World News – US – PBT Podcast: Which players’ stocks rose the most in the bubble?

In the wake of Tyler Herro looking like the best offensive player Miami has seen since a guy decided to return home to Cleveland, the question is which players have helped each other the most in the bubble, and in the playoffs in particular?

No coincidence, Miami and Denver have a lot of these players, with Nuggets Jamal Murray probably at the top of the list

NBC Sports’ Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman get into this, talk about some Boston / Miami series, and also talk about the recent coaching carousel that included Billy Donovan in Chicago and the fact that neither team has hired a black trainer this offseason

As always, you can check out the podcast below, listen and subscribe through iTunes on ApplePodcastscom / PBTonNBC, subscribe through the fantastic Stitcher app, check us out on Google Play or check out the homepage and NBC Sports Podcast archives on Art19

We want your questions for future podcasts and your feedback, so please email us at PBTpodcast @ gmailcom

It’s a simple and obvious truth about any basketball game: the team that shoots the best usually wins

The Denver Nuggets shot 506% in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, including 10 of 28 of three (leading to a true shooting percentage of 62%) The Lakers shot 475% in the overall and 10 of 30 of three (a true shooting percentage of 597%) The Nuggets shot better Thursday night

However, the best shooting team does not win when crushed in another key area

The Lakers grabbed the offensive rebound on 404% of their missed shots – including three critical possessions in critical time – and scored 25 second chance points against Denver having six Combine that with a LeBron James and Anthony Aggressive and offensive Davis hitting the free throw line 28 times – Denver as a team has had 23 free throw attempts – and LeBron playing a fantastic defense on Jamal Murray, and a team can overcome a shooting deficit

The result was that the Lakers weathered a tough Denver team to win 114-108, taking a 3-1 lead in the series The fifth game will take place on Saturday evening

As the Nuggets came back 3-1 over the Jazz and the Clippers, this series feels different – Denver may be running out of miracles The way the Lakers closed this game has shown why the Lakers don’t would not go in the direction of Jazz and Clippers

Again, Davis was the best Laker on the floor, scoring 34 points on 10 of 15 shots plus solid defense (his light rebound numbers, five in this game, are overblown because the Lakers as a team bounce back good)

But there are two main reasons the Lakers won the game – two key reasons they may have delayed a return to Denver when the Jazz and Clippers failed in similar situations:

• The Lakers dominated the offensive glass, as mentioned above They had a second chance in four in 10 missed shots (the league average is around 26-27% of missed shots become offensive rebounds ) Dwight Howard was doing it early, Davis was doing it late (plus Rajon Rondo had a review), but the Lakers got a second chance to score and run down the straight a bit later

• LeBron James asked to keep Jamal Murray in the home stretch – in the final five minutes of the game Murray was 0 of 3 on the shot

« LeBron requested the assignment and obviously I granted it « Lakers coach Frank Vogel said after the game » Nothing was really working to try to slow him down until Bron took on this assignment « 

Vogel isn’t kidding Murray set the Lakers on fire, hit the lane and found a way to finish – including perhaps the best playoff layup so far

Murray finished with 32 points on 12 of 20 shots, but LeBron mostly held him in check during the streak (Murray made four free throws)

LeBron also had a solid game despite his jumper not falling because he chased mismatches, throwing Denver’s defense into a scrum, plus LeBron commands a team doubles when he gets the ball to the elbow or on the block and that opens things

Another key for Los Angeles was a great first half from Dwight Howard, who had 11 points and 10 rebounds in the first half while keeping the ball out of Jokic’s hands. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 13 points

Davis rolled his ankle in the fourth quarter, limped on it, stayed in the game and made a few plays on the stretch A slow Davis would be a cause for concern for the Lakers

“My ankle is fine,” Davis said after the game “I have tonight, tomorrow, before the game to get him back to where he is, but it’s good enough to play I rolled him around enough bad, but not too bad It will be fine « 

If Denver is to shock the world they need to keep Paul Millsap and his defense more down to the ground, then the Nuggets need Gary Harris and other bench players to have a great time

The Nuggets also need to find a way to slow down LeBron and Davis There might not be an answer to that question

You’re not going to see a better layup this playoffs than Jamal Murray of Denver, rounding LeBron James late in the first half of Game 4

Murray came up thinking about dunk, had to change his mind because of LeBron, knocked him down, walked around him and spun him in the glass Insane Some people on Twitter were referring to the legendary helping hand from Michael Jordan I’m not sure I want to compare this photo of Murray to a layout that helped start a dynasty, but it’s close

Murray had 16 in the first half, but the Nuggets fell behind at the 60-55 break in the first half Anthony Davis had 19 to lead the Lakers

NBA players – like large swathes of the United States – are shaking their heads at the decision not to prosecute the police who shot Breonna Taylor in her home This includes LeBron James, who said the walls of the Taylor’s neighbors had more justice than she did

The hate and racism in too many replies to this Instagram post highlight the injustice and additional hurdles black Americans face every day

Louisville faced a night of protests and backlash over the grand jury’s decision, which included the two police officers who were shot (they both survived)

Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf just passed the NBA hiatus – at least if you looked beyond « The Last Dance » itself – getting dragged out for not spending enough to give Michael Jordan another year of title contention in Chicago

Paying to hire Billy Donovan is a way for Reinsdorf and the Bulls to repair their reputations

Terms of Billy Donovan’s Chicago Bulls Head Coach Deal: Four Years and Over $ 24 Million, Sources at @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium

I would be surprised if the four years are fully guaranteed Coaching contracts of this duration usually contain a team option or two

But it’s still a high salary Especially in these times Especially since it was thought that the Bulls would keep Jim Boylen for financial reasons

Donovan left the Thunder despite being offered a new contract He probably knew he could get more elsewhere

Thank Chicago for being the team to spend The Bulls needed a solid coach after Boylen and Fred Hoiberg

Donovan won’t solve all of Chicago’s problems, but he should help on several fronts This upgrade costs nothing but Reinsdorf’s money, which all Chicago fans are perfectly willing to spend. p>

LeBron James, Jamal Murray, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Michael Jordan, NBA