Enjoy Basketball: Warriors dynasty rises from the ashes, clock is ticking on Kyrie in Brooklyn

Hoopers, ball players, basketball enjoyers, lend us your ears for another round of the Enjoy Basketball Newsletter. Take a break from arguing about All-NBA teams and come take a nice stroll with us through all the basketball world has had to offer over the last couple days.

But before that, we'd like to thank everyone who responded with their all-time starting five for Wednesdays newsletter! There were so many good answers, but make sure to read to the end to find out our favorite.

For todays edition, reply to this email with your all-time favorite role player. The more unique and interesting reason the better!

Game six Klay comes early to send Golden State back to NBA Finals

Hey anybody who's watched basketball over the past eight years, you never would have seen this one coming.

It was the type of performance we've come to expect from Golden State over the years, and what has often separated them from their title-contending contemporaries. Steph Curry, knowing he was having an off night, didn't try to force the issue like many alpha dogs would in such a big game. He fed his teammates to the tune of nine assists and let the hot hands do the work, a recipe that has brought Curry and the Warriors nothing but success in the past.

It paid off big in the second quarter, when Golden State built their lead that would eventually prove insurmountable. Curry might have had only two points in the quarter but the trio of Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole and Draymond Green combined to impose their will with 30 total points on otherworldly 91/80/100 splits.

And man was it good to see Klay back doing his thing on the biggest stage, shimmying and all.

The Warriors may have struggled to slow down Lukas supporting cast, who shot a combined 14 for 29 (48.2%) from beyond the arc, but they did a great job stopping the man himself. Doncic got absolutely nothing going early on, making just two field goals before halftime. His stronger second half performance, much like the Mavericks as a whole in this game, came too little too late.

It's undoubtedly a tough pill to swallow for Mavericks fans after such a great performance in the second round. But with Luka set to be around long-term and things trending in the right direction, there will be plenty more opportunities to make some noise in the years to come. For now, just sit tight and hope someone doesn't offer Jalen Brunson the max.

Giannis, Jokic, Luka, headline All-NBA Selections

I'm sure we've all spent enough time analyzing and debating the All-NBA selections over the past couple days but here's a quick summary of the big talking points.

Joel Embiid, despite finishing 2nd in MVP voting for the second consecutive season, didn't make first team All-NBA, losing out to Nikola Jokic. His first team omission has made the calls to remove positions entirely from All-NBA teams louder than ever, with supporters arguing that the award should be about recognizing the leagues 15 best players, not necessarily the three best at each position.

More controversy came with the noted lack of players from the Miami Heat, who finished first in a hyper-competitive eastern conference. Advanced stats will tell you Jimmy Butler easily was a top 15 player in the NBA this season, but his time missed due to injury put enough of a dent in his case to let Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam take his spot.

The fulling voting results also revealed plenty of... interesting decisions by the voters. Looking at you Perk.

Nets may not be ready to commit to Kyrie long-term

The Brooklyn big three may be losing another member sooner rather than later, as, according to reports, the Nets are hesitant to sign Kyrie Irving to a long-term contract. Irving has been stellar when available during his first two years in the Big Apple, even hitting the coveted 50/40/90 shooting splits last season, but his shaky injury history and refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine have put the Nets in a tough spot. They might not be willing to spend such a large sum on a star who has proven far less available than many of his peers.

Over in Houston, Rafael Stone has to be rubbing his hands together like an evil cartoon villain at the though of Kyrie jumping ship. The Rockets have three of Brooklyn's first round picks and three more picks swaps with them over the coming years from the James Harden trade. Just a decade after their franchise-altering mistake, the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce trade, lost them all their valuable draft capital, Brooklyn may have just done the same thing again.

Heat make powerful pregame statement in support of gun reform 

In the wake of the tragic and senseless murder of 19 children and two adults at a Uvalde, TX, elementary school, many in the NBA have spoken out against the atrocity, most notably Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who gave a profoundly impactful speech following Golden States Tuesday night game.

While moments of silence throughout the sporting world were common, the Miami Heat took it a step further before Wednesdays game against the Boston Celtics, urging fans to make their voices heard in support of stricter gun laws.

"The Heat urges you to contact your state senators by calling 202-224-3121 to leave a message demanding their support for common sense gun laws," said the PA announcer following a pregame moment of silence.

Every NBA Team's Dream Offseason Trade Target -- Zach Buckley (Bleacher Report)

NBA Player Shares Personal Experience With Stuttering With CSD Students -- Dan Bernardi (Syracuse University)

Dyson Daniels' time is now: On fitting today's NBA mold and hopes of evolving into a Luka Doncic-type -- Kyle Irving (Sporting News)

Why 1st and 3rd quarters have mattered in 2022 NBA Playoffs -- Brian Martin (NBA.com)

Miami Heat @ Boston Celtics - 8:30 p.m. EST

Despite how anemic Miami's offense was on Wednesday, there were a few encouraging signs that might point towards a stronger performance tonight. PJ Tucker and Bam Adebayo had their way on the offensive glass, they won the turnover battle (a key part of Miami's success this season), and their defense was lockdown outside of a bumpy third quarter. They shot 31% from the field and 15% (15%!!!) from deep and somehow didn't lose by 30+. For that reason, I think the Heats shooting bounces back a bit and they do just enough to push this series to seven games.

To end off today I thought I'd answer the question from the top of today newsletter.

My favorite role player of all time has to be Michael Cooper

At first glance his career numbers look rather pedestrian, around 9 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and a little over a steal per game. But what they don’t show is that Cooper was one of the single best perimeter defenders in NBA history. He made 8 all-defensive teams and 5 first teams during his career. The combination of his quick feet, small frame and length allowed him to guard anyone from small ball handlers like Isiah Thomas to bigger forwards like Larry Bird. Bird himself even called him the best defender he ever had to go against in his career.

Not only that, but Cooper was a great dunker, a stellar playmaker for his height, and one of the better shooters of his era.

If only we could get a time machine and put him on my Trail Blazers.

-Spencer Poole

Our favorite response: Finally, you made it all the way down here! Our favorite response to last editions question about everyone's all-time starting five came from Ben Simon, who came through with a super descriptive response and some interesting choices for his squad. Check it out below.

Last Trivia Answer: The answer to Wednesdays question is DeAndre Jordan! Jordan is the NBA career leader in regular season (67.3%) and postseason (66.8%) field goal percentage.

Trivia Question: Teams have been held at or under 80 points in the playoffs four times so far this postseason, the most since 2016. But no team this year has quite reached the offensive ineptitude of the answer to todays trivia question. This team scored just 54 points in a playoff game, the least since 1950. Even worse, they did it in the NBA Finals.