DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ N.B.A. Finals Game 5 Live Updates: Denver Nuggets Look to Close Out Miami Heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Sopan Deb | Tania Ganguli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Juhyun Lee, left, Jung Soo Lee, center, and Junam Lee, right, went to Game 1 of the N.B.A. In 2019, Junam Lee began posting about her father, Jung Soo Lee, on a Denver Nuggets fan page on Reddit, often with comments about how excited he was for an upcoming game. “It almost felt like a reflection of my life,” Jung Soo said in Korean during an interview translated by Juhyun. And there Nuggdad was at what was the biggest game in Nuggets history to that point, wearing his Murray jersey. “That’s motivating for me to continue to get healthy and find victories throughout my life, in whatever they may look like,” Jung Soo said.

Persons: Juhyun Lee, Jung Soo Lee, Junam Lee, Junam, “, Jung Soo, Nikola Jokic, “ Nuggdad, ”, Alec Gwin, ung, ince, amal, eason, ike, J ung Organizations: Denver, Nuggets, Denver Nuggets, Lakers, Western Conference Locations: ”, y'all

☆ The Nuggets Almost Won a Title in 1976. Denver Can Make History Now.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Tania Ganguli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

That season, the Nuggets packed their new McNichols Arena, which opened in 1975, with the pending N.B.A. The Nuggets played the Kentucky Colonels in the first round of the playoffs and won in seven games. Facing elimination at home in Game 5, they won despite 37 points from Erving. If they could force a Game 7 in Denver, they were sure they could win it. But Erving led a furious fourth-quarter comeback in Game 6 to win the game and the championship.

Persons: Gerard, “, ” Gerard, ” Terry, Terry, Erving, Simpson, Issel Organizations: Nuggets, Colorado Mine Company, Nets, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, Kentucky Colonels, New York Nets, Denver Locations: Erving, Denver

☆ Denver Nuggets Beat Miami Heat for First N.B.A. Championship
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Tania Ganguli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It took an unheralded center from Serbia who turned into the most formidable player in the game and a Canadian point guard who found himself again after a long and arduous recovery from a career-threatening knee injury. It took patience, collaboration and a discipline born of trying, failing and learning how to keep climbing just a bit higher. The Denver Nuggets are N.B.A. They beat the Miami Heat, 94-89, in Game 5 to seal the victory. The rest of Denver’s indefatigable eight-man rotation bolstered the team’s two biggest stars until the end.

Persons: Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray Organizations: Denver Nuggets, Ball, Miami Heat Locations: Serbia, Canadian

☆ After LIV Golf, What Will Be the Next Saudi Sports Bet?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Lauren Hirsch | Michael J. De La Merced | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Tennis is probably the best candidate for a rival tour. And while there’s a smaller cohort of stars to recruit than in golf, a rival league would need only about a dozen players for an elite tour. Some tennis stars, including fifth-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas, have already played in Saudi Arabia at the Diriyah tennis exhibition. The threat of Saudi competition is likely one reason the WTA raised money from the private equity firm CVC Capital this year. to own a major sports series like the PGA Tour may now be to just acquire one.

Persons: Stefanos Tsitsipas, ” LionTree’s Michael, ‘, LIV, ” — Lauren Hirsch, Donald Trump Organizations: Capital, Trump, Republican Locations: Saudi Arabia, Saudi

☆ The Heat Say They Love Adversity. Did They Have to Make It This Hard?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Scott Cacciola | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The problem, of course, is that a steady diet of adversity takes a toll, and the Nuggets are a full meal. Count the Heat out at your peril. “It just seems like we won’t quit.”They refused to quit after slipping into the playoffs as the No. They refused to quit after losing two rotation players, Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo, in their first-round series with the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. Herro broke his hand, and Oladipo tore a tendon in his knee.

Persons: “ It’s, ” Spoelstra, Spoelstra, Adebayo, won’t, ”, Tyler Herro, Victor Oladipo, Herro, Oladipo Organizations: Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks Locations: Denver, East

☆ It Was Banned for Decades. Now the Miami Heat May Use It to Win a Title.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Scott Cacciola | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Murray, the Nuggets’ point guard, missed a 3-point attempt from the left corner, and the Heat raced away for a game-tying bucket. Murray and Jokic both finished with triple-doubles for Denver, which, for one game, at least, was largely unfazed by Miami’s shape-shifting defense. “We didn’t offer much resistance,” said Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra, who bemoaned his team’s lack of effort but considered it an anomaly. He added: “I think the thing that we’ve proven over and over and over is we can win and find different ways to win.”And one of those ways is with their zone defense. So, in an effort to slow the pace of play and compensate for their lack of size, the Heat are occasionally abandoning their man-to-man defense by mixing in some zone.

Persons: Murray, Miami . Murray, Jokic, ”, Erik Spoelstra Organizations: Nuggets, Heat, Denver Locations: Miami .

☆ Jamal Murray Lets His Play Do the Talking
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Tania Ganguli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

But on Wednesday night, Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray walked into the interview room after winning Game 3 of the N.B.A. finals wearing an unassuming white T-shirt and baggy gray sweatpants. A few glints here and there — a glittering bracelet and large stud earrings — added a little sparkle. There are ways in which he seems unassuming, perhaps because he is often overshadowed by his teammate Nikola Jokic. But when you really pay attention, particularly throughout this year’s playoffs, his play sparkles through those perceptions.

Persons: Jamal Murray, —, Nikola Jokic Organizations: Denver Nuggets

☆ Want a Class in Leadership Styles? Look to the N.B.A. Finals.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Tania Ganguli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A few weeks after Caleb Martin joined the Miami Heat, he didn’t yet have much social capital with his teammates. Martin had heard that Butler had an aggressive personality, that he was known to bark at teammates and coaches. But Martin wasn’t thinking about the potential consequences of upsetting Butler during a pickup game on one of those early days. He marched up to Butler and said, “Anything you got a problem with, come say it to me.”For a split second, Martin wondered if his boldness would irritate Butler. “He didn’t view it as disrespectful or nothing like that,” Martin said.

Persons: Caleb Martin, Jimmy Butler, Martin, Butler, ” Martin, It’s Organizations: Miami Heat

☆ Nikola Jokic, an Elusive Superstar, Has a Hold on Denver
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Sopan Deb | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

About two miles from downtown Denver, the yellows, oranges and reds of a spray-painted mural fill the cracked, gray cement wall of a building that houses a temporary employment agency. The mural rises about 20 feet and depicts an expressionless Nikola Jokic next to a much more emotive Jamal Murray, his eyes narrowed and arms extended as though he is wielding a bow and arrow. Thomas Evans, a 38-year-old artist, finished the mural of the two Denver Nuggets stars recently as the team prepared to begin the N.B.A. He said the mural inspired him and some collaborators to write the song as a tribute to Jokic. James is the biggest star in the N.B.A., with four championship rings, piles of endorsement deals and a constant presence on social media and television.

Persons: Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Thomas Evans, Damien Lucero, Lucero, Dame, Dame D.O.L.L.A, Damian Lillard, ”, —, LeBron James, James Organizations: Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, Nuggets, Western Conference Locations: Denver, Portland, Jokic

☆ In the N.B.A. Playoffs, Flopping Is a Welcome Sideshow
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Kurt Streeter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

playoffs, LeBron James got in on the act. The upstarts, upsets and dominance. The Miami Heat putting the kibosh on the comeback of comebacks in the Eastern Conference finals. Welcome to the National Basketball Floppers Association. In the 1970s, Red Auerbach, the Boston Celtics’s fabled and curmudgeonly leader, railed on national television against the “Hollywood acting” that was sullying the game.

Persons: LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, Kyle Lowry, Nikola Jokic, Malik Monk, Flopping, Red Auerbach Organizations: Miami Heat, Eastern Conference, Sacramento Kings, National Basketball Floppers Association, Boston, Hollywood

☆ Where Is the Pass Going?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Sean Catangui | Kris Rhim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Where Is the Pass Going? Few aspects of basketball capture the joy of the game like great passes. The most exciting ones require communication, improvisation and a little luck. finals will feature one of the sport’s best at getting the ball to his teammates: Denver’s Nikola Jokic. Try to guess who catches these passes.

Persons: Denver’s Nikola Jokic

☆ Heat to Face Nuggets in N.B.A. Finals After Beating Celtics in Game 7
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Scott Cacciola | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Miami Heat stunned the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night, clinching a roller-coaster, hold-your-breath, best-of-seven series in Game 7, 103-84, to extend their remarkable postseason run. 8 seed has seemingly surprised everyone but them, will face the Denver Nuggets in the N.B.A. The Nuggets secured their first trip to the championship round by completing a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals a week ago. The Heat are just the second eighth seed, after the 1998-99 Knicks, to reach the N.B.A. “Sometimes you have to suffer for the things you really want,” Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra said during the postgame trophy presentation.

☆ The Humble ‘Sticky Pad’ Keeping N.B.A. Sneakers on the Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Kris Rhim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Oh,” Vincent said incredulously, “you’re a lick-and-wipe guy?”“I don’t lick,” Strus said, dropping his fork to reply. “I don’t lick. are particular, some even superstitious, about how they ensure their sneakers have enough traction for the court. Still, most rely on a wiping pad that sits on the sidelines of N.B.A. It’s officially called the Slipp-Nott, but most players refer to it as a “sticky pad” or a “sticky mat.”

☆ Nikola Jokic Has Mastered the Art of Slowness
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Kurt Streeter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It is the speed with which he plays, or, rather, the lack of it, that sets him apart in the fast-twitch N.B.A. Jokic, the two-time league most valuable player, could write an instructional book about the game he has come to master: Basketball and the Fine Art of Slowness. He moves where he wants, when he wants, while every other player is slicing around the court in a frenzy. It brought to mind something Jeff Van Gundy, the former N.B.A. Jokic is the epitome of the John Wooden quote, ‘Be quick, don’t hurry.’”“He’s an absolute marvel,” Van Gundy added.

☆ Brittney Griner Returns to the W.N.B.A. With a Weekend of Celebration
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Kris Rhim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But through her first two games, Griner has put those questions to rest. She and her teammates have acknowledged she isn’t yet the player she once was, but Griner performed like the Mercury’s best player over their first two games. She led the team in points and rebounds over the two losses, averaging 22.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks. “By All-Star, I hope to be exactly where I want to be,” Griner said after the Sparks game. “You know, not having to limit my minutes, being able to just play — I’m going to regret this, but — being able to play 40 minutes.

☆ Inside the Life of Influencer Barbers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Kurtis Lee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I slide into a cushy leather chair in this bustling shop next to a small flooring business. The hum of clippers echoes throughout the room. A framed photo of former President Barack Obama hangs on a wall, and the TV is tuned to highlights from a recent Golden State Warriors basketball game. But the volume is turned down low, and instead I hear snippets of conversations — quick descriptions of desired cuts, followed by comfortable banter about politics (Donald Trump running for president — again!) career scoring record) and life (a 20-something moving in with his girlfriend).

☆ Anti-Trans Bathroom Bills Are About Humiliation - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Lydia Polgreen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Anyone who fails to comply could face misdemeanor trespassing charges that could result in jail time. Now, bathroom bills are back, part of a pitiless onslaught against trans bodies that gathers speed with each passing day. Around 10 states have passed laws barring transgender children from using their chosen bathroom. So far this year there are more than 30 bills aimed at restricting bathroom use by trans people, according to the Human Rights Campaign, more than any other year on record. But none have gone as far as Florida, which is now the only state to criminalize using a bathroom that doesn’t align with your sex at birth.

☆ Brittney Griner Is Creating a New Normal, for Herself and the W.N.B.A.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Jonathan Abrams | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

‘She Impacts the World’Vince Kozar, the president of the Mercury, described an ominous cloud over the franchise last season at every practice, media session and game without Griner. The day Griner was sentenced, Mercury players came together and cried — then had to play a game. Kozar did not expect Griner to announce immediately whether she would again play in the W.N.B.A. Griner may have been the most plugged-in W.N.B.A. In letters with Kozar, Griner was not asking about the organization and its going-ons as much as informing him about them.

☆ What to Know About the 2023 W.N.B.A. Season
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Sara Ziegler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Griner played no basketball during her imprisonment and is still working to get back into game shape. The off-season was dominated by free-agent signings and trades that established what could be two superteams: the Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces. The Liberty made three key moves: First, they traded with the Connecticut Sun for Jonquel Jones, the league’s most valuable player in 2021. Then they landed one of the top free agents: Breanna Stewart, the 2018 M.V.P., who had won two championships in Seattle. Those three join the returnees Betnijah Laney and Sabrina Ionescu, who have each made an All-Star team.

☆ The Heat’s Secret Weapon? Players Who Were Snubbed on Draft Night.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Scott Cacciola | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

He was sad to see Strus go, but he also knew that Strus was ready for his next challenge. “And who’s to say if he would be where he is today if he didn’t make that move?” Trost said. On Wednesday night, seven years after he transferred to DePaul and nearly four years after he matriculated to the N.B.A. But perhaps the oddest part about his unlikely presence was that it was not odd at all — at least not for the Heat, who have a league-high nine undrafted players on their 17-man roster. On Wednesday, three of those players — Strus, Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin — scored 15 points each while combining to shoot 16 of 27 from the field.

☆ How Victor Wembanyama Could Fit on the San Antonio Spurs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Kris Rhim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 dynamic forward who is this year’s most prized N.B.A. prospect, cheered with his family in France as the San Antonio Spurs won the 2023 draft lottery Tuesday night. In San Antonio, fans, perhaps understandably, celebrated like they had won a championship, yelling in bars and honking car horns. “What are the San Antonio Spurs getting in Victor Wembanyama?” the reporter asked. He isn’t a typical draft prospect, and he wasn’t going to pretend to be one, either.

☆ San Antonio Spurs Get the No. 1 Pick in the N.B.A. Draft Lottery
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Sopan Deb | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

He plays for Metropolitans 92, a professional French league team, where he is averaging 21.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. G League hosted his team for a two-game exhibition near Las Vegas in October, and the N.B.A. The draft order is decided by a lottery that grants teams with worse regular-season records better odds for the No. This system has led to teams being accused of tanking — not prioritizing winning to position themselves for high draft picks. The three teams with the best chance — 14 percent — to get the top pick this year were the Detroit Pistons, the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs.

☆ What to Know About the N.B.A. Draft Lottery
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Victor Mather | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Fans of the N.B.A. draft lottery may seem an odd spectacle, but it can affect the future of franchises for years to come. When and where is the lottery, and how can I watch? The lottery is Tuesday at 8 p.m. Eastern in Chicago. The 14 teams that did not make the playoffs are eligible; that includes the four teams that made the play-in games but failed to advance to the playoffs proper.

☆ Everybody Wants Victor Wembanyama. He Wants to Rule the N.B.A.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Tania Ganguli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Boris Diaw was passing through Paris in late September and thought he would check out a basketball game. It was the first home game of the season for the Metropolitans 92, a French league team led by the star teenager Victor Wembanyama. At Marcel-Cerdan Sports Palace in Levallois, near Paris, N.B.A. Diaw grew up in Paris and played 14 years in the N.B.A., including more than four seasons in San Antonio with Tony Parker, considered by many to be the best N.B.A. “I hope he can actually get away from that and just focus on his career and playing and practicing and having fun, too.”

☆ Ja Morant Suspended Again for Possible New Gun Video
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Tania Ganguli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

again after he flashed an object that looked like a gun in a carefree manner during an Instagram Live video posted over the weekend. The Memphis Grizzlies said in a statement that they had suspended Morant from all team activities pending the league’s review. In March, the league suspended Morant for eight games after he was seen holding a gun while dancing at a nightclub near Denver. The Instagram Live video was posted early on March 4, when, the N.B.A. said, Morant had been “in an intoxicated state.” Morant soon left the team and checked into a facility in Florida for counseling.

Search resuls for: "N.B"

25 mentions found