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Knicks vs. Pacers Eastern Conference Finals preview and prediction

After 25 long years, the Knicks find themselves on the cusp of the NBA Finals, with the Indiana Pacers as the lone obstacle in their way.

After beating the vaunted Boston Celtics in six games, some may feel confidence going against an arguably worse Indiana squad that took seven games to eliminate the injured Knicks last year. 

But this isn’t the same Knicks team. And although they boast the same players, it’s not the same Pacers team, either.

Let’s dive into this historic matchup...

New York went 2-1 against Indiana during the regular season, with the two teams swapping blowouts. Although we can’t overly rely on those games to predict postseason results, there are insights to glean.

For one, the Knicks need to win this series on defense. In all three games against the Pacers, they scored above 120 points, and have some glaring advantages on the offensive end. But it’s a matter of how much they can slow the Pacers on the other end. 

That starts with their engine Tyrese Haliburton, who is averaging 17.5 points and 9.3 assists this postseason. The natural matchup for him is Mikal Bridges, who possesses the requisite speed and length to handle someone of Haliburton’s size and dexterity.

But the Pacers will fight to take away New York’s preferred matchups, and pick on their "weak spots" Jalen Brunsonand Karl-Anthony Towns by targeting them in actions. The Celtics tried and failed at the same strategy, but the Pacers arguably have a deeper rotation of threats. 

There’s also Pascal Siakam, the mid-post monster currently averaging 19 points on 55 percent shooting in the playoffs. He’s a tough cover for smaller wings likeJosh Hartand OG Anunoby, and can punish them on the offensive glass. So it will be curious to see if head coach Tom Thibodeau maybe employs Towns on him for stretches.

May 16, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau talks to center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) and guard Josh Hart (3) and forward OG Anunoby (8) during a time out during the third quarter of game six in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
May 16, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau talks to center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) and guard Josh Hart (3) and forward OG Anunoby (8) during a time out during the third quarter of game six in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / © Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Knicks have reasons to fall back on the defensive approach they used against the Celtics. This is another team that thrives off advantage creation, ball movement and open threes.

Switching against them could force them to iso-hunt, which has proven out to be a not-so-simple solution.

Indiana has the potential to be much craftier than Boston in adjusting, working in more off-ball action, slips and other counters to this scheme. 

There was some success last year in deploying aggressive coverages to make Haliburton give it up and have a big make a play in open space. Siakam and Myles Turner can sneak up on you with 20 points though, so it’ll take a huge team effort equivalent to what the Knicks brought against Boston. 

The Knicks need to be ready for it. The Pacers are much quicker than the Celtics, much deeper, and have stayed relatively healthy through two quick series. 

If Brunson and Towns can pick up their individual efforts again, and Thibodeau can adjust on the fly with his schemes, the Knicks should be in a good spot. But their offense has struggled these playoffs, and they’ll need their best version to go shot-for-shot with Indiana. 

The Pacers have the second-highest offensive rating this postseason, and a much improved defense from last year.

Luckily, the Knicks have two massive problems for them to deal with defensively.

First is Brunson, in full playoff mode, who gave the Pacers fits when they met last year. There’s no real one-on-one answer for him, but expect a lot of Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard to try to bother him with size.

May 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) shoots the ball as Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) defends in the second half during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden.
May 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) shoots the ball as Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) defends in the second half during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. / Vincent Carchietta - Imagn Images

Indiana has gotten burned trying to send extra attention his way, so perhaps this series they let Brunson get his and shut everybody else out? This will be tough given their second weapon in Towns.

Towns has owned this matchup all year, averaging 30.3 points and 12 rebounds in those three games. Turner can’t be his effective self defensively having to stretch out to guard Towns, who has a mobility edge and can blow by him if he’s out of position. 

For all its depth, Indiana is lacking in the backup big position, and its wings are much less suited to guard Towns than Boston’s were.

There’s a chance the Pacers still go ahead with that strategy, but the Knicks have gotten used to it and should be able to find Towns and Hart opportunities to take advantage. 

New York has a chance to secure this series on the glass, and should look to more Mitchell Robinson minutes to do so.

They also need Bridges and Anunoby to maintain their confidence in attacking the rim and smaller mismatches, as they can poke holes in this Pacers defense.

In a postseason full of things people thought the Knicks couldn't do, it feels odd saying they should win this series and advance to the NBA Finals. The Pacers are no pushovers, and will put up a hard fought series, but the Knicks have the talent and coaching to trump them.

Prediction: Knicks in 6

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Watch Brad Stevens' end-of-season press conference with Celtics

Watch Brad Stevens' end-of-season press conference with Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics’ season is over, but Brad Stevens’ work has just begun.

The Celtics’ president of basketball operations will hold an end-of-season press conference at the Auerbach Center on Monday, three days after Boston fell to the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the teams’ second-round playoff series.

There are plenty of topics for Stevens to discuss, from the status of superstar Jayson Tatum — who had surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon last Tuesday — to a looming roster crunch that could force the front office to make several tough decisions this summer.

NBC Sports Boston will have live coverage of Stevens’ press conference beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET, with co-hosts Trenni Casey and Brian Scalabrine providing their reactions and Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg weighing in from the Auerbach Center.

You can watch Stevens’ press conference in the video player above, or on YouTube below.

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Detroit Pistons 2024-25 fantasy basketball season recap: Cade and Co. turn things around in Motor City

While the NBA Playoffs are in full swing, now is a good time to recap the fantasy basketball season for all 30 teams.

In the following weeks, we will provide a recap for each team, starting with the team with the worst record and concluding with the NBA champion in June.

Today, we’re looking at a team whose future is oh so bright after an historic turnaround in 2024-25.

Detroit Pistons 2024-2025 Season Recap

Record: 48-34 (6th, East)

Offensive Rating: 114.6 (14th)

Defensive Rating: 112.5 (10th)

Net Rating: 2.1 (12th)

Pace: 100.27 (11th)

2025 NBA Draft Picks: 37th pick

The Pistons became the first team in NBA history to triple their win total from the previous, 82-game season when they went from 14 wins in 2023-24 to 48 wins in 2024-25.

Detroit has been a laughingstock in the Association for years, but the 2024-25 Pistons pushed for 50 wins and played competitive basketball throughout the season.

Detroit delivered its first playoff appearance since 2019, but this one was different. Between 2003-2008, the Pistons made it to the Conference Finals or better each season, but from 2009-2024, the team made the playoffs only three times and was swept in each series.

Detroit won two games in this year’s playoffs, marking the Pistons’ first playoff wins in over 15 years. The 48 wins were also the most in that span.

Last season showed that franchise cornerstone Cade Cunningham can lead a team to the postseason and make it a contender with the right pieces in place. The long-time cellar dwellers showed just how quickly a franchise’s fortunes can change, and the importance of Detroit’s season for the fanbase cannot be understated.

For the first time in more than a decade, there is hope and excitement in the Motor City for Pistons basketball.

Let’s recap last season’s fantasy performances and look ahead to 2025-26.

Fantasy Standout and Revelation: Cade Cunningham

There were no players on Detroit’s roster outside of Cade who could be defined as revelations, so he gets that title along with standout. Cunningham took a major leap in 2024-25, averaging 26.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.8 blocks and 2.1 triples. He shot 46.9% from the floor, 84.6% from the charity stripe and 35.6% from beyond the arc.

The points, assists, triples, field goal percentage and three-point percentage were all career highs, but most importantly, so were his games played. In his fourth season, Cunningham logged a career-best 70 games while playing a career-high 35 minutes a night, putting durability concerns to bed after three seasons with trouble staying healthy.

The do-it-all guard finished with a career-high 18 assists when he posted a 20/11/18 triple-double against the Heat on December 16. That was one of his career-high nine triple-doubles, tied for fifth-most in the NBA. Cunningham posted two triple-doubles as a rookie and none in each of the next two seasons.

Cunningham was an elite facilitator and a strong rebounder for a guard, but he was magnificent as a scorer, too. He finished with 23 30-point games, and his 13 games with at least 35 points was good for fifth-most in the NBA.

Set to turn 24 in the offseason, Cade hasn’t yet played his best basketball, and he’s one of the most promising young guards in the Association. He’s got 30/10 upside so long as he can stay healthy, and fantasy managers should consider taking him in the first two rounds of 2025-26 drafts after he finished 25th in per-game value last season.

Fantasy Disappointment: Jalen Duren

Duren finished 77th in per-game fantasy value behind averages of 11.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.1 blocked shots across 26.1 minutes per game. The big man shot 69.2% from the floor and 66.9% from the charity stripe while committing 1.7 turnovers.

Duren set new career marks in blocked shots, field goal percentage and assists, and his fantasy finish narrowly topped last season’s. He played a career-high 78 games, but Duren’s third season felt like meat was left on the bone.

In his second season, Duren averaged 13.8 points and 11.6 rebounds across 29.1 minutes per game, and it looked like he was ready to take the next step in 2024-25. Instead, Detroit divvied up minutes evenly across the roster, and Duren’s playing time was cut.

Duren finished with a career-high six blocked shots against the Nets on March 1, turning in an 18/11/2/2/6 line. He set a new career mark in the assists department when he handed out seven against the Sixers on February 7. Duren recorded 41 double-doubles in 78 appearances after going for 44 in just 61 games a season ago.

In a vacuum, Duren’s 2024-25 season was a huge success, but given his 2023-24 performance and career trajectory, it felt like a big disappointment. The sky’s the limit for the 21-year-old center, but how high he flies moving forward is largely dependent on how much playing time he’s given.

Fantasy Recaps/Look-Aheads

Tobias Harris:

After spending the last five and a half seasons with Detroit, Tobi signed on for a second stint with the Pistons on a two-year, $52 million deal last offseason.

The veteran showed that he still has plenty left in the tank, as he averaged 13.7 points, 5.9 boards, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.8 blocks and 1.2 triples while shooting 47.7% from the floor, 86.1% from the charity stripe and 34.5% from beyond the arc and committing just 1.2 turnovers.

The points were Harris’ fewest since the 2012-13 season but so were his 11 field goal attempts. On a team with Cade Cunningham and a number of lethal shooters, Harris didn’t need to do a ton on offense, and he played his role perfectly for a Pistons team that shocked the Association with a playoff appearance.

Heading into his 15th season, Harris should be a valuable later-round option for fantasy managers after finishing 76th in per-game value in 2024-25. He logged at least 70 games for the fourth straight season and the eighth time in nine seasons, so durability is not a concern. Expect him to play a similar role for the Pistons in 2025-26.

Ausar Thompson:

The versatile two-way forward finished the 2024-25 campaign with averages of 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.7 blocks and 0.2 triples. He shot 53.5% from the floor, 64.1% from the charity stripe and 22.4% from beyond the arc while committing just 1.4 turnovers.

Thompson’s playing time dropped from 25.1 minutes per game to 22.5, but he started 54 of his 59 appearances after starting only 38 of 63 games as a rookie.

The second-year man delivered a career-high seven assists with a 19/5/7 performance against the Bulls on February 12. He set a new personal best in the steals department with six against the Timberwolves on January 4.

Thompson finished 144th in per-game fantasy value, and he should only continue improving. Despite fewer minutes, he set new career highs in points, assists, steals and all shooting percentages. He’s worth a look in the final rounds of 2025-26 fantasy drafts.

Malik Beasley:

Beasley offered arguably the best bang for his buck of any NBA player this season. He signed a one-year, $6 million deal with Detroit in the offseason and delivered historic numbers.

Beasley appeared in all 82 games last season and averaged 16.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 steals and a career-high 3.9 triples per game. He shot the lights out from beyond the arc, hitting 41.6% of his three-point attempts.

Beasley finished the season with a Pistons franchise-record 319 made three-pointers, good for eighth-most in a single season all time. He became just the fifth player in league history with 300 made triples in a single season.

Beasley will surely command more than $6 million a year on the open market, and teams should line up for the services of a guy who can score 20 off the bench and provide elite floor spacing on any given night. For fantasy managers, he’s useful as a points and triples specialist, but production in any other category will likely be lacking.

Isaiah Stewart:

“Beef Stew” was more notable for his silly nickname and his on-court fights than for meaningful basketball contributions this season. The big man’s minutes and production were cut dramatically this year, and he finished 182nd in per-game fantasy value.

Stewart averaged 6.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.4 steals and 1.4 swats across 19.9 minutes per game. The points, rebounds and minutes were all career lows, while the blocked shots were a career high. Stewart shot 55.9% from the floor and 75.9% from the charity stripe, making 2024-25 the most efficient shooting season of his career. After averaging better than 1.3 made three-pointers across the last two seasons, he made just 0.2.

Stewart started 92 of his 96 appearances across the last two seasons, but he started just four of his career-high 72 games in 2024-25. The big man is likely to remain in a bench role moving forward, particularly with the strong play of veteran Tobias Harris. There’s no need to select Stewart in 2025-26 fantasy hoops drafts.

Dennis Schroder:

The veteran played for a sixth team in four seasons after getting dealt to Detroit, but he made an immediate impact with averages of 13.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.7 triples. Schroder’s shooting splits left much to be desired, but he offered veteran leadership and ran the offense effectively off the bench.

Schroder was a far better on-court presence than he was a fantasy hoops contributor. He showed out in the playoffs, offering key fourth quarter minutes in multiple games, including the Pistons’ Game 2 victory.

Schroder is set to hit the open market this summer, and he’ll likely look to sign with a contender if he chooses not to return to Detroit.

Jaden Ivey:

The 2024-25 season was a lost one for Ivey who unfortunately appeared in just 30 games due to a broken left fibula. The young guard averaged a number of career highs before getting injured, going for 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 2.1 triples while shooting 46% from the field and 40.9% from beyond the arc.

Ivey was quite durable across his first two seasons, missing just 13 total games in that span, so availability shouldn’t be a question for Ivey moving forward. He’s expected to be ready for the start of the 2025-26 campaign, and fantasy managers will hope he takes another step forward.

Tim Hardaway Jr.:

After spending the last five seasons with the Mavericks, THJ signed a one-year deal with Detroit to help address the team’s three-point deficiencies. He provided 11 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.2 triples across 28 minutes per game and helped space the floor for Cade Cunningham.

Hardaway Jr. shot 40.6/85.5/36.8 splits and offered little outside of the three-pointers category. A hot-and-cold scorer, he posted a handful of big scoring performances to go with quite a few duds.

Set for free agency this summer, it’s unclear where he’ll sign, but the long-range specialist should have no problem latching on with a team in need of shooting.

Restricted Free Agents: Daniss Jenkins

Unrestricted Free Agents: Paul Reed, Malik Beasley, Dennis Schroder, Lindy Waters III, Tim Hardaway Jr.

Club Option: None

Player Option: None

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Celtics offseason dates: Key decision timelines entering pivotal stretch

Celtics offseason dates: Key decision timelines entering pivotal stretch originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

It’s not a matter of if the Boston Celtics will make major moves this offseason. It’s when.

As our Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg laid out in the aftermath of Boston’s blowout loss to the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the second round, the C’s need to cut a significant amount of salary this summer to get under the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax and avoid significant penalties.

“The Celtics are committed to $228 million in contracts next season, already $20 million over the second apron, and that’s before decisions on free-agents-to-be in Al Horford and Luke Kornet,” Forsberg wrote Saturday.

That could take the form of trading a key member of the rotation — Sam Hauser, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and even Jaylen Brown are all potential candidates to be moved — and/or letting Horford or Kornet walk in free agency. In short, big moves are coming, especially in the wake of Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury that could cost him most or all of the 2025-26 season.

So, when exactly will all of these moves go down? Here are some key NBA offseason dates to monitor from a Celtics perspective:

June 14-22 (first day after NBA Finals): Teams can negotiate with their own free agents

The good news for Celtics fans? It’s unlikely any drastic changes happen before the NBA Finals end.

While Boston technically can make trades now since its season has ended, the four teams left in the playoffs — the New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves — can’t make any deals. So the Celtics almost certainly will wait until after the Finals to explore all of their options on the trade market (especially since the Thunder specifically own multiple future picks and could be roped into a multi-team deal).

The day after the NBA Finals is also when the C’s can begin negotiating with their three pending unrestricted free agents — Horford, Kornet and Torrey Craig — and restricted free agent Drew Peterson.

June 25-26: 2025 NBA Draft

This is a sneaky-important draft for the Celtics, especially if they unload multiple rotation players.

Boston currently owns two picks — No. 28 overall (first round) and No. 32 overall (second round, via Washington Wizards) — and will be looking for future rotation players on low-cost deals. The Celtics also could explore trading up in the first round to land an impact talent.

The window between the end of the Finals and the start of the draft could be very busy for Boston as Brad Stevens explores potential trades.

2025 NBA mock draft: Celtics get Florida star in ESPN’s predictions

June 29: Deadline for player/team options and qualifying offers for restricted free agents

This deadline only impacts two players in Boston: JD Davison and Drew Peterson.

Davison has a team option for $2.3 million, and seems likely the Celtics pick that up to keep the point guard in Boston after converting his two-way contract to a standard NBA contract near the end of the regular season.

Peterson is a restricted free agent and would cost roughly $2 million to keep in the fold. He’s also a strong candidate to stick around if the C’s want low-cost salaries on their roster.

June 30 (6 p.m. ET): Teams can begin negotiating with free agents from other clubs

This date is the “unofficial” start to free agency, so if Horford, Kornet and/or Craig haven’t agreed to stay in Boston by this point, we could hear rumblings about them joining other teams around this time.

The Celtics probably won’t be signing big-ticket free agents given their cap constraints, but if they trade away multiple players, they may need to fill out their roster with lower-cost free agents.

July 6 (12:01 p.m. ET): NBA free agency officially begins

The Celtics can make their signings official after 12 p.m. ET on July 6.

July 6: Jordan Walsh extension deadline

Walsh currently has a team option for 2026-27 before becoming an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027. If the Celtics like what the future holds for the 2023 second-round pick, they could try to sign him to an extension this offseason, although they may have limited resources to work with.

July 10: NBA Summer League begins

If the Celtics draft a rookie or two, this will be our first opportunity to see them in action.

July 12: Kristaps Porzingis extension deadline

It’s unclear whether Porzingis will even be on the roster at this point, and an extension for the big man seems like a long shot given Boston’s financial situation.

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Thunder thrash Nuggets to reach Conference finals

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams
Jalen Williams hit 24 points for the Thunder, who have never won the NBA title [Reuters]

Oklahoma City Thunder crushed the Denver Nuggets 125-93 in the decisive game of their play-off semi-finals to book a showdown with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals.

A Nuggets win on Thursday night took the series to a seventh game, but Denver were swept away in their seventh meeting.

MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shone for the Thunder, scoring 35 points as the West's top seeds reached the Conference finals for the first time since 2016.

Denver have played more game sevens over the last seven years than any team, but are now 4-3 in decisive matches after the loss in Oklahoma.

Their three-time MVP Nikola Jokic scored 20 points, but was kept largely quiet as the hosts took a 60-46 lead at the break.

And they extended that lead as the night wore on, with a 24-point contribution from Jalen Williams, to the delight of the home crowd.

With the Indiana Pacers playing the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, there could be a new name on the NBA trophy for the first time in at least 52 years.

The Knicks were last champions in 1973, while Oklahoma, Indiana and Minnesota have never won.

The Conference finals begin on Wednesday, 21 May, with the Thunder hosting the Timberwolves (02:30 BST).

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Nuggets vs. Thunder Game 7: Oklahoma City’s defense, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander overwhelm Denver, take series

NBA: Playoffs-Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder

May 18, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) passes around Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) in the second quarter during game seven of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City has the likely MVP on its roster, but all season long its calling card was its defense — getting stops and turning those into transition offense fueled a 68-win regular season.

It also led to a Game 7 win against Denver — particularly in an 18-5 run to end the first half, which changed the game.

That run had the Nuggets up by 14 at the half, a lead that stretched to 23 just a minute-and-a-half into the second half. It was all Thunder the rest of the way and by 9:12 in the fourth quarter it was a 30-point game and Nuggets interim coach David Adelman emptied his bench.

In the end it was a 125-93 win that puts the Thunder through to the Western Conference Finals, taking the series 4-3. Minnesota will be in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night to open the West finals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looked like an MVP with 35 points on 12-of-19 shooting Sunday, but what won the game was the Thunder's role players stepping up:

• Jalen Williams scored 24 points with seven assists.

• Alex Caruso did a brilliant job as the primary defender on Nikola Jokic, harassing the two-time MVP into a human night (20 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists) while scoring 11 points himself.

• Chet Holmgren had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Those points didn’t come because the Thunder were bombing away from 3 — they shot 30.8% on the night — but in the paint, where the Thunder scored 64 points before both coaches emptied their benches. It took seven games, but the Thunder finally figured out how to score against the Nuggets' zone defense, by getting the ball to a player at the free throw line and having a strong finisher cutting out of the dunker’s spot.

Denver looked the more comfortable team in the bright lights early, racing out to a 21-10 lead. Oklahoma City was pressing, missing 3s (they started 0-of-6) and aiming shots. The Nuggets have been here and done this, they got to the rim and with that got eight early free throws.

Aaron Gordon played through a strained hamstring and gave it everything he had, finishing with eight points and 11 rebounds, but he moved slowly all night and was a shell of himself. Christian Braun made plays and stepped up with 19 points, but after that, things fell off. Jamal Murray was 6-of-16 shooting in the face of defensive pressure from Lu Dort and Cason Wallace.

Denver led by five after one quarter, but to start the second David Adelman sat both Jokic and Murray, and the result was a 6-0 Thunder run 1:02 that put Oklahoma City back in the lead.

It was close most of the second quarter until the 18-5 run at the end. Things just snowballed from there.

Denver now heads into an offseason without a formal head coach — although after this run and his performance, David Adelman should have the interim tag removed — and they need to find a new general manager. That person will walk a fine line, trying to find a way to get more around Nikola Jokic while he’s in his prime — more shooting, more athleticism, more depth — and doing so while not spending deep into the luxury tax.

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Report: Beloved ex-Kings guard Jackson returning as assistant coach

Report: Beloved ex-Kings guard Jackson returning as assistant coach originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

“Action Jackson” reportedly is coming back to the 916.

Former Kings guard and G League head coach Bobby Jackson is returning to Sacramento to join Doug Christie as an assistant coach, The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson confirmed Sunday, citing a league source. The news first was reported by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, via Jackson’s agent Andy Miller of Klutch Sports.

Jackson, 52, spent the past two NBA seasons as an assistant on the Philadelphia 76ers’ staff. Before that, he served as head coach of the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate, for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns, compiling a combined 40-25 record and leading the team to first place in his second season.

Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, six with the Kings. Four-and-a-half of those seasons were spent alongside Christie, the former Kings shooting guard who was named Sacramento’s head coach in April after finishing the 2024-25 season in the role on an interim basis.

In the 2002-03 season, his third with Sacramento, Jackson averaged a career-best 15.2 points on 46.4-percent shooting from the field and 37.9 percent from 3-point range, along with 3.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals in 28.4 minutes played off the bench. His production earned him the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award that season.

He played five consecutive years in the 916 before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. He then played on a number of teams afterward before returning to Sacramento in 2008, his final season, and retired a King.

“Action Jackson” became an easy fan favorite in Sacramento and he remained close to the organization in his post-playing career. Jackson became an assistant coach for the Kings in 2011 under former coach Paul Westphal and served in the role until 2013.

Jackson joins Christie’s staff along with former Indiana men’s basketball coach Mike Woodson, whom the Kings announced as the team’s associate head coach on May 12. Christie and new general manager Scott Perry also fired top assistant coach Jay Triano and several other assistants in the days before Woodson’s hiring, cleaning house for a new regime that hopes to bring the Kings success in 2025-26.

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UPDATE: Aaron Gordon will start, play in Game 7 against Oklahoma City

UPDATE: In the face of a report that Aaron Gordon has a Grade 2 hamstring strain that should sideline him for a month, Gordon will start Game 7 on Sunday and play for the Denver Nuggets in Oklahoma City.

How well Gordon will move and how well he can play are up for debate, but he will be out there. Expect the Thunder to test him early, dragging him into pick-and-rolls and making him move laterally.

What follows is our story on ESPN's report that Gordon was unlikely to play on Sunday due to his hamstring.

—————————————-

Officially, heading into Game 7 in Oklahoma City Sunday, Anthony Gordon is listed as questionable. Denver coach David Adelman talked up how Gordon would go through the morning walkthrough with the team and would be a game-time decision.

Reality is Gordon has a Grade 2 hamstring strain and not only will he be out for Game 7 but he would need weeks to heal and would miss the Western Conference Finals if the Nuggets advance, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. The reality is he will be out closer to a month.

Gordon strained his hamstring in the final minutes of the Nuggets’ Game 6 win on Thursday, going so far as to check himself out in the final minute. There was concern in Denver about the injury after the game, although Gordon said he would be okay, and he has searched for a way to be able to play Sunday. It just will not be possible.

Gordon has averaged 16.8 points and 7.3 rebounds a game while playing strong defense in these playoffs, and he hit the game-winning shot in Game 1.

Without him, it's a big ask for Peyton Watson and other Nuggets reserves to step up on a big stage.

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Giannis showers Steph with praise in series of social media posts

Giannis showers Steph with praise in series of social media posts originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Giannis Antetokounmpo made it clear he’s a big fan of Warriors superstar Steph Curry.

At this point, who isn’t?

The Bucks superstar, who reportedly is “open” to leaving Milwaukee via trade this offseason, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to do a Q&A and praised Curry on numerous occasions in response to fans’ questions.

Antetokounmpo and Curry have shared a mutual respect for years, but the Golden State point guard isn’t the only one in the Warriors organization who is a fan of the “Greek Freak,” as team CEO Joe Lacob reportedly has dreamed of one day pairing Curry and Antetokounmpo together on the Warriors.

While Golden State reportedly is unlikely to pursue a blockbuster Antetokounmpo trade this offseason, if he were to become available, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes the Warriors, at the very least, have the assets to make the Bucks a competitive offer, although likely not enough to win a potential bidding war.

“Yes, there is a package that the Warriors could use,” Windhorst said Friday on “Get Up.” “They have some future draft picks. They have interesting young players. Like last year, Brandin Podziemski was off limits. Who knows if that’s going to be the case this year? But they can’t win a bidding war.”

While trading for Giannis might be a pipe dream for the Warriors, it’s not completely unrealistic that the two-time NBA MVP would want to force his way to Golden State and play alongside Curry.

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Pacers vs. Knicks Game 1 Predictions: Odds, expert picks, recent stats, trends and best bets for May 21

On Wednesday, May 21, the Indiana Pacers (50-32) and New York Knicks (51-31) are all set to square off from Madison Square Garden in New York for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knicks routed the Celtics in Game 6 in New York, 119-81, behind Josh Hart's triple-double and four Knicks' starters, Jalen Brunson (23), Karl-Anthony Towns (21), Mikal Bridges (22), and OG Anunoby (23) scoring 21-plus points. The five Knicks' starters combined for 99 of New York's 119 points and outscored Boston as a team, 99-81.

Indiana beat Cleveland in Game 5, 114-105, on Tuesday, May 13, so they have the rest advantage entering this matchup. However, having a week off isn't always the best formula in the playoffs as rust could set in, but given the Knicks' rotation and heavy minutes to the starters, the rest should prove helpful for Indiana. Tyrese Haliburton had 31 points in the Game 5 win over Cleveland and 26 points over the Bucks in Game 5's closeout victory.

The Pacers went 20-20 on the road in the regular season with a point differential of 2, while the Knicks have a 6-4 record in their last ten games at home. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.

Game details & how to watch Pacers vs. Knicks live

  • Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2025
  • Time: 8:00 PM EST
  • Site: Madison Square Garden
  • City: New York, NY
  • Network/Streaming: TNT / Max 

Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.

Game odds for Pacers vs. Knicks

The latest odds as of Wednesday:

  • Odds: Pacers (+145), Knicks (-175)
  • Spread:  Knicks -4
  • Over/Under: 223.0

That gives the Pacers an implied team point total of 109.5, and the Knicks 113.5.

Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!

Expert picks & predictions for Wednesday’s Pacers vs. Knicks game

NBC Sports Bet Best Bet

Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) likes Jalen Brunson Over 28.5 Points in Game 1 and the Knicks to win the series in 6:

"The Pacers have the rest advantage over the Knicks with a week off, but momentum will be in the Knicks' favor, plus atmosphere. Madison Square Garden will be rocking again and I expect Jalen Brunson to be aggressive in this series. Brunson led the Knicks in scoring in both Game 1's with 29 and 34 points and 50 combined field goal attempts (23 and 27), in addition to 17 free-throw attempts.

Brunson went Under his points prop in two straight games now (Games 5 and 6 versus Boston), so I am going to buy low on Brunson in a new series. Brunson scored 26 and 33 points in two of three meetings during the regular season versus Indiana. I like the chances he goes for 29-plus points up to 30.5.

For the series, I like the Knicks in 6 (+600) or the series to go 7 games (+220) as a hedge. The favorites in each of these markets are the Knicks to win in 7 games (+400) followed by the Pacers to win in 6 games (+450). The series to go 6 or 7 games are both tied at +220 odds. This could be one of the most memorable or forgettable Eastern Conference finals in recent history, so I will go with my gut and take the 6-to-1 value on the Knicks to win 4-2 and sprinkle the +220 odds on the series to go 7 games as a hedge."

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Pacers & Knicks game:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Indiana Pacers at +4
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 223.0

Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!

Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Pacers vs. Knicks on Wednesday

  • The Knicks are 2-0 ATS and on the ML in Game 1 during the postseason
  • The Pacers are 2-0 ATS and on the ML in Game 1 during the postseason
  • New York is 3-3 at home during the playoffs and won the past two
  • Indiana is 4-1 on the road during the playoffs with four straight wins
  • Jalen Brunson led the Knicks in scoring both Game 1's with 29 and 34 points
  • Pascal Siakam has led the Pacers in scoring four of 10 playoff games, including Game 1 of the first round

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)

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Report: Jaylen Brown played through partially torn meniscus in playoffs

Jaylen Brown's raw playoff numbers were close to last season, when he was the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals MVP: 22.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists a game, although his efficiency was down and he didn't have the same explosiveness. Still, when the Celtics needed him, Brown stepped up with 26 points and 12 assists in Boston's Game 5 win, and he was a solid 20 points with six rebounds and six assists in Game 6.

Now we know why he was off a little this postseason — he was playing through a partially torn meniscus, a story broken by Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.

He will be evaluated this week to determine if surgery is needed, sources said. ESPN previously reported that Brown had received pain injections in his knee. Those injections began in March, sources said.

In March Brown was out for six games over a 13-game span due to a "right knee posterior impingement," He also sat out the final three games of the regular season. In early April he told NBC Sports Boston the pain was ongoing but he was going to play through it.

"I've had to come to grips that every night I'm not gonna feel my normal self," Brown said at the time, "but that doesn't mean I still can't make plays and things like that. So, it's just something that we are working through."

Even if Butler needs surgery, he should be recovered and ready to go by the start of training camp.

Brad Stevens and the Celtics front office face some difficult decisions this offseason. If they just ran it back, the payroll and luxury taxes — Boston is well into the second apron — would exceed $500 million. There had been an expectation that Boston would trim a more expensive rotation player or two next season to bring down those costs even before Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles. Now with the Celtics' best player out for much, if not all, of next season, that retooling may be larger with Al Horford and Jrue Holiday players considered very possibly on the move. There had been speculation the Celtics might even test the trade market for Brown, seeing if a good team with young players and picks — Houston and San Antonio — might trade for a veteran wing who has been a Finals MVP.

A meniscus injury isn't going to slow that talk down any.

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Why Kerr believes Warriors' 2024-25 season is worth celebrating

Why Kerr believes Warriors' 2024-25 season is worth celebrating originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

While the Warriors’ 2024-25 NBA season ended on a sour note, Golden State coach Steve Kerr still believes there are plenty of positives to take away from the this campaign.

In speaking to reporters Friday, Kerr revealed why it’s important to not lose sight of all the progress the Warriors made after looking destined for mediocrity midway through the season.

“Well, first of all, pretty good run,” Kerr said. “We’re .500 at midseason, floundering, clearly weren’t going anywhere and then [Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy] makes the trade for [Jimmy Butler] and our fortunes changed entirely. That’s how good Jimmy is. From that point on, we had the No. 1 ranked defense in the league, we were eighth in offense.

“I would say we started the season in Hawaii in training camp, the big focus offensively was shooting a lot of threes, and I believe we finished in the top three or four in the league in 3-point attempts, and that’s with multiple versions of our team. Before the trade, after the trade and everything inbetween.

“So, I think we accomplished a lot of what we wanted from the beginning of the year in terms of how we played. I think the defense really picked up after we got Jimmy for obvious reasons. We get to the conference semis and win Game 1. I think we put ourselves in a great spot, and obviously [Steph Curry’s] injury changed things and Minnesota was great.

“All in all, are there things we can do better? Absolutely. But this was a season where we accomplished a lot, a lot of good things happened, and it’s important to celebrate that.”

The Warriors’ championship dreams came to a screeching halt the moment Steph Curry exited Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals with a hamstring injury — the last time the superstar point guard would see the floor during the 2024-25 season.

But the fact Golden State was even in a position to envision a realistic path toward the NBA Finals is impressive in its own right, as Dunleavy’s blockbuster move to acquire Butler sparked one of the more miraculous midseason turnarounds you’ll ever see in professional basketball.

Dunleavy explained how Golden State’s abrupt end to the season complicates the evaluation process as the Warriors’ front office looks to retool around its stars for another run next year.

“I think it’s a little unsettling, disappointing to be sitting here today in May with a team that has Steve, Steph and Draymond [Green],” Dunleavy told reporters. “We’re always looking to win championships. So, in some ways it’s tough, we obviously fell short of that. But the way this team battled in the second half of the season, winning in the playoffs, winning a seventh game in Houston, going into Minnesota and winning Game 1 and then obviously the injury with Steph really put us behind the eight ball.

“It’s a weird thing to process here, obviously we’re disappointed but I kind of feel good about how things went this year, I just hate how it ended. So, here we are, turning the page, got to figure out some stuff this summer, how do we make our team better? I think from my standpoint going into the postseason, whether we lost in the first round or we went to The Finals, not much would change from my end in terms of we have to be better next year.”

Dunleavy also pointed out how Butler’s addition puts the Warriors in a much better position than Golden State was in entering last offseason.

“I think we made a big jump adding Jimmy Butler. This time last year, I was probably concerned about our ability to have a No. 2 guy,” Dunleavy explained. “We went out this year, we got that. So now I feel better going into next season having a guy like Jimmy on our roster. We’ll build around that with him, Steph, Draymond and some of the other players we have. But I just overall feel like we’re in much better shape right now than we were a year ago and we’ll keep chipping away at this thing.

“As long as Steph, Draymond, Steve … as long as they still got their fastball, we’re going to keep pursuing titles and I think if every year we can be in the mix and we can be in the conversation like we were this year, you need a little bit of luck, you need a little bit of good fortune. We didn’t neccesarily get that right here in the last couple weeks, but if we’re in the mix these guys have a chance and I think that’s the most you could ask for.

“Weird way to process the season, I feel pretty good about it, but I hate that we didn’t find out more about how far this team can go.”

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Five things to watch in Game 7 between Nuggets, Thunder

It's this simple for me: The winner of this game will win the NBA championship.

Oklahoma City and Denver have been the two best teams in the NBA this postseason, going head to head in what has been the best series of the playoffs. While the Thunder are +32 for the series, remove the Game 2 blowout from the mix and it is Nuggets +11. Denver has shown more offensive weapons that coach David Adelman can trust night-to-night, but the Thunder are deeper and have the better defense.

Here are the five things to watch in Game 7 between these teams on Sunday (3:30 ET on ABC).

MVP Face-Off

Nikola Jokic vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Basketball doesn't get better than this. Savor it.

The two leading MVP candidates — the league has delayed handing out the actual hardware until this series ends — have lived up to the billing this series: Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 28 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists a game, adding 1.3 steals into the mix; Jokic is averaging 29.8 points, 14.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2 steals a game.

These might be the two best basketball players walking the face of the earth right now (at worst, they are both top three), and they are living up to the billing. Enjoy one last game between these two.

Aaron Gordon’s hamstring

With just a couple of minutes left in Game 7, Aaron Gordon seemed to tweak his hamstring, he was walking around, rubbing it, then subbed himself out of the game with less than a minute to go.

Gordon has a strained hamstring and is unlikely to play in Game 7.

That is a huge blow. In this series, Gordon has averaged 14.5 points and 9.2 assists a game, shooting 45.2% from 3, and he hit the game-winner in Game 1 of this series.

If, as expected, he cannot play, that is a huge setback for an already thin Nuggets team. The pressure falls on Peyton Watson, who must have a monster game for Denver.

Which Jalen Williams shows up?

Oklahoma City fell to Dallas in the second round a year ago partly because Jalen Williams was not ready to step up and be the No. 2 option this team needed.

This year… it's too much of the same. Williams had 32 points on 21 shots in Game 3 (an OKC loss), but in the last three games Williams has shot 2-of-13, 5-of-14 and 3-of-16, a combined 23.3%. That will not be good enough in Game 7.

Williams is an All-Star, and the Thunder will offer a five-year max contract extension this summer, but this is where that money is really earned. He needs to step up and be that guy. If he — and Chet Holmgren as well — can't be the running mates Gilgous-Alexander needs, it means Sam Presti has some hard decisions coming up.

Which MVP gets help?

This is the real story of the series.

As noted above, Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander have lived up to the billing. The question game-to-game is which team's role players step up and provide enough help to their star. With everyone tight in Game 7, that becomes an even bigger question. Does Christian Braun have a big game because he's been there before and handles the moment? Is this a good Williams and Holmgren game for the Thunder? Is this another Julian Strawther game?

The safest bet on the board is whichever team's role players step up will win.

What about Thunder defense?

In the regular season, Oklahoma City had a 107.6 defensive rating, the best in the league (using Basketball-Reference's numbers). In the first round against Memphis, the Thunder had a defensive rating of 99.6, allowing less than a point per possession.

In this series, here are the Thunder's defensive ratings in each of the last four games: 99.8, 92.1, 107.3, 116.5. Jokic's high-IQ mind tends to figure teams out over the course of seven games. Has that happened here? As great and athletic as the Thunder defense has been this season, has Jokic solved the puzzle? He's making the right passes, he has found his counters to OKC's adjustments. Or, do the Thunder — likely behind more minutes from Alex Caruso, who has been fantastic this series — have one more game of stops in them.

If the Thunder defense performs to its potential, the Thunder will take Game 7 and advance.

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Jaylen has partial meniscus tear, played through injury: Report

Jaylen has partial meniscus tear, played through injury: Report originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Jaylen Brown has been dealing with a right knee injury since March, and we now know severity of his ailment.

The Boston Celtics star has a partially torn right meniscus, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported Saturday. Brown will be “evaluated this week to determine if surgery is needed,” per Shelburne.

Brown missed six games over a 13-game span in March as well as the final three games of the regular season due to a knee injury the team labeled as “right knee posterior impingement.” After an April 3 loss to the Miami Heat, Brown admitted he was dealing with consistent knee pain but planned to play through it.

“I’ve had to come to grips that every night I’m not gonna feel my normal self,” Brown said at the time, “but that doesn’t mean I still can’t make plays and things like that. So, it’s just something that we are working through.”

Brown didn’t miss a game in the postseason, and while his typical explosiveness was limited, he still averaged 22.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.

With Jayson Tatum sidelined due to a ruptured Achilles suffered in Game 4, Brown helped keep Boston’s season alive in a Game 5 win over the New York Knicks with 26 points, eight rebounds and a playoff career-high 12 assists.

“I don’t make excuses,” Brown said after the Celtics’ season-ending loss in Game 6 on Friday. “Obviously, it’s tough the way we went out like tonight, but the way we finished the year, personally, the way I finished the year, persevering through some physical stuff that I was battling through, I’m proud of our group.”

How long Brown needs to recover remains unclear and will depend on whether he elects to have surgery, but his injury adds another wrinkle to an already uncertain offseason in Boston.

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NBA Trade Rumors roundup: Lakers likely hang on to Reaves, Lonzo suggests LaMelo Ball move

With the NBA Draft next month and free agency a week after that, NBA trade rumors are starting to fly fast and furious around the league's back channels. Here are a few worth noting.

Lakers likely keep Austin Reaves

Rob Pelinka faces a challenge this offseason: He needs to upgrade the roster around Luka Doncic and LeBron James — landing a rim-protecting, vertical spacing center is at the top of the list — but has limited trade assets to do it.

One player a lot of teams want is Austin Reaves, who averaged 20.2 points and 5.8 rebounds a game last season, shot 37.7% on 3-pointers and is on a steal of a contract that will cost just $13.9 million next season. The Lakers, however, wisely like Reaves as the third option, and it will take a lot to get him, something Dan Woike put well at the Los Angeles Times.

"The team has shown no interest in using Reaves in a trade that nets them anything less than a top-tier big, and there really aren't any of those available, with the two most common names linked to them in the earliest stages of the offseason — Brooklyn's Nic Claxton and Dallas' Daniel Gafford.

Claxton would be the best available fit — he is just 26 and two seasons ago averaged 12.6 points a game on 70.5% shooting, grabbed 9.6 rebounds and blocked 2.5 shots a night. He's an athletic, switchable defender who J.J. Redick could employ a variety of ways, however, he's slight of build and with that not the screen setter that Gafford or others are. The cost for Claxton would be the Lakers' 2030 first-round pick (plus matching salary, such as Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent).

Whether the Lakers land one of those two centers or someone like Clint Capela from Atlanta, don't expect Reaves to be in that trade. It would take an All-Star level big to change that dynamic.

LaMelo Ball headed West?

Lonzo Ball was on the What an Experience podcast and dropped this:

"I lowkey got Dylan Harper going to the Hornets and I got Melo going to the Clips."

Um… no. First, there is zero chance Dylan Harper makes it past No. 2 on the board, he has put himself in his own tier on that front, and the Hornets pick at No. 4. San Antonio will take him (making their guard rotation an impressive De'Aaron Fox, Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, and Harper ho might be the best of the group in a couple of years). If the Spurs trade that pick (hello, Milwaukee), that team will be trading to get Harper (Charlotte could try to trade up to No. 2, but the cost would be exorbitant).

Second, LaMelo to the Clippers doesn't make much sense from the Clips' perspective. Los Angeles is looking to keep its long-term books clear to make a pivot after the Kawhi Leonard/James Harden era ends (likely the summer of 2027, maybe sooner). Ball has four years, $168.7 million remaining on his max extension, running through 2029. Having LaMelo would take the ball out of Harden's hands, and while the youngest Ball brother averaged 25.2 points and 7.4 assists a game he is not seen around the league as a guy who contributes to winning because of his lack of defense and style of play.

Other rumors of note:

• With Boston likely trimming payroll this summer, look for a lot of interest from playoff teams in Jrue Holiday, an elite defensive guard who has helped the Bucks and Celtics win rings. The Rockets and Spurs might be teams to watch.

• Interesting comment from the well-connected Sam Amick of The Athletic on any potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade and how the Bucks GM plans to play it (from his appearance on The Ringer NBA Podcast):

"Jon Horst is going to go for blood here, I'm telling you. He just got a new extension. He has the organization's backing. Jon is not going to just try to be on good terms with Giannis—he's trying to do right by the Bucks. And that means that if every scenario in play leaves the other team so gutted that Giannis might not actually be in that much better of a situation, then maybe that's where he looks at the room and says, "All right, let me stay put."

• Speaking of an Antetokounmpo trade, the buzz that the Warriors likely sit this one out — unless the Greek Freak pushes an "only to Golden State" agenda — has now been confirmed by multiple sources. The reality is the Warriors know they can't win a bidding war with Houston, San Antonio, and Brooklyn, so unless they can get a friendly deal, it's not happening. If you think the Warriors might get a friendly deal, reread the note above this one.