Rumors

The Rundown: Prediction market Kalshi aired one of the first instances of an AI-generated commercial during Game 3 of the NBA Finals, running an “unhinged” 30-second spot created with clips created using Google's Veo 3 video model on ABC.

therundown.ai

NBA Communications: The NBA today announced the list of officials who have been selected to work the Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs presented by Google.

Twitter

The team guided by David Adelman went up 2-1 in a best-of-seven series of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs presented by Google. “They’re aggressive, physical, handsy, in the passing lanes. I don’t even know what they’re doing. If I did, I would not make those kinds of mistakes,” noted the Serbian superstar, “I need to figure out what they are doing.” In a rough shooting night, Jokic posted a 20-point, 16-rebound double-double alongside six assists, two blocks, and two steals over 43 minutes. “Basically, I was the worst player on the court today. But we got the win. That’s the most important,” he downplayed his contributions.

EuroHoops.net

NBA: Congrats to @Al_Horford of the @celtics for moving up to 16th all-time in playoff rebounds! #NBAPlayoffs presented by Google

Twitter

Barkley quickly doubled down, insisting, “It’s a fair question!” with a chuckle. “Not on national television!” Smith said. “Maybe under your breath. Maybe Google it.” “Not unless you know the answer,” Johnson added to dispute Barkley’s claim that it was a fair question. “You do not need to ask a question like that.” Smith could be heard saying “unfortunately…” in the background as Shaquille O’Neal interjected to say Billy Ray Bates had “passed away.”

Awful Announcing

Following the conclusion of the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season and Toronto Raptors being knocked out of the 2025 Playoffs presented by Google, Jakob Poeltl is comfortable with team projections for the next season and excited to continue working with Darko Rajakovic. “There’s some little nuances, obviously, you pick on just from the experience, like how to handle being an NBA coach, how to deal with players,” Poeltl shared his view on adjustments made by the 46-year-old Serbian play-caller, “There’s a few situations where he’s taking a little bit step back, letting guys like myself or other guys that have more experience kind of follow their routines the way they like the way I’ve done it and knowing how to make myself successful. I think he’s found a good balance there.”

EuroHoops.net

“I kind of like where we are right now. We’re competing. We’re able to score the ball. We always keep our composure no matter what time and score,” the Greek Freak commented on the current team situation, heading to the 2025 Playoffs presented by Google. “I feel like I’m having fun. If I’m having fun, I’m competing, and I’m in a good place. It doesn’t matter how many minutes I play or what’s in front of me,” he described his approach, “I just want to have fun and compete.”

EuroHoops.net

NBA Communications: Cleveland clinches the No. 1 seed in the East with a win OR a Boston loss tonight. Also for tonight, Oklahoma City clinches home-court advantage throughout the #NBAPlayoffs presented by Google with a win AND a Cleveland loss.

Twitter

As the NBA Cup makes its way onto the scene, one thing is clear: not all fans are feeling the excitement. We dove deep into the data from Reddit comments and Google searches to get a real sense of where the fans stand — and spoiler alert, even those who seem more interested aren't exactly hyped. Here's a breakdown of how each team's fanbase is reacting to this new addition to the NBA calendar. Our approach was straightforward — analyze fan interactions on Reddit and gather Google search data to see who’s talking about the NBA Cup. Fans were then given a score between 1 to 10, with 1 indicating low engagement and 10 representing almost total disinterest!

Action Network

Teams Least Interested in the NBA Cup Pulling from a mix of social media buzz and search trends, here’s the lowdown on the teams whose fans care the least: Charlotte Hornets (1.69): Hornets fans exhibit the least interest, with Reddit mentions at 0.019% and Google searches totaling 1,000, representing 0.04% of the city's population. New Orleans Pelicans (1.81): Pelicans fans show minimal NBA Cup enthusiasm, with 0.030% Reddit engagement and 390 Google searches, equating to 0.03% of the metro population. Washington Wizards (1.83): Wizards fans keep their magic contained, with 0.045% Reddit mentions and 1,300 Google searches, representing 0.02% of the local population. Orlando Magic (2.06): Magic fans aren't spellbound, with 0.017% Reddit mentions and 1,300 Google searches, or 0.05% of their metro area. Dallas Mavericks (2.16): Mavericks fans show tepid support, with 0.045% Reddit engagement and 1,900 Google searches, equivalent to 0.03% of the population. Sacramento Kings (2.36): Kings fans exhibit restrained enthusiasm, with 0.034% Reddit mentions and 1,000 Google searches, or 0.04% of the local populace. Utah Jazz (2.39): Jazz fans keep tradition alive, with 0.039% Reddit mentions and 480 Google searches, representing 0.04% of the city population. Miami Heat (2.39): Heat fans show passion at 0.050% Reddit mentions and 1,900 Google searches, accounting for 0.03% of their metro area.

Action Network

Portland Trail Blazers (5.59): Portland fans prefer tradition, with 0.128% Reddit mentions and 1,300 Google searches, equivalent to 0.05% of their city’s population. Golden State Warriors (5.84): Warriors fans drive high Reddit chatter at 0.136%, paired with 2,400 Google searches, representing 0.05% of their population. Minnesota Timberwolves (6.20): Timberwolves fans lead with proportional enthusiasm, with 0.055% Reddit mentions and 4,400 Google searches, representing 0.12% of the metro area. Oklahoma City Thunder (6.80): Thunder fans show strong local interest, with 0.061% Reddit mentions and 1,900 Google searches, or 0.13% of their population. Cleveland Cavaliers (7.59): Cavs fans display high engagement, with 0.146% Reddit mentions and 1,900 Google searches, representing 0.09% of their local population. Boston Celtics (8.08): Celtics fans lead in engagement with 0.169% Reddit mentions and 3,600 Google searches, accounting for 0.08% of the metro population.

Action Network

Silver has said the league is not currently involved in the process and is allowing the arbitration to play out. "That's a process that exists independent of the league that was set out in the sales agreement ... depending on the outcome, only then would the league then continue a vetting process for ownership," Silver said in September. "It's pencils down at the league office [until then]." But behind the scenes there already has been plenty of maneuvering, multiple sources told ESPN, knowing this vote may be coming. Over the past six months, Lore and Rodriguez have sought to firm up their financial standing by recruiting billionaires Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, and Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, to become partners. Also, private equity firm Dyal Homecourt Partners, an approved NBA partner that currently owns pieces of the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings, has secured a position as well.

ESPN

But Lore and Rodriguez’s ownership group has $940 million in an escrow account that will be used to immediately buy out Taylor entirely should the two prevail in arbitration, league sources said. Lore and Rodriguez have assembled a deep-pocketed group that includes heavyweight minority investors like former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. They have been working on plans for a new arena and other improvements should the arbitration panel rule in their favor.

New York Times

After the discovery process over the summer, Lore's group has grown confident it will win and has gotten all of its finances in order, sources said. They plan to arrive at the proceeding with more than $900 million in escrow with the backing of billionaires Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. They will also show more than $200 million in working capital, sources said, demonstrating they can complete the purchase of the last 60% of the $1.5 billion transaction and then can fund potentially huge losses going forward.

ESPN