Category: NBA

The Knicks went back to old reliable.

And it sparked their historic Game 1 comeback.

There has been so much written and said about the offensive transformation that was behind the Knicks turning a 2-1 first-round deficit into seven straight overpowering wins.

They began playing through Karl-Anthony Towns as a facilitator from the elbows, allowing others around him — notably Jalen Brunson — to cut and set screens around him. The Hawks and 76ers had no answers. Towns’ assist numbers skyrocketed.

But predictably, it was not nearly as effective against the Cavaliers and their two strong big man defenders in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Towns’ ability to easily see and pass over Onyeka Okongwu and Joel Embiid was key to that system thriving. Mobley and Allen, though, are much more active and disruptive defenders and made it much more difficult for Towns to facilitate.

He had seven turnovers compared to five assists.

So down the stretch, as the Knicks mounted their epic comeback, they went away from that system. It was back to having the ball in Brunson’s hands to start possessions, with the others spreading the floor and letting him score in isolation. And he took over.

“That’s just the action we went to at the time,” coach Mike Brown said after practice Wednesday. “But we have a lot of other stuff and we didn’t execute well throughout the course of the game. We have to do a better job of it. And we tried to clean a lot of it up today and hopefully it will translate to the game [Thursday] because I feel like everybody we have on the floor is dynamic, our offense has been dynamic and we don’t want to lose sight of that.”

Brunson scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, including 11 straight Knicks points. Possession after possession, he relentlessly hunted James Harden. If Harden wasn’t initially on Brunson, the Knicks got him involved in an action, and he repeatedly switched way too easily and ended up on Brunson.

The Knicks forced Harden to switch onto Brunson for nine isolation plays in the fourth quarter and overtime, according to the “All NBA Podcast,” which features ESPN’s top NBA analyst Tim Legler. They averaged an incredible 1.9 points per action. Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson curiously watched it all unfold for a long stretch before calling timeout or adjusting to have Harden avoid guarding Brunson.

“It was cool,” Josh Hart said Wednesday. “Obviously he took over the fourth quarter, overtime.”

This wasn’t the free-flowing offense with ample ball movement that was on display across those seven games. This was mano a mano, with Brunson embarrassing Harden.

That doesn’t mean the Knicks have to completely abandon the Towns-centric system, though. It struggled in Game 1, and the Brunson ball-dominant system proved to be the more effective for that situation.

But it now provides the Knicks with different systems they can utilize in different scenarios.

The Knicks are confident that they will be able to revamp the Towns-centric system, particularly as the series goes on. OG Anunoby, whose cutting around Towns is pivotal to that system, getting more and more healthy should help.

“Trying to show the diversity our group has,” Brown said. “Not just with the actions that we try to execute but with the players involved in it. I have to try to do a better job of helping with that diversity throughout the course of the game so that down the stretch we have a few more things that we go to.”

The Knicks also expect the Cavaliers to adjust, even if Atkinson doubled down Wednesday on his support of Harden as a one-on-one defender. If the Cavaliers try to blitz or double-team Brunson, it would make sense for the Knicks to revert to the Towns-centric system.

“They are going to be ready and mix it up at the end of the day,” Brown said. “It’s our job to make sure we are more efficient and we are more diverse offensively so that no one can sit on any one action we are trying to run.”

It became clear that Brunson hunting Harden is where the Knicks likely have their biggest advantage. The Cavaliers lack any sort of defensive ace that can slow Brunson down when he’s in a rhythm.

But they still have their recent revelation in their back pocket.

While the Lakers will have plenty of player movement with their roster this summer, there will also likely be a lot of front office movement as well.

The arrival of Mark Walter as owner was always going to lead to filling out the front office. President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka acknowledged that the team would spare no expense to do so during the season. At his exit interview, he revealed the team planned to hire a pair of assistant general managers this summer.

However, there’s another role in the front office that the team was at least looking to fill previously. In an article on Wednesday from Yaron Weitzman of Yahoo Sports, it was revealed that the team offered the role of Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations to Timberwolves executive Steve Senior, who turned it down.

Around February, Zaidi started placing calls to agents representing front office and medical personnel to inquire about their clients. Around three months later, the Lakers offered Steve Senior, an assistant general manager for the Minnesota Timberwolves, the job of executive vice president of basketball operations. Senior, who declined to comment, decided to remain with the Timberwolves, according to multiple league sources.

As is often the case with front office figures, Senior is a relatively unknown name. The Wolves hired him in 2022 from the Grizzlies for a role that should sound familiar to Lakers fans.

Senior worked in player development with the Grizzlies and had similar responsibilities, as well as being a video coordinator, with the Knicks.

The role the Lakers were hiring him for was definitely different from the assistant GM roles Pelinka mentioned. That’s good news for fans as it shows that the team is really looking to build out a bigger front office.

The Wolves are a great front office to try to poach talent from as well. They’ve built a team that is a perennial contender in the Western Conference with multiple players developing into quality role players in Minnesota, none more than Jaden McDaniels.

Weitzman notes that it’s unclear if the Lakers are still looking to fill that role, but it would be a surprise if they weren’t. It’s a high enough job title that it could entice some higher-ranking executives in other teams to come over.

This is also the point of having Walter’s billions. Pull out every job title you can think of and hire people accordingly. This is an area where the Lakers are not restricted by the league in their spending and need to flex their muscle.

Even if they were turned down this time, that should not deter them from continuing to make hires.

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

The boss of Philadelphia’s Pat’s King of Steaks wore a “Philly Sucks” T-shirt and worked at a Long Island eatery Wednesday after betting against the red-hot New York Knicks.

Pat’s owner Frank Olivieri worked at cheesesteak joint Dario’s in West Hempstead to make good on a wager he made as the Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers faced off in the Eastern Conference Semifinals — with New York eventually bludgeoning its way to a sweep.

“I’m over here, and I’m having a ball. I’m sweating my butt off in the kitchen, making cheesesteaks,” Pat’s owner Frank Olivieri told The Post, admitting he’s now pulling for New York to finish the job.

“If they beat the Sixers, they should definitely win the Finals.”

The bet came as Dario’s and other spots temporarily banned “Philly cheesesteaks” from their menus, with the restaurants owner and Knicks season ticket holder Louis Cretella rebranding their sandwich the “Philly sucks” cheesesteak.

The name went out on DoorDash menus on its way to going viral. It eventually caught the attention of Olivieri, whose family takes credit for inventing the cheesesteak. He placed the bet with Cretella while Philly was down 2-0 in the series, hopeful the perennial underdog would rise from the canvas.

“We’re used to saying ‘maybe next year,” Olivieri woefully said.

But he showed nothing but brotherly love while keeping his word after a mid-day ride up I-95.

“He’s been a real gentleman since he got here. We’ve been busting his chops for at least an hour,” Cretella said. “He just takes it in stride, laughs, keeps going.”

Olivieri even invited the staff down to his Jersey Shore house and couldn’t help but be happy inside the Long Island spot, which was packed with Knicks faithful.

“I’ve cooked for presidents … this was the best event I’ve ever done,” he said.

Dario’s sold close to 200 cheesesteaks for the three hours while Olivieri was slicing away, making both Pat’s and Dario’s style steaks: cheese whiz for true Philly style and Cooper sharp cheese for LI’s finest.

“This is one of the wildest lunch rushes we’ve ever had,” said Cretella. “Energy for the Knicks is off the chart.”

Adelphi professor Zachary Pournazari, who first heard about the “Philly Sucks” steak in The Post, risked being late to administer a final because he had to have one while sporting a Jalen Brunson jersey.

“We have the Philly fans bringing their culture here, it’s nice being able to enjoy their culture – just like how we got to enjoy the four-game series against them,” he said with a cheek-to-cheek smile. “Any student wearing a Knicks jersey gets a bonus point today.” 

He’s not the only academic with a running case of Knicks fever — especially after the squad took a 1-0 series lead over the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals with a 115-104 overtime barnburner Tuesday night.

Daniel McCabe, principal of Nesaquake Middle School in Saint James, is jamming the classrooms with hoop dreams.

The diehard changed his the building’s front sign, which usually posts uplifting messages, to read “let’s go Knicks” earlier in the playoffs. 

“Bus drivers have given the thumbs up … but when parents come on and go is when we’re getting the ‘let’s go Knicks chants,’” said McCabe, a dedicated fan who has been wearing at least four different jerseys to school on game days.

Students were so excited they had McCabe do one better this week with the sign, changing the message to “GO NY GO NY GO” as a nod to the team’s iconic theme song.

McCabe also declared a blue-and-orange spirit day for Thursday, when the Knicks are set to play Game 2 against Cleveland.

“The dress code is rock your absolute best Knicks attire. Nesaquake is bringing the hype,” said McCabe, who is educating kids on his own heroes, the legendary players of the 1990s like John Starks and Patrik Ewing. 

“The kids and the faculty and staff are getting into it. The energy in the hallways right now is louder than Madison Square Garden.”

The Central Islip district held a similar energetic spirit day on Tuesday ahead of game one. 

That evening, superintendent – and super fan – Dr. Sharon Dungee was “running to her office” while splitting her time between a budget vote and the game 1 thriller.

“It’s been long overdue,” she said. “We’re really excited.”

Chet Holmgren is the textbook definition of a basketball unicorn. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s 7’1 center cashed 36.2 percent of his three-pointers this season on 243 attempts while also being one of the very best shot-blockers in the NBA. NBA teams will tank for years to get a player like Holmgren who can provide stout rim protection defensively while also spacing the floor on offense. The Thunder did tank to get him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and it resulted in a championship in the big man’s third pro season last year.

If Holmgren is a unicorn, Victor Wembanyama is an alien. There’s never been a player in league history quite like the 7’5 French sensation. He’s probably already the most dominant defender in the history of basketball, and he hits logo threes from Steph Curry range, uses his 8-foot wingspan for an unprecedented offensive catch radius on interior finishes, and plays with a non-stop motor. I compared Wemby to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a full year before he entered the NBA, and he hasn’t made me regret it yet. Kareem is, by the way, the third best player in NBA history.

Wembanyama is 22 years old. Holmgren just turned 24 years old. These two players have been battling since they were teenagers on the international stage, and there’s clearly some bad blood between them. As Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs meet Holmgren’s defending champion Thunder in the 2026 Western Conference Finals, their rivalry is coming back into focus. Here’s why there’s so much hostility between these great young bigs — and why Wembanyama is the one driving it.

The 2021 U19 FIBA World Cup started it all

Want to get a first-look at the next generation of basketball stars? Lock in to the FIBA youth tournaments in the summer time. Back in 2015, I wrote that a 17-year-old Jayson Tatum had the basketball world in the palm of his hand after watching him on the FIBA stage. He’s just one of many examples of future stars who had their first big breakout in these events. I’ve been following this stuff closely for a long time, and I can never remember a more anticipated matchup than the United States vs. France showdown in the 2021 gold medal game at the U19 FIBA World Cup. It’s an important first chapter in the Wembanyama vs. Holmgren rivalry.

The United States won the game, and Holmgren was named tournament MVP. What I remember about that game is that it wasn’t Chet who out-dueled Wemby — it was Kenneth Lofton. Lofton was a 6’6, 275-pound big man who played his college ball at Louisiana Tech, signed with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2022 as an undrafted free agent, and played 45 NBA games before now continuing his career in China.

Lofton won the U.S. the gold medal game, but Holmgren was still that team’s best player.

Victor Wembanyama vs. Chet Holmgren head-to-head in the NBA

Holmgren was the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft but missed his entire rookie season with a Lisfranc injury. Wembanyama entered the league the next year as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

The Thunder demolished the Spurs in the first two games between Holmgren and Wembanyama in the NBA. The Spurs won the third matchup in their shared rookie season with Wemby going off for 28 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists, while Holmgren had 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in the loss.

Wemby and Chet only matched up once in the next season during the 2024-25 campaign. The Thunder won an Oct. game and would go on to win the NBA championship while the Spurs missed the playoffs after Wembanyama had to be shutdown after the All-Star break with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.

“I was told by somebody inside that room that Wemby is motivated by Chet. Chet having one up on him on the championship,” ESPN reporter Marc Spears said.

Wemby takes the upper hand in the rivalry this season

The Thunder looked like a potential dynasty coming off their 2025 championship. Victor Wembanyama had other ideas.

The Thunder started the year at 24-1. Then the Spurs beat them three times in just about two weeks, including knocking them out of the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas in a game where Wemby came off the bench to score 22 points in 21 minutes. Watch the way Wembanyama reacted when Holmgren missed a key free throw late.

The Christmas matchup between the two teams was another fantastic showcase. The Spurs beat the Thunder, 117-102, for their third straight win against mighty OKC. Holmgren only had 10 points in the loss, and Wembanyama was clearly trying to get in his head.

Watch this hard foul by Wemby, and his reaction when Chet missed another free throw.

The Thunder did win the final regular season matchup. Everyone knew we’d see these two again in the Western Conference Finals.

Wembanyama vs. Holmgren in the Western Conference Finals is pure theater

The Spurs’ Game 1 double-OT victory in the 2026 Western Conference Finals was one of the greatest basketball games you will ever see. Wembanyama had 41 points and 24 rebounds in a career-high 49 minutes. His logo three will be the shot remembered forever, but he also served Chet a facial with a dunk in double overtime to essentially clinch the win.

Wembanyama knows he’s one of the few people alive with a physical advantage on Holmgren. He also seems to play the mental game against his rival relentlessly.

This tweet summed it up perfectly:

This Wemby vs. Chet TikTok edit also went viral after Game 1. It’s such a good watch:

After Game 1 of the WCF, Wembanyama holds a 5-4 edge in head-to-head matchups against Holmgren.

Spurs vs. Thunder is cinema. We’re watching the next great rivalry in not just the NBA, but all of sports. Wembanyama taking it personally against Holmgren makes it even better.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have had many demoralizing playoff losses in the past four seasons. Game 1 against the New York Knicks was among the worst.

After proving through 40 minutes that they’re more than ready for the bright lights of the conference finals and a road game at Madison Square Garden, they reverted to their old ways. The offense got stagnant. The defense left much to be desired. And questionable coaching decisions cost them.

Fortunately for the Cavs, they have a chance to put that all behind them. The goal at the start of the series was to split one of the first two on the road. Bouncing back and winning on Thursday wouldn’t erase the mistakes of Game 1, but it would get them into the driver’s seat of the series with the action shifting to Cleveland for Game 3.

We’ll see if this Cavs team can put that bad loss behind them.

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Anything bought from the links helps support Fear the Sword. You can also shop all of Homage’s Cavs gear HERE. The link to the 2016 championship shirt HERE.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (0-1) at New York Knicks (1-0)

Where: Madison Square Garden – New York, NY

When: Thur., May 21 at 8 PM

TV: ESPN

Point spread: Knicks -6.5

Cavs injury report: None

Knicks injury report: None

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

Knicks expected starting lineup: Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns

Previous matchup: The Cavaliers coughed up a 21-point fourth-quarter lead.

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

If I put “LeBron James” in quotes, at least half of you can hear the meme I’m referencing. The King is The King for a reason, after all.

But with the NBA’s Conference Finals featuring a new generation of stars, and superstars, we’re getting an idea of how the Hobby is reacting to the passing of the torch. If the eBay search bar is any indication of who’s heating up, who’s hot, and who just helped someone retire, there are few players more valuable than the one and only Victor Wembanyama.

Fresh off of his 41-point, 24-rebound, 3-block masterpiece in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, a winning performance that handed the Oklahoma City Thunder their first loss of the entire postseason (!), the hobby has responded accordingly to Wemby’s otherworldlyness: On May 18, “Victor Wembanyama” was searched for more than 5,300 times per hour on eBay.

While the Alien is leading the charge, he’s somehow not the most-searched player on eBay this postseason. Take a look at the data provided by eBay below:

The Playoff Search Leaderboard

From the start of the NBA Playoffs (April 18) through May 17, the top-five most-searched NBA players on eBay are: 

1. Cooper Flagg: This year’s #1 draft pick…whose Dallas Mavericks haven’t played a single playoff game this season after finishing with just 26 wins. That’s what winning ROY will do for you. 
2. Victor Wembanyama: He’s got next, and all 29 other teams should be terrified.
3. LeBron James: The Lakers’ run ended early, thanks in part to Luka Doncic’s injury, but The King’s gravitational pull on the hobby did not.
4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: The reigning, and now back-to-back, MVP, who just put up a real stinker in Game 1 against Wemby, and will be looking for redemption in Game 2.
5. Anthony Edwards: The Ant-Man might not’ve been able to get it done against the Spurs, but his playoff performances further bolstered Minny’s hope for the future.

On the team side, the San Antonio Spurs led the league in eBay searches from May 1-17, with the Detroit Pistons (shoutout Cade and them) and the New York Knicks (my goodness, Brunson) rounding out the top three. 

The Moments That Moved the Market

Sometimes a stat line is louder than a series, and it appears that a few stellar playoff performances sent search bars into orbit:

• April 25: Ayo Dosunmu’s 43 off the bench in the Wolves’ 112-96 Game 4 win over the Nuggets spiked searches for the new Minnesota guard more than 25x the prior week’s daily average, the biggest single-game spike of the postseason.
• April 30: OG Anunoby’s 29 points that helped closed the door on the Raptors in Round 1’s Game 6 cranked his eBay traffic up 180% vs. the prior week.
• May 17: Donovan Mitchell dragging the Cavaliers past the #1-seed Pistons and into the Eastern Conference Finals pushed Spida’s search rate 80% above his prior-week average.
• May 17: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s second straight MVP more than doubled (+100%) his daily search rate vs. the week before, on the same night Wemby led his team to victory over the Thunder.

Read the Search Bar

The clear takeaway is that the hobby is chasing moments more than anything else.  A 40-20 outburst in San Antonio, a closeout-game 29 in Toronto, a 43-bomb off the bench in Denver, every one of them moved the eBay needle. The names that help their teams win in the playoffs win the hobby, and with the NBA Finals just a few weeks away, we could see cards from Wemby, Brunson, Spida, and Shai reach insane new heights.

In the meantime, make sure to use Mantel’s SLAM score to monitor the liquidity of your collection throughout the Playoffs.

Who are you buying ahead of the NBA Championship? Let us know on Mantel.

The San Antonio Spurs stole Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder in clutch fashion, without perhaps their most clutch player.

De'Aaron Fox didn't suit up in Game 1, missing the contest with right ankle soreness. That didn't slow the Spurs down, as they leaned on superstar Victor Wembanyama, who put on a playoff performance for the ages with 41 points, 24 rebounds, and 3 blocks as he led San Antonio to a 122-115 double-overtime victory.

The Spurs will need Wembanyama to have a repeat performance and continued additional contributions from guys like Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie. Because, for the second straight game, the Spurs will be without Fox.

According to the league's 7:45 p.m. ET injury report, Fox is out for Game 2 versus the Thunder with right ankle soreness. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much. The rule against trolling also applies to members of this site that visit other fan sites, especially sites of the opposing team. Be polite and don’t insult your hosts.

I just don’t have words to describe what happened in Game 1. Well, I actually did, because I wrote the final score article for that game that was published shortly after it ended, but words just don’t do the experience of having watched the game justice. Seeing greatness develop in front of your eyes is something so rare and pure that it can bring a pure joy that’s ineffable and indescribable. I’ve had more important things happen to me in my life, but the intensity of watching an athlete transcend our expectations of what a human can do is a pure joy to watch, and the miracle of sports is that you can feel like you’re a part of it by just being a fan. It’s not often that a single person can lift an entire city, but we saw that happen on Monday night when Wembanyama hit the miracle shot that tied the game late in the first overtime, a shot that made the improbable victory possible.

It’s almost unfair that there’s another game so soon, a little less than 48 hours after the double overtime classic that put the Spurs up 1-0 over the Thunder. There are a lot of factors that might explain why OKC was in position to lose Game 1: They had a lot of rust after their first and second round sweeps over inferior competition, they were adjusting to a lineup change with JDub returning from injury, and mostly because nobody on the Thunder played particularly well besides Alex Caruso, who played the game of his life in the loss. Perhaps the real reason could be that the young Spurs were better prepared mentally and physically by a rugged first two rounds of the playoffs, the leadership of their young coach, and the confidence and swagger of the best player in the world, Victor Wembanyama, along with a supporting cast that were perfectly prepared to perform under pressure.

The Spurs have a chance to press the advantage tonight and open up an almost insurmountable 2-0 lead before going home for two games in the Frost Bank Center. The Spurs team has to be tired tonight, with Wembanyama logging almost 50 minutes and Harper and Castle not far behind, while the Thunder is more rested because they relied on a deeper roster. De’Aaron Fox is listed as questionable on the injury report with right ankle soreness, which is the same status he had before Monday’s game before he was ruled out. Hopefully he can return tonight at full strength to give the marathon players from Monday a little more rest. Carter Bryant did a great job defending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Monday, and he could get even more run tonight. Lindy Waters III has only played in garbage time in the playoffs, but he’s got a deadly shot, and he could do well against his former team tonight. I look forward to Mitch Johnson adding some more wrinkles to the plan as the Spurs aren’t satisfied with one win in OKC and try to keep the pressure on. LETS GO SPURS!

Game Prediction:

Tonight’s game goes to an incredible 6 overtimes, with Wembanyama logging over 60 minutes and scoring 65 points as the Spurs win 154-153 with after all of the Thunder starters foul out. Tomorrow, there will be an epidemic of Spurs flu, as many Texas establishments will have to curtail business when most of their staff calls in sick.

San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma Thunder, Conference Championship Round, Game 2
May 20, 2026 | 7:30 PM CT
Streaming: Peacock
TV: NBC
Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.

NEW YORK (AP) — Dallas' Cooper Flagg, Charlotte's Kon Knueppel and Philadelphia's VJ Edgecombe were unanimous first-team selections for the NBA's All-Rookie team, which was unveiled Wednesday night.

Also making first-team All-Rookie: San Antonio's Dylan Harper and Memphis' Cedric Coward. Harper also appeared on all 100 ballots, with 93 first-team nods and seven second-team votes.

Those five players were also the only ones to get votes in the Rookie of the Year balloting, where Flagg edged Knueppel for top honors.

The All-Rookie second team included New Orleans' Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, Utah's Ace Bailey, Sacramento's Maxime Reynaud and Toronto's Collin Murray-Boyles.

The NBA will announce the All-Defensive team on Friday and the All-NBA team on Sunday, with Coach of the Year set to be announced Tuesday.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

It's the offseason for most NBA teams, where everything means something — but a lot of the time, nothing at all. However, that's not going to stop conversation and cease speculation about player movement and team transactions.

The latest conjecture features a usual culprit: the Los Angeles Lakers.

It's a running joke that every player is rumored to be on the Lakers' radar, but after the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade in February 2025, it's almost seems as if nothing is off the table and anything can happen.

So, when restricted free agent Peyton Watson appeared at the Lakers practice facility for Klutch Sports Pro Day workouts, speculation among fans began, hoping the 23-year-old might sign with the purple and gold.

NBA teams appear to smell blood in the water and are circling the Mavericks.

ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday that “multiple contenders” are “monitoring” Kyrie Irving’s status with the Mavs after Jason Kidd was ousted as head coach Tuesday. 

Charania suggested the Mavericks seemed to be moving on from those brought in under former majority owner Mark Cuban. 

General manager Nico Harrison was fired in November, Luka Dončić was traded to the Lakers in a highly controversial deal last season and Kidd was let go this week, leaving Irving as the last major piece from the Cuban era. 

"The only Mark Cuban guy left on the Mavericks is Kyrie Irving..

There's multiple contenders around the NBA that are very much monitoring what happens with Kyrie Irving in Dallas" ~ @ShamsCharania#PMSLivehttps://t.co/m3jxOPUDFkpic.twitter.com/kNKAUqfwbj

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 20, 2026

“We’ve seen Patrick Dumont, the owner, essentially flush away anyone that was even around the Mark Cuban regime,” Charania said. “Nico Harrison, Jason Kidd they were all brought in by Mark Cuban. Luka Dončić, a Mark Cuban guy. The only Mark Cuban guy left on that team right now is Kyrie Irving. Kyrie Irving is a generational player, a generational talent. Masai Ujiri did his press conference today and he said we want to see Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg on the court together. 

“But there’s no question, there’s multiple contenders around the NBA that are very much monitoring what Kyrie Irving’s future is right now with the Mavericks. Whether it’s the summer, whether it’s into the season, that’s all going to play out over the course of the year.”

Irving, 34, did not play a single minute for Dallas in 2025-26 due to a torn left ACL he suffered late in the previous season. Hope that the NBA star would be able to play in the second half of the 2025-26 campaign disappeared when the Mavs and Irving’s agent announced in February that he was done for the year. 

Irving can be a game-changer when he’s on the court and healthy, and his future in Dallas is certainly going to be one that rival teams monitor. 

Irving has plenty of accomplishments next to his name, which include Rookie of the Year, nine All-Star nods and an NBA championship.

Kawhi Leonard is entering the final year of a three-year, $149.51 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Clippers, potentially making him an unrestricted free agent next summer. For the 2026-27 season, Leonard is owed $50.3 million.

Leonard, 34, is coming off a season where he appeared in 65 games and averaged 27.9 points on 50.5% field goal shooting, 38.7% 3-point shooting and 89.2% on free throws. The Clippers finished the season 42-40, good enough for a No. 9 seed, but were eliminated in the NBA Play-In Tournament by the Golden State Warriors.

Looming around the Clippers-Leonard era is the NBA's ongoing investigation into allegations that LA and owner Steve Ballmer allegedly facilitated a $28 million "no-show" endorsement deal for Leonard with Aspiration, a now-bankrupt sustainability company, in an effort to circumvent the NBA salary cap.

The team denied those allegations in a September 2025 statement and maintained their stance in a second statement, accusing Aspiration of engaging in "fraudulent activity."

“There is nothing unusual or untoward about team sponsors doing endorsement deals with players on the same team,” the second statement reads. “Neither Steve nor the Clippers organization had any oversight of Kawhi’s independent endorsement agreement with Aspiration. To say otherwise is flat-out wrong.”

The Clippers now find themselves in an interesting position to make a decision on whether they are still in "win-now" mode or if its time to consider rebuilding their roster.

LA made a blockbuster splash trade just before the trade deadline this season, shipping James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland, who just turned 26. They also sent Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks (2026 and 2029), and a second-round pick. The 2026 pick turned out to be the No. 5 overall pick.

The Clippers can decide to package that No. 5 pick in a trade to bring in either another superstar or key pieces to surround Leonard. But they can also go another route and bring in one of the draft's top prospects, which could signal they could move off of Leonard and could put him on the trade market.

If Leonard is dealt from the Clippers, it would mean the end of an era that began in 2019. Leonard signed with the Clippers after leading the Toronto Raptors to a NBA championship where he was named Finals MVP.

In seven seasons in LA, he helped lead the team to the playoffs five times, including the franchise's first conference finals appearance in 2021. But since then, the Clippers have been eliminated in the first round or missed the playoffs altogether.

When on the floor, Leonard is as dynamic as anyone in the league. He shows up on both sides of the ball. There would be many suitors across the league that would give the Clippers a call.

Here are potential Leonard landing spots:

More NBA: Warriors mock draft roundup: Golden State eying Mexican prospect

The Cleveland Cavaliers are not even 24 hours removed from their gut-punch of a loss in the Eastern Conference Finals, and there is already offseason talk. Once again, it involves LeBron James.

Sometimes, James is cryptic in his moves and thoughts. Other times, he just likes a post about a potential return to play next season in Cleveland. That is not so cryptic.

Sure enough, James “liked” an Instagram reel that featured in bold letters “Come Home” with a still of him banging his chest in the black Cavs uniforms they wore during his 2017-2018 season. The rest of the reel was about his most recent game in Cleveland.

The rumors of James returning to Cleveland have gathered steam seemingly for years, gaining more traction after the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Luka Doncic as the ultimate baton hand-off from one superstar to another. With the Lakers’ prioritization of equipping Doncic, not James, with players that fit his style of play, the rumblings of his unhappiness grew. This, coupled with the Cavs’ hole at small forward and dire need for LeBron’s mental toughness in playoff situations, just adds fuel to the fire.

Do the Cavs blow a 22-point lead with James on the roster, getting in people’s faces and commandeering his head coach’s decision-making ability? It is hard to say for sure, but it would have certainly been helpful to have one of the game’s smartest ever to calm the nerves and stop the bleeding.

ESPN’s Shams Charania adds that James is expected to play another season, with the Lakers “probably” being his preference. However, this liked post from James may hint otherwise.

LeBron will be a free agent this summer.

On most nights in Silverlake, the scene inside 33 Taps is what you would expect from a quintessential Los Angeles sports bar. Beers are chugged out of pint glasses.

Lakers highlights flicker across the televisions. Half the crowd is wearing Dodger hats as they chat and share boneless wings. 

But on Tuesday night, during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the place transformed into something completely different. 

This was no longer Los Angeles. 

This was Madison Square Garden. Only with better weather. 

There were rumors that a group of New York transplants had turned a neighborhood sports bar into a Knicks pilgrimage site during playoff games. They weren’t wrong.

From the moment you walk up to the bar you can see the overflow of Knicks fans seated outside. The line to get inside wraps around the corner. As soon as you enter through the doors, the energy hits you in the chest like a subway train pulling into Times Square during rush hour. 

Orange and blue Knicks jerseys flood every corner of the bar. Ewing. Starks. Camby. Houston. Anthony. Brunson. Towns. From throwbacks to current players, these were legit Knicks fans. A guy sitting at the bar wore a vintage Knicks bomber jacket like it was a suit of armor. 

As the Cavaliers took the lead at the half, another fan in a Knicks’ hat screamed at the television while clutching his beer. His accent was easily recognizable.

These were definitely New Yorkers, no matter where they lived now.  

Through conversations, most of them had migrated west years ago chasing acting careers, writing jobs, music gigs, or a clean beach and sunshine. But regardless of the reason, all roads led back to Manhattan. 

Only now, the 32nd & 7th in Midtown Manhattan was across the street from a taco stand and tucked between a sushi place and a Salt & Straw. 

“Everyone knows this is a Knicks bar,” said one fan who has lived in LA for over 10 years.

Another fan from The Bronx, said he started coming to 33 Taps back in 2023.

“Back then, it was maybe five or six people,” he said. “Now look at this.”

He motioned towards the standing-room-only crowd packed shoulder-to-shoulder at communal tables all staring at the giant television along the back wall. 

Knicks fans going crazy at the official New York Knicks bar in Silverlake at 33 Taps.

NYK erased a 22-point deficit. Wow. What a comeback pic.twitter.com/Goz6qkopdM

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) May 20, 2026

It all started with Peter Agoston and Dre Anderson.

Two self-proclaimed Knicks superfans who started coming to 33 Taps in Silverlake to watch Knicks summer league games in 2021.

“I came to the bar and asked a bartender very nicely if they’d put on the Knicks game for me,” said Agoston. “I looked over and saw a Yankee hat. That was Dre. It was pre-destined. Knicks fans in Los Angeles desperately needed a home.”

Agoston and Anderson created the Left Coast Knicks Instagram account and began letting fans know when and where the watch party would be. 

For decades, being a Knicks fan felt like inherited trauma disguised as basketball loyalty. The Knicks haven’t won a title since 1973 (over the Lakers). Players and coaches changed, but the losses never stopped coming. Between 2001-2022 they missed the playoffs 15 times. 

Then came 2023. 

The Knicks beat the Cavaliers in the first round before losing to the Miami Heat in six games. But that postseason run changed everything. More fans started showing up. Agoston told them to come back next season. They did. 

“We’ve been humbled by countless years of ups and downs,” he said. “Most of our community here is very far away from their hometowns and families, this space we’ve created transcends just watching a game.”

And 33 Taps has its own version of Celebrity Row.

One of the regulars since 2023 is Desus Nice, the sharp-tongued comedian and former co-host of the “Desus vs. Mero” show. He moved to LA that year and didn’t want to watch games alone in his apartment. 

Actor Jerry O’Connell, a lifelong Knicks fan born in Manhattan began showing up to 33 Taps during last year’s playoff run. The Knicks upset the reigning champion Boston Celtics before eventually losing to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals. 

“We’re a community now,” said another fan who arrived two hours early Tuesday night just to secure a table. “Some people moved here 20 years ago. Some moved here two months ago. But this became home.”

And nothing epitomized that home away from home more than Game 1. The Knicks, who had eight days of rest after sweeping the 76ers, trailed by 22 points in the fourth quarter before detonating one of the wildest comebacks in playoff history, storming back to force overtime in what turned into a stunning 115-104 win.

The reaction inside 33 Taps was absolute chaos. Beer flew through the air. Fans jumped up and down, shouting, screaming and high-fiving strangers. Fans poured out into the orange and blue sunset as if they had just witnessed a religious experience. 

And maybe they had. Because for one night in Silverlake, the night belonged to New York.

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