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Before Liberty star Breanna Stewart sat down for her obligatory media availability after Wednesday’s win against the Toronto Tempo, she checked the score of Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs.

Two nights later, Stewart was watching Game 2.

But since the Liberty were hosting the Indiana Fever on Saturday, she had to turn off the TV early to sleep and missed the thrilling end, which put the Knicks up 2-0 with the best-of-seven series resuming Monday at Madison Square Garden.

The WNBA season is in full swing, but the Liberty are keeping a close eye on the Knicks, as is the vast majority of people in the city.

How could they not be?

The buzz across the five boroughs has been palpable.

You can’t turn a city corner or step into a subway car without seeing someone sporting donning orange-and-blue gear.

Even visitors are taking notice.

Fever star Caitlin Clark said she was tempted to join the mass celebration outside Madison Square Garden on Friday night.

“I always want to see those people that … they’re jumping around on each other and climbing light poles,” Clark said. “I feel like that would be an experience. I don’t know if my security guy would let me do that, but I want to experience that because those Knicks fans are so passionate and crazy. I admire it. It’s pretty awesome.”

The Knicks fever spread around Brooklyn and infiltrated the Barclays Center, too.

Sure, the Liberty are far more connected with the Brooklyn Nets because of their joint ownership by Joe and Clara Wu Tsai.

But members of the Liberty feel a sense of connection to the Knicks run to their first Finals since 1999.

They’ve relished the communal excitement, too.

“It’s been amazing,” Sabrina Ionescu said. “You’re able to understand when you’re driving on the street or walking on the street, like, everyone’s in Knicks gear, everyone’s dialed into the game, the streets are packed. Everyone’s cheering, watching the game, and I think it’s a testament to the basketball culture here in New York City, but also how you know everyone’s a fan and so if you’re not, you kind of become one because of the feeling and the buzz in the city, so I’m really excited, the series is going to be really good.”

The Knicks are vying for their first championship since 1973.

The Liberty broke the city’s professional basketball title drought when they won it all in 2024.

So no one understands the pressure and feelings the Knicks are going through better than the Liberty.

“We’ve been able to bring a championship to a city that loves the game of basketball,” Jonquel Jones said. “And obviously, now, seeing the Knicks do it, and see the way that everybody’s supporting them is a great thing and I just want the city to continue to be successful because it’s a special type of energy when New York basketball teams are winning, and New York teams are winning and you can’t really explain it, you just have to experience it.”

The Liberty have a lot of connections to this Finals series.

Ionescu and Jalen Brunson — the faces of New York basketball — are close friends.

Liberty coach Chris DeMarco worked with current Knicks coach Mike Brown on Steve Kerr’s staff with the Golden State Warriors.

Marine Fauthoux played with Victor Wembanyama’s older sister, Ève, and knows his family well.

She said she also has a friend on the Spurs coaching staff.

Marine Johannès shares an agent with Wembanyama and crossed paths with him when the two represented France at the 2024 Paris Games.

The bummer is that the Liberty wrapped up their seven-game homestand Saturday.

They’re heading out for a two-game road trip, starting Monday in Connecticut, meaning they’ll be gone for Games 3 and 4 this week.

“Knicks in four!” Stewart said. “It’s crazy because we go on the road now … We don’t get to go to any games.”

Clark said she’s indifferent about who wins, but selfishly, she hopes the series goes to seven games.

“It’s been a great series — even the Spurs beating the Thunder, I think that was incredible, too,” she said. “So I’m a fan of basketballI think even watching, you can learn so much. So I try to absorb as much as I can.”

The Draft is two weeks and two days away. Free agency is three weeks away. And all we have is speculation – a lot of it – which is exactly how Sean Marks & co. want it. The number and range of possibilities is near infinite, at least by NBA standards: Stay at Nos. 6, 33 and 43, move up, move down, add a pick. When you have as many draft assets as the Nets do — the most picks (32), most first round picks (13), most tradeable first round picks (nine), most first round swaps (two) and most second round picks (19) plus $34 million in cap space, there’s plenty of ways to move. You’ve heard it all before but it remains true.

One bet we’d make, based purely on history, is that it is highly unlikely that the Nets will come away from the draft with picks taken at Nos. 6, 13 and 43. We at NetsDaily learned that lesson back in 2019 when the Nets had two first rounders at Nos. 17 and 27 plus a pick at the top of the second in No. 31. We wrote endlessly about the top prospects at those first round slots, only to see Marks trade both picks to add the cap space needed to sign Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan. Then, they took Nic Claxton at No. 31. One surprise after another.

Here’s another bet: Whoever they take in the Draft will not be close to a finished product, even in the most basic sense. Nate Ament told Marc J. Spears in May that he’s been told he could grow another two inches from his current 6’9.5” in socks. He also has “projectable frame,” meaning he can fill out, tweeted Jonathan Givony. They’ll all likely be 19 or 20 years old and be in need of a lot of work in the weight room, on the practice court, etc. No team in the Nets situation drafts for the next season.

Moreover, the roster will change …. a lot. We can only speculate on who they plan to target and how. Will Marks try to lure a veteran like Austin Reaves? C.J. McCullum? Donatas Sabonis? Or maybe toss an offer sheet at Peyton Watson and see how much the Nuggets are willing to spend to keep him? Or how about Tari Eason of the Rockets? He’s also restricted. Ayo Dosunmu of the Timberwolves? He’s unrestricted. Will he put together a big trade offer? We have no idea … none … really. (A side note: is it possible the wheels are already in motion on such moves? Sure. The Nets shocking blockbuster trade for Joe Johnson in 2012 was a done deal well before the NBA Draft. It was just announced afterwards.)

Also, not all the young players the Nets suited up at the end of last season will return. Already, we know that E.J. Liddell won’t. He signed this weekend with Aris Basketball in Thessaloniki in the Greek League…

Liddell, 25, played 26 games for Brooklyn last season, averaging 5.7 points and 2.7 rebounds. He also played 22 games for Long Island before his contract was converted from a two-way to a standing deal, putting up 18.0 points and 8.4 rebounds. Tyson Etienne’s future seems uncertain. Chaney Johnson will get another chance.

Three players have team options that come up in the days after the Draft: Day’Ron Sharpe and Zaire Williams at $6.3 million each and Josh Minott at $2.6 million.

The bottom line that often seems lost on Nets fans is that last season’s team was built to lose and little can be drawn from that experience when looking forward. A big part of the rationale in taking a record five first rounders, playing eight rookies — the Flatbush 5 plus Chaney Johnson, Grant Nelson, Malachi Smith — a record 6,400 minutes and building the youngest NBA roster in 20 years was to pre-tank the season. The goal was to get top three odds in the Lottery so they had a 51% chance at a top four pick. They did but they lost in the Lottery. Unfortunate.

Still in the Salary Dump game?

We all know, because dozens of fans and pundits remind us daily, that the Nets have no incentive to tank next season since they may have to swap first rounders with the Houston Rockets. (We say “may” rather than “will” because you new never know about the NBA, but yeah it’s likely.)

So no need to tank again, but what about salary dumps which were also part of the Nets strategy last year? At the end of 2024-25, the Nets had $60 million in salary cap space — easily the most in the NBA — and used virtually all of it between April and February. They didn’t even get to the salary cap floor until the trade deadline. This year, they have around $34 million per Bobby Marks which is likely to be third in the NBA. As noted above, they could use it in a lot of ways to help with free agency, the Draft, etc. … and salary dumps, that is, taking on bad salaries (or salaries seen as bad by other teams) in return for future assets whether picks or young players. There are still a number of teams that will need to shed salary to avoid luxury tax payments or the limitations posed by being over aprons 1 and 2. So there may very well be opportunities.

So we looked at last season’s dumps to help us figure out what and how they might move now. There were eight in all and they were varied. We graded each one.

—June 24: Sent $1.1 million in cash considerations to Celtics to facilitate a three-team deal involving Brooklyn, Boston and Atlanta, receiving Terance Mann ($47 million over 3 years) and draft rights to the Hawks #22 pick in 2025 Draft which became Drake Powell. Took on roughly $19 million in space, the combined salaries of Mann and Powell, their biggest dump overall. (B+. The only reason it isn’t an A is that Powell needs time to develop.)

—June 25: Nets traded #36 pick from the 2024 Mikal Bridges trade in what became a seven-team deal. Nets got future second pick in 2026 (least favorable of Clippers or most favorable of the Celtics, Pacers and Heat) which became the No. 43 pick in this year’s draft plus Celtics pick in 2030. No increase in cap space in this one, just assets. (B. Not needing a second when you have five firsts, they moved one pick forward and got another.)

—June 28: – Traded Cam Johnson to Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr. and Denver’s unprotected first rounder in 2032. Took on #17 million in space. (A+. CBS Sports rated this deal the fourth best move of the 2025 off-season.)

—August 15: Traded a Nets’ heavily protected second rounder in 2026 to Heat for Haywood Highsmith and Miami’s second round pick in 2032. Took on $5.6 million in space. Highsmith didn’t play a minute for Brooklyn due to injury and was later waived to open roster spot. (D. They still got a pick.)

—September 15: Sent $110,000 in cash considerations to Hawks for Kobe Bufkin. Took on $1.6 million in space. Later waived. (D. They took a chance and it didn’t work. It’s a luxury you have.)

—February 5: Sent $110,000 in cash considerations to Celtics for Josh Minott. Took on $2.5 million in space (B+. He’s looked good and is only 23.)

—February 5: Traded the less favorable of 2026 Clippers and Hawks second-round pick to Denver in return for Hunter Tyson and a Nuggets second in 2032. Tyson waived immediately. Took at $2 million in space. (C. They simplified their draft picks. No big whoop.)

—February 5: Traded draft rights to Serbian PG Vanja Marinkovic to Raptors in three-team deal that also included the Clippers, receiving Ochai Agbaji, Toronto’s second rounder in 2032 and $3.5 million in cash considerations. Took on roughly $3 million in space. (B. If he makes the team, the grade may go higher.)

Bottom line: The Nets used the dumps as much to take on risks as much as to secure picks. The CamJ-for-MPJ deal was both and overall the best. They wound up taking on five other players — Mann. Highsmith, Bufkin, Minott and Agbaji (as well as Tyson who they immediately dumped) while picking two unprotected firsts — the Hawks 2025 first rounder and the Nuggets 2032 first rounder; and a net of three seconds, coming away with the Heat’s in 2032, the Clippers in 2026, the Celtics in 2030 and the Nuggets in 2032. (They gave up one to get two in the trade of the second from the Bridges trade.)

So, since they seem to have more picks than they would need, don’t be surprised if they take another risk or two on young players.

Joe Tsai, Hall of Famer

Pro Lacrosse Hall of Famer, that is.

Three days ago, the Professional Lacrosse Hall of Fame announced its 2026 class and Joe Tsai, who is basically the godfather of professional lacrosse in the U.S., was among those honored as the hall’s first “contributor.” Said the hall in a release:

Joe Tsai loves this game the way the rest of us do, and he’s used everything he has to push it forward,” said Paul Rabil, co-founder and President of the PLL and member of the Professional Lacrosse Hall of Fame. “He’s grown lacrosse at every level, from the grassroots to the Olympics, and he’s done it because he believes in what this sport can be. There’s no one more deserving. We’re proud to welcome Joe into the Professional Lacrosse Hall of Fame.”

The 2026 Hall of Fame class reflects the full range of what it takes to build a sport – elite players who set records that may never be broken, and a contributor whose investment made professional lacrosse’s growth possible at scale,” said Mike Rabil, Co-Founder and CEO of the Premier Lacrosse League. “Brodie, Greg, and Drew each defined their positions for a generation. Joe Tsai’s commitment to this game has shaped the PLL and the sport in ways fans and players will continue to benefit from for decades. We’re honored to welcome all four into the Professional Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

Tsai began his lacrosse career at New Jersey’s Lawrenceville School as a 13-year, continuing his love of the game at Yale where he played four years and recently financed a $40 million training center for the school’s team. He currently is the principal owner of two teams in San Diego and Las Vegas (it’s permitted) in the indoor league, the National Lacrosse League, and is a principal financier of the outdoor league, the Premier Lacrosse League.

He will be inducted along with players and coaches during the PLL’s Hall of Fame weekend in Hempstead, Long Island, June 19-20. He’ll no doubt be on hand since the NBA Draft is three days later in Brooklyn.

Congratulations.

Draft Sleeper of the Week

We try to keep track of who’s been in to HSS Training Center for workouts. It’s one of the Nets “state secrets.” There was a time under Rod Thorn and Billy King that not only would the team disclose who had worked out at the Meadowlands then HSS. They would have the chief scout provide reporters with player assessments!

Here’s our best guess at who’s been in.

• Keba Keita, the 6’9” BYU center who played with both Dybantsa and Egor Demin;
• Cruz Davis, Hofstra’s high scoring 6’3” lead guard. Could he fit with nearly Long Island Nets;
• Malik Dia, a 6’9” 3-and-D type who played at Vanderbilt, Belmont, then his final two years at Ole Miss;
• Grant Newell, another 6’9” forward who played at California, North Texas and most recently Western Kentucky;
• Jevon Porter, a 6’11’ center for Missouri who at 22, is MPJ’s younger brother.
• Xaivian Lee, a 6’4” lead guard who finished his career at Florida after three solid years at Princeton. A Korean-Canadian.
• Brenen Lorient, a 6’9” wing who shot 38.9% from deep for his career at West Virginia and before that at Florida Atlantic and North Texas.
• Fletcher Loyer, 6’5” 3-point specialist for Purdue who is the brother of Nets head video coordinator Foster Loyer and son of New Jersey Nets assistant John Loyer.
• Tramon Mark, a 6’6” shooting guard who led the Texas Longhorns in scoring.
• Collin Parker, Austin Peay’s 40.4% 3-point wing who at 6’8” is one of several tall sharpshooters who’ve been in.
• Nick Pringle, a 6’10” bruiser who played with Darius Acuff at Houston.
• Jaden Henley, Grand Canyon’s 6’7” wing, a 3-point specialist.
• Isaac McKeenly, Mikel Brown’s 6’4” backcourt running mate at Louisville and another 3-point specialist;
• Kobe Knox, a 6’5” wing at South Carolina named for Kobe Bryant;
• Corey Stephenson a 6’6” shooting guard who played last season FIU after two years at UCSB;.
• Dain Dainja, a 6’9” forward who averaged 14 points and six rebounds for the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce last season.

And, oh yeah, Darius Acuff, the 6’2” — in socks — lead guard from Arkansas who was in Wednesday, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. Acuff is the first of the leading candidates for the sixth pick who we know has worked out. It’s fair to say he and Mikel Brown Jr. are the fan favorites at this point. (We could have profiled Nate Ament, but Lucas Kaplan has covered that waterfront quite extensively.)

Acuff is the most offensively gifted of the four lead guards draftniks have linked to the Nets. Take a look at his highlights from the NCAA tournament where he cemented his reputation as a top prospects at the 1 or 2:

As Wilko Martinez-Cachero of Floors and Ceilings wrote, he can do it all …. on offense:

Darius Acuff Jr. has a high offensive floor with the ultimate potential to serve as his team’s primary offensive engine. That’s why he is around the top 15-20 range of my board, with the chance to climb into the back end of the lottery depending on how draft declarations shape up.

Acuff can score at all three levels to an extent, handle a heavy playmaking load without turning the ball over much, and he has proven that he can play both on- and off-ball this year.

The Arkansas freshman thrives on getting downhill and is always putting pressure on defenses. He’s comfortable getting to his spots in the midrange and getting to his pull-up on balance. Plus, Acuff’s three-pointer – especially his catch-and-shoot – has been a pleasant surprise, which makes me think he can be more of a combo guard and less of a ball-dominant guard in the NBA.

In 36 games, he averaged 23.5 points and 6.4 assists while shooting 48/44/81. He also showed that quick decision-making the Nets love and has the confidence teams love in a lead guard. Asked by Brian Lewis at the NBA Combine how he saw his future, Acuff put humility to the side: “Definitely a superstar point guard for sure.” Some have even compared him to Allen Iverson!

However… and it’s a big however … he has not shown much inclination to play defense, like any defense, leading to some ugly assessments…

There has been some revisionist history of late about how the Razorbacks didn’t need him to play defense, that John Calipari wanted to make sure he was on the court as much as possible, not sitting in foul trouble. He did play 35.1 minutes a game for Coach Cal while racking up those gaudy numbers. Still, until proven otherwise, it has to be an issue … and the Nets recent draft history suggests they’re not enamored of small guards. The only guard or for that matter only player 6’3” or under who they’ve taken in the Marks era, in either round, was Cam Thomas. Gulp.

Then again, if you look across the river, there’s this lead guard with almost the same measurements as Acuff who has led his team to a 2-0 advantage in the NBA Finals. Indeed, Acuff told Draymond Green a couple of days ago that he’s been studying Jalen Brunson…

Word is that the Clippers who pick at No. 5 like Keaton Wagler and the Kings who pick at No. 7 covet Acuff.

A bit of Nets history to help you through Monday

The Knicks and Spurs will face off at Madison Square Garden Monday in what is almost certainly the most important game at the Garden in 53 years, since the Knickerbockers last won an NBA title. On hand will be the Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who says he will be sitting with some friends (not courtside) and the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, who will likely be sitting with James Dolan … attended by security personnel that will be numbered in the dozens if not hundreds, everyone from MSG security to the NYPD to the Secret Service.

The occasion has reignited interest in New York’s last men’s professional basketball team that won a championship. We mean the New York Nets who took the ABA title back in 1976 three years after the Knicks. (The last professional basketball team in New York to win a title, male or female, was your New York Liberty who won the WNBA championship at Barclays Center two years ago.)

Mike Vaccaro, the New York Post columnist, was at Nassau Coliseum as an 8-year-old that night when the Nets beat the Nuggets, 112-106, giving them the title in six games. He wrote Saturday about his youthful disappointment that the Nets wouldn’t play that year’s NBA champs, the Boston Celtics, in a tournament of champions. The Nets had publicly offered to play the Celts with all profits going to the U.S. Olympic Team but the NBA and Celtics declined, as another Post writer, Paul Forrester wrote earlier in the week.

Vaccaro spoke to a number of people familiar with the NBA and ABA at the time, including Bill Melchionni, the Nets point guard about who would have won the series that never happened. But beyond the opinions, Vaccaro engaged Jerry Milano and John Garcia of Strat-O-Matic, who he called “the market leader in sports simulation” to create mythical matchups between the NBA and ABA championships in both 1974 and 1976. The Celtics were the NBA champs in 1974 as well.

“In the ’73-’74 matchup, The Nets won Game 6 in Nassau Coliseum then went up to the Boston Garden and edged the Celtics, 111-110, in a decisive seventh game,” the results showed. “Julius Erving led all scorers with 37.3 points per game, including 38 and 14 rebounds in Game 7.” 

John Havlicek tried to close the Nets out in Game 6 with 47 points and 11 assists but couldn’t quite get it done. 

“The simulation from two years later had New York winning again, this time in six games,” the simulation showed. “Erving again paced scoring with 34.7 ppg.” 

In Game 6, played at the Coliseum in what would’ve been the last gasp of the ABA — and we assume since it was a Nets home game they would’ve used the red, white and blue rock — the Nets won 123-115. Dr. J had 35 and 10 to lead the Nets and Super John Williamson had 14 and 6; Jo Jo White led Boston with 34 and nine assists while Cowens had 10 points and 15 rebounds. 

Can they hang a make-believe banner at Barclays Center for that?

Probably not.

And what about the Nets and Knicks back then? Who would have won in those head-to-heads? Vaccaro didn’t requests simulations there. Both New York clubs were riding high back then. In 1974 through 1976, the Nets were the ABA’s best while the Knicks who had won in 1970 and 1973 but were beginning a slow slide. This was, of course, before the NBA-ABA merger in 1977 when the Nets needed to pay the Knicks an “entry fee” that forced owner Roy Boe to choose between his two teams, the Islanders and Nets. He chose the Isles and sold Julius Erving to the 76ers, paid the Knicks off and joined the NBA.

As we wrote back in 2012, when the Nets were nearing their move back to New York, the NBA and ABA did hold a series of preseason exhibition games starting in October 1972, prior to the Knicks last championship season of 1972-73 but before Dr. J’s arrival at Nassau Coliseum. In year one, the city guys beat the suburbanites twice, the first time in a blowout.

Then, things changed with Erving in red, white and blue. In pre-season exhibitions in 1973 and 1975, prior to the Nets last two ABA championship seasons, the Nets beat the Knicks all three times the two teams played. Was that the reason that the Knicks demanded a $4.8 million “entry fee” from the Nets on top of the $3.2 million the league required? Did they know the fee would strangle the Nets, require them to undertake a massive cost-cutting, which ultimately included the sale of Dr. J. to the 76ers? Ya think?

Here, thanks to Remember the ABA, are thumbnail descriptions of what went down in each of the five games:

October 5, 1972
Knicks 117 – Nets 88
at New Haven, CT
Leaders: John Roche 26 points; Jerry Lucas 25 points; DeBusschere 15 points
October 6, 1972
Knicks 100 – Nets 91
at Uniondale, NY
Leaders: DeBusschere 19 points; Frazier 19 points; Johnny. Baum 19 points; Billy Melchionni 18 points

October 2, 1973
Nets 97 – Knicks 87
at New York, NY (Madison Square Garden)
Attendance at MSG 17,226;
Leaders: Julius Erving 27 points (12 in 3rd quarter); Frazier 25 points
October 8, 1975
Nets 110 – Knicks 104
at Uniondale, NY
October 18, 1975
Nets 103 – Knicks 101
at New York, NY (Madison Square Garden)
Leaders: Erving 33 pts & jump shot at buzzer to win game; Frazier 22 points.

The Nets did get some revenge on the Knicks in 1996, as we also reported in 2012. Taking advantage of the Dolans need to get the Nets vote on a change of ownership, the New Jersey Nets traded their vote in the board of governors for the right to move anywhere in New York. No questions asked. Michael Rowe was president of the team back then and in 2012, he explained to us just how he outmaneuvered Dolan … and paved the way for the eventual move to Brooklyn.

In 1996, the New Jersey Nets had just turned down an offer to sell the team to the late John Mc Mullen, owner of the NJ Devils, and instead the Nets were turning their interests towards maximizing their opportunities for a possible sale/relocation.

At the same time, the lease to play in the Meadowlands was re-negotiated to give the team flexibility to move and concurrently, the arrangement with Sportschannel, [a Dolan-owned entity] who had local broadcast rights for New Jersey Nets games at the time, was re-negotiated to allow the Nets to end the agreement without the broadcaster having a right to ‘match’… something that would prove invaluable if/when the Nets sought other broadcast opportunities.

While all this was going on, an [NBA] ownership vote affecting the Knicks required that the Knicks receive the Nets’ approval and, keeping in line with our Ownership’s strategic plans, we sought to have the territorial restrictions that the Knicks had over the Nets totally eliminated. We were receiving strong interest from the NY Islanders ownership about relocating to Nassau [County on Long Island], but such a move would have surely been blocked by the Knicks under the old provisions.

I met with [MSG CEO] Dave Checketts at the Garden. We hashed through the issue and the League approved the revision. David Stern was very supportive of the change.

In essence, the clause was designed to aid a sale, or move to Nassau Coliseum, not Manhattan or Brooklyn ( although we did have some brief discussions with Garden about moving into their building…ala Staples Center teams –Clippers, Lakers and Kings). So, the NY/NY Rivalry almost happened back in that 1996 timeframe (actually, a few years later, we had a serious offer from Islanders to sell the team and move it to Nassau in 1998).

But the real ‘gem’ of the above accomplishments was that when our new ownership group [Raymond Chambers, Lewis Katz et al] purchased the Team in 1998 there was NO restrictions on where to move, NO restrictions on our cable rights and NO mandate for the Nets to remain in the Meadowlands. These conditions created a perfect storm to form the Yankee Nets Organization and the YES Network.

Yeah, it’s a lot of history, but it should be comforting in these difficult times.

Final Note

Apologies for the length — it’s our longest Off-Season Report ever, but there’s a lot of stuff going on!

With the NBA Finals underway, it’s time for all but two franchises to begin looking ahead to the draft and free agency. This year’s selection is critical for the Detroit Pistons, as they look to capitalize on moving up seven spots as part of a deadline deal that brought in Kevin Huerter. Coming off a 60-win season, it’s feasible for the franchise to see itself drafting in the late twenties each summer for the foreseeable future. Getting value this year is paramount.

Of course, this pick could very well end up being made by another team, with the potential for it to be used in a trade to help bolster Cade Cunningham’s supporting cast. Should they keep the pick, Detroit has been linked to a few prospects already, most of whom are guard/wings.

Iowa’s Bennett Stirz, Duke’s Isaiah Evans, or Baylor’s Cameron Carr have shown up in a lot of mocks selected by the Pistons since the combine. All of these players are intriguing prospects, but history suggests that it is unlikely that any of these players will come close to matching their college production in a Pistons uniform. Much of the discourse on Pistons Twitter or in the local media has seemed to frame someone like Stirz as a genuine solution for a second banana to Cunningham. The reality is that caliber of player is rarely found at this point in the draft. Finding a star is difficult in the lottery, and next to impossible outside of it. Rather than try to swing for the fences and find the next Tyrese Maxey, the Pistons would be wise to embrace a more prudent approach and target a player that they believe will have a long pro career. That could mean drafting someone projected as a rotation player or even a specialist.

Frankly, coming away with a solid contributor is the equivalent of striking gold outside of the lottery. The hit rate on players drafted outside of the lottery is abysmal. If the Pistons ascend the way the fanbase hopes, they will be picking in the mid to late 20s as long as Cunningham and the young core continue to progress. At that position, finding even a quality rotation player is a crapshoot at best. In taking advantage of the move up this summer, getting on base and adding a contributor for cheap is far more prudent than swinging for (and potentially whiffing) on a prospect with star potential.

Though he has been rising in mock drafts in recent weeks, Morez Johnson is a prospect I identified early who brings multiple tangible NBA skills, and could be available outside of the lottery. The Michigan product has a high floor and multiple traits that translate to winning basketball. Furthermore, he has a fairly high ceiling that could allow him to outperform his draft spot. If Detroit could get him at 21, it would be a job well done by Trajan Langdon and the front office. Let me explain why.

A Closer Look: Morez Johnson

There is much to like about Johnson for Detroit, or any team for that matter. He comes in as one of the most versatile defensive prospects in this draft class. Throw on tape from just about any Michigan game this season, and you will see a 6-foot-9, 250-pound Johnson picking up the team’s opposing point guard full court. No, that was not a typo.

He frequently was at the top of the team’s full-court press, and it was not uncommon to see him poking the ball away from opposing guards in space. You can’t find centers capable of moving like that, especially with a bigger frame like Johnson. Having a big that can move their feet in space the way that he can is especially valuable as it allows you to switch one through five and have more options and versatility in the team’s defensive scheme.

Additionally, Johnson is a flat-out machine on the glass. In limited minutes as a freshman at Illinois, Johnson’s offensive rebounding rate ranked fourth in the nation. At Michigan, his rebounding rate dipped a bit, but it can reasonably be attributed to the team he was on, starting 3 players who were 6-foot-9 or above. Johnson possesses plus strength for his age, good hands, and a 39-inch vertical to go along with a high motor. Those traits project the Illinois native as an instant impact player on the boards.

Offensively, the sophomore showed flashes of a greater role than he consistently played in college. Johnson is already an elite play finisher, and graded out statistically as one of the better roll men in the country in the pick and roll. Johnson is nimble for his size, and was able to maneuver through an often crowded paint while staying under control. He showed good hands and the ability to catch the ball in traffic and bring the ball down without losing it. He even began to show more flashes as a passer out of the short roll as the season went on, which may benefit further from NBA spacing. What is most intriguing, however, is Johnson’s potential as a shooter. He already has great form, and shoots nearly eighty percent from the free throw line. As the season went on Michigan gave him more leeway to shoot jump shots, and shot a solid thirty four percent from downtown. With proper development, it is not inconceivable to envision Johnson becoming a stretch four or five down the road.

Why This Makes Sense For Detroit

While the Pistons already have a glut of centers on the roster, this could give the team roster flexibility both now and down the road. The team could play Johnson some at the 4 now if he continues to expand his range from three-point land. Due to his defensive versatility, he could likely play alongside Isaiah Stewart or even Jalen Duren in certain lineups. Side note, just imagine Johnson, Ausar Thompson, and Stewart on the floor together defensively.

He could also provide insurance for Beef Stew. While Stewart has arguably been the best non-Wemby paint defender in the league the past couple of seasons, he has not exactly been a model of durability early in his career, and has faced multiple suspensions. In his six-year career, Stewart has played more than sixty-five games only three times. While he has been vital to the team’s culture and defensive identity, there could be a case to be made to sell high on the injury and suspension-prone big man while he is young and still on a team-friendly extension.

Johnson’s presence could make him more expendable, as their skillsets mirror each other in many ways. This could allow Detroit to use Stewart as a sweetener in any trades it might make this summer or next season. Almost all mock trades to this point have had the Pistons sending out either Stewart or Ron Holland as part of a potential return. Wing production is so hard to find, and it is still unclear what Holland’s ceiling will be. If Langdon and company wanted to give the young wing another year to develop and grow on a rookie deal, they could potentially get away with keeping him on the roster while making a splash trade with Stewart as a primary piece of the package. Lastly, if the team decided it did not want to pay Jalen Duren and wanted to use him in a sign and trade, Johnson could help maintain the team’s center depth in the short term.

Johnson likely won’t make many All-Star teams in his career, and may not be the flashiest pick. But he projects as a winning contributor who could help give the Pistons optionality with their roster that they don’t have today.

What do you think of Morez Johnson’s fit in Detroit, and who else would you like to see the team target at twenty one?

Mikal Bridges has been in this exact same position before — five years ago.

His Suns thought they were on their way to a championship, leading the Bucks 2-0 in the NBA Finals.

Then, everything went wrong. They didn’t win again.

“It’s always going to stick with you,” the two-way wing recalled Sunday, on the eve of the first Finals games at the Garden in 27 years.

The only difference is that the Knicks are up 2-0 going home, one of three road teams to ever take the first two games of the Finals, along with the 1993 Bulls and 1995 Rockets. But Bridges knows this series isn’t over. He’s seen how quickly things can change.

In 2023, he joined current (and former) teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart on their podcast, “The Roommates Show,” and shared his memories.

“We over here like, man, it’s light. It’s the East. … They ran up four straight, I just couldn’t believe it,” Bridges said.

Bridges is having a terrific postseason, averaging 14.6 points, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals and an even 38 percent shooting from 3-point range.

In Game 2, he came up big, finishing with 20 points, six assists and six rebounds.

He has spoken to his teammates about his own Finals experience, about not letting their foot off the gas.

“Same situation, up 2-0, and I’ve got to be able to talk to these guys and just keep [them] levelheaded and just keep playing desperate,” he said after Friday night’s win over the Spurs.

On Sunday, he added: “[My teammates] all know, too, and they all understand as well, knowing the series is far from over. Got to keep playing desperate and be the more desperate team.”

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this run is that the Knicks have not gotten overconfident.

They have set a franchise record with 13 consecutive playoff wins, playing desperately despite being ahead.

A common refrain after these victories are different Knicks saying they have to treat the next game like the series just started, whether it is Game 1 of a series or they’re up 3-0. That mindset has taken them pretty far.

“Personally, I think we really don’t care too much about the winning streak or anything like that because all that’s in the past,” Bridges said. “I think we do a great job as a team of always knowing that it’s 0-0 after every win, staying locked in on the next game.”

The Spurs find themselves 0-2 in the Finals, and the way they got there isn’t surprising. The Knicks have been a horrific matchup for a while in no small part because San Antonio lacks size at the forward spots, an issue that has been apparent for a while but has only recently become troublesome. And Johnson was expected to be part of the solution.

Keldon won 6MoY because he impacted the offense significantly and did the little things. He’s been the big forward the Spurs have been able to count on, but his struggles in the playoffs have been real and have limited his impact against the Knicks. As of this writing, FanDuel had the odds of Johnson having at least 8.5 combined points and rebounds in Game 3 at -102 and the odds of him not getting there at -130, underscoring how little is now expected of a player who averaged 13.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in the regular season.

It’s not Keldon’s fault that the team needs him so badly

The Spurs came into the season knowing that the big forward spot was a weakness. Jeremy Sochan, once considered the long-term answer at the position, had lost Mitch Johnson’s trust late last season and as his shot never improved, he faded out of the rotation before being waived at the deadline. Harrison Barnes was doing well as a placeholder in the starting lineup, mostly by not making mistakes and hitting shots, but his jumper abandoned him and opponents were playing off him to help on Wembanyama. The patchwork solution was to start Julian Champagnie, a natural small forward, at the power forward spot. It worked, as Champagnie offered strong rebounding, more switchability, and more dangerous shooting, helping San Antonio find its best shape.

What happened in the starting lineup had some effects on Johnson’s play, but he was entrenched as the sixth man and his duties didn’t really change. What he brought to the table in terms of size and physicality, however, became more important simply because the Spurs got smaller. Against a lot of teams, it wasn’t as big of an issue, and Mitch Johnson filled out the minutes at power forward with Barnes, Keldon, and even rookie Carter Bryant at times, giving the team bodies to sop up minutes. Still, the concern remained: the Spurs didn’t have frontcourt size that they could rely on except for the Sixth Man of the Year.

Johnson has struggled all playoffs, but in past series, the Spurs could still survive

Johnson has been bad all playoffs, except for a few games. His minutes are down, his scoring efficiency fell off a cliff, as he can’t finish inside, and his rebounding is not the strength it once was. The Spurs have been fine even with his struggles, in part because Dylan Harper has had several standout performances off the bench, providing interior scoring and rebounding and being a credible outside shooting threat. Keldon’s lack of production was an issue, but it was not a killer for San Antonio, mostly because of matchups.

In past series, the Spurs faced teams that started paint-bound centers, which allowed Victor Wembanyama to have someone to guard close to the rim. Some trouble emerged when those teams went to their stretch bigs who could draw The Alien out, but San Antonio’s one-man zone helped alleviate those issues, with the drawback being occasionally poor defensive rebounding. That’s where Johnson, who is not particularly tall but is strong enough to guard big forwards and has boundless energy on the boards, would come in handy. Still, the Spurs made do until now.

The Spurs desperately need a viable big forward to match up better against the Knicks

The unique problem the Knicks present has a name: Karl-Anthony Towns. If Wembanyama guards the sharpshooting Towns, he’s away from the paint, where he’s not looked comfortable defending this series. Needless to say, that’s been a problem for San Antonio, since the best rim protector arguably in league history is largely neutralized. Other teams (and the Spurs in other opportunities) have placed their center on Josh Hart and have had a big forward who can hang with Towns on drives, guarding the big man. The Silver and Black don’t have one of those. The closest is Johnson, but he’s been so ineffective at everything that he’s become an afterthought, logging 24 total minutes in two games.

Outside of lineup versatility, not being able to rely on Johnson affects the Spurs when they have Wembanyama switching on the perimeter. When that happens, they need a big body in the paint, keeping Towns and the Knicks from getting offensive rebounds. Johnson has not been able to do that in the opportunities he’s had, but he seems like the only viable option off the bench. Bryant is too light and mistake-prone. Barnes will box out diligently, but he lacks the youthful energy and athleticism Johnson has. Expecting Keldon to solve the Towns issue would be foolish, but the Spurs need him to be solid enough on offense to be playable and hope he can at least help with rebounding and physicality.

Johnson’s leadership and energy could also help in general

Even if Johnson doesn’t help solve the serious Towns-related issues, having another bench player who can have a positive impact could really help the Spurs. At his best, Keldon is a passable shooter who gets to the rim on straight-line drives on offense. San Antonio hasn’t had huge issues putting points on the board, but another threat after kickouts and someone who will run the floor could be useful, if for no other reason than to keep others fresh. Right now, only Dylan Harper can be counted on to show up for the second unit, and that’s clearly not ideal.

Beyond the sheer production, Johnson could also have an impact on the team’s mentality. He’s a locker room leader who has a penchant for making plays that get his teammates excited. Every time he drives at a defender’s chest, finishes through contact, and screams “and-one!” or gets an offensive board over several opponents provides a mini morale boost. As the Spurs try to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the Finals, something that only five teams have done in league history, they’ll need everything their longest tenured player on the roster can offer.

The Spurs got a true New York welcome outside their hotel Sunday. 

As the team was walking out to its bus, Knicks fans lined the street and jeered the Western Conference foes ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday. 

The Knicks and Spurs have had two days between games after the Knicks toppled San Antonio on the road in Games 1 and 2 to take a commanding 2-0 series lead as they try to win their first championship since 1973.

While they haven’t played since Friday, the excitement around the Knicks’ first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999 has not died down, and that was clear by the throngs of fans who waited outside the Spurs hotel. 

In the video posted to social media, the boos exploded as the Spurs stepped out of their Manhattan hotel and only picked up as San Antonio superstar Victor Wembanyama made his way to the team bus. 

One fan could be heard shouting, “keep the bus running” at the Spurs and then “get ready to go golfing, buddy!” toward Wembanyama as he emerged from the hotel.

Knicks fans have become as much of a story during the team’s run to the NBA Finals as the players themselves, as the raucous watch parties and celebrations outside Madison Square Garden have become an internet sensation. 

However, the festive nature around Madison Square Garden will be tempered due to the extra security that will be in place with President Donald Trump attending Game 3. 

Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the Secret Service, said in a statement that, “After careful coordination and assessment, the Secret Service and the NYPD jointly determined that outdoor watch parties could not be accommodated in the immediate vicinity of Madison Square Garden.”

An NYPD spokesperson said that they “expect watch parties at Madison Square Garden to resume for Game 4.”

Monday will mark the first time that the NBA Finals have been played at MSG since June 21, 1999, when the Knicks defeated the Spurs 89-81 in Game 3 to cut their series deficit to 2-1.