Page 13 - Florida Sentinel 5-28-19

Sports
Warriors' Durant Unlikely To Suit Up For Start Of Finals
KEVIN DURANT
Kevin Durant won't be ready to play in time for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on May 30.
The two-time reigning finals MVP has yet to return to on- court work while recovering from a strained right calf.
Big man DeMarcus Cousins might be healthy for Golden State's series opener against either Milwaukee or Toronto.
"Potentially," coach Steve Kerr said, "but it's up in the air."
The team re-evaluated both players Thursday and they are expected to be ready at some point during Golden State's fifth straight finals.
Durant is making progress in the training room and with moves he is able to handle in the weight room, Kerr said.
Klay Thompson Clearly Frustrated With Not Making All-NBA Team
KLAY THOMPSON
Klay Thompson found out from the media on Thurs- day that he was once again not elected to an All-NBA team, and the Warriors star could not hide his disappointment with being overlooked for a third consecutive year.
Thompson rolled his eyes when a reporter informed him that he finished behind Kemba Walker in the All- NBA Third Team voting.
Of course, making an All- NBA team gives a player much more than just bragging rights. Thompson, a five-time All- Star, would have been eligible for a five-year, $221M super- max contract this offseason if he was All-NBA. Instead, he can earn a max of around $191M over five years with Golden State. When asked if that part of it bothers him, Thompson said “rings” help him get past it.
Antetokounmpo, Harden Lead All-NBA First Team
Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden were unani- mous All-NBA First Team selections.
BEAUTY UNLIMITED
JALIYLAH
This week’s Beauty Unlimited feature is Jaliylah, and it’s a pleasure to feature someone so rare and beautiful. This young woman enjoys spending time with her friends. She is no stranger to the camera, and knows she’ll have to continue to work hard and stay focused. Congratulations to Jaliylah as this week’s Beauty Un- limited feature.
Milwaukee Bucks forward
Giannis Antetokounmpo
and Houston Rockets guard James Harden have been unanimously selected to the 2018-19 All-NBA First Team.
Antetokounmpo and Harden both received All- NBA First Team votes on all 100 ballots to finish with 500 points each. This marks the first All-NBA First Team honor for Antetokounmpo, a two-time Second Team member. Harden earns his fifth First Team nod, includ- inghisthirdinarowasa unanimous selection.
The 2018-19 All-NBA First Team also features Golden State Warriors guard
Stephen Curry (482 points; 91 First Team votes), Okla- homa City Thunder forward Paul George (433 points; 71 First Team votes) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić (411 points; 59 First Team votes).
Antetokounmpo, Harden and George are the three finalists for the 2018-19 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award. The winner will be revealed at the 2019 NBA Awards presented by Kia on Monday, June 24 at 9 p.m. ET on TNT. The third annual NBA Awards, honoring this season’s top performers, will take place at Barker Hangar in Los Angeles.
Paul, Harden Reportedly
Had Tense Back-And-Forth
After Game 6 Loss
The Houston Rockets en- dured a disappointing end to their season this year, one that left their star players in a verbal back-and-forth, ac- cording to a report.
Houston fell to the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs for the second year in a row. The difference is they lost a round and game earlier than last year, and they went down in Games 5 and 6 despite Golden State not having Kevin Durant.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania wrote about the team’s status entering the off- season and noted the tension between Chris Paul and James Harden during and after the Game 6 loss.
From Charania’s article:
“But Harden and Paul had tense moments with one another throughout Game 6, culminating in a verbal back- and-forth postgame that went into the locker room, sources with knowledge of the situa- tion told The Athletic.
JAMES HARDEN AND CHRIS PAUL
Sources said the verbal ex- change between Harden and Paul was regarding the ball distribution throughout Game 6. By the time the re- mainder of the locker room was ready to talk, Paul and Harden had gone their sep- arate ways, with Paul swiftly making his way to the postgame podium.”
None of this should be surprising. Two teammates were arguing/in disagree- ment about sharing the ball following a season-ending loss in the playoffs against the Warriors? This probably hap- pens in every locker room.
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