Category: NBA

ATLANTA — The Knicks made a closeout game look like a preseason game.

It’s hard to picture now, but there was actually a time the Knicks trailed in this series. But by the end of the series, it looked like the Hawks didn’t belong on the same court.

The Knicks toyed with them. They bullied them.

They humiliated them — in historic fashion.

There was no room for even a glimmer of hope for the Hawks. Hardly a second of belief they might have a shot to force a Game 7. The Knicks wouldn’t allow it. This was them at their very best, as they obliterated the Hawks 140-89 in Game 6 on Thursday night at State Farm Arena to win the series and advance to the second round, where they’ll face the winner of Saturday’s Game 7 between the Celtics and 76ers.

The blowout was unprecedented:

• They led by 47 points at halftime, setting the record for biggest halftime lead in postseason history.
• They led by 53 points after three quarters, setting the record for biggest lead after three quarters in postseason history.
•  Their 61-point lead in the third quarter was the biggest in franchise history in the postseason.
• The 140 points were the most the Knicks have scored in a playoff game.

“That’s something where it shows what we can do,” Josh Hart said. “And now we gotta continue to build off of it. Now we can’t sit there and not do it because we know we have what it takes to do it.

“It just reinforced the kind of team that we have, the players that we have, the coaches that we have.”

The Knicks closed the first quarter on an incredible 31-4 run and led by 25 heading into the second quarter. And the Hawks completely capitulated. The Knicks started the second quarter on a 32-7 run to take a 50-point lead. In total, it was an absurd 63-11 run spanning the two quarters. Just a few more minutes into the second quarter, the lead was 61. They were able to pull their starters by the end of the third quarter. 

It was comical. It looked like one of those games against a tanking opponent at the end of the year. Even those are usually more competitive.

“Feel good about it tonight,” Jalen Brunson said. “Tomorrow, we turn the page. It’s good to celebrate the wins, but we can’t let this drag on. We gotta refocus up. When we wake up tomorrow, it’s on to the next.”

It left the Hawks with nothing left to play for beyond pretending to show fight and provoking the Knicks. And Mitchell Robinson took their bait.

As OG Anunoby took a free throw in the second quarter, Dyson Daniels yanked Robinson’s arm. Robinson subsequently got in Daniels’ face, and Onyeka Okongwu came over and tried to pull Robinson away from Daniels. That’s when a heated fracas ignited.

Players and coaches from both teams ran in and separated the two, but Robinson tried to go back for more. Knicks coach Mike Brown fell while trying to get in Robinson’s way. Referee Kevin Scott was knocked to the ground earlier.

Robinson and Daniels were given technicals and ejected. Daniels’ was one of three Hawks technicals — Jalen Johnson and coach Quin Snyder also got one each — in the second quarter as they unraveled.

Anunoby — to complete his excellent series — got the Knicks going early, scoring 10 of their first 15 points as he continued his red-hot shooting. By halftime, he had 26 points and finished with 29 — on 11-for-14 shooting from the field and 4-for-6 from 3-point range — along with seven rebounds.

The Hawks offered such little resistance that even Mikal Bridges — who otherwise had a nightmarish series — was able to go off and use the game as a needed confidence booster. He recorded 24 points on 10-for-12 shooting from the field.

Towns, despite only making one field goal, finished with another triple-double, recording 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. He became the first Knick to record multiple triple-doubles in the same series, and the second in the same postseason, joining Walt Frazier.

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Brunson added 17 points and eight assists. Hart had 14 points.

The Knicks recorded an absurd 16 steals along with six blocks.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker accepted his Most Improved Player award just before tipoff. It was the last — and only — thing Hawks fans had to cheer for. It wouldn’t be long until they were down double digits and until double digits turned into a bloodbath.

Remember when the Knicks trailed 2-1 in the series? Over the next three games, they outscored the Hawks by a combined 96 points.

They’re surging at the perfect time.

“Our guys, their connectedness right now is off the charts,” Brown said. “When you lock into the detail and you’re connected like that, with a group that’s as talented and versatile as that group, you got a chance to do that.”

The Atlanta Hawks were back at home for Game 6 to face the New York Knicks in a win-or-go-home situation. The last two games have not been the best for the Hawks, and they found themselves in a position where they have to play some of their best basketball if they want to stay alive.

The Hawks got on the board with this nice pass for Jalen Johnson that led to a dunk.

JJ backdoor cut & JAM pic.twitter.com/QKCpnJwuVo

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 30, 2026

The Hawks turned defense into offense on this play, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker knocked down a 3-pointer.

ALL of this 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/jbPoQuG3Aa

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 30, 2026

It was a good start for the Hawks, but the Knicks started to find a rhythm on offense. Several turnovers also hurt the Hawks, and the Knicks got in transition and scored.

The Hawks tried to stop the bleeding, and Johnson found Mouhamed Gueye for this lob.

JJ spins free and lobs to Mo! pic.twitter.com/mafmoI7JB0

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 30, 2026

Things didn’t get any better for the Hawks in the first, as the turnovers continued to pile up. The Knicks took advantage and they put their foot on the gas to give themselves a 25-point lead going into the second.

It got worse for the Hawks in the second, and couldn’t generate much offense at all. On the other hand, it felt like the Knicks were getting whatever they wanted.

The emotions started to come out for the Hawks, and Dyson Daniels found himself tangled up with Mitchell Robinson midway through the quarter, which took a while for both sides to cool down. Daniels and Robinson both received technicals and were ejected from the game.

It was another 40-point quarter for the Knicks, and the Hawks trailed 83-36 going into halftime.

The third quarter was probably the Hawks’ best of the night, but it didn’t matter because the score was already out of control. Johnson led the way with eight points, but the bench played most of the quarter. The Hawks trailed 117-64 going into the fourth.

The starters came out to begin the fourth, but after a while, the end of the bench played out the remainder of the game.

Though it was a rough way to end the season, the Hawks still have to be proud of the year they had, despite the many changes on tbhe team.

The next stop for the Hawks will be the lottery, where they have a chance to get a top pick in the draft.

The Houston Rockets, being the Rockets, like to do things The Hard Way. In their second championship season, 1994-1995, the Houston Rockets defeated more combined playoff opponent regular season wins en route to their title than any team in NBA history before, or since. Because of Hakeem Olajuwon’s injury that season, the Rockets didn’t finish with a great record 47-35.

In winning the Finals, they traveled the hardest playoff road of any team title winning team, ever. The Rockets never had home court advantage in any series. In the first round they faced the 60 win Utah Jazz, and won 3-2 (the first round was five games back then). In the second round they played the 59 win Phoenix Suns, and won 4-3, winning game seven in Phoenix. In the Western Conference Finals, they battled the 62 win San Antonio Spurs and the NBA MVP, David Robinson. They won that series 4-2. In the Finals they took on the 57 win Orlando Magic, who reached the Finals after defeating Michael Jordan’s Bulls in six game. The Rockets swept the Magic.

Why am I talking about these things? Because 1994-95 demonstrates that difficult things can be done in the NBA. The most difficult title path in NBA history was walked by the Houston Rockets. Today’s Houston Rockets face a similar, perhaps even less likely, uphill climb.

The Rockets started out a playoff series they were expected to dominate against an injured Lakers team 0-3. Well, that’s a tough row to hoe, but it’s doable, right? Not in terms of NBA history. The record of teams facing an 0-3 deficit is a morbid 0-160 in NBA history. Only 3 of those 160 series finished 4-3, with the usual case being that the winning team took at 3-0 lead, messed around, and then won. About 2% of all such series have gone to seven games.

The Rockets, then, would be facing an uphill climb, just to force game seven in Los Angeles. They’d have to do the literally unprecedented to win the thing.

There’s some reason to think they might, though. The first is, despite Luke “The Duck” Kennard and Marcus “The Dick” Smart going crazy early on, the Rockets have held the Lakers to an average of 97 points per game, throughout the series. The Lakers in the first two games made a high percentage of difficult shots. They didn’t do that in the next three games, but the Rockets, of course, gave away game three. In games four and five, without Kevin Durant, the Rockets played better offense, while maintaining their defense. It wasn’t good offense, mind you, but better than the dregs of games one and two.

That might be enough. So far the Lakers best player has been, surprise, 41 year old LeBron James. James, though in fantastic shape, is in fact 41 years old, and the last two games (if game seven happens) will both feature only one day of rest in between the contest, a day partly spent in travel. The whole Houston starting lineup, either the youngest, or second youngest, in NBA playoff history, is roughly half of James’ age. Energy and force might be the deciding factor (we can hope it isn’t specious free throws for the repugnant Austin Reaves).

The Rockets have to win tomorrow night in Houston, and then somehow overcome the collective desire of the NBA League Office and its broadcast partners, to knock the Lakers out of the playoffs. If any team can do it, though, it’s the contrary, strange, often painful to watch, Houston Rockets. It’s in the team DNA, after all.

The Cleveland Cavaliers exorcised some of their demons in their Game 5 win over the Toronto Raptors. They overcame a double-digit second-half deficit to pull out a much-needed victory. They now have a 3-2 lead as the series shifts back to Canada.

Despite the win, the series isn’t over yet. This Raptors team has found ways to continually pull themselves off the mat, even though they’ve been missing key players throughout this series.

The Cavs have a chance to show that they’ve learned from the mistakes that plagued them in games 3 and 4. And if they’re going to do that, they’ll likely need more from Donovan Mitchell.

Mitchell is having an uncharacteristically inefficient series, especially in the last three games. Since Game 3, he’s averaging just 18 points, three assists, and three turnovers on .351/.333/1.000 shooting splits. We’ll see if that changes in this closeout game.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (3-2) at Toronto Raptors (2-3)

Where: Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, ON

When: Fri., May 1 at 7:30 PM

TV: Prime Video

Point spread: Cavs -3.5

Cavs injury report: None

Raptors injury report: Brandon Ingram – QUESTIONABLE (heel), Immanuel Quickley – OUT (hamstring)

Cavs expectedstarting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Raptors expected starting lineup: Jakobe Walter, RJ Barrett, Jamison Battle, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl

Previous matchup: The Cavs defeated the Raptors 125-120 in Game 5.

Here’s a look at both teams’ regular-season impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.

	Offensive Rating	Defensive Rating	Net Rating
Cavs	118.9 (8th)	115 (15th)	+3.9 (9th)
Raptors	116.8 (13th)	113.2 (7th)	+3.6 (11th)

Stop if you’ve heard this before, but turnovers were an issue for the Lakers in their loss on Wednesday.

While they weren’t quite at the level of their Game 4 disasterclass, the Lakers did turn the ball over 15 times in Game 5, resulting in 18 Rockets points. Most certainly, it was a team-wide issue, but one of the main culprits was Marcus Smart.

After having some strong showings earlier in the series, Smart was woeful in Game 5, turning the ball over a game-high six times. After the game, Smart was honest about his and the team’s shortcomings in taking care of the ball.

“We’ve been through this,” Smart said. “We understand this team and how they play and they’re very aggressive. We got to take care of the basketball. Myself, I had six turnovers and that’s unacceptable. Especially with only two assists, right? Especially against this team.

“So, you definitely got to take care of the ball. We got to do a better job. All of us, collectively, and that’ll help us for sure.”

At this point, you wouldn’t be blamed if this all feels like it rings a little hollow. Even before the postseason started, the Lakers were talking about needing to take care of the ball. Two weeks later, they’re still talking about needing to take care of the ball and they haven’t done it yet.

It’d be one thing if the turnovers were being forced by the Rockets entirely. While their pressure has ramped up, the Lakers are making plenty of unforced mistakes as well.

To his credit, head coach JJ Redick defended his players while still noting the team has to improve.

“It’s hard because the players see stuff on the court,” Redick said. “It’s easy for us to look back on film or armchair quarterback it. I do think we had two of those turnovers where we get a stop and throw the ball ahead out of bounds, Those are the kind of the ones that you wish you had back.

“But the turnovers, they come in all shapes and sizes. It’s about limiting them and you certainly have to give your guys freedom to make basketball plays. I would say, in general though, turnovers of aggression are OK. Turnovers of passivity are not.”

At the end of the day, the Lakers need to walk the walk instead of talking the talk. There’s a certain level of focus and attentiveness that is required in the playoffs and the Lakers aren’t showcasing that.

It’s what separates not just the title contenders from other playoff teams, but it’s the difference between the Lakers having this series already wrapped up and being on the brink of a Game 7.

Turnovers are not the sole reason the Lakers have lost two straight games. However, it’s emblematic of a bigger issue the team has had these playoffs.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

The Oklahoma City Thunder just swept the Phoenix Suns out of the playoffs like crumbs off a kitchen counter, and somewhere in the Bay Area, a Warriors fan quietly exhaled for the first time since April 17th.

Think about what almost happened. The Warriors scraped and clawed through an injury-riddled 37-45 season, limped into the play-in tournament, and lost to these same Suns by 15. Jalen Green dropped 36 breezy points while Steph Curry spent most of the night getting hunting for the flamethrowing touch and never quite seizing it. Phoenix was the executioner. And the executioner just got executed.

By the best team in basketball.

SGA HITS DILLON BROOKS WITH THE POPS MEME 💀💀 pic.twitter.com/stZc68wZVd

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 23, 2026

The Thunder didn’t just beat the Suns in round one. They humiliated them, swept them clean, and did it with the kind of casual dominance that makes other rosters look at their own roster and feel embarrassed. OKC has now won 20 of their last 27 playoff games by plus-261 points, company that includes the dynastic Warriors of 2017-2018, the Showtime Lakers, and LeBron’s Cavs. That’s the conversation Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is in right now. That’s the machine the Warriors would have walked into.

And listen, We Believe happened. Baron Davis over Dallas was real, it was documented, and it still lives rent-free in every NBA fan’s memory palace. Eight seeds can win first-round series. The architecture of a seven-game series always leaves room for chaos.

But this Warriors roster in 2026 is not the 2007 crew. Bearded Baron had youth, fury, and an opponent that didn’t see them coming. This version of Golden State had a banged-up Steph, no Moses Moody, no Jimmy Butler, and a collection of players still figuring out who they are when the lights get brighter. Walking into an OKC first round would not have been a miracle waiting to happen. It would have been a closed casket.

The dynasty theology of this franchise has always been about knowing when you’re built to compete and when you’re built to survive. This was a survival season. All those injuries ensured the Warriors were always playing for the offseason, for the roster decisions ahead, for what comes next. Getting bounced in the play-in stings. Getting swept by the Thunder in round one in front of a national playoff audience would have stung differently, the kind of stings that leave a mark on perception heading into a pivotal summer.

SGA changed Dillon Brooks’ jersey to say ‘Cancun on 3’ 💀

“Everybody wants to be villainous until the brooms come out and the dust settles and you realize who the villain is.” pic.twitter.com/njcUn3T04Y

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 28, 2026

Dub Nation doesn’t have to find out what that feels like. The Suns took the hit for them.

Quietly. Mercifully. In four games. THANKS PHOENIX, YOU TOOK ONE FOR THE TEAM!

The New York Knicks made some NBA playoff history on Thursday night.

Holding a 3-2 series lead entering Game 6, the Knicks came out and blitzed the Hawks in Atlanta, taking an 83-36 lead into the half. That marked the largest halftime lead ever held in an NBA playoff game, per ESPN.

Up 47 points at the half, and leading 117-64 after three quarters, the Knicks had a shot at authoring the biggest blowout win in NBA playoff history but ultimately came up just short with the entire second half effectively rendered garbage time. At one point they led by 61 points, a record in a playoff game in the play-by-play era, per ESPN.

The Knicks won 140-89, their 51-point margin of victory still easily good enough for a top 10 spot on the list of biggest playoff blowouts, and advance to the second round, where they will play the winner of the Celtics-Sixers series. The Knicks' 140 points are a franchise record for a playoff game, per ESPN.

Here's a look at the biggest blowouts in NBA playoff history:

Biggest blowouts in NBA playoff history

Via StatMuse:

• 1 (tie). 58 points - Denver Nuggets over New Orleans Pelicans, 121-63, April 27, 2009
• 1 (tie). 58 points - Minneapolis Lakers over St .Louis Hawks, 133-75, March 19, 1956
• 3. 56 points - Los Angeles Lakers over Golden State Warriors, 126-70, April 21, 1973
• 4. 55 points - Cleveland Cavaliers over Miami Heat, 138-83, April 28, 2025
• 5. 54 points - Chicago Bulls over Milwaukee Bucks, 120-66, April 30, 2015
• 6 (tie). 51 points - Oklahoma City Thunder over Memphis Grizzlies, 131-80, April 20, 2025
• 6 (tie). 51 points - New York Knicks over Atlanta Hawks, 140-89, April 30, 2026
• 8. 50 points - Milwaukee Bucks over San Francisco Warriors, 136-86, April 4, 1971
• 9 (tie). 47 points - Orlando Magic over Boston Celtics, 124-77, April 28, 1995
• 9 (tie). 47 points - Los Angeles Lakers over San Antonio Spurs, 135-88, April 17, 1986
• 11. 45 points - Minnesota Timberwolves over Denver Nuggets, 115-70, May 16, 2024

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biggest blowouts in NBA playoffs as Knicks rout Hawks

Mitchell Robinson doesn't back down from a fight during games, and that attitude got the Knicks center ejected during Thursday's Game 6 against the Hawks.

With the Knicks up big in the second quarter, Robinson was on the floor while OG Anunoby was taking a free throw. Dyson Daniels of the Hawks tried to box out Robinson and seemingly gave the Knicks big man a strong elbow to the rib area. Robinson didn't take kindly to the move and got in Daniels' face and held the Hawks forward. Oneyeka Okongwu pulled Robinson off his teammate, but Daniels must have said something that caused Robinson to go after him again. Players, officials and coaches eventually separated the two, but both were eventually ejected.

Robinson, in his 8:35 minutes on the court, scored six points on 3-of-3 shooting while coming down with three rebounds and picking up two blocks. 

"It’s hard. I haven’t seen the film. It’s tough, when you’re up that big, stuff happens," coach Mike Brown said of the alternation after the game. "It’s hard if someone feels something that shouldn’t have happened to them happened, it’s hard to keep your composure in that moment. Our guys did a good job of that the rest of the game."

Mitchell Robinson and Dyson Daniels have both been ejected pic.twitter.com/JiQUu4mQoU

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 1, 2026

The Atlanta Hawks' Dyson Daniels and New York Knicks' Mitchell Robinson were ejected as tempers boiled over in a one-sided first half Thursday night.

The ejections occurred with 4:39 remaining in the second quarter of Game 6 with the Knicks leading by 50(!) points. Up 72-22, Robinson was called for a loose-ball foul, and things exploded from there.

Robinson took exception to Daniels' actions when they were trying to box each other out after a free throw and the players latched on to each other. They were pulled apart, with several players and staff ending up on the court in the process, but they repeatedly tried to go after each other.

No punches were thrown and eventually cooler heads prevailed, but both players were ejected from the game after reviews.

CHAOS IN KNICKS-HAWKS 😳

Both Mitchell Robinson and Dyson Daniels were assessed with technical fouls and ejected from the game. pic.twitter.com/sjeATc59Pl

— ESPN (@espn) May 1, 2026

The Knicks lead the series 3-2 and are well on their way to punching their ticket to the second round.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dyson Daniels, Mitchell Robinson ejected from Knicks vs Hawks

The Lakers’ defense, or lack thereof, has been a topic of conversation all season long. The narrative of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves as poor defenders portrays the team as incapable of stopping anyone from scoring.

However, perception isn’t always reality.

In the postseason, the purple and gold has been a respectable defensive team with a defensive rating of 109.4, right at the median for playoff teams.

In Game 5, they held the Rockets under 100 points, a benchmark the winning team has reached every game this series. But it wasn’t enough as the Rockets won and extended this first-round matchup to at least six games.

After the defeat, Lakers head coach JJ Redick said the defense did its job and should’ve been enough to secure the result.

“You got to give [the Rockets] a lot of credit,” Redick said. “They made shots tonight, including some guys who normally don’t make threes. I think our defense, you hope 99 [points for Houston] is enough to win. We just couldn’t make shots. We missed some layups. Certainly had some good looks from 3 that didn’t go down.”

The Rockets shot 14-40 from 3-point range, a below-average performance. Los Angeles also outscored Houston in the paint 44-36. Add in the Lakers winning the rebounding battle 41-34 and Houston only grabbing six offensive boards and the stats certainly signal that a win was on the table for the Lakers.

It’s not just Redick stressing that defense has been good, the players are saying the same thing.

After their Game 4 loss, LeBron James said the defense wasn’t the problem and pointed out that turnovers were a much bigger negative for the team.

The Rockets might have scored enough to squeak out these pair of wins, but that’s more due to timely baskets by Houston and the Lakers’ inability to throw a pea in the ocean.

In this series, LA has held Houston under 100 points in three games. In the regular season, they only had seven times where they held opponents under the century mark.

The defense might’ve been good enough, but there are two sides to the game. And if you can’t reach at least 100 points in a playoff matchup, then losing is what’s going to happen.

“They made shots,” Marcus Smart said. “You tip the hat off to those guys. They made some shots tonight that they weren’t making in Games 1, 2 and 3. But we understood that. We knew that. We gave ourselves a chance, but we just fell short and it’s part of it. We got to put this one in the back of our mind and move on to the next one.”

The return of Austin Reaves should help the offensive side of things for the Lakers. He scored 22 points coming off the bench and will likely play even more in Game 6.

Los Angeles’ defense has been good enough all series long, and it’s why they are ahead 3-2. But if they want to close this out, they’ll need a bit more scoring to occur.

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

The NBA has informed general managers about the new anti-tanking reforms it hopes to implement as soon as the 2027 season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The wideraging meassures are expected to have enough support from owners to pass.

The new plan completely changes how things work with the lottery, in confusing ways. Ricky O’Donnell from SB Nation summarizes them well:

• The three worst teams in the league are in the “relegation zone,” which means they lose ping-pong balls.
• Teams that finish 4th through 10th in the reverse standings get three lottery balls in the drawing.
• Teams in the “relegation zone” get two lottery balls and can’t fall further than the 12th pick
• “The Nos. 9 and 10 play-in seeds in each conference receive two lottery balls each, and the losers of the 7-8 play-in games receive one lottery ball each.”
• The lottery is expanded from 14 to 16 teams.
• Under the current system, lottery balls are only drawn for the top-4 picks. Now, the first 16 spots in the draft will be up for grabs in the drawing.
• Teams can’t land the No. 1 pick in back-to-back years, and they can’t pick in the top-5 three times in a row.

There is a lot to break down there, mostly bad, and O’Donnell does it masterfully here. Give it a read before continuing.

Now, let’s get to what matters to Spurs fans:

How does the proposed lottery reform affect the Spurs?

The simplest answer to that question is, it doesn’t. Not in any meaningful way, anyway.

The Spurs owe the Kings a 2027 unprotected first-round pick from the De’Aaron Fox trade, but unless something truly catastrophic happens, they should still be a playoff team next season after winning 62 games this year. After that, San Antonio is in control of all of its picks, which should still not be in the lottery, considering how good and young their core is. The franchise already did its tanking and set itself up for the future.

What happens with the extra pick and the swaps the Spurs have? Not much, once again. There’s a chance the Hawks, who owe the Silver and Black their unprotected 2027 first-rounder, take a step back next season and land in the play-in, giving San Antonio a chance at the top pick. Considering how successful they were once they traded Trae Young, it doesn’t seem likely, but it’s not completely out of the question.

As for the pick swaps the Spurs have with the Mavericks, Celtics, and Timberwolves in 2030, they might not be affected at all. The league can opt out of this format after the 2029 draft, and who knows what could replace it. Even if they keep the format, 2030 is a long time away. Right now, it would be safer to predict that franchises that have superstars will be successful by then, but it’s impossible to be sure. Maybe one of those swaps becomes more valuable, but we won’t know until 2029.

So, if the reform doesn’t affect every team, why is it getting so much attention?

The changes seem like a massive overreaction

Were tweaks to the anti-tanking rules necessary? The answer is yes. Tanking had gotten to a point where something had to be done. Teams were sitting healthy players or having them suit up, play for a half, and then sit them out to ensure they would not win. Few people would agree that doing things like that is good for the league or the fans. But was such a drastic change needed?

The league had an instrument to use already that could have curbed the most blatant cases: fines. The Utah Jazz got fined half a million dollars for essentially point shaving back in February. It might seem like chump change for an NBA franchise, but getting consistently hit with them would hurt.

If fines felt not hefty enough to deter tanking, there are other ways to disincentivize monetarily in a targeted way. What if the franchises that finish in the bottom three in consecutive years don’t get to participate in revenue sharing? What if their salary floor gets raised to force them to spend more? Sanctions like that would directly punish the tanking teams without completely changing things with little notice and potentially creating a lot of unintended consequences because a few franchises were too blatant about their commitment to bottoming out.

To be fair to the Wizards of the world, this also seems to be a reaction to the success of the Spurs and other teams that built through the draft. San Antonio picked in the top five three years in a row, securing Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper. They would not be allowed to do that with the new system. The issue is that while the Spurs made the most of their lottery luck, landing a high pick doesn’t guarantee success. And changing things now makes it harder for the teams that didn’t get to tank like the Spurs without actually punishing the Spurs. It all feels very reactionary.

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There will be time after the playoffs to discuss the draft and the offseason. For now, the important thing to know is that even though such a deep reform doesn’t seem like a good idea at first glance, it shouldn’t hurt the Spurs in any meaningful way.

Observations after Sixers earn emphatic Game 6 win over Celtics, stave off elimination again  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers’ hope of storming back to win their first-round playoff series vs. the Celtics remain alive and well.

With a 106-93 victory on Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena, the Sixers earned the right to play a Game 7. They’ll visit Boston on Saturday and look for a third consecutive win.

Tyrese Maxey had 30 points and five assists in Game 6.

Paul George scored 23 points. Joel Embiid tallied 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Jayson Tatum posted 17 points and 11 rebounds for Boston. Jaylen Brown had 18 points.

Here are observations on the Sixers’ emphatic Game 6 victory:

Celtics tweak defense on Embiid 

Embiid carried over the momentum from his stellar second half in the Sixers’ Game 5 win. He scored the team’s first five points with a mid-range jumper and an off-balance, and-one layup. 

With three-pointers from George and Maxey, the Sixers jumped out to an 11-4 lead. The Celtics started 2 for 9 from the field. 

Boston varied its defensive looks against Embiid and predictably showed him less pure single coverage than in Game 5. 

While the Celtics’ changes weren’t dramatic out of the gate, they were clearly wary of Embiid’s post scoring and preferred to make him a passer. Embiid notched a first-quarter assist from the post after the Celtics double teamed him on the dribble. Kelly Oubre Jr. cut free and Embiid found him for a dunk. 

Embiid got several good early mid-range looks off of his two-man game with Maxey. He was still a tad off as a jump shooter and went 6 for 18 from the floor in the game. 

Brown runs into foul trouble, Sixers capitalize 

Both Brown and VJ Edgecombe were called for their second fouls around the midpoint of the first quarter. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t take any dramatic steps to curb Brown’s first-half minutes, trusting he would avoid a third foul. 

Crucially, Oubre drew Brown’s third at the 5:05 mark of the second quarter. The Sixers got the off-arm push call on Brown they’ve been seeking throughout the series. Brown protested the whistle but had to sit for the remainder of the first half. He was called for his fourth personal just 31 seconds into the third quarter on another offensive foul.

Also significant in the foul department: The Celtics had a poor start at the free throw line. They missed 6 of their first 8 foul shots, all on attempts by Brown and Tatum. That included three straight Brown misses. 

The Sixers’ defensive energy and playmaking were pluses in the second quarter, too. 

Justin Edwards returned to the rotation and worked hard in his possessions against Brown. Oubre picked up a block and a steal. George rotated over sharply and rejected big man Neemias Queta’s layup. Not much came easily for the Celtics, who committed nine first-half turnovers, and the Sixers were rock-solid on the defensive boards. 

Sensational third quarter for Sixers

On the other end, Maxey poured in 21 points over the first two quarters. A Maxey runner with 3.5 second left in the second period gave the Sixers a 58-49 lead. 

Maxey turned to his two-man game with Embiid a ton, including on plenty of side pick-and-rolls. As a pair, Maxey and Embiid struck a nice balance in the first half between probing the defense and attacking without hesitation when the moment was right. 

The Sixers expanded their advantage early in the third quarter. In a crowd-thrilling sequence, Oubre swatted a Brown layup, leading to a fast break that finished with George dishing a behind-the-back pass and Edgecombe jamming the ball home. 

The Celtics asked for timeout. They soon trailed by 17 points with a George pull-up triple. George’s high-quality two-way play and outstanding three-point shooting in this series continued Thursday night. He made five threes in Game 6 and has gone 19 for 35 (54.3 percent) beyond the arc.

Though the Sixers benefited from Boston missing some open jumpers, they maintained strong defensive focus and prevented the Celtics from eating into their lead late in the third quarter. The Sixers thought Andre Drummond beat the third-quarter buzzer with a corner three, but replays showed he didn’t release his shot in time.

Boston still found itself down 23 points early in the fourth quarter after Embiid fed George for a backdoor lay-in. Mazzulla called timeout again and played an all-bench lineup.

That unit fared well. The Sixers’ offense grew cold and sloppy. George was assessed a technical foul for his complaints about a no-call. Ron Harper Jr. drained a corner three. Luka Garza’s dunk cut the Celtics’ deficit to 88-76.

The Sixers eventually restored order and steered clear of a horrendous collapse. They didn’t close the night in especially clean fashion, but the final score is all that matters. The Sixers thoroughly deserved the win and a chance to complete their series comeback on Saturday.

The Knicks face the Hawks tonight at State Farm Arena in Game six of their Eastern Conference first-round series. New York leads the series 3-2, and a win would close out the series, sending them to the second round to battle either the Boston Celtics (boo) or the Philadelphia 76ers (also boo). The Knicks mostly breezed through the last two games against Atlanta and are favored tonight.

Tip-off is 7:00 pm EST on ESPN. This is your game thread. This is Peachtree Hoops. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Make your dead ancestors proud. And go Knickerbockers!

Use this space to chat about tonight’s games!