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New York Times
15-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Pressure on the Knicks is piling up – will they cope or crumble?
The New York Knicks had the Boston Celtics on the ropes heading into Game 5 on Wednesday night — not only were they up 3-1 on the defending champions, but the Celtics were also without Jayson Tatum. But after a resounding 127-102 loss in TD Garden, the series now heads back to New York for Game 6 on Friday night. Win that, and the Knicks will advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000. Lose, and it's back to Boston for a Game 7. On the latest episode of 'The Athletic NBA Daily,' Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni were joined by Fred Katz to break down what went wrong for the Knicks in Game 5. 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. They discussed whether New York needs to lean on Mitchell Robinson more in Game 6 and start with a double-big lineup, the importance of a bounce-back game from Jalen Brunson on Friday night after fouling out in Game 5, and why Karl-Anthony Towns has to be more aggressive shooting from beyond the arc. Watch the discussion below. Watch the full episode of 'NBA Daily' below or on the YouTube channel, or via the 'NBA Daily' podcast feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. (Top Photo: Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images)
New York Times
14-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
What do the Cavaliers need to bounce back next season?
The Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the Eastern Conference from the jump this season, becoming just the fourth team in NBA history to start a season 15-0 and amassing 64 wins in the regular season, the second most in franchise history. As the No. 1 seed, the expectation was a conference finals berth at minimum. But after just five games in the second round, Cleveland's season is over following a 114-105 loss Tuesday to the Indiana Pacers. Advertisement On the latest episode of 'The Athletic NBA Daily,' Dave DuFour and Zena Keita broke down whether the Cavaliers should run it back with the same core, the need for Cleveland to add more depth to the roster and whether Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury, which has cast doubt over the Boston Celtics' future, opens a door in the East next season. Check out the discussion below. Watch the full episode of 'NBA Daily' below or on the YouTube channel or via the 'NBA Daily' podcast feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
New York Times
02-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Rudy Gobert's ‘absurd' performance. Plus, who would the Wolves rather face?
Despite entering the playoffs through the Play-In Tournament and without home-court advantage, the Minnesota Timberwolves are through to the Western Conference semifinals after a resounding 4-1 gentleman's sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, sealed by Wednesday night's 103-96 win at the Arena. Advertisement The stakes will only get higher for Minnesota, as it now awaits the winner of the Golden State Warriors-Houston Rockets series. While the Timberwolves split the season series with Houston 2-2, the Rockets would have home-court advantage if they were to progress, and Minnesota lost the season series against the Warriors, 3-1. However, the Timberwolves already proved the doubters wrong against the Lakers. And if Anthony Edwards needed any extra motivation, the 23-year-old could add Stephen Curry to his growing list of playoff scalps if Golden State were to advance. On the latest episode of 'The Athletic NBA Daily,' Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni discussed Rudy Gobert's dominant performance, the Timberwolves advancing despite their poor shooting night, Julius Randle stepping up in Game 5, and whether Houston or Golden State is a better match up for Minnesota. Watch the full discussion below. Watch the full episode of 'NBA Daily' below or on the YouTube channel, or via the 'NBA Daily' podcast feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
New York Times
22-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Did Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers tame Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets?
After a narrow 112-110 overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 on Saturday, the LA Clippers bounced back with a 105-102 win on Monday to even the series and steal home-court advantage as the teams head back to Los Angeles for Game 3. After the nail-biting affair in the playoff opener, the Clippers needed to avoid going down 2-0 in what looks to be the most closely matched first-round series in either conference — and Kawhi Leonard answered the call for LA. Advertisement He dropped 21 points in the first half and finished with 39 points on just 19 shots. After tying his playoff career-worst with seven turnovers in Game 1, Leonard had just one miscue to five assists in Game 2 while Nikola Jokić uncharacteristically coughed it up seven times. On the latest episode of 'The Athletic NBA Daily,' Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni were joined by Clippers beat writer Law Murray to discuss Leonard leading LA's Game 2 victory, how problematic Ivica Zubac's defense could be for Jokić going forward, what to expect from Game 3 and Law's NBA Rankings & Tiers series for the 2024-25 season. Watch the full episode of 'NBA Daily' below or on the YouTube channel, or via the 'NBA Daily' podcast feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. (Top Photo: Kiyoshi Mio / USA Today Network via Imagn Images )
New York Times
18-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The NBA playoffs tip off this weekend. How could each first-round series go?
The Bounce Newsletter | This is The Athletic's daily NBA newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox. 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. Advertisement (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. Advertisement 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.
