Celtics take 1-0 NBA Finals lead on Mavericks

Per Boston.com:

In just of matter of minutes, Kristaps Porzingis quelled any questions and concerns about how effective he could be in his first game back from a calf injury.

The Celtics’ star big made plays on both ends of the court in the first quarter of Game 1, scoring 11 points to go with two blocks in the opening frame of Thursday’s 107-89 win. He wound up finishing with 20 points on 8 of 13 shooting to go with six rebounds and two blocks in just 21 minutes of action.

Even though Porzingis was quite effective on Thursday, even he had some questions on just how good he could be after missing the last 10 games due to a soleus strain in his calf. Porzingis hesitated Tuesday when asked if he was 100 percent, admitting Thursday that he wasn’t sure how his calf would feel in Game 1.

“I want to say I’m fine, but obviously, I haven’t played,” Porzingis told reporters. I haven’t had the feel of like, ‘Am I 100 percent?’ But tonight was an affirmation that I’m pretty good. Maybe I’m not perfect, but I’m pretty good and I can play like this. I can definitely add to this team.”

Per the Boston Globe:

As he entered the media room after the Mavericks’ Game 1 loss to the Celtics, one of his worst playoff performances in recent years, Kyrie Irving kept things light. He dribbled a basketball into the press conference and feigned like he was going to hand it to a media staffer before keeping hold of it, joking: “I need [the ball] right now. Didn’t shoot particularly well tonight.”

“Man, this is the best time of the year to be playing,” Irving said after Dallas fell, 107-89, to open the NBA Finals. “There’s two teams left, let’s put it in perspective. The environment’s going to be what it is, but my focus is on our game plan, making sure my guys feel confident and I feel confident and continue to shoot great shots.”

Irving finished with just 12 points on 6 of 19 shooting, missing all five 3-pointers he took. Irving heard loud boos every time he touched the ball and louder cheers on all 13 misses. It was his worst playoff shooting night (taking at least 10 shots) since his infamous final game as a Celtic, when he shot a paltry 6 of 21 in a blowout Game 5 loss to the Bucks in the second round of the 2019 postseason before bolting for Brooklyn.

Per the Boston Globe:

Jaylen Brown, meanwhile, picked up where he left off in the conference finals, in which he won series MVP. He finished with 22 points and six rebounds which sounds unremarkable, but his impact was hard to overstate.

Off the opening tip, Brown hit the floor and salvaged the first possession for the Celtics. He guarded Luka Doncic and played excellent 1-on-1 defense against the Mavericks star. He made numerous hustle plays, blocked three shots, and picked off three steals. When the Mavericks cut into the lead in the third quarter (more on this in a minute), Brown was the driving force (pun somewhat intended) as they pushed the lead back up.

“What you saw tonight is kind of the challenge he took for himself coming into the year,” Joe Mazzulla said. “Not wanting to be defined by one thing. Wanting to make plays. Wanted to be a well-rounded player and get better and better. So his spacing, his ball movement, his defense on ball and off ball.”

Per the Dallas Morning News:

And the Celtics’ fans did their part, too. Booing Irving every time he touched the ball, for both his failure to make an impact in Boston and his stomping on the leprechaun at midcourt during a Brooklyn playoff series a few years back, they got their money’s worth. Irving had 12 points, going 6-of-19 while missing all five 3-point tries in the contest.

Doncic led everyone with 30, as you might expect, but his 12-for-26 night was far from special by his standards, and his one assist gives an indication of how others were shooting and how disjointed this team seemed for much of the evening. Boston’s 37-20 lead after one quarter told most of the story as all five Celtics starters plus Porzingis scored in double-figures led by Jaylen Brown’s 22.

By the end, Boston’s 38% from 3-point range was not far from their norm, so it’s not as if the Mavericks can’t expect similar performances the rest of the way. Maybe the scariest thing for Dallas is that the Celtics played exemplary defense against Irving — much of it from specialist Jrue Holiday — and you would expect that to continue. Oklahoma City kept Irving in check in the second-round series and the Celtics have the same depth of talented defensive perimeter players along with much greater scoring ability.

Thunder eliminated by Mavericks in second round of playoffs

Per the Oklahoman:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander buried his face in his jersey. Chet Holmgren clasped his hands on his head. Jalen Williams, after his desperation heave drifted wayward, bent over, hands on knees.

The game was epic, making the Thunder’s 117-116 defeat in Game 6 all the more agonizing.

Dallas advanced to the Western Conference Finals. Oklahoma City is headed home.

An electric fourth-quarter filled with spectacular shotmaking and would-be game-defining plays was decided by a whistle. A correct whistle, but a whistle nonetheless.

Gilgeous-Alexander, tremendous all night, fouled his old college buddy, P.J. Washington, on a 3-pointer with three seconds left.

Mayhem preceded the call.

FULL ARTICLE

Injury concern for Knicks iron man Josh Hart

Per the NY Post:

It is always surprising — even jarring — to see Josh Hart come out of a game, especially during the playoffs.

Asking out is something else entirely.

The Knicks’ iron man suffered an injury to his abdominal area Friday night in the first quarter of a series-tying 116-103 loss in Game 6 against the Pacers.

Hart, who already has played four complete games in the Knicks’ first 12 of the postseason, even appeared to motion to the bench to be removed nearly midway through the third quarter.

FULL ARTICLE

Pacers win at home, force a Game 7 with Knicks

Per the Indianapolis Star:

After a miserable performance in Game 5 put them on the brink of elimination, the Pacers dominated in all the areas they flopped on Tuesday, pounding the Knicks 116-103 in Game 6 on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to tie the series 3-3 and force a Game 7.

The deciding game will be played at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. The winner plays the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals…

The Knicks decision to go small starting in Game 5 with Miles McBride inserted into the starting lineup and Josh Hart moved from small to power forward gave the Pacers an obvious size advantage in the frontcourt. They didn’t exploit it nearly as much as they intended to in Game 5, but it Game 6 they had a lot more opportunities and they took advantage.

FULL ARTICLE

Timberwolves win big, force a Game 7 with Nuggets

Per the Denver Post:

After an exchange of blowouts that has lasted six games, there’s no telling what could happen in the seventh.

Jamal Murray’s shooting efficiency reverted to Game 2 form, Michael Porter Jr. was held to single-digit scoring for a third consecutive game and the Nuggets were crushed, 115-70, by the Timberwolves in a potential close-out Game 6 on Thursday night. It set a new franchise low in playoff single-game scoring.

Anthony Edwards bounced back with 27 points and three steals. Jaden McDaniels supplied 21 points on 10 shots as Denver gave him the Aaron Gordon treatment, living with his shots. And the two Minnesota wings combined to quiet the Nuggets’ second and third options at the defensive end. Murray shot 4 for 18, totaling 10 points. Porter scored eight on 3-of-9 shooting.

Nikola Jokic’s 22 points weren’t enough to overcome the lack of supporting offense. He registered only two assists, matching a season low (at Minnesota in March).

FULL ARTICLE

Mavericks take 3-2 series lead on Thunder

Per the Dallas Morning News:

Sprained right knee. Sore left ankle and Achilles. Stiff back.

The accumulation of injuries clearly has taken a toll on Luka Doncic during this second-round series, but Wednesday night he conquered the pain, and Oklahoma City, by summoning Luka Magic in the Mavericks’ 104-92 Game 5 victory in Paycom Center.

“The old Luka, with a smile on my face,” as Doncic put it.

Was it vintage Playoff Luka? No, but he was plenty overpowering, with 31 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as Dallas took a 3-2 series lead over the No. 1 seed Thunder and moved within one victory of its second Western Conference finals berth in three seasons.

Not coincidentally, care to guess when and where and in what situation Doncic’s other dominant performance was since these injuries mounted? It was Game 5 of the first round, when he had 35 points and 10 assists in Los Angeles in a 30-point Dallas victory that broke a 2-2 series tie.

FULL ARTICLE

Celtics advance to 2024 NBA Eastern Conference Finals

Per the Boston Herald:

The Celtics withstood a spirited effort by an injury-ravaged Cavaliers squad Wednesday night to book their third straight trip to the Eastern Conference finals.

Boston won 113-98 at TD Garden to eliminate Cleveland in five games.

Jayson Tatum finished with 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting, 10 rebounds, nine assists and four steals to lead the top-seeded Celtics, but he wasn’t the one hearing “MVP” chants as the game wound down.

That honor went to Al Horford, who posted a stat line never before seen in NBA postseason history.

Making his sixth consecutive start in place of the injured Kristaps Porzingis, the 37-year-old big man racked up 22 points, six 3-pointers, 15 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 35 minutes.

Before Wednesday, no NBA player ever had recorded 20-plus points, 15-plus rebounds, three-plus blocks and five-plus made threes in a playoff game. Seven of Horford’s rebounds were on the offensive glass; Cleveland as a team had six offensive rebounds.

FULL ARTICLE

Denver Nuggets 2023 NBA championship parade highlights

Denver Nuggets 2023 NBA championship parade highlights:

Denver Nuggets win 2023 NBA championship

Via ESPN.com:

In the biggest game in Denver Nuggets history, veteran DeAndre Jordan had a second-half message for Jamal Murray during a timeout.

“Go win this game,” Jordan was heard saying on the broadcast. “Twelve minutes bro and you in history.

“Immortal.”

Murray, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets heeded the call for history, doing what they have done this entire magical postseason and adapting to any obstacle or defensive wrinkle thrown their way.

After opening Monday night’s Game 5 of the NBA Finals missing an abysmal 20 of their first 22 3-point attempts, the Nuggets came up with championship-winning plays in the final minutes.

From Jokic’s basket inside with 2:24 left to Bruce Brown’s putback with 1:31 to go, to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s steal off a Jimmy Butler pass with 27.1 seconds left, the Nuggets came up with all the big plays to win their first-ever NBA championship with a hard-fought 94-89 win over the Miami Heat at an overjoyed Ball Arena.

Via ESPN.com:

Nikola Jokic might not have won this third straight Most Valuable Player award this season, but he still ended up with an MVP trophy after all.

In addition to finally getting the championship he has coveted, Jokic was named NBA Finals MVP after the Denver Nuggets eliminated the Miami Heat, 94-89, in Game 5 at Ball Arena.

Jokic closed out Miami with 28 points, 16 rebounds and four assists to help the Nuggets win the franchise’s first-ever NBA title. Like each opponent the Nuggets faced this postseason, the Heat had very little answers for Jokic.

When asked how it feels to be an NBA champion, Jokic told ESPN’s Lisa Salters on the court: “It’s good. It’s good. The job is done, and we can go home now.”

Prior to this championship run, Jokic, 28, was already considered one of the best players of his generation. But now that he has won a championship and a Finals MVP, one NBA Hall of Famer says this catapults the Serbian big man into a different stratosphere.

Heat win Game 2, tie NBA Finals 1-1 with Nuggets

The Heat tied the NBA Finals and had to overcome a monster 41-point effort from Nikola Jokic to do it. Gabe Vincent scored 23 points, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each had 21 and Heat beat the Denver Nuggets 111-108 in Game 2 on Sunday night. “Our guys are competitors,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They love these kind of moments.” Evidently. They were down by as many as 15 points, down eight going into the fourth, and those numbers signified they were going to lose. Denver was 11-0 in these playoffs when leading by double digits at any point in a game, and 37-1 this season overall when leading by at least eight going into the fourth. – AP via ESPN.com

The Heat went up 11 early and led 26-23 at the end of the opening period. The Nuggets then went up 15 in the second period before the Heat closed within 57-51 at halftime. The Heat tied it 66-66 midway through the third quarter, but the Nuggets closed out the period on a 6-0 run to take an 83-75 lead into the fourth. – Sun Sentinel

A 3-pointer by Vincent with 10:10 to play then gave the Heat their first lead of the second half, at 86-85, as part of a 15-2 Heat run to open the fourth. “They came out in that fourth quarter with a huge sense of desperation, and we didn’t match that,” the Nuggets’ Malone said. The Heat then moved to their 107-95 lead with 3:39 to play on a Caleb Martin 3-pointer, with Denver trimming the deficit to 109-106 with 1:29 left on a basket by former University of Miami wing Bruce Brown. – Sun Sentinel

Just when you think Jimmy Butler is running on fumes, he summons enough to lift his team late. And Bam Adebayo was superb for the second game in a row. That helped offset 41 points by Nikola Jokic. After scoring a personal playoff-low 14 points in Game 1, Butler was again more of a facilitator than scorer through three quarters, missing all four of his shots in the third to go to the fourth with 13 points on 4-for-13 shooting. But after resting for the first four plus minutes of the fourth quarter, Butler delivered three big baskets — a three-pointer, a three-point play on a driving jumper and foul and a jumper. Butler — who closed with 21 points and 9 assists — has shot 41 percent and averaged 23 points in the past 10 playoff games, compared with 32 points on 55 percent in the first nine games. He shot only 7 for 19 but 5 for 5 on free throws Sunday after not getting to the line in Game 1. And Butler leads the NBA — by far — in clutch points during these playoffs, and he keeps coming through when needed. – Miami Herald

Now, while there will be a lot of discussion about Miami‘s shooting and its unsustainability, the Nuggets did not do themselves any favors in Game 2. Denver’s defensive disposition was poor to start the game. If you kept an eye on this space after Game 1, you’ll remember I complimented Miami’s offensive process despite the team only putting up 93 points. The Heat didn’t radically change their attack Sunday, but they did take advantage of all the open looks Denver gave up. For those who had fears about Nikola Jokic’s ability to hold up defensively in the playoffs, Game 2 gave that group some ammunition. Joker’s drop coverage continued to give up good looks. Bam Adebayo had his second straight 20-point game, and was routinely picking apart the Nuggets on the short roll. While Jimmy Butler could not get going with his own offense, he was able to time and time again collapse the Denver defense and find outside shooters. – SI.com