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The NBA is coming off two Game 7s in the NBA's Conference semifinals and they weren't what people expected.
Most Game 7s are close battles that go down to the wire, but the league experienced two blowouts instead. The Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics are advancing to their respective conference finals after eliminating both NBA Finalists from last year.
The Milwaukee Bucks were without home-court advantage and also didn't have the services of three-time All-Star Khris Middleton. So their loss, although unfortunate, can be looked past.
On the other hand, the Phoenix Suns were the best team in the regular season and won the West by a whopping eight games. Their Game 7 loss was a meltdown of epic proportions as they got eliminated after a 123-90 blowout.
The basketball community is now focusing on the upcoming conference finals and subsequent finals. Let's take a look at the news around the league from the last 24 hours.
Patrick Beverley doesn't believe Chris Paul deserves a championship ring
The Phoenix Suns were the best team in the regular season by a mile. Many picked them to win the championship and assumed that they would redeem themselves from their loss in the 2021 finals.
However, they got sent home in the second round instead in a massive meltdown. After the Phoenix Suns were eliminated in Game 7, former NBA player Jeremy Lin tweeted:
"Dang....I really hope CP3 gets a championship before he retires. He deserves one. (one trophy emoji) #legend"
As harmless as the tweet sounds, Lin faced tremendous backlash for his comment, especially after Patrick Beverley responded by saying that Chris Paul doesn't deserve a ring. A championship is earned and suggesting that someone deserves it was preposterous.
NBA Shooting coach suggests he knows what Giannis Antetokounmpo needs to do to fix his jumper
Chris Matthews, aka. "Lethal Shooter," is one of the most sought-after shooting coaches in the NBA. Matthews went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft and eventually started a career as a shooting coach.
He is one of the best marksmen in the game and has trained multiple players, such as Grant Williams, Cameron Johnson, Markelle Fultz and many more.
After the Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 7 in Boston, Chris Matthews tweeted that he knows exactly what Giannis Antetokounmpo is doing wrong with his jump shot mechanics.
He suggested that he needs three months, roughly the length of an offseason, to fix the Greek Freak's jumper and the former MVP would be scary. He said:
"I get 3months with Giannis and it would be VERY VERY SCARY. I know exactly what he’s doing wrong with his jumper. (one 100 emoji)"
Skip Bayless believes Jimmy Butler will be the key to Miami Heat advancing to the NBA Finals
Skip Bayless reacted after the Boston Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference finals and he picked the Miami Heat to win the series in seven games. He believes Jimmy Butler has the edge in the playoffs over Jayson Tatum and company in a defensive-heavy battle. Bayless tweeted:
"Heat in 7 in an all-time defensive battle that won't exactly blow the top off the ratings. Edge to Playoff Jimmy."
The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics are both top five in the league in defensive rating and this series is expected to be a low-scoring one. The scores aren't expected to go beyond 100 points and we might be up for a slow-paced defense-heavy Eastern Conference finals.
Stephen A. Smith tags the wrong Devin Booker on Twitter and gets a hilarious response
Stephen A. Smith ranted on Twitter and tagged the Phoenix Suns, Devin Booker and Chris Paul after they lost the Game 7 at home.
Many analysts and fans criticized the Suns for their epic meltdown and Smith didn't hold back. He suggested that the two backcourt players didn't show up after they combined for 21 points. Smith tweeted:
"I have never been more wrong. I can’t believe how great the @Dallasmavs look and how pathetically awful the @Suns look. @CP3 & @DevinBooker31 have been no-shows. I can’t believe this."
The Twitter handle "@DevinBooker31" is of a European basketball player and the Suns' Devin Booker goes by the handle "@DevinBook." The European player then quote-tweeted Stephen A. Smith and gave a hilarious response:
"I didn’t know I was supposed to show up. I had a game in Istanbul the same day. I’ll be ready next time."
Chris Paul's hidden quad injury revealed after Game 7 loss
Chris Paul was reportedly playing through an injury throughout the Western Conference semifinals series.
He walked off the floor after Game 7 with a limp in his step and when he was asked about the injury; he declined to comment. He was reportedly playing with a quadriceps injury. ESPN's Marc J. Spears reported:
"Suns point guard Chris Paul limped out of the arena with a very slow walk. @andscape learned that Paul had a left quad injury. When asked about his quad injury, Paul declined comment."
Guess the Lakers players!
