The most anticipated yet anticlimactic Knick regular season in years concluded its preamble with a 110-96 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, though it didn’t feel like an L. Both teams got what they wanted: New York rested their starting five and Mitchell Robinson (somewhere in Connecticut, a worried friend injects thorazine into the red, raging Tom Thibodeau); the Hornets earned the right to host their Play-In game against the Heat. Before nostalgia became commodity, it was once a pretty sweet fruit. I’m old enough to look back on and look forward to raucous Carolina playoff crowds. If Charlotte makes it to the playoffs, they’ll face Detroit. Please make it, Charlotte.

11 Knicks suited up, with 10 playing between 12 and 35 minutes, led by Mo Diawara; ironically, iron man Mikal Bridges played just 23 seconds, long enough to extend his consecutive games streak for yet another year. There’ll be a whole heaping host of playoff previews and player retrospectives the next few months, but before we all go into playoff mode, a few reflections on the 2025-26 Knicks season.

• Jalen Brunson led the team in scoring at 26 per game. This was his third straight year scoring at least that many while being named an All-Star, the first Knick ever to do so. Patrick Ewing, Carmelo Anthony and Bernard King did so two years in a row, and Richie Guerin once. Bob McAdoo did twice, technically, with one in his split season between Buffalo and New York.
• Brunson averaged six more points a game than Karl-Anthony Towns. The last time the Knicks had a gap that large between their leading scorers was 2021, when Julius Randle scored 6.5 more than RJ Barrett.
• Despite a career-low in minutes per game and the fewest field goals made and attempted averages since his rookie year, KAT had a career-best year on the glass, leading the league in defensive rebounds while finishing seventh on the offensive boards.
• Another encouraging number from Towns: seven. As in seven games missed this year, 17 total since becoming a Knick. The five years prior in Minnesota, he missed 29, 22, 8, 53 and 20. KAT is one of God’s creatures, equal parts ineffable and effed up. One day when you’re looking back, much older than now, and the world is smaller and crueler and hotter, and the number of people who remember you keeps plummeting, the number who care even less, you will remember these as the good times. You will. Because the Knicks were a welcome distraction. One big reason why: Towns, simply showing up. Lotta good in life comes down to that.
• The Knicks managed to be more available while being less available this season. In 2025 nine Knicks played 500+ minutes; this year, Ariel Hukporti was two minutes away from making it a dozen. And while more Knicks played more, the more essential ‘bockers all played less: KAT played 195 fewer minutes, Mikal Bridges 344, OG Anunoby 482 and Josh Hart 903. Brunson played more total minutes because he played nine more games then last year; if he’d played the same number of games, he’d have played 30 less total minutes. Hopefully them legs pay off come playoff time.
• I always loved baseball players who would keep changing up their batting stance or delivery. Josh Hart is that kind of baseball player, a Cal Ripken Jr., a David Cone. Every year Hart does something pretty radically different, almost always for the better. In 2025 he shot 10% better from the field than he did in 2024 while dishing 45% more assists per game. This year he’s scoring like he hasn’t since his split 2022 season with the Pelicans and Trail Blazers. Per 36 minutes, he’s taking and making 40% more 3s than he did last season, all while going from the league leader in minutes last year to 54th this year. Hart remains the league leader among Joshes, comfortably ahead of both Okogie (197th) and Green (210th).
• You’re probably aware OG had more than 100 dunks and 100 3s, which is really cool. Can you guess who the Knick top-five in dunks were? By which I mean “Can you without looking it up?” You, the person reading this. You’re a miracle. Use your imagination. Googling is like masturbation: it has a time and a place, but don’t make it a crutch. I’ll confirm/reveal the answer in the comments. Don’t get any ideas.
• Bridges attempted 98 free throws this year. How rare is it for a starter to take fewer than 100 in a season? I went back over the past decade and could only find five. Four played far fewer minutes than Bridges, and would’ve broken the century mark if they’d played as often: Quentin Grimes, Damyean Dotson, Jarrett Jack and Courtney Lee. Essentially, there is only one Knick in the last 10 years who drew the whistle as rarely as Mikal.

• The Knicks finished 53-29, their third straight season of 50+ wins. Don’t sleep on that! Pat Riley won that many all four years he coached in New York. In the 27 seasons between Riley and Brunson, the Knicks did only three times. In the 18 seasons between their last title and the arrival of Ewing, they did twice. The NBA started playing 80 games in 1961-62 before settling on 82. In the dozen seasons from 1962 to 1973, the last Knick title, they won 50+ four times. To sum it all up: this franchise wins this many games a quarter of the time. So three straight times? Told you: these are the good times.

DollarBill24: “ I can already hear the ‘F*** Trae Young’ chants.” I never once liked those chants before, but if they break out in this series I am going to die laughing. Knicks got a week to rest and prepare for their series against Atlanta. There’ll be plenty of roundtables, previews and pods between now and then, so for a couple days let yourself marinate in the mellow.

The Toronto Raptors might look like one of the worst matchups for the Cleveland Cavaliers based on the sweep they conducted, but there are a lot of asterisks at play.

For one, the starting lineups they used in those games aren’t exactly the ones we’ll be seeing when the series starts next week.

The main talking point is that the Cavaliers were sending out makeshift lineups against Toronto. However, something that is not attached to this sentiment, as far as I have seen, is that this was going to be brought up no matter who Cleveland’s first-round opponent was.

The Cavaliers have donned 41 unique lineups in 82 games this season. These changes weren’t inspired by testing out different methodology. The Cavaliers have been snake bitten by the injury bug for the entirety of the regular season. Even on the opening tip in October, they started the season without Darius Garland and Max Strus.

The wave of injuries continued throughout the whole season. Mitchell is the Cavaliers’ so-called “iron man” with 70 games played. The fluctuation has impacted this roster from top to bottom.

The greater point is less about the Cavaliers against the Raptors individually as there is no basis to go off of, and more so how that the Cavaliers are arguably the biggest question mark of any team in the postseason.

It is hard to figure out what a fully healthy version of the Cavaliers looks like. Especially one that has undergone the personnel changes the Cavaliers did at the deadline. Whether it’s swapping James Harden in for Garland, Dennis Schroeder and Keon Ellis for Lonzo Ball and De’Andre Hunter, or even Jaylon Tyson or Max Strus at the three, the Cavaliers have a ton of open-ended questions that were never cemented in certainty.

The postseason is usually when a team commits to what has worked and sticks true to this identity made over 82 games. The Cavs don’t have that luxury.

The Cavaliers had just two five-man lineups that played at least 80 minutes together. One of them involves two players not currently with the team. Even the most used lineup isn’t available for the playoffs.

It makes the Cavaliers a blank canvas, unlike anything we’ve seen in recent years. Usually, it is that a team is hampered by injuries by the time the postseason rolls around. Look at the Lakers, they are starting a series possibly without two of their best three players on the team in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. The Cavaliers are actually at their healthiest at the most optimal time; we just don’t know how good they can be.

We’ll soon find out whether they can reach their ceiling as title contenders or if their lack of continuity will cause them to falter.

Daryl Morey and the rest of the Philadelphia front office are going to have challenges in upcoming summers. Thanks to the term left on the max contracts to Joel Embiid and Paul George, constructing future rosters will prove difficult. Perhaps there’s a world in which Morey can get off of George’s deal as the wing has shown signs of life since returning from his suspension and his contract has two years remaining on it compared to Embiid’s three.

But as the Sixers prepare to participate in the NBA’s play-in tournament for the second time in three seasons, we are yet again preparing for another postseason, should Philly get out of the play-in tournament, without Embiid for at least part of it. If we’re being completely honest, it’s probably going to be all of the postseason. Who in their right mind is going to pick them to beat Boston in the first round if they get a victory on Wednesday night against Orlando?

However, the 2025-26 Philadelphia 76ers season was never one that anyone expected to come with a deep playoff run. Fans were either checked out after an abysmal 2024-25 or ready to turn the page and see how quickly VJ Edgecombe could adapt to life in the NBA and what kind of backcourt tandem he could make with Tyrese Maxey. At best, it felt like fans were in wait-and-see mode as Embiid and George returned from respective knee procedures.

During the regular season, Embiid showed signs of his old self, particularly offensively. But unfortunately, it was only glimpses of the player he once was and he only played in 38 games. Despite the fact that Embiid is likely to be a Sixer for each of the next three seasons, this season was always a transitional one for the franchise. It was more about what kind of future the franchise could carve out for itself rather than doing all it could to make one last run with Embiid.

It is for that very reason that while Embiid’s recent appendicitis diagnosis is a tough blow for a future Hall of Famer who can never seem to catch a break, that the franchise could benefit from whatever the rest of April brings. Without Embiid, the organization will potentially get a look at how close they are to Boston, the franchise that seemingly everyone in the East has been competing to dethrone for the majority of the 2020s. Should the Sixers indeed square off with the Celtics in the first round, that series should give Morey the ability to make some more informed decisions about the team heading into the offseason. However cold this may sound, the reality is that all of those decisions about future roster construction should be made without Embiid being considered at all.

Anything Embiid contributes for the remaining three years on his contract should be viewed as a bonus. Frankly, anything the Sixers do in the playoffs should be viewed as a bonus as well. This season was always about figuring out what the franchise’s future is and how it can build a contender around players that aren’t Joel Embiid. Would a win against Orlando and then a six or seven-game series loss to Boston have Morey feeling more optimistic about a roster built around Maxey and Edgecombe? Of course, building that roster will require Morey to be creative due to the presence of Embiid and George’s hefty salaries for the next few seasons.

But we can all probably safely assume Embiid will play less than 50 regular season games a year for the rest of his career, so it just makes sense to continue to make decisions as if Embiid wasn’t around anymore. Perhaps a strong offseason from Morey maximizes Maxey and Edgecombe next season and Philly has a top four seed in the 2027 NBA Playoffs. Let’s not forget all the years the Sixers were dysfunctional around Embiid and Embiid was practically the sole reason they were a top four seed in the East. If there’s a world in which the Sixers can get back to that point with Embiid being used in a much lesser role, I’d say they’d finally be returning the favor for their former MVP.

Where Steph Curry ranks among all players in jersey sales for 2025-26 NBA season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Once again, Steph Curry has the most popular jersey in the entire NBA.

According to the league, Curry’s jersey was the top seller for the 2025-26 regular season based on sales from the NBA Store and Fanatics. Luka Dončić of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks, Victor Wembenyama of the San Antonio Spurs and LeBron James of the Lakers rounded out the top five, respectively.

It’s the sixth time the Warriors star has led all players in jersey sales; Curry last ranked No. 1 in 2023-24 before falling all the way down to No. 2 behind Dončić last season.

Curry’s reign atop the NBA’s jersey sales rankings is especially impressive given he’s never played for another organization in his 17-year pro career. Furthermore, Curry missed almost half of the 2025-26 season due to injury yet remained as popular as ever among fans.

As a team, the Warriors remained among the top-selling organizations in merchandise sales, coming in at No. 4 this season behind the Knicks, Lakers and Boston Celtics. Golden State ranked third in the NBA each of the previous two years.

So even in a down year for Curry and the Warriors, still expect to see plenty of people repping them going forward.

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Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Lakers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

With Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves out to start their postseason run, the Lakers won’t have many believers.

The team has relied on LeBron James, who has had some remarkable games and helped LA earn a top-four seed in the West. Still, those victories were against play-in teams like the Warriors and Suns, who were resting players as their postseason positions in the West were solidified.

Now that the Lakers are playing a legitimate team trying to win, stacking victories won’t be easy.

In our national SB Nation Reacts survey this week, we asked fans which top-four seed had the best chance to be knocked out of the first round and the Lakers were the clear winner.

No other team is dealing with injuries as severe as the Lakers. With their top two players out, generating enough offense to keep up with the best in the West will be an uphill battle for the purple and gold.

The good news is that Reaves and Dončić are not ruled out for the playoffs. In fact, Luka has spent time in Spain working to accelerate the recovery of his hamstring strain. While Dončić is doing everything possible to get better and his attempt to return is commendable, it can also be concerning.

He’s dealt with hamstring injuries throughout his career, including earlier this season. The last thing anyone wants is for him to return too soon and make his injury worse.

So, we also asked Lakers fans if they were worried or excited about Dončić potentially returning this postseason.

The Lakers were in a similar situation with Anthony Davis back in 2021. He got hurt in the middle of their first round matchup against the Suns with a groin strain. AD pushed himself and came back for Game 6. However, he was very hobbled and couldn’t even complete the first quarter, ending his night early as the Lakers were eliminated.

A scenario where the Lakers not only lose in the first round but Luka gets even more injured would be awful.

The Lakers’ medical staff will have to be 100% certain Luka’s good to go and not be influenced by what the first round series win total looks like. If Luka can play great, but there’s no need to push like a title is on the line. Dončić is the future of this franchise, and his health shouldn’t be jeopardized for minimal benefit in the present.

For now, it’s all about recovery for Luka as the postseason begins and we see if he’ll get a chance to play.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

Almost as soon as the 2025-26 NBA regular season officially ended, Kendrick Perkins made sure everybody knew he kept the receipts for Bill Simmons.

The former NBA player who's now a prominent commentator in ESPN's coverage of the league sent out a reminder via social media at 2:10 a.m. on Monday, April 13, that he was right about the Toronto Raptors and Simmons – the former ESPN personality who founded The Ringer website and podcast network, hosts "The Bill Simmons Podcast," and wrote "The Book of Basketball," – was wrong.

This particular feud between Perkins and Simmons dates back to June 2025 when Perkins posted a video in which he called Simmons a "fool," among other things, after apparent criticism Simmons had levied against Perkins for predicting the Raptors would be a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference during the 2025-26 season. Simmons, at the time, offered to put a "wager" on Perkins' take.

The 2026 NBA playoffs are upon us.

As of this moment, 20 teams are still alive for a shot at the Larry O’Brien trophy. However, eight of those teams still have some work to do before their playoff journeys can begin in earnest. Things kick off on Tuesday with the Play-In Tournament, as four teams in the Eastern Conference, and four teams in the Western Conference, vie for the final two spots in each conference.

Here is the schedule for the Play-In Tournament as well as the First Round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. And be warned, if you want to watch all the games, you better have Prime Video.

Here’s the final bracket for the 2026 NBA Playoffs. Remember, the NBA does not reseed.

Update (Wednesday April 15): Updated with the day of each First Round playoff game as provided by the NBA.

Eastern Conference Play-In

The Eastern Conference Play-In tournament gets things going on Tuesday, April 15. The Miami Heat and the Charlotte Hornets square off in the first game, with the loser eliminated from postseason contention. The winner will take on the loser of Wednesday’s game between No. 8 Orlando and No. 7 Philadelphia, with the winner of that game securing the No. 7 seed in the East.

The loser of that second game will drop to the No. 8 spot.

All times Eastern.

No. 9 Charlotte Hornets 127, No. 10 Miami Heat 126 (OT)
Miami eliminated

No. 8 Orlando Magic at No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers: Wednesday, April 15 (7:30 p.m., Prime Video)
Winner secures No. 7 seed in East

No. 7/No. 8 loser vs. No. 9 Charlotte Hornets: Friday, April 17 (7:30 p.m., Prime Video)
Winner secures No. 8 seed in East, loser eliminated

Western Conference Play-In

Over in the Western Conference, the Play-In Tournament begins with the Phoenix Suns hosting the Portland Trail Blazers, with the winner of that game on Tuesday securing the No. 7 seed. The loser will take on the winner of Wednesday’s game between No. 10 Golden State and No. 9 Los Angeles.

All times Eastern.

No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers 114, No. 7 Phoenix Suns 110
Portland secures No. 7 seed in West

No. 10 Golden State Warriors at No. 9 Los Angeles Clippers: Wednesday, April 15 (10:00 p.m., Prime Video)
Loser eliminated

No. 7/No. 8 loser vs. No. 9/No. 10 winner: Friday, April 17 ( 10:00 p.m., Prime Video)
Winner secures No. 8 seed in West, loser eliminated

Eastern Conference Playoffs

Six teams are waiting in the Eastern Conference, led by the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. They’ll take on the No. 8 seed in the first round, while the Boston Celtics — who check in as the No. 2 seed in the East — will take on the No. 7 seed.

The other two first-round matchups are set: No. 3 New York vs. No. 6 Atlanta, and No. 4 Cleveland vs. No. 5 Toronto.

First Round

No. 1 Detroit Pistons vs. No. 8 (TBD)

Game 1: TBD at Detroit: Sunday, April 19 (6:30 p.m., NBC)
Game 2: TBD at Detroit: Wednesday, April 22 (7:00 p.m., ESPN)
Game 3: Detroit at TBD: Saturday, April 25 (1:00 p.m., NBC)
Game 4: Detroit at TBD: Monday, April 27
Game 5: TBD at Detroit: Wednesday, April 29*
Game 6: Detroit at TBD: Friday, May 1*
Game 7: TBD at Detroit: Sunday, May 3*

No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 (TBD)

Game 1: TBD at Boston: Sunday, April 19 (1:00 p.m., ABC)
Game 2: TBD at Boston: Tuesday, April 21 (7:00 p.m., NBC)
Game 3: Boston at TBD: Friday, April 24 (7:00 p.m., Prime Video)
Game 4: Boston at TBD: Sunday, April 26 (7:00 p.m., NBC)
Game 5: TBD at Boston: Tuesday, April 28*
Game 6: Boston at TBD: Thursday, April 30*
Game 7: TBD at Boston: Saturday, May 2*

No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 6 Atlanta Hawks

Game 1: Atlanta at New York: Saturday, April 18 (6:00 p.m., Prime Video)
Game 2: Atlanta at New York: Monday, April 20 (8:00 p.m., NBC)
Game 3: New York at Atlanta: Thursday, April 23 (7:00 p.m., Prime Video)
Game 4: New York at Atlanta: Saturday, April 25 (6:00 p.m., NBC)
Game 5: Atlanta at New York: Tuesday, April 28*
Game 6: New York at Atlanta: Thursday, April 30*
Game 7: Atlanta at New York: Saturday, May 2*

No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Toronto Raptors

Game 1: Toronto at Cleveland: Saturday, April 18 (1:00 p.m., Prime Video)
Game 2: Toronto at Cleveland: Monday, April 20 (7:00 p.m., NBC)
Game 3: Cleveland at Toronto: Thursday, April 23 (8:00 p.m., Prime Video)
Game 4: Cleveland at Toronto: Sunday, April 26 (1:00 p.m., ESPN)
Game 5: Toronto at Cleveland: Wednesday, April 29*
Game 6: Cleveland at Toronto: Friday, May 1*
Game 7: Toronto at Cleveland: Sunday, May 3*

*If necessary

Western Conference Playoffs

Over in the Western Conference, the defending champions are waiting on the results of the Play-In Tournament, as the Thunder will have home-court in the First Round against the No. 8 seed. Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs secured the No. 2 seed, and will take on the No. 7 seed.

The other two matchups in the Western Conference are set. In the first, No. 3 Denver will take on No. 6 Minnesota, while in the second, No. 4 Los Angeles matches up against No. 5 Houston.

First Round

No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 (TBD)

Game 1: TBD at Oklahoma City: Sunday, April 19 (3:30 p.m., ABC)
Game 2: TBD at Oklahoma City: Wednesday, April 22 (9:30 p.m, ESPN)
Game 3: Oklahoma City at TBD: Saturday, April 25 (3:30 p.m., NBC)
Game 4: Oklahoma City at TBD: Monday, April 27
Game 5: TBD at Oklahoma City: Wednesday, April 29*
Game 6: Oklahoma City at TBD: Friday, May 1*
Game 7: TBD at Oklahoma City: Sunday, May 3*

No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7 Portland Trail Blazers

Game 1: Portland at San Antonio: Sunday, April 19 (9:00 p.m., NBC)
Game 2: Portland at San Antonio: Tuesday, April 21 (8:00 p.m., NBC)
Game 3: San Antonio at Portland: Friday, April 24 (10:30 p.m., Prime Video)
Game 4: San Antonio at Portland: Sunday, April 26 (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
Game 5: Portland at San Antonio: Tuesday, April 28*
Game 6: San Antonio at Portland: Thursday, April 30*
Game 7: Portland at San Antonio: Saturday, May 2*

No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves

Game 1: Minnesota at Denver: Saturday, April 18 (3:30 p.m., Prime Video)
Game 2: Minnesota at Denver: Monday, April 20 (10:30 p.m., NBC)
Game 3: Denver at Minnesota: Thursday, April 23 (9:30 p.m., Prime Video)
Game 4: Denver at Minnesota: Saturday, April 25 (8:30 p.m., ABC)
Game 5: Minnesota at Denver: Monday, April 27*
Game 6: Denver at Minnesota: Thursday, April 30*
Game 7: Minnesota at Denver: Saturday, May 2*

No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 5 Houston Rockets

Game 1: Houston at Los Angeles: Saturday, April 18 (8:30 p.m., ABC)
Game 2: Houston at Los Angeles: Tuesday, April 21 (10:30 p.m., NBC)
Game 3: Los Angeles at Houston: Friday, April 24 (8:00 p.m., Prime Video)
Game 4: Los Angeles at Houston: Sunday, April 26 (9:30 p.m., NBC)
Game 5: Houston at Los Angeles: Wednesday, April 29*
Game 6: Los Angeles at Houston: Friday, May 1*
Game 7: Houston at Los Angeles: Sunday, May 3*

*If necessary

With the Sixers taking care of business against the Milwaukee Bucks (so long, Doc Rivers) and the Orlando Magic losing to the Hospital Celtics, we’ll have meaningful basketball in South Philly this week.

The Sixers will host the Magic in the 7-8 play-in game Wednesday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. It’s simple: win and the Sixers will take on the second-seeded Boston Celtics in the first round. Lose and they get another shot to make the playoffs and take on the top-seeded Detroit Pistons with a win over the loser of the 9-10 play-in game. Lose both games and that’s all she wrote.

Any questions or thoughts about the matchup? Hit me up in the comments.

In the most pivotal season of Leon Rose’s Knicks tenure, it’s a rematch with the Atlanta Hawks, the winners of a 2021 first-round matchup with New York, setting the stage for this potential championship run. 

Trae Young is no longer here to rekindle that rivalry, but Atlanta is still every bit as dangerous, if not more. But New York isn’t the same team, either, and has lofty expectations for their June plans.

Let’s dive into previewing the series, and predicting who comes out on top...

Atlanta’s strength is on the defensive side of the ball, where they ranked third in the league since the trade deadline. They’re connective with a ton of athletic size -- qualities that have given the Knicks fits in the past.

When you’re game-planning shutting down New York’s offense, the first bullet point will be Jalen Brunson, and Atlanta has the pieces to ensure he’s constantly hounded. Dyson Daniels (6-foot-7) has been their lead option, and guards Brunson well despite a number of strong performances. 

They’ll also lean on Nickeil Alexander-Walker (6-foot-5) to take some reps, though he has a lot of the offensive creation on his plate. Expect stretches from big bench wings Jonathan Kuminga (6-foot-7) and Zaccharie Risacher (6-foot-8) as well. 

With all that size, the Hawks may be content not sending much help early one-on-one, and blitz him in pick-and-rolls. They have the speed to quickly rotate on the backside if they’re caught 4-on-3, so Brunson will have to make quick decisions to make them pay.

Getting him off the ball, like in last year’s Pistons series, can help wear out their primary defenders and get Brunson easier opportunities. He usually takes a couple games to get going and adjust to the postseason, so that’s when the Knicks will be at their most vulnerable and need others to step up.

Mike Brown’s motion offense will get to prove its worth in a playoff setting, and they can use it to find favorable matchups in most lineups. The Hawks have used a lot of CJ McCollum plus Gabe Vincent off the bench, two smaller guards the Knicks should be able to attack at will. 

They can just keep having Brunson call for the right screen and switch. It will be on Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges to identify and expose mismatches. The Knicks will need a big Towns series, as this matchup may be won in the restricted area.

Both teams are strong on the boards, so whoever shows up there may end up with the edge in a given game. Expect Mitchell Robinson to be an X-factor here once again.

Off the bench, New York will need a ton from Jordan Clarkson in a defensive series, as one of the best penetrators on the team. It’s possible we see Mohamed Diawara back in the swing of things to combat Atlanta’s size.

Finally, the Knicks will have to limit their turnovers. The Hawks feed off mistakes to bolster their defense and create opportunities on the other end.

Atlanta’s offense, while solid, is definitely the weaker point in their game, especially in the halfcourt. They also boast motion schemes, but with less of the talent to break down defenses and score.

Their shot diet is relatively balanced, with more mid-range shots than your average team, but they still get a healthy amount of threes and rim attempts. They don’t shoot a lot of free throws, so the Knicks can make life easier on themselves by controlling the flow of whistles from the outset.

McCollum and Alexander-Walker are their primary guard creators. The Knicks are likely to hide Brunson on Daniels, a 19 percent three-point shooter who will get called into lots of screening actions and asked to convert to not let Brunson off easy.

Bridges and Josh Hart likely cover the other two guards to provide some point-of-attack capability. Expect a pick-and-roll defense that gets more switch-heavy as the series rolls on and the Knicks force talented but not elite scorers to make one-on-one plays in big moments.

The big matchup will be All-Star Jalen Johnson, who likely sees the Anunoby assignment off rip. He’s a bit quick for Towns and towers over the other starters, so the Knicks have some limited optionality here.

Johnson scores more efficiently in the flow of the offense than isolated, so any hampering Anunoby can do to make catches tougher, get him in the wrong position, and make life physical will be huge. Getting Johnson to fall into the 2021 Julius Randle hole of getting trapped and struggling to find flow in a debut postseason is the ideal scenario.

Atlanta will have some hot performances from non-headlining names, too. Kuminga has been a solid addition and Corey Kispert/Buddy Hield could see some minutes thanks to their knockdown shooting.

The Knicks can and should win this series defensively, but it will take a full effort, all-around performances, and a strong coaching job out of Brown, who’s going up against the formidable Quin Snyder. 

Some other things to watch out for: going under Alexander-Walker screens to make him beat you with pull-up threes (33 percent clip this season), putting Towns on Daniels, and going to the Towns-Robinson lineup much more to dominate the paint and glass.

It’s no doubt going to be a grueling and challenging march through the playoffs for the Knicks, and this first round matchup offers no warmup. Still, the Hawks are at a talent and experience deficit that will be tough to overcome.

Knicks in 6.

The season is over, fellas.

Ah, sorry, I only meant the regular thing.

We still have the playoffs and the parade coming up next. Bring it on!

Mike Breen

On the greedy NBA:

“This is the first time ever that no longer can the home team announcers and broadcasters televise the first round. The entire playoffs exclusive to the national TV partners. … I personally think it’s a poor decision. Fans want to hear their team’s announce team, at least 1st round, because for so many of us, … the home team announcers become part of the family. … I get it. The networks pay a fortune for exclusivity … But I just think the fans deserve to be thrown a bone once in a while. This is our final telecast of the season.”

Mike Brown

On OG Anunoby’s ankle injury:

“I didn’t ask that question because we’re not in that position, but they say he’s day-to-day, which to me means he’s fine. I would assume he’s fine, but we [didn’t] even need to think about it so I didn’t check on it.”

On evaluating the regular season:

“I wish I could have figured some things out a little sooner than what I did. But we’ve had some — more ups than downs. You want to win your conference, you want to end up with the best record. So those two areas are disappointing. You’re out there trying to compete every night, no matter who you play. And so winning the [NBA Cup In-Season Tournament] was nice because our guys competed at a level when things were manufactured to mean more with those games. And then, going into the playoffs, we feel pretty good where we are offensively and defensively as a group. Feel connected.”

On waiting to learn the playoff opponent:

“Just wait until it’s over. At the end of the day, I’m sure somehow, some way, I might be told it. But at the end of the day, I’m a firm believer that trying to ask for this opponent or that opponent is not good for you, when you mess with the basketball gods. So whatever happens, happens.”

On scouting potential opponents:

“Our staff has been fantastic all year. We’ve had guys assigned to that stuff already, on both sides of the ball. Our two advanced scouts have been doing a good job taking care of it, too.”

On team standards and accountability:

“The things that you set as your standard are the things that I brought to the table. While I’m trying to hold people accountable, people are holding me accountable, too.”

On playing Mikal Bridges to preserve his streak:

“The streak that he has going is amazing and I definitely don’t want to be the one to screw that up. It’s crazy because load management is a real thing. And that’s something that’s thought of by everybody. Not just the medical performance group — by coaches, by individual players, by agents, by family members — people push to take time off for whatever reason. So for a guy like that to be at the number that he’s at in consecutive games played speaks volumes.”

On managing Bridges’ streak carefully:

“I’m sure he’s probably cool with [playing a few seconds to keep the streak alive] but at the end of the day, that’s definitely led by me. It’s a streak that he has going on, and I want it to continue, but in the same breath, I also don’t want him to get hurt or anything like that, so we’re gonna try to be as smart about it as best we can.”

On the Hawks as a playoff opponent and the overall playoff field:

“Atlanta’s a good team. They’re a good team. Everybody’s good. Everyone is going to pose challenges. I don’t know who we’re gonna play, but we’re gonna face different challenges from everybody because everybody is special at this time.”

On team belief entering the postseason:

“Going into the playoffs, we feel pretty good where we are offensively and defensively as a group. We feel connected. I feel like everybody on the team has sacrificed in one way, shape or form. You need that from your group in order to have some success. Our guys compete, and like I said, at this point in the season, I feel like the guys really believe, not just in what we’re trying to do, but in each other.”

On Miles McBride’s performance:

“He looked good. It was good to see him just go play free and take any shot he wanted and be aggressive … It was good to see the ball go in a few times.”

On the season’s resilience:

“Like most teams, you go through a lot of ups and you go through and it can get tough. And there can be plenty of opportunities for individuals which can turn into a collective group of guys to quit, throw in the towel any time. Any time we face a little bit of adversity our guys try to handle it the right way. I really like their resiliency and I like their openness to trying different things or new things. Because we’ve done some things differently here than what they’re probably used to when they had a successful run doing the things that they were doing in the past.”

Mikal Bridges

On playing 23 seconds on Sunday:

“It was nice, man.”

On playing every game:

“For the people that’s paying attention, I just want to try and play everyday. It’s who I am. It’s who I’ve always been. I don’t really look at [the all-time list] but I guess it’d be cool one day. Hopefully, I have kids one day and maybe brag about that.”

On the Hawks matchup:

“They play very hard and very fast and have a lot of good basketball players.”

Miles McBride

On the Hawks series:

“They’re a great team. I’m looking forward to the matchup. They are a team that defends really well. They’ve got guys who can go get a bucket on the offensive end, but their team defense is really something challenging. So, it’s going to be an exciting playoff series.”

On his return performance:

“Just being back out there healthy, playing with the guys, it was a great team win – I just wanted to go out and give it my all, really ramp my intensity up and get ready for this run.”

On his health:

“I’m solid. Being out for some long, just getting my wind back. Dealing with the residual pain of the surgery isn’t fun but it’s part of the journey – just trying to do everything I can to help the team win.”

Jordan Clarkson

On not focusing on Atlanta’s approach:

“We didn’t pay any attention to that. It’s just what they wanted to do.”

On the Hawks roster:

“Just a really good team. They’re led by Nickeil. He’s been playing great all year. They made some trades at the deadline and got CJ McCollum [for Young]. Down the line they are a really good team. So it’s going to be an exciting series.”

Quin Snyder (ATL Hawks Coach)

On the uncertainty of matchups and prioritizing health in the regular-season finale:

“Right now, I think we’re excited to be in this situation. Whoever we play is gonna be really good. It’s hard to even try to figure that out. It’s possible that certain teams wanna play us. The primary thing is for us to be healthy going into the postseason. That’s been the one thing that has been consistent the last few weeks and months — you don’t know what’s gonna happen. It’s hard to predict all these games, they’re all going on. Wherever it falls is where it falls, and we’ll prepare for the playoffs, regardless of who that is.”

In a final tuneup before the playoffs, the Spurs took to the court and walked away relatively healthy (I’m looking at you, Dylan Harper’s thumb), which is all that matters. De’Aaron Fox led the team with 24 points along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Keldon Johnson contributed 18 points with 6 rebounds in the loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Stephon Castle seems ready for the playoffs to begin, but judging from this half court pass to Carter Bryant, he’s ready for the NFL draft as well.

Here’s a different angle of that pass: the recipient, Carter Bryant, put on an absolute aerial display on Sunday. This flying rookie made the most of his impactful minutes, scoring 13 points and recording 5 boards, 5 assists, and 3 blocks (more on that later).

This version of the Spurs’ inaugural playoff debut will be a memorable one for players like Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper, but it will also be extra special for longtime Spurs like Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell who trudged through some dry years.

If at first you don’t succeed, follow through on your shot and slam it home.

Devin Vassell, here, was reaping what the Spurs’ defense sowed. As mentioned before along with Keldon Johnson, Spurs fans could not be happier for the two longest tenured Spurs about to embark on their first playoff series.

As cool as the other side of the pillow (RIP Stuart Scott) . . . De’Aaron Fox smoothly and (just) casually drains this long-range bomb all the way from the west side of SA.

I promised you more Carter Bryant, and by golly gillicky willickers, you’re going to get more Carter Bryant. In this frame, the best basketball player in the world was channeling his best Dante from “Clerks,” thinking to himself, “I wasn’t even supposed to be here today! Stupid 65-game rule” while trying to block the energetic rookie barrelling down the lane.

If both the Spurs and Nuggets advance out of the first round, they will meet in the second round so personally I hope the 3-time MVP has a short memory or will conveniently be busy thinking of his prized horses rather than having an ax to grind with CB.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Well folks, we made it. This chapter of the regular season finally closed, and after a brief drought, our favorite basketball team is headed back to the playoffs. I wanted to thank J.R. Wilco for giving me another year to wax on about the San Antonio Spurs. I first started writing for Pounding the Rock in the fall of 2018, which means that was also the last time the Spurs made the playoffs. It’s been some lean years, but all worth it to see this team rebuilt from the ground up, brick by brick—or rather, rock by rock. Go Spurs Go!

If you missed the game because you were too busy getting “Memorial Day Miracle” tattooed across your back next to Sean Elliott’s face also inked across your back, here are the full-game highlights:

Next up, the Spurs host the first round of the playoffs against the (to be determined) at the Frost Bank Center on Sunday, April 18, 2026!

How this year's Celtics compare to 2024-25 squad in key stat categories originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Is the whole “gap year” narrative surrounding the Boston Celtics a bit overblown? Perhaps. But there’s a reason why national and local media alike predicted a steep drop-off for the C’s this season.

Boston lost a total of 8,749 minutes and 4,415 points — 46 percent of its total scoring output — from its 2024-25 squad over the offseason. Its best player, Jayson Tatum, was sidelined due to a ruptured Achilles, while four core contributors — Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Luke Kornet — departed via trade or free agency, replaced by the likes of Anfernee Simons, Luka Garza, Josh Minott and rookie Hugo Gonzalez.

And yet… Joe Mazzulla’s squad hardly missed a step. The 2025-26 Celtics enter the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference — the same seed as last year — and their 56-26 regular-season record was just five wins off last season’s pace of 61-21.

That’s a remarkable achievement, especially when you consider Tatum played in just 16 games after making his season debut on March 6. President of basketball operations Brad Stevens also traded away four players ahead of the NBA trade deadline in February — Anfernee Simons, Josh Minott, Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman Sr. — leaving the Celtics to lean more heavily on Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser while giving expanded roles to young players such as Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh.

Despite all that turnover, the results were impressively similar. Here’s a look at where the 2025-26 Celtics finished in multiple team stat categories, and how they compared to the 2024-25 squad:

This year’s Celtics maintained the same elite scoring defense — 107.2 points per game allowed — despite losing four excellent defenders in Porzingis, Holiday, Horford and Kornet. They increased their rebounding output from last season, shot better from the floor and posted a better offensive rating than the 2024-25 team.

Interestingly, the most notable difference between the two squads is the drop-off in 3-point attempts — the C’s attempted 6.1 fewer 3-pointers this season than last season, as Brown led the league in 2-point attempts per game (23.6) while making a concerted effort to get to the basket.

Brown was instrumental in keeping the Celtics humming this season despite the talent drain. He averaged career highs in points (28.7), rebounds (6.9) and assists (5.1) per game while posting a 35.1 percent usage rate that ranked second in the NBA behind only Luka Doncic (minimum 50 games played).

But make no mistake: The success of the 2025-26 C’s was a full team effort.

Case in point: Eight different players averaged career highs in at least four major stat categories. The full list: Jaylen Brown, Neemias Queta, Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Luka Garza, Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh.

You could argue career highs are expected for regulars like Brown, Pritchard and White, who saw upticks in usage to fill the void of lost talent. But few could have predictedthe majority of the roster rising to the challenge — especially Queta, who doubled his scoring and rebounding outputs from last season while making a legitimate case for the NBA’s Most Improved Player.

Of course, the Celtics aren’t chasing regular-season stat improvements. Their goal is to have a different playoff outcome than last spring, when they fell to the New York Knicks in the second round after Tatum’s devastating injury.

With Tatum now back in the fold and several players operating at the highest level of their careers, the 2025-26 Celtics have a golden opportunity to one-up last season’s squad in the only stat category that matters: playoff wins.

This was one of the most memorable Illinois seasons in recent memory. But with the offseason already in full swing, what’s next?

Scholarship-wise, each team is allowed up to 15 scholarships. Three scholarships will become available following the departure of graduating seniors Kylan Boswell, Ben Humrichous, and AJ Redd.

Keaton Wagler’s exit to the NBA adds another. Wagler, after a slow start, became a key part of Illinois’ success. He led the Illini in scoring with 17.9 points per game and 4.2 assists. Those numbers will be hard to replace. And when you add Kylan and Ben’s numbers, you get 36.0 PPG (44%) and 8 APG (57%). That is a lot of stats to replace offensively and defensively. Kylan was a shutdown defender, and Ben was much improved over last season. Wagler was improving defensively every game.

With Mihailo Petrovic and midseason signee Toni Bilic entering the transfer portal, it’s pretty clear where Brad Underwood & Co. need to build.

So what is left?

From the starters, Jake Davis, Tomislav Ivišić, and David Mirković are expected back. Off the bench, Zvonimir Ivišić, Andrej Stojaković, Brandon Lee, and Blake Fagbemi return, with Ty Rodgers and Jason Jakstys coming off injury-plagued seasons. That’s a solid core—assuming all remain in Champaign.

One intriguing possibility is Naz Rankin, the 5-foot-10, 161‑pound Morgan Park standout who averaged 23.2 points, 3.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.6 steals. Rankin signed with Illinois football as a wide receiver but has expressed interest in playing basketball as well.

Incoming help

Recruits

The Illini have four high school signees for the 2026-27 season. Let’s start with a pair of 4-star prospects.

Quintin Coleman, 4-star, 6-foot-4, 180 pounds, from the Principle High School in St. Louis. He is ranked between 34th and 38th nationally. The Illini recruited Coleman earlier, but he committed to Wake Forest. He recently de-committed from the Demon Deacons and signed with Illinois. Coleman possesses a very smooth, effortless jumper from any range (shooting 39% in his EYBL league). He also has good ball skills and is a strong perimeter rebounder.

Lucas Morillo, 4-star, 6-foot-7, 180 pounds, Shooting Guard from the Newman School, Boston. Ranked 59th nationally and No. 2 in the state of Massachusetts. 15.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists as a junior last season (2024-25). He is more of a scoring guard than a shooting guard. Like our current backcourt group, Morillo can drive and slash with the best of them. But his jump shot is suspect and needs improvement in range. He is an excellent defender and perimeter rebounder.

3-Star Recruits

Eathan Brown 3-star 6-foot-4 185 pounds, Combo Guard from Rolla Sr. High School, Rolla, MO. Ranked as 117th nationally and 8th in the state of Missouri, a two-time all-state selection. As a junior, he became the all-time leading scorer in Rolla Sr. High history. He averaged 22.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 3.8 steals last season. He played for the Gateway Knights in the New Balance P32 League. He averaged 17 points, 4.7 rebounds, three assists, and 2.2 steals. For that effort, he earned the 17U MVP. Like Keaton Wagler, some say he could be underrated. He has, as Underwood likes to say, great positional size and could see rotation at the guard spot.

Landon Davis 2-star 6-foot-8, 210 pounds, Power Forward from Waukee Northwest, Waukee, IA. Ranked 227 nationally, 247 Sports has him as the 38th-best power forward in the country. He averaged 10.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 blocks, and 2.9 assists. He could use a little time with “Body by Fletch,” but he has the skills and basketball IQ to excel at the next level.

And they may not be done.

The Illini is said to still be pursuing Zavier Zens, a 6-foot-7, 210-pound power forward from Wisconsin Lutheran in Milwaukee. He was named 2026 Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin. Zens has offers from Wisconsin and Utah State. Zen averaged 23.6 PPG and 5.4 RPG and recently de-committed from Northern Iowa.

So that still leaves 4 open scholarships (for now).

Transfers

Underwood has secured one transfer so far: Stefan Vaaks from Providence. He is a 6-foo-7, 200-pound shooting guard. Vaaks averaged 15.8 PPG, shooting 40.3% from the floor and 35% from 3-point range, 3.2 APG, and 2.5 RPG. Vaaks is from Tabasalu, Estonia, and played in the Latvia-Estonia pro league before going to Providence.

Other targets of interest are:

John Blackwell from Wisconsin. Blackwell is the son of former Illini Glynn Blackwell. Blackwell averaged 19.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 2.3 APG, and earned All-Big Ten honors.

Another option could be Kylan Boswell’s former Arizona teammate, KJ Lewis. Offense isn’t the draw here; although his offensive numbers are not bad, 14.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 2.3 APG. It is his defense, averaging 2.1 steals per game and 3.5 defensive box score, playing for Georgetown this past season. Boswell’s defensive numbers are 0.7 seals and a 3.1 defensive box score.

As for any further defections, if the Illini land another point guard, I think very real possibility that Brandon Lee could look for another team. Right now, the Illini still have room to add, so anything can happen.

Knicks fans will be missing Mike Breen and Clyde Frazier in their opening-round playoff series against the Hawks.

For the first time ever, the NBA is pushing all local network broadcasts out of the playoffs in favor of the national television networks, which paid a hefty price for the rights to air the playoff product.

In past years, the first round of the playoffs would air on the local channels with the home broadcast team locally, while also offering a national broadcast to out-of-market fans.

Mike Breen, who is the Knicks’ play-by-play voice and also the lead commentator for ESPN, crushed the decision on the final day of the Knicks’ regular season.

Mike Breen: "1st time ever…entire playoffs exclusive to national TV…poor decision…fans want to hear their home team announcers, at least 1st round…part of the family. I get networks pay a fortune…but fans deserve to be thrown a bone…This is our final telecast of the season" pic.twitter.com/knsUysK261

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) April 12, 2026

“First time ever that no longer can the home team announcers and broadcasters televise the first round,” Breen said on the MSG broadcast during the Knicks’ 110-96 loss to the Hornets in which they sat most of their starters.

“The entire playoffs are exclusive to national TV broadcasters. I mentioned this earlier this season. I think personally, Clyde, it’s a poor decision. Fans want to hear their home team announcers, at least in the first round. For so many of us, they become part of the family. I get it. The networks pay a fortune for exclusivity, and I work for one of the networks, but fans deserve to be thrown a bone once in a while in terms of letting the home team have a little bit of the first round.”

The NBA’s new TV deal started this season, where they agreed to a $76 billion broadcast rights deal, which separated the product across multiple platforms to broadcast the league over the next 11 seasons.

Breen thought “throwing the fans a bone” should have been a priority even after commissioner Adam Silver and the league were able to successfully negotiate massive rights deals with Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon.

Breen would like the league and its streaming partners to work out a deal to let the local broadcasters step back in, but recognized that it’s unlikely.

“Somehow, if there’s any way they can work out some kind of compromise, I’m not hopeful for that, but it would be wonderful to have it because this is our final telecast of the season,” Breen said.

Breen has talked about this a few times while on MSG airwaves, as the Knicks hope for a lengthy playoff run after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last season.

The league has found itself in a difficult place on a number of issues recently.

Between tanking concerns and the season being too long, some pundits have been clamoring for a shorter season.

However, broadcast partners would surely be furious about losing inventory.