TOM

playoff basketball is mostly about which weakness gets exposed first

For perspective: KG had a +120 on/off swing vs Atlanta in a full 7-game series in 2008. Wemby being anywhere near that territory in just 4 games is absurd

@Fullcourtpass @WindhorstESPN Yeah, a new level every summer

LeBron James is about to enter “some level of negotiation” with the Los Angeles Lakers, per @WindhorstESPN

@AidanLaPorta69 That stat absolutely puts Harden in the same conversation with them...

James Harden now joins Steph Curry and LeBron James as they are the ONLY players in NBA history at 36 years old or older to average -19 ppg -5 rpg -5 apg during a postseason run. 👀

REPORT: Jarrett Allen might be sent to the Lakers if LeBron joins the Cavaliers: “A sign-and-trade for LeBron would undoubtedly involve Jarrett Allen ($28 million), whom the Lakers have targeted previously in trade rumors.” (via @BrettSiegelNBA)

@PurpGoldLakers Feels like the Lakers are getting close to a point where they can’t keep waiting anymore

“It’s LeBron James. You want to give him all the time he needs, he has earned it. But if you’re building a team, there’s no way you can wait. It is going to be, ‘We either gotta do this with you or without you.’ And if it is without him, then you’ve got some tough decisions to make — But you can’t build your team with a $50 million player who might or might not play. If he says he is not sure, they have no choice–they’ve got to move forward like he is not going to be there, and that could really make the decision for him.” An anonymous NBA executive to Heavy Sports on the Lakers being forced to move on without LeBron James if he can't decide his future by July lakersdaily.com/nba-exec-says-…

@tomhaberstroh @YahooSports At this point, hitting the floor is basically part of SGA’s bag

✅ NEW @YahooSports: Over the weekend, SGA fell on shot attempts more than Brunson, Harden, Mitchell and Wemby combined. Why does he do it so often? Probably because it works. I tracked how often he gets a foul call when he falls compared to his peers: sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/wh…

@PolymarketHoops Cleveland fans reading this like 👀

This is insane… Miami Heat 2022: Heat lose in the ECF vs Boston in 7 2023: Advance to the Finals Boston Celtics 2023: Lost in 7 to Miami in the ECF 2024: Advance to the Finals Indiana Pacers 2024: Lost in ECF to Boston in 4 2025: Advance to the Finals New York Knicks 2025: Lose in the ECF to Indiana in 6 2026: Reach NBA Finals 🤯🤯🤯

@uscfan981 The standard everybody still gets compared to

Reach deep

@HPbasketball They’re not just winning. They’re vaporizing teams

This is, by any definition, the greatest postseason run of DOMINANCE we've ever seen. I would hear out the "wHo DiD tHeY pLaY?" stuff if the series had been five or six games. They're not. Since Game 3 of Round 1, this is the most dominant team in the playoffs we've seen. You play who's in front of you and they have KILLLLLLLED EVERYONE

@ESPNInsights A near 100 point swing from one player in a playoff series shouldn’t even be possible

The Spurs with Wemby vs. the Spurs without Wemby 👀 Victor Wembanyama is now +50 on the court this series, dropping to -46 off the court. The Thunder’s field goal percentage jumps from 40% to 50% when Wemby hits the bench.

@statdefender SGA at #2?? Check those numbers again.

League MVPs With The Most PPG Excluding Free Throws Since 2000 : 1. 15/16 Curry — 25.5 2. 24/25 SGA — 24.8 3. 13/14 Durant — 23.3 4. 25/26 SGA — 23.2 4. 19/20 Giannis — 23.2 6. 22/23 Embiid — 23.1 7. 00/01 Iverson — 22.9 8. 16/17 Westbrook — 22.8 9. 21/22 Jokic — 22.0 10. 23/24 Jokic — 21.9 10. 09/10 LeBron — 21.9

@ClutchPoints Teams don’t accidentally put together playoff numbers like this

Is New York the team to beat now? 🤔 Jalen Brunson and the Knicks have been playing out of their minds this postseason: 🔸12-2 record (both losses by a 1-point) 🔸+19.4 PPG (+271) differential, highest entering the Finals in NBA history 🔸11 straight playoff wins (franchise record) 🔸+262 point differential, biggest in any 11-game span in NBA history 🔸6 straight double-digit playoff road wins (first time in NBA history) 🔸+118 in all 3 elimination games (+51 vs. Hawks, +30 vs. Sixers, +37 vs. Cavs) 🔸1st team in NBA history with 3 series-clinching wins by at least 30 points 🔸First team since the Minneapolis Lakers (1950) to sweep a round prior to the NBA Finals all by double-digit wins. 🔸8-0 in the month of May In this year's playoffs, they rank 1st in the following categories: 🔹PPG - 119.9 🔹FG% - 51.5 🔹3PT FG% - 40.0 🔹PPG differential - 19.4 🔹True shooting % - 62.4 🔹Fast Break PPG - 17.6 🔹Opponent PPG - 100.6 🔹Opponent 3PT FG% - 30.5

@FirstTake @KendrickPerkins If KAT brings a title to New York, Minnesota loses that debate forever.

“The Minnesota Timberwolves are on the verge of making one of the worst trades in NBA history. If Karl-Anthony Towns … [brings] a championship to New York, that’s going to make the Minnesota Timberwolves look like fools.” —@kendrickperkins on the Timberwolves trading KAT for Julius Randle 😳

@PONTA6565 Hakeem played against Jordan in his prime and still says there’s a clear gap. That’s part of why the MJ debate never really dies

Hakeem Olajuwon has settled the comparison between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. • "When people start comparing LeBron to Jordan, it's not a fair comparison. Jordan was a far superior player, played in a very tough league, and was very creative." • "I'm not trying to disrespect LeBron. He's a great player, but Jordan is a far superior player." He clearly places Jordan higher, citing differences in era and difficulty as reasons. This statement has been repeated several times.

HEAD-TO-HEAD 👀 Victor Wembanyama vs Chet Holmgren There's more to this than it looks. takeovermode.com/compare/victor… takeovermode.com/compare/victor…

@Shane00 Can’t forget something that was never true

In case you forgot, LeBron James is the greatest basketball player ever

@braves2430 Kobe. Easy

Who do you think is the Best player here?

@Timberwolves looks like he’s about to tell the cameraman he set the screen wrong

what are you looking at?

@ClutchPoints Luka raises your ceiling. Brunson raises your floor

Max Kellerman and Antonio Daniels agree that they would rather have Jalen Brunson over Luka Doncic to win a championship 🤔 Daniels: “The reason I’d say that is because I’ve seen Brunson play with and without the ball.” Max: “I agree!” (via Game Over)

@HPbasketball Honestly, this is probably the first time in decades Knicks fans can realistically look at the bracket and think ‘why not us?’”

Talked about the tactics the Spurs shifted to and why it was more complicated than "stop doubling Shai" My hottest take: The Knicks BETTER win the title. There will not be a better opportunity for them in the next 15 years. You are touched by GOD right now. YOU BETTER WIN. The Atkinson conversation