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The Sixers’ second-round opener against the Knicks was about as tired and lop-sided as it could have been. A sub 48-hour turnaround after beating Boston left the Sixers with minimal time to recover and go against the Knicks at full throttle, and it showed. The Sixers lost 137-98 in Game 1 on Monday, and there’s a whole array of things that need to change if Game 2 is going to play out differently.

First and foremost, the simple stuff: the Sixers need the Knicks’ shooting cools off. New York were red hot from three all night, finishing 19-of-37 (51.4 percent) from deep.

As Paul George said very simply to reporters after the game, “yeah, we had breakdowns tonight. But they also shot the s*** out of the ball.”

“But you know, it’s a game of adjustments,” George added. “We’ll make adjustments; see what we need to get better at.”

George is right of course. There were some breakdowns in communication that led to open looks. There were plays like the below that simply can’t happen at this stage to allow open buckets in the paint, not just from three.

But the Sixers’ defense and switching was far sharper than this for other spells of the first half. Generally speaking, the Knicks were just on fire. They were frequently burying well contested threes like it was nothing, and chances are that doesn’t last all series. Hopefully for the Sixers, that calms down straight away in Game 2.

Offensively, the Sixers simply need far more from Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. Apart from shooting a cool 3-of-9 overall in his 26 minutes, Maxey mainly needed to be more aggressive. Both in terms of actively hunting for threes (he only attempted three) and seeking driving lanes to the rim.

While Embiid didn’t score much himself with only 14 points on 3-of-11 shooting (and that needs to change), there were still flashes of how the Sixers could create off his gravity. He was able to generate some open looks from three with kick-out passes from the post and elbows, and found Kelly Oubre Jr. on some neat baseline cuts (Oubre’s cutting has been good in general these playoffs). More of that paired with sharper shooting from Embiid and Maxey would do wonders for turning Game 2 into a competitive one.

Paul George’s play was one of the few positives on Monday. He’s been terrific at both ends of the floor all postseason. He may not have lit up the scoreboard in Game 1, but George yet again brought plenty to the table at both ends. He finished with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting (4-of-6 from three) and three assists, finding success creating off the bounce from range and getting into the lane to either pull up for himself or set up others.

Again, more typical nights from Embiid and/or Maxey with this version of George will allow the Sixers’ offense to really punch back in Game 2. George continuing to operate well as a playmaker also makes it easier for Maxey to spend more time time as an off-ball scorer and movement shooter, which is what he needs a healthy dose of to be his absolute best.

VJ Edgecombe was also a bright spot. He was fairly aggressive with his limited shots and minutes, and didn’t hesitate from three, adding 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting and a pair of triples.

The Sixers’ stars attacking Jalen Brunson more could be one way to find some extra success, which we didn’t see much of in Game 1. Put Brunson to work by running him through more pick-and-rolls as the point-of-attack defender and exploit his lacking size and defense where possible. Getting him mismatched onto bigger players like George, or simply having to guard the more explosive Maxey and Edgecombe flying through the paint, could help.

Meanwhile as a scorer himself, Brunson was fantastic. He led all scorers by a mile with 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting, including a 3-of-6 mark from three. The Knicks’ created good looks attacking the paint and firing from three through Brunson’s wave of pick-and-rolls.

From drop coverage that gave Brunson pull-up opportunities to more aggressive coverages like the play below, he found ways to score. Take this possession, where Quentin Grimes stays over the screen (before Mitchell Robinson slips) and Embiid shows high before Brunson rejects the pick and drives into a clear lane.

Moving forward, we’ll see tinkering with different looks through the series to try and keep Brunson in check as much as possible. You can never take away everything all the time, but you have to be adaptable.

To the Sixers’ credit, they did force Brunson into a fare share of difficult looks. Some of his threes and pull-up mid-rangers in particular were well guarded even if he made them regardless. Like this play, where Embiid shows high before recovering to Robinson and George pressures at the arc. A defense that’s reset with Brunson held at the arc against the close contest of a 6-foot-8 defender is a solid outcome… Brunson just buries the three anyway.

In Game 2, the Sixers can only keep using players who have guarded Brunson well in the past, like Oubre Jr., and Edgecombe who did a fantastic job on him this regular season, to ideally turn more of those difficult makes into misses. Unfortunately, Embiid’s mobility being weakened right now makes it harder to bring him higher against screens. Philly will need excellent individual on-ball defense on Brunson all series to prevent easy opportunities. Die on too many screens against drop coverage and he’ll have open pull-ups. Execute a blitz poorly and Brunson can slice into the lane himself or pass to an open roll man.

If the Sixers at least use different looks to keep Brunson guessing, stay physical on the ball, and be sharper with help rotations and switches, they could see some improvement. Some smaller lineups using a George-Dominick Barlow frontcourt could also be an option for short spells to give the Sixers the agility on the perimeter to show high against ball screens and up their switching. That is, unless Adem Bona gets another shot and has a drastic turnaround from his Game 1 performance. With three fouls in three minutes, it’s safe to say he didn’t look like a viable option.

It’ll be interesting to see how other defensive matchups play out in Game 2 as well. For instance, Embiid started out on Karl-Anthony Towns before taking on more of a paint-roaming role playing off Josh Hart, which could be effective moving forward if the Knicks have to attack the paint more if/when they stop making endless threes. Also, who fares better with the Brunson assignment moving forward? Both Oubre and Edgecombe spent time on him in Game 1, and despite Brunson’s skill as a tough shot maker, they’ve both proven they have the tools to guard him well.

Another smaller note is if we’ll see much more hack-a-Mitch strategy. The Sixers turned to intentionally fouling Mitchell Robinson early on Monday as they struggled to slow down the Knicks elsewhere. Nick Nurse even brought Justin Edwards in to pick up a few quick fouls, and it worked. Robinson missed four straight free throws at one point and is at 40.8 percent from the line this season, and 29.4 percent in the playoffs. Getting him off the floor forces Towns to spend more time on Embiid which bodes well for how effective Jo has been against him throughout his career. Robinson’s rim protection, while not game-changing for Embiid, can make the big fella work a little harder.

One last positive of the Sixers’ heavy loss at least is that Nurse, who’s smartly used a small six-man rotation this postseason to lean heavily on his best players, moved his starters to the sidelines midway through the third quarter. Hopefully for the Sixers, their key players not emptying the tank on Monday will help them enter Game 2 with a little extra energy.

Clearly a lot needs to change in Game 2 if the Sixers are going to win. But it’s not unthinkable changes. From a more aggressive Maxey and an Embiid closer to what we saw in round one, to less lights-out three-point shooting from New Work and scoring from Brunson.

It’s only been 18 days since we watched the Sixers get demolished by 32 points in Game 1 against Boston before they completed their historic 3-1 comeback. Maybe 30-point defeats is just how this 2026 team starts series as the underdog before making a comeback…

Game Details

When: Wednesday, May 6, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Madison Square Garden, NYC
Watch: ESPN, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers

Congratulations, Lakers!

You held Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to fewer than 20 points for the first time since Game 3 of the Western Conference finals last May 24. You forced him into a season-high seven turnovers. And — get this, this part is really wild — you afforded the man who basically lives at the charity stripe only three free-throw attempts.

You should be so proud.

You should also know now for sure: It’s not happening.

You’re not knocking off Oklahoma City.

Read more:'Some game-plan breakdowns.' Thunder pull away in second half to defeat Lakers in Game 1

You held SGA, the reigning league MVP, to 18 points and you lost Game 1 of this Western Conference semifinal series by 18 points, 108-90.

And now you know you’re not mounting a monumental upset and dethroning the defending NBA champions.

You can play a bit better in Games 2, 3 and 4, sure. Austin Reaves could shoot better than three for 16. Marcus Smart should shoot better than four for 15. Luke Kennard ought to shoot more than four times.

But unless, by some miracle, Luka Doncic’s ailing hamstring is healed by Game 2 on Thursday, the Thunder are just much too much for these Lakers.

Oklahoma City gave them a rusty, tin-man version of SGA for a game and continued playing without his injured co-star Jalen Williams. And still, the Thunder were too talented, too deep, too well-coached.

They’re also too aggressive, too confident, too experienced, too together, too clever.

Oh, but I’m going on too long, let the Smart take it from here …

“No matter what, they're relentless in their pursuit,” he said. “They're constantly on the move, they're constantly downhill, putting defenses on their heels. So when you got guys like that, that's constantly putting pressure, not only on you just offensively, but defensively, it is tough. And they come in waves, right? And when they get hot and get going, they can really get going. So they're tough in that aspect.

“[And they’re] defending champs. They've been here, they understand it. They grew up together, and they have a different type of chemistry that most teams probably don't have.”

That includes even this get-along gang that is this season’s Lakers.

Read more:Plaschke: Show Austin Reaves the money? Lakers might have second thoughts after Game 1 meltdown

Winning this best-of-seven series against the Thunder was already an impossible dream. Game 1 illustrated that it’s more like a foregone conclusion.

If the NBA issued intentional walks, they’d put Oklahoma City on base and save the Thunder fans’ voices for later in the playoffs.

If it was possible to simulate the rest of the series, video-game style, it would be worth considering.

Not that there isn’t still value in this series for the Lakers. Not so much in the inevitable result, but for the result of the test: Who on this team is built for this?

Who on this roster measures up against the barometer that is Oklahoma City?

Who will best slot in alongside Doncic, the heliocentric star who everyone knows thrives when paired with defenders, shooters and lob threats?

Is Reaves — as delightful a character and player as he’s been in regular-season action — really a reliable second option beside Doncic when the physicality ratchets up in the postseason? Is he durable enough to count on late in a season?

Does anyone on the Lakers besides 41-year-old LeBron James — who had a game-high 27 points on 12-for-17 shooting in Game 1 — have it in them to throw a few scoring punches?

Final grades aren’t in yet, but let’s assume many of the current Lakers would want to hide the report card when it came — even though they tried, they really, really did.

But against Oklahoma City, the Lakers’ lulls became an invitation for the Thunder to strike. A few miscues got compounded exponentially.

Sometimes you have little room for error. And then there’s playing against the Thunder, when there is none: “Once you make a couple mental mistakes,” Reaves said, “it seems like they take advantage of every one of them.”

And they don’t have to be perfect.

SGA doesn’t play to par? So what! They shoot only 12 free throws? Forget about it.

Because Chet Holmgren still goes for 24 points and 12 rebounds. Ajay Mitchell adds 18 points. Jared McCain chips in with 12 off the bench. They shoot 13 for 30 from three-point range. They put the clamps on during the second half, when they held the Lakers to 37 points.

They took care of business, the team that has all the answers — and for whom the Lakers have none.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

James Harden wasn’t concerned about the turnover issues when asked about the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 19 giveaways that led to their 111-110 Game 1 loss to the Detroit Pistons.

“You look at my turnovers, a lot of them were just on me and nothing they did,” Harden said afterward. “That’s the game right there. … I gotta be better and will be better turning the basketball over.”

Harden is partially right. Several of those turnovers were sloppy. There’s a backcourt violation that shouldn’t have happened, once he correctly tried to take Duncan Robinson off the dribble but bounced it off his foot, and there were a couple he simply lost control. Things like that are just part of the game.

But there’s a bigger issue at play here. Turnovers have been a problem for the Cavs — particularly for Harden — during the postseason. This was the third time in eight playoff games that he’s had more giveaways (7) than made field goals (6). How often it’s happened shows that this is more than just a lack of focus.

Throughout his career, Harden has often operated in lineups that try to create perfect spacing. Ideally, all of his teammates are shooters so that the defense is forced to make a difficult decision. Do you try to send extra bodies to the basket to help on a Harden drive, or do you stay on the perimeter to prevent three-point shots?

That was a tough call when you were going up against the 2018 Houston Rockets. It isn’t going against Cleveland’s current starting lineup.

Neither Detroit nor the Toronto Raptors have respected three of the four Cavaliers starting alongside Harden. Teams are daring Dean Wade and Evan Mobley to shoot from the outside, and are willing to take their chances with Jarrett Allen inside.

Throw in Donovan Mitchell, who doesn’t move much off-ball, and you have a stagnant offense that is cheating into the lane to both cut off drives and lobs to the bigs. And if you try to force it inside, there’s a good chance that it’s going to wind up in a turnover.

There’s a downstream effect to not having good spacing. Now, defenders can be physical and tight at the point of attack because they know that there’s more than enough help behind them if they get beat off the dribble.

That leads to more turnovers like this, where Cade Cunningham is giving Harden no room to breathe.

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The additional help inside also bleeds into the shot diet. Harden took seven threes and just two shots at the rim. If the defense is crowding the paint, your only choice left is to shoot over the top.

After Game 7 against Toronto, multiple players mentioned that winning that series was a big step because this group was so new together. That newness is seen in how they’re still figuring out how to space the floor.

Harden only played with Allen and Mobley together in nine regular-season games. That number drops to four if you throw Wade into that grouping. By contrast, they’ve played twice as many playoff games together, and it’s only eight. That simply isn’t a lot of experience for a player who’s spent the better part of a decade playing in a completely different environment.

Unfortunately for Cleveland, there isn’t an easy solution for this. They simply need at least two bigs on the court at all times, and matchups like this call for extended Wade minutes even when he isn’t providing much offensively.

Max Strus had an incredible game. His shooting got the Cavs back into this one as he poured in 19 points on 13 shots. But even with that, the Cavs lost the minutes he played by nine. Single-game plus/minus isn’t always the most useful stat, but it does point to him not being asked to play an ideal role on this team.

The Cavs don’t have enough defensively in lineups where Strus is asked to defend bigger threes and fours as he’s had to do in both playoff series. In Game 1, Cleveland had a dreadful 124.5 defensive rating with Strus on the court.

This has been a common occurrence. Coming into Game 1, the Cavs have had a 117.1 defensive rating with Strus on in the postseason and a 104 without him. Wade has been nearly the exact opposite.

This isn’t a criticism of Strus. He holds up as well as you can expect in these situations. Instead, it’s a shortcoming in the roster’s construction that he’s continually being asked to guard out of position.

This forces the Cavs to make a decision. Do you believe an undersized defense can work so you can have better spacing? Or, do you trust Harden and Mitchell to figure things out with a cramped half-court offense? Choosing that second option makes sense. You’re just putting a lot on a point guard who’s being asked to play in a completely different context.

Mitchell’s scoring struggles compound these issues.

Mitchell once again wasn’t able to get to the rim. Only one of his 19 shots came in the restricted area. And while he did a good job of finishing the midrange floater (5-7), not driving completely to the hoop limits his ability to get to the line.

Mitchell took just two free-throw attempts in Game 1. This has been a recent trend throughout the postseason. He’s only attempted over that many twice in eight playoff games. By contrast, he only registered two or fewer free-throw shots 16 times in his 70 regular-season games.

Afterward, Mitchell blamed the lack of free throws on the officiating, but made sure not to go over the line to get fined. And while there’s some reason for frustration on his part, if he’s not getting to the rim, he’s simply not going to get calls.

Mitchell has been forced to play in tight spaces before in the playoffs with the Cavs. However, Toronto and Detroit are easily the two best defenses he’s faced in that time — at least they are in terms of locking down the paint.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson made some head-scratching decisions.

Here’s a quick rundown of things you usually don’t see in a second-round playoff game:

• No Cavalier played 36 minutes or more, including the star guards.
• Allen saw just 18 minutes after picking up three fouls in the first quarter. He finished with four personals.
• The third center, Thomas Bryant, played 10 minutes, including at the start of the fourth.
• Atkinson went with a group that included Keon Ellis, Dennis Schroder, and Bryant a minute into the fourth quarter of a six-point game. All three have already spent time this postseason out of the rotation.
• Cleveland played exaggerated drop coverage, making it easier for Detroit’s guards to attack.

I know this was a short turnaround, and we’re expecting this to be a long series, but this game was managed like it was a regular-season game, not a playoff series opener.

The Cavs didn’t let Cunningham beat them as a scorer. He had 23 points on 6-19 shooting in 42 minutes after racking up 32, 32, and 45 points to close out the Orlando Magic in the first round.

Cleveland was able to contain him by showing multiple bodies when he tried to finish at the rim. He went just 2-7 on shots in the restricted area and 3-11 on looks in the paint overall.

This was one of the few things the Cavs did well in Game 1.

Despite the many areas the Cavs need to clean up, they still had a chance of winning this game.

This one was there for the taking. If the Cavs committed a few less turnovers and grabbed a couple more defensive rebounds, they probably would’ve come away from Game 1 a winner.

On one hand, that’s encouraging. It shows that the Cavs still have a good chance of taking this series. However, it’s never ideal to lose a winnable away game, especially for a team that is now 4-12 on the road in the postseason since trading for Mitchell.

We’ll see if the Cavs can make the necessary adjustments and split the two road games before the series shifts to Cleveland.

I think many Rockets fans were happy when the Rockets decided to convert JD Davison’s two-way contract to a regular NBA contract. As much as I enjoy Aaron Holiday and his minutes, it was time for Davison to get a standard NBA contract.

Davison saw relatively limited action during his first season with Houston. He averaged 2.5 points, 1.3 assists, and 1.2 rebounds in 28 regular-season games, playing an average of 7.8 minutes per game. These stats, however, aren’t Davison’s fault, as he was on a two-way contract until April 7. For context, NBA two-way players are only able to play a maximum of 50 regular NBA games and are ineligible for the playoffs. Davison also had a 8-point and 4-assist game versus the Thunder on February 7.

Davison’s influence was even more obvious in the G League, as he continued to exhibit his scoring and playmaking prowess. He put up good numbers in limited opportunities, helping to reinforce the idea that he may develop into a reliable NBA contributor with more opportunities.

However, what worries me the most with Davison is his three-point shot. Davison shot just above 30% from three in college before shooting 29% in his rookie year, 40% in his sophomore year, 33% his third year, and just 27.3% this past year. Houston already has so many players who can’t shoot from three (Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, etc). Thankfully, with Reed Sheppard’s emergence, Davison should only be needed in spot minutes, and since he is still younger, he has time to develop a three-point shot.

All in all, it was hard to evaluate Davison’s Rockets season since he did not play much real NBA basketball due to being on a two-way, and also due to Ime Udoka favoring Aaron Holiday, but hopefully next season we will get to see him get more opprotunites and continue to grow. We will be doing player season reviews all month long here at The Dream Shake, so make sure to check back every day for new season reviews.

Walt ‘Clyde' Frazier thinks Knicks could win first title since his 1973 team originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Winning and grinning?

The New York Knicks have been doing a lot of that lately, much to the delight of franchise icon Walt “Clyde” Frazier.

The longtime player and broadcaster, 81, was the last man to lead the franchise to a championship way back in 1973. Now, 53 years later, he thinks he’s starting to see some parallels between his dominant team and the current-day Knicks, who currently lead the Philadelphia 76ers 1-0 in the second round of the playoffs.

“I’m mesmerized by the way the team is playing,” Frazier told Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday’s episode of “The Tonight Show.” “Actually, I’m living vicariously through them. They remind me of my team. My team personified team, you couldn’t mention Frazier without (Bill) Bradley, without (Dave) DeBusschere, without (Willis) Reed, without (Dick) Barnett.

“I see similarities to this team, so they’re starting to do that. Their camaraderie, their teamwork, they like each other, it’s manifested on the court.

There’s still a long way to go in the NBA playoffs, but Frazier added that “hopefully we’ll see another championship.”

The Knicks defeated the Atlanta Hawks 4-2 in the first round after falling behind 2-1. They closed that series with runaway wins by 16, 29 and 51 points, then followed that up with a 39-point blowout over Philly to begin the second round.

Frazier has been watching it all happen from his seats at Madison Square Garden, where he still works for the Knicks’ MSG Network. Wearing his iconic suits, you can’t miss the Hall of Famer on TV or in person.

“It’s genetic,” Frazier said of his fashion sense. “My dad was a guy who was into clothes. Then, I came to the mecca for fashion.

“I wasn’t playing good as a rookie, so in order to pacify myself I went shopping.”

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

How exactly does Frazier pick out his looks? As he told Fallon, there’s one line that gets him the outfit he wants.

“When I go to a suit place, I just say ‘Show me something you think no one will wear.'”

With the Knicks set to host the Sixers in Game 2 on Wednesday night, keep an eye out for Frazier in the crowd.