Kawhi Leonard shared that he will be ready for the start of training camp, and that he would have been healthy enough to play in last season's NBA Finals had the Los Angeles Clippers made it that far.
All eyes were on the Clippers' franchise player during Monday's media day, with Leonard recently being cleared for five-on-five play more than 14 months after tearing his ACL in the 2021 playoffs.
Oddsmakers have the Clippers as the second-favourites to win the Western Conference, trailing only the reigning champion Golden State Warriors. Their success is ultimately reliant on Leonard's health, with the two-time Finals MVP with the San Antonio Spurs (2014) and Toronto Raptors (2019) trying to become the first player to ever win the award with three different teams.
Speaking about how he feels physically after such a long rehabilitation period, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year highlighted all the time he has spent in the weight room and how it has him feeling stronger than ever.
"I feel stronger, for sure," he said. "It's been, what, 14, 15 months of no basketball – well, playing in an NBA season for me, no basketball.
"That whole 13-, 14-month process is just lifting weights and getting stronger. I definitely got a lot stronger.
"Right now I feel good in my workouts, weightlifting. I don't feel like I have a subconscious mind of not jumping off my leg, per se. I feel good. We'll just see how the season goes."
In what is a good sign for his chances of being at 100 per cent for the opening day of the season, Leonard shared that "if [the Clippers] would have made it to the Finals last year, you would have seen me playing".
Around Leonard, the Clippers have assembled arguably the deepest roster in the NBA, with running-mate Paul George being joined by a bevy of capable perimeter options, including former All-Star John Wall, starting-quality guards Reggie Jackson and Luke Kennard, starter-level wings Norman Powell and Robert Covington, as well as rotation pieces Marcus Morris Sr, Nic Batum and Terance Mann.
George compared their wealth of talent to his experience with the United States national team, and said the key will be figuring out how to mesh successfully and find roles for everyone.
"I think really [we will use] that mindset of Team USA," George said. "You take the best guys, and of course everybody is good and they're all on teams, everybody is the star of their own teams.
"But when you put us all together, it's how do I make you better now and how do I shine with this environment.
"It should be a lot of fun with this team, and there should be a lot of good nights being a Clipper fan."
Thompson gets butterflies ahead of Mavs bow, predicts 'special' future
Klay Thompson admitted to getting butterflies ahead of making his Dallas Mavericks debut on Thursday, before predicting his stint with the team will be "special".
Thompson was at the centre of the Golden State Warriors' dynasty before leaving the franchise in July, winning four NBA championships in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022.
Having been drafted 11th overall in 2011, Thompson left the Warriors as the player with the fourth-most games played in team history (793) and the sixth-most points (15,531).
He penned a three-year, $50million deal with the Mavs ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, and his first preseason appearance for the team came in a 107-102 loss to the Utah Jazz.
Thompson scored 10 points in 18 first-half minutes at American Airlines Center, before revealing his pre-game nerves were the worst he had experienced since his first trip to the NBA Finals.
"I haven't been that nervous, I don't think, since the 2015 Finals Game 1," Thompson said after the game.
"It felt so good just to go out there and play and work those jitters out.
"It was a new experience, and it's a natural feeling when you've been somewhere so long and to be somewhere new in a new environment.
"To finally put the uniform on, it felt amazing. I'm just excited to experience a new chapter. It's going to be special. I just know it."
Dallas' next preseason game sees them face the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, before they take on the Milwaukee Bucks in their final run-out before the new campaign.
Liberty, Lynx set to meet in WNBA Finals
When the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty played for the Commissioner’s Cup Championship in June, it seemed a foregone conclusion the teams would meet further down the road with much more at stake.
That time has come, as the Liberty will host the Lynx in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Thursday in a matchup of teams that posted the top two records during the regular season.
New York went 5-0 in Commissioner’s Cup play while Minnesota posted a 4-1 record en route to a meeting on June 25 in the championship game of the in-season competition that started in 2021.
The Liberty entered as the defending champions of the Commissioner's Cup and with a 15-3 overall record, while the Lynx came in with a 13-3 mark.
Minnesota went on to win its first Commissioner's Cup championship with a 94-89 victory at New York.
The Lynx also took two of three meetings in the regular season, but the Liberty (32-8) managed to finish two games ahead of Minnesota (30-10) in the final standings.
“I think the regular season doesn’t mean anything, they are an amazing team,” Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier said.
“It’s going to be a great series, great basketball. Two teams with great players competing.”
Collier was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and was runner-up to Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson for the WNBA MVP award.
Collier finished in the top five in the league in scoring (20.4 points per game), rebounds (9.7), steals (1.9), double-doubles (18) and player efficiency (25.7), but she’s been even more dominant in the play-offs.
The sixth overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft is averaging a league-high 27.1 points and tops all post-season players with a 32.9 efficiency rating to go along with 9.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.0 blocks per game.
“She’s improved every season. She’s just been incredible,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said.
“Every game, it’s more than scoring how she helps our team. When she plays like the MVP, we're tough to beat.”
The Lynx booked their ticket to the WNBA Finals with an 88-77 win over the Connecticut Sun in the decisive Game 5 of the semifinals on Tuesday.
New York has been idle since eliminating the two-time defending champion Aces in Game 4 of the semis on Sunday.
“Talk about the schedule, who cares. Nobody’s going to feel bad for us,” Reeve said.
“Got to go hooping right away and we’ll do that.”
The Liberty exacted a measure of revenge on Las Vegas after losing to the Aces in four games in last season’s WNBA Finals, but star point guard Sabrina Ionescu said New York needs to remain focused.
“We haven’t done anything yet, I think we all understand that,” Ionescu said. “We want to come out and continue to be the best team like we have been all year.
“We’re three wins away, and that’s really important to understand. We’ve got to come out and we’ve got to punch because nothing has been given to us yet.”
Ionescu and forward Breanna Stewart form an imposing 1-2 punch for the Liberty.
Stewart averaged 20.4 points (fourth in the league) during the regular season and Ionescu added 18.2 per game. Ionescu ranked fifth in the WNBA in both assists per game (6.2) and 3-pointers made (107).
In the play-offs, Ionescu is averaging 20.7 points and Stewart is pouring in 20.0 per game.
Minnesota is playing in its record seventh WNBA Finals and looking to break a tie with the Houston Comets and Seattle Storm for the most titles in WNBA history with its fifth championship.
New York, meanwhile, has lost in each of its previous five WNBA Finals appearances.
“We're going to the Finals and we're hosting Game 1 and Game 2,” Stewart said.
“We're ready to go. Just the feeling of not (being) satisfied."
Game 2 is Sunday before the series shifts to Minnesota for Game 3, and if necessary, Game 4. A winner-take-all Game 5 would be in New York on October 20.
Coach Reeve 'overwhelmingly proud' as Lynx reach WNBA Finals
Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve says she is "overwhelmingly proud" of her team after reaching the WNBA Finals for the first time in seven years.
The Lynx capitalised on a strong start, claiming an 88-77 win over Connecticut Sun in Game 5 of the semi-finals.
It will be Minnesota's seventh WNBA Finals, a record for a team in the league. They have previously won four titles, the joint-most in the competition's history, and a win over the New York Liberty would move them outright top of the list.
Reeve, who has led the Lynx to all four of those previous titles, was full of praise for how the team saw out the win.
"I'm so proud. I can't tell you how badly our staff wanted it for them," she told reporters.
"It's a really special group. The number of people who have reached out to tell me how much they enjoy watching them play and that they're rooting for them is incredible.
"I feel overwhelmingly proud. We played Lynx basketball, and it was good to get back to it."
Napheesa Collier led the team, tallying 27 points and 11 rebounds, with Courtney Williams also contributing 24 points to help them to the win.
Reeve was impressed by both players, but in particular by the work that Collier has put in this season.
"What makes [Collier] special is her consistency and the way she shows up every single day," Reeve added.
"She's always the same, her work ethic, her demeanour, her passion for improving. She's just been incredible.
"It's more than scoring how she helps this team. When she plays like the MVP, our team is where it needs to be."
The Lynx, who finished second in the league and two games behind the Liberty during the regular season, have won three of four matchups with New York this year. That includes the WNBA Commissioner's Cup on June 25 to take the in-season tournament title.
The Finals begin with Game 1 on October 10.
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