You might think that the Heat have been talking three-peat every day for the last three years, but you’d be mistaken. “We talked about it from the first day, we talked about the legacy of this team,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. “The players that weren’t here that first year, they inherited all of those experiences. But it was only that first day. We’ve never brought it up since then. It was about now tackling the challenges of the day‑to‑day life of an NBA season.” More out of the Eastern Conference..
- If Rajon Rondo made a pitch to Kevin Love to sell him on the Celtics, he’s not admitting it, as the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn writes. “I talked to Kevin for about 39 seconds,” Rondo said. “It was all over the web? Well, we do work together. We played against each other. We compete, so when I saw Kevin, I spoke, wished him good luck on his time here in Boston.” Rondo also reiterated his desire to retire with the C’s.
- Elton Brand, who spent last season with the Hawks, intends to play a 16th NBA season, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Brand played 73 games, including 15 starts, for the Hawks last season after signing a $4MM deal. That was the most games Brand has played in since he appeared in 86 regular season and postseason contests with the Sixers in 2010/11.
- Shane Battier has signed on to be a college basketball analyst with ESPN next season and, as expected, will be retiring from the Heat, writes Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead. Before he gets set for the broadcast booth, he’ll try and help the Heat capture a third consecutive title. Battier received preliminary inquiries to run for a Senate seat in Michigan or work in the Pistons’ front office, but chose broadcasting first, tweets Ethan J. Skolnick of Bleacher Report. Out of respect for the Finals, however, he’ll says he’ll wait until it’s all over before he addresses the new ESPN gig (link).
- With the Clippers about to sell for $2 billion, John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com wonders how much the Sixers would go for if they were on the market. Ultimately, Gonzalez feels that a $1 billion price tag for the Sixers isn’t implausible.