Welcome to Layup Lines, our daily NBA newsletter where we’ll prep you for a tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every afternoon.
Forgive me for doing an impression of NBA legend Bill Walton, but I’m about to quote the Grateful Dead: “Where does the time go?”
When he begins competing for his fourth NBA championship later this week, Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry will face the Celtics, who are coached by Ime Udoka.
Believe it or not, back when he was a rookie, Curry faced off against Udoka on the court. It was a long time ago when the current Boston coach played for the Kings. Take a look for yourself:
A rookie Stephen Curry shooting over current Celtics coach, Ime Udoka, 2010.
They meet on the grandest stage 12 and a half years later. pic.twitter.com/TYWCvNG3eH
— WarriorsMuse (@WarriorsMuse) May 30, 2022
Isn’t that crazy? Curry has always looked young, but it’s a trip seeing him in those old uniforms as a rookie over a dozen years ago. You can watch some highlights of the game here.
For what it is worth, when facing Curry as a player, Udoka had four wins and two losses.
The Tip-Off
While you were enjoying your Memorial Day Weekend, the Lakers found a replacement for Frank Vogel. Just like that, a new regime has begun for the Purple and Gold.
Here is what our own Mike Sykes had to say about the hiring decision:
“It’s been a long time coming for Darvin Ham, but he’s finally arrived. He’s got his first head coaching job and it’s coming with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Now, getting here was definitely a bit weird. We knew Ham was emerging as the favorite for the job last week. But then the Lakers actually dumped the news on us ahead of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals in an all-time NBA Friday news dump.
But, regardless of the path it took to get here, we’re here. Ham is the new head coach in LA and that definitely feels a bit out of left-field for the Lakers, who generally hire candidates they’ve got a long history with. But Ham actually does have a bit of Lakers history — it’s just not that well known.”
Allow him to tell you everything you need to know about the new man in charge of the premier basketball franchise in Los Angeles.
Who’s in and out?
— Gary Payton II (elbow) and Otto Porter Jr. (foot) are questionable
Shootaround
— Trevor Keels and the top stay-or-go college decisions in the NBA Draft
— How Joe Johnson (you read that right!) could win his first NBA ring with the Celtics
— How the Celtics achieved the impossible and reached the NBA Finals
— HoopsHype’s Yossi Gozlan previews the Heat offseason, discussing Tyler Herro’s extension and more
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