A week is a long time in sport and this week in the NBA has been no exception. Less than a week ago, the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their playoff game against Orlando leading to three days of postponed NBA games. Thankfully, players decided to stick it out for the rest of the season after having positive discussions with the NBA and team owners. Even Barack Obama got involved.

Here’s your Weekly NBA Wrap.

Murray Vs. Mitchell

The first-round matchup between Denver and Utah turned into an all-time classic playoff series. It was headlined by the matchup between Jamal Murray and Donavan Mitchell. The two seemed to take it to another gear in the playoffs, combining for 475 points across the playoff series. This was the most scored by two opponents in a playoff series in NBA history!

After willing his team to a victory in game six, Murray let his emotions take over in one of the most memorable post-match interviews you will ever see. 

Although his team ended up being eliminated from the playoffs, Mitchell at least has something to be happy about - he is expected to finalise a max deal with the Jazz very soon for about $170 million across five years.

You Missed A Layup

One crucial play at the pointy end of game seven between Utah and Denver had fans scratching their heads. Denver was up by two points with about 10 seconds left after they got a steal. Rather than run down the shot clock, they decided to go for the score and missed a simple layup. This lead to a quick transition by the Jazz and an open 3 point game-winning attempt for Mike Conley. Luckily for the Nuggets the shot just missed!

In his post-match interview, Jamal Murray made sure he let his teammate Torey Craig know all about his late Game 7 miss.  

Pre-Game 💩

In a post-game interview, George Hill of the Bucks decided to spill the beans on his pre-game ritual. Asked why he wasn’t present during the national anthem at start of the game George explained, “I take a sh*t every time before the game”.

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So we now know that Hill visits the toilet before every game, but what are do other famous NBA player do before games? Here are two favourites:

Kevin Garnett - The Celtics superstar used to smash his head a few times (on the foam section) under the basketball hoop before every single game.

Jason Terry - The 19 year NBA journeyman would wear the opposing team’s shorts to bed the night before each game he played.

Hey, if it works for you who are we to judge!

Luka And Jokic On The Same Team?

The internet was buzzing this week after Jusuf Nurkic of the Portland Trailblazers posted a photo from a dinner he was having in the NBA bubble. The photo captioned “Balkan Boys”, included superstars such as Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic.

Fans were quick to imagine what a basketball world would look like if Yugoslavia still existed. Let’s face it - this team would be amazing and would challenge the USA basketball team. 

What do you think?

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And The winner Is….Brandon Ingram

Giannis was awarded the Defensive Player of the Year award last week and this week the NBA awarded the Most Improved Player award to Brandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans. Ingram had a breakout season after being traded by the Lakers, averaging 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists across the season.

At 23 years old, Ingram still has his best basketball ahead of him. The Pelicans are hoping it helps the team make it to the NBA playoffs next season. It is definitely possible with a young core that includes Zion Williamson!