Category: NBA

The Golden State Warriors will have a decision to make after securing the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

The organization appears to be on the backend of its championship run years, with aging players such as Stephen Curry and Draymond Green on the roster.

The Warriors could either use the pick to address a need or focus on their future.

If the Warriors use the pick, it will be the first time the organization has drafted a player since 2023, when the team picked Brandin Podziemski.

Green and veteran center Al Horford will have player options to return to the team. Forward Kristaps Porzingis and guard Gary Payton II will be among the top unrestricted free agents.

Here are predictions from sports experts in their mock drafts for the Golden State Warriors:

NBA MOCK DRAFT: Whose stock is rising, falling after scouting combine?

Jaylen Brown’s ongoing feud with Stephen A. Smith isn’t going anywhere — and the Celtics star only added to it Sunday night.

Brown, who was streaming to Twitch his followers, analyzed a clip where Smith talked about him on “First Take” and doubled down on his call for Smith to retire.

“F–k Stephen A,” Tatum said, according to video clips from the stream. “Stephen A, Stephen B, Stephen C. Like my offer still stands: You want me to be quiet and stop streaming, well I want you to be quiet and get off these networks. Because you’re not using your platform to do real journalism.”

The beef between the two high-profile names in sports and sports media dates back to the end of Boston’s season, when Brown — tasked with being the Celtics’ anchor for most of the year until Jayson Tatum returned — called it his “favorite” of his career.

Smith then said Brown “needs to be quiet” and “go on vacation” unless he was trying to get traded, which then prompted Brown to write in an X post that he’ll be quiet when Smith retires.

Warning: Adult Language

Celtics star Jaylen Brown goes OFF on Stephen A Smith for questioning why Jayson Tatum wasn’t on his stream and making his own narratives about why the 2025-2026 Celtics season was JB’s favorite

“What type of journalism is this?… F*CK Stephen A… My offer still wants. You… pic.twitter.com/XAqaJ6YJYZ

— Slime (@ItsKingSlime) May 18, 2026

“Tell this motherf–ker to retire because he’s the face of clickbait media at the point,” Brown said Sunday while streaming, “and maybe with his retirement we can spark a movement to get the rest of these motherf–kers out of here — or to also have some type of … forget journalistic integrity, actual integrity in order to hold themselves accountable to the bulls–t takes they put out.”

Brown collected a career-best 28.7 points per game during the regular season and made a fourth consecutive All-Star Game, but the Celtics, even with Tatum back in the lineup, were bounced in the first round by the 76ers.

He was also fined $50,000 for criticizing referees while on his livestream following their season-ending loss to Philadelphia, claiming that the officials have an “agenda.”

So instead of another deep playoff run, and instead of another chance to win another championship with the current core, Brown’s saga with Smith began.

And after the latest exchange Sunday, it doesn’t seem to be something that’ll disappear quickly.

DETROIT (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, Jarrett Allen and Sam Merrill each added 23 and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 125-94 on Sunday night in Game 7 to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

The fourth-seeded Cavaliers ousted the East’s top seed and will face the third-seeded New York Knicks. Game 1 of that series tips off Tuesday in New York.

Evan Mobley had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2018 and the ninth time in team history. It’s their deepest run since LeBron James’ final season with the franchise.

“We didn’t just come here just to win a goal,” Mitchell said about making the conference finals for the first time in his career.

“Even last year. when we lost to Indiana, we had our goals set on getting to the (NBA) Finals. We’re just one step closer. It’s been almost a decade of running into the same issue. … As a team, we can breathe a little bit, but the same token, we can only breathe for about 12 hours, and then get right back to it.”

Daniss Jenkins scored 17 points, and Cade Cunningham and Duncan Robinson each finished with 13 for the Pistons, who fell one win shy of their first conference finals appearance since 2008 after forcing the deciding game with a Game 6 victory Friday night.

“That game sucked,” said Cunningham, who was held 16 points under his playoff average. “Being back home, wanted to get this win in front of our fans. It reminded me of last year, losing on home court. It’s not a great feeling.”

The Cavs dictated the pace from the opening tip and never allowed the Pistons to gain traction, then blew open a convincing Game 7 performance when Mitchell scored 15 in the third quarter.

Detroit was outscored in the paint 58-34 and made only 35.3% of its field goal attempts, compared to Cleveland’s 50.6%

“When we play with force, it’s really a key. Like, force on both ends with our talent, we’re really hard to beat,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. “The question we got to answer, we talked about it a lot, is we can’t have force letdowns like Game 6, where we were not the forceful team. But tonight we were, that was a whole difference, our force on both ends.”

Cleveland capitalized on cold shooting by the Pistons in the opening quarter, turning missed shots into transition baskets while building an early advantage. The Cavs led 31-22 going to the second, and after Detroit had the first two baskets, Cleveland quickly seized control with a 24-9 run. The Pistons’ offensive struggles only deepened and the Cavs continued to shoot efficiently as they built a commanding 64-47 lead into halftime.

The Cavs kept rolling in the second half and led by as much as 35 points. The closest the Pistons were able to get in the half was within 17 in the third quarter.

“We knew that start was monumental, the start that they knew that we were here, and that we were going to give them some problems,” Atkinson said. “The beginning of the game, that was key, and then coming out of halftime was the same message: ‘We got to win this first five minutes to put them on their on their heels.’”

The Cleveland Cavaliers watched the Fro dominate another Game 7, beating the Detroit Pistons and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Donovan Mitchell

26 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 0 turnovers

I said it in my recap. I repeated it in winners and losers. And, I’ll say it one more time.

I think we just watched the best and most mature game of Donovan Mitchell’s playoff career.

He didn’t unload the clip and go down swinging like years past. No, Mitchell started the game with three straight assists, working his way downhill and giving it up to his teammates to set the tone. The Cavs’ offense flowed methodically through Mitchell as he weaved in and out of possessions without ever dominating the ball.

Mitchell was a playmaker, only until the perfect moment for him to seize full control arrived. He scored 15 points in the third quarter, building a huge lead and slamming the door on any realistic chance of a Pistons comeback.

Grade: A+++

James Harden

9 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 turnover

This is the first game of the series where I didn’t notice Harden. That’s… actually a good thing.

Harden shot 2-10 from the floor and 0-6 from downtown. That could be frightening in other circumstances. But he only turned it over once, and dished out 6 assists while comfortably playing without the ball. The process was better than the results, and the Cavs finally gave him enough support to where this type of performance can somehow register a plus-30 in the boxscore.

Grade: C+

Evan Mobley

21 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks

Evan Mobley has grown up quite a bit in this postseason. He gradually found his stride versus Toronto and showed every bit of that growth in Game 7 against the Pistons.

Mobley once again dipped his hands in every cookie jar tonight. He did a little bit of everything, dominating the paint, dishing out assists, and shutting down numerous Detroit possessions with his defensive versatility. The numbers from his last four games of the series say it all.

Grade: A+

Jarrett Allen

23 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block

What more can I say?

The lights don’t get brighter than Game 7. Allen has seemed totally unbothered by the stakes this postseason, matching or exceeding any physicality that’s thrown at him. He muscled Jalen Duren out of bounds and forced a jumpball at one point in this game — only to later punish the rim with consecutive dunks in the third quarter.

The Cavs play their best basketball when Allen does stuff like this. Let’s keep that going and officially exorcise some demons in Madison Square Garden.

Grade: A+

Dean Wade

5 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist

Wade was moved out of the starting lineup in favor of Max Strus. That worked out well for the Cavs, and Wade himself. He looked more comfortable with less pressure on him coming off the bench. Wade nailed his first three-point attempt and then cut to the rim for a tough finish shortly after.

Grade: B+

Max Strus

9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals

This grade is vibes-based. Nothing I tell you about his box score will accurately represent the impact Strus had. I’ll focus on the way he battles for every loose ball, getting his hand on nearly every available rebound, even if he doesn’t secure it himself.

Grade: A–

Dennis Schroder

2 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 turnovers

This is the type of game you want from Schroder. Obviously, being part of a 30-point win makes that easy to say. But Schroder was steady through the night, keeping the offense flowing while being a pest defensively. He didn’t step outside of his comfort zone, and that’s worth a lot.

Grade: B

Sam Merrill

23 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal

Merrill finally found his groove, burying the Pistons in Game 7 with his three-point shooting. He connected on four triples in the first half and bent Detroit’s defense out of shape the rest of the way. His shooting forced them to stay attached, and that opened the floodgates for everyone else.

He also took a TOUGH charge on Ausar Thompson in the first half. He earns credit just for getting back up after that.

Grade: A+++

The Cleveland Cavaliers did it again, capping off a thrilling series by crushing their opponent in Game 7. Credit to the Detroit Pistons — but the Cavs are all winners tonight.

Let’s go over today’s winners.

WINNER – Donovan Mitchell

The best players in the league aren’t immune to criticism — they respond to it.

This game started with a good omen. Donovan Mitchell drove downhill twice in a row, using his gravity to draw multiple defenders before throwing a pair of dimes to Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. In just a handful of minutes, Mitchell exceeded his assist total from the previous game and showed a ‘pass first’ mentality that hasn’t been present throughout the postseason.

Mitchell had 6 assists by halftime, already more than he’d collected in any game this postseason. He’s taken flak for his process in the playoffs. He hasn’t always struck the correct balance between scoring and playmaking. That wasn’t an issue tonight. He set the table throughout Game 7, and his teammates had a feast.

There’s value to hitting singles. Safe plays that get a runner on base and apply pressure on a defense can turn into runs. Mitchell took that approach tonight, giving up the ball early and trusting the offense to flow into a quality shot. That made all the difference.

The Cavs had a comfortable lead going into halftime, but the game was far from over. We’ve seen the Pistons claw back to avoid elimination four times already this postseason. I think Mitchell understood what was at stake — and promptly stepped on their throat to close it out. He erupted for 15 points in the third quarter, getting to the basket and making sure there’d be no more resurrections.

Mitchell entered this game with his legacy on the line, and left it with arguably the most sustainable version of a masterclass that we’ve seen from him in the playoffs. Spida ends with 26 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, and 0 turnovers.

WINNER – Sam Merrill

Detroit let the wrong one in.

The Pistons had managed to avoid a full-on Sam Merrill invasion throughout the previous six games of this series. He’d been kept in a box, unable to break free and do any significant damage from behind the arch. Detroit probably wishes that it could have remained true for one more game.

Merrill started the game by burying his first three-pointer from the corner. A moment later, he drilled another one from the same spot. Add two more three’s, including a four-point play, and Merrill had conjured a game-high 15 points in the first half on 4-6 three-point shooting.

Sammy finished with 23 points.

Take that, Ausar Thompson.

WINNER – The Bigs

Physicality? We got that. Toughness and mental resilience? Check. The Cavs bigs have taken your narratives, crumpled them up, and stuffed them into the trash over Jalen Duren’s head

Allen and Mobley aren’t your typical bruising bigs. But the idea that they can’t handle playoff physicality has been thoroughly debunked in two rounds. They bested an immensely physical Raptors team in the first round, then did it again to a Pistons team that prides itself on toughness.

Cleveland’s bigs set the tone immediately in Game 7, combining for 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in the first half. If you remember, Allen had 22 points and 19 rebounds himself in Game 7 versus the Raptors. Dominating multiple games where the lights are brightest should earn Allen (and Mobley) a ton of goodwill moving forward.

Allen finished tonight with 23 points and 7 rebounds. Mobley added 21 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

Mobley racked up 20 stocks in the final four games of the series. Monster.

Of course, all of that charitability can be erased quickly. This is a ‘what have you done for me lately’ type of business. But we’d be mistaken not to congratulate the bigs for stepping up to the challenge multiple rounds in a row. The season would be over if it weren’t for them.

Mitchell Robinson provides the ultimate test on Tuesday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers won’t be able to celebrate their Game 7 victory over the Detroit Pistons for long. They’ll have less than 48 hours to turn around and play the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday.

All games in the Eastern Conference Finals will be on either ESPN or ABC.

The schedule is as follows:

• Game 1 in New York: Tue., May 19, 8 PM on ESPN
• Game 2 in New York: Thur., May 21, 8 PM on ESPN
• Game 3 in Cleveland: Sat., May 23, 8 PM on ABC
• Game 4 in Cleveland: Mon., May 25, 8 PM on ESPN
• Game 5 in New York: Wed., May 27, 8 PM on ESPN
• Game 6 in Cleveland: Fri., May 29, 8 PM on ESPN
• Game 7 in New York: Sun. May 31, 8 PM on ESPN

Games five through seven will only be played if necessary.

The Cavs haven’t had more than one day between games since playing Game 5 on April 29 in the first-round series against the Toronto Raptors. That won’t happen here either, as they’re scheduled to play every other day in this series.

The Cavs and Knicks faced off just three times during the regular season, with the home team winning each one. Cleveland won their most recent and only matchup that featured James Harden on Feb. 24, 109-94.

Right now, FanDuel currently has the Knicks favored to win the series as they’re -240 to come out of the East. The Cavs are +190 to win the series.

We now have the full picture of the final four teams in the NBA.

The No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers stunned the top-seeded Detroit Pistons Sunday, May 17 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals 125-94, setting up a showdown against the No. 3 New York Knicks in the conference finals.

It was evident, pretty quickly after tip-off Sunday night in Detroit, that the Cavaliers had moved on from their Game 6 letdown. Cleveland played with more force and intention, relentlessly attacking the paint and outworking the Pistons on the glass.

The Cavaliers had four players — Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, Sam Merrill and Evan Mobley — each score at least 21 points.

Here are takeaways from Sunday’s Eastern Conference semifinal Game 7 between the Cavaliers and Pistons:

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I considered Game 6 a complete team effort in Detroit’s 115-94 win in Cleveland. Things were reversed in Game 7 tonight as Cleveland saw big games from their role players en route to a 125-94 victory. Detroit falls one game short from making it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The game started slow as both teams struggled to find offense. Cleveland took an early 8-7 lead after two Daniss Jenkins three-pointers and a Caris LeVert steal and score tied it up at 13. The Cavs were able to end the quarter on a 9-3 run capped off by a 40 ft buzzer-beater from Donovan Mitchell to take a 31-22 lead over Detroit.

Things didn’t look good early in the second as the Pistons missed eight consecutive field goals and Cleveland extended their lead to 15 after another Sam Merrill made three. Merrill would make his fourth three and the foul shortly after and Cleveland was able to reach a 20-point lead. They led 64-47 at halftime.

Cleveland was shooting 52% from the field while Detroit shot 38%. Not only did Cleveland’s defense look good, but Detroit’s offense wasn’t doing them any favors either. They struggled to generate good looks and find an impact outside of Cade Cunningham. Cade had 12 points at the half while bench guards Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson each had seven.

The reason the Cavs were so far ahead was due to the impact being made by Sam Merrill and Jarrett Allen who both had 15 points. Evan Mobley had 12 while Mitchell had 11 and Harden added six points. Cleveland will be a hard team to beat when Mitchell and Harden aren’t one of their top-three scorers.

Things got worse quick.

The Cavs started off on an 8-2 run that forced JB Bickerstaff to call a timeout with a score of 72-49. You could see the energy and hope draining from the Pistons players. Halfway through the third quarter, they gave up three consecutive extra possessions to Cleveland: Robinson fouled Harden for free throws, Stew fouled Allen on the boxout, Allen grabbed another rebound off his own missed free throw and was fouled again. It was clear Detroit knew they couldn’t win this game any longer. Cleveland added in an 11-0 run near the end of the third quarter and took a 99-73 lead heading into the fourth.

Detroit trailed by 30 for majority of the final quarter and would lose 125-94.

Daniss Jenkins was the leading scorer for Detroit with 17 points. Both Cunningham and Robinson had 13 points, though, Cade took 16 shots. Caris LeVert was the only other Piston in double figures. Starters Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, and Jalen Duren all finished with less than eight points.

Frankly, nobody on Detroit looked great or stood out. And yet, four Cleveland players finished with 20+ points and none of them were James Harden.

This is a rough way to go out. However, Detroit won 60 games, finished as the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and won a playoff series for the first time in 18 years. There’s still a lot to be excited about. This roster has holes, some that were largely shown throughout this postseason, and Trajan Langdon can address those this summer.

As much as this loss is going to sting now, this team has come a long way in just the past two years – and the future is something to be excited about.

Go Stones.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they’ll take on the New York Knicks in a series that starts on Tuesday.

New York’s path to the Conference Finals was far less stressful than Cleveland’s. Their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks went six games, but the Knicks were firmly in control of that series except for a few standout showings from CJ McCollum. They then took care of business against a worn-out Philadelphia 76ers team by sweeping them in a matchup that never felt competitive.

The Knicks have been elite on both sides of the ball throughout this postseason, but are a far different test than what the Cavs have faced so far. They’ll be going from two straight rock fights to a shootout.

The Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons challenge opponents with their brute force. Conversely, the Knicks beat you with more finesse and skill. That’s a style the Cavs are more equipped to play, even if New York is more talented than either of their previous opponents.

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns define the Knicks on both ends of the floor for better or for worse.

Their offense is dynamic because of this duo. Brunson is one of the most electric scoring guards in the league, who is efficient at all three levels. You can do things to make it difficult for him to get to his spots, but you can’t take Brunson’s scoring away entirely. He’s going to get his points.

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Towns’s shooting changes any offense he plays with. He’s one of the few legit stretch fives in the league, as he knocked down 36.8% of his 4.1 outside attempts a game. You simply have to stay with him on the perimeter. And unlike other stretch bigs, he’s elite at beating mismatches inside. Towns has one of the best post games as a scorer and a playmaker. So if you send help, he’s going to find one of New York’s open shooters on the perimeter.

On top of that, they have high-level wings in OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. Both are elite shooters and can beat teams off the dribble.

In short, the Cavs haven’t faced an offense with this many weapons. Containing them will be far more difficult than locking down their previous opponents.

However, the Cavaliers also haven’t faced a defense that their guards and bigs can attack as easily as New York’s.

New York has the second-best defensive rating in the postseason (106.1) and has held their opponent under 105 points in seven of their 10 postseason games. That’s unbelievably impressive. That said, a closer look under the hood shows that maybe there’s some fool’s gold there.

The Knicks gave up the second-most threes in the regular season and are giving up the fourth-most among playoff teams. In the regular season, their opponents knocked down 36.6% of their threes against them (21st). In the playoffs, they’re hitting just 32.2%. Shooting that poorly is why the Knicks have given up so few points so far.

Evaluating three-point defense is difficult. Not all outside looks are created equally. Part of a playoff game plan is to give up open threes to non-shooters. At the same time, this percentage is far below what you’d expect from a playoff team.

On top of that, teams are still getting to the rim against the Knicks.

New York gives up the eighth most shots at the basket among the 20 postseason teams, and teams are converting them. Teams have completed 71.2% of their looks at the rim (the 7th highest of the playoffs). That’s not an ideal percentage.

The Knicks are vulnerable in the pick-and-roll. Brunson isn’t a good point of attack defender, and Towns struggles to defend in space. Towns can hold his own in the post with his size and length, but if you get him moving, his poor body control can lead to him getting in foul trouble.

This will be by far the easiest matchup offensively for Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. They will have much more room to operate in the pick-and-roll and won’t have to finish inside through as many sturdy defenders.

Establishing the pick-and-roll will help get the bigs going, as well. Harden has shown great chemistry with both bigs, but particularly with Jarrett Allen. That hasn’t been on display as much in the postseason due to the opponent. It will be again in this matchup.

The Cavs only played the Knicks once in the regular season with Harden, but they were able to establish the pick-and-roll easily. This resulted in New York attempting to send wings to slow down the action, which opened up the floor for the Cavs to playmake from the perimeter.

Evan Mobey has elevated his offensive game this postseason. He’s done a good job of beating mismatches, and New York will give him plenty of opportunities to continue that trend.

Combine that with them giving up far more outside shots, and there are simply way more ways for the Cavs to attack this opponent than they had versus the Raptors and Pistons.

This will be a much freer-flowing series with two elite offenses. Whoever gets the more consistent contributions from their stars and better shooting from the role players will likely head to the NBA Finals.

The Cleveland Cavaliers booked their tickets to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018, defeating the Detroit Pistons behind a dominant Game 7 showing.

Cleveland’s process was strong from the jump. Donovan Mitchell got them rolling with his playmaking, racking up 5 assists in the first half as the Cavs had 10 assists on their first 13 field goals. That, combined with starting Max Strus in place of Dean Wade, allowed the Cavalier offense to get off to a hot start.

The Cavs won the first quarter for what felt like the first time all series and carried that momentum forward.

Sam Merrill leaped off the bench and nailed four three-pointers in the first half. His three-point barrage fueled the Cavs while both Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen pounded the paint to build a comfortable 20-point lead. Defense turned into offense, and it felt like this team could do no wrong.

At one point in the second quarter, the Cavs had more assists (17) than the Pistons had made field goals (14). The ball was humming, and Cleveland reaped the rewards.

The lead only swelled from there.

Cleveland’s execution was relentless. They generated a clean look every time down the floor, with mounting pressure on the rim from Allen. He stormed downhill repeatedly, thundering multiple dunks in the third quarter. On the other end, the Cavs defended on a string, ramping up the intensity even as their lead was in the 20s.

That’s how you deliver a knockout blow.

Mitchell deserves credit. He’s struggled throughout the postseason and has let some of his worst tendencies lead the way in Cleveland’s losses. As such, Mitchell faced more pressure than anyone entering this game. He had a lot on the line, and he responded by playing arguably the best game (from a process standpoint) of his playoff career.

The Cavs were led in scoring by Mitchell with 26 points, to go with 8 assists and 0 turnovers. Allen added 23 points while Mobley (21 points) and Merrill (23 points) contributed in key stretches.

It’s fitting that Cleveland has shown so much growth in the last two rounds, and will now receive the ultimate test of that growth by facing the opponent who gave them their first whooping in 2023. Tonight’s win is worth celebrating. On Tuesday, we’re right back in the fire.

The Knicks’ extended break is finally over. It’s back to game mode.

There is no more sitting back and watching to learn who their opponent will be in the Eastern Conference finals. It will be the Cavaliers, after their 125-94 Game 7 win over the Pistons in Detroit.

Game 1 is set for Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.

For most of the regular season and entering the postseason, it seemed a given that the Knicks would have to go through the Celtics and Pistons to reach the Finals. As it turns out, they won’t face either.

Now with the matchup set, let’s break down the top storylines:

The rest factor 

The Knicks last played May 10 — which means they will have had nine days of rest before Tuesday’s Game 1. That was critical for OG Anunoby, who has been recovering from a right hamstring strain that kept him out of Games 3 and 4 of the second round.

The Cavaliers, on the other hand, will have less than 48 hours between Sunday’s win and Game 1. The two teams will begin the series on complete opposite ends of the rest spectrum.

“It’s good to give your body some rest,” Miles McBride said after practice Friday. “Be able to sit back and watch your opponents beat each other up in a sense.”

The Karl-Anthony Towns transformation 

It has certainly been well documented how, after trailing 2-1 in the first round against the Hawks, the Knicks changed their offense. They’ve implemented a system that has Towns — not Jalen Brunson — facilitate with the ball in his hands at the elbows, allowing the others, including Brunson, to cut and set screens for each other around him.

But that was with Onyeka Okongwu, the shell of Joel Embiid and the past-his-prime Andre Drummond guarding Towns. The conference finals will be a different story.

Evan Mobley — the reigning Defensive Player of the Year — and Jarrett Allen are much more athletic and stronger defenders than anyone Towns has faced this postseason. Will Towns still be able to command the offense? Or will Mobley and Allen limit his impact?

Knicks perimeter defense 

It’s been a roller coaster in this department for the Knicks. For the first half of the year, they struggled. For the second half of the year, it was much improved.

For the first half of the first round, CJ McCollum torched them. For the second half of that series, after switching Josh Hart onto him, the Knicks made him a nonfactor. Then last round, Mikal Bridges did a terrific job stifling Tyrese Maxey.

The Cavaliers present a two-headed threat on the perimeter with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. Bridges will presumably guard one of them, likely Mitchell. Hart could match up with the other. Anunoby is an option as well.

“Point of attack is important, it’s the most important thing,” Towns said Friday. “To have our wings and our guards playing defense at the perimeter at a high level, it makes my job easier but also makes our team better.”

Brunson’s takeovers 

Dyson Daniels gave Brunson a few issues early in the first round before Brunson, like he seemingly does with everyone, figured him out, particularly after the Knicks offensive change. The 76ers had no answer for Brunson, who torched VJ Edgecombe.

For the postseason, Brunson is averaging 27.4 points per game — on excellent 48.5 percent shooting from the field and 40.9 percent from 3-point range — along with 6.1 assists.

Dean Wade, though, guarded Brunson about as well as anyone in the regular season. Can he bother Brunson?

Those regular-season matchups were before the Knicks offensive change, also.

Home court advantage 

The Knicks would have had to start on the road if it was the Pistons, but now own home-court advantage since it’s the Cavaliers. Playing the first two games at MSG — with the Cavaliers coming off a tiring series — could have a big impact. As can having a potential Game 7 at home.

Mike Brown’s full circle moment 

The only time Brown has made the Finals as a head coach was with the Cavaliers in 2007. It would be poetic if he returns by toppling the team that gave him his first opportunity as a head coach.

Outside of drafting two hall-of-famers in a row in John Stockton and Karl Malone, the Utah Jazz jumping to #2 in the 2026 could be considered the second-best stroke of luck in franchise history. But it’s so much more than simply jumping in the lottery. If we’re just looking at that in a vacuum, it probably doesn’t have more gravitas than drafting Deron Williams #3 overall and getting Carlos Boozer in restricted free agency or Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert being drafted somewhat close together. It’s the moves that led up to jumping to #2 that make it that much more impactful. Those moves included:

• Keeping Lauri Markkanen while still managing a high-lottery finish.
• Drafting Keyonte George at #16 and developing him into a rising star.
• Trading non-Jazz picks acquired during the rebuild for Jaren Jackson Jr.
• Trading for Walker Kessler (and potentially re-sizing)
• Drafting Ace Bailey at #5.

When you add everything up, adding the #2 pick to this series of building blocks has a chance to be the final piece to a championship core.

Before the season started, Darryn Peterson was the consensus #1 pick by most draft experts. Even this week, Jonathan Givony had him at #1 still, despite his up-and-down season at Kansas.

Therefore, if the Washington Wizards end up picking AJ Dybantsa, then the Jazz come out of the draft with a #1-caliber player. The laziest trade idea making the rounds is to trade Ace Bailey and the #2 pick for the #1 pick. But if you have Darryn Peterson on the board to be picked up for nothing, why would you give up the assets that led to you having one of the top up-and-coming rosters in the league? On top of that, the fact that the Wizards might be willing to trade the #1 pick to the Jazz for #2 tells you everything you need to know. You wouldn’t dream of trading the #1 pick if you didn’t think the #2 pick was just as valuable.

Utah is going to end up with a franchise-altering talent in this draft without moving up, and so, no, the Utah Jazz should not trade up. They have done the necessary work already to put them in this position. They’ll keep their top prospect in Ace Bailey and keep building one of the best young rosters in the NBA.

Sorry, Wizards fans, the Utah Jazz are absolutely fine where they are. The #2 pick is just as valuable as the #1 and the Jazz come out the winner regardless of what happens this draft.

Steph Curry is making $62.6M for the Golden State Warriors next season. Based on how much someone paid just to have lunch with Curry, his wife, and Warren Buffett, the Warriors are getting a huge bargain.

Maybe they just really want to meet Ayesha?

The winning bidder gets a private lunch in Omaha, Nebraska, along with up to seven guests, to dine with the legendary investor and the legendary shooter. And the legendary co-star of “Irish Wish”!

You’d think San Francisco would have a better food scene than Nebraska, but Buffett is 95 years old, so you travel to him. Knowing virtually nothing about the Omaha food scene, we suspect they’ll serve steak.

That may be why Buffett hosted the action on eBay. It benefited the Curry’s confusingly-punctuated “Eat.Learn.Play.” foundation, which provides meals, tutoring programs, book distribution, and rebuilt playgrounds, basketball courts, and soccer pitches at Oakland schools. This Buffett windfall, one that rises to $18M thanks to Buffett matching the winning bid, comes on the heels of Curry raising $1.7M for Eat.Learn.Play by auctioning off a 70-sneaker collection in April.

Buffett started doing the auctions in 2000, and consistently raised at least $1M per lunch from 2008 on, peaking with a $19M bid in 2022. They revived the auction in 2024 and 2025 with Salesforce founder David Benioff, who raised only $1.5M the first year and “six figures” the second year. What a failure!

The Buffett auction originally supported the GLIDE Foundation in San Francisco and its work helping the homeless. This year, they switched to Curry, probably because Buffett was willing to return to hosting lunch if he could meet the Baby-Faced Assassin. Plus, we know how Curry feels about affordable housing.

We’re not sure what Curry and Buffett will talk about. Maybe the legendary investor has some ideas on how to best navigate the NBA luxury tax. Maybe he wants to produce a reboot of “Holey Moley.” Maybe the winning bidder desperately wants to get his spec script for “Goat 2: Goat In The City” to the right people.

Regardless, Steph Curry is putting up big numbers without stepping onto the court. And if you love the Warriors but don’t have $9M lying around, you can probably have lunch with a Golden State of Mind writer for nine bucks.