AROUND the NBA:

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Cleveland went all in on Harden. We'll see what that brings on Sunday. I'm still surprised Toronto is in this series without Quickley and Ingram.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://x.com/TheDunkCentral/status/2050340425127329811

MPJ says the Nuggets would have won if they hadn't traded him.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://x.com/NBA__Courtside/status/2050335201054908892


Shams on Jokic's future in Denver.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://x.com/ESPNInsights/status/2050438308929458572


Lebron is defeating Father Time.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Game 7: 76ers at Celtics (Saturday, 1:30 p.m. ET, Prime)



What to watch in Game 7: The story of this series has been pretty simple: In the three games Boston has won, it has shot almost 42% from 3-point range. In the three games the Celtics have lost, they have shot under 30% from 3. It's dangerous to simplify things to that degree, but it's consistent with how the Celtics have typically played under coach Joe Mazzulla. Boston is now 17-1 when it shoots 40% or better in the playoffs, and 19-19 when it shoots under 40% -- including 4-9 when it shoots under 30%. For all the strategic things that can be discussed about this matchup, if you could predict Boston's 3-point shooting percentage Saturday, you'd have a pretty good indication of how this game will go. -- Bontemps

[HoosierDaddyKid]

What to watch in Game 7: The Cavaliers have the highest-paid roster in the NBA with a superstar duo in Mitchell and Harden, who are trying to overcome their previous playoff disappointments. The pressure will be on the Cavs to win a game at home and avoid a tumultuous offseason in Cleveland. After dropping the first two games, Toronto has been playing with increased confidence since the beginning of Game 3 and can now pull off a massive upset with the first r
road victory of the series. -- Collier



Despite missing Brandon Ingram (heel) for Game 6, and being without starting point guard Immanuel Quickley (hamstring) the entire series, the Raptors forced a decisive Game 7 against the heavily favored Cavs. Scottie Barnes turned in another all-around master class. He racked up a double-double before halftime and finished with 25 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds while spending time guarding Cavs stars Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Evan Mobley. Barrett and Ja'Kobe Walter each scored 24 as Toronto picked up the slack by committee in front of an energetic home crowd. -- Jamal Collier

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Game 7: Magic at Pistons (Sunday, May 3 )

What to watch in Game 7: Can the Magic recover from this collapse? Detroit goes home confident, looking and feeling like the No. 1 team in the East again. The Magic have been resilient since their play-in rout of the Charlotte Hornets two weeks ago, but this one will be hard to shake by Sunday afternoon.

Orlando won Game 1 in Detroit. But with Franz Wagner still in a walking boot, nursing a strained right calf, the Magic are looking at likely having to play a third straight game without him. The Magic have until 3:30 p.m. Sunday to shake this loss, or else their season could end, having blown a 3-1 series lead, which could certainly mean an offseason of change.

[Chicagojk]

Wow, I did not know until now how that Toronto game ended.  Amazing.   Now, we get game 7 Harden.  I am sure Clev fans are super confident .   I actually think he plays pretty good in game 7 and the Cavs win.   The Harden stinker is coming later in the playoffs is my guess.  

Impressive series win by the Lakers.  I don't know if the Lakers deserve more praise or if the Rockets deserve more blame.   So, maybe a little bit of both.   Rockets with a very interesting offseason.    A healthy Adams and FVV will help, but I think this year has shown they are not a top 4 contender and could slip some soon.  Especially when you are counting on an older 30's player.   The vibe just appears off out there.   There will be a lot of Rockets rumors this offseason.  I am sure that will just go great with their current vibe of the team too

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

[Fischer] There’s a legitimate chance that Anthony Davis is traded by the Wizards before appearing in a game for the franchise. The Trail Blazers, who previously pursued him at the trade deadline, could be a potential landing spot— especially if they fail in their chase of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Source: https://open.substack.com/pub/marcstein/p/your-nba-weekend-three-game-7s-and?r=nuq3a&utm_medium=ios

Sources say that the Blazers also contacted Dallas during the season to gauge the Mavericks' interest in a Grant-centric package sweetened with draft capital in exchange for Anthony Davis. Rather than trade for a player with 2 1/2 pricy seasons remaining on his contract at that point, Dallas shipped Davis to Washington in a deal that featured a modest return in terms of future draft picks but swiftly removed three burdensome contracts (Davis, D'Angelo Russell and Jaden Hardy) from the Mavericks' payroll.

You might have seen our colleague Chris Haynes' eyebrow-raising revelation on Sirius XM NBA earlier this week, stating that he believes there's a chance Davis could be traded this offseason before ever playing a game for the Wizards. (You'll recall that Haynes also first reported months ago that Davis would not play for Washington this season after the trader with Dallas.)

I've heard that same trade sentiment floating around the league ahead of potential contract extension talks this summer and I've likewise been advised by sources close to the situation to regard Portland as a potential Davis suitor should it fall short in its Antetokounmpo pursuit.

The expectation with regard to Trae Young continues to be that Young and the Wizards will come to terms on an extension this summer no matter what happens with Davis in the nation's capital.

[dirkfansince1998]

So we can assume that the Blazers offered a better package as far as draft compensation goes but Mavs decided that powder is more valuable. Some things never change...

[Smitty]

[Fischer] There’s a legitimate chance that Anthony Davis is traded by the Wizards before appearing in a game for the franchise. The Trail Blazers, who previously pursued him at the trade deadline, could be a potential landing spot— especially if they fail in their chase of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Source: https://open.substack.com/pub/marcstein/p/your-nba-weekend-three-game-7s-and?r=nuq3a&utm_medium=ios

Sources say that the Blazers also contacted Dallas during the season to gauge the Mavericks' interest in a Grant-centric package sweetened with draft capital in exchange for Anthony Davis. Rather than trade for a player with 2 1/2 pricy seasons remaining on his contract at that point, Dallas shipped Davis to Washington in a deal that featured a modest return in terms of future draft picks but swiftly removed three burdensome contracts (Davis, D'Angelo Russell and Jaden Hardy) from the Mavericks' payroll.

You might have seen our colleague Chris Haynes' eyebrow-raising revelation on Sirius XM NBA earlier this week, stating that he believes there's a chance Davis could be traded this offseason before ever playing a game for the Wizards. (You'll recall that Haynes also first reported months ago that Davis would not play for Washington this season after the trader with Dallas.)

I've heard that same trade sentiment floating around the league ahead of potential contract extension talks this summer and I've likewise been advised by sources close to the situation to regard Portland as a potential Davis suitor should it fall short in its Antetokounmpo pursuit.

The expectation with regard to Trae Young continues to be that Young and the Wizards will come to terms on an extension this summer no matter what happens with Davis in the nation's capital.

No thank you to Grant and that contract. Good move by Riccardi and Co. to take the Wizards offer.

[KillerLeft]

So we can assume that the Blazers offered a better package as far as draft compensation goes but Mavs decided that powder is more valuable. Some things never change...

Maybe, but my chief assumption would be that the Blazers are more inclined to consider giving Davis a DEAL this summer (as a contingency, at least) than they were at the deadline.

Could be totally wrong, but my read of how it all played out is that at the deadline, ATL and only ATL was kicking the tires on offering Davis a new deal and ultimately decided to go a different route. We always knew the number of teams trying to talk themselves into that might grow over the summer, which is why some people were hoping the Mavs would hold onto Davis at least a little longer. It seems the Mavs were desperate to get out from under the repeater tax right away, and tbh I didn't think getting below the tax for THIS PAST SEASON was even an option, really. I'm still pretty impressed they were able to pull that off, truth be told. I think it was the right play, perhaps not in maximizing the asset's potential, but certainly in eliminating a great many of the uglier scenarios that had a chance to play out if they kept him.

I'm happy with the move they made.

[dirkfansince1998]

Maybe, but my chief assumption would be that the Blazers are more inclined to consider giving Davis a DEAL this summer (as a contingency, at least) than they were at the deadline.

Just trying to figure out what the actual plan is but I guess without any knowledge about a possible future GM that's kinda futile. Feels like the Davis move was more about a clean slate than taking the team in any given direction.
But just the idea of operating as a team that is chasing free agents in 2028 or 2029 (most likely windows) gives me PTSD. Mavs track record is brutal and free agency as a whole isn't what it used to be. Franchise changing talents or even good role players rarely reach free agency these days.

[Smitty]

@BrettSiegelNBA
It was Jerami Grant, expiring contracts, and a heavily protected pick for Anthony Davis, and it never gained any traction whatsoever.

Portland made one call and Dallas was not interested. There weren't ongoing discussions, and that was that.




Yuck!!!

[KillerLeft]

@BrettSiegelNBA
It was Jerami Grant, expiring contracts, and a heavily protected pick for Anthony Davis, and it never gained any traction whatsoever.

Portland made one call and Dallas was not interested. There weren't ongoing discussions, and that was that.




Yuck!!!

Yeah, the most valuable part of the WAS deal was their ability to absorb money into their space. There just wasn't a team offering enough asstes/draft capital to justify any trade match scenario. I'm a bigger fan of Grant than most, and when compared to Davis, at least he plays, but...yeah, that deal isn't better than keeping Davis and hoping for the best.

[myconsumerclub]

plus we ditched some guys like hardy who played well for them.

[Smitty]

Brad Stevens wins executive of the year and loses Round 1 as the 2 seed. Things change quickly in the NBA… Nobody had Philly winning this one!

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Brad Stevens wins executive of the year and loses Round 1 as the 2 seed. Things change quickly in the NBA… Nobody had Philly winning this one!

Philly took advantage of no Tatum and Boston missing 12 of their last 13 shots in the final 5 minutes, having Embiid playing well along with PG, Maxey, and Edgecombe was the difference. Boston only shot 13-49 from 3. When they shoot poorly they lose. Hard to believe Boston blew a 3-1 series lead, and lost 3 games at home. They might be a tough out vs the Knicks.

[Scott41theMavs]

Brad Stevens wins executive of the year and loses Round 1 as the 2 seed. Things change quickly in the NBA… Nobody had Philly winning this one!

Maybe he's "washed up" enough that the Mavs can get permission to talk to him.

[Knutsen]

Philly took advantage of no Tatum and Boston missing 12 of their last 13 shots in the final 5 minutes, having Embiid playing well along with PG, Maxey, and Edgecombe was the difference. Boston only shot 13-49 from 3. When they shoot poorly they lose. Hard to believe Boston blew a 3-1 series lead, and lost 3 games at home. They might be a tough out vs the Knicks.

Philly is dangerous, they are getting the band together at the right time.

A starting five of Maxey, Edgecombe, George, Oubre and Embiid is very solid on both ends of the floor.