 2024-25 season to make room for Iisalo and several others tasked with reshaping the Grizzlies' offensive attack. Not all of those coaches stayed on after the Jenkins firings. With the Grizzlies losing eight of their last 11 games, dropping from the No. 2 seed to a potential Play-In spot, Iisalo has been put into a position that no coach before him has been asked to overcome — and that is before getting to the ongoing controversy surrounding Grizzlies star Ja Morant. It won't be easy. At least it should be familiar. Iisalo moved from Finland to Germany to begin his journey as a head coach in 2016. His first job there was with Crailshelm Merlins, who had just been relegated to a lower league. In Europe, that is one of the biggest fears any club can face while going through a difficult season. Iisalo referred to it as an 'existential threat to the whole franchise.' When a club is facing relegation, it puts almost everyone in the organization in danger. The financial implications can be devastating to everyone from players to coaches to supporting staff. 'Being in that situation twice, when you feel responsible for the whole future of the franchise and everybody's jobs … has taught me a lot about how to approach these type of situations,' Iisalo said. 'It's just one day at a time. You control the controllables.' He helped Crailsheim get promoted back to the Bundesliga, the highest professional league in Germany, after two seasons, before eventually securing the club's first ever playoff berth in 2021. He then left to take over as head coach for Telekom Baskets Bonn in 2021. He led Bonn to a FIBA Champions League title in 2023. 'He's done an unbelievable job as a coach. Everywhere he's gone, he's found success,' said Krisian Palotie, the head coach of Lahti Basketball in Finland and a play-by-play announcer for NBA games on Finnish television. Advertisement Palotie worked with Iisalo in the commentary booth on Finnish TV during the 2014 NBA Finals. He's followed most of Iisalo's coaching career as a result. Palotie said it's been shocking to see how quickly Iisalo has risen in the coaching ranks, but anyone who has spent time with him knows how deep his knowledge is of the game. 'How he breaks things down, how smart he is and how well he is able to explain his thoughts and his ideas — it's helped him his entire career,' Palotie said from Finland. 'I think it's going to play well with the guys he's coaching now.' As he was wrapping up his final season with Bonn, Paris Basketball started reaching out to Iisalo in March 2023 with hopes of making him the club's next head coach. Alex Requena, a former executive with Paris Basketball, was part of the team looking into potential coaching candidates. 'I remember talking to one of our scouts and I was like, 'Who the hell is this guy?'' Requena recalled. But as he grew familiar with Iisalo's coaching tactics and his approach to running a team, he became enamored with the Finnish phenom. He took note of the up-tempo, aggressive style Iisalo's teams played with and his ability to get the most out of his players. 'We were shocked about the way (Bonn) was playing basketball,' Requena told The Athletic in a phone conversation this week. 'I'm a basketball guy and I didn't really know many players on that roster. But the way that team played under him was amazing.' Iisalo became a hot commodity in coaching circles after Bonn's Champions League victory, but Paris Basketball continued its aggressive pursuit and eventually convinced him to take over as head coach ahead of the 2023-24 season. Upon arrival, he requested Paris Basketball bring over some of the Bonn assistants he previously worked with along with a few players from that roster. Advertisement Once he had all the pieces in place, Iisalo had a clear vision for what would come next. 'He's a perfectionist and he likes to keep things in control in a good way,' Requena said. 'When he joined us, he said, 'I'm going to make you win.'' In his season with Paris Basketball, Iisalo had historic success. He guided the team to a EuroCup championship and was named EuroCup coach of the year. He was also named coach of the year in LNB Pro A after leading Paris to a record-setting 25 consecutive victories. No team had won that many games since 1990. While the performance from his team on the court was impressive enough, those within the organization were even more impressed by his understanding of how to get the most out of his team daily. GO DEEPER Grizzlies show 'no big changes' in first game without Taylor Jenkins. But change must come 'I've never seen that pace, that intensity, that passion that he was projecting into the players at practice,' Requena said. 'That was his way of winning games. Everything started from practice.' With Paris, Iisalo installed an all-encompassing half-court offensive scheme predicated on spacing, movement and pace. Neither the ball nor the players should ever be stagnant. He wanted his players to hunt mismatches with ball screens To help his players learn, Iisalo often leaned on principles from professional soccer. He used clips of central midfielders to highlight the importance of understanding the space around a player, whether the ball was in their possession or not. He also used soccer footage to teach transition defending, with the knowledge of angles and the necessity of keeping the opponent from getting behind you crucial in both sports. 'Everything has a purpose,' said Tyson Ward, a current Paris forward who played under Iisalo for three seasons, including the 2023-24 season in France. 'Staying connected, which means if the ball goes one way, everyone else is on a string. Constant pressure on and off the ball, making sure you crash the glass and force the defense to collapse in. We wouldn't do anything outside of what we worked on. Everything we worked on (during practice) is what we did in the game.' Advertisement According to Ward, the crux of Iisalo's scheme was 'the (opposing) defense is always wrong,' which meant repetition of drills until players understood how to create mismatches and take advantage of them. Iisalo also drove home the significance of taking the best shot available that all five players agreed on for any given possession. Any hesitation would produce a negative trickle-down result. Defensively, he sought to protect his players from disadvantageous situations off switches, hoping to limit the same mismatches he yearned for at the other end of the floor. Effort, energy and understanding personnel were mandatory. 'The level of intensity of practice and the level of focus that the games require is like nothing I've ever experienced before,' Ward said. 'The guys that have been part of it would also say the same thing.' With his success and the standard he set for work ethic around the organization, Iisalo left an indelible impact on Paris Basketball, despite only being there for one season. 'He's a genius in every single way,' Requena said. 'He's capable of carving his own path, and that's what's so inspiring about him.' Very few expected Iisalo's time with Paris Basketball to be so short-lived. When an NBA team comes calling, it's hard to ignore. The Grizzlies went after Iisalo so he could oversee the team's offense under Jenkins. Once the 42-year-old was given interim coach tag, he became the first Finnish-born head coach in NBA history, and just the fourth raised in Europe. He earned his first win on Thursday night in Miami. Before last week's stunning turn, he spent most of the season making his mark in Memphis with coaches and players by showing off his high IQ for the game and his tremendous focus on the task at hand. 'He's a really smart guy. No bulls—. It's all about winning and how you get there. Nothing else really matters,' Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane said. 'He's not a man of many words if you ain't talking about basketball.' Advertisement For Iisalo, showing the players that his commitment is to getting the most out of them and doing whatever it takes to win matters most, chaos be damned. Once he shows he can block everything else out and establish that belief, it's much easier to earn buy-in. 'Trust is like a three-way street,' Iisalo said. 'You've got to have trust that you can do the job. You've got to have trust that your teammates will do the job. And you've got to have trust in the coaching staff and the system that when we do these things, that will be enough to produce the win. We are looking to build the collective confidence.' — The Athletic's Kelly Iko contributed to this story.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Warriors vs. Grizzlies Predictions: Odds, recent stats, trends and best bets for April 1
Warriors vs. Grizzlies Predictions: Odds, recent stats, trends and best bets for April 1 Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies Preview The Golden State Warriors (43-31) and Memphis Grizzlies (44-31) are all set to square off from FedExForum in Memphis. The Grizzlies are coming off a double-digit loss against the Boston Celtics last night. The Grizzlies fired head coach Taylor Jenkins over the weekend, and are hoping to use his departure as a springboard towards the postseason. Advertisement The Warriors are currently 20-17 on the road with a point differential of 3, while the Grizzlies have a 3-7 record in their last ten games at home. We've got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts. Game details & how to watch Warriors vs. Grizzlies live today Advertisement Date: Tuesday, April 1, 2025 Time: 8:00PM EST Site: FedExForum City: Memphis, TN Network/Streaming: Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game. Game odds for Warriors vs. Grizzlies The latest odds as of Tuesday: Odds: Warriors (-165), Grizzlies (+138) Spread: Warriors -3.5 Over/Under: 237 points That gives the Warriors an implied team point total of 119.59, and the Grizzlies 117.76. Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports' Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more! Expert picks & predictions for Tuesday's Warriors vs. Grizzlies game NBC Sports Bet Best Bet Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Advertisement Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas) is leaning towards Ja Morant over 24.5 points +190… Thomas: 'Morant will have a difficult matchup, but it's hard to ignore how well Morant has been playing. He's scored at least 25 points in six of his last seven games.' Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals. Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Advertisement Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today's Warriors & Grizzlies game: Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Golden State Warriors on the Moneyline. Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Memphis Grizzlies at +3.5. Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the under on the Game Total of 237. Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today's calendar! Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Warriors vs. Grizzlies on Tuesday The Warriors have won 4 of their last 5 matchups against Western Conference Southwest Division teams The Grizzlies' last 3 games at home versus the Warriors have stayed under the Total The Warriors are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite The Warriors have gone 7-3 in their last 10 games If you're looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports! Bet the Edge is your source for all things sports betting. Get all of Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick's insight weekdays at 6AM ET right here or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: - Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) - Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) - Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) - Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
NBC Sports
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
Grizzlies firing HC Jenkins is 'mind blowing'
The Dan Le Batard Show go inside of the "shocking" firing of Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins and the power of superstar players influencing these types of decisions.
