I Dig Sports
Netherlands out to claim another scalp as Australia look to build momentum
Big picture: The shared history of Australia and Netherlands
Australia WWLLW (last five ODIs, most recent first)
In the spotlight: Smith and O'Dowd
Team news: Will Head play?
Australia (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Travis Head, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Adam Zampa
The Netherlands look set to stick with the same combination that beat South Africa and tested Sri Lanka.
Netherlands (probable): 1 Vikramjit Singh, 2 Max O'Dowd, 3 Colin Ackermann, 4 Bas de Leede, 5 Teja Nidamanuru, 6 Scott Edwards (capt & wk), 7 Sybrand Engelbrecht, 8 Roelof van der Merwe, 9 Logan van Beek, 10 Aryan Dutt, 11 Paul van Meekeren
Pitch and conditions: Another sweltering day
The three games in Delhi thus far in this World Cup have produced two very different results, although the common thread is that the side batting first has won easily. South Africa piled up 428 against Sri Lanka and won although Sri Lanka made 326 in reply. India galloped to their 273-run against Afghanistan, who then defended 286 easily against England on the back of a masterful bowling performance by their spinners. It will be warm in Delhi and the air quality will be poor.
Stats and trivia: Starc on the prowl
Ben Stokes turns down ECB offer of three-year contract, signs one-year deal instead
The ECB announced a list of 26 men who have signed central contracts on Tuesday, of which 18 have signed the first multi-year England contracts. The board felt compelled to act since players' earning potential in franchise leagues is higher than ever after the launch of the UAE's ILT20 and the SA20 in South Africa, both of which are supported by significant investment from IPL teams.
Stokes appears to have kept his options open ahead of the renewal of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Team England Player Partnership (TEPP) and the ECB next year, which aligns with a new cycle of broadcast rights. A representative for Stokes declined to comment on his decision.
"In the simplest terms, we have done all of this stuff - multi-year deals - a year early," Rob Key, England's managing director, told the BBC in Bangalore. "The contracts system follows the broadcast cycle and the next broadcast cycle starts next year. In essence, to make any changes, really, you are meant to do that next year.
"[For] Ben Stokes, like people do when they have an offer of a long-term contract, it is that trade of security over a stronger negotiating position. Ben, quite rightly, feels when the next MoU starts and the contract cycle changes, he will be in a stronger position. Other players have gone for that security."
The ECB's contracting system considers both performances in the preceding year and the likelihood of players featuring in both red and white-ball cricket in the future. "It might be, next year, that there's a different system," Key told Sky Sports. "We're going to work on that as soon as we've got this done, as it's taken a little bit of a while."
Last week, Stokes spoke about "the landscape of cricket changing" when asked if he had considered whether he would play ODIs beyond the ongoing World Cup. "I want to play as much cricket as I possibly can for England," he said. "That's where it is for me. I love representing the badge and I want to do that as long as I possibly can and play as many games as I possibly can.
"We'll just see how things work out in terms of whether I do play [ODIs] after this. There's obviously a few things to go into that: new MoUs coming up and all that sort of stuff we'll just see. I want to play as much cricket as I can for England until I can't anymore."
Key clarified to Sky: "By no means does it mean that Ben Stokes doesn't want to play for England. As captain of our Test team, all he ever talks about is how we can keep getting better and what we're doing. We're going to meet in a bit and start talking about the India tour that we've got after Christmas. I wouldn't read into [the length of his contract] at all."
ESPNcricinfo understands that every player who was offered a deal has signed one, though some have agreed shorter terms than were initially presented. The announcement of contracts has been delayed while details were worked through, with deals backdated to run from October 1.
Brook, Root and Wood are the three players who have committed for three years, and Wood's inclusion is particularly notable. In August, he signed a substantial deal with Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 and hinted that he could consider skipping England's upcoming Test tour to India, depending on the details of his central contract.
A further 15 players have signed two-year deals, while Stokes is one of eight who has signed a one-year deal. The others include the three oldest players who have agreed contracts: James Anderson, who is 41 and approaching the end of his career, and Moeen Ali and Dawid Malan who are both 36.
Brook is among seven players who have signed their first central contracts, along with Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue, while Malan has returned to a full central contract - for a single year - after he was only offered an incremental deal last year.
Ben Foakes has retained his central contract, suggesting that he remains in England's plans despite being dropped from the Test team ahead of this summer's Ashes series and could tour India next year.
Notable absentees include Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Dan Lawrence, Phil Salt and David Willey. Jacks has played for England in all three formats across the past year and is expected to feature more prominently in their white-ball plans after this World Cup, while Willey is the only member of their World Cup squad without a contract for next year.
Jason Roy, who was released from the final months of his incremental contract to play in Major League Cricket earlier this year, is another omission from the list, giving further indication that his international career is over, while Craig and Jamie Overton and Olly Stone have all lost their development contracts.
Matthew Fisher, Saqib Mahmood and the uncapped John Turner are the three fast bowlers who have been awarded development contracts, which see the ECB provide a top-up of county salaries.
ECB central contracts, 2023-24
Three years: Harry Brook, Joe Root, Mark Wood
Two years: Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
One year: Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley
Development contracts: Matthew Fisher, Saqib Mahmood, John Turner
Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @mroller98
Angelo Mathews replaces injured Matheesha Pathirana in Sri Lanka's World Cup squad
Mitchell Marsh will drop to No. 3 when Travis Head is back
"I mentioned to David Warner, maybe he can bat three, but I got a firm no from him," Marsh joked on the eve of the match. "But yeah, very happy to go back down to three. I've obviously batted there a lot over the last couple of years, so I feel really comfortable at three. And if and when Heady comes back in, I think that's the best position for me to play for this team."
Marsh's numbers at first-drop are not especially impressive, though: he averages 22.25 after 12 innings there. This is compared to his average of 60.55 when opening, though that figure was greatly boosted by his having hit a career-best 121 off 108 on Friday.
He has had a fruitful 2023, however, averaging 45.92 across 14 innings to make himself a fixture in Australia's ODI line-up. Marsh said there were no major technical changes that spurred this growth - only hard work.
"Not a whole lot's changed [with my game]," Marsh said. "I've just probably not given up on the fact that I was striving for something and kept working hard through periods of time that were tougher than others.
"In the last couple of years, I feel as I've been as consistent as I have been, which was something that I was always striving for. I guess all the best players in the world that you look up to, and certainly in our team, they're so consistent. And that's what I have been."
Australia lost their two first games in the tournament, but have now won two in a row. On the surface, their next opposition would appear to be the softest they might face in the league stage. But Marsh said Australia were taking nothing for granted against a team that's beaten South Africa.
"There's absolutely no easy games. And you go into every game having done all the appropriate homework and hopefully you can come out with a win," he said. "So, tomorrow is no different for us. We respect the Netherlands; they're playing some good cricket and that will be a tough challenge."
Van Beek's World Cup goals: Make knockouts, change narrative around cricket back home
"It's the hot question at the moment - how do we ride this momentum and actually put structures in place in the Netherlands so that this run that we're having can be sustainable."
"I watched a Dutch sports show this morning and they were talking about cricket and laughing about how it's pretty similar to a nine-to-five job because of how long it takes, and they were making a few other jokes," van Beek said ahead of Netherlands' next World Cup game, against Australia. "I hope that after another couple of wins, they can almost stop joking about cricket in the Netherlands and they start talking seriously about how this is actually one of our best sports teams in the country.
"So that's our aim: to inspire the next generation but also to change the narrative within Netherlands around [how] we're actually one of the better Netherlands sporting outfits."
Van Beek, who plays domestic cricket in New Zealand as well as in England, hoped that competing against these much-better-resourced teams would raise the profile of Dutch cricket and lead to greater professionalism.
"So, there's the attention we're getting through our performances - through the style we're playing. Hopefully, there's more investment into the game from a local point of view, but also international sponsors want to get behind the Netherlands team," he said. "And that's all going to kind of have a flow-on effect and result in more contracts, better facilities, more resources, more coaching.
"I look at how New Zealand were 20 years ago. Professional cricket actually started around 2000. And see where New Zealand are right now, and the way they play and the way they go about it. We've got in the Netherlands just as many players, and I can't see why in the next five to ten years we can start being more consistent on the world stage."
Perhaps, van Beek said, the exposure Dutch players receive from competing in the World Cup will also make them more attractive to T20 franchises around the world.
"This year, I played T20 at Worcester, and played the [World Cup] qualifiers and I also play in Wellington," he said. "So, even at a smaller scale, I've played in four different leagues. Just that experience from all those different leagues - playing with different players and learning off them and then bringing it back to the Netherlands side only strengthens the team. So, I hope that there's a number of players from this tournament that will be able to play three or four leagues a year."
Netherlands play Australia on Wednesday - their fifth match of the World Cup. They have only won one and lost three so far, but van Beek is adamant they can still make a charge for the knockouts.
"We've come here to reach the semi-finals," he said. "That's our goal. It's been pretty clear throughout the whole preparation phase. And the South African win just gave us that extra belief that the way we're playing at the moment, on our day we can we can still beat a good team."
Record 125 international players on NBA rosters
NEW YORK -- A record 125 players born outside the United States are on NBA opening-night rosters, the league said Tuesday, with 40 countries and territories represented across six continents.
The new NBA season tips off Tuesday, marking the 10th straight year opening-night rosters have had 100 or more international players. All 30 teams have at least one foreign-born player.
The previous record for international players was 121, set at the start of the 2017-2018 season and repeated at the beginning of the 2021-2022 season.
Canada is once against the most-represented country outside of the United States, with 26 players.
France is second with 14 players, including San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick in this year's draft and the most highly anticipated NBA prospect to take the court in recent memory. Wembanyama will make his regular-season debut Wednesday when the Spurs play the Dallas Mavericks.
Overall, 64 European players were included, with Serbian star and two-time league MVP Nikola Jokic hoping to lead his Denver Nuggets to a title repeat.
The Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder each have eight international players, followed by the Toronto Raptors and the Spurs with seven each. The Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns each have six.
The past five MVP awards have gone to international players: Joel Embiid (Cameroon, 2022-23), Jokic (Serbia, 2021-22 and 2020-21) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece, 2019-20 and 2018-19).
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
Cowboys' Jones says he won't initiate trade talks
Jerry Jones is willing to make a move to improve the Dallas Cowboys before the trade deadline, but he doesn't plan on initiating talks with other teams, he said Tuesday.
"It will have to come our way. I don't want to preclude it in any way, but it always does. ... The initiation of an opportunity to make a trade that would help us principally has to start over on the other end. That's not showing a lack of aggressiveness, it's just how it starts," the Cowboys' owner and general manager said during his weekly interview with "Shan & RJ" on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas.
The trade deadline is Oct. 31 at 4 p.m. ET. Jones' Cowboys return from their bye at 4-2 and in second place behind the Philadelphia Eagles (6-1), who made an impact trade Monday, acquiring safety Kevin Byard from the Tennessee Titans.
Jones said of his team, "I like where we are with our personnel today. I'm not thinking in any way that we need to upgrade our roster." That being said, Jones added that, "I would really extend to improve our team right now. ... Because I think we have a team that is a contender. So, I would do it right now."
He explained his approach to trade talks as "laying in wait."
"I have areas of the team that we could if certain circumstances happen that you might improve. Your best chance to get it done is when it comes by you, and you grab it," he said.
Jones said he will take the Cowboys' 4-2 record, although his team's 42-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5 still sticks with him. He said his team needs to improve on offense in red zone situations and on defense in eliminating big plays but "we're going to get better."
Despite the loss to the 49ers, Jones still views his team as being among the NFL's best teams.
"Well, we belong in the upper echelon. I'm not going to say that we belong on the field with San Fran, and we haven't played Philly but I'm anticipating Philadelphia being what they look like. So, I don't want to go that far but we're in the upper echelon."
LeBron, Wemby and 20 years of difference between the league's 'chosen ones'
LEBRON JAMES WAS experiencing a big moment, and his veteran teammates wanted to make it memorable, it being his first NBA game and all.
So they asked the 18-year-old rookie if he would take the honor of leading the Cleveland Cavaliers onto the floor for the preseason opener at the Palace of Auburn Hills that early October night in 2003.
James proudly ran out and got ready to start warmups before suddenly realizing he was by himself, a still sparse crowd looking at him awkwardly. Back in the tunnel, his teammates were roaring with laughter. Naïve and embarrassed, James could only shake his head at the joke.
Twenty years later to the week, there was no such hazing for San Antonio Spurs prized rookie Victor Wembanyama when he took an NBA court for the first time earlier this month in Oklahoma City.
His teammates have spoken of Wembanyama in recent weeks not like a kid brother -- which is how the Cavs handled James to the point that then-coach Paul Silas occasionally had to step in to defend him like a father figure in the early days -- but with a certain amount of awe. Things have changed, it seems, for phenom teenage rookies.
"I think he's just a freak of nature, it's not a normal thing to see," Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan said. "I'm here to help him."
"The days of treating [rookies] the same," veteran Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, "left us long ago."
COMPARISONS BETWEEN JAMES and Wembanyama are irresistible because of the hype surrounding the two No. 1 overall picks drafted two decades apart.
James was a Sports Illustrated cover subject in 2002 as a high school junior, then entered the NBA with a $90 million Nike contract and "The Chosen One" moniker just as Michael Jordan left. Wembanyama is a social media phenomenon whose jaw-dropping blend of skill and size might be unprecedented and who happily basks in his "alien" nickname, ironically given to him by James.
Victor Wembanyama sits down with Malika Andrews to discuss his preseason and expectations for the start of the regular season.
They are viewed as being the same sort of can't-miss prospects by scouts, executives and media. Both were internationally famous before stepping into the league even without college basketball to magnify them.
It's easy to forget James didn't arrive in the NBA fully formed in 2003. He had some since long-forgotten rough moments in his first weeks as a pro, which could be relevant to keep in mind as the Spurs rookie begins his much-hyped rookie season Wednesday night in his first regular-season game against the Dallas Mavericks (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
"[Wembanyama] has had that hype for so long, kind of like LeBron did coming out. I compare him more to LeBron than [former Spurs No. 1 picks Tim Duncan and David Robinson] in that respect," Popovich said. "And sure, I did worry about it. One of my major concerns was to figure out how to protect him or how I'm going to give him speeches about this and this and you got to look out for this and all that."
James' first preseason was not one to savor. Though he had some highlight dunks and wowed fans by showing off his passing ability, he shot the ball poorly. He averaged just eight points over his first three preseason games and then had a rough two-game trip to Southern California on which he went 8-for-32 shooting in two games against the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, with opposing players almost mocking him by standing back from him to dare him to shoot.
One national journalist asked if "hype" was short for "hey, you practice enough?" after James' jumper looked so creaky.
That's already a sharp contrast to Wembanyama, who has only amplified the interest in him with a dazzling preseason filled with highlight plays from nutmegs to step-backs jumpers to eye-popping dunks. He put the finishing touches on it with a 19-point, five-block display Friday night in his first game in California against the Golden State Warriors.
"I think I'm ready," Wembanyama told ESPN last week. "I know I haven't seen the best level of the NBA so far and the best teams and the best players, but it's very exciting."
WHETHER WEMBANYAMA'S PRESEASON will translate to dominant regular-season games quickly is yet to be seen.
James' first regular-season game, a road matchup in Sacramento, is remembered as historic. His first quarter, in which he scored 12 points and got steals on three of four Kings possessions -- one leading to an iconic photo of his first official dunk (of 2,108 regular-season dunks and counting) -- was as surprising as it was statement-making.
No one saw James' 25-point, 9-assist, 4-steal game coming because he'd shot 35% in seven preseason games and never cracked 20 points. Looking back 13 years later, James remained mildly surprised at how well he handled it.
"Just seeing how for an 18-year-old kid there really wasn't much I could tell him at that point," said James in 2016 talking about watching that first game years later. "He was just excited to be on the court, and he was just having fun. This was before social media and all that, so he didn't really have to worry about anything, just go out and play and live with the results, live with whatever happened, and he's continued to do that."
James' Cavaliers lost their opener by double figures and started that 2003-04 season 4-15. James was among the league leaders in turnovers over the first two months of the season, struggling as the team's starting point guard before he was truly ready for that assignment.
Wembanyama is playing in an experimental lineup out of the gate. The Spurs plan to start the season with one natural guard, shooting guard Devin Vassell, and four forwards/centers with Sochan playing point and Wembanyama likely to get some ballhandling duties. And, as James noted, Wembanyama will have to compete under what will likely be a fair amount of social media scrutiny, perhaps similar to what he faced during his disappointing debut at the NBA 2K24 Summer League.
The Spurs are a potentially exciting team with Wembanyama bringing them increasing levels of attention, appearing on national television 19 times this season compared to just once a season ago. However, like the Cavs in James' first year -- Cleveland finished 35-47 and missed the playoffs -- the Spurs might not be a good team.
Still, Wembanyama's seemingly stress-free early days have fostered confidence. He was nervous before his preseason debut in Oklahoma City two weeks ago, struggling to sleep with extra energy, but he mostly has looked smooth since.
Unlike James, who started his rookie season with a three-game West Coast road trip, Wembanyama also gets his first two games at home.
Popovich has admitted he's dropped his guard a little from being extra protective the more he has watched Wembanyama manage both the spotlight and the transition to the NBA game. Though the preseason isn't what it used to be back when James was starting out -- back then it wasn't unusual for stars to play over 30 minutes and compete deep into fourth quarters in double the number of games -- Wembanyama has set a tone.
"This didn't just happen to him. For a pretty long time now, he's been lauded," Popovich said. "He's learned to just let it go, in one ear, out the other. Water on a duck's back, all that sort of thing. He doesn't get impressed with any of the plots or criticism, he just wants to play and be the best player he can be."
Memorabilia from James' first game has sold for more than two decades. Coming from different eras and quite different backgrounds and upbringings, his and Wembanyama's experiences are assured to be different no matter how the Spurs rookie's debut unfolds.
But they also likely will have some things in common, too.
"It was my first time in the NBA and then to be able to be a part of an atmosphere like that," James remembered, "it was pretty cool."
Wembanyama was two months from being born when James had that experience. But even coming from a different generation, he wants the same thing.
"I'm looking forward to discovering all the stuff I used to see on TV. All the stories. All the arenas. The atmospheres. All of this is going to be really precious for me," Wembanyama said. "I know it's going to lead to incredible things and obstacles. I know it's going to be a beautiful year. I know I'm forging forever memories right now."
Celts, Bucks enter season as NBA title favorites
The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks enter the NBA season as the betting favorites to win the championship at sportsbooks around the nation.
The Celtics and Bucks are co-favorites at several sportsbooks, while Caesars Sportsbook has Boston with slightly better odds, listed at +380, followed by Milwaukee at +400. The defending champion Denver Nuggets are next at +420, and the Phoenix Suns (+600) and Golden State Warriors (+850) round out the teams with single-digit odds to start the season at Caesars Sportsbook.
The Celtics and Bucks, who each retooled their backcourts in the offseason, also are the favorites to win NBA Cup, the inaugural in-season tournament. Boston added veteran guard Jrue Holiday, and Milwaukee traded for superstar Damian Lillard to pair him with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Nuggets attracted the most and biggest bets in the offseason to win the title at Caesars Sportsbook, which reported taking a $30,000 bet on Denver at 4-1 odds from a bettor in Nevada that would pay a net $120,000.
The Los Angeles Lakers, who are around 11-1 to win the title, have garnered the most support from bettors at sportsbooks FanDuel and the SuperBook. The LA Clippers are 18-1 and the Miami Heat are 22-1.
The Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards and Portland Trail Blazers are the biggest long shots, each with odds of 500-1 at Caesars Sportsbook.
Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is the favorite to win regular-season MVP at 3-1, followed by Antetokounmpo (6-1) and Luka Doncic (11-2) of the Dallas Mavericks.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, the top pick in the draft, is a -150 odds-on favorite to win Rookie of the Year. Wembanyama is the first player to be an odds-on favorite to win Rookie of the Year since Kevin Durant in 2007-08, according to betting database SportsOddsHistory.com.
The season tips off Tuesday, with the Nuggets hosting the Lakers and the Warriors hosting the Suns.
Odds to win NBA championship (via Caesars Sportsbook, as of Oct. 24):
Celtics +380
Bucks +400
Nuggets +420
Suns +600
Warriors +850
Lakers +1,100
Clippers +1,800
Heat +2,200
Mavericks +2,500
76ers +2,800
Cavaliers +3,000
Grizzlies +3,000
Kings +4,000
Timberwolves +4,000
Knicks +5,000
Pelicans +5,000
Thunder +7,000
Hawks +8,000
Raptors +12,500
Bulls +15,000
Nets +15,000
Spurs +20,000
Pacers +20,000
Jazz +30,000
Rockets +30,000
Magic +30,000
Pistons +50,000
Hornets +50,000
Wizards +50,000
Trail Blazers +50,000
NBA predictions: Experts' picks for the Finals -- and the next star to want out
The 2023-24 NBA season is finally here! As fans around the league gear up for two top-tier matchups, our NBA Insiders are already looking ahead to the postseason.
A Western Conference finals rematch between the Los Angeles Lakers and the defending champion Denver Nuggets opens Tuesday's slate of games. Are the Lakers and Nuggets destined to meet again in the playoffs? Will the revamped Phoenix Suns, opening against the revamped Golden State Warriors, make the leap back to the Finals?
The competition will heat up in the Eastern Conference as the Milwaukee Bucks have set in motion the dynamic duo of Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Can the Boston Celtics, who created a superteam of their own when they landed Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis this offseason, exact revenge from last year's postseason loss to the Miami Heat? Could a rising team, such as the New York Knicks, sneak into the race?
Most importantly, which team is primed to take it all? Will reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic repeat? Can Stephen Curry claim his fifth ring and help get Chris Paul his first?
Which superstar could be the next to ask out? Amid drama surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers and James Harden, could reigning MVP Joel Embiid seek his first championship elsewhere? And after five seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, could two-time All-Star Trae Young look to find his way onto a contending team?
Ahead of tip-off Tuesday night, we're unveiling our experts' predictions for the conference finals, NBA Finals and potential superstar movement.
MORE: 30-team preview | Watchability rankings: 30-11 | 10-1
Eastern Conference finals picks
Jerry Bembry: Bucks over Celtics in 6
Tim Bontemps: Celtics over Bucks in 6
Jamal Collier: Bucks over Celtics in 7
Israel Gutierrez: Heat over Bucks in 6
Andrew Lopez: Bucks over Celtics in 7
Tim MacMahon: Bucks over Celtics in 7
Bobby Marks: Knicks over Celtics in 7
Dave McMenamin: Celtics over Bucks in 7
Kevin Pelton: Celtics over Bucks in 7
Ramona Shelburne: Bucks over Celtics in 6
André Snellings: Bucks over Celtics in 6
Ohm Youngmisuk: Celtics over Bucks in 7
Final tally (East champs): Bucks 6, Celtics 4, Heat 1, Knicks 1.
Western Conference finals picks
Jerry Bembry: Nuggets over Suns in 5
Tim Bontemps: Warriors over Nuggets in 6
Jamal Collier: Nuggets over Suns in 6
Israel Gutierrez: Warriors over Suns in 7
Andrew Lopez: Nuggets over Suns in 6
Tim MacMahon: Nuggets over Suns in 7
Bobby Marks: Suns over Nuggets in 7
Dave McMenamin: Clippers over Nuggets in 6
Kevin Pelton: Nuggets over Suns in 7
Ramona Shelburne: Warriors over Nuggets in 7
André Snellings: Lakers over Nuggets in 7
Ohm Youngmisuk: Nuggets over Lakers in 6
Final tally (West champs): Nuggets 6, Warriors 3, Clippers 1, Lakers 1, Suns 1.
NBA Finals picks
Jerry Bembry: Nuggets over Bucks in 6
Tim Bontemps: Celtics over Warriors in 6
Jamal Collier: Bucks over Nuggets in 6
Israel Gutierrez: Heat over Warriors in 6
Andrew Lopez: Bucks over Nuggets in 7
Tim MacMahon: Nuggets over Bucks in 7
Bobby Marks: Suns over Knicks in 5
Dave McMenamin: Celtics over Clippers in 6
Kevin Pelton: Celtics over Nuggets in 7
Ramona Shelburne: Warriors over Bucks in 7
André Snellings: Bucks over Lakers in 6
Ohm Youngmisuk: Nuggets over Celtics in 6
Final tally (NBA champs): Bucks 3, Celtics, 3, Nuggets 3, Heat 1, Suns 1, Warriors 1.
Bonus! Which star is next to ask for a trade?
Jerry Bembry: Trae Young
Jamal Collier: Joel Embiid
Israel Gutierrez: Joel Embiid
Andrew Lopez: Karl-Anthony Towns
Tim MacMahon: Joel Embiid
Bobby Marks: DeMar DeRozan
Dave McMenamin: Joel Embiid
Kevin Pelton: Joel Embiid
Ramona Shelburne: DeMar DeRozan
André Snellings: Trae Young
Final tally: Embiid 5, DeRozan 2, Young 2, Towns 1.
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