NBA: Obama offers praise to Curry, James, fired coach
US President Barack Obama took questions regarding climate change via Twitter on Thursday, but also commented on two hot basketball topics, the NBA Finals and his favorite team, the Chicago Bulls. Taking advantage of the #AskPOTUS opportunity, Obama was asked about the firing just minutes earlier of Tom Thibodeau, coach of the Bulls, after five seasons in the role. "love thibs and think he did a great job. Sorry to see him go but expect he will be snatched up soon by another team," Obama tweeted. Thibodeau, the NBA Coach of the Year in 2011 as a rookie, was successful in the regular season but his teams were nagged by injuries to star Derrick Rose and never reached the NBA Finals. The Bulls were eliminated in the second round by the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers, who will face the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals starting next Thursday. Obama was asked about Cavaliers veteran standout J.R. Smith and whether he could spark Cleveland to the title over Golden State and 2015 NBA Most Valuable Player Steph Curry. The president passed around praise in his reply, including injured Atlanta Hawks sharpshooter Kyle Korver, but did not select a winner. "jr smith having a great season but the heart of the Cavs is Lebron," Obama tweeted. "And no one can outshoot Curry - maybe Korver if wide open." James will be playing in his fifth consecutive NBA Finals, having left Cleveland for four seasons with Miami in which he won two titles and twice lost in the final. James returned last July to Cleveland, vowing to bring the city it's first major US team sports champion since the 1964 Cleveland Browns won the National Football League crown.
