The NBA playoffs tip off this weekend. How could each first-round series go?
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My apologies for missing this, but yesterday was a big NBA anniversary. Not only was it the 18th anniversary of Clyde Drexler being eliminated from 'Dancing with the Stars,' but it was also the 18th anniversary of referee Joey Crawford being suspended for his infamous ejection of Tim Duncan due to laughing on the bench. How is this not a national holiday?
It's going down! (Playoffs!) I'm yelling, 'Timber!'
The 2025 playoffs begin Saturday, and we've got all of the previews, coverage and breakdowns you could ever want on The Athletic, including this detailed one from John Hollinger. I'll be bumping Pitbull and Ke$ha's 'Timber' remix from the 2014 NBA playoffs all weekend long as I take in the action. Here's my quick and dirty preview for each first-round series — we'll start with the West in this section.
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(1) Thunder versus (8) Grizzlies/Mavericks
Welcome to the Thunderdome. This might get ugly.
(2) Rockets versus (7) Warriors
The Rockets players changed, but the fan bases still hate each other all the same. It's the 20teens all over again!
(3) Lakers versus (6) Wolves
LeBron James has been the guy for pretty much as long as Anthony Edwards has been alive. Luka Dončić is here to take the torch. Edwards would like to burn it all down.
(4) Nuggets versus (5) Clippers
Denver has thrown itself into chaos at the last minute, and maybe for the first time in a long time … we should believe in the Clippers and this healthy Kawhi Leonard?
The No Dunks crew has you covered with previewing big-picture playoff questions!
Could Bucks star play in Game 2 vs. Indiana?
🦌 He's cleared. Damian Lillard appears to be nearing a return, but I have to ask: Is this a good idea?
💰 Big bets. Guess which team the sportsbooks will likely be rooting against in the playoffs. It's the Lakers.
🏀 Twin towers. The Thunder have bet big on playing big. Holmgren and Hartenstein are their answer.
👑 New leadership. The Kings have already replaced general manager Monte McNair. Scott Perry is back in the front office.
🎧 Tuning in. In today's NBA Daily, Fred Katz joins to discuss the effect Jokić has on his teammates.
🌞 Culture change. Suns owner vows to change team culture after embarrassing season. Who's gonna tell him?
Are there any potential first-round upsets?
(1) Cavaliers versus (8) Hawks/Heat
This should be like a sparring match with a great fighter, but maybe one of the partners might accidentally tag them a little too hard one time and pay for it. That's not the Hawks if they make it. More below on the Play-In.
(2) Celtics versus (7) Magic
This isn't quite like the days when Kevin Garnett punched Dwight Howard's forearm, but this will still be a fun, physical battle.
The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process.
The story of the greatest players in NBA history.
(3) Knicks versus (6) Pistons
The Pistons are playing free and easy at this point, which makes this a very dangerous series for the Knicks.
(4) Pacers versus (5) Bucks
All of a sudden, this Damian Lillard news (see above) throws a massive wrench into what we thought this series would be.
Victor Wembanyama in rarified air once again
Law Murray took over the Player Tiers project this year, and the Tier 1 players were unveiled today. It's hard to not raise an eyebrow and be impressed by the idea that Victor Wembanyama is already considered to be in this grouping. He made Law's grouping of 1D players, which is the low end of the Tier 1 guys, but still puts him in the top 10.
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Obviously, Wemby's season was unfortunately cut short, but it's interesting to try to figure out how to quantify his place in the current NBA. His size and skill set are still anomalies. He's still bending the minds of those going against him when he is on the court. I have difficulty figuring out his place in the NBA right now because he is so unique and can impact the game. This feels too soon for him and simultaneously right on time.
At the same time, he still doesn't really know what he's doing relative to even what his expertise level will be five years from now, when he'll be only 26. When he's back next season, we'll likely see Wembanyama in a position to really win and be a playoff competitor. Once he gains that knowledge, where does he ascend to? It's an exhilarating thought.
Heat, Hawks, Grizzlies, Mavs face elimination
This is what we play for! To avoid the shame of getting to the end of the Play-In Tournament, only to be eliminated at the last moment and not even get a chance at some of that sweet, sweet playoff revenue. Let's preview the battles for the final two playoff spots that'll take us into the first round this weekend.
Heat at Hawks, 7 p.m. ET on TNT
You could tell me both of these teams have never missed a Play-In Tournament, and I would buy it.
Mavericks at Grizzlies, 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN (or Fubo — try it for free)
Both of these teams willingly threw themselves into unnecessary chaos at bizarre times this season.
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San Francisco Chronicle
20 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Why Thunder vs. Pacers gives NBA a Finals matchup to embrace and enjoy
My thoughts as the NBA Finals play on? First, this is the series we needed to see. It's a look into the NBA's immediate future, one the Golden State Warriors will find difficult to negotiate, and Bay Area fans can only hope it prompts some major changes. The league's high-scoring hierarchy is moving on past Stephen Curry, in a manner dramatically exemplified by Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton, each a prime-of-life superstar with a ton of presence. Not that they'll ever be Curry, as a shooter or an influence, but they represent a dynamically youthful revolution in the backcourt, and the signs are just as ominous in the Finals frontcourt with the Thunder's Chet Holmgren and Indiana's Myles Turner, hardly an upstart but still shy of his 30th birthday. • What the Warriors are likely to encounter in trade talks: Jonathan Kuminga looms as a hidden gem, no guarantee to be a master of court vision but spectacular in the transition game. And that's it for high value outside the Big Three of Steph, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler. The rest of the rotation players are strictly average by NBA standards. They fit into the league, they have their moments, and once again Warriors have a knack at bringing in character people. But on the scale of talent and track record: nothing special. Even the endearing Brandin Podziemski would be viewed by contending teams as a high-energy reserve. • As a bonanza for small-market teams, these Finals are hardly welcomed by the TV networks, merchandise outlets, ticket-revenue proprietors or sponsors. But as a fan, that's not your problem. Absolutely, Curry's Warriors against the Knicks — Games 1 and 2 at Madison Square Garden — would be sensational theater. But in terms of big names and traditional settings, what are we really missing? Once you grew tired of the aging LeBron James and the ceaselessly complaining Luka Doncic, the Lakers were no fun at all. Minnesota's Anthony Edwards found himself stepping aside once again. Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo appear immersed in wanderlust. • Above all, share the Celtics' hurt over Jayson Tatum's Achilles tear, perhaps costing him all of next season. That was an absolutely brutal development, one we've shared locally with Klay Thompson. But the Celtics had been exposed as a lazy, tedious outfit long before Tatum went down. Running an offense that basically came down to five guys whipping passes around the perimeter — hey, one of these 3-point marksmen has to be open — they won a championship bearing no resemblance to the Celtics' finest traditions. This is the franchise that changed things: Bill Russell revolutionizing defense, Bob Cousy inventing the fancy fastbreak, Red Auerbach fielding the first all-Black starting five, John Havlicek setting the all-time standard for moving without the ball (like a blur, even if he was out there 48 minutes), and 3-point shooting rendered secondary by the 1985-86 frontcourt genius of Larry Bird, Bill Walton, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. The modern Celtics haven't changed a thing, unless it's your viewing habits. After their Game 1 loss to the Knicks in the second round, Boston Globe columnist Gary Washburn claimed they were 'guilty of obscene arrogance, truly believing it's impossible to lose with their relentless long-range style.' It only got worse in Game 2, when the Celtics didn't take 45 shots from 3-point range, they missed 45, and their fourth-quarter disgrace — heaving 19 of their 20 shots from distance — was 'one of the stupidest damn stats I ever heard,' Charles Barkley said on TNT. 'Nobody's that dumb.' • Nobody in the WNBA, that's for sure. What a haven for the fundamentals — and once you get past such obvious favorites as Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu, Paige Bueckers, A'ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray, you start discovering Natasha Cloud, Allisha Gray, Gabby Williams, Brittney Sykes, Leonie Fiebich, Sonia Citron — we could easily offer 20 more names. That's what I love about the women's game: You never know what's going to happen next. With the Celtics, easy answer: a 3-point shot. And then a thousand more. • It's not such a crime that the Warriors passed on Haliburton in the 2020 Draft, because eight other teams followed suit as the evening progressed. The disgrace falls on the Sacramento Kings, who once had Haliburton and De'Aaron Fox in their backcourt and let both of them depart. No, their numbers playing together weren't great, but with that kind of talent, show some patience. • First thought on the Knicks' head coaching search: Jay Wright, a pillar of wisdom at Villanova and a chance to reunite with Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart. Second thought: Becky Hammon. It's well past time for a woman to take an NBA head job, and the Las Vegas Aces' coach — who spent eight years as an assistant to Gregg Popovich in San Antonio — couldn't be more ready. Then again: Forget both names. I wouldn't wish incompetent bully James Dolan, the Knicks' owner, on either one of them. • When you know Boston is a great sports town: As Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy took note of Brunson missing what looked to be an easy layup at the worst possible time, 'It was a Frank Selvy moment that would have defeated a lot of teams.' That's it. No explanation. Just 63 short years ago. • Caitlin Clark is brash and defiant, a window into her greatness as she fends off intense defensive scrutiny and every other obstacle in life. But she has to lay off the refs before she becomes the WNBA's version of the whining, petulant Doncic. Some words of advice from one of her biggest fans and a legend in women's soccer: 'You don't want to become the girl, the team, the coach who cries wolf all the time,' Megan Rapinoe said on Sue Bird's 'A Touch More' podcast. 'It's just constant, and to what end? Sometimes you just have to play through it and earn a little bit more respect. If you're constantly asking for fouls all the time, it's just annoying and I feel you get less fouls.' • Final note: Congratulations to former Sporting Green writer Mark Fainaru-Wada, who recently returned from his alma mater, Northwestern, where he was inducted into the Hall of Achievement at the Medill School of Journalism, one of the most distinguished in the country. A Bay Area sportswriter all the way, from his days at the Marin Independent Journal and the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, he moved on to the San Francisco Examiner in 1997 and the Chronicle in 2000 before joining ESPN in 2007. Among his many achievements in investigative reporting: collaborating with the Chronicle's Lance Williams on 'Game of Shadows' (probing the BALCO steroids scandal) and with his brother, Steve, on 'League of Denial,' about the NFL's concussion issues.
New York Times
22 minutes ago
- New York Times
In 2025 FCS football, the Dakotas or everybody else? Plus CFB news
Until Saturday Newsletter 🏈 | This is The Athletic's college football newsletter. Sign up here to receive Until Saturday directly in your inbox. Today in college football news, 'Return of the Jedi' might be the funniest post-'Andor' rewatch of all. With everything that's been sacrificed and everything at stake, your plan is to … demonstrate some sick backflips in front of Jabba? Everyone here, except the warrior-hearted Ewoks, would drive Luthen berserk. Around this time each year, every college football outlet begins some sort of season preview series, and Until Saturday is no exception. There will be no consistent outline to these, and if I were to start handing out superlative categories, I'd forget to do them at some point. I do not have any Phil Steele-style acronyms yet, but maybe I'll invent some. We're just gonna wing it. Let's start it off by going a little broader than just FBS, even though there isn't exactly space to dig into each Division III conference's 2025 schedule. (Then again, this parenthetical is now the newsletter's third mention this year of Middlebury College.) Just to have it all in one place, here are the defending champs in these NCAA levels — and as you can see, repeats would not be shocking: Beyond the who's-gonna-win basics, though: Considering the amount of national attention usually paid to college sports outside of Division I's upper levels, it feels urgent to check in on the big-picture status of small schools in The NIL And Portal Era. So I asked a couple-ish questions to Matt Brown (no relation to The Athletic's Matt Brown, though they have hung out at Big Ten media days, per sources), the proprietor of Extra Points, an excellent newsletter digging into loads of off-field stories about college sports from the NAIA on up. (This includes Matt's extensive coverage of the video game.) Over the past five years or so, how has life generally changed for athletic directors in levels outside of FBS? Matt: 'Being a small-school AD has always been a tough gig, because smaller staff sizes require you to be more involved in everything from fundraising to hiring and coach development. In the NIL era, the job had become even harder — because now you have to pretend you have the donor support to justify a meaningful collective, and your players can leave faster. That isn't to say it's all bad, but a lot of folks aren't sleeping as well as they used to.' What about when it comes to football in particular? 'The thing that's tougher about football is that the roster is so much larger. If a third of your basketball roster transfers, that really sucks, but that's four people. In football, that's like 28 dudes, people who then have to be replaced during a very truncated recruiting cycle. That puts even more pressure on your coaches and donors, and makes sustaining success much harder. Winning the league is awesome, but if it means seven of your starters bounce for the ACC, it takes a toll on everybody.' If you had to take either The Dakotas or Everybody Else to win the FCS title this year: Who ya got? 'Few people have ever gone broke betting on the Dakotas to win a national title.' Hey, follow Matt on Bluesky here. Poll time! Same question for you: Dakotas or non-Dakotas for this season's FCS title? As for me and my house, once again we will ride with the pride of the beautiful Big Sky Conference, the Montana State Bobcats, who fell just short of the title in Frisco, Texas last year. They're No. 2 behind NDSU in the early FCS top 25s by Hero Sports and Flo Football, with 2023 champ South Dakota State and the rapidly emerging South Dakota right behind. (North Dakota unleaded is currently the local straggler.) Up next week: Conference USA and the MAC. 🎮 Who's gonna be the first College Football 26 team you try out? Fifteen recommendations here. (In Dynasty Mode, I'm eying either Pitbull Stadium's FIU or Missouri State, likely the weaker of the two FBS newcomers, as my fixer-upper. Delaware, you're too powerful to be considered.) ⏰ 'Three-fourths of the players taken in the draft over the last five years played for only one college program. That number, however, is decreasing.' Manny Navarro with lots of things 2020s NFL Drafts can teach us about modern college football. Advertisement 🐶 'We thought we were on the same page. What was that?' The Big Ten and SEC: currently the dogs that both caught the same car, by Ralph Russo. 💎 Texas Tech softball pitcher NiJaree Canady, a legit breakout star. Final game of the Women's College World Series against Texas is tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. 📰 Legal news: Remember a few months ago, when CFB social media erupted for a few hours with stories of UNLV allegedly being unable to actually pay new head coach Dan Mullen's contract? Not quite, per AD Erick Harper in our new story on the Rebels: 'Harper responded (to a question) that the school had the funds to pay the first two years of Mullen's contract, then watched national reports fixate on that answer as an implication that the school had promised Mullen more than it could afford to pay over the final three years. 'Harper shoulders the blame for not being more direct in his explanation, saying he has 'zero fear' the athletic department will have trouble fulfilling any coaching contracts on the books. '… 'What was missed is the fact I said, 'and we also generate ticket sales, donor contributions, multimedia rights partners with Learfield, all those self-generated revenues that pay for salaries.'' UNLV, long considered college football's biggest sleeping giant outside the power conferences, has been in a lot of news over the last year. Plenty more in that story, along with all the details about the Rebels' geography that make you wonder all over again: Why has this football program so rarely succeeded? Thank you for reading, as always, and hit me up at untilsaturday@ 📫 Love Until Saturday? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
Forbes
27 minutes ago
- Forbes
NBA Finals 2025: The Indiana Pacers Are Comfortable In Chaos
Any time there's a miraculous comeback or NBA playoff moment that leaves a national audience stunned, it's never just one play. It's never just one guy, and never just one bucket that matters. The Indiana Pacers, arguably more than any team this century, have proven that it takes an army to pull off the unthinkable. Above all else, that's what makes Indy special – Tyrese Haliburton may wear the cape on most nights. But when the game tightens, Indiana becomes the Avengers – everybody's got a superpower, and nobody is afraid to save the day. Digging deep as a collective unit is the only way a team overcomes the sloppiest offensive game of their season. Indy committed a turnover on 24.8% of their possessions, the team's highest rate of the entire season (99 games). It was the biggest reason they found themselves trailing by 15 in the fourth quarter. From there, the Pacers demonstrated why they thrive in these environments – playing from behind, in a building so loud they can't hear coaches on the sideline or their own teammates on the floor. The Thunder led Game 1 for 47 minutes and 59 seconds. To be more precise, Indy's first lead came with 0.3 seconds remaining. It was another instance of the Pacers being thieves in the night, leaving a road audience aghast: The anatomy of such a robbery is never as simple as Haliburton drilling a game-winner, which he did once again, for the third time this postseason. Almost everything had to go right for the Pacers to have a chance in that moment. That shouldn't get lost in the mix. What I'm coining as the 'Indiana Second' doesn't come to fruition without everyone on the floor stacking positive plays down the stretch, staying calm and collected the entire time. It doesn't happen without Myles Turner delivering three jumpers midway through the fourth quarter to keep Indy within striking distance. It doesn't happen without Aaron Nesmith hitting a corner three with 2:38 left, on a possession that was seemingly dead. And it doesn't happen without Andrew Nembhard relieving Haliburton of the ball-handling and shot creation duties – even for just a couple possessions. Nembhard sizing up the league MVP and creating just a sliver of space for this step-back triple is what fueled the belief. With OKC's defensive pressure taking Haliburton out of certain actions, Indy had make something out of nothing. But that's why the Pacers are playing June basketball in the first place. Every player in their rotation is comfortable making something out of nothing. And thriving in chaos: It was the perfect example of why postseason basketball is so glorious. Late in a game, you can essentially scrap all of the fancy play designs or X's and O's. Moments like Thursday are often decided in isolation, or old fashioned one-on-one scenarios. In many ways, it was the Pacers learning from their rough lessons in the first half – sometimes it's better to get off a clean shot instead of driving into traffic and risking a turnover. Road playoff wins also require flawless help defense and execution down the stretch, especially against an historically great team that entered the Finals 80-18. There is no margin for error. Every five-man unit must be on a string, communicating switches and reading when to rotate on time. Pascal Siakam's critical stop at the rim, with only 1:07 left, illustrated how much trust this group has in each other. With Gilgeous-Alexander trying to hunt Haliburton on a switch, the MVP gained a slight advantage and found a pathway to the rim. He was funneled directly into Siakam, who protected his yard with ferocity: The comeback victory also doesn't happen without Siakam's opportunistic mindset on this possession below. Capitalizing on the slight moment Gilgeous-Alexander turns his head, Siakam crashes the glass after realizing Nembhard didn't have the greatest shot selection. Having played in nearly 100 playoff games and surviving a long championship run with Toronto, Siakam is aware of the moment. He was fully aware OKC didn't have a center on the floor. And he knew how to exploit that weakness: Eight times out of 10, the Thunder grab that rebound, set up their offense while burning the clock, and put the opponent away. But not this opponent. Not in the year 2025. Equally as important was Nembhard's textbook defensive stop on Gilgeous-Alexander with 12 seconds left. As the Thunder were gearing up for the killshot, Nembhard stayed in front, got physical, and showed his hands. He wasn't allowing SGA to get any closer. He forced SGA to pull-up from 10 feet, which was still a terrific look for the NBA's scoring champion. But it was Nembhard stopping the drive short – along with Nesmith's gritty rebound to finish the possession – that gave Indy a chance to attack and steal the game: The only thing Haliburton needed was a chance. He knows the Pacers aren't perfect. He knows they don't fit the traditional or statistical profile of a Finals team. But he also doesn't care. Because he knows, with the game on the line, he's their unflappable leader with ice in his veins. It doesn't matter who is defending him – he's getting off a quality look and leaving fans breathless while the ball rotates in the air: The only thing the 2025 Pacers enjoy is cheating death. Each time they walk into enemy territory, they become the living embodiment of the 'Call an ambulance … but not for me!' advertisement. Indiana has now survived four separate games in which they appeared dead in the water. At least once in every playoff series, they've had a 5% win probability or lower in the final three minutes. Yet, it's the opposing team sulking and fuming in the locker room: All of those ended in Pacer wins. Three of them resulted in silent road crowds, walking to the exits questioning the meaning of life. At this point, you're more surprised when the Pacers don't pull off a miracle. They have made the extraordinary feel expected. And it appears this should no longer be considered luck. It's simply their identity – and they love it. Thursday was the fifth time Indiana has overcome a 15+ point deficit in this postseason, which is the most since 1997 when the play-by-play era began. Additionally, Indiana is now the fourth team in the play-by-play era to win a postseason game despite leading for 30 or fewer seconds. They joined the 1999 Spurs, 2001 Mavericks, and 2002 Lakers. Two of those three teams won the championship. Before last night, the record was 13 seconds. Indiana simply said, 'hold my beer.' While the Pacers are no stranger to these impressive feats, it elevates to a new level when the opponent is factored in. Oklahoma City, officially stamped as a juggernaut with the highest point differential in NBA history, was supposed to shut off Indiana's water. These fourth quarter comebacks were supposed to be halted. Before Thursday's Game 1, the Thunder hadn't lost a home game to an Eastern Conference team since March 12, 2024. Over 450 days ago. That loss, hilariously, was to the Pacers. With Haliburton leading the way, nothing is out of reach for this team. No deficit is too large, and no opponent is too intimidating. Per Inpredictable, this playoff run for Haliburton is practically off the charts in terms of clutch heroics. He's breaking statistical models and surpassing all-time playoff legends in Clutch Win Probability Added: Haliburton might just be the NBA's clutch king Inpredictable If you didn't believe in the phrase Team of Destiny before this year, it's time to start buying in. This might just be the season Indiana breaks through and claims its first championship. There's no other logical explanation to their shooting surges, particularly from Nembhard, who has lifted his 3-point efficiency by nearly 18 percentage points compared to the regular season. All of their role players have taken leaps forward during the playoffs and contributed star-level moments, which is all a team needs in order to make a run. At the same time, labeling the Pacers as the Team of Destiny actually does them a disservice. Because this is not a new trend. This isn't a random eight-week hot streak. In reality, this is who Indiana has been since the calendar flipped. The Pacers are 47-18 over the last six months, which translates to a 59-win team over the course of a full season. So not only does Indiana belong on this stage – they are showing why any discussion of this being a lackluster NBA Finals matchup was disrespectful. All it did was shine a light on who hasn't paid attention to the progress Indiana has made on both sides of the ball. For all 48 minutes, the Pacers and Thunder proved (market) size doesn't matter, and neither do regions. Small markets, large markets, coastal city or Midwestern communities, the basketball will always be thrilling in June. Especially when it includes a group like the Pacers, who fully lean into the underdog story and experience a frightening level of comfort while on the doorsteps of defeat.
