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If USC Can Find Its Earlier Form, CBS’ Gary Parrish Believes They Could Make A Run In NCAA Tournament: ‘We Know What This Team Is Capable Of’
( CBS Los Angeles )- The final weekend of college basketball’s regular season is here, and CBS has a Los Angeles rivalry battle on tap as the USC Trojans visit the UCLA Bruins in the Pac-12 conference regular season finale on Saturday afternoon. The Trojans dominated the Bruins, 66-48, in the first meeting at the Gallen Center and are looking for a season sweep. College Basketball on CBS analyst Gary Parrish points to how the Bruins handle Trojans star Evan Mobley as the key to whether they’ll be able to avoid the season sweep. “UCLA did a pretty decent job, all things considered, on Evan Mobley in that first game. He only had nine points got six field goal attempts,” Parrish said in an interview with CBS Local’s Ryan Mayer. “Obviously that wasn’t a recipe for success, because they still lost the game by 18. But I do think everything starts with keeping him under control when USC’s on offense, and then on defense making sure he’s not too disruptive. You have to be aware of where he is at all times, the reason that defense is so good starts with him.” The Trojans defense ranks among the nation’s elite, checking in at 15 in Ken Pomeroy’s Adjusted Defensive Efficiency ratings. Not only that, they’re in the top 30 in offensive efficiency. So this is a tough matchup for UCLA, especially considering the loss of senior guard Chris Smith in early January to a torn ACL. “Every conversation about UCLA has to start with the fact that they lost their best player after eight games. The fact that Mick has been able to hold this thing together as well as he has all things considered, is pretty impressive. Losing your best player is hard. If you add him back into this roster, everything is different,” Parrish said. But, the Bruins can certainly make Saturday competitive if they’re just able to find their normal shooting stroke against the Trojans. The first time the two met, UCLA shot just 3-19 from three, a 15.8% clip that’s well below their 36.9% mark for the season. If they’re able to get closer to that season-average clip and do the same type of defensive job they did on Mobley in the first outing, they could certainly pull out the win at home. Regardless of what happens tomorrow, both teams appear to be headed for the NCAA Tournament in just a few weeks. For USC, there’s an opportunity to make a real run in the tournament if, as Parrish says, they can just find their form from a few weeks ago. “There was a time not too long ago when I was looking at USC and talking about them as a legitimate Final Four contender. They’re now projected as more of a seven seed. In terms of what you want to see, just get back to playing the way you were when you won seven straight games,” Parrish said. “We know what’s capable from this team, we don’t have to wonder about how good they can be, we’ve seen them be good. They need to spend this weekend and this week getting back to what they were in January, because what they were in January was, I think, one of the best teams in the country.” “They have a coach who has done it before, not at USC but at Florida Gulf Coast, so he knows what it looks like to march through a bracket to make the second weekend. And they have an undeniable future lottery pick in Evan Mobley who has lived up to all expectations, perhaps exceeded them,” Parrish continued. “You’re talking about a 7-footer who is awesome around the rim, and awesome rim protector but can also step away from the basket and knock down perimeter jumpers. He is exactly what you look for when you are looking for a modern-day big in the NBA.” Tune in Saturday, March 6 as USC and UCLA wrap up their Pac-12 regular seasons with a crosstown battle on CBS tip-off set for 4 p.m. ET.
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If USC Can Find Its Earlier Form, CBS’ Gary Parrish Believes They Could Make A Run In NCAA Tournament: ‘We Know What This Team Is Capable Of’
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said fans should think of the upcoming All-Star Weekend in Atlanta as a “television-only event,” and once again discouraged fans from traveling to the game, which is being played without fans because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Silver to fans: All-Star Weekend a TV-only event
New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson sat out Thursday’s loss to the Miami Heat because of a right toe issue, but sources told ESPN he is still expected to play in Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game.
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Zion out Thursday; still on for ASG, sources say
NEW YORK (AP) — The All-Star Game is up next for Julius Randle. The playoffs might be there later for his team. Randle capped his breakout first half with 27 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists, sending the New York Knicks into the break with a winning record after a 114-104 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night. RJ Barrett added 21 points to help the Knicks improve to 19-18 in their first season under Tom Thibodeau. They have missed the playoffs for seven straight years but finished the first half in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. “As a group we’re not satisfied,” Randle said. “We haven’t accomplished what we want to accomplish.” It’s been an unexpected rise for the longtime losers fueled by Randle, the workhorse power forward who was rewarded with his first All-Star selection. “He’s a great worker and sets a great example for the team,” Thibodeau said. “So he’s been terrific and the impact on winning has been huge.” So has Thibodeau’s, the former Coach of the Year whose players have taken to his style of outworking the competition. “We still have a lot of things that we have to clean up, but I think hard work is always going to make up for it,” Barrett said. Elfrid Payton had 20 points after missing the last four games with a sore right hamstring. Wayne Ellington scored 17 points for the Pistons, who came nowhere near duplicating their play from a night earlier, when they routed Toronto 129-105. They had 43 points after one quarter in that game but barely surpassed that by halftime of this one, reaching the midpoint of their schedule at 10-27, worst in the East. Coach Dwane Casey pointed to the growth of the Pistons’ many young players and sees good things ahead for the franchise. “It’s just so many good things that are going on and unfortunately they’re not coming out as ‘Ws,’” Casey said. Mason Plumlee, one of two Pistons with triple-doubles against Toronto, followed that with 12 points and 13 rebounds. New York’s lead was 48-44 after Isaiah Stewart’s follow shot with 3:52 remaining in the half. The Knicks then ran off 11 straight points, most of the baskets at or near the rim, to open a 15-point cushion and took a 59-46 lead to the break. The Knicks made 15-of-23 shots (65%) in the third, opening a 20-point lead before taking a 93-74 advantage to the fourth. Detroit cut it to 10 in the fourth and was about to get closer when it got the ball underneath to an open Plumlee, but Randle swooped in to block the shot and the Knicks found Barrett alone on the other end to make it 103-91. The Pistons were the opponent in the last NBA game played at Madison Square Garden in front of a full crowd. The Knicks beat them 96-84 last March 8 before beginning a three-game road trip they never finished because the season was suspended three nights later because of the coronavirus. TIP-INS Pistons: Detroit has dropped four straight against New York after winning the previous eight meetings. … Former Knicks guard Dennis Smith Jr., who also had a triple-double Wednesday, scored 12 points but had just two assists and two rebounds. Knicks: Derrick Rose missed his second straight game for health and safety protocol reasons. … The Knicks showed highlights of some dunks by Obi Toppin on the overhead video screen during a timeout late in the first quarter and congratulated him on being chosen to compete in the All-Star slam dunk contest. They also wished a happy birthday to the rookie, who turned 23 Thursday. NOT ON SCHEDULE The Pistons closed the first half with a back-to-back, when originally they weren’t scheduled to play either night. Detroit was supposed to close its first half Tuesday with a road game against Toronto, before that game was pushed back a day because of the Raptors’ coronavirus issues. The game Thursday in New York was originally targeted for the second half before the NBA recently added it to Thursday’s schedule. UP NEXT Pistons: At Charlotte on March 11. Knicks: At Milwaukee on March 11. (© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Randle, Knicks Reach Break Over .500, Beat Pistons
Kobe vs. Shaq? Wade vs. Baby Jordan? Howard vs. Gordon? Who holds the all-time dunk crown for each NBA team?
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Our experts pick every NBA franchise’s most iconic dunker
Remember all those times you said you’d try fantasy hoops if the season just started around the holidays, when you start paying attention to the NBA? Guess what? Now’s your chance!
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Why this is the best season to give it a try
The Warriors have presented an ambitious plan to state and local officials to reopen Chase Center in San Francisco at 50% capacity for the upcoming NBA season.
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Warriors’ plan aims to allow 50% fan capacity
Canada’s deputy chief of public health said cross-border travel for the Raptors in the upcoming NBA season “continues to be an issue.”
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Officials concerned over Raps’ cross-border travel
A mural, which went viral, illustrates Becky Hammon as an inspiration to a generation as a player and, now, as a trailblazing coach in the NBA. The mural is the focus of a short documentary.
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Becky Hammon and the art of what’s possible
Tommy Heinsohn, who won 10 NBA titles over his 20 seasons as a player and coach for the Celtics, has died at the age of 86.
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Tom Heinsohn, Hall of Famer with Celtics, dies
The NBA and players’ union have reached agreement on the start of the 2020-21 season and an amended CBA. Free agency will begin Friday, Nov. 20, two days after next week’s NBA draft.
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NBA season start agreed to as sides amend CBA
A 71-day offseason and a quick restart have health officials around the NBA worried not just about bubble teams’ ability to recover but about the eight teams that haven’t played competitively since March.
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Brief layoff, quick start worry NBA health officials
The Pistons are open to moving up in the NBA draft and want to speak to top prospect LaMelo Ball.
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Pistons intrigued by LaMelo, moving up in draft
Eddie Johnson, the two-time All-Star for the Atlanta Hawks whose career was shortened by arrests that led to a ban from the NBA and life sentence in prison, has died. He was 65.
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‘Fast Eddie’ Johnson, ex-NBA All-Star, dies at 65