Category: Basketball

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

A BetMGM customer who has won nearly $2 million laddering spread bets during the NBA playoffs lost $350,000 backing the Oklahoma City Thunder in their Game 4 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

The bettor's customary ladder spread bets went 0-for-6 Sunday night, with a standout loss of $150,000 on Thunder +6.5. The Spurs cruised past the Thunder 103-82.

Key Takeaways

• The bettor had won multiple ladder spread bets since the beginning of the playoffs.
• BetMGM reported the user had correctly backed OKC with $300,000 in bets in Game 3.

The ladder bettor – whose identity remains anonymous – has dominated the sportsbooks during the NBA playoffs.

The big-bank user has won more than $1.9 million since April 27. The bettor took home $167,508 from $300,000 in bets by supporting the Thunder in Game 3 against the Spurs, which ended in a 15-point road win for the defending champs. 

Laying another $350,000 in tickets on the Thunder in Game 4 felt like a sign that the series was destined to be headed to a 3-1 count.

More ladder action for Thunder-Spurs Game 4 🪜

A bettor at @BetMGM has wagered $350,000 on @okcthunder to cover

▪️ $150,000 on Thunder +6.5 -185
▪️ $75,000 on Thunder +5.5 -160
▪️ $50,000 on Thunder +4.5 -150
▪️ $35,000 on Thunder +3.5 -130
▪️ $20,000 on Thunder +2.5 -118
▪️…

— John Ewing (@johnewing) May 24, 2026

Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs had different plans. After they became the second team in NBA playoff history to lose a game they started with a lead of at least 15-0 in Game 3, they raced out to a 23-8 lead. The difference this time was that the Thunder never took the lead during the final 44 minutes of play, leaving the series tied 2-2.

The loss ended the ladder bettor’s sharp streak, during which numerous days of six-figure profits were racked up.

BetMGM reported the user won $466,718 from $775,000 in wagers during the New York Knicks’ historic Game 1 comeback against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The bettor followed that up with $176,883 in profit from $300,000 in Game 2 and $217,172 in new funds from a $350,000 stake in Game 3. 

Earlier in the playoffs, the bettor won $419,641 from $225,000 in tickets during the conference semifinals matchup between the Detroit Pistons and the Cavaliers and $291,860 from $190,000 backing the Thunder in the conference semis against the Los Angeles Lakers, among other prolific wins.

Thunder still lead future odds

With their series now tied at two games apiece, the Thunder still find themselves in the driver’s seat in NBA Finals odds.

Heading back to OKC for Game 5 on Tuesday, the Thunder are -115 to win the Finals. That’s the longest their odds have been since before the playoffs began, although it is still comfortably ahead of the Knicks (+260), Spurs (+275), and Cavaliers (+25,000).

The Thunder are also -210 to win the West, while the Spurs are only +170. Those odds translate to a 67% implied probability that the Thunder will find themselves back in the Finals for the second straight season.

OKC is a 5.5-point favorite in Game 5 and -200 on the moneyline. They’re 6-4 against the spread as a favorite in the playoffs, although they’re only 1-1 against the Spurs. They also lost six of nine games against the Spurs straight up dating back to the beginning of the regular season.

NBA teams that win Game 5 in a 2-2 series have won the series more than 82% of the time, according to Spurs analyst Dan Weiss. That heaps even more pressure onto both teams, who have already produced one of the best series in recent playoff history.

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.

LeBron James is an unrestricted free agent. Again. But this time, the Washington Wizards are involved.

According to Brandon Robinson of ScoopB, the Wizards are a dark horse contender for James, who just finished the 2025-26 season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Here’s the money quote from Robinson:

The gravity of Washington’s pitch centers around Anthony Davis. It is no secret around the league that Davis and James remain incredibly close friends. However, Davis has been noticeably non-committal publicly regarding his long-term desire to stay in Washington. Compounded by a desire to keep their star happy and anchored in D.C., the Wizards organization could be feeling the pressure to make a major splash.

Robinson went on to add that Trae Young would form the third piece of a “Big Three” of James, Davis and Young. In addition, James has been complimentary of the Wizards’ rebuilding process in past podcast interviews.

I am skeptical that the Wizards will bring in James for a farewell tour. He is 41 years old, yet he remains one of the league’s top players. But then again, the Wizards are under pressure to start winning games after getting the No. 1 draft pick.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

You might think that after getting traded in a somewhat humiliating fashion, that former Duke star Jared McCain might enjoy his success, and that he might want to rub Philadelphia’s nose in it a bit.

That’s not his style, though. Check out what he says here about Philadelphia and the trade. Previously, he has said that it stung a bit, but here, he clarifies how he feels about Philly, and it’s quite positive. He’s not going to waste a lot of time and energy on resentment. This is remarkably mature for a guy who is just 22.

Sean Kennedy, who wrote this article about the trade, is not as sanguine.

As a 76ers fan, he says that it’s going to haunt him. He hates that McCain was traded to Oklahoma City, where he’s constantly on the radar. Kennedy hates that he has to hear about how his teammates heap praise on him. He says “…[i]t’s torturous. It’s like if I had a huge scab, but right before it could finish completely healing the wound, somebody rips it off again and pours rubbing alcohol over the entire area. And this happens every couple of days.”

It’s brutal, but it’s honest. McCain has emerged as a critical factor for OKC, and Philly fans will probably have to watch him excel for a decade or more. That’s not going to be fun.

• More video

Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions || Drop us a line

The San Antonio Spurs bounced back from their Game 3 loss, to tie the NBA Western Conference Finals at 2-2 Sunday night – and "Pop" had a hand in it.

After the Spurs dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-82 on May 24, Spurs guards De'Aaron Fox said that former coach Gregg Popovich came into the locker room following San Antonio's 123-108 Game 3 loss on Friday, May 22 with some "choice words."

"Pop's been around, like throughout the course of the season, but that was the first time he walked into the locker room, and it was like, 'Nah, that's B.S. That's not how we play basketball.'" Fox said during an interview NBC’s postgame show. "Obviously, he had some choice words for us. That was the first time all season that he came into the locker room right after a game and told us how he felt. And everybody felt that."

Now that we’ve properly buried the Minnesota Timberwolves season, I think it’s safe for us to come back to the table and remember the good times. There were 25 of us who pulled up to the dinner table for Canis Pulsus to reminisce.

What were the favorite on and off court memories from the season?

The fifth-most voted on game was…

5/4 – Ant’s unlikely return steals gm 1 from SAS; 104-102

This was arguably the high of the season for the Wolves. After an emotional round one playoff victory over the Denver Nuggets, all odds were still stacked against Minnesota heading into a date with Victor Wembanyama. Then, seemingly out of the blue, the news broke that Anthony Edwards would be suiting up after missing just about one week from an excruciating knee hyperextension.

It looked like it was going to be all Spurs, as Wemby goaltended swatted away shot after shot. However, the Wolves took control in the fourth quarter and survived till the final buzzer sounded. A 1-0 lead against the two-seed Spurs was a surprise to all.

• Box score

The fourth-most voted on game was…

12/19 – Ant returns, hits go-ahead 3 before stripping SGA on prime time; 112-107

Anthony Edwards had missed three games in a row mid-December due to nagging right foot soreness. He had already missed a handful of games a couple months ago with a hamstring issue, so the foreshadowing for later in the season was already showing. However, they had a date on Friday night, prime time, against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

The first time hosting the Thunder since they were eliminated in the 2025 playoffs.

Just minutes into the game, Minnesota fell behind by double-digits and watched their Head Coach, Chris Finch, go on an epic tirade on the officials. From there, it felt like life was injected into the Wolves as they battled back. It all culminated in a series of dramatic Ant plays on both sides of the ball.

• Box score

The third-most voted on game was…

3/25 – Wild OT comeback win over Scott Foster and HOU; 110-108

What if I told you the Wolves pulled off the biggest overtime comeback in NBA history against a team they were chasing in playoff positioning near the end of the season while missing Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert, and Naz Reid? Not unlikely enough? How about Scott Foster going on a personal tirade against the Wolves as well?

This was literally one of the most impossible victories you could think of. It was a total team effort by the rest of the rotation that left Wolves fans in awe.

• Box score

The second-most voted on game was…

4/25 – Emotional Ayo 43-pt game overshadows Ant & DDV injuries in gm 4; 112-96

It wasn’t surprising to see this game pop up on the list. However, it was also hard to vote for this knowing what happened early on. The Wolves lost Donte DiVincenzo, who Finch and his teammates call “the heart and soul” of the team, for likely a calendar year in the opening quarter. To add injury to injury, Anthony Edwards also took a nasty looking fall on his one healthy leg that would bury most mortal men.

It seemed like Minnesota’s season was over in the first half.

Enter: Ayo Dosunmu. Acquired just about two months ago, Ayo threw on his cape and ripped the heart out of the Denver Nuggets. His career-high 43 points was tied for second-most in franchise history. It was certainly a night to remember at Target Center. For better or worse.

• Box score

The most voted game was…

4/30 – Jaden finishes off DEN with the game of his life in gm 6; 110-98

Speaking of ripping the heart out of the Nuggets, let me introduce you to one Jaden McDaniels. “Slim,” as his friends know him, had talked some serious trash truth to the Nuggets all series. After Donte and Ant went down in game four, both Nuggets players and fans had a lot to get off their chest at Ball Arena in game five. It was a drubbing by Denver which seemed to be an ominous sign for the next two games.

Wrong.

Jaden single-handedly cooked the Nuggets on both ends of the floor. He scored a career-high 32 points including clutch baskets to end the series. It felt like the dawn of a new era as McDaniels was in full bloom. Was this the precipice of him becoming the second star that we’ve all been waiting for?

• Box score

Full results:

The third-most voted non-basketball memory was…

Wolves collectively punking the Nuggets

We’ll talk more about Jaden McDaniels below, but he was far from the only player who took it to Denver. Rudy Gobert’s defensive performance against Nikola Jokić was a huge talking point. We already mentioned Ayo Dosunmu’s epic single-game accomplishment. TJ Shannon had two strong games to wrap up the final games. Even Mike Conley looked revived.

This series helped the Wolves improve their all-time postseason record against Denver to 13-10, including 3-1 series advantage.

Return of the black tree jerseys

Wolves fans have been calling for the return of the iconic black tree jerseys ever since the cursed 2018-2019 season. It was a season that most fans wanted to forget, but Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez were able to finally bring them back to life this year. They also had a matching throwback court to boot. Just excellent stuff all around.

The second-most voted non-basketball memory was…

KG’s return to the franchise

Perhaps the only thing more anticipated than the return of the black tree jerseys was the man who memorialized them himself, Kevin Garnett. News started to leak last year that the new ownership group was working on bringing KG back into the fold, but it finally came to life during the last game of the regular season. It was a meaningless game as far as the standings go, but I certainly got teary eyed when they played another KG tribute video, during his walkout to a standing ovation, and also when tipoff was delayed due to Anthony Edwards going to dap him up.

This will never get old.

The most voted non-basketball memory was…

Jaden McDaniels: “They’re all bad defenders.”

What else more is there to say? This will truly go down as one of the most iconic moments in Wolves lore.

Full results:

What do you most hope the Timberwolves do this offseason with their roster?

Trade Julius Randle (92%)

All but two voters hope the Wolves trade Randle this offseason. It’s easy to see why, given his lackluster performance in the postseason and usual up-and-down performance during the regular season. There’s been lots of chatter about what exactly was impacting Julius and if the trade rumors from the Giannis saga really affected him that much.

Either way, there’s clear issues with the current roster construction and shedding Randle for someone else.

Other top voting answers were locking up Ayo Dosunmu, who essentially came at the cost of Rob Dillingham and everything Connelly gave up to acquire him.

Full results:

What non-roster thing do you most hope the Timberwolves do this offseason?

Retain front office (56%)

There’s been quite a few franchises that have made significant changes to their front offices. Tim Connelly’s name has popped up quite a bit, though there hasn’t been any true reason to believe he would be leaving any time soon. He should be due up for a contract extension soon so hopefully ownership prioritize that as well.

Micah Nori continues to be an assistant coach that pops up among head coaching searches around the league. It seems just a matter of time before he moves on as well, but retaining him for another year would be good for the Wolves.

Full results:

How satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the final result of the 2025-2026 season?

Slightly satisfied (48%)

Less than a quarter of voters were dissatisfied with the season. Many fans have voiced that the regular season didn’t meet expectations, but they were a surprising success in the postseason given all the injuries. Overall, a satisfied season is still a satisfied season.

Full voting results:

What are you most excited about during the offseason?

Free Agency (36%)

This isn’t a make or break offseason for the Wolves, but they may be just a couple seasons away from that. It seems like the days of “one-way, high usage power forward next to Ant” may be over. It’s almost becoming commonplace to hear the Wolves among possible destinations for high-profile NBA players.

Will Tim Connelly continue to hunt for guys like Giannis, Kyrie, and Kawhi.

Full voting results:

My current feelings on the direction of the Timberwolves are…

Very optimistic (44%)

Even though the season came to a crashing end, we’re still in the “Golden Era” of Timberwolves basketball without an end in sight. Sure, the ascension of the Spurs and dominance of the Thunder continue to loom large, but Ant and the core has yet to hit their prime. There’s still plenty of reason for optimism moving forward.

Full voting results:

Victor Wembanyama called for the ball. His San Antonio Spurs were up by nine at the tail end of the second quarter, but had led by as many as 16 in the first half. Down 2-1 in the Western Conference Finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder, building the lead in the final seconds of the half felt urgent – in the previous game, the Spurs had exploded into a 15-0 lead, only to lose heavily. In Game 4 on Sunday night, the klaxon was closing in, and so might the Thunder. Wembanyama got in a couple dribbles, but only had time to reach half-court before the clock forced him to shoot. He hoisted the ball into the air from 43ft; the buzzer sounded. The ball slammed cleanly into the basket.

Buoyed up by that shot and the Thunder clanking almost all their three-point attempts off the rim as if in solidarity with one another, the Spurs completed a 21-point annihilation to tie the series.

The buzzer-beater brought to mind the long three Wembanyama hit in Game 1, which forced a second overtime when the Spurs were struggling for offense and on the brink of defeat. (Another point to consider: Three-point shooting is not even the Frenchman’s most potent skill.) That shot was from a mere 32ft, but was executed under more pressure, when other, safer options were available. If you’re not a fan of shots behind the arc, maybe the moment on Sunday when Wembanyama missed a tip-in, then corrected it with a backwards tap over his head was what made your heart sing. Or the most spiteful of his blocks. Or one of the many times when an opposing player streaked to the basket for a layup, spied Wembanyama in the paint, and kept right on dribbling by. He is beginning to stack magical moments atop each other.

Through four games of this postseason matchup, it seems clear that the Thunder are the better and deeper team. San Antonio’s starters have narrowly outplayed Oklahoma City’s, but the Thunder’s bench has proven stronger by about five times that margin. The depths of Wembanyama’s talents have been required just to keep this series competitive.

In Game 1, Wemby produced a 41-24 double-double that had many a podcaster wondering if the Thunder – the defending champions, best-record-in-the-league Thunder! – could do anything to stop him. Thunder’s hulking German center Isaiah Hartenstein has offered the rejoinder, wrapping his 7ft 4in opponent in a buffet of bear hugs that evade referees’ whistles, minimizing the Frenchman’s ability to get into the paint and slam home dunks or snare rebounds. Wembanyama had a milder performance in Game 2. In Game 3, his voice in the paint – only four boards! – felt quiet to the point of silence, given that he’s capable of making more noise there than anybody who’s ever lived.

Related: Knicks are within one win of NBA Finals after Game 3 win over Cavaliers

At that point, the Spurs’ astonishing Game 1 triumph felt like a pyrrhic victory. Their starters played so many minutes. The Thunder felt like they had an endless reserve of second-stringers capable of leaping off the pine and delivering a sweatless 18 points, and with several of them in Game 3 they brutalized San Antonio’s reserves while letting the stars rest. How that problem wouldn’t compound over the rest of the series felt hard to imagine.

But Wembanyama put up 33 of the Spurs’ 103 points in Game 4, supplementing it with his usual defensive impact, and what may be even more encouraging is that he only played 31 minutes. With the Spurs enjoying a healthy lead late in the fourth quarter, he got a head start on his recovery on a stationary bike in the tunnel.

The Spurs have a path to victory here, but it remains precarious: Get herculean performances from Wembanyama, and just enough from everybody else. The Spurs’ crucial offensive creators in De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper are compromised, Devin Vassell and Stephon Castle are excellent on both ends of the floor but don’t take over games (not to mention Castle’s copious turnovers this series). Wembanyama knows the deal. It was there in that ridiculous 32-footer to rescue Game 1. He knew his teammates’ ability to generate offense was dying a fast death. As absurd as it sounds, he took that long three-pointer with 19 seconds left on the shot clock out of necessity.

More than anything, you can see how vital Wembanyama is to his team when he has to rest and his backup, Luke Kornet, comes in. Kornet is a perfectly good player; he could start on the Lakers. But in this series, at this standard, he borders on unusable. He’s incinerated as soon as he steps on to the court. It raises the question of whether the Spurs could somehow play Wembanyama for all 48 minutes, at a limited intensity. Kornet’s stat line from his 13 minutes of playing time on Sunday sparkles: six points on three-of-four shooting, seven rebounds, two blocks. The Thunder still outscored the Spurs by nine in that time. The Spurs won Wembanyama’s minutes by twenty-nine.

The Spurs are deep enough in this series to believe that Wembanyama’s sorcery will be enough to win it. You feel bad for those who have staked out anti-Wembanyama campsites already. The Spurs are young and dealing with enough injuries – and the Thunder are a special enough team – that Wembanyama is the underdog. His triumphs can still feel unlikely, and are worth cherishing for as long as that’s true. One day he and the Spurs will be so good that we’ll laugh at the memory, or maybe mourn it.

Memorial Day is a day to stop, reflect, and remember those who gave everything defending our freedoms, our liberty, and our way of life. As the country prepares for its 250th anniversary, the number of people who made the ultimate sacrifice to make that possible is staggering. It should always be valued. Because of that sacrifice, we get the freedom to do silly little things, like write articles on a blog about a basketball team. That’s never lost on me, and it shouldn’t be lost on any of us.

Memorial Day, on the surface, is one of those holidays that tends to move around. It’s not like Christmas. It always lands on the last Monday in May, same as Labor Day finding its place on the first Monday in September. Easter somehow feels even more complicated, living on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring. Holidays have their rhythms.

With Memorial Day moving around every year, I thought it’d be interesting to take a look through the 58-year history of the Phoenix Suns and see how many times they’ve actually played on the holiday. It’s a tougher exercise than Christmas or Easter. Those fall during the regular season. Memorial Day lands at the end of May, which means the only way you’re playing basketball on that date is if you’ve made it to at least the conference finals.

For a franchise with 34 playoff appearances, 10 conference finals trips, and three NBA Finals appearances, you figure there had to be a few. There weren’t. They’ve played the day before. They’ve played the day after. They’ve been in plenty of meaningful postseason games around this time of year. But only once in franchise history did they actually take the floor on Memorial Day itself.

The Suns are 1-0 all time on Memorial Day. That came on May 30, 2005. And Phoenix made it count.

I’ll take you back 21 years, to when the Phoenix Suns completely changed the way they played basketball. They had acquired Steve Nash the previous offseason. Mike D’Antoni was on the sideline. That team was all gas, no brakes. Seven Seconds or Less in its purest form. By the time Memorial Day 2005 rolled around, they had arrived at the SBC Center in San Antonio down 0-3 in the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. The inevitable felt close.

Phoenix delayed it one more night, grinding out a 111-106 win.

Go back and look at the box score, and it almost feels absurd. Amar’e Stoudemire dropped 31. Joe Johnson added 26, which was wild considering he was playing through an orbital bone fracture suffered in the previous round when Jerry Stackhouse took him out on a fast break dunk attempt. Nash had 17 and 12. Damn, I loved those teams, and especially this one. Joe Johnson and Q were amazing.

And then you get to the part that always makes me laugh. D’Antoni rolled with a seven-man rotation. Seven! Season on the line, and only Jim Jackson and Steven Hunter came off the bench. Shawn Marion played 45 minutes. Nash, Johnson, and Quentin Richardson all cleared 40.

As I look back on the only Memorial Day game in franchise history, it’s hard not to be reminded why those Suns teams never quite got over the hump. The offense was beautiful. The pace was electric. They changed basketball. And by the end of every postseason, they looked exhausted. A team built to play at full throttle eventually ran out of gas at the worst possible time, year after year.

That’s what makes that lone Memorial Day game feel oddly fitting when you zoom out. A holiday rooted in reflection. A moment to appreciate sacrifice, commitment, and the cost attached to chasing something bigger than yourself. That 2005 Suns team embodied plenty of that. They were innovative, fearless, and endlessly entertaining, pushing the pace and reshaping the modern game even if the finish line always felt one step too far away.

21 years later, that win still stands alone in franchise history, a small piece of Suns lore attached to a day that asks all of us to pause, remember, and appreciate the people whose sacrifices made all of this possible in the first place.

CLEVELAND — Bustin’ out the brooms!

Homegrown Knicks fans are encroaching on the Cavaliers’ budget-friendly base in Cleveland, Ohio, for the last leg of New York’s near-certified sweep — and some are even coming with their own cleanup crew.

The Knicks have crushed the Cavaliers in every game of the Eastern Conference finals series thus far. If they dominate again in Game 4 at the Rocket Arena on Monday night, they’ll clinch the conference title and advance to the NBA Finals.

With the finals in view, members of Knicks Nation are descending upon Cleveland, including swaths of tristate fans who couldn’t swing a pricey ticket to attend the Madison Square Garden matchups.

Kevin Grisales, a 37-year-old sanitation worker from Woodside, Queens, booked a long weekend in Cleveland to watch what could well be the last two games in the conference. He was supposed to head back home after Game 3, but wanted to watch his team “complete the sweep.”

“We are already going to end up in the Finals. That’s inevitable,” Grisales told The Post. “We are going to go all the way with whatever team comes out of the West. Knicks in six, unfortunately, because the West is no joke. I’m a realist.”

Grisales’ ticket to Game 3, where the Knicks beat the Cavs 121-108, cost just $220 — whereas nosebleeds at MSG sold for more than $700 apiece. He estimates his ticket for Monday’s game at Rocket Arena will still be around $200.

Jose Agosta, who traveled with his son, Julian, from their home in Harlem to Ohio, said the Cleveland tickets are “probably three times or four times more affordable” than the Garden.

Agosta balked at the Cavs fans’ defeatist attitude, despite having the home court advantage.

“We have to win. Their fans gave up since the beginning,” he told The Post.

Other Knicks fans, though, are seizing on the Cavs’ apparent surrender.

Jorge Jimenez, Rich, Matt, and Javon — a quad from New Jersey — parked at the General Moses Cleaveland Statue, each armed with a broom as they swept the pavement.

“I’m showing you right now how it’s going to go down. Let me just get Harden’s ankles out of the way!” Rich joked.

“Knicks in four!” Javon boasted beside him.

Jimenez predicted that Monday’s game would be yet another easy victory for the blue and orange.

“The morale is gone. I think Cleveland already knows. It’s Game 4. The Knicks are playing a dominating game right now. It’s 10 games that we have won. We are just steamrolling right now,” he said.

The Knicks haven’t lost since Game 3 of their First Round series with the Atlanta Hawks on April 23.

Last year, the Knicks fell to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals. The Oklahoma City Thunder — last year’s season champion — are currently battling against the San Antonio Spurs in the West Conference finals series.

The Celtics, we are reminded, were 3-11 against the best teams in the league during the past season.

This is, at first glance, a problematic record for a franchise that won 56 games who many considered to be a contender. It suggests that the team has an obvious problem in need of a fix.

It also requires just a smidgen of context.

Of those 14 games, only three were played with Jayson Tatum, and of those three, Jaylen Brown was missing for all of one game (vs. the Knicks) and most of the another (Spurs). The only game where the Celtics had a healthy lineup was a win against the Thunder that ended their 16-game winning streak.

There’s also the matter of clutch performance.

During the past season, the Celtics were abysmal in clutch situations. They were 16-17, ranking them 19^th in the league. Clutch performance and performance against the best teams in the league go hand-in-hand. You are typically not going to blow out one of the league’s top teams.

In 2024-25, Boston was the best team in the league in clutch performance. They were 24-11—appearing in about as many clutch situations as this year’s team—but they had several advantages going for them, not the least of which was Jayson Tatum. Tatum was Boston’s leading clutch scorer, and while the presence of Jrue Holiday and other veterans can’t be discounted in terms of ‘keeping cool’ and setting up the offense, the reality is that the Celtics lost 30% of their clutch scoring with Tatum’s injury. From last year to this, Boston’s clutch scoring went from 10.0 points in the final five minutes to 8.2.

Defense doesn’t really enter into the picture, as Boston’s clutch defense actually improved from the prior season to this one. Two seasons ago, Boston was allowing 8.7 points during clutch time, and that was down an entire point to just 7.7 this season.

The problem the Celtics had against the best teams in the league is reflected in their struggles to score during clutch situations in general.

And that is tied to the fact that the Celtics were missing Jayson Tatum.

It’s also tied to the relative inexperience of key rotation players for the Celtics.

For example, second year player Baylor Scheierman appeared in 14 clutch situations, and averaged two and a half minutes of clutch time play, which meant he was on the court for half of the typical clutch scenario in 14 of the team’s 33 clutch games. Neemias Queta, in his first year as a starter, logged 2.6 minutes per game in 25 appearances. Sam Hauser logged 2.6 minutes as well, in 22 appearances, and Jordan Walsh logged 2.2 minutes in 13 appearances.

Contrast that with the 2024-25 stats, which saw Scheierman appearing in just two games, Queta in 10, and Hauser in 13. Jordan Walsh appeared in only one clutch game.

Now, this is potentially an argument for the C’s bringing in an experienced veteran, but ultimately, if you want to stay a contender in this salary cap era, you need to grow your own talent, and that means putting them in challenging situations and letting them develop. There’s a balance to be found here, and there are personnel decisions that need to be made based on what guys like Mazzulla and Stevens see in terms of the potential of these players, but with all this in mind, the main thing going into next season when it comes to clutch situations is having a fully healthy, fully integrated Jayson Tatum.

In his end-of-season wrap-up, Brad Stevens mentioned that the C’s needed to get better first looks, and that the C’s needed to get better at attacking the rim. Now a strong measure of that is going to come from a more confident Jayson Tatum, but I think some of it is also going to come from the growth and development of Hugo Gonzalez. I think that, like Scheierman, he’s preparing for a sophomore leap.

Mind you, I think the C’s would benefit from a veteran addition—but I tend to think that smaller moves will suffice.

We also need to talk about coaching.

But before we do that, it’s good to remember is that this was Joe Mazzulla’s fourth year as a head coach — the fourth year for a coach who is not yet 38 years old.

It’s a bit early, in my opinion, to declare him a ‘regular season only’ coach.

One of the things about Mazzulla that I think he needs to work on is the dichotomy between saying things like, “there’s no difference between a preseason game, regular season game, playoff game,” and shortening his rotation to the point where key players from the regular season barely saw enough time on the court to get into a rhythm during the playoffs. The attitude is there, but the actions need to back it up.

I don’t think that the C’s need to make major changes in the coaching staff. I don’t necessarily think that the C’s have any weaknesses that can be cured by adding different voices to the bench. I think the weaknesses that were on display in the C’s losses to the Sixers come down to failure to prep and failure to adjust. Now adding a skilled X’s and O’s guy might help somewhat, but the important thing is not bringing in an X’s and O’s guy — it’s being willing to listen to that guy when he’s saying something that goes against your first instincts. It’s also Mazzulla owning the mistakes he made during the Sixers series. From what I’ve seen, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.

The reality, from my perspective, is that the Celtics are a lot closer to the top than certain stats from the regular season indicate—specifically their poor clutch play and their record against other contenders.

I also think that the best takeaway from the first-round loss to the Sixers should be a wakeup call to Joe Mazzulla and I think he’ll respond well to it. I don’t think that this loss revealed major structural issues with the lineup—but I do think it revealed some flaws in Mazzulla’s approach to playoff ball that he might have been able to shrug off after the loss to the Knicks last season.

Understand, I’m not saying that no changes need to be made to the roster or the coaching staff, but I’m saying that the right changes might not be as drastic as the ones that have been bandied about in this unexpectedly early off-season.

The San Antonio Spurs weren’t fooling around on Sunday, and really took it to Jared McCain and the Oklahoma City Thunder, 103-82.

After his tremendous performance Friday, where he lit San Antonio up with 24 points, McCain got just 4 Sunday night, and shot just 1-10 overall.

Despite the big win, Mason Plumlee again got a DNP for the Spurs.

With the win, San Antonio ties the series, 2-2.

On Monday, the New York Knicks get a chance to close out Tyrese Proctor and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Game time is 8:00 p.m.

• Jared McCain just reminded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of a harsh playoff truth
• Wemby stars as Spurs rip Thunder to level NBA playoff series
• HLs: Spurs dominate Thunder in Game 4, tie series
• Spurs punched Thunder back by doing exactly what fans have been begging for
• Victor Wembanyama scores 33 as Spurs dominate Thunder in Game 4 to even Western Conference Finals
• 2026 NBA playoff bracket: Spurs even up WCF with Game 4 win vs. Thunder

Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions || Drop us a line

If there’s one thing the Western Conference finals has taught us, it’s that there’s an enormous chasm between the teams in the penultimate round of the playoffs and the NBA’s other 28 ballclubs, including the Lakers. 

The Thunder and Spurs have depth. They have stellar perimeter and interior defenders. They have multiple lasers. They have superstars. They have 10 players who are starring in their roles. 

How do the Lakers catch up?

The Lakers are in a unique position. The Thunder and Spurs tanked before arming themselves with draft picks and orchestrating smart trades to climb back atop the league. That’s not an option for a Lakers franchise that has won 17 championships and has no patience for losing seasons. 

Even Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka laughed that off as a potential strategy. 

“It’s not the Lakers’ way,” Pelinka said after the team was swept out of the second round of the playoffs by the Thunder. “We have to find sustained excellence, so it does create at times a thread-the-needle [situation] where you gotta find a way to have championship rosters every year.”

So, that raises an interesting question.

If the Lakers can’t follow that model to build a contender, what should they do?

Should they hunt for another superstar?

Should they devote their resources (three first-round picks and up to about $55 million in cap space this offseason) to getting great role players?

This much is sure: Superstar chasing doesn’t equate to title winning.

The Lakers learned that firsthand after they blew up their 2020 championship roster to acquire Russell Westbrook, and they also let Alex Caruso walk in free agency in 2021.

Without guys who could defend and space the floor with 3s, such as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Caruso, the Lakers were a top-heavy mess that didn’t become competitive again until they dealt Westbrook ahead of the 2023 trade deadline.

The Lakers don’t need another star.

Of course, if they can get a generational superstar who’s still in his prime like Giannis Antetokounmpo, the aforementioned sentence goes out the window. If you can get Giannis, you get Giannis.

But that’s a big “if.”

And if they can’t get him, they shouldn’t go after another superstar.

Instead, if they can retain their Big Three of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James, as Pelinka has made clear is his goal, they should focus on filling in the margins. (Reaves and James are both about to become unrestricted free agents.)

The Lakers already have proof of concept that the combination works.

After James embraced becoming the Lakers’ third offensive option, they went on a 16-2 run this spring. Doncic played at an MVP level. Reaves looked like an All-Star. And James was arguably the best “role player” in the league.

But any illusions that they were real title contenders was shattered in a 43-point loss to the Thunder on April 2, in which they lost Doncic (hamstring) and Reaves (oblique) to injuries.

The Lakers showed a lot of grit by getting past the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs without Doncic and with Reaves only playing in two games.

But the team’s real test came next against the Thunder.

Against the reigning champions, the Lakers fought like heck even though they were without Doncic, but their opponent was simply in another weight class.

In every contest besides Game 4, the Lakers unraveled in the second half under tired legs, while the Thunder seemingly weren’t even winded.

James, who tried to carry the team on his 41-year-old shoulders, didn’t mince words about what went wrong.

“… We fought and we played to the maximum ability of our team,” James said on the podcast, “Mind the Game,” that was released Thursday. “But ultimately, if we’re being completely honest, we were out-talented.”

The Thunder had 13 guys who were playing to their best ability. The Lakers struggled to have six. 

The Lakers need guys like Caruso, who went undrafted and pours his heart into every possession. They need guys like Ajay Mitchell, who was drafted in the second round and proved he can be a laser under the brightest of lights. They need guys like Isaiah Hartenstein, who was also a second-round pick and has transformed into a pit bull in the paint. 

The Lakers need to take a page out of the Thunder’s book.

Their focus needs to be on depth, not glitz.

When Thunder GM Sam Presti had a goldmine of picks during the franchise’s rebuild, he chose to focus on fortifying the edges of the roster instead of securing a superstar.

That philosophy has paid dividends.

That’s where the NBA is headed.

That’s how the Lakers could start nipping at the heels of the Thunder and Spurs.

This offseason, the Lakers need to find the diamonds in the rough. They need to add effort guys. They need to bolster their defense. They need more 3-point shooting. They need 10 guys they can trust to play playoff minutes.

They need to find the type of players they let slip through their fingers when they were hellbent on star chasing.

In a city that prioritizes star power, they need to embrace a completely different philosophy.

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson’s honesty and transparency are among his best attributes. He’s always going to tell you the truth, which is different than most coaches who give trite answers that mean very little.

That honesty, though appreciated by me, might not always be welcomed by everyone. Especially when his group is down 3-0 to a New York Knicks team that has simply been better.

After practice on Sunday, Atkinson shared that his players gave him numerous reasons to believe that they could win Game 4. When asked what his reasoning would be, he pointed to the numbers.

“Analytically … we’ve won two out of three.”

On its surface, that’s a rough quote. There’s no way around that.

Yet, if you listen to the whole quote within its context, and the question that led up to it, it makes much more sense. He’s asked why he would believe they can win one game. He’s not making excuses for them being down.

Reporter: “What’s your answer to your own question (why you believe the Cavs could win the next game)?”

Atkinson: “We’ve had success against this team before. We’ve had really good moments in this series, up 20 in Game 1. Even Game 2, take that run out from the beginning of the third quarter and it’s pretty tight.

“I think analytically, think we’ve won the … I said three out of three (after Game 3), we’re two out of three, in the expected wins. I don’t know if you guys follow that, the expected score. We’ve won two out of three.

“I know you’re looking at me confused, but there is really… if you believe in process and all that, … Take that layer. I know I don’t throw that on them. I see it for myself. We have this feeling, I have this feeling, then I can go to our analytical table.

“Last night, our expected score was like one point or two, us shooting way below expected. Them shooting way over. I know no one wants to hear that. I think you guys like it. I know the general public, no one wants that. Everyone is outcome-based. Sure, I get that too.”

Support us and Let ‘Em Know with Homage!

Anything bought from the links helps support Fear the Sword. You can buy the Mark Price shirt HERE. You can also shop all of Homage’s Cavs gear HERE.

Analytics can be an easy punching bag, especially when what happens on the court goes against what the numbers suggest. But it’s important to remember that analytics are just stats. And stats are tangible facts that come from the game. It’d be stupid not to use those facts as a coach.

Anyone who works in an analytics department for an NBA team will tell you that the results in a single game or series could go against longer trends. Usually, the numbers will even out over a long enough stretch, but playoff series are sprints, not marathons.

The Cavs have, in fact, been on the wrong side of the numbers game so far in this series.

New York has sometimes dared Cleveland’s best shooters to beat them from deep, and they haven’t been able to make them pay. So much so that Knicks head coach Mike Brown said that his team was “lucky” that Cleveland had been missing good looks before Game 3.

These misses have cost the Cavs games and a chance to be competitive in the series.

As a coach, all you can do is instill confidence in your group and make sure the process is correct. After all, Atkinson isn’t able to come off the bench and start knocking down open looks himself.

Delivering a message to his team that they should stick with what they’re doing is reasonable. They aren’t going to radically change who they are overnight, especially against a Knicks team that is selling out to stop rolls to the basket and anything inside the paint. If the outside shots start falling, they might be able to win a game and send this series back to New York.

At the same time, when these comments are said to the public, they come across as arrogant and detached from reality. It’s what someone would say if they want to keep their job and shift the blame to others while also discrediting their opponent.

I’ve been around Atkinson long enough to believe that his intentions weren’t to do so. He’s honest to a fault with reporters. And it’s understandable to think that his good three-point shooters will eventually start knocking down open looks.

We’ll see if the Cavs can do so in Game 4. If they don’t, their season could come to an unceremonious close in a series they actually lost in four games.

“Experience does not matter.”

This was Devin Vassell’s response to the question, “What do you and the Spurs think you’ve learned about yourself this season?”

You can no longer say they have exceeded expectations. You can no longer say they are ahead of schedule. You can no longer say that they are a couple of years away.

The Spurs have been clear for quite some time. They have all bought in. And now fans are buying in.

After 62 regular season wins, a Defensive Player of the Year honor, a Sixth Man of the Year award, a five-game series against the Portland Trail Blazers, and a six-game series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Spurs are tied against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.

After the Game 4 throttling, Victor Wembanyama referred to winning “six more wins” before he relaxes. He’s not comfortable with just taking this series, he’s focused on winning it all.

In the four games thus far, the Spurs have found success when limiting the productivity of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Not an easy task as SGA just picked up his second consecutive MVP trophy as well as his first ever Clutch Player of the Year honors.

In Game 1, the Spurs executed a defensive strategy on the Thunder’s star guard that stifled his shooting as well as his passing, producing turnovers which led to the double-overtime victory.

In Games 2 and 3, the Thunder adjusted by exposing the open man when SGA was double teamed. High percentage shooting from beyond the arc gave the defending champs a one game lead.

Last night, the Silver & Black altered its defense to double SGA closer in, cutting off the passing lanes, which suffocated OKC’s offense and leaving an abysmal 18% from three-point range.

The Spurs are also limiting fouls to Gilgeous-Alexander, another difficult task. He’s still making his way to the line, but is unable to sustain the level of calls he earns when paired with taking a tumble.

Earlier this season, Victor Wembanyama stated he was interested in ethical basketball. The young superstar elevated the term into the lexicon of basketball conversations. By comparison, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been accused of foul baiting and playing for the call.

The series features two of the youngest and most talented teams in the league, both with longevity in its plan. And they play two entirely different styles of basketball.

What the Thunder are doing won them a title last season. But the Spurs have found success in implementing their game, tuning out questionable calls, and allowing their talent to set the tone.

So perhaps Devin’s comment is almost fully correct.

Experience does matter. And the Spurs continue to prove that they internalize their experiences and process solutions at a rate that many have not seen before.

The question remains — will this be enough to overcome the obstacle of the Oklahoma City Thunder?

We get one step closer to answering that question on Tuesday night in Oklahoma City.

Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder sit six wins from the Larry O’Brien Trophy and a second consecutive championship, but one Spurs fan came prepared with a different trophy for the Oklahoma City star Sunday.

A woman sitting courtside at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio for Game 4 brought a mini Oscars-esque trophy that said “Best Flopper” on it, according to video and photos.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who has a reputation for alleged flopping and ending up on the court after attempting shots, even fell right in front of the fan during the opening quarter, according to The Athletic.

Spurs fans hold up Oscar trophy, diving scores to troll SGA.

(via @sam_amick)pic.twitter.com/5PbmVIFJsa

— theScore (@theScore) May 25, 2026

It marked the latest twist in how Gilgeous-Alexander has been received in San Antonio during the Western Conference finals, as he also encountered “flopper” chants in Game 3.

“It does nothing,” Gilgeous-Alexander told ESPN after the Thunder’s Game 3 win.

“Doesn’t fuel me. Doesn’t discourage me. It’s part of the game. It’s nothing. I’ve been dealing with it for a long time. I don’t really hear it.”

Gilgeous-Alexander leads all players in scoring this postseason by averaging 28.1 points-per-game, and he won his second consecutive MVP award May 17 — adding to a campaign where he earned a fourth consecutive All-Star Game appearance and averaged 31.3 points per game during the regular season.

That helped the Thunder earn the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed entering the tournament, but now, with the series going back to Oklahoma City for Game 5, their chances at a repeat title have suddenly become complicated.

The Spurs — behind Victor Wembanyama’s 33 points — crushed the Thunder 103-82 on Sunday in Game 4 to even the series at two games each, with Gilgeous-Alexander finishing with 19 points on 6-for-15 shooting from the field.

He also went a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line.

“They just punched us in our face early,” Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters postgame Sunday.

“That’s two games in a row they’ve come out the aggressors. Last game, we were able to course-correct. [Sunday], we just didn’t do so. “