Court Sense: Thunder on the brink

Boston Globe

4 hours ago

Ah, how good things looked for the Pacers.
Indiana was just minutes from taking a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals on its home floor, leading for much of the second half of Friday's Game 4. What could go wrong?
Well, scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter and
Friday's Game 4 looked like the Pacers' chance. Now, Indiana finds its back against the wall after dropping Game 5 Monday night. The Thunder, leading 3-2, can wrap up the series in six this week.
Indiana looks to be in deep trouble now, especially considering the struggles of star guard Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton, the driving force of this Pacers run (and the seemingly infinite late comebacks within it), limped through one of the worst performances of his career in Game 5 while battling a calf issue. He failed to hit a single shot from the field en route to a 4-point night on the biggest stage.
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It's hard to see the Pacers turning this one around, especially with Haliburton clearly compromised. That said, it's been hard to see much of this Indiana run ahead of time, so you never know.
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Jalen Williams was the star of Oklahoma City's Game 5 win.
Kyle Phillips/Associated Press
In other basketball news: trade value in the NBA has reached critical levels of nonsense.
The Magic (remember them?) swung a big trade with the Grizzlies on Sunday, looking to go all-in on a young, talented roster by dealing rotation players Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony, a first-round pick swap, and four (4!!) unprotected first-round picks for ... Desmond Bane.
Some of you might remember Bane as the Celtics' first-round pick in 2020 who was immediately flipped to Memphis for a couple second-rounders. You might know that Bane blossomed very nicely into a solid role player and has even grown beyond that, shouldering much of the scoring load for Memphis (a career-high 23.7 points per game last season) amid injuries and suspension for Grizzlies star Ja Morant.
Don't get me wrong: Desmond Bane is a really good player who any NBA team would love. He's a knockdown shooter, a capable defender, and a strong secondary playmaker. But is he a guy you give up multiple rotation pieces and four unprotected first-round picks for?
Teams seem to be valuing picks less and less in recent years, and maybe four unprotected first-rounders isn't quite what it seems. Those picks could end up well outside the lottery, with only one pick — the 2026 Suns selection as Phoenix potentially looks to blow things up — likely seeming destined for the top 10.
It does make you wonder, though, how that affects the potential trade market for the Celtics. What sort of price could
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Maybe Boston is low on leverage with the whole world knowing the Celtics need to dump salary. On the other hand, everyone's giving out picks like they're sub-prime mortgages in 2008. I guess we'll see.
Let's get into it.
ICYMI 🗞️
New York, NY - 5/12/25- Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) grabs his leg during the fourth quarter in game four of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinal against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)
Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Jayson Tatum may have a role model in his Achilles' recovery: Dominique Wilkins
By Gary Washburn
There may not be more of an optimal role model for Jayson Tatum and his recovery from an Achilles' tear than Dominique Wilkins.
On Jan. 28, 1992, Wilkins, in his prime for the Hawks, took a pass and landed awkwardly on his right leg, rupturing his Achilles'. Like Tatum's injury last month at Madison Square Garden, it was without contact. Wilkins was one of the game's great leapers but this time his body failed him.
The injury occurred just hours after Wilkins was named to his seventh All-Star Game, but he was unable to participate in that classic in Orlando, which was highlighted by the return of Magic Johnson. But Wilkins wouldn't be gone long. On Nov. 6, fewer than 10 months following the injury, he was back in the Hawks' opening night starting lineup and averaged 29.9 points during the 1992-93 season, finishing fifth in the MVP voting at age 33.
Other top stories we're watching ...
Celtics star Jaylen Brown underwent knee surgery last week, but is expected to be ready for training camp.
How did Bill Chisholm cobble together the cash to buy the Celtics? Well, it started with making a few new friends.
One of the big dominoes yet to fall this summer is Kevin Durant, who looks certain to leave Phoenix in a trade.
Trivia Tuesday 🧠
Each week, we'll be asking a piece of Celtics trivia to test your knowledge on the 18-time champions.
Congratulations to Chris Hill of Alexandria, Va., the first person to correctly answer last week's question. As a refresher, we asked you to name the former Celtic who is the only player in NBA history to win NBA Finals MVP and
not
later be elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame?
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The answer is
Cedric Maxwell
, who earned Finals MVP when the Celtics beat the Rockets to the title in 1981. Cornbread never got his Hall call, but four of his title-winning teammates did (Nate Archibald, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish.
Every other Finals MVP in NBA history has either already been inducted into the Hall of Fame or is currently active, with the exception of Andre Iguodala, who isn't eligible for selection until next year. Basketball Reference gives Iguodala a 12.7 percent chance to make the Hall, so Maxwell might have a little company in a few years.
Cedric Maxwell (right) was a key part of the Celtics' 1981 title team.
Frank O'Brien/Globe Staff
Here's this week's question: Which player scored the most total points for the Celtics during the 2010s?
(Between the dates of Jan. 1, 2010, to Dec. 31, 2019, not by season!)
Know the answer? Send us an email at
This story first appeared in Court Sense, a biweekly Celtics newsletter from Boston Globe Sports.
Amin Touri can be reached at