Category: Basketball

CLEVELAND - A month ago, Clyde Frazier was sitting in a back hallway of State Farm Arena chatting with a reporter. In a few hours, the Knicks would take the floor for a win-or-die Game 4 against Atlanta. Naturally, the conversation with Frazier turned to the Knicks’ struggles with the Hawks. 

What was wrong with the offense? Should Mike Brown change the starting lineup? How do they slow down CJ McCollum?

Before parting ways, Frazier offered one last thought on the Knicks. 

“They have a lot of pride in there,” he said, “A lot of pride. Let’s see what happens.”

Fast forward four weeks and Frazier is on the court in Cleveland, celebrating the Knicks’ Eastern Conference title.

“They’re on a roll,” Frazier said after New York’s dominant Game 4 win. 

Obviously, Frazier was right about the pride in the Knick locker room. New York is undefeated since the Hall of Famer shared his thoughts on that Sunday in Atlanta. 

And Frazier thinks the best may be yet to come for New York. 

“The last 11 games, the way they’re getting up and down the court, everyone is moving and grooving,” Frazier said late Monday night. 

“Every game they seem to get better and better (with) movement, defense. I think the pace is what’s really changed,” Frazier said. “They can go on runs now, 10 or 15 points, and just blow the game right open. And they weren’t doing that during the regular season.”

Yes, Frazier sees similarities between his title-winning teams and these Knicks. 

“Once we got healthy, we had that good continuity going,” Frazier said of the 1973 champs. “They have 10 guys that are thriving, so it doesn’t seem to matter who (Brown) puts in the game, they come through with what they need.”

It was only fitting that Frazier and Patrick Ewing – two franchise icons -  presented the Eastern Conference MVP trophy to Jalen Brunson. 

Frazier’s message to Brunson was brief: 

“I just told the maestro to keep doing it. He’s very level-headed, always wants to do team-oriented things. He’s very focused,” Frazier said. 

A few feet away, John Starks was taking in the scene. 

“That’s legacy there. Those two guys was pillars of this organization for so many years,” Starks said of Ewing and Frazier. “To be able to see them hand out the trophy, it means a lot.”

Just like the rest of the fan base, Starks, Ewing and other Knicks alumni have been living and dying with every possession this spring. 

“Just a special moment,” Starks said of Monday’s celebration. “I’m happy for those guys because they did it together.”

Starks knows the New York market as well as anyone. He knows the scrutiny that comes with it. No better place to win. No tougher place to lose. He believes this Knick team has the right temperament to handle it all. 

“I think (Knick president) Leon (Rose) and (Knicks Executive Vice President William Wesley) did a great job of putting together like-minded individuals. And that’s what it takes – guys who are not gonna get too high and get too low,” Starks said. “And they cheer for one another and they like one another. So that’s what it takes….Because things can get tough and you got to know who’s in the same boat as you. You don’t want to see guys jumping ship. These guys don’t jump. If the boat’s going to go down, they’re going to go down together.”

Right now, the boat isn’t going down. It’s floating, just like every other Knicks fan who's watched this run. 

MUTED CELEBRATION 

Before the media arrived in the Knicks' locker room, I asked a member of the organization if there was any champagne celebration. “Did you forget that Jalen Brunson is on this team?” they said. 

I don’t know if it was a directive from Brunson, but the Knicks’ celebration was muted on Monday night. There were a few people sipping beers. But it was mostly business as usual. 

“The celebrations were minimal. We really wanna get back to work,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “We know what happened last time we had the long layoff, so we already talked after the game right away about preparing, getting to practice, back to the work. That’s what’s made us special and it’s what’s gonna give us a chance to win the next series.”

The Knicks had a nine-day layoff between the second round and the conference finals. They struggled to shoot for much of Game 1. They trailed by 22 in the fourth quarter before Brunson led their comeback. 

“We’ll do a better job this time around of just preparing for that kind of situation to happen,” Towns said. “I think obviously the coaches have done an amazing job getting us ready for Game 1, but obviously we didn’t go out there and shoot well. I think I looked up at one point and we were at four percent from three. 

“So, we just gotta figure out a way to get those game-like reps. I think the coaching staff heard us loud and clear. We wanna get back to work and keep the rhythm and also maybe change up the philosophy of how we have those scrimmages… that we didn’t do last time. So I think we’ll be better prepared, but at the end of the day, it’s all about execution, desperation. We gotta bring it Game 1.”

Thunder top Spurs 127-114 and are a win away from a return to NBA Finals originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points, Alex Caruso led another strong bench effort with 22 and the Oklahoma City Thunder moved one win away from a return trip to the NBA Finals by beating the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 on Tuesday night.

Jared McCain — getting the call with Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell both sidelined — scored 20 in his first playoff start for the defending NBA champion Thunder, who lead the Western Conference finals 3-2.

Chet Holmgren had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder, while Isaiah Hartenstein had a 12-point, 15-rebound night in Oklahoma City.

The Thunder, who were held to 82 points in a Game 4 loss two days earlier, had 82 points on Tuesday before the third quarter was 3 1/2 minutes old.

“We obviously played a lot better, in terms of our process and then also the outcome,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “It’s a playoff series. If you look at any playoff series that goes to six games, at least, there’s going to be some tough games. We had a tough game the other night. This team does a great job of just coming back in the next day in a very neutral way, taking whatever the lessons are, applying them forward and getting into the next opportunity.”

Stephon Castle scored 24 points for San Antonio, which got 22 points from Julian Champagnie and 20 points from Victor Wembanyama — who was held to 4-of-15 shooting.

Keldon Johnson scored 15 off the bench for San Antonio, which missed 29 of its 41 3-point tries.

“It just felt like it was a little bit of everything in terms of we did not put ourselves in position enough to be successful on each possession,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “And so, to beat a team of this caliber, in their building, with the stakes, we’ll need to be a lot better to give yourself a chance.”

Game 6 is Thursday in San Antonio. If there’s a Game 7, it’ll be back in Oklahoma City on Saturday — and while this series winds down, the New York Knicks are waiting to see who emerges.

The Knicks will visit either the Thunder or Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 3.

Oklahoma City scored 40 points in the second quarter to take control and kept the lead the rest of the way.

“We just played to who we were tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

It took nearly 10 minutes for the first free throws to be awarded. But when the parade to the foul line started, it didn’t stop.

The teams combined to make 29 free throws in the second quarter alone, the most in the second quarter of any NBA game since the bubble playoffs nearly six years ago. It wasn’t a one-sided thing — the Spurs were 15 for 17 in the quarter, the Thunder 14 for 14.

Oklahoma City went up by 20 in the third, before San Antonio closed within eight. The Spurs might have had some chances to cut even further into the deficit, but were fuming — and rightly so, it seemed — over some missed calls in the final minute of the quarter.

A tip-in try by San Antonio’s Luke Kornet with about 56 seconds left was knocked off the rim by Oklahoma City’s Cason Wallace and should have been goaltending. And on the next Spurs’ possession, an out-of-bounds call that should have gone their way — replays showed the ball went out off of Holmgren — did not. Johnson tried to challenge the call, got ignored, then got a technical foul for arguing.

“They just said they didn’t see me,” Johnson said.

After all that, Oklahoma City’s lead was 101-91 going into the fourth. The Thunder kept a double-digit lead for all but 25 seconds of the final quarter — a huge turnaround from a 21-point loss in San Antonio on Sunday.

“We definitely got better from the last game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

Many can be credited for the rise of the Knicks, but few more than Leon Rose. 

The team’s president, usually behind the scenes, got visibly emotional in the stands in Cleveland while watching the team he helped build reach the NBA Finals by completing a sweep of the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals at Rocket Arena on Monday.

Rose, 65, was seen crying and hugging his son, Sam Rose, in the stands, surrounded by other fans. He later shared a moment on the court celebrating with superfan and actor Timothée Chalamet.

Leon Rose puts his arm around his son, Sam, and visibly breaks down in tears after the emotions set in of the Knicks going to the NBA Finals.

This is beautiful stuff. We love you, Leon. Thank you for everything you have done.

h/t: Jordan Brill pic.twitter.com/WIkMDzadno

— Chase Jordan (@goatcollect) May 26, 2026

Rose became president of the Knicks on March 2, 2020, taking over after Steven Mills was let go, as the team did not have a winning record during his tenure. Mills struck out on star free agents Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in 2019

When Rose stepped in, he immediately revitalized the team under head coach Tom Thibodeau, and the Knicks reached the playoffs in 2021 for the first time since 2013.

Rose, the former head basketball agent at Creative Arts Agency, continued to build a team by signing Jalen Brunson in 2022. On top of smart signings, Rose negotiated trades for other stars, such as OG Anunoby, and was willing to give up star player Julius Randle to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns. Rose also sent a haul of first-round draft picks to the Nets for Mikal Bridges.

Rose also made the hard decision in the 2025 offseason to fire the coach he brought in at the beginning of the rebuild. He let Thibodeau go and hired Mike Brown. In the same offseason, he revamped the bench by signing important pieces Jordan Clarkson and Landry Shamet. The final addition came at the deadline by adding former Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado.

This plan began at the beginning of his tenure; when hired, Rose sent a letter to the fans that talked about the future of the team.

“Everyone — from ownership to athletes, to staff and especially our fans — wants this team to be a winner,” Rose wrote. “We will have all the resources necessary to create a great organization — one that supports our efforts to build a winning culture and gives Knicks fans, and the city of New York, the team you deserve.”

Now Rose has delivered on these promises with the team back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

The Knicks are four wins away from hoisting the championship for the first time since 1973. The team will await the winner of the Western Conference finals between the Thunder and Spurs, which is tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night.

CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell has cemented himself as one of the best players in Cleveland Cavaliers’ franchise history in just four seasons. He’s been an All-Star each year and earned a spot on an All-NBA team three times. On top of that, he was the best player on a group that went to the conference finals for the first time since 2018. Even though things ended poorly, that is an accomplishment.

Mitchell signed a contract extension with the Cavs in 2024 and is eligible for another one this summer. He’s guaranteed under contract for one more year with a player option for the 2027-28 season.

Whether he and the Cavs can come to an extension this summer remains to be seen. There’s financial incentives for him to wait until after next season to sign. Players with 10 years of service time are eligible for more money.

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Whether or not he does, Mitchell has made it clear that he loves playing in Cleveland and wants to continue playing for a team that can compete for championships.

“I love it here,” Mitchell said when asked about a possible contract extension this summer. “I don’t know how else to say it. I said it before I signed the other extension. I love it here, and I have no doubt this group can get there, but you know, reports are going to be reports, people are going to be people. But I said the same thing, we have unfinished business.”

Mitchell has embraced Cleveland in a way that star players don’t always do. He mentioned repeatedly during his nearly half-hour press conference with reporters after the Game 4 loss to the Knicks that he feels bad that he let the city down.

“It’s great energy to see in the city when we got to the conference finals,” Mitchell said. “Just to feel that, like that’s amazing. That’s why getting swept like this sucks, because you know, you feel it even driving in, like people are going crazy. Like, I love that. I love that about this place, man. The city deserves a ring, and we just, we just got to keep going.”

The band is staying together in Cleveland.

Despite getting swept in the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks, the Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly revealed that they plan on returning head coach Kenny Atkinson, his coaching staff and the front office for the 2026-27 season.

Breaking: Cavs plan to keep Kenny Atkinson, coaching staff, front office together after Eastern Conference finals sweep, @TheAthleticNBAhttps://t.co/EE418WBoyt

— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) May 26, 2026

Per The Athletic's Joe Vardon, there were questions surrounding the organization regarding their future. However, the team ultimately decided to keep everyone around after their first conference finals appearance since 2018, and their first without LeBron James since 1992.

Following the series loss to the Knicks, Atkinson was asked how confident he was in his job security. He said, "Listen, I have confidence, confidence in myself first of all, confidence in the group."

He also stressed that he was proud of what his team was able to accomplish.

The Cavaliers are sticking with Kenny Atkinson. 

Despite an ugly sweep at the hands of the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, the franchise is bringing its head coach back next season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. 

Atkinson, who has been the head coach in Cleveland for the past two seasons, guided the Cavaliers back to the conference finals this year for the first time in eight years before their postseason run came to a screeching halt against the NBA Finals-bound Knicks. 

A year ago, Cleveland went a franchise-best 64-18 during the regular season and earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, helping Atkinson win NBA Coach of the Year in his first season. 

The Cavaliers playoff run would be cut short after falling to the eventual East champion Pacers in the semifinals. 

Cleveland took a step back record-wise during the regular season, but entered the postseason with championship ambitions after a blockbuster trade for James Harden before the deadline that sent young point guard Darius Garland and a 2026 second-round pick to the Clippers. 

A few bizarre incidents during the sweep at the hands of the Knicks had some assuming Atkinson would be on his way out. 

In Game 1, Atkinson called just one timeout while the Knicks went on a 30-8 run in the fourth quarter before eventually winning in overtime. 

He later explained that he likes to “hold my timeouts.” 

After his team went down 3-0 in the series, Atkinson claimed that the Cavs were “analytically” winning the series. 

“I think analytically, we’ve won two out of three in the expected score,” Atkinson said. 

“I don’t know if you guys follow that, the expected score. And I know you’re looking confused.” 

It likely helped Atkinson’s cause that his star players had his back. 

Harden backed up Atkinson after the Game 4 loss Monday, calling him the “ultimate players’ coach.” 

“He understands his team,” Harden said. “Of course, somebody’s going to have to take criticism, whether it’s myself or Kenny or whoever, the entire team. They’re going to put it on somebody.” 

“But I think for Kenny, he did an unbelievable job of getting me acclimated as fast as possible to understanding what I’m supposed to be doing out there. It’s just an unfortunate situation. Any team coming off of a tough, two series against two defensive monsters, it would have been challenging.” 

Donovan Mitchell echoed the sentiment. 

“We’ve done something that we haven’t done since 2018,” Mitchell said Monday night. “I love Kenny. We love Kenny. We ride with Kenny, and ultimately that’s all that matters.”

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The East has been decided, but things in the West are all tied up again.

In Sunday’s Game 4, San Antonio Spurs delivered a dominant 103–82 blowout victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder to tie the Western Conference Finals at 2–2.

After taking blame for the team’s Game 3 loss, Victor Wembanyama responded with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks in Game 4. The newly crowned first-team All-NBA selection capped off the first half with a spectacular, buzzer-beating 65-foot three-pointer from the midcourt stripe.

Oklahoma City, which had scored at least 108 points in every single postseason game before Sunday, could not get past San Antonio’s physical, disciplined defensive game plan. The team shot 33% from the field and turned the ball over 20 times.

A Game 6 in this series is guaranteed; the series will move back to San Antonio for a Thursday night matchup.

Spurs vs. Thunder start time:

Spurs vs. Thunder Game 5 is scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET tonight, May 26.

How to watch Spurs vs. Thunder for free:

If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the game for free.

DIRECTV is our top pick for watching basketball live for free — its five-day free trial includes NBC (plus nearly every other channel you’ll need for the rest of the NBA postseason). When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $44.99/month and gain access to over 90 live channels.

Sling TV is another affordable way to watch TV live and stream NBA games; its Select plan includes NBC and starts at $19.99/month.

NBA Western Conference Finals schedule

• Game 1: Spurs 122, Thunder 115 (OT2)
• Game 2: Thunder 122, Spurs 113
• Game 3: Thunder 123, Spurs 108
• Game 4: Spurs 103, Thunder 82
• Game 5: Tuesday, May 26 (8:30 ET, NBC/Peacock)
• Game 6: Thursday, May 28 (8:30 ET, NBC/Peacock)
• Game 7: Saturday, May 30 (8 ET, NBC/Peacock)*

* if necessary

Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post

This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Rohan Ramadas as their assistant general manager of strategy and data systems, making the first major move of their offseason to bolster their front office under new ownership.

The Lakers announced the decision Tuesday to add Ramadas, who spent the past nine years working with the New Orleans Pelicans, including the past two as their vice president of strategy and basketball operations. He will be in charge of “basketball analytics and strategic initiatives for basketball operations,” the Lakers said in a statement.

Ramadas is a University of Southern California graduate and a Bay Area native who also spent 12 years working in the aerospace industry.

“Rohan is an important and strong addition to our front office as we further build out our basketball operations resources,” general manager Rob Pelinka said. “His unique blend of career experiences and analytical expertise will further strengthen the strong work already taking place internally within our data analytics and salary cap management teams.”

Pelinka repeated earlier this month that the Lakers intend to add talent to their executive suite in a transformation of the organization under the ownership of Mark Walter. The Los Angeles Dodgers owner bought a controlling stake in the Lakers last year from the Buss family, which had a fraction of Walter's financial resources.

Several of Walter's top executives with the Dodgers have already taken an active role in working with the Lakers. Lon Rosen, a longtime Dodgers executive who previously served as Magic Johnson's agent, joined the Lakers as their president of business operations in February.

The Lakers also intend to hire a second assistant general manager to oversee scouting and player development, Pelinka said.

The Lakers won their second straight Pacific Division title and reached the playoffs for the fourth straight season this spring. Los Angeles then upset Houston in the first round despite the absence of injured superstar Luka Doncic, but was subsequently swept by Oklahoma City in the second round.

___

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

The lack of competitiveness of the Eastern Conference finals was offensive to Kendrick Perkins.

The ESPN analyst went off on the Cleveland Cavaliers after they lost each game by double digits to the Knicks in the four-game sweep.

“They got punked, and they got embarrassed,” Perkins said on “First Take” on Tuesday morning.

“It was an embarrassment for the league to witness that. The lack of competition to compete in between the lines at this stage.”

Perkins went as far as to say that everyone in the organization should be on the chopping block, even after they were part of the final four teams in the playoffs. 

“If I’m Dan Gilbert, I’m looking at every single person on that roster, every single person on that coaching staff, and I’m saying everybody is on the chopping block. Every single one of them,” Perkins said. “We are not going to give Donovan Mitchell a pass. Those points was cute, but they weren’t powerful.”

This was the fourth straight year in which the Cavaliers made the playoffs, improving steadily and now reaching the conference finals for the first time since 2018. 

It is not just Perkins who was upset with the outcome of the latest series.

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert made a post on X, citing how the effort displayed by his team was “nowhere near where they needed to be.”

While the sweep and the Game 1 meltdown had some calling for coach Kenny Atkinson’s job, the Cavaliers are retaining him, according to ESPN.

The Cavaliers will also have important decisions to make regarding key players on the 2025 squad, which had the highest payroll in the NBA.

Firstly, their big trade deadline acquisition, James Harden, is set to be a free agent this offseason and was making $39.4 million at 36 years old.

Fellow star guard Donovan Mitchell is eligible for a contract extension this offseason. Mitchell is making a team-high $46.4 million, tied with Evan Mobley. 

Both players have indicated that they are interested in continuing what they built in Cleveland. But that decision will ultimately come down to general manager Mike Gansey. 

He will be tasked with putting the right pieces in place for the Cavaliers to return to the NBA finals.

However, it will take a long time to get the bad taste of the recent series out of their mouth.

The San Antonio Spurs take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. The series is tied 2-2 after the Spurs’ Game 4 victory. Oklahoma City is favored with a -192 moneyline compared to San Antonio's +159. The over/under is 216.5.

How to watch San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

• Date: Tuesday, May 26

• Time: 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT

• Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

• TV Channels: NBC, Peacock

• Live Stream:NBA League Pass | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Odds

• Spread: Oklahoma City Thunder -5.5

• Moneyline: Oklahoma City Thunder -192 (63.0%) / San Antonio Spurs +159 (37.0%)

• Over/Under: 216.5

Series schedule, results

Game 1:Spurs 122, Thunder 115 (2OT)
Game 2:Thunder 122, Spurs 113
Game 3:Thunder 123, Spurs 108
Game 4: Spurs 103, Thunder 82
Game 5: San Antonio at Oklahoma City (Tuesday May 26, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)
Game 6: Oklahoma City at San Antonio (Thursday May 28, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)*
Game 7: San Antonio at Oklahoma City (Saturday May 30, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)*

* if necessary

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The Western Conference Finals are tied at two games apiece because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is willing to move the ball, not despite the two-time MVP being forced to move the ball.

Yet, it's still an unexpected approach for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

These Shai Gilgeous-Alexander odds expect Oklahoma City’s role players to be the beneficiaries of his playmaking as he combats the San Antonio Spurs’ defense in Game 5 on Tuesday, May 26.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander prop pick for Game 5

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander best bet: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 7.5 assists (-130 at bet365)

As the Oklahoma City Thunder have lost Ajay Mitchell (out) and Jalen Williams (officially questionable, but proceed as if he is out), the ball has been in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s hands even more. And that is saying something for one of the highest-usage players in the NBA.

The flip side of that is the San Antonio Spurs can devote more defenders to Gilgeous-Alexander, as well. With respect to Cason Wallace and even Jared McCain, they are not the kind of creators or ballhandlers that force San Antonio to worry about them.

Combine those thoughts, and we have a scenario where the ball is both in SGA's hands more often and needs to get out of his hands more often. It is by San Antonio’s design that the two-time MVP has dished out at least seven assists in each game of this series, with seven actually being SGA’s low-water mark thus far.

Gilgeous-Alexander may have averaged only 6.6 assists this regular season and 7.1 through the first two rounds of this postseason, but the Spurs are forcing the issue out of SGA’s hands. If his teammates can hit some shots — more likely at home than on the road — then any number below 8.5 should be quickly bet to the Over.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander same-game parlay

Not many teams in the NBA have the perimeter defenders — not to mention the rim protection provided by one Victor Wembanyama — to force the ball out of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s hands, but the Spurs do. And in doing so, they may be providing the blueprint to remember for years to come.

Gilgeous-Alexander took 23 and 24 shots in the first two games of this series, respectively. That then plummeted to 17 and 15 in Games 3 and 4, respectively. He took just one 3-pointer in Game 4.

San Antonio will not let SGA find a clear path into the lane, and he has never been a good enough 3-point shooter to thrive with volume from beyond the arc.

The Thunder need their role players to shoot better at home than they did on the road. If they do, Oklahoma City can survive with the ball away from SGA.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Cleveland Cavaliers could make drastic changes this summer. However, those moves won’t come at the expense of either the front office or the coaching staff. According to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, the Cavs are expected to retain both.

This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, despite how things ended on Monday night.

Koby Altman and the rest of the front office have built a sustainable winner. This team has won 50 or more games in four straight seasons and has won four playoff series during that span. They haven’t been able to reach the goal of winning a championship, but that is a major accomplishment for a small-market team that doesn’t have the built-in advantages that the coastal powerhouses do.

Altman took over for David Griffin after the 2016-17 season. During his tenure, he oversaw LeBron James’s final season with the team, a multi-year rebuild, trading for Donovan Mitchell, and the team’s recent ascent back up the Eastern Conference standings.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson will also be back next season for his third season with the team.

It’s easy to blame Atkinson for a lot of this group’s failures in the postseason. Some of the in-game adjustments came too late, and he does bear some of the blame for the team not being able to close out multiple winnable postseason games.

At the same time, Atkinson guided the Cavs through a rocky regular season, navigated the addition of James Harden, and has earned the trust of his team’s star players. This is after revolutionizing the Cavs’ offense the previous year, leading them to a 64-win season, and winning Coach of the Year.

“We’ve done something that we haven’t done since 2018,” Mitchell said after the Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks. “I love Kenny. We love Kenny. We ride with Kenny, and ultimately that’s all that matters.”

Earlier on Wednesday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that Cavs’ chairman Dan Gilbert is “heavily involved” again with the team after not being as hands-on while dealing with some health issues in previous years. Presumably, both the front office and coaching staff have earned his trust.

We’ll see what moves are made this summer. At the very least, we know that there will be continuity in decision-making and coaching.

In watching this year’s conference finals, it’s apparent how woefully ill-equipped the Sixers were for a deep playoff run. Sure, I will never forget the sheer euphoria of slaying the Celtics after rebounding from a 3-1 series deficit in the first round this spring, but cold water got thrown on that fun quite quickly given how dominant the Knicks were in sweeping them in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The Knicks did the same thing to Cleveland and are now back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. In the West, the Thunder and Spurs are preparing for a Game 5 slugfest on Tuesday night in a series that’s destined to go the distance. The Sixers just aren’t able to compete with these teams as currently constructed and it’s becoming more and more clear nightly.

The problems of this Sixers season, and, really, this whole era for the franchise, predate the misfires from former president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, but the executive’s time running the show for the team did little to put them on the cutting edge of the sport. Morey’s time as an assistant in Boston’s front office and then as the lead exec in Houston had at the heart of the NBA’s analytical revolution, a figure who was on the lookout for what the future of basketball would be. The Sixers’ whole setup right now, in contrast, is outdated.

The Sixers and Morey’s quest for a “Big 3” is a relic that went out of vogue a couple presidential administrations ago. Looking at the three teams still standing this postseason in New York, Oklahoma City and San Antonio, the pieces are so different and result in an equation that has a championship answer, unlike what the Sixers are doing.

Sure, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama are poised to be MVP candidates for at least the next half-decade and Jalen Brunson is a star in his own right, but these teams are so deep and so well rounded that their bench glue guys are way better out there on the court than some actual Sixers starters and key cogs. Alex Caruso would be, what, the fourth-best player on the Sixers? Miles McBride would have a cult devoted to him here.

The Sixers haven’t prioritized depth in favor of their top-heavy roster, but, just as importantly, they haven’t prioritized the development needed in order to have a comprehensive collection of playoff talent.

No one defines that more than Jared McCain. Now with Oklahoma City, McCain looked like a legitimate building block in his limited action as a rookie in Philadelphia. Injuries derailed him, but he also just fell out of favor in head coach Nick Nurse’s rotation, as the team opted for low-ceiling players with no potential chance to be true risers in the future over McCain.

Now with the Thunder after a deadline deal that the fan base loathed and potentially on the verge of playing in the NBA Finals in his second pro season, McCain has been more than solid off the bench for Oklahoma City. He’s shooting 37.3 percent from deep in about 15 minutes of play per night. Is he going to be a star in this league? I’m doubtful there. Would he have helped the Sixers against both Boston and New York while on a cheap rookie deal with room to grow and mature as a player? The answer to that is unequivocally yes, but the organization was not willing to put him on that type of developmental path in a season where they only ended up as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference.

For the more casual Sixers fan, a player in that mold who’s flown completely under the radar is the Spurs’ Julian Champagnie. The Sixers had him on a two-way contract through the middle of the 2023 season. He was waived after just playing seven total minutes as a Sixer, the Spurs scooped him up and he’s since started every playoff game for San Antonio this year. Champagnie never got a true chance to showcase himself in Philly and is now two wins away from starting in an NBA Finals game.

Under Morey, the Sixers were never good enough contenders to even make a conference finals, but tried their mightiest to do so. That’s valiant, but smart organizations across the league have illustrated that they can shoot for the Larry O’Brien Trophy with much greater accuracy than the Sixers ever could while also cultivating a base of young, cost-efficient players to counterbalance their top star. I have my doubts the next person in charge of the Sixers’ front office will rectify these issues, especially for a franchise that’s going on four-plus decades of mishaps, but here’s to hoping, I guess.

Joe Mazzulla wins Coach of the Year after guiding Celtics to No. 2 seed originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Joe Mazzulla has won the award he recently declared “stupid.”

The Boston Celtics head coach was named the 2025-26 NBA Coach of the Year on Tuesday, beating out finalists J.B. Bickerstaff (Detroit Pistons) and Mitch Johnson (San Antonio Spurs) for the honor.

Mazzulla is just the fourth head coach in Celtics history to win Coach of the Year, joining franchise legends Bill Fitch (1980), Tommy Heinsohn (1973) and Red Auerbach (1965), for whom the trophy is now named.

That’s elite company, as those other three names are Hall of Famers. Don’t expect Mazzulla to take a victory lap, however.

“I don’t need it,” Mazzulla said in late March when asked about potentially winning Coach of the Year. “I think it’s a stupid award. They shouldn’t have it. And it’s more about the players. It’s more about the work that the staff puts in. It’s just that simple.

“I really don’t ever want to be asked or talk about it again. It’s just that dumb. So, the players play. It’s about them. Staff works their ass off. I’m grateful to have them.”

He credited the players and staff again in his statement after winning the award:

“Thank you to the Lord for the platform he has given me, and to my wife and family who supported me on this journey,” Mazzulla said. “Thank you to our players who compete and give it everything they have each night. I am grateful for every member of the Celtics organization whose dedication impacts winning every day.

“This award belongs to our staff, who are there for the guys every day. Their relentless work ethic improves our team daily. This award should be named Staff of the Year.”

Mazzulla can downplay the award all he wants, but it’s still a well-deserved honor. The Celtics lost four key rotation players last offseason — Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet — and didn’t have Jayson Tatum until early March, yet still surged to a 56-26 record (well above their preseason projected win total of 41.5) and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Eight Celtics players set career highs in at least four stat categories this season under Mazzulla, including Jaylen Brown, who blossomed into an MVP candidate, and big man Neemias Queta, who finished fourth in the NBA’s Most Improved Player voting.

Of course, the timing of Mazzulla’s honor isn’t ideal, as his Celtics blew a 3-1 series lead over the Philadelphia 76ersen route to a shocking first-round playoff exit. The fourth-year head coach took plenty of criticism in the following days for his bold starting lineup choice in the deciding Game 7, while the team’s reliance on 3-pointers has come under fire, as well.

But Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens gave Mazzulla and his staff an endorsement while vowing to improve the roster this offseason.

“I think they’re very good, and we need to continue to provide them the resources to grow and get better and continue to be the best that we can be,” Stevens said of Mazzulla’s staff.

Mazzulla has already built an impressive resume in Boston, winning 72.6 percent of his regular-season games — the highest among head coaches in NBA history — while delivering an NBA title in 2024.

Mazzulla isn’t one to rest on his laurels, however, and he’ll be firmly focused on lifting the Celtics back to contender status next season.

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If you want to go deep in the NBA Playoffs, you'd better bring some quality contributors off the pine.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s championship blueprint contains plenty of points from the bench, and prediction markets like Kalshi are offering markets on whether OKC’s bench will outscore the San Antonio Spurs' reserves in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.

Here are my best NBA picks and Spurs vs. Thunder predictions for this market on May 26.

Spurs vs. Thunder head-to-head bench points

Pick: Thunder bench to outscore Spurs bench — Yes

-245 at Kalshi

San Antonio bench

Key Reserves

• Dylan Harper (13.3 ppg in postseason)
• Keldon Johnson (8.1)
• Luke Kornet (5.1)

The San Antonio Spurs are much more dependent on their starting lineup, especially so in the Western Conference Finals. 

The Spurs bench was logging more than 17 minutes per game for an average of 35.1 points in the first three rounds, but that has tightened to 13.3 minutes/23.5 points in the past four games.

De’Aaron Fox’s absence in the first two games of the series had San Antonio leaning hard into the starting five, but blowouts the past two games have left head coach Mitch Johnson to give his reserves more run. Game 4 finished with 30 points from the bench — a team-high for the series.

Game script for tonight calls for a closer contest, which means San Antonio leans on its starters.

Guard Dylan Harper is the only reserve averaging more than 20 minutes per game in the postseason (25.7). He’s logged less floor time in the past two outings with Fox back while lumbering through an adductor injury.

The Spurs’ starters have outscored the Thunder’s starting five by almost 32 points over the first four games, and we do see a decrease in minutes and a near five-point dip from the reserves when the team hits the road in the tournament.

Oklahoma City bench

Key Reserves

• Alex Caruso (10.3 ppg in postseason)
• Jared McCain (8.8)
• Jaylin Williams (4.7)

The X-factor for this prediction market could be Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams. He’s sat out the past two games after reaggravating a hamstring injury early in Game 2, and is listed as questionable for Game 5.

Should Williams sit out, an already thin bench for the Thunder gets thinner due to Ajay Mitchell’s absence (out with calf injury). Cason Wallace has moved into the starting lineup in place of Williams, leaving Alex Caruso, Jaylen Williams, and Jared McCain as the biggest contributors off the bench.

The support staff slumped last time out, shooting a collective 25.5% for a combined 34 points in Game 4. The bench took 27 of 47 shots from beyond the arc with OKC trailing big on Sunday, making only five of those long-range attempts. 

However, Oklahoma City’s reserves have been awesome overall, and topped the postseason with 42.9 average points in 20.2 minutes per game off the pine before Game 4.

I expect them to tighten up with a return home, where the reserves connect at a 44.6% clip during the playoffs. Even with Williams likely out, which depletes the bench, OKC’s “other guys” will continue to contribute.

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