CLEVELAND (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton made a go-ahead 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter that sparked a decisive burst for the Indiana Pacers, who stunned the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers 121-112 on Sunday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Haliburton finished with 22 points and 13 assists, and he also made key plays on the defensive end, blocking a 3-point attempt by Max Strus with 2:12 left and converting it into a layup for a 10-point lead.
Andrew Nembhard added a playoff career-high 23 points and made five 3-pointers for the fourth-seeded Pacers, who finished 19 of 36 beyond the arc. Cleveland, which was second in the NBA during the regular season with 15.9 3s per game, was 9 of 38.
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 33 points and broke Michael Jordan’s NBA playoff record with his eighth straight game of at least 30 points in a series opener.
Evan Mobley added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who trailed most of the game, took the lead in the fourth and then couldn’t close it out.
Indiana had a 12-point lead in the third before Cleveland rallied. The Cavs went ahead 102-101 on a free throw by Strus before Haliburton’s 3 ignited a 15-4 run.
All five Indiana starters scored in double figures. Aaron Nesmith and Pascal Siakam had 17 points apiece.
HOUSTON – Draymond Green didn’t set the tone when he stayed vertical and contested Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun’s attempt at a left-handed hook shot on the opening possession Sunday night at the Toyota Center.
Or when he forced Sengun into a travel after grabbing his own rebound off that miss. Or when he set a screen for Steph Curry the first time the Warriors had the ball, cut to the basket and finished a wide-open layup. Or when he jumped to stuff Jalen Green at the rim on the Rockets’ second possession. Or when he followed that with a 3-pointer at the top of the arc to give the Warriors a 5-0 lead in the first 71 seconds.
Standing in front of his teammates and coaches and other members of the organization, Green planted his flag the night before the Warriors’ 103-89 Game 7 win Sunday, making a plea that everybody could count on him with the season on the line.
“Draymond set the tone last night at the team meeting,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr revealed.
"Draymond set the tone last night at the team meeting."
The Warriors’ voracious vocal leader owned up to letting the team down in the Warriors’ Game 6 loss at Chase Center, setting the tone in the wrong way by getting called for an unnecessary flagrant foul just over three minutes into the first quarter. His poise was wiped away from that point on. He’s the 13-year NBA veteran who has four championship rings to his name, yet the young Rockets took him out of his game and erased his mental edge.
Green was embarrassed by his Game 6 performance and what he gave to the game of basketball in that loss. Draymond had heart-to-heart conversations with the people he loves the most following Friday night’s loss in the lead up to Game 7.
His wife. His longtime trainer and close personal friend, Travis Walton. His college coach, the legendary Tom Izzo, and even his barber. They were all there for him, but it was more so about the message Green was sending than what he was hearing on the other side.
Pouting outweighed production, and Green was dying to get back on the court to prove himself yet again. He tried to defer to Curry and Jimmy Butler in giving a pregame speech, but they, too, knew the group needed to hear from him more than anybody else.
“Most importantly was calling myself out,” Green said. “You can’t go into a Game 7 expecting guys to rally off the game we had before and not address it. So I wanted to address that, number one. And then secondly, tell everybody else what we needed, which was a togetherness like no other. In our huddles, together – trusting and believing.
“I thought it was much needed. But as much as I think this team needed it, I feel like I needed it for myself even more. You got to be accountable. You can’t be a leader and not be accountable. You call other guys out when their s–t stinks, then you better say when yours does too. That’s what I tried to make a point in doing.”
"I spent the last two days embarrassed at what I gave to the game, what I gave to the world."
The 16 points Green scored were one more than he had in the Warriors’ previous two games combined. Green was a game-high plus-18, making all four quarters a living hell for Sengun, who had 21 points and 14 rebounds but was a game-low minus-12. Sunday marked Green’s sixth Game 7, all with Curry by his side, who looked to have a slow shooting night until the fourth quarter began.
His impact was about so much more.
Curry didn’t score a single point in the first quarter. He only had three going into halftime because of a long 3-pointer he made with 33 seconds left in the second quarter, and eight going into the fourth quarter. Points weren’t his goal. Reducing turnovers were.
As the Rockets grabbed, held and tugged at Curry for a seventh straight game, he continuously made the right play. The ball kept moving when the Rockets tried to blitz and double-team him, and still he only had one turnover in the first half and two all night. Despite his low scoring output, Curry was a game-high plus-16 in the first half, leading all players in defensive rebounds (six), assists (five), steals (one) and blocked shots (two).
“I think that’s a true definition of, like, I don’t even know what you call it,” Butler said. “Being the best player, being one of the greatest is that they impact the game in more than just scoring or shooting. To be able to guard, to be able to rebound, to be able to find guys when they’re open – it’s a hard job for him because he always has three people that are on him and he’s always making the right play over and over and over again. But we needed it.
“Then when it was time for him to make some shots, we needed it, and he came through.”
As the Warriors’ offense went ice-cold down the stretch of Game 6, Curry scored three points on 1-of-7 shooting. He was averaging only 4.4 fourth-quarter points for the series. This was Game 7, where heroes of the game rise above.
Curry scored 14 points in the fourth quarter Sunday, playing all but the final eight seconds, going 5 of 6 from the field and 2 of 3 from deep. Steph opened the quarter ISOing Jabari Smith Jr. and slicing through the Rockets’ defense for a finger roll. The next time down, Curry hit Amen Thompson with a step-back three, giving the Warriors a 13-point lead and making Rockets coach Ime Udoka call a timeout.
He jogged to the other side of the court, talking to Rockets fans who have seen this movie before. Game over, right then and there.
Curry now has beaten the Rockets in five playoff series, and became one of seven players ever to have three Game 7 wins on the road. Green, Butler and Warriors center Kevon Looney are also part of the list, but Curry is the only one to score at least 20 points in all three. He only needed three words to describe how Houston will remember him.
“I’m a winner,” Curry said.
That has been the story of Steph and Draymond since they became teammates 13 years ago. The competitive spirit that never wavers. The will to find a way to win, and the enjoyment in doing so. Curry hit Houston with his Night Night celebration after a late three by Buddy Hield, and Green waved goodbye to the few fans that remained when the final buzzer rang.
There they were going down the tunnel and back to the Warriors’ locker room together, Draymond sticking his tongue out and yelling “Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!” with Steph jumping up and down like a little kid at his antics. They’re so different in so many ways, and equally the same in giving the game everything they’ve got until it one day tells them there’s nothing left.
Draymond Green’s message as he walks to the Warriors’ locker room after beating the Rockets in Game 7 on the road: “SURPRISE! SURPRISE! SURPRISE!”
Golden State, after nearly fumbling a 3-1 series lead, clinched their ticket to the Western Conference semifinals with a 103-89 win over Houston, giving Curry and Green plenty to be proud of.
“We were just talking about the score,” Curry told reporters after the win. “We wanted to keep them under 90 [points].”
Curry, who provided little offensive output the first three quarters of the game, scored 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter. Green, on the other hand, contributed 16 points, delivering his best offensive performance when it mattered most.
As Curry noted, the Warriors’ offense and defense held their ends of the bargain.
“We had done it a couple of times, and we won,” Curry added. “We felt very confident that if we did that again, we’d be able to score enough to create some separation, and that’s kind of how it played out.”
Curry and Green’s postgame moment didn’t end there, however.
As both players made their way to the locker room, Green celebrated loud and clear, shouting, “Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!’”
Curry, as seen in the video, loved every bit of it.
Draymond Green’s message as he walks to the Warriors’ locker room after beating the Rockets in Game 7 on the road: “SURPRISE! SURPRISE! SURPRISE!”
Hield was magnificent on offense, his specialty, with a game-high 33 points, including nine triples. He also was highly effective on defense, where his reputation is less than sterling, playing in significant role in the Warriors limiting the Rockets to 40.5-percent shooting from the field, including 33.3 percent from deep.
“The 33 points were great,” Draymond Green told reporters at Toyota Center. “Nine threes? Incredible. But what he did on the defensive end was even more impressive. He took on every matchup that he had whether it was Jalen [Green] or Fred [VanVleet] all over, hawking the ballhandler. He ended up with Şengün on the post, made him force a miss, knocked the ball out we was able to come up with the loose ball.
“He made winning plays all night.”
Green said he sensed Hield, who was scoreless in a Game 6 loss, was prepped to play a significant role in Game 7.
“I told Draymond I planned a big game tonight,” Hield said. “Just locked in, trying to find my joy. I’ve never been in this situation before, and I was just trying to seize the moment, that was the moment, and just be in the moment at the same time. And enjoy the moment.”
This was a team triumph, to be sure, with superb performances from the accomplished core of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III and Green ensuring Golden State’s ouster of the Rockets to advance to the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
That core, however, followed Hield’s lead. Even Butler, who leads the pack of those routinely making Buddy a lighthearted punchline, had to admit as much.
“Buddy was huge,” Butler said semi-grudgingly. “We know the type of basketball player that he is, and he’s a tough cover for sure whenever he’s making shots. But he made so many right plays on the defensive side of the ball, getting the ball where it needed to go. Buddy was really, really, really big for us tonight.”
Hield’s defense was stellar, but it was his offense that set the tone. He quickly lit a fire under his teammates in the first quarter – punctuating it with a 42-foot buzzer-beater – that the Rockets simply not extinguish over the next three. The Warriors led by as much as much as 20 points.
“Buddy Hield, I don’t know what to say,” said coach Steve Kerr, who said he never considered benching Hield after Game 6. “That was really incredible watching him light it up in that first half, especially, and then down the stretch as well.”
Hield had 22 of Golden State’s 51 first-half points before turning the offense over to Curry and Butler, who combined for 31 of the team’s 52 points in the second half.
Hield’s 33 points are the most by any player following a scoreless postseason game. He shot 12 of 15 from the field, including an astonishing 9 of 11 from beyond the arc. His nine 3-pointers tied Donte DiVincenzo for most triples ever in a Game 7.
This was, for Buddy, an exceedingly loud response to his Game 6 doughnut.
“Next game mentality,” Hield said on NBC Sports Bay Area’s “Warriors Postgame Live.” “Can’t dwell on what happened last game. Yes, we lost. Flip the script, flip the page, next game. That’s the mentality I got to have. That’s the mentality you’ve got to keep every time.
“You can’t let in the outside noise. I stayed off my phone. I didn’t even talk to my family as much. My family wanted to come to the game, I told them no. I wanted to lock in and prepare for this.”
The Warriors had taken a 3-1 series lead before desultory performances in Games 5 and 6 forced them into a Game 7 on the road. Considering the veterans remain salty about blowing a 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals, repeating such an inglorious feat would have done cruel things to their souls.
Green was terrific: 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks, finishing a team-best plus-18 over 40 minutes. Curry was wonderful: 22 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds, two steals and finishing plus-16 over 46 minutes. Butler played 45 minutes, delivering 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, finishing plus-10.
But this was Hield’s night.
Signed last July to provide bench scoring and 10 months later, in a time of urgent need, he starts a Game 7 and shoots his way into Golden State’s book of unforgettable postseason performances.
The Warriors were underdogs in Game 7 after losing the last two games, but they dominated the Rockets from start to finish in Sunday’s contest.
Most NBA pundits expected the Rockets to win the decisive game on their home court, but Green, Curry, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler and the rest of the Warriors didn’t let that happen.
And Green let everyone hear about it on his way to the locker room.
After all the teasing Buddy Hield has endured from Warriors teammate Jimmy Butler, the Golden State guard got the last laugh in Game 7 on Sunday night.
Hield was the star of the Warriors’ 103-89 win over the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center, scoring 33 points on 12-of-15 shooting with an NBA record-tying nine 3-pointers as Golden State advanced to the Western Conference semifinals — much to the dismay of Butler, who loves giving Hield a hard time.
“I plead the Fifth,” Butler told Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike on “Warriors Postgame Live” after the win, who had asked the star forward if Hield is included now, a nod to Butler’s viral Instagram post where he thanked all the Warriors, “excluding Buddy,” after missing their Game 3 win with a pelvic injury.
It’s all in good fun, of course. Butler and Hield love ribbing each other after games, and the latter served it right back during his postgame press conference.
“Jimmy didn’t say nothing to me yet,” Hield told reporters. “I’m not going to get on Jimmy yet; I’m going to keep it calm, but today I had to fill his role for him in the first half. He was slacking. But we all weathered the storm, and it was a great team win.”
And the shenanigans didn’t stop there. Hield welcomed Butler to the podium after his own presser was over, trolling his teammate every step of the way.
But after Butler got in a few more joking digs on Hield, the six-time NBA All-Star heaped praise upon the unofficial MVP of Game 7.
“Buddy was huge,” Butler told reporters. “But we know the type of basketball player he is, and he’s a tough cover for sure whenever he’s making shots. But he made so many right plays on the defensive side of the ball where it needed to go. Buddy was really, really, really, really big for us tonight.”
They really do love each other.
Luckily for Dub Nation, they’ll be treated to an entirely new NBA playoff series featuring plenty more of Butler and Hield’s hijinks. The Warriors now head to Minnesota for a best-of-seven series against Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves, starting with Game 1 at 6:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday.
Buddy Hield had the game of his life in the Warriors’ biggest contest of the 2024-25 NBA season.
The veteran guard made nine 3-pointers in the Warriors’ remarkable 103-89 win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night at Toyota Center, tying the NBA record for the most triples in a Game 7.
Hield tied the record held by former Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo, who accomplished the feat as a member of the New York Knicks in last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals against the Indiana Pacers.
With NINE made tonight, Buddy Hield has tied the NBA record for most threes in a Game 7🔥 pic.twitter.com/dkYLEC8Ni2
Hield’s 3-point barrage is exactly what the Warriors needed after searching for scoring options in the Game 5 and Game 6 losses to the Rockets.
In an otherworldly shooting display, the 32-year-old made six 3-pointers in the first half and had a game-high 22 points at halftime, pacing the Warriors to a 51-39 lead.
Hield didn’t cool off in the second half.
His record-tying 3-pointer came with 18.7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and helped cement the Warriors’ victory.
The shot gave Hield a game-high — and playoff career-high — 33 points.
On a night when Steph Curry didn’t have the hot hand, Hield picked up the slack and tied an NBA record along the way.
HOUSTON – Survive and advance. The Warriors withstood a Game 7 slog Sunday at the Toyota Center, beating the Houston Rockets 103-89 to avoid a three-games-to-one collapse and advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs, where they’ll face the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Game 1 is Tuesday night at the Target Center in Minnesota.
The Warriors improved to 9-3 in elimination games under coach Steve Kerr, and 5-1 on the road. They’ve never lost in the first round with Kerr at the helm.
The Warriors have faced the Rockets in five playoff series and have now beaten them all five times.
Steph Curry was bottled up early on, but exploded in the fourth quarter, totaling 22 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks. The rest of the Warriors’ Big Three came up huge, too. Jimmy Butler had a near triple-double of 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Draymond Green scored 16 points to go with his six rebounds and five assists.
To beat the Rockets, the Warriors needed someone outside of that trio to step up. Buddy Hield remained in the starting lineup and answered the call, scoring 22 points in the first half and finishing with a game-high 33 overall.
A tone was set early by the Warriors defensively. When the Rockets began mounting a comeback in the third quarter, the Warriors quieted the storm and outscored them 33-27 in the fourth quarter. Experience and championship pedigree played out in front of our eyes.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ Game 7 win.
Dray Day
As the majority of Warriors remained getting shots up at shootaround, Green was deep in conversation with Kerr. Few words were spoken by Draymond, listening deeply and nodding along to Kerr’s message. He was locked in, and it showed to start his sixth Game 7.
After forcing a travel on Rockets center Alperen Sengun, Green followed by making a cutting layup for the first two points of the game. He then perfectly contested Rockets shooting guard Jalen Green at the rim and made a three at the top of the arc to give the Warriors a quick 5-0 lead. Green in the first quarter played nine minutes for the Warriors and was a plus-7 with eight points and three rebounds.
Green in the first half was a plus-14, and Sengun was a minus-13. Defensively, he was all over the place and aggressively stayed vertical whenever the Rockets challenged. Offensively, he was under control and was the Warriors’ second-leading scorer.
The Warriors needed an all-time performance from Green, and he knew it. Green stifled the much bigger Sengun, and did more than his part offensively. Green finished as a plus-18, and Sengun was a minus-12.
Trust In Buddy
Kerr already had used four different starting lineups through the first six games of the series. His first five couldn’t be the same Sunday since Gary Payton II was ruled out due to a bad illness. There were plenty of question marks surrounding what Kerr would do with Hield, too.
Hield only scored four points in the Warriors’ Game 5 loss, and then didn’t score a single point in their Game 6 loss. Yet Kerr kept him in the starting lineup for Game 7. And it sure paid off.
The longtime sharpshooter found his hot hand again, lighting up the Rockets’ defense even more than he did when Hield scored 17 points in Game 3 and 15 in Game 4. Hield in the first quarter alone was up to 13 points, beating the buzzer from 42 feet to give the Warriors a 23-19 lead. Through the first half, Hield scored 22 of the Warriors’ 51 points, going 8 of 9 from the field and 6 of 7 on threes, all while Curry was held to just three points.
Hield in the third quarter took just one shot, missing a three, but then cashed in on his first try in the fourth quarter to give the Warriors a 10-point lead. He scored another 11 in the fourth quarter, including three 3-pointers. His 22 points in the first half made all the difference, and were Hield’s most points ever for a playoff game.
Steph’s Deeper Impact
He missed his first five shots, he only had three points at halftime and his impact still couldn’t be ignored. Curry in the first two quarters led all players in defensive rebounds (six), assists (five), steals (one), blocked shots (two) and plus/minus (plus-16). That’s what superstars do when their main power is being zapped.
There’s also no doubt players like Hield were a beneficiary of all the attention the Rockets were putting on following Curry’s every move. His gravity at 37 years old with an injured right thumb is still as real as ever.
But the Rockets came to life in the third quarter, cutting the lead down to three at one point, and Curry still couldn’t get going offensively. The Warriors held an eight-point lead entering the fourth quarter, and Curry immediately hushed the home crowd, first driving by Jabari Smith Jr. for a layup and then draining a deep three on the first two possessions of the fourth quarter.
Curry was scoreless in the first quarter, limited to three points in the first half and was at eight points through three quarters. The fourth quarter is winning time, and Steph put the Rockets to sleep with 14 points over the final 12 minutes.
The Warriors made it more complicated than it needed to be, but they are rocketing to the Western Conference semifinals.
No. 7-seeded Golden State completed the first-round NBA playoff series upset of the Houston Rockets on Sunday at Toyota Center, beating the No. 2 seed 103-89 in Game 7.
Golden State built a 3-1 series lead but coughed up Game 5 in Houston and Game 6 in San Francisco before stabilizing the ship to win Game 7.
Surprisingly, Buddy Hield led the way with 33 points, while Jimmy Butler chipped in 20 points to help the Warriors advance.
Steph Curry was cold for most of the game but got hot in the second half and finished with 22 points. Draymond Green also bounced back with 16 huge points.
Golden State will head to Minnesota to take on the No. 6-seeded Timberwolves in the second round, with Game 1 scheduled for Tuesday night at Target Center.
Here’s the schedule for the Warriors-Timberwolves series:
Game 1: Tuesday, May 6 — Warriors at Timberwolves — 6:30 p.m. PT — TNT Game 2: Thursday, May 8 — Warriors at Timberwolves — 5:30 p.m. PT — TNT Game 3: Saturday, May 10 — Timberwolves at Warriors — 5:30 p.m. PT — ABC Game 4: Monday, May 12 — Timberwolves at Warriors — 7 p.m. PT — ESPN Game 5*: Wednesday, May 14 — Warriors at Timberwolves — Time TBD — TNT Game 6*: Sunday, May 18 — Timberwolves at Warriors — Time TBD — TV TBD Game 7*: Tuesday, May 20 — Warriors at Timberwolves — 5:30 p.m. PT — ESPN
NBC Sports Bay Area will have Pregame coverage one hour before tip-off of each game, along with Postgame coverage immediately after the final buzzer.
The winner of the Warriors-Timberwolves series will face the winner of the Oklahoma City Thunder-Denver Nuggets second-round series.
The Warriors won three of their four regular-season meetings with the Timberwolves, including both games at Target Center in Minneapolis.
The Warriors failed to put the nail in the Rockets’ coffin Wednesday in Houston and Friday in San Francisco, needing to travel back to the Lone Star State to take care of business.
The Warriors now are 5-0 in NBA playoff series against the Rockets.
Curry, Butler and Draymond Green believe they have enough to win the NBA championship this season, and they took another step toward achieving that goal by defusing the Rockets.
The Boston Celtics swept the season series from the New York Knicks and it wasn't particularly close, with the average score being 125-109. Will the playoffs be any different, with both teams a little banged up? Let's break this series down.
When does the Knicks vs. the Celtics begin?
New York travels to Boston for Game 1 of the series on Monday, May 5, at 7 p.m. Eastern. The series goes almost every other day (with a couple of two-day breaks) the rest of the way.
New York vs. Boston Playoffs Schedule 2025
All times are Eastern (* = if necessary) Game 1: Knicks at Celtics (Mon. May 5, 7 ET, TNT) Game 2: Knicks at Celtics (Wed. May 7, 7 ET, TNT) Game 3: Celtics at Knicks (Sat. May 10, TBD, ABC) Game 4: Celtics at Knicks (Mon. May 12, TBD, ESPN) Game 5: Knicks at Celtics (Wed. May 14, TBD, TNT)* Game 6: Celtics at Knicks (Fri. May 16, TBD, ESPN)* Game 7: Knicks at Celtics (Mon. May 19, 8 ET, TNT)*
Player to watch: Karl-Anthony Towns
With the Celtics having Kristaps Porzingis, this is the series where the Knicks truly need KAT to be at his best. New York got away with his subpar efforts in Games 5 and 6 of the Pistons series, but that's an easy path to a sweep if he plays that way against the reigning champs. And it isn't only about his offensive production. Boston exposed Towns repeatedly on the defensive end of the floor in their regular-season meetings, three of which were blowouts. Having a healthy Mitchell Robinson should help; we'll see how often Tom Thibodeau uses the "two bigs" lineup. However, New York needs a consistently elite Towns to pull off the upset, regardless of what Jalen Brunson brings to the table. —Raphielle Johnson, Rotoworld basketball analyst
Keys to watch for in New York vs. Boston
1) Can Knicks follow Magic’s defensive blueprint?
Orlando's defense did the best job we have seen of mucking up Joe Mazzulla's offensive doctrine, defending on an island (not helping as much and not getting in rotation), chasing Boston's shooters off the arc, forcing the Celtics to beat them another way (a lot of Jayson Tatum, plus the Boston's own elite defense).
Can the Knicks follow that blueprint? More importantly, will Tom Thibodeau even try? OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are quality perimeter defenders, but Boston rolls out five players who can shoot, which means Towns will have to defend in space this series. That is trouble. Beyond not having the personnel to execute the Magic's strategy — Orlando is loaded with long, physical defenders, New York is not — it's not Thibodeau's style to change drastically from what got the Knicks to the dance. Expect the Knicks to switch a lot this series, it's what they did in the last two meetings against the Celtics in the regular season.
The problem is that it allows Boston to get back to its drive-and-kick, swing-swing to an open 3-pointer offense where they thrive.
2) Brunson and Towns as targets
The Celtics are relentless — if they find a weakness they will go at it repeatedly, every chance they get. The most glaring weakness for the Knicks is that their two key offensive players, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, are not great defenders. The Celtics will drag them into pick-and-rolls every chance they get, then drive the lane, which starts their kick-out-to-a-three offense. The Celtics will look to wear the Knicks' stars down.
If the Knicks are going to have any chance in this series, they have to play faster than normal, and Brunson and Towns have to hold up defensively. That may be too much to ask.
3) Injuries
The Celtics come in a little banged up after a very physical series with the Magic. Jrue Holiday has missed time due to a sore hamstring and that likely continues into the start of this series, Jayson Tatum is playing through a sore wrist, and Jaylen Brown has a bone bruise and right knee posterior impingement issue. However, Boston had a lengthy rest after knocking off Orlando, while the Knicks kept playing. Boston is feeling better.
For New York, Brunson is playing through a sore ankle (which appeared to limit him at times in the final game, except in the clutch), and Josh Hart has a wrist issue. While both teams are not at 100%, injuries are not what will decide this series. —Kurt Helin, NBC Sports lead NBA writer
Predictions
Jay Croucher (NBC Sports Lead Betting Analyst): Celtics in 5
Worst possible matchup for the Knicks - KAT struggles in space defensively, and no team is better placed to punish him than Boston with the best spacing in the league. Tatum and Brown will hunt Brunson on switches relentlessly.
On the other end, the Celtics have elite defensive options to make Brunson's life difficult. The Knicks have great talent but it hasn't clicked at the highest level all year - it magically happening in round 2 of the playoffs seems improbable.
Vaughn Dalzell (NBC Sports Betting Analyst): Celtics in 6
This series will be a dogfight and while the Knicks improved this year, the Celtics are just too well-rounded to beat. While both teams have four constant scoring threats in the lineup (Tatum, Brown, Porzingis, White vs Brunson, KAT, Anunoby, Bridges) -- I am not sure about the New York role players and bench having enough in them to give the Knicks more than two wins in this series. Boston's bench is so much deeper and offers instant offense, unlike New York's trio of Miles McBride, Mitchell Robinson, and Cam Payne.
Kurt Helin (NBC Sports lead NBA writer): Celtics in 5
If anything, I would be closer to moving this to Boston in a sweep over Boston in six, I just don't see a path to success in this series for New York: The Celtics will win not only the 3-point game but also the possession game in this series, and that is just too much for the Knicks to overcome. However, we'll give the Knicks one game, assuming a cold-shooting Celtics squad and a big Jalen Brunson night, and say it's a gentleman's sweep.
If the Knicks soon punch a ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years, they'll achieve the long-coveted feat as undisputed underdogs. Their semifinal-round opponent is the reigning champion Boston Celtics, poised to defend the NBA's crown and reassert dominance shown during four regular-season matchups.
The storied history between the Knicks and Celtics holds no weight with today's players. While this series marks the 17th playoff meeting between the division rivals -- the second most for any pair of opponents in league history -- they haven't battled this late in a season since 2013.
Nevertheless, the Knicks face a rather tall order with the Celtics stamped as clear-cut favorites and owning home-court advantage. But the outside noise from doubters isn't penetrating their walls. The upcoming games will provide a clean slate and an opportunity to change narratives.
This is how Josh Hart feels, at least.
"If we're counted out already, we should play with a great level of freedom," the Knicks' guard said after Sunday's practice. "We don't really care too much what the outside world said. We're focused on how we feel internally... We don't really involve ourselves with what other people think. The same people who praise us one day, kill us the next. We're focused on us."
The Knicks were consensus favorites in the first round, and nearly closed out their series against the Detroit Pistons in five games. But inconsistent play from some key contributors and the natural uptick in physicality stretched the bout, and New York managed to avoid a do-or-die Game 7 with last-second heroics from Jalen Brunson on the road in Game 6.
Josh Hart was asked how the Knicks are different now than they were at the end of the regular season:
In order to outlast the Celtics, the Knicks will need to display toughness from the jump. They'll also need to learn from past mistakes and address their weak points. Boston made 39 more three-pointers than New York in their four-game regular-season sweep. According to NBA.com, that's tied for the fourth-biggest differential for any regular-season series since the three-point line's inception in 1979.
Hart serves best as a facilitator in transition and ball hawk near the glass. His aggressiveness on both ends of the floor can wreak havoc on opponents. But the Knicks would welcome more offense from the double-double machine in extended minutes -- he averaged just 11.8 points across six first-round games. Suffice to say, there's room for growth and pressure to deliver with the stage even brighter.
"I think it'll be a different series. I've never played against [the Celtics] in the playoffs," Hart said. "The physicality always heightens in the playoffs. We can handle the physicality, but they're such a skillful team, we've got to make sure we're not just worried about physicality. We're making sure we're locked-in mentally to their tendencies. Not just their plays, but their personnel."
A trip to the East Finals requires four wins, and the odds of the Knicks racking them up are undoubtedly daunting. They struggled mightily against elite competition this season, finishing a lowly 0-10 against the NBA's top three teams. Four of those losses came against the Celtics, while two came against a potential East Finals opponent in the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Knicks and Celtics will begin their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Monday night, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. at TD Garden.
No Celtics players were listed on the injury report Sunday, meaning they could be at full strength when Game 1 tips off. It’s the first time Holiday hasn’t been on the injury report since he missed the final three games of Boston’s first-round series win over Orlando in five games.
Coach Joe Mazzulla said Holiday was able to “work on everything he wanted to work on” during Boston’s practice session Saturday.
One of the Celtics’ top defenders and facilitators on offense, Holiday averaged 10 points, 5.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds in the opening two games of the Magic series.
Also not listed on Boston’s latest report is Jaylen Brown, who has been dealing with a right knee injury that sidelined him for the Celtics’ final three regular-season games.
The Warriors will be without a key player for their win-or-go-home Game 7 matchup against the Houston Rockets on Sunday at Toyota Center.
Golden State guard Gary Payton II will not play due to an illness, the team announced Sunday afternoon.
“He’s just sick as a dog,” Steve Kerr told reporters 90 minutes before tip-off. “Woke up ill and didn’t go to shootaround. Hasn’t eaten. No way he can play.”
Payton has started and come off the bench in the series against Houston, averaging 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 16 minutes per contest.
Golden State has struggled on the glass against the Rockets in this series, and Payton certainly could have helped the Warriors close the offensive and defensive rebounding gap in Sunday’s big game.
The 32-year-old is an energizing two-way force on both ends of the floor, something Golden State, losers of consecutive games, certainly could use in a hostile environment on the road in Game 7.
Both the Warriors and Houston Rockets are confident they will walk out of Toyota Center on Sunday night with a series-clinching Game 7 win if they are able to execute their respective game plans.
However, only one team can move on to the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Rockets’ star center Alperen Şengün and his teammates are extra confident heading into Sunday’s big game after winning both Games 5 and 6 to force the win-or-go-home contest on their home court, and believe if Houston does the little things right, it will successfully complete the rare three-games-to-one series comeback.
“I don’t think they have beaten us yet, we have beat ourselves this series,” Şengün told reporters at Rockets shootaround on Sunday. “We missed free throws, easy shots. When we’re locked in, we were locked in defensively and offensively. We have all the talent in the world. There’s no reason for us to lose this game.”
Alperen Sengun on Rockets-Warriors Game 7:
“I don’t think they’ve beaten us, this series. We beat ourselves, missing free throws and easy shots. When we’re locked in, we’re locked in. We have all the talent in the world. There’s no reason for us to lose this game.” pic.twitter.com/FXUcQYgF1c
Of course, the gravity of the game against an experienced team like the Warriors, is not lost on Şengün, who recognizes the moment will not be too big for Warriors stars Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.
“We know it’s going to be tough. They have so much more experience than us, but we’re ready for it, we’re going to play hard,” Şengün added. “We’re going to do what we do, but we know it’s not going to be easy. Just go and do what we did the past two games, play hard, get the 50/50 balls, offensive rebounds and then get the win.”
Golden State has lost consecutive games after jumping out to a commanding 3-1 series lead, and is looking to avoid unfortunate history on Sunday night.
The only thing standing in the Warriors’ way are Şengün and the Rockets. And perhaps themselves.
The Knicks' bench is thin. It’s a challenge the team has dealt with all year, as they finished last in bench scoring. The starting lineup played more than any five-man unit in the NBA during the regular season, and the playoffs have only increased the burden on the starters. The Knicks' bench averaged 11.5 points in their six-game first round series win against the Detroit Pistons.
Heading into their second-round playoff matchup with the Boston Celtics, the Knicks will need a bench player to step up and be an X-factor. That reserve has to be combo guard Miles McBride.
McBride’s playoff experience this year has been difficult -- in the first round, he averaged just 3.8 points. The guard shot an ugly 26.7 percent from the field and 26.3 percent from behind the three-point line.
Creating depth off the bench has been a challenge for the Knicks in the playoffs, as only McBride and Mitchell Robinson averaged double-figure minutes. Cam Payne found a rhythm with 14 points in Game 1, but scored only eight combined points over the last five games.
While McBride had a series to forget, he offers the Knicks solid two-way play on the floor that is needed in a series against an elite Celtics team. Despite standing just 6-foot-2, he has a near 6-foot-9 wingspan, and he’s also a career 36 percent shooter from beyond the arc.
The first round was a shocker. McBride has been productive and a quality rotation piece since the Knicks first transformed the roster and sent away Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett to the Toronto Raptors to acquire OG Anunoby. The Knicks’ sixth man this season, McBride was solid with 9.5 points in 24.9 minutes. In last year’s playoff run, he was a vital contributor, averaging 11.0 points on 43.5 percent from the field in 13 games.
McBride only averaged 16.0 minutes in the first round. But as the Knicks prepare for the Celtics, he should see a larger role. He has been an above average three-point shooter the last two seasons.
Making a positive impact
One issue for the Knicks will be getting up threes. They're currently dead last in three-point attempts per 100 possessions among the 16 playoff teams. Against a Celtics club that had the highest three-point attempt rate in the regular season, the Knicks are going to need to let it fly.
McBride leads the Knicks in three-point attempts per 36 minutes in the postseason. That could be crucial in helping push the team into more shots from long distance.
If the Knicks can create some opportunities in transition, that could be helpful to open up three-point looks for shooters like McBride, who opens up different lineup options for them. This season, teams have put their centers on Josh Hart, while having a smaller player guard center Karl-Anthony Towns. The Celtics went to that strategy in all four regular season matchups.
If opponents play non-shooters on the perimeter, the Celtics have no problem putting big men like Kristaps Porzingis on them. Having a willing shooter in McBride is important for spacing on the floor to give Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Towns room to operate.
Having McBride on the floor has usually worked for the Knicks. In 1,593 minutes, the Knicks were a plus-7.79 points per 100 possessions with him, according to PBP Stats. Even in his disappointing 96 minutes on the floor during the first round, the Knicks outscored the Pistons by 6.1 points per 100 possessions.
The Knicks are now underdogs in their upcoming series. But if McBride can re-discover his outside shooting, it can give New York a boost off the bench and provide the club with a better chance of competing with Boston.