Max Strus' sad group text blows up after stunning Cavaliers elimination
Facing the daunting task of being down 3-1 to the Pacers in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals, the Cavaliers needed a miracle, which never came as they were eliminated in Game 5, 114-105.
Strus attempted to rally the team ahead of the elimination game, sending a group text to his teammates saying, 'If you don't believe, don't show up for work.'
Advertisement
Max Strus followed that up going 0/9 from the field and scoring zero points.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The reserve wing then followed that up by going a putrid 0-for-9 from the field and scoring zero points while adding seven rebounds and two assists.
The story was told live on the TNT telecast before Game 5 by reporter Jared Greenberg.
Advertisement
'A group text message was sent out to every single Cavalier player,' Greenberg said before reading the message, later adding that Strus did not believe the Cavaliers were done.
The usually reliable sharpshooter had played well in the series from an offensive perspective, scoring 12.2 points per game, and entered Game 5 shooting 40 percent from 3-point range, the second-best figure on the team.
Strus will now be watching the rest of the playoffs from home as the Pacers move on to face the winner of the Knicks vs. Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Advertisement
The Knicks hold a 3-1 series edge with Game 5 in Boston on Wednesday night.
Cleveland now heads into the offseason wondering what went wrong as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The series took a stunning turn when the Cavaliers blew a seven-point lead in the final 48 seconds of Game 2, sending them into a 2-0 deficit they were unable to fight back from.
TNT's Jared Greenberg reads Max Strus' text message during the pregame show of Game 5.
X ,@haterreport
Advertisement
The Cavaliers also dealt with health issues as Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, DeAndre Hunter, and Evan Mobley battled injuries in this series.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Brooklyn Nets' biggest mistake in 2025 NBA free agency
The post Brooklyn Nets' biggest mistake in 2025 NBA free agency appeared first on ClutchPoints. In an NBA offseason filled with headline moves, surprise trades, and power-shifting contracts, the Brooklyn Nets were… silent. No blockbuster signing. No splashy draft-night maneuvering. Not even a mid-tier veteran pickup. Just a single trade and a couple of restricted free agent tenders. This eerie stillness in an otherwise booming free agency market could ultimately be Brooklyn's biggest mistake, a strategic misstep that may leave them languishing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference for another year. Advertisement Armed with five first-round picks (Nos. 8, 19, 22, 26, 27), general manager Sean Marks had the assets to make a trade up the board. Instead, the Nets stood pat, becoming the first team in draft history to make five first-round selections in a single draft. The moves the Brooklyn Nets did make: A singular pivot The only transaction that registered a noticeable blip on the radar was the trade of Cameron Johnson to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 unprotected first-round pick. On paper, this looks like a swing toward the future. The Nets acquired a higher-upside scorer in Porter Jr., who, despite injury concerns, has All-Star potential. The unprotected pick sweetens the deal, adding a long-term asset to Brooklyn's collection. But this move alone does not meaningfully improve the team in the short term. Porter Jr. is a marginal upgrade at best, and the team's immediate roster remains deeply underwhelming. Advertisement Meanwhile, the Nets extended restricted free agent offers to Tyson Etienne, Tyrese Martin, Drew Timme, and Jalen Wilson, all promising but far from proven players. That's it. That's the sum of Brooklyn's offseason. What the Nets didn't do: The big mistake in the free agency Herein lies the critical error. The Nets' approach to 2025 free agency was defined not by bad decisions, but by no decisions. While teams like the Wizards, Rockets, and even the bottom-dwelling Hornets made calculated additions to their rosters, the Nets did… nothing. No new veterans to bolster their culture. No skilled role players to mentor their youth. No splash to excite the fanbase or show a sign of direction. Advertisement Brooklyn currently has an abundance of cap space, yet they've chosen to preserve it instead of invest it in talent. This 'salary flexibility' might look like prudence on paper, but inaction carries its own cost, especially when other teams are lapping you in development and identity. The bigger picture: no vision, no vibe Worse than their silence is what it suggests: the Nets seem caught between two identities. Are they rebuilding? Then why not lean fully into the youth movement, flip veterans, and gather more picks? Are they competing? Then why let your cap space rot on the bench instead of filling out a competitive rotation? This in-between space, where you're neither bad enough for a high draft pick nor good enough for playoff relevance, is the most dangerous place in the NBA. And right now, that's exactly where the Nets are headed. Advertisement With no clear floor general, no rim protection, no veteran leaders, and no high-end scorers besides maybe Porter Jr., this team is penciled in as a bottom-five team for the 2025–26 season. The good news? There's still time to pivot. Use cap space in the secondary market Plenty of veterans remain unsigned. The Nets could scoop up undervalued talent on short-term deals, players who can contribute now or become midseason trade assets. Think minimum-to-mid-level exception contracts with non-guaranteed second years. Aggressively monitor trade markets If Brooklyn truly wants to sit on cap space, they need to leverage it at the trade deadline. Absorbing unwanted contracts in exchange for picks is a valuable tool, but only if executed. Advertisement Define a clear rebuild If they're rebuilding, say it. Trade Reece Beekman and maybe even Nic Claxton for future assets. Embrace the youth, develop Cam Thomas, Porter Jr., Sharpe, and Ziaire Williams, and give fans a reason to be patient. Hire development-focused staff Brooklyn can no longer rely on star-chasing. They must become elite at player development. Bringing in coaches and staff with a track record of turning raw talent into NBA contributors will be critical. In an era where talent acquisition is everything, the Nets chose to do nothing. That silence, more than any one transaction, is their biggest mistake of 2025. While flexibility and future assets are valuable, they mean little without direction, identity, and action. Advertisement Unless Brooklyn wakes up before the season tips off, this offseason could be remembered as the one where the Nets lost not just games, but relevance. Related: Nets' Nolan Traore the 'definition of speed' in impressive Summer League debut Related: Nets' Egor Demin reveals 'deep' revelation following Summer League debut
USA Today
13 hours ago
- USA Today
NASCAR at Sonoma 2025: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup for Toyota/Save Mart 350
The streets of Chicago proved to be a happy hunting ground for road course specialist Shane van Gisbergen. The New Zealander swept pole position and the race win in both the Xfinity and Cup Series races, making for a dominant weekend at NASCAR's only street course race of the season. It was a chaotic race that saw a red flag and multiple cautions as drivers made contact with the close walls of the street course. That race also saw more surprises in the bracket for NASCAR's inaugural in-season challenge. NASCAR In-Season Challenge: Bracket, seedings, how it works No. 32 seed Ty Dillon continued his run of upsets with a win over No. 17 seed Brad Keselowski. There are just two top-10 seeds left in the bracket: No. 8 Alex Bowman and No. 6 Ty Gibbs. The in-season challenge field is down to eight drivers as the Cup Series sees another non-oval on deck for this weekend: Sonoma Raceway. It's one of the longest tenured road courses on the calendar and a challenge for the grid of oval-racing regulars. Will van Gisbergen continue his winning streak on non-ovals or will a new winner emerge from the pack? Here's everything you need to know to get ready for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, July 13: 'Obviously came as a shock': Christian Horner responds to Red Bull firing What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Sonoma start? The Toyota/Save Mart 350 is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. local) Sunday, July 13, at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at Sonoma on? The Toyota/Save Mart 350 will be broadcast on TNT with an altcast on truTV. It's the third of five races to be broadcast on the network. Pre-race coverage will start at 3 p.m. ET (Noon PT). Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Sonoma? Yes, the Toyota/Save Mart 350 will be streamed on WatchTNT, Max and Sling TV. Stream the NASCAR race at Sonoma on Sling How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Sonoma? The Toyota/Save Mart 350 is 110 laps around the 1.99-mile track for a total of 218.9 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 25 laps; Stage 2: 30 laps; Stage 3: 55 laps. Who won the NASCAR Cup race at Sonoma last year? Kyle Larson cruised to victory at his hometown race after taking the lead with eight laps to go. It was a race of attrition with seven caution periods before the race hit the halfway mark. Larson pitted with 20 laps to go and worked his way methodically up from eighth place before passing leader Martin Truex Jr. for the lead and the eventual win, his third of six total victories that season. NASCAR In-Season Challenge third round matchups Thirty-two drivers qualified for the inaugural in-season challenge. Sixteen were eliminated at Atlanta and a further eight are off the board after the race in Chicago. The third round sees just eight drivers remaining and just two of the top 10 seeds. Four drivers will advance to the next round in Dover, Delaware. What is the lineup for the Toyota/Save Mart 350? (Car number in parentheses) The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Kyrie Irving Revisits Infamous Interview Question About LeBron James Playing A Parental Role For Him
Kyrie Irving Revisits Infamous Interview Question About LeBron James Playing A Parental Role For Him originally appeared on Fadeaway World. Kyrie Irving recently hosted a 24-hour livestream where he decided to recreate his response to that infamous interview question about LeBron James playing a parental role for him. With his father, Drederick Irving, next to him, Irving made it clear he only has one father. Advertisement "This is my dad," Irving said. "I only have one father, Drederick Irving. I only have one father... So, W pops, man. I'm glad we got to recreate that meme, bro, because that question was crazy. When somebody asked me if LeBron was like a father figure to me, s*** was crazy. No kizzy. That was a crazy a** question. "He's like few years older than me, and you asked if he was my father figure," Irving continued. 'I got a father right there, Dredrick Irving. No disrespect, bro.' View the original article to see embedded media. That's an unforgettable question, just for all the wrong reasons. As Irving pointed out, James isn't all that older to him. The former was born in 1992, while the latter was born in 1984, so for someone to even bring that up was ridiculous. Advertisement This question was asked back in May 2015, when Irving and James were teammates on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Irving, who was 23 years old at the time, couldn't believe that he was being asked if a 30-year-old James was playing a parental role for him. Reporter: "Kyrie, Tristan [Thompson] called LeBron a great father after the Chicago game." Kyrie Irving: "What?" Reporter: "Yes, he did." Irving: "Great father? Oh, a great father? Oh, I interpreted that completely wrong. I thought you said he was a great father to him. I was like 'what?'' Reporter: "Called him a great father. So, what type of parental role has he played for you and your teammates, LeBron?" Advertisement Irving: "Oh, okay, so you." Another Reporter: "You were right the first time." Irving: "Yeah. Parental role? Honestly... [laughs] I don't know how to really answer that question. He has been a great leader for us. I have one father. That's my dad, Drederick Irving. But for us, in terms of learning the nuances of the game, and also how to win on the court, and also how to carry ourselves off the court, I feel he has been a great influence in that role." What makes this just that little bit worse is that Irving's mother, Elizabeth, had passed away when he was just four years old. Drederick had raised him as a single parent, so you wouldn't blame him at all for being offended that a reporter would ask that question. Perhaps a big brother analogy would have worked, but not father. Advertisement The Irving and James partnership proved to be successful, but it didn't last long. They became teammates on the Cavaliers in 2014 and led the franchise to its first-ever championship in 2016. Irving would ask out, though, in 2017, with one of the reasons reportedly being that he no longer wanted to play with James. The Cavaliers would fulfill his wish by trading him to the Boston Celtics. Years later, Irving expressed his regret over how he left James and the Cavaliers, and one wonders what might have been if they had stayed together. Their former Cavaliers head coach, Tyronn Lue, believes they would have won another title. James has managed to win another championship since then with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. Irving, meanwhile, came close to winning his second title, but his Dallas Mavericks lost to the Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals. Related: NBA Insider Says Four Fights Broke Out During Cavs' Championship Run With LeBron And Kyrie This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jul 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
