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Only four teams remain in the 2022 NBA playoffs. The Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks will battle it out in the conference finals. The Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns were both eliminated, so there will be new Eastern and Western Conference champions this season.
Meanwhile, LeBron James has been extremely active on social media ever since the LA Lakers failed to the make the postseason. James was recently on Twitter once again, prompting his followers to ask him questions, leading to some fun queries.
Here is the latest NBA News Roundup for May 17, 2022, brought to you by Sportskeeda.
LeBron James Twitter Q&A Highlights
LeBron James continued his early vacation with a rare question-and-answer session on Twitter. James has a lot of time on his hands, so he asked his followers to throw questions in his direction and he answered them to the best of his ability.
Here are some of the highlights:
LeBron's longevity and playing with Bronny
"The King" was asked about his plans for retirement and if he was still interested in playing with his son, Bronny, in the future. LeBron was quick to answer that he's not thinking about retiring anytime soon. He's also confirmed that the plan is to play with Bronny in the NBA.
Luka Doncic, Kobe Bryant and Klay Thompson
LeBron James also called Luka Doncic his favorite NBA player under 25 years old. He picked Kobe Bryant as his teammate if he was going to go against Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. James also praised Klay Thompson, who had another explosive Game 6 against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Tom Brady joins in
From one GOAT to another, NFL superstar Tom Brady asked LeBron James who would win between them in a game of ice hockey shootout. James was confident he could beat Brady, but added that it would be a close game.
Champions League Final pick
With the UEFA Champions League final set to happen later this month, LeBron James has made his pick for the winner. James chose Liverpool to beat Real Madrid 4-3 in the final. The four-time NBA champ has been a part-owner of Liverpool since 2011.
Damian Lillard defends Chris Paul from Patrick Beverley
Chris Paul took a lot of heat after the Phoenix Suns were eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. One person who had a lot to say against Paul was Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley. The pesky defender was on ESPN the next day and put on a show by blasting CP3.
"CP can't guard anybody, man. Everybody in the NBA know that. You know those cones in the summer that you dribble around? What does the cone do? Nothing. He's a cone," Beverley said.
However, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers showed support for Paul and defended him. Lillard called out the Timberwolves guard for "acting," telling the world about private conversations between players and praying for other players' downfall.
Lillard tweeted:
"Bra on TV acting like his word law. Speaking on private convos and praying on mfs downfall. This weird behaivor smh... I ain't got a horse in the race."
NBA announces finalists for the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award
The NBA has announced the finalists for the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award.
The finalists include Reggie Bullock of the Dallas Mavericks, Jrue Holiday of the Milwaukee Bucks and Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies. Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors have also made the list.
The five finalists were the best representatives of social justice and activism that have been present in the NBA for a long time. The winner is expected to be announced sometime during the Western Conference Finals. He will receive a $100,000 donation from the league to a social justice organization of his choosing.
Last season's winner was Carmelo Anthony, who was the first recipient of the award. The other four finalists are also expected to receive a $25,000 donation each from the NBA to their chosen social justice organization.
Mark Cuban trolls Lil Wayne after Mavs eliminate Suns
Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is on a high after his team defeated the Phoenix Suns to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2011. Cuban celebrated the win on Sunday night by trolling Suns superfan and rapper Lil Wayne.
The Mavs owner quoted a Lil Wayne tweet from May 8 wherein the rapper said that Luka Doncic was a "ho." Cuban responded by using Lil Wayne's own lyrics against him from the song "Uproar" from the album "The Carter V" released in 2018. He tweeted:
"It's a s**t show, put you front row," Cuban wrote.
The Mavericks got the last laugh as they utterly destroyed the Suns in Game 7 in front of their fans. Luka Doncic had 27 points in the first half, the same as the Suns' entire team. The Mavericks were up by 46 points at one point, eventually winning by a score of 123-90 to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
Updated NBA championship odds heading into the conference finals
Four teams remain in the 2022 NBA playoffs, all gunning to win the championship in June. The Miami Heat are set to take on the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Golden State Warriors will battle the Dallas Mavericks in the West.
According to DraftKings, the Warriors are the current favorites to become the champions at +140. The Celtics are right behind at +190. Meanwhile, the Heat are +500 and the upstart Mavericks are +550.
Golden State have the most championship experience since they were in the NBA Finals from 2015 to 2019, winning three titles.
The Warriors also have the highest number of stars on their roster, while the Heat and Celtics are reliant on their top-tier defense and coaching. As for the Mavericks, they are coming off an upset win over the Phoenix Suns, the team with the best record in the NBA.
