logo
NBA East playoff preview capsules: Celtics-Magic, Knicks-Pistons, Pacers-Bucks

NBA East playoff preview capsules: Celtics-Magic, Knicks-Pistons, Pacers-Bucks

Yahoo17-04-2025

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero celebrates after making a shot and drawing a foul during the second half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) celebrates after scoring the winning basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts to a call during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
New York Knicks' Jalen Brunson reacts after sinking a three-point basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday, April 11, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla calls to his players during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, right, passes the ball as he is guarded by San Antonio Spurs forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, April 4, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, right, passes the ball as he is guarded by San Antonio Spurs forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, April 4, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero celebrates after making a shot and drawing a foul during the second half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) celebrates after scoring the winning basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts to a call during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
New York Knicks' Jalen Brunson reacts after sinking a three-point basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday, April 11, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla calls to his players during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, right, passes the ball as he is guarded by San Antonio Spurs forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, April 4, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
Capsules on the Eastern Conference first-round series:
No. 2 Boston Celtics (61-21) vs. No. 7 Orlando Magic (41-41)
Season series: Magic, 2-1.
Story line: For starters, there's the obvious clash of styles. The Celtics made more 3-pointers and attempted more 3-pointers this season than any team in NBA history. The Magic led the league in terms of fewest 3-pointers made and 3-pointers allowed this season. Do not expect a series filled with 120-115 shootouts; the Magic gave up the fewest points in the NBA, the Celtics gave up the second-fewest. The season series was odd; Orlando won a close game Dec. 23 and enjoyed a blowout win in the final week of the regular season when Boston was sitting everyone.
Advertisement
Key matchup: Jayson Tatum vs. Paolo Banchero. The former Duke forwards are good friends — that won't matter for the next week or two, Tatum insists — and it's easy to see some similarities in the way they play. If Banchero is making 3s, Orlando is much tougher to beat. Tatum, only 27, is ninth among active players in playoff scoring.
Prediction: Celtics in 6.
No. 3 New York Knicks (51-31) vs. No. 6 Detroit Pistons (44-38)
Season series: Pistons, 3-1.
Story line: The Pistons' reward for one of the best turnarounds from one season to the next in NBA history is a trip to Madison Square Garden to begin a their first playoff series since 2019. Detroit improved by 30 wins after going 14-68 in 2023-24. Now they have a chance to end the longest losing streak in postseason history, as the Pistons dropped 14 straight games since their last victory in the 2008 Eastern Conference finals. The Knicks, meanwhile, will reach the second round for the third straight season if they win this series.
Advertisement
Key matchup: Jalen Brunson vs. Cade Cunningham. The All-Star point guards are both masters at playing at their own pace. The difference is the Knicks boast the one who is a proven postseason performer, as last year Brunson became the first player since Michael Jordan to have four straight 40-point games in the postseason.
Prediction: Knicks in 6.
No. 4 Indiana Pacers (50-32) vs. No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks (48-34)
Season series: Bucks, 3-1.
Story line: A rematch of a first-round series from a year ago, when the Pacers knocked off a No. 3-seeded Bucks team that was hobbled to begin their run to the Eastern Conference finals. Indiana followed that up by winning 50 games for the first time since 2013-14, also the last time the Pacers opened a playoff series in Indianapolis. Still, the Bucks feel good about where they're at after winning their final eight games of the regular season and clearing Damian Lillard for full basketball activity and a potential return during this series, after he missed the last month with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf.
Advertisement
Key matchup: Pascal Siakam vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo. Siakam was Indiana's most effective player against Milwaukee during the regular season, averaging 24 points on 55% shooting. Antetokounmpo averaged 30 points, 12.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists against the Pacers, not far from his season averages of 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists, which all placed in the top 13 of the league.
Prediction: Bucks in 6.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Detroit Tigers prized rookie Jackson Jobe to have season-ending Tommy John surgery
Detroit Tigers prized rookie Jackson Jobe to have season-ending Tommy John surgery

Hamilton Spectator

time19 minutes ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

Detroit Tigers prized rookie Jackson Jobe to have season-ending Tommy John surgery

BALTIMORE (AP) — Detroit Tigers pitcher Jackson Jobe will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, the team announced Wednesday. The 22-year-old rookie went 4-1 with a 4.22 ERA in 10 starts after making Detroit's opening-day roster. He was placed on the 15-day injured with a Grade 1 right flexor strain following his May 28 outing. Selected third overall in the 2021 amateur draft, Jobe was the Tigers' third-ranked prospect in 2024, according to . The right-hander made two relief appearances for Detroit late last season, then two more in the American League playoffs. Detroit entered Wednesday with the best record in the majors at 44-24. ___ AP MLB:

Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp enjoying settling in with new team
Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp enjoying settling in with new team

San Francisco Chronicle​

time29 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp enjoying settling in with new team

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — When it comes to food recommendations in the Seattle area, new Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp is open to suggestions. Just not from fellow newcomer and quarterback Sam Darnold. The veteran quarterback invited Kupp to get dinner with him earlier this offseason, and some of the suggestions caught the 31-year-old wide receiver off guard when recalling the night after the first of two minicamp practices at Virginia Mason Athletic Center, which concluded Wednesday. 'The way he came off was he wanted to go get some fries and chicken strips,' Kupp said on Tuesday. 'Look, I have a 6-year-old. I can bring you his food. I can bring that, and I'll go eat something good. It ended up being fine. He ventured out and was, like, OK. He was at least willing to try some stuff. I may have misread him. We'll see. Time will tell.' Time will also tell how well Kupp fits in with a new franchise after spending each of the past eight seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and signing a three-year, $45 million contract with the Seahawks in March. In some ways it's a homecoming for Kupp, who grew up watching the Seahawks, is from Yakima, Washington and played at Eastern Washington. He still has plenty to acclimate to, though, after all that time with an NFC West rival. Kupp referred to joining a new team as 'exciting.' 'It's been a long time since I learned a new offense, a long time since I sat in a meeting and had to put a face on the board and what's this guy's name?' Kupp said. 'That's a stressful situation. That's a high-stress situation. It's good, though. I'm excited about what we're doing, and it is fun.' He's eager to work with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, whose system has some similarities to what is run by the Rams and their coach, Sean McVay, as well as San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and his scheme. Kubiak was the 49ers passing game coordinator in 2023 when Darnold was also with the team. 'There's going to be the nuances here and there, things like that, but a lot of similar stuff, a lot of similar ideas in how you're attacking a defense,'' Kupp said. 'I believe in this offense and what it takes to make it successful and the detail that's involved with it. … There's definitely some stuff that accentuates the things that I've done in the past.'' All Kupp has done in the past is produce — and more recently, struggle a bit to stay on the field. Each of the past three seasons, Kupp has failed to play in more than 12 games, which in part led the Rams to let the Super Bowl 56 MVP leave in free agency. Kupp said that he felt good physically, and he looked the part each day of minicamp when running routes. He faces quite the task in adding to a receiver room that is paced by third-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is fresh off his first 1,000-yard season. Veteran receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling is also on the team, and he spent half of last season playing under Kubiak when the latter was the New Orleans Saints' offensive coordinator. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has been impressed by both wideouts' approaches to learning Seattle's offense. 'They're attacking every day, man,' Macdonald said. 'Just trying to master the playbook, all the formations, all the route steps, all the timing. If you have that spirit about you every day, I mean, it's contagious, one, with the rest of the room, with the rest of the offense, the whole team. It makes it fun to go to work and enjoy the process. But, of course, that's going to expedite your growth when you have guys like that.' Still, Kupp recognizes he has much learning to do between now and when the Seahawks open their season on Sept. 7 against the 49ers. It's in part why he's already spent a bunch of time in Macdonald's office picking his brain. Kupp has enjoyed settling in with a new team and that the internal belief is what has resonated with him most. 'For any of this stuff to work, for all the goals and all the things we want to set out to achieve, it's the understanding that we're going to ultimately achieve it together,' Kupp said. 'It's going to be playing for each other. … Man, what can I do to be better for the guy next to me? This is a place that guys embody that, and they believe it. I think that makes it a fun place to come into, a fun place to come work.'

Khalil Mack 'couldn't give up on that dream' of winning with the Chargers
Khalil Mack 'couldn't give up on that dream' of winning with the Chargers

San Francisco Chronicle​

time35 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Khalil Mack 'couldn't give up on that dream' of winning with the Chargers

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Khalil Mack mulled retirement early in the offseason. It didn't take long for him to decide to return to the Los Angeles Chargers. He agreed on a contract extension in March, never becoming an unrestricted free agent. 'Got tremendous leadership here, very familiar with guys already here,' he said Wednesday at minicamp. 'It was a no-brainer.' Mack, who turned 34 in February, is in his 12th season in the league and fourth with the Chargers. Despite nine Pro Bowl selections and a Defensive Player of the Year honor, he has never won a playoff game in five appearances. 'You're chasing that feeling of wanting to win,' Mack said. 'I couldn't give up on that dream and that goal for myself and the franchise.' Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said having Mack return 'means everything.' 'Khalil is one of the best ever to do it,' he said. Mack was at the Chargers facility to train in February and March, setting a tone for his teammates. 'The impact that he had on other people to train at his level is pretty incredible,' Minter said. 'For young guys to have him around, it just makes everybody better.' Around the same time Mack re-signed, the Chargers released defensive end Joey Bosa. He later signed with the Buffalo Bills. 'I texted him the other day saying it was weird not having him in the room breaking the silence with his little awkward jokes,' Mack said. Second-year cornerback Tarheeb Still influenced Mack's decision to stay. 'Just the mindset he has. His is the same approach and mindset when I train,' Mack said. 'I want to be a machine, move people easy.' Will this be Mack's final season? 'I'm trying not to speak too fast or too far in the future,' he said. 'My wife says, 'You keep saying you're going to retire. Why you keep doing that?'' ___

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store