After shedding a few pounds, a leaner and meaner Luka Doncic shredded the competition at the FIBA European championships.

The Los Angeles Lakers should be excited for the 2025-26 NBA season following Doncic’s historic EuroBasket performance in which he led Slovenia to the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Germany.

“Luka’s play in EuroBasket made it clear to the entire basketball world that he’s on that incredibly short list of ‘best player on the planet’ candidates, if not at the top,” said Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, who traveled to Poland to watch Doncic.

Luka described his offseason as a “great summer,” and he appears to be in the best shape of his basketball career. He gave a taste of what he’ll be serving in the upcoming NBA season with a spectacular performance during the European championships.

Doncic led EuroBasket with 34.7 points per game, becoming the third player to average over 30. His average ranks third in tournament history, trailing only Nikos Galis’ 37.0 in 1987 and 35.6 in 1989.

Doncic looks to be in prime shape and prime position to have an MVP-type season for the Lakers, and it’s up to head coach JJ Redick — who signed a two-year contract extension to be with the Lakers through the 2029-30 season — to make sure to put Doncic in the best possible position to succeed in Year 2 of their partnership.

“I expect the best version of Luka, and it’s my job to bring that out every day,” Redick said during a Lakers press conference.

Pelinka and Lakers governor Jeanie Buss traveled to Poland to watch Doncic play for Slovenia and came away impressed with Luka’s growth as a leader.

“He not only led by example, but he was very demonstrative in practice, in terms of his expectations of the team and how they play,” Pelinka said of Luka.

Doncic seems at peace over what transpired on Feb. 2, 2025, when he got traded from Dallas to L.A. But it doesn’t mean he has forgotten about the simple fact that the Mavericks — a team that drafted him and practically raised him — shipped him out of town.

The Luka Revenge Tour is coming to every NBA city, especially in Dallas, and the extra motivation could lead to an MVP season for Luka and a potential return to the NBA Finals for the Lakers.

OneManFastBreak projects the top eight teams in the Western Conference.

1-Oklahoma City Thunder — Fresh off winning an NBA title, the Thunder signed their top three players to significant contracts and brought back their major role players from their championship squad. However, repeating as NBA champions won’t be easy, as the West is stacked and there hasn’t been a repeat NBA champion since the 2018 Warriors.

2-Houston Rockets — The loss of veteran guard Fred VanVleet, who tore his ACL, hurts from a leadership standpoint. The absence of VanVleet puts added pressure on Alperen Sengun to be more of a playmaker. Sengun had a superb EuroBasket, and his blossoming game should make Ime Udoka and the Rockets coaching staff excited. The addition of Kevin Durant and Dorian Finney-Smith make Sengun even more dangerous as he’ll have more room to operate.

3-L.A. Lakers — Pressure is on head coach JJ Redick to navigate around LeBron James’ potential last season with the Lakers, which could become a distraction. LeBron is entering the final year of his Lakers contract, and the team has shown little interest in extending his deal. “We would love for LeBron’s story to retire as a Laker. That’d be a positive story,” Pelinka said about LeBron’s future with the team.

4-Denver Nuggets — The Nuggets are trying to maximize Nikola Jokic’s prime years. They traded Michael Porter Jr., one of the key pieces of their 2023 championship team, to the Brooklyn Nets for a draft pick and forward Cam Johnson. The team moved off Russell Westbrook and brought back Bruce Brown, and signed veteran Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas should lessen some of Jokic’s heavy workload at the center spot.

5-Minnesota Timberwolves — Anthony Edwards is rededicating himself to getting in better shape, and it starts on the defensive end. Ant-Man is entering his sixth NBA season. He has been to the conference twice. For the Timberwolves to advance to the NBA Finals, Ant-Man must be more detailed on both ends of the floor.

6-Golden State Warriors — When Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler are healthy and playing together, the Warriors put together a 23-8 record. The problem is that age and mileage might be catching up with Curry (36), Butler (35), and Green (34).

7-San Antonio Spurs — Victor Wembanyama certainly had an adventurous offseason. He trained with Shaolin monks in Zhengzhou, China. He trained with NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon in Houston. Wemby is entering his third season as well-prepared as any player. This could be the year the Spurs return to the postseason.

8-L.A. Clippers — Allegations of a no-show endorsement contract between Kawhi Leonard and a now-bankrupt green banking company hang over the Clippers like a dark cloud. It’ll be up to head coach Ty Lue to keep the team focused and navigate around the scandal.

Play-In teams: Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks

Tim Duncan (middle) gathers his teammates during a timeout in Game 1 of the Spurs-Clippers series in San Antonio. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The San Antonio Spurs were not supposed to be this good this season. Tim Duncan is supposed to be too old, Manu Ginobili is supposed to be too injured, and the supporting cast is supposed to be unproven.

If we keep ignoring the Spurs they may just make all of us look real silly.

The Spurs, the Western Conference’s top-seeded team, completed their four-game sweep of the Clippers with a 102-99 win in Game 4 at Staples Center and they did it in surgical fashion.

The Spurs gave the Clippers something old and something new during the series.

Duncan turned back the clock with a 26-point, 10-rebound performance in Game 1, had 19 and 13 in Game 3, and had 21 and nine in the series clincher. He looked like the Tim Duncan of old instead of an old Tim Duncan.

Ginobili, who has struggled with all sorts of ailments the past two seasons, looked healthy and spry. His best game came in Game 1 when he scored 22 points, making three of eight 3-pointers.

The new face in the Spurs’ playoff machine came in the form of rookie forward Kawhi Leonard. The San Diego State standout scored 16 points, making three 3-pointers, and grabbed six rebounds in Game 1. He had 14 points, nine rebounds, and two steals in Game 3. Leonard was also superb on defense, a role Bruce Bowen played so well for coach Gregg Popovich.

“He seems to have a pretty good knack for the ball,” Popovich said of Leonard. “He makes a steal here and there; he’ll get an offensive board here and there; he’ll get a block now and then. Obviously he’s a rookie and he’s still figuring out what his game is, but he does things that help win basketball games.”

Another new face who contributed mightily to the Spurs cog is Danny Green. The third-year man out of North Carolina was 11-for-19 from behind the arc and was double figures in three of the four games.

The Clippers entered the series on an emotional high, winning Game 7 in Memphis. But the Spurs are at a totally different level than the Grizzlies.

San Antonio is much more disciplined on defense and far more efficient on offense. When the Clippers appeared to be well on its way to a Game 3 win, the Spurs rallied and put together a head-turning 24-0 run in the third quarter that sapped the energy out of Staples Center.

All those jump shots Chris Paul made off pick-and-rolls against Memphis were taken away. All those easy dunks Blake Griffin got against Memphis was noticeably absent for much of the series.

The Spurs have now won 18 straight games and await the winner of the Lakers-Thunder series. Game 1 of the Western Conference finals will be played in San Antonio.

Blake Griffin (left) and Zach Randolph have gone toe-to-toe for much of the Clippers-Grizzlies playoff series. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The Los Angeles Clippers are obviously not the same team that went up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Their two best players, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, have been slowed by injuries and it has affected the entire complexion of the series. Paul has an injured hip flexor and sore groin, while Griffin has a sprained knee. Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro admitted after the 90-88 loss to the Grizzlies in Game 6 in L.A. that his two superstars are very “limited” at this point.

“Injuries are a part of it. Unfortunately, it hit us at a bad time,” Del Negro said.

“He didn’t have quite the burst to get by guys,” Del Negro said of Paul “He had to get the ball up a little bit to save himself. He couldn’t get aggressive as he would want to in the open court.”

“Nobody is 100 percent at this point of the season,”said Paul, who was held to 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting in Game 6. “I tried to tough it out, and so did Blake. I couldn’t move as I like to.”

Griffin said he had to alter his game somewhat because of the pain in his knee, and tried to move the ball and get others involved. He finished with 17 points and five rebounds in 32 minutes.

The injuries are a legit concern for the Clippers, but they’re not getting any sympathy cards from the Grizzlies.

“I didn’t know he was hurt. Was he hurt?” Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph asked a reporter when the Paul injury was brought to his attention. “It’s the playoffs. We’re not looking for any excuse. My knee is hurting, but I’m not looking for an excuse. It is what it is. I just came off a torn knee injury. You gotta put that in the back and come out and play.”

Randolph easily enjoyed his best game of the series Friday when he scored 18 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds in 38 minutes. It was shades of the Z-Bo who dominated last season’s first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs.

“It has been a physical series and everybody has something. People are icing knees, ankles, even necks. Everybody has something at this point,” said Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, who had a game-high 23 points and has elevated his game the last two games after being relatively absent for the first four.

Gasol and the Grizzlies have regained home-court edge in the series and will have Game 7 in Memphis. In the history of the NBA playoffs, home teams have won Game 7s 80 percent of the time.

Clippers point guard Chris Paul has scored 20 or more points in the last three playoff games against the Grizzlies. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Memphis Grizzlies are on the brink of elimination in the playoffs because they simply have no answer for L.A. Clippers All-Star point guard Chris Paul.

From the start of the series to Game 4, CP3 has been the best player on the court. He willed his team to a 21-point comeback in the fourth quarter in Game 1, then he has been absolutely unstoppable in games 2-3-4. He scored 29 points in a 105-98 loss in Game 2, but bounced back with 24 points and 11 assists in an 87-86 win in Game 3, then had a spectacular fourth quarter in the Clippers’ 101-97 win Tuesday night to give the Clippers a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Paul finished with 27 points in 42 minutes in Game 4 at Staples Center, including eight points in overtime.

“We’re a resilient bunch, but I knew that pretty much going into the series. We showed that in our Game 1 win, but in Game 3 and Game 4 we showed a lot of grit,” said Paul, who is averaging 23 points and eight assists against the Grizzlies in the first round.

Heading into the opening-round series the Grizzlies were thought of as the one with the grit and the toughness, having shown it in last season’s monumental upset over the San Antonio Spurs. But through the first four games, it’s the Clippers who are showing some toughness and the biggest reason is their little floor general.

“We’re trying to shut down Chris Paul. He’s the problem, gotta solve the problem,” Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said after his team lost Game 4. “We just gotta stay with our schemes. I thought down the stretch they ran a couple of pick-and-rolls and we decided on the court to do something different instead of staying with what we’re supposed to do. We got hung up, and now [Paul] is taking the big guy and he’s pulling up shooting jump shots without a smaller guy getting up in his face. Down the stretch, Chris Paul made all the plays.”

When asked if he has other options to guard Paul, Hollins says he has been satisfied with the way Tony Allen and Mike Conley has defended Paul. They just need more help.

“Tony Allen has done a great job, Mike Conley has done a great job. We’re going against a great player. You guys keep talking about defensive players. The guy is a great player, and that’s what great players do. We just gotta see if we can take the bull by the horns before we get to the fourth quarter.”

Expect Hollins to keep Allen and Conley on Paul unless both get into foul trouble. He’ll try to avoid putting Conley on Paul for much of the game because the Grizzlies need to save Conley’s legs on offense, so that leaves Allen — who was an All-NBA defender last season — with the unenviable task of trying to slow down CP3.

One adjustment Hollins could make is by trapping Paul off the pick-and-rolls quicker so he doesn’t have time to turn the corner, but Paul is so clever coming off picks that he gets big guys in foul trouble by flopping a little bit when he gets bumped.

If the Grizzlies are unable to corral Paul, then this series is not going to last very long.

Kobe Bryant faced Russell Westbrook (far right) and former Lakers teammate Derek Fisher (middle) in the Western Conference semifinals. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The L.A. Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs are likely not going to lose in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, so let’s not even waste our time discussing possible upsets in the 1-8 and 3-6 matchups. The best matchups are in the 4-5 and 2-7.

Second-seeded Oklahoma City will take on defending NBA champs Dallas in the opening round, a rematch of last season’s conference finals won by the Mavericks. The other intriguing early showdown is the Grizzlies vs. Clippers. Both franchises have very little postseason history to hang their hats on, but it’s a new era and there’s plenty of buzz surrounding both teams.

Here’s how OneManFastBreak sees the Western Conference playoffs will shake down:

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Utah Jazz
The Jazz roll into the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the West. Unfortunately for them, they’re playing THE hottest team in the NBA in the Spurs. San Antonio has been the best team since the All-Star break, and Gregg Popovich picked up some key veteran pieces in Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw to bolster his roster. Utah has Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, but their backcourt is a little shaky. That’s bad news for a team that is about to face two possible Hall-of-Famers in Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. SPURS IN 4.

(4) Memphis Grizzlies vs. (5) L.A. Clippers
This is a classic matchup between Beauty and the Beast. The Grizzlies are a physical bunch with a NFL-type frontline that boasts 270-pound Marc Gasol and 265-pound Zach Randolph. The Clippers are the darlings of the league, with style of play that is very ESPN friendly, led by Lob City residents Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The Grizzlies will try to beat you with their inside game and stout defense, while the Clippers will try to put the ball in the hands of point guard Chris Paul and push the tempo. Lob City works well during the regular season, but this is the playoffs. Lobbing will not be permitted. GRIZZLIES IN 7

(3) L.A. Lakers vs. (6) Denver Nuggets
Not having Ron Artest in the opening round will hurt the Lakers defense, but they have plenty of reserves to pick up the slack. Matt Barnes is a solid defender and a better shooter than Artest, and Devin Ebanks has shown he’s a capable player on both ends. The Nuggets like to play fast and loose, while the Lakers love to slow the pace and methodically work the ball inside to their big men or isolate Kobe Bryant on the wing. It’s going to be speed vs. size. Size wins this contest. LAKERS IN 6

(2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks
Rudy Tomjanovich famously said “never underestimate the heart of a champion.” The Mavericks have a lot of proud champions on their side, led by Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki, Hall-of-Famer Jason Kidd, and super sub Jason Terry. But let’s not carried away with this “heart of a champion” thing. This is not the same Mavs team that defeated the Heat in the Finals. No Tyson Chandler. No J.J. Barea. No Peja Stokajovic. The new-look Mavs may be able to push the Thunder to the limit, but in the end the OKC home-court advantage will be the difference. THUNDER IN 7

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

(2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (3) L.A. Lakers
This series will be one epic battle. On one corner you have the Lakers, a team loaded with championship experience with the best pair of big men in the league in Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. On the other corner you have the Thunder, a team loaded with young and hungry stars with arguably the best scoring duo in the league in Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. It will be interesting to see how Lakers coach Mike Brown will play with the matchups. You known he’ll stick Ron Artest on Durant and Kobe Bryant on Westbrook. But who guards the reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year James Harden? In the Lakers’ lone win against OKC during the regular season, Harden left the game after taking a vicious elbow from Artest. Harden, who attended Artest High School near Los Angeles, seems to shaken off the cobwebs of Artest’s MMA now, and you better believe he’s out for revenge against his hometown team.  THUNDER IN 7

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (4) L.A. Clippers
History shows that the Spurs own the Clippers. Whether it’s the L.A. Clippers, San Diego Clippers or the Buffalo Braves, the Spurs own a 115-30 record against their second-round foe. But those were the old Clippers. They never had Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Mo Williams, or even Nick Young in the lineup. These new-age Clippers have gained plenty of swag after an emotional seven-game series with Memphis. The Spurs haven’t played in a week and it may take a game or two to get back in the groove. The biggest concern for the Clippers are the injuries to Paul and Griffin, their two best players. They were able to overcome those ailments against the Grizzlies, but the Spurs are a totally different beast. Paul’s injured groin and hip will get severely tested by the speedy Tony Parker. Gregg Popovich vowed not to change the Spurs’ rotation in the playoffs, and so far he’s been true to his word. This is the deepest team Popovich has had and depth with be the deciding factor in this series. SPURS IN 6

CONFERENCE FINALS

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (2) Oklahoma City Thunder
The Spurs look flawless in the first two rounds, winning all eight playoff games and six of them were by double digits. That’s the good side. The bad side of things is the fact that the Spurs have yet to be tested, which leaves a small opening for OKC to take advantage of. The Thunder, on the other hand, are 7-1 in the playoffs but have been involved in five close ballgames. Even though OKC eliminated the L.A. Lakers in just five games, the Thunder were two clutch baskets by Kevin Durant from being down 3-1. The Spurs are one of the deepest teams in the league, while the Thunder rely on Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. San Antonio won the season series 2-1, and Manu Ginobili didn’t play in any of the matchups. It will take a near superhuman effort from Durant, Westbrook and Harden to take down the streaking Spurs, and that may be too much to ask. SPURS IN SEVEN

Shaquille O'Neal has yet to sign with an NBA team. (GETTY IMAGES)

August is nearly here and Shaquille O’Neal is still a free agent. Not many teams are jumping at the chance to snag The Big Diesel, who is reportedly asking for a two-year deal worth around $8 million. O’Neal will be 39 years old in March and his once imposing presence and larger-than-life reputation has become nothing but a distant memory.

If O’Neal posted his resume on Craigslist it would read something like this: Three-time NBA Finals MVP looking for work …. Funny, outgoing and likes to come up with nicknames …. Prefers to play for a winning program ….  can only work half a season, and preferably just 24 minutes a day  and no more than 150 minutes per week …. Salary: negotiable …. Medical benefits: needs full coverage because of preexisting condition …. Work experience (by city): Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix and Cleveland …. Unique skills: space eater, hard to move, very strong …. Hobbies: likes to rap and dance (part-time member of the hip-hop group Jabbawockeez: America’s Best Dance Crew) …. References: available upon request.

If he retires now, after 18 seasons, O’Neal will leave with four championships, three NBA Finals most valuable player trophies and 15 All-Star game appearances, and he is second all-time in field-goal percentage at .581.

All those numbers are certainly good enough to put him in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., but they all could have been better.

Shaq says he wanted to leave the game with at least five championships. He won three with the Lakers and one with the Heat, which leaves him one short of his goal. O’Neal could have won more than three with the Lakers, but he wasted a lot of “company time” arguing with Kobe Bryant. He won just one regular season MVP (2000) and never played more than 79 games in each of his eight seasons in L.A.

Although he helped lead the Heat to an NBA title in 2006, it was Dwyane Wade who was named Finals MVP. The last time O’Neal was an MVP was his first year in Miami (2005). From that point on, O’Neal’s scoring average has dropped like the stock market.

His 28,255 points puts him fifth on the all-time list for now, but he could have easily surpassed 30,000 had he not missed more than 5,000 free throws. Last year, he averaged just 12 points and six rebounds – half of what he averages for his career.

There were reports that the Hawks were interested in signing O’Neal, but their interest has diminished. The Celtics, who are in need of big men, toyed with idea of bringing in Shaq to fill the void left by Kendrick Perkins, who is expected to be out until January after knee surgery. Boston ended up signing an O’Neal, but it wasn’t Shaquille. Instead, the Celtics and Jermaine O’Neal agreed to a two-year deal and if Rasheed Wallace comes out of retirement it would be foolish for the Celtics to go after Shaq.

The Spurs were in The Diesel’s radar, but the signing of Brazilian center Tiago Splitter, the best big man in Europe last season, pretty much ended a Shaq-Duncan pairing.

So which teams can afford to fit O’Neal into their plans? Here are seven possible destinations for Shaq:

— New Orleans Hornets: Shaq played at LSU and wouldn’t mind a return to the Bayou. The Hornets have Emeka Okafor as their starting center, but he’s not immune to getting dealt. If the Hornets decide to keep Okafor, O’Neal will have to swallow his pride, take a pay cut and be Okafor’s backup. Not likely to happen, unless Chris Paul tells management that he wants to play with Shaq.

— Milwaukee Bucks: The injury to Andrew Bogut may take a while to heal, so the Bucks are looking to rent a center for a few months. Head coach Scott Skiles still holds Shaq in high regard and has maintained a solid relationship with The Big Aristotle. Shaq would fit right in Milwaukee and be the strong personality in the locker room for the young Bucks.

— Oklahoma City Thunder: OKC acquired 6-11 center Cole Aldrich in the draft, but they certainly wouldn’t mind adding more size to their already very quick and athletic roster. However, Shaq will be a huge liability on both ends of the court and GM Sam Presti may be reluctant to bring in a big personality like the self-proclaimed MDE that would stunt the growth of 21-year-old leaders Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

— Atlanta Hawks: There is still an outside chance that O’Neal signs with the Hawks to bolster their very small frontline. But O’Neal must take less money or else this could be a deal-breaker.

— Boston Celtics: Ditto. If Shaq wants to have another shot at winning a championship ring, the Celtics may be his best opportunity. But, are the Celtics still interested?

— L.A. Clippers: Shaq back in L.A.? Wouldn’t that be something. This would be a longshot given the Clippers’ history of not being big players in the offseason, but bringing in a guy like Shaq would certainly upgrade the Clippers brand off the court. On the court, O’Neal would have to play behind Chris Kaman, but that’s easier said than done. O’Neal’s massive ego may not be able to handle that demotion. But if O’Neal agrees to play second fiddle and takes less money, it would certainly would inject some HGH into the Lakers-Clippers rivalry.

— Cleveland Cavaliers: Another longshot given Shaq’s wish of playing for contender. The Cavaliers’ championship aspirations went out the door as soon as LeBron James said “Good-bye to Cleveland” and “Hello to Miami.” O’Neal played with new Cavs head coach Byron Scott with the Lakers so playing for B-Scott shouldn’t be problem.

And should all of these teams pass on The Big Free Agent, there’s always a spot open with the Jabbawockees.

Shaquille O'Neal performs with the Jabbawockeez at the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)