Well, that was quick. The Boston Celtics swept the Indiana Pacers during the Eastern Conference Finals in the NBA Playoffs while the Dallas Mavericks eliminated the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games out in the West.
The NBA’s version of the Final Four was over so fast that you might have missed some of the awkward moments where someone had to face a former team or teammate.
Here are some of those encounters.
NBA Awkward Moments – Boston Celtics vs. Indiana Pacers
Let’s start with head coach Rick Carlisle of the Pacers who used to play for the Celtics. Back in the late 1980s, Carlisle played for Boston and even won a ring with them in 1986. He was part of a team that had Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Dennis Johnson. With a cast like that, it’s easy to see how they won it all back then.
Rick Carlisle not calling a timeout here blows my mind. The Celtics are back on defense. Andrew Nembhard is essentially going 1v4 with Jrue Holiday hounding him. Why no timeout? Poorly coached series by Carlisle in these big moments. pic.twitter.com/mDcnUfNtqT
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) May 26, 2024
Other connections in this series involved Oshae Brissett and Aaron Nesmith. Brissett spent three years in Indiana before signing with the Celtics. He must be one of Boston’s lucky charms since they made the NBA Finals in his first year with the team. Nesmith, on the other hand, was on the wrong side of this series because he joined the Pacers two seasons ago, only to be eliminated from the NBA Playoffs by his former squad.
NBA Awkward Moments – Dallas Mavericks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Wendell Moore Jr. and assistant coach Elston Turner of the Timberwolves can say they have a connection to the city of Dallas. The Mavericks drafted these players at different points on the NBA timeline. Turner joined the team in the early 1980s while Moore was picked by the Mavericks back in 2022. You won’t see Moore’s highlights with the team, though, since he was traded away immediately.
Other connections in this series had former teammates facing each other. Dante Exum and Rudy Gobert were members of the Utah Jazz. Monte Morris and Daniel Gafford played for the Washington Wizards recently. Lastly, we had Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris eliminating T.J. Warren. You probably forgot that these three were teammates during their time with the Brooklyn Nets.
Kyrie vs the Celtics in the finals gonna be a movie pic.twitter.com/mrWIuJPeyU
— Jo (@MavsStan41) June 2, 2024
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