Three hours before Miami Heat games tip-off, assistant coach Chris Quinn is one of the team’s personnel, located on the hardwood, working out with a player or reviewing material on an iPad. On special occasions, Quinn will break out his old moves and challenge a player.

On Feb. 28, 2022, before the then FTX Arena was filled for the match against the Chicago Bulls, Quinn showed Heat forward Duncan Robinson a bit of his handle as Bam Adebayo diligently worked on his free throws. And when Dwyane Wade was on the team during the 2015-16 season, Quinn would warm up with him prior to game time.

Quinn is coach Erik Spoelstra’s trusted lieutenant- a liaison between the head and the players when a message needs to be understood and an advisor with whom to consult ideas. Given Quinn’s calm, cordial, public demeanor, he is Spoelstra’s Tom Hagen. Yet, he still jokes with his boss and friend about how he traded him in 2010 before the Big Three era. Spo’s counter is that he “didn’t have much pull” in the organization.

Quinn is a married, family man with three children. Professionally, he has been Spoelstra’s assistant since the 2014-15 campaign, the first following LeBron James’ departure to Cleveland. He’s developed players and his skills as a coach for seven Playoff trips, including two visits to the NBA Finals. When the Heat beat the Celtics in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, Quinn and the other Heat assistants congratulated Spoelstra on not being the first NBA coach to give up a 3-0 lead and lose a series.

In the past, former Heat captain Udonis Haslem said that whenever Quinn speaks, Spoelstra’s words fall from his lips. This is the same as back in the day with Pat Riley and his star center, Alonzo Mourning.

Quinn has a 2-0 record when put in charge of the team in Spoelstra’s absence for COVID protocols in 2022. After one of the games, Spo said, “He has the full trust of everybody… This is something that he has been developing for several years.”

Before that game, Quinn had a few hours to prepare.

When Quinn took over for the Heat’s match, hosting the Charlotte Hornets on April 5, 2022, the crew set a franchise record for made 3-pointers and points scored. “It’s 2022,” Quinn said jokingly. “You pass up the layups to get the threes.”

On another occasion Spoelstra missed because of personal matters, the Heat were beaten by the Brooklyn Nets in Miami by 15 points. At the postgame presser, Quinn somberly talked about giving up 40 marks in the second quarter, but his message was clear: there were no excuses to be made.

Before that, he was a four-year collegiate athlete at Notre Dame, playing point guard under coach Mike Brey. At school, he was named to the All-Big EastFirst Team and finished sixth in true shooting percentage (58.9), sixth in Fighting Irish history in steals (155), eighth in steals per game average (1.3), and ninth in made 3-point field goals (239). In his freshman year, the team made it as far as the West regional semifinal, losing to Arizona.

He advanced to the NBA, playing for the Heat as one of their undrafted gems in a year they had no picks. In fact, he earned his gig by performing well in the summer league. He later worked for the San Antonio Spurs, New Jersey Nets, and Cleveland Cavaliers over six seasons. Quinn also had a stint in Russia during the lockout season and then played in Spain the following year.

As a former pro, Quinn has credibility with players because he understands the business and the anxieties that come with it, making him relatable.

Given the type of player he was as an off-ball shooter, he must see the game through the lens of a marksman. Lots of misdirection and off-ball movement would likely be an emphasis of his half-court offense.

“A lot of us in the Heat culture have in common [that] we are super competitive,” Quinn said during a summer league interview with ESPN’s Israel Gutierrez. “For better or worse, if things aren’t going the way we all think they should be going, we have a level of accountability. We talk to each other…”

In the summer of 2024, Quinn’s name surfaced for potential head coaching vacancies. The Heat gave permission to the Lakers and Cavaliers to interview him. The former post went to ESPN broadcaster, podcaster, and former NBA sharpshooter JJ Redick. Redick’s only coaching prior experience is instructing youth basketball. The latter spot went to Kenny Atkinson.

Last year, the Milwaukee Bucks were granted permission to interview him for their spot after Mike Budenholzer’s dismissal, but they chose Adrian Griffin, who lasted 43 games as head coach.

When an organization takes a chance on Quinn, they’ll have someone with credible coaching insight who has paid his dues. He is ready to lead or fill any need.

The Celtics whooped the Mavericks in Game 5 to win the NBA championship at TD Garden. Jayson Tatum was the bus driver. And Jaylen Brown guarded Luka Dončić, staying in front of the ball and contesting on time. Brown was also crowned Finals MVP in front of thousands of cheering supporters after the match.

With his trophy in hand, Brown said at the winner’s stage, “I share this with my brothers.”

The contest was close until the Celtics thwacked the Mavericks with an 11-3 run to close the first quarter. The damage was done by Jayson Tatum, dribbling past Josh Green on the right side for a layup and finishing on the break, as well as Brown scoring in the open court plus producing from a slot cut and Sam Houser canning a right-side triple.

Then Houser uncorked the offense in the second quarter, making a left-wing tray after setting a ghost screen for Tatum, giving Gang Green an 11-point advantage. Tatum added four field goals with no misses. Brown downed two corner 3-pointers, assisted by Tatum, when the defense sagged off the perimeter to clog the lane. The Celtics forced four Maverick turnovers by pressuring the ball handler and entry pass. And Payton Pritchard connected on a half-court shot to end the half.

On the other side, the Mavericks registered 12 of 19 baskets in the frame. Derrick Jones Jr. scored, dribbling to the basket on a broken play, swished a corner triple and tallied an acrobatic layup on the break. Daniel Gafford put in two dunks. And Kyrie Irving and Dončić combined for four of nine shots.

The Celtics led at halftime 67-46 on the scoreboard. Additionally, the group had 30 paint points, 10 on the break, seven via second chances, 11 off turnovers and 12 from the bench.

The Mavericks had 24 interior marks, two in the open court, four on extra tries, two off turnovers and 14 from the reserves.

Next, the Celtics opened the third quarter making four of five baskets by Tatum, Derrick White, Al Horford and Jrue Holiday, giving the hosts a 26-point edge, the largest of the evening.

The Mavericks answered with Irving’s turnaround jumper on the left side, Green’s transition corner 3-pointer, a freebie by Dante Exum and two shots by Dončić, slicing their deficit to 17, the closest they got the rest of the night.

The fourth quarter started with the Celtics up 86-67.

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd called a timeout early into the period as Kristaps Porziņģis’ baseline cut and dunk put the Celtics back up by 21 points. His next stoppage came as Tatum maneuvered by P.J. Washington from the top to the cup for a layup, bringing the lead to 24 marks. Inexplicably, Kidd kept Dončić and Irving in until there were two-and-a-half minutes remaining.

The Celtics won 106-88. On top of that, the crew had 42 paint points, 16 on the break, 11 via second chances, 17 off turnovers and 16 from the bench.

Boston’s double-digit scorers were Tatum (31), Brown (21), Holiday (15) and White (14).

The Mavericks had 42 interior marks, nine in the open court, six on extra tries, six off turnovers and 25 from the reserves.

Dallas’ double-digit scorers were Dončić (28), Irving (15), Green (14) and Jones (10).

At the postgame presser, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said, “It feels good” to be a champion.

The WNBA players chosen to represent the United States in Olympic competition are a supergroup that can decimate any squad in their way and should leave Paris with another gold medal.

Yet Caitlin Clark’s absence has upset people. Their ire should not be directed at the decision-makers who excluded her but rather at the league’s TV partners and editors/producers who decided what got covered throughout the years.

Clark did not attend Team USA camp because she played in the NCAA tournament. Still, had she gone, it would have been difficult to snag a spot from any top-shelf players with experience in Olympic competition or the first-timers because of her slight frame, which could allow opponents to take advantage of her on defense and her high turnover rate.

To Clark’s credit, she is the most schemed player in the league, ensuring one of her teammates is open. But because the Indiana Fever is a rebuilding outfit, its depth is weak, and many of Clark’s passes aren’t converted into baskets. If her squad didn’t have so many scoring liabilities or suspect coaching, Clark would shine brighter in the assist and field goal percentage department while already having a notable rookie campaign.

But when news of the roster dropped, it was like a grenade burst. The pundits on ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe, probably mean well, but they are so misguided that they gaslighted their expert panelist, Andraya Carter, and the WNBA with comments, “Do they want to grow the game?”

I’m glad they went there, even after Monica McNutt told SAS on his show that he could have done more to highlight the WNBA.

The problem with “Do they want to grow the game?” is that it indicates the coverage is a failure. Clark is not the W’s first superstar, nor its best currently, yet she’s treated like it by people with a large platform. If those like Smith, Sharpe and others were sincerely interested in championing women’s basketball, where were they when A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart were rookies? They were better at the time than what Clark is currently.

So how do great players like Wilson and Stewart remain behind Clark in popularity? Clark finished her collegiate career as one of the best players ever and the all-time leader in NCAA Division 1 scoring, surpassing “Pistol” Pete Maravich. Still, this is about partners and the media not understanding how sweet the product is.

I contacted First Take’s producer, Mike Foss, and ESPN’s public relations multiple times, asking on how many occasions was the WNBA or its subjects discussed on the show in 2022, 2023, and 2024. No answer was returned.

Wilson is the top player in the league; Alyssa Thomas is a quarterbacking big who has led her team to the top record in the WNBA; Stewart is the reigning MVP, and she came back from an Achilles tear in 2019; Sabrina Ionescu is a historical sniper with excellent playmaking skills; Arike Ogunbowale is a fierce scorer; Diana Taurasi is still blasting; And Brittney Griner remains a force.

Imagine how ahead the WNBA would be if a league partner or regular media highlighted those women’s professional activities correctly.

Wising up now would go a long way because growing a league takes a lot of years. For example, when the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers won the 1977 championship over the Philadelphia 76ers, TV coverage didn’t follow to the locker room for the party. The broadcast cut to a live feed of golf’s Kemper Open, per David Halberstam’s The Breaks of the Game. The NBA was 28 years old at the time.

The WNBA is in its 28th season, growing slowly but surely. Hopefully, people like Smith and Sharpe cover the W’s ladies competing in the Olympics no differently than if Clark had made the team.

Pity those who missed out on Thursday’s Commissioner’s Cup action.

The Indiana Fever got their fourth win (4-10). Jackie Young went ballistic in the second quarter of the Aces’ dub over the Mercury. And the Storm countered Arike Ogunbowale’s production with six triples and 13 points on the break in their victory.

Let’s review what happened…

Aliyah Boston returns to form + Kelsey Mitchell’s big night in the Fever’s win:

First-quarter foul trouble sat Boston down for a few minutes, but she was confident and hungry, leading her team to a victory against the Atlanta Dream. She threw her weight around setting on plus off-ball screens, powered through the post, recovered five extra possessions and protected the lane well.

Her best spurts came in the second and fourth quarter. During the former sequence, Boston nailed two free throws, made a putback, and scored on Tina Charles twice at close range on post and face-up plays. In the latter interval, she bailed out the squad after the offense fell apart, bludgeoning the square on drives and a putback to outduel Rhyne Howard.

After the game, Fever coach Christie Sides said Boston was undeniable. “She played extremely well, really physical, didn’t back down and finished great, great shots at the rim tonight.”

Boston finished with 27 points on 12 of 21 tries, with 13 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and a turnover. Ten of her points came in the fourth quarter.

And Mitchell detonated for 24 points on seven of 14 shots. She was explosive off the dribble and connected on a mid-range shot plus three trays, including fumbling up one from the left corner to end the first half. Subsequently, Mitchell scored on a broken play at close range with 45 seconds left and earned multiple trips to the line, burying six freebies.

The Las Vegas Aces go on tour, beating the Phoenix Mercury:

A’ja Wilson carried her group to start, scoring 10 of their first 12 first-quarter points by converting two mid-range and two turnaround jumpers in the paint and scoring a putback. The rest of the Aces registered zero of 11 buckets partly because Brittney Griner was causing havoc as a low help defender. Kelsey Plum logged the team’s other two points at the line, yet the squad fell behind by 16 points to end the frame.

On the other side, Diana Taurasi hit a baseline jumper in transition, flared into the lane for a layup, scored against drop coverage at the cup and canned a right-wing trifecta, totaling 10 points through 10 minutes. Sophie Cunningham chipped in with seven points on three of four attempts.

Then Jackie Young dribbled into five triples between the top of the key and left side and burst into the lane in transition, making a bucket with contact. She had 21 points in the second quarter, and the Mercury tallied 23.

In the second half, Wilson and Young combined for 30 of the Aces’ 49 points on 45% accuracy. Young’s jumper in the paint over Kahleah Copper gave the Aces a four-point edge with 46 seconds left.

Wilson had 32 points on 10 of 17 attempts, with 15 rebounds (six on offense), two assists, one steal, two blocks and three turnovers. And Young notched 34 marks on 47.8% accuracy, with eight rebounds (four on offense), four assists, one steal and three turnovers.

Seattle Storm shoot down the Wings in Dallas:

For the Wings, Arike Ogunbowale made a left-corner banger, banked in a half-court heave, and dribbled past Jewell Loyd to the cup for a left-handed layup. And Teaira McCowan and Maddy Siegrist kept the understaffed Wings in the first half, scoring off-ball and recording four fastbreak points.

But the Storm were up 48-40 at halftime, led by Loyd’s 15 points and Skylar Diggins-Smith’s dozen. Additionally, the visitors had 16 points off turnovers and two via an extra try.

Next, Ogunbowale scored 14 second-half points, making one freebie plus two mid-range shots and recording three trifectas. Kalani Brown added four of five baskets. And McCowan made three offerings at close range.

But it wasn’t enough.

Defensively, the Storm forced seven turnovers in the second half. On offense, the group supplied seven points on the break between Sami Whitcomb, Jordan Horston and Diggins-Smith. Diggins-Smith hit a floater on the baseline and another in the paint on a pick-and-roll set with Ezi Magbegor as well. And Nneka Ogwumike connected on a 3-pointer, putback, two layups and two free throws. Ogwumike’s freebies came with under two minutes left, putting the Storm ahead by nine points.