Category: Basketball

The Atlanta Hawks dropped a pivotal Game 5 as they fell to a convincing 126-97 defeat to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. Jalen Johnson led the Hawks in scoring with 18 points, while Dyson Daniels added 17 points. For the Knicks, Jalen Brunson scored 39 points with OG Anunoby adding 17 points.

The Hawks — having come off of a heavy home loss in Game 4 — needed to begin Game 5 with intent, to let the Knicks know that Game 5 was not going to be a repeat of Game 4. Atlanta brought physicality in the opening stint, pressing up to the ball and getting physical, with Daniels in particular getting involved on both ends.

The Knicks also brought their defensive intensity; they just made the Hawks work so hard on offense so often of the time in the first half, which was really the defining element of this game when viewed from afar.

On a drive near the end of the shot clock, Daniels is contested well at the rim as he tries to get to a spin and layup:

Jalen Johnson struggled to get his halfcourt offense going, missing this bank shot on the drive:

On a drive against Karl-Anthony Towns, Johnson tries to get inside again but is emphatically blocked:

Coming off of a Gabe Vincent screen, CJ McCollum gets the jump on Brunson, but the Knicks defend it well as Anunoby steps up to contest the shot:

Here, Johnson sees an extra body on the ball, is forced to give the ball up to Daniels, who finds Okongwu, who has to go to a spin and hook move as the clock begins to wind down:

Contrast this to the Knicks, who enjoyed some very easy baskets in comparison in the first half.

At the end of the first quarter, the Hawks double Brunson out front but half-commit to it, and when Brunson slips the pass in between Daniels and McCollum to the cutting Jordan Clarkson, he’s so wide open he almost has too much time to think before getting into his floater:

A screen from Towns on Gabe Vincent is not communicated, allowing Josh Hart to wander in and score at the rim:

These particular lapses are regular season blunders; they’re just unacceptable baskets to allow in Game 5 of a playoff series tied 2-2. While they are the greatest offenders, they weren’t the only easy baskets the Knicks scored.

Brunson torched the Hawks all night long and the Hawks certainly helped him at times. Here in transition, Brunson bursts in transition but poor help defense from Jonathan Kuminga allows Brunson to get all the way to the rim for the basket:

A great find from Towns — and no help in behind for the Hawks — allows Brunson an easy finish at the rim:

Towns himself finished with 16 points but only took seven shots, most of which came in the first half where he, too, had an easy time of scoring, particularly against Kuminga, both in terms of just shooting over him:

And getting to the rim:

The Knicks ran out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter, scoring 35 points 65% shooting while the Hawks shot 1-of-8 from three — a consistent struggle all night long from behind the arc. While the Knicks only outscored the Hawks by three points in the second quarter, the Hawks, I thought, did not take this second quarter seriously enough from a rotation point of view.

The lineup to start the second half was poor, and the Knicks’ second unit completely outplayed the Hawks’. While the final scoring margin of the benches was 38-24 in favor of the Knicks, it sure felt like the Knicks’ advantage was much wider than that, as Jose Alvarado, Mitchell Robinson, and Jordan Clarkson outplayed Atlanta’s bench. Kuminga, in particular, was bad: bad shot-making, bad shot selection, and consistent foul-baiting that is just not likely to get called on the road.

The Knicks ran their lead to 20 in the second quarter and, really, never looked back from here. Never again did the lead drop below double-digits, nor were the Knicks particularly threatened at any point in the second half as Brunson took over, scoring 22 of his 39 points. It really was as easy as that for the New Yorks, who take a 3-2 series lead with the Hawks’ season now on the line, facing elimination in Game 6 in Atlanta.

Postgame, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder directed attention to the Knicks’ defense limiting the Hawks while acknowledging the Hawks needed to do more to overcome the Knicks’ defense, believing the Hawks didn’t play to the level they needed to.

“They did what they were supposed to do, protect at home court,” began Snyder postgame. “Their defense never really let us establish consistently how we need to play to beat them. It’s really like imposing your will on the offensive end, really moving and passing. You can feel possessions where that occurs, and that’s when we’re efficient or have success. We had some shots that didn’t go in, that’s always in play. For us, I think we need to execute on who we are and what we’ve done to be a good team. That’s hard when you play against a team of their caliber, but that level for us, we didn’t hit it. They had a lot to do with that, but that can’t be where it stops. We’ve got to be more committed to that and to playing the way that we know we need to play to be successful, and we get a chance to go home and do that.”

The Hawks were asked about the Knicks’ physicality, and similarly acknowledged that they needed to find a way to get around this.

“We got smashed tonight, but we still got a chance,” said Dyson Daniels. “It’s 3-2, we’re going home to protect our home court. We’ve got to be better, we got to come out, we got to be more physical, we got to play harder. They came in and just manhandled us, so we’re going to have to really, change some things around if we want to, you know, get Game 6.”

“We just got to play through it,” added Onyeka Okongwu of playing through physicality. “We can’t let their physicality take us out of what we want to do. We’ve just got to move the ball more. We’re not really playing like ourselves, we’re not running, we’re not moving the ball, we’re not spacing. The things that we did to get us to this point of the year we’re not doing well enough. We have to do that on Thursday, or our season will be over.”

Similar to Okongwu, Daniels also referenced that the Hawks just haven’t been able to play to their strengths in this series. For instance, the Hawks only scored four fastbreak points in Game 5 having finished third in the regular season with 18.1 fastbreak points per game.

“I don’t think we played anywhere near our best basketball at all this series,” said Daniels. “…We want to play fast, but you can’t play fast when we put them on the free throw line and we’re not getting stops. We’ve got to be better at getting stops, keeping them off the free throw line, and then we just got to have the mindset to run. Everyone’s got to run. If you have four guys running and one guy doesn’t, that hurts you as well. So, five guys got to run, got to space. Like I said, we haven’t played to our strengths this series, and I don’t think we’ve had a game where we’ve had a good fastbreak, got a lot of fastbreak points. So, credit to them as well, they’ve taken that away from us, but it’s something that we need to do.”

The Hawks finished fifth in the NBA in three-point percentage, but shot just 13-of-42 from three in Game 5. There were plenty of very makable shots the Hawks missed from distance, but on a night where the Hawks weren’t succeeding in getting out in transition for threes, where the Knicks limited their turnovers to also prevent fastbreak scoring, and a lack of free throw shooting (shooting 10-of-17 from the line), the Hawks paid a dear price for missing their threes.

Looking across the roster, CJ McCollum retuned to Earth with six points on 3-of-10 shooting, and while he has been the star for the Hawks in this series, their success in this series is dependent on the scoring success of Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Johnson led the Hawks in scoring with 18 points, but really struggled to get going offensively in the half-court, and shot 1-of-5 from three. Alexander-Walker had a good third quarter and shot good percentages (6-of-11 from the field, 4-of-9 from three). It just wasn’t enough. That’s the sentiment I think actually applies across the board here, because the percentages for the starters, minus McCollum, are actually solid — there just wasn’t enough of it.

“I think for us, we can get kind of caught up in individual performances,” said Snyder when asked about other stepping up as McCollum returns to Earth. “You always need those, but we need to look at kind of our collective, look at it collectively. Everybody needs to make plays for each other. When we’re playing well, that’s what it looks like. CJ’s a competitor, but it’s us, and our guys have embraced that throughout the course of the year. When you play a really good team, they have an impact on your ability to do that. Whether last game it was us turning the ball over, tonight our ability to space and make an extra pass, and those things that generate better shots.”

From the Knicks’ side, it was a familiar story: 60 points in the paint, 20 second chance points, and big free throw disparity, shooting 25-of-34 from the line.

“Their size and athleticism, when they get the ball in there it’s difficult defensively to have an impact,” said Snyder of the Knicks’ paint scoring. “We just need to build a better perimeter, if that makes sense. Whether it’s double teaming a certain situation, where there’s a mismatch or a size mismatch, but the physicality that we have to play with defensively, really as much as anything, on the glass. We got to dig and scratch and claw and be better.”

The Hawks have done well to make this series and take the 2-1 lead, but this game was a microcosm for everything the Hawks should have feared heading into this series.

Jalen Brunson dominated, scoring 39 points on 15-of-23 from the field, absolutely dominating his matchups with Alexander-Walker and Daniels. There was nothing any of them could do. Brunson was getting to the rim, getting into his pull-up — everything that he did so well in the regular season series. Massive volume, massive efficiency, and just no answers for the Hawks. McCollum is the reason the Hawks even have two wins in this series, and for that he deserves a lot of credit, but this type of disparity between he and Brunson was what concerned me heading into the series.

Towns took seven shots in this game — it blows my mind how little either the Knicks don’t go to him more given his mismatches/advantages, or how Towns himself doesn’t just demand the ball and just shoot over Daniels, or put him in the spin cycle going to the rim. Towns still finished with 16 points and was dominant in that first quarter where the Knicks broke away whilst also grabbing 14 rebounds.

The Knicks’ bench completely outplayed the Hawks’ bench as referenced earlier. Guys like Alvarado, Robinson, and Clarkson comprehensively outperformed Atlanta’s bench.

This was a bad Kuminga game, and we talked about it heading into the series. He had to be the swing guy off the bench in this series for the Hawks to have success. In the two wins for the Hawks in this series, Kuminga has averaged 20 points on 61% shooting from the field and 37% from three on over four attempts. In the three losses, Kuminga has averaged 10 points per game on 37% shooting from the field and 7% from three on over four attempts per game. His performances are really important for the Hawks, and last night was not a good one. Not that he was helped by his bench compatriots: Vincent struggled to hit shots, Corey Kispert missed all four of his shots, and Tony Bradley is left even further alone than the Knicks left Dyson Daniels.

Speaking of, the Knicks were happy to let Daniels handle as much as possible. While Daniels scored 17 points on 7-of-11 from the field and 2-of-4 from three, it’s hard to escape the thought that that’s exactly what the Knicks wanted. The same issues still exist: Daniels is still played off of, left alone from three, allows Towns to guard Daniels and hover around the rim.

And there’s nothing the Hawks can really do about it, and what Daniels did is an improvement from earlier in the series where he wasn’t scoring and just handing the ball off and screening — it’s just a fundamental aspect baked into this series that the Knicks can take advantage of every game. More Daniels means less Johnson and less Alexander-Walker, and that’s just fine with the Knicks.

Other issues that I was concerned about heading into this series: transition offense. Teams just tend not to turn the ball over as much in the postseason, and I was concerned that this would limit the Hawks’ fastbreak opportunities, but I didn’t think it would be as low as four points in Game 5. Transition is the Hawks’ bread-and-butter: get out, run, get to the rim or kick out to a shooter for a made three — none of these things happened for the Hawks consistently in this game.

Offensive rebounds and second chance scoring…we’ve been over this issue enough — it’s just another aspect that’s baked into this series that there are no adjustments for: it’s just going to happen and all you can do is limit it. The Hawks really struggled with this, with the Knicks converting eight offensive rebounds into 20 points. From a volume standpoint, the Hawks actually did a great job to limit to just eight offensive rebounds — they just couldn’t get any stops from them.

In short, all the things the Hawks should have been worried about heading into the series all transpired — almost every single one of them. So, perhaps from that perspective the series was due a game like this, and it’s hard for all those things to occur at once, which should give the Hawks some optimism heading back home for Game 6

Game 6 is do-or-die; win or go home. The nature of these last two games should give the Hawks cause for concern, and if there’s anything in this series for Jalen Johnson or Nickeil Alexander-Walker, or any more heroics from CJ McCollum, or impactful games from Jonathan Kuminga, there is no more time remaining.

Game 6 takes place on Thursday night back at State Farm Arena.

Until next time…

The Brooklyn Nets made an early entry into the offseason. We knew it would be this way for several weeks, but it’s still a bit striking to see a bushel of teams duking it out on national television every night, and our guys cosplaying as Arthur Morgan or sitting court side with Ice Spice.

Yes, Brooklyn players did both of those things last week. The guys are already making the most of their time off, and frankly, they should be. Once the playoffs roll through, we’ll be about two weeks away from the draft and less than a month away from the start of Summer League. Time indeed flies when you’re having fun.

To at least keep tabs on everyone, we’ve put together another social media roundup, the first of this offeason. Several players took time over the past few weeks for some season recap posts. And, as mentioned, others went straight into vacation mode. Here’s what we have for you.

From Brooklyn to…

Brooklyn’s top pick in last year’s draft wasted little time getting out of Brooklyn. He’s certainly had the look of a highway man as well, recently venturing out west for some horseback riding.

Not long before that, Dëmin also went golfing with creator Noah Schone. He also visited his alma mater, where he caught ball game and appeared to get a workout in. I don’t want to make a mountain out of a molehill, but the latter has to be a good sign in terms of his left plantar fascia injury management.

However, Dëmin isn’t the only rookie on the road right now. Earlier this week, Drake Powell got out to Iceland (the thinking man’s Cancun?) Ziaire Williams asked why Powell had gloves on in the comments, where Tyrese Martin replied “knowing him prolly out there Rock climbing and shi.”

Farewell Posts

Several Nets also posted slideshows over the past two weeks bidding farewell to the 2025-26 season. Believe it or not, it’s already been three years in the NBA for Jalen Wilson…

Dëmin also posted a series of highlights and fit pics from the season. Vince Carter and Hugo González of the Boston Celtics both make an appearance.

The Nets have a club option on Malachi Smith’s contract for next year. His post reminded us how many big moments he had after getting the call up at the end of the season.

Ben Saraf did the same. Somehow his editor missed his dunk on Draymond Green, but we’ll link it here for your viewing pleasure.

In his end-of-season post, Day’Ron Sharpe wrote “Peace and blessings. Until next time.” Brooklyn has a team option on his contract this summer as well. After a career season from the now five-year NBA vet, I’m pretty confident “next time” will be back in Brooklyn.

Noah Clowney captioned his post in a similar fashion. This past year was his third in the league, and his best statistically in terms of scoring, passing, and rebounding.

Our last end-of-season reel belongs to Josh Minott. Much of it was made out of clips from his coming out game vs the New York Knicks. Next year, let’s hope he gets that sought after win against them.

Two-ways Tyson Etienne, Chaney Johnson, and E.J. Liddell all dropped end-of-season posts as well. Liddell shouted out both the Brooklyn and Long Island staff for their work with him over the course of the campaign.

“Thank you Brooklyn & Long Island for another year in this league,” he wrote. “It’s been a year full of growth & lessons that I will carry for the rest of my life. One thing I can say I learned is that through habits & discipline you forge a character rich with courage and peace.”

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Two closeout games are on tap for tonight, as the Los Angeles Lakers look to finish off the Houston Rockets and the No. 8-seeded Orlando Magic try to complete the upset with a win over the Detroit Pistons.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers look to hold serve at home after the home team won each of the first four games of the series against the Toronto Raptors.

My NBA picks cover all three games for this April 29 slate.

Best NBA player props today

Player	Pick
Paolo Banchero	Over 34.5 points + rebound + assists	-112
Donovan Mitchell	Over 27.5 points	-112
LeBron James	Over 15.5 rebounds + assists	+100

Prop #1: Paolo Banchero Over 34.5 points + rebounds + assists

-112 at bet365

Paolo Banchero shot a putrid 4-for-18 from the field in Game 4, but he still finished with 30 PRA. 

Banchero will be better offensively in Game 5, especially with Franz Wagner’s status up in the air. Given his extensive injury history this season, I expect Wagner to sit this one out.

During the regular season, Banchero averaged 32 PRA with Wagner in the lineup compared to a whopping 37.7 with him sidelined. 

The Orlando forward closed out the regular season on a high note, averaging 36.4 PRA across his final eight games. He went for 35+ four times and finished with exactly 34 once more. 

Banchero posted PRA totals of 36, 32, 46, and 30 in Games 1-4 of the series, respectively, but he was even better against the Pistons in the regular season.

In three regular-season matchups with Detroit, Banchero averaged 39.3 PRA and hit the Over on this line in every game.

• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Prime

Prop #2: Donovan Mitchell Over 27.5 points

-112 at bet365

Donovan Mitchell’s home-road splits were noticeable during the regular season, but they’ve been glaring in this series.

In Games 1 and 2, Mitchell averaged 31 points while shooting 55.8% from the floor and 47.1% from beyond the arc. In Games 3 and 4 at Scotiabank Arena, he totaled 35 points on a miserable 13-for-40 from the field and 5-for-17 from long distance...

The series is now a best-of-three affair, and the Cavs get two of those in Cleveland. I’ll bet on Mitchell bouncing back in front of the home crowd tonight after letting his team down in Toronto.

• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ESPN

Prop #3: LeBron James Over 15.5 rebounds + assists

+100 at bet365

LeBron James finished Game 4 with just 10 points on 2-for-9 shooting and 0 of 3 from 3-point range. Despite the poor offensive showing, he made an impact as a rebounder and facilitator, posting 13 rebounds + assists.

Through four games of the series, James has racked up 21, 15, 19, and 13 RA, carrying a hefty load as the team’s primary playmaker.

Austin Reaves is expected back tonight, so James’ scoring may take a hit. With Luka Doncic still sidelined, however, James should thrive in other areas.

During the regular season, James averaged 12.4 RA in games played with Doncic. In 11 games with Doncic sidelined, that number rocketed up to 17.3, and James hit the Over nine times. I expect a strong performance from the King at home in a closeout scenario.

• Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ESPN

These props are available now at bet365, one of our best betting sites.

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 Knicks have regained control of their first round playoff series with the Atlanta Hawks. 

Thanks to a combined 72 points from Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and OG Anunoby, the Knicks had their most complete performance in a 126-97 win against the Hawks in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden.

With a 3-2 series lead, New York can advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals if they win Game 6 against Atlanta on the road. 

Here are three keys to watch...

Star synergy

As the season has progressed, we’ve seen Brunson and Towns build better chemistry on the floor. 

On Tuesday night, the tandem put on a show. Brunson had his best stretch of the series, scoring 39 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter. Towns had a quieter scoring night, registering 16 points. However, 14 of those came in the first half, where the big man continued to set the tone for New York’s offense. 

Even more important was both stars' willingness to move the ball. Brunson had eight assists, and Towns had six dimes after recording a triple-double during Saturday’s win. They also took care of the ball for the most part, combining for just four turnovers.

The Hawks made the adjustment by placing elite defender Dyson Daniels on Towns instead of Brunson. But in what might be an earth-shattering revelation, Daniels can’t guard both Towns and Brunson at the same time. 

New York handled the adjustment well, letting Towns initiate the offense early on and having Brunson operate off the ball. Regardless of what adjustment Atlanta makes in Game 6, the Knicks can count on their two stars to solve it like they did in Game 5.

Containing CJ McCollum

McCollum has largely been Atlanta’s only consistent source of offense in the playoffs. Through the first four games of the first round, the veteran sage averaged 24.5 points on 51.3 percent from the field while knocking down numerous clutch shots. McCollum was held in check in Game 5, scoring just six points on 3-for-10 shooting.

New York’s defense has adjusted through this series, taking the smaller Brunson off McCollum. New York has also cut back on switches that put Brunson on the Hawks' top scorer. Instead, New York is blitzing the pick-and-roll more often and preventing McCollum from getting to his spots for easy looks.

Other Hawks like Daniels (17 points) played better offensively, but the Knicks will live with that if it takes the ball out of McCollum’s hands and keeps the Hawks under 100 points.

Dominate the paint

With a major size advantage in the frontcourt, New York has controlled the paint for most of this series. The Knicks have outscored the Hawks, 166-126, in the paint in the last three games. In Game 5, the Knicks held a 60-42 advantage in paint points, when Towns and Mitchell Robinson were dominant on the interior. 

Towns had a few post-ups throughout the game that generated good looks for him and his teammates. Robinson also had his moments, finishing a couple of lobs and scoring seven points in 16 minutes. Even more surprising was Brunson, who scored 22 points in the paint with a variety of nifty dribble drives.

With a small lineup, the Hawks don’t have much to offer in terms of rim protection. According to NBA Stats, the Hawks are giving up 55 points in the paint per 100 possessions in the postseason -- the second-highest number among all 16 playoff teams.

The aggressive focus is spilling into other categories. New York took 34 free throws on Tuesday, 17 more than the Hawks. They also won the rebounding battle, 48-27.

The Knicks' paint success has stood out in this series and should continue with another strong paint performance in Game 6.

An emergency appendectomy.

Just 10 days before the start of the playoffs.

If you had to guess which player it happened to, you’d say “Joel Embiid” before someone even asked. Just another bizarre and unfortunate moment for a player whose career has been derailed by them.

But for one night, there was no talk of bad luck. No concerns over how the Sixers can integrate such a unique player. No questions about what will happen this offseason.

In one of the guttiest postseason performances in Philly sports history, Embiid kept the Sixers’ season alive with a dominant 33-point effort in a 113-97 win over the Celtics in Boston Tuesday night. With the Game 5 victory, the Sixers have forced Game 6 at Xfinity Mobile Arena Thursday.

Embiid returning to the court at all is nothing short of incredible. He was able to play in Game 4, just 17 days after his surgery. No NBA player has ever come back that early from an appendectomy — let alone returned in the middle of an intense playoff series.

After the Sixers were crushed in Game 4, Embiid revealed more details about his most recent ordeal. He felt stomach pains playing against the San Antonio Spurs back on April 6, something he thought might’ve been a stomach bug or food poisoning. The pain only got more intense when the team arrived in Houston for a big matchup against the Rockets. After pushing through the pain at practice that Thursday, it was becoming more intense.

Embiid was unable to sleep that night. When it got to be 4 or 5 a.m. Friday morning, he knew something wasn’t right. He couldn’t go to the bathroom or even walk on his own. That’s when he was taken to the hospital and the surgery was performed.

It wasn’t smooth sailing post-surgery, either. Embiid said he dealt with complications, though he chose to keep the details of those private. Before appearing in Game 4, Embiid was only able to get up and down the floor in practice one time. He then went out and scored 26 points in 34 minutes, looking like the only Sixer putting forth serious effort.

Game 5 started off a bit rocky. The Sixers’ gameplan coming in was to jack up as many threes as possible — a sound strategy against Boston and one that worked to perfection in Game 2. But Embiid was ice cold from deep, missing all three threes he attempted and his first five shots overall. He was better in quarter No. 2, but missed two more threes.

In the third, he made a concerted effort to get into the post. Joe Mazzulla chose not to send help for his big men, allowing Nikola Vucevic and Neemias Queta to take on Embiid 1-on-1. It made sense for Mazzulla to force Embiid to prove he could operate down low.

And he did.

Repeatedly.

It got to a point where it was almost head-scratching for Mazzulla to continue leaving his bigs on an island. When Boston finally tilted the defense Embiid’s way, the Sixers’ offense really opened up. A 10-point third from Embiid whittled a seven-point halftime deficit down to one.

Embiid even had another scare, briefly exiting the game and heading to the locker room after knocking knees with Jaylen Brown. Luckily, Embiid quickly returned to the bench and the game.

In the fourth, as Embiid continued to see multiple bodies in the post, he made the right plays, finding Tyrese Maxey, Quentin Grimes and the Sixers’ other perimeter players for open looks. Embiid finished the night with eight assists to three turnovers.

After many questioned his defense and his ability to move throughout the regular season, he turned in a terrific performance on that end in the fourth, as the Sixers held the Celtics to a paltry 11 points in the period.

Not bad for a guy who’s barely played basketball over the last month.

Say whatever you want about Embiid, just don’t ever question his toughness and desire to play basketball ever again.

“One thing about me,” Embiid told reporters in Boston, “I’ve dealt with a lot of stuff over my career. I don’t complain. I just want to give as much as I can every single time I step on the floor. I know a lot of people might have takes that I might be lazy or whatever, but every single time I’m on the floor, I want to play as hard as possible. I want to do whatever it takes to win a basketball game. …

“I just want to enjoy these moments just being a part of a basketball team that’s trying to accomplish something.”

Torn meniscus (multiple times).

Sprained LCL.

Torn thumb ligaments.

Gastroenteritis.

Broken face (also multiple times).

Add appendicitis to the list of weird, unlucky ailments Joel Embiid has overcome to cement himself as a legend in this city.

Enjoy him while he’s here and capable of nights like this, Sixers fans.

“I didn’t want to go home and think about all summer what could have been if I was healthy going into the playoffs,” Embiid said. “So, one more day and one more game to go out and try to make it back [to Boston for Game 7]. That’s the mentality. I’m just thankful I’m in a position where I get to play. I don’t know how long I have, [how long] I can do this, so I just want to enjoy it as much as possible.”

1. Abysmal 4th Quarter

Going into the fourth quarter of Game 5, the Celtics allowed the 76ers to get back into the game, cutting a 13 point halftime lead to 1 point at 86-85. Boston would then go on to have one of the worst fourth quarters I have ever seen, being out scored 28-11 and Philadelphia was able to take another game in TD Garden, wining 113-97. The negative stats that came out of this abysmal fourth quarter are just something you don’t see every day.

Boston shot 3-22 (14%) fr0m the field, 2-8 (25%) from three, and 3-7 (43%) from the free throw line in the final quarter in this game. After Neemias Queta made an and-1 alley-oop layup at the 7:03 mark, the Celtics would proceed to score ZERO baskets for the rest of the game. Boston missed their last final 14 shots in a row during this time, the most in a playoff game since 2005. The Celtics made three more free throws to finish off their scoring night while the 76ers shot 9-17 (53%) in the fourth quarter. Just an overall, no good, very bad fourth quarter for the Boston Celtics.

2. Forced Embiid to Beat Them

Joel Embiid returned to play in Game 4 in Philadelphia and it looked like he completely threw off the 76ers offense. He finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists on 9-21 shooting and 1-6 from three, essentially shooting Philadelphia out of the game as Boston steamrolled them 128-96. In Game 5, it looked like the Celtics were trying their best to force Embiid to beat them and I would say he did just that. Embiid finished with 33 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds on 12-23 shooting from the field, 0-5 from three, and 9-10 from the free throw line. Boston’s defensive game plan looked to be just leaving him one-on-one and hoping he misses. Whether it was Neemias Queta, Nikola Vucevic, or Luke Gara, nobody could stop Embiid once he made it into the midrange.

This game gave me flashbacks of another big Embiid game that the 76ers won against the Celtics back on December 20th, 2021 when he dropped 41 points on 14-27 shooting. Enes Freedom at the time was the primary defender on him and spent 40 minutes just getting taken to town in the midrange. I never thought I’d see the Celtics run out that same defense scheme against Embiid again, especially in a playoff game, but this game was another example of the one-on-one defense not being a great strategy.

3. The Other Guys Helped 76ers

Another reason why the Celtics were so dominant in Game 4 of this series was due to the fact Boston was able to keep the team around Joel Embiid in check. The highest scorer outside of Embiid was Tyrese Maxey who had 22 points, Paul George who had 16 points, and Quentin Grimes who had 12 points. In Game 5, the other guys for the 76ers torched the Celtics with Maxey scoring 25 points, Grimes scoring 18 points, George scoring 16 points, and VJ Edgecombe scoring 10 points.

Grimes was maybe the biggest back breaker out of all of these players for the 76ers in this game for the Celtics, knocking down 5 threes and giving Philadelphia a reliable person to kick the ball out to. Edgecombe was this player in Game 2 when Boston lost at home when he scored 30 points with 6 three pointers. Boston did not to a great job when it came to closing out to shooters with Philadelphia shooting 15-42 (36%) from three. If the Celtics are going to allow Embiid to get what he wants that’s fine, but they have to make sure the rest of the 76ers roster is kept under wraps.

4. White’s Poor Shooting

It feels weird to give any type of critique to Derrick White’s game after he has shown for years to be a complete player and an amazing third option on a championship team. However, his three point shooting in this series is really starting to hurt a lot. When White can’t knock down his open threes it can completely send the Celtics offense to a stand still and make it look uncomfortable when there isn’t another third guy like Payton Pritchard carrying the load offensively.

Derrick White is averaging only 8.2 points while shooting 14-47 (30%) from the field and 7-33 (21%) from three point range in this series so far, including Game 5 where he had another bad shooting night, going 2-8 from the field and 0-4 from three. White in this series has missed so many wide open looks from three and when they aren’t wide open, he has taken some head scratching contested ones. His decision making has not looked great so far and despite having his second worst three point shooting season of his career, I still have a hard time not having faith in him to turn it around.

5. Brown/Tatum Tough Finish

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum both had pretty okay games when looking at the stat sheet. Brown finished with 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists on 9-23 shooting while Tatum finished with 24 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals on 8-19 shooting from the field and 4-12 shooting from three. However, the fourth quarter was brutal for everyone on the team but the Jays were a big part of it. They combined to score only 2 points on 0-8 shooting from the field and 0-2 shooting from three with 2 turn0vers.

No other play describes the struggles them and the entire team went through than the shot Brown missed at the 5:32 mark of the fourth quarter. Quentin Grimes to his credit played some really great defense on Brown, poking the ball away and making him go into the back court. Grimes continued to swarm Brown in the backcourt but no one on the Celtics came to help him. Brown was then forced to throw up a shot at the end of the shot clock and missed.

The 76ers put that kind of pressure on the Jays all night long and it led to some tough shooting nights. I don’t think these were the best games Brown and Tatum could have put out there but they were still doing a great job of carrying the load and finding teammates but with Boston shooting 11-39 (28%) from three, it just won’t show up on the boxscore. They have done so much heavy lifting for this Celtics team in this series that I don’t have any real problems with their play overall. I am just hoping for a bounce back Game 6 in Philadelphia to hopefully close the series.

6. Positive Pritchard Performance

Payton Pritchard built off his incredible 32 point Game 4 performance in Game 5, being one of only two Celtics players to finish with a positive +/-. Pritchard had 12 points and 6 assists on 5-10 shooting from the field and was a +8 overall. He only shot 1-5 from three in this game but he made a lot of great plays when it came to attacking the basket and in the midrange.

Via databallr, the Celtics are a +21.4 net rating when Payton Pritchard is on the court along with a 132.3 offensive rating and a 110.9 defensive rating. In only 26 minutes he was able to help the Celtics offense stay afloat but wasn’t a big part of the fourth quarter collapse, only playing 4 minutes in the middle of the drought. There a chance potentially playing Pritchard more in these kind of situations could help the offense when things are going slow. Either way, it’s nice to see Pritchard continue to be a positive, steady force for Boston in the last few games.

7. Queta Finally Got to Play

Neemias Queta despite playing really well when he is on the floor, has not been able to stay on it for most of this series due to foul trouble. He is averaging 4.0 fouls per game in only 18.3 minutes per game through the first four games of this series. Game 5 saw him once again get into foul trouble with 5, but he was able to stay on the court for a lot more minutes, playing in 26 and finishing with 8 points and 14 rebounds on 4-8 shooting. He did a great job finishing at the basket in this game and just being one of the only inside presences the Celtics had.

Queta showed why he can be such a X-factor for the Celtics in the first quarter when he played 9 minutes, scoring 4 points and grabbing 8 rebounds with any fouls. However, his foul trouble came back to bite him in the second quarter when he picked up 3 fouls in only four minutes. He played only 2 minutes in the third quarter where he picked up another foul but was able to get extended time in the fourth, finishing with 10 minutes played, 2 points, and 4 rebounds. If Queta can just find a way to not get into foul trouble, he will really be able thrive for Boston in these playoffs.

8. Vucevic Offensive Contribution

Although the numbers won’t say it, I think Nikola Vucevic has been a really positive contributor to this Celtics team with his scoring punch off the bench. He was shooting 38% from the field and 29% from three before Game 5 but in this game he was pretty solid, finishing with 8 points on 3-6 shooting and 2-5 from three. We even saw a poster dunk from him on Kelly Oubre Jr in the first quarter that got everyone out of their seat.

The defense was not great, especially on Joel Embiid but everyone knew that when the Celtics traded for him. I think he gets a lot of unnecessary slander from some parts of the fan base but when he is on the court he provides the five-out spacing that can make Boston so effective. If he can provide more positive offensive games like he did in this one, he will continue to be a big resource the Celtics use off of the bench in these playoffs.

9. Walsh Intensity On Display

Jordan Walsh has really opened some eyes in this series and it has come with his defense and intensity that he has played with on the court. He has done a solid job when it comes to guarding Tyrese Maxey off the bench and has knocked down the occasional corner three. In Game 5 he finished with only 1 point on 0-2 shooting in 16 minutes but everything else he did felt bigger with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.

The first steal Walsh got is where I think his intensity showed the best. Off a missed three, Walsh and Embiid fought for the rebound. After Embiid fell and lost the ball, Walsh picked up and battled with Paul George until he eventually got fouled. Walsh proceeded to hype up the crowd who erupted, appreciating the hustle he put on display. This is a glimpse of the intensity that I love to see Walsh play with and I believe he is built for a playoff setting.

10. Rally Towel Theory

Now this final takeaway is a theory that I have concocted that has nothing to do with the basketball playing on the court. However, it has been a big indicator of who has won each game in this series so far. I call it, the Rally Towel Theory.

Before Game 1 in TD Garden, the Celtics put out t-shirts for every fan in the arena and Boston won that game in a 32-point blowout. However, ever since Game 1, in both TD Garden and Xfinity Mobile Arena, they have given the fans rally towels. Now theres a chance if they gave t-shirts to every game it could be too expensive and in the Celtics case people won’t wear them anyway, but the home team that has given out a rally towel now has a record of 0-4. Boston lost Game 2 at home, Philadelphia lost Games 3 and 4 at home, and Boston lost again at home in Game 5 all due to a small piece of cloth.

Does this theory have any direct correlation to any of these games whatsoever? Probably not. Is this cope for me as I try to understand how the Celtics lost 2 games at home? Potentially. However, there is an old saying from a song by Yo Gotti back in 2009 that goes, “women lie, men lie, numbers don’t lie,” and in this case the numbers are saying when you give out a rally towel, you are setting yourself up to lose. We will see in Game 6 if the 76ers give out rally towels or t-shirts but it could be the difference between the series being over or forcing a Game 7.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to come to the conclusion that the Dallas Mavericks desperately need guard help. Cooper Flagg was thrusted into the role early, which obviously led to a ton of early struggles. While development was certainly had, playing point is never going to be the way to best optimize the newest rookie of the year.

Because of that, it seems to be most logical that Dallas must use their lottery pick on a guard. However, this draft does offer a couple of interesting scenarios if the Mavericks choose not to do so. There are some very interesting depth pieces in this draft that could be available in the 20 to 25 range. Guys like Christian Anderson (Texas Tech), Bennett Stirtz (Iowa), Ebuka Okorie (Stanford) and Tyler Tanner (Vanderbilt) are all mid-to-late first round guards that the Mavericks could very well fall in love with. If that happens, it makes this draft far more intriguing at the top. With that and mind, let’s run through some quick scenarios.

If the Mavericks jump into the top two…

Let’s assume the Mavericks stick and pick here, although trading back a couple of spots and recouping some of the draft assets they’ve traded over the years isn’t a bad idea. BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson are likely going to be the top two picks, and whichever one the Mavericks would be lucky enough to take will be difference makers. Dybantsa is more of your scoring wing type, while Peterson is an elite combo guard. Regardless of who the selection is here, it doesn’t fill the point guard need for the Mavs. However, there’s simply nobody else you would select here.

If the Mavericks jump to third or fourth…

Things get a bit more interesting here, as the two players who are widely expected to go in this range are Duke’s Cam Boozer and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson. The talent of those two guys are both overwhelming, but the fit is more murky. Boozer’s athleticism concerns are real, as well as his fit defensively in the NBA. Wilson is an A++ athlete, with the potential to be the best defender in this class. However, his offensive fit would be very clunky, as Wilson will provide very little floor spacing around Flagg, who isn’t a marksman from deep himself.

I could paint a really good argument that Dallas should simply take the guard they like the most at this spot, even though he wouldn’t likely be drafted until fifth at the earliest. If they don’t, the talent is undeniable with Boozer and Wilson that they can easily justify the pick. This spot is a great place to be in, as you’ll either take a fantastic player, or get a nice package to move back from someone who is desperate for their guy.

If the Mavericks pick eighth or worse…

This scenario is very simple to me. The Mavericks should simply take the best available guard on the board, unless they fall in love with a guy in the twenties. There are five really good guards in this class, with the run likely starting at pick five. At eight, you won’t get your first choice of who you like, but you’ll likely still be picking an elite, five-star prospect.

At nine and ten, the choices get a bit more funky. If they go with a guard, they have to accept that you’re dropping a tier level in talent that would certainly invite forwards into the equation. If you get to that point, I’d be hammering the phone lines to move back in the order. This isn’t a great forward class at the top, but the depth stretches all the way through the lottery and into the teens. If the Mavs choose to go forward early and guard later, getting an extra late lottery or mid-teens pick is a savvy way to go about it.

The verdict

The way I see it, there shouldn’t be a mandate that the Mavericks must take a point guard. Taking the best player available is always a prudent strategy, and if the Mavericks jump or fall to a certain point, taking a guard might not make sense. Because this team isn’t under pressure to win right now, they need to acquire as much top-level talent as possible and try and develop it together. Depending on where that is, it might come from someone other than a guard.

The official NBA Draft entry deadline came and passed over the weekend, giving us a preliminary look at the 2026 field. Tennessee star Nate Ament was one of those early entrants, announcing his intentions to leave Knoxville after one season.

Wake Forest’s Juke Harris, who also entered the transfer portal, was another one of those early entrants. Both Ament and Harris saw their name appear in a new NBA Mock Draft from ESPN this week. Felix Okpara also found himself in the projection after a strong senior season.

10. Nate Ament — Milwaukee Bucks

While Ament’s stock has slipped from an early top-five projection, he had productive stretches this season within a tricky team context and has room to help himself in workouts. Although scouts are split on whether he has star upside or projects better as a long-term supporting player, there is still plenty of intrigue around the opportunity to select a prospect of his caliber later in the lottery. As a tall skill player with real shotmaking upside, Ament fits a player archetype that teams often love to swing on. — ESPN

Ament ended up scoring 16.7 points per game, a number that was held back from a slow start during the November and December months. Ament really came on during SEC play as Barnes and the staff leaned on him during the second half of games exclusively. You saw that scoring ability in the paint, along with the touch from deep. Ament will have to get stronger, but a 6-10 frame with shooting and ball-handling skills will be hard to pass on in that 8-12 range.

33. Juke Harris — Brooklyn Nets

Harris declared for the NBA Draft upon announcing his entry into the transfer portal. This one feels like an information-gathering mission for Harris, who could benefit by coming out next year in a more shallow class. There seems to be a lot of momentum towards Harris ending up in Knoxville — stay tuned.

60. Felix Okpara — Washington Wizards

A bit of a surprise here for Okpara, who we haven’t really seen talked about as a draft pick. His 6-11 frame and elite rim protecting do bring some value here as a potential rotational piece down the road. Teams will likely want to see him develop more offensively, however.

Harris and Ament have until May 27th to officially withdraw their names from the NBA Draft, but they’re free to go through the process and gather information. Based on the tone of Ament’s statement on Thursday, it feels like he’s already made his decision. Harris, however, has some things to consider. A borderline first round pick, the 6-7 guard could make significantly more money following a strong season at Tennessee in a weaker class.

The NBA Draft is set for June 23rd and June 24th in Brooklyn. ESPN will have the coverage for both nights. The NBA Draft Lottery, which will finalize picks 1-14.

In Tuesday’s Brotherhood Playoff Action, Philadelphia mauled Boston, 113-97, New York hammered Atlanta, 126-97, and San Antonio eliminated Portland, 114-95.

Jayson Tatum finished with 24 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and three steals for the Celtics. Boston is still up 3-2, but they could have closed the Sixers out. Too bad.

The Knicks are up 3-2 over Atlanta as well. Jalen Johnson finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, but Jalen Johnson had 39 in a brilliant performance for the Knickerbockers.

Meanwhile, the Spurs moved on to the next round, sending Portland back home, 4-1. Mason Plumlee got a DNP.

On Wednesday, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter lead Orlando aginst Detroit. Up 3-1, the Magic have a great opportunity here.

RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram lead Toronto against Tyrese Proctor and Cleveland. That series is tied up 2-2.

Finally, Luke Kennard and Los Angeles hope to eliminate Houston.

• HoopsHype Daily: Jalen Brunson unstoppable, Jayson Tatum passes Ginobili, Westbrook in playoff scoring
• ‘We’re Not Perfect’ — Jayson Tatum Gets Candid After Celtics’ Troubling Game 5 Home Collapse vs. 76ers
• Even Jayson Tatum was impressed by Joel Embiid’s performance in 76ers-Celtics Game 5
• Jayson Tatum tips cap to Joel Embiid after Celtics Game 5 defeat
• Tatum & Brown’s ‘confidence’ in teammates stands out to Vucevic
• Hawks’ Quin Snyder reveals rationale behind having Dyson Daniels guard Karl-Anthony Towns
• Quin Snyder reacts to Hawks Game 5 loss to the Knicks
• Quin Snyder reminds the NBA of what Jazz fans already knew
• Hawks’ Quin Snyder can’t stop gushing about CJ McCollum after vanquishing Knicks in Game 3
• 4 takeaways: Young San Antonio team earns its playoff spurs with series victory
• “Send the ball to the MOON”: Fans in disbelief after Victor Wembanyama stuns his father with mind-boggling block

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The first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs can be an overwhelming time for analysts. With eight series taking place, you can’t possibly keep up with and do thoughtful analysis on all of them. So, you need to narrow down which ones require the most focus.

After the Cleveland Cavaliers took a 2-0 series lead over the Toronto Raptors, I thought I could put this series to bed. The Cavaliers only needed to win two of the final five games, the Raptors have struggled against top ten teams all year (7-22 against those groups, per Cleaning the Glass), and Toronto’s best spacer, Immanuel Quickley, was ruled out for the rest of the round. 

Fast forward to today and the series is currently knotted up at two games a piece and the Raptors have completely flipped the script on the Cavaliers. The Cavs might be an 8.5-point favorite as they return home for Game 5 according to FanDuel, but it truly feels like this series is still up for grabs.

The Key Adjustment That Saved The Raptors’ Season

After two games of being demolished by James Harden and Donovan Mitchell in the pick-and-roll, the Raptors said, ‘hey, we were the fifth-best regular season defense and we are not going to stand for this anymore.’

In Game 1, the Raptors went with some pretty standard matchup assignments. RJ Barrett on Harden, Jamal Shead on Mitchell, Brandon Ingram on Dean Wade, Scottie Barnes on Evan Mobley, and Jakob Poeltl on Jarrett Allen. Juxtapose those matchups with what we saw at the start of Game 4: Barnes on Harden, Ja’Kobe Walter (now starting in place of Shead) on Mitchell, Ingram on Wade, Poeltl on Mobley, and Barrett on Allen. 

What this does is take away the pick-and-roll with Allen as the screener, as any time Harden or Mitchell try to initiate this action, the Raptors can nullify it with a simple switch – since Barrett, Barnes, and Walter are all long and athletic enough to handle a multitude of different player types. 

So, if Harden and Mitchell want to hunt Poeltl (the weak link defensively in Toronto’s starting five), they have to use Mobley as a screener. This may not seem like a big deal, but look how little separation Mitchell is able to generate on Mobley screens:

The Raptors also did a great job of enhancing their gap help to clog up driving lanes, mitigate passing windows, and force Cleveland’s sketchier shooters to vanquish them (as a team, the Cavaliers shot just 25 perect from downtown in Game 4). 

Cleveland should still be able to pull this one out. They have home court advantage, superior closers, and a lot of fat they can cut out of their process (they had 18 turnovers in Game 4). But credit goes to Toronto for turning what should have been a clean sweep into an instant classic.

During the 2024-25 season, I tried something a little ambitious. After reading Liberty Ballers, the SB Nation site for the Philadelphia 76ers, I noticed they let their community vote on a player of the game after every matchup. It felt like something that could work at Bright Side.

I watch every game, and lord knows I always have thoughts. So I leaned in. It meant long nights, sure. After recording the podcast, I then sit down for another 45 minutes to an hour to write, pull the stats, and build the survey. It was a grind, but it was also worth it. It gives the community a perspective that the game recaps don’t, and I’m sure many of you woke up, put on a pot of coffee, and read the Bright Side Baller columns after each game.

Two seasons in, the value shows. It gives a clear picture of who the community believes showed up most often. It’s not a consistency rating, although it does serve somewhat in that capacity. Season-long stats tell part of the story. Bright Side Ballers tells another. It tracks night-to-night impact and who owned the moment when the game ended.

The Bright Side Baller for the 2025-26 season, for the second straight year, is Devin Booker.

The timing is interesting. It comes after a rough postseason and a Play-In that did not go as planned for the 11th-year player. Booker’s stats were down, although based on this, his consistency was up. After all, Booker won it last year as well, doing so by earning the Bright Side Baller a total of 19 times. This year, he did it with 21 despite playing 11 fewer games. That is 33%.

In 67% of his games, someone else earned that nod. There are reasons for that. Turnovers, outcomes, and the way the community views a loss. Booker carries the weight of expectations (and the weight in his wallet), so when the team loses, Booker can become more of a lightning rod for what went wrong rather than an acknowledgment of what he did right. A turnover late in the game can negatively affect your Bright Side Baller vote count, despite the fact that the team wouldn’t be in the game without you. ‘Tis a fickle system, one based on bias and emotion.

The larger point remains. Devin Booker is the best player on the Phoenix Suns. That part is not up for much debate. This exercise reinforces it, while also adding texture to how often he carried that title on a given night.

Appreciate everyone who voted all season. Truly. I am also looking forward to getting a few nights back. Writing until midnight or later, night after night, it adds up. Still, it produced exactly what I hoped for. Clarity.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have gotten away from what’s worked in games 1 and 2. The Toronto Raptors deserve a ton of credit for that. Their physicality with Cleveland’s star backcourt has made it difficult for the Cavs to establish any kind of momentum. At the same time, the Cavs simply need to be better.

Let’s get into what exactly they need to do in Game 5.

1. Reestablish the James Harden pick-and-roll

The pick-and-roll has been a mainstay for the Cavs’ offense since the James Harden trade and was at the start of the series. In Game 1, Harden accumulated four assists out of the pick-and-roll with a big. By contrast, in Game 4, he only had one assist out of that action.

Going smaller and playing less drop coverage has hurt Cleveland’s ability to run the pick-and-roll. Instead of having Jakob Poeltl on Allen, RJ Barrett is the primary defender in the starting lineup. This easily allows the Raptors to switch the action, mitigating any advantage you’re trying to create with the screen.

The Cavs have countered by relying on more guard-on-guard screens. If you’re going to switch everything, you might as well use the guards to create favorable matchups. There’s solid rationale for this. The issue is, guards don’t have gravity going toward the rim. If you cause a momentary mismatch, it doesn’t break the defense because it’s always easier to recover side-to-side than it is to collapse and then try to get back out to shooters.

In short, the guard-to-guard screens don’t generate looks going to the rim. Just somewhat stagnant outside looks.

It’s incredibly difficult to have a good offense if you can’t get anything going inside. Creating clean looks from the outside is predicated entirely on your ability to get to the basket. The Boston Celtics wouldn’t be the three-point shooting juggernaut they are if they didn’t have multiple ball handlers who could beat mismatches and create advantages going to the hoop.

Right now, the Cavs aren’t doing that. They need to get actions going north and south. And they also need to find ways to get Jamal Sheed off Harden. Being able to reestablish the pick-and-roll with the bigs should help with both.

2. Get Jarrett Allen involved in the offense

The Raptors have conceded a mismatch inside by having Barrett guard Allen to start games. They’re okay with Barrett getting beaten inside if it means they can slow down the pick-and-roll and be versatile elsewhere defensively. But right now, they’re getting all the advantages of this strategy without having to worry about any of the consequences.

Cleveland tried to get the ball to Allen on a post-up with Barrett on one of the first possessions in Game 4, but a bad entry pass from Harden resulted in a turnover. For whatever reason, this caused the Cavs to stop looking for Allen altogether as he had just five field-goal attempts in Game 4.

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While we all acknowledge that post-ups aren’t necessarily what you want to construct an offense around, getting Allen involved more when he has Barrett on him would help in a couple of ways.

For starters, Barrett has been Toronto’s second-best offensive player. One of the most effective ways to slow someone down offensively is to make them work on the other end.

Guarding in the post is physically draining. Fighting for position, especially against someone bigger than you, takes a toll. Being intentional about getting Allen the ball is a great way to tire Barrett out.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson has instead opted to keep Allen in the dunker’s spot to use him as a play finisher and a rebounder. In theory, that makes sense. There’s more ways to punish a mismatch than by just posting up, but this more passive role allows Allen to get lost in the shuffle.

Allen’s energy on both ends is tied directly to how involved he is offensively. When he’s getting the ball with regularity, he’s more aggressive in how he fights for position, sets screens, and rolls to the basket. But when he’s only used sparingly, the focus and intensity aren’t there. Instead, he plays like someone who just doesn’t want to get in the way, as opposed to one who’s taking command.

The Cavs need an engaged Allen on both ends of the floor. Their size with their bigs is one of their advantages in this series. But that advantage only matters if they’re doing what they can to maximize it.

3. Win the possession battle

If you wanted to attribute Toronto’s Game 4 victory to one thing, it’d be how they won the possession battle. The Raptors attempted 10 more shots from the field and 13 more free throws. And even though they shot worse than the Cavs, getting more shots up helped overcome that disparity.

Securing defensive rebounds and forcing turnovers led to this.

Offensive rebounds happen for a few reasons, but usually, they can be the result of defensive breakdowns. Every rotation to contest a drive at the rim results in one person who isn’t boxed out. That — combined with the Raptors just playing with more energy — allowed them to control this category.

Turning it over 17 times doesn’t help. The Raptors’ offense in the regular season was predicated on running in the open floor. Giveaways, especially live-ball ones, invite Toronto to do that.

The Raptors have a great defensive team. Their length and switchability allow them to get more deflections than most teams, but Donovan Mitchell and Harden need to be better.

If you go back and look at the guard’s turnovers from Games 3 and 4, you’ll see that a good portion of them were simply from a lack of focus. That can’t happen in games that are this important.

If the Cavs can win the possession game, they’ll easily win Game 5.

4. Donovan Mitchell needs to finish at the basket

The Cavs absolutely do need Mitchell to score. And if he’s going to do that as efficiently as the Cavs need him to, it’ll be because he’s getting to the rim.

Mitchell took 24 shots in Game 4, but only four in the restricted area. He missed all four of them. Overall, he went just 2-10 on shots in the paint.

When he’s not able to beat teams at the rim, he becomes overly reliant on the outside shot. Mitchell is a good pull-up three-point shooter, but that is a much higher-variant shot than what you’d like if it’s going to be someone’s main form of offense.

Mitchell has talked about saving his body for the playoffs. He’s added more elements to his in-between game, particularly with the floater, so that he can be ready for the postseason.

Well, now is the time to show what he’s been saving his body for. The Cavs are two bad performances away from their season being over — and possibly this era of Cleveland basketball as we know it. There’s no reason to leave anything in the tank now.

From my seat in press row at TD Garden, you can see the entire arena. The benches, the matchups, the way a possession starts to form before it fully develops. It’s a different way of watching the game, a little more removed than being down by the railing before tip, where everyone is leaning forward trying to catch a glimpse of warmups or an autograph from their favorite player.

Just a few hours earlier, that’s where I was, moving along the baseline and talking to whoever had gotten there early enough to be close to the action. Different groups, different ages, different reasons for being here, but the conversations started to reveal similar themes after a while. Some people were born into loving this team. Some picked it up along the way. Some had a specific player that pulled them in. Others couldn’t really explain it beyond the fact that it stuck.

Now they’re all somewhere in the building, scattered across different sections, watching the same game unfold.

Everyone gets here a different way

About 45 minutes before tip, I had stopped near the sideline and talked to a father and his son, both born and raised in Boston. The father didn’t hesitate when I asked how long he’d been a fan. “I’m 42,” he said. “So we can say 42 years.” His 13-year-old son followed right behind him with the same answer in his own way. “You were born into it,” his dad said, smiling. That part didn’t need much explaining.

The kid was wearing a Tatum jersey, but it didn’t stop there. He lifted it to show the Tatum shirt underneath. Tatum socks. Tatum sneakers (“The new 4s”, he told me, a non-sneakerhead who still wanted him to think I knew and loved them). His dad laughed and said it didn’t matter the time of year or the time of day, he was probably wearing something with Tatum on it.

When I asked what stood out about this team, they answered right away. “We’re so deep,” he said. “Every single person that comes onto the floor can score, they can defend.” His son nodded. Same answer.

Early on, it didn’t look like that depth was going to matter. The Celtics opened cold, missing shots they usually make, the kind of start that brings a low murmur across the building before it builds into something louder. A Jaylen Brown dunk finally broke through and the place responded the way it always does, rising together, a quick reminder of how quickly things can change in here.

That idea of depth came back not long after. The bench started to chip in with Payton Pritchard pushing the pace, making things happen in a way that felt familiar after Game 4. Even when the shots weren’t falling from deep, the Celtics found ways to stay in front. They had more options. More answers.

A little further down the baseline before the game, I had talked to a group of college-aged guys, each with a half-full cup of beer, watching warmups. I learned that two of them were Celtics fans. Two of them weren’t, at least not yet.

“Depth goes crazy,” one of them said when I asked what he loves about the team, without much hesitation. His friends nodded, half agreeing, half laughing, likely about the fact his buddy was getting interviewed by a member of the media.

That depth showed up throughout the first half. It wasn’t one player carrying things. The responsibility and production moved around from possession to possession. One possession it was Brown getting downhill, the next it was Tatum creating space off the dribble, then Pritchard pushing the tempo, then Vooch throwing one down.

The ball didn’t stick. The game didn’t feel heavy. Not yet at least.

Before the game started, I stopped at one point to take a picture of two older-looking gentlemen, who I would learn were brothers. They had grown up in Boston after moving here from Uganda. They didn’t need much time to answer how long they’d been fans.

“Forever,” one of them said.

There wasn’t much elaboration beyond that, but in a way there didn’t need to be. They had been to games before, so they knew what this place felt like, especially during this time of year. That part came through in how casually they talked about it, like the Celtics had always been part of their lives, even though they were born 6,900 miles away.

Sitting up top in press row, it’s easy to forget how many different paths lead people into this building. Sure, you can see the whole arena, but the paths people took to get there aren’t always as clear.

This team is different

Game 5 settled into something tense by the third quarter. The Celtics had a lead, but the Sixers kept chiseling away at it, steadily and methodically. Philadelphia kept finding ways to keep the score close. Joel Embiid looked much improved from Game 4 and more like the former MVP version of himself, which certainly helped.

At one point, with the Celtics trying to create some separation, Jordan Walsh made a play that barely registers in a box score. A hustle steal, a sprint the other way, and a drawn foul.

The reaction from the crowd was immediate — loud in a way that didn’t match the scale of the play, at least not on paper. Walsh turned and embraced it, breaking the fourth wall between fans and players. That was all it took to set the crowd into a frenzy.

That exchange, small as it was, felt like a perfect example of how connected everything was in that moment. The crowd sees it. The player feels it. In TD Garden, the energy can often be a two-way street.

Later in the quarter, Pritchard hit a three right in front of the Sixers bench and held his stare for a beat, like he wanted them to sit with it. Another moment that doesn’t change the outcome on its own, but adds to everything around it.

By the end of the third, the Celtics were still in front, but the margin had narrowed to one point, 86-85. The building felt it. From way up high, I could hear the noise shift from confident to urgent. Still loud, but tighter than before.

Earlier in the night, I had talked to a family that made the drive up from Connecticut. The dad leaned into the conversation as soon as I brought up past teams, talking about Bird like he had been waiting for the chance. The passing, the feel, the way everything seemed a step ahead.

His daughters listened, one in a Tatum jersey, the other in a Brown jersey, exchanging looks that suggested they had heard some version of this before. Classic Dad.

When I asked what stood out about this team, he kept it simple.

“They all trust each other.”

That idea held for most of the night. It showed up in the way the ball moved, in the way players stayed with possessions even after something went wrong. Brown going over to Vučević after a couple missed threes, making sure he wasn’t dissuaded from firing away on the next open one. Tatum and Pritchard talking through something after a defensive breakdown, both of them coming at it from the same place, a shared desire to win.

It felt steady. It felt like the Celtics.

When it all falls down

The fourth quarter didn’t follow that pattern.

Philadelphia hit shots early, getting production from Embiid, Maxey, and even Grimes, who found himself at the line twice after being fouled on three-point attempts. The Celtics had an impossible time answering. A couple open looks missed, then another, and the rhythm that had carried them through the first three quarters started to slip.

At first, it didn’t feel like anything more than a bad stretch. That happens in closeout games like this. As a Celtics fan, you kind of expect it to turn back the other way eventually.

It didn’t.

Early in the fourth, the lead finally flipped in Philly’s favor. The crowd got louder, trying to pull it back and reacting to every defensive possession like it might be the one that starts a run. A Hauser three gave the Garden a jolt. Another miss took it right back out.

From up top, you can feel that shift even if you can’t quite hear individual voices. The noise tightens. Reactions get sharper. Every possession clearly starting to matter a little more than the one before it.

Somewhere in there, I started thinking about the people I had talked to before the game. The kid in the Tatum jersey there with his dad. The family that made the drive in from Connecticut. The brothers who said they’d been fans forever. The young girl who was at her first Celtics game in person.

My first instinct was to feel bad for them. Like this was going to be the part they remembered. But looking down at the floor, then back out into the crowd, that didn’t really line up with what was happening.

I caught myself reacting at one point, as a fan and not the version of me that was there as media. “FOUL!” came out of me before I could stop it after Grimes relentlessly hounded Jaylen Brown in the backcourt with a level of physicality that I clearly felt was inappropriate. I looked around, hoping fellow media members weren’t staring in my direction. Luckily, or maybe not, everyone couldn’t look away from the nightmare that was the fourth quarter of Game 5.

The Celtics couldn’t find a stretch where everything clicked again. Shots that had fallen earlier stayed out, and Philadelphia kept making enough to keep the distance. The Celtics would go on to finish with only 11 total points in the quarter.

Even as the outcome became obvious, people stayed in it.

They stood. Clapped. Waited.

After the game, Joe Mazzulla talked about perspective. He said it wasn’t all bad, that there were stretches they could build from.

Jaylen Brown kept it simple. They weren’t good enough, and they’d have to be better the next time out.

Both things can be true.

Perspective is important

After the final buzzer, I made my way down from the press section and onto the concourse. There were still fans lingering. Some standing in the aisles, some drifting closer to the court now that the game was over, others taking pictures, clearly not ready to let the night end.

Besides a small group chanting “Embiid sucks,” most people actually seemed surprisingly chipper. They were talking, smiling, taking it in before being told to go.

I’ve been to enough of these that my instinct after a loss is to get out quickly. Clear out, complain, then move on to the next one.

A lot of people didn’t seem interested in doing that.

Maybe it was their first game. Maybe it was the trip into the city. Or maybe it was simply something they’d been looking forward to for a long time. Whatever had brought them there, they stayed for as long as they could.

I wondered if the father and son I had talked to earlier were still somewhere in the building, or the family from Connecticut, or the brothers who had grown up here after coming from somewhere else. The college bros had probably already moved on to Tavern in the Square by then.

On my way to the postgame press conference, I caught myself changing my tune.

A few minutes earlier, I had been sitting in press row, frustrated like everyone else, watching Game 5 slip away in a way that was so un-Celtics-like. Now, I was walking into a room where Jaylen Brown was about to answer questions a few feet away, Jayson Tatum not far behind him.

It’s a strange shift. You spend the whole night thinking about the game the way a fan would, then you find yourself in a position you could only dream of from the outside.

I started thinking about the people I had talked to before tip. What they would’ve thought if they were in that room. If they were sitting where I was sitting.

The result still mattered. It always does.

But so did this.

Nights like this happen

Still, the result of Game 5 didn’t give them what they wanted. It didn’t give any of us what we wanted.

Sometimes it goes the way you hope, and sometimes it doesn’t. The people who have been around long enough understand that, and the ones who are new to it will learn. Either way, we all come back just the same.

Before the game, I took another photo of a group of three adults, beaming with excitement to the point where I knew I had to talk to them. After snapping their photo, I realized English wasn’t their first language, so the woman in the group smartly pulled out her phone and began translating my questions in real time.

After some back and forth, I learned that one of them had attended Boston College when he was younger, and fell in love with the Celtics during his time here. He was now here with his two friends, who had never stepped foot inside an NBA arena until that night.

In an effort to keep my questions simple, I looked at the woman, gestured around us, and asked, “What do you think?”

She looked out across the floor, took it in for a second, and gave the same gesture back.

Then she said one word, her first in English during our brief conversation.

“Magic,” she said.

Even after a tough loss, I couldn’t agree with her more.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rockets fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Well, the rumors are already flying. Some people are speculating that Kevin Durant may ask out of Houston again this summer. Others are speculating the Rockets may not even want him back. While others speculate still that this is all for nothing and Durant is back next year without question. Teams are expected to be calling for KD either way.

I typically believe where there is smoke, there is usually fire in these types of situations, but it all remains to be seen. Durant’s reputation precedes him, so it’s an easy leap to make.

Anyway, what would you like the Rockets to do? Do you want them to trade KD? Not what will they do, what do you want the Rockets to do?

We’ll be back soon with results.