Our basketball writers share their observations and insights throughout Round 1 of the NBA postseason.
Friday, May 1
Morey's vision finally coming to fruition
Daryl Morey's vision has finally come to fruition in the Sixers' first-round series against Boston. Philadelphia's acquisition of Paul George in 2024 was viewed as the signing of the summer, designed to lift the team out of playoff purgatory. While injuries, suspensions, and a whole lot of losing have defined the two seasons since, the 76ers may have found a championship recipe by plugging George into a limited role alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
George has been efficient with his relatively limited touches as the offense primarily runs through Embiid and Maxey. The Sixers are scoring the most pick-and-roll points per game in the playoffs, while Boston is struggling to stop ball screens featuring Philly's duo.
Embiid, Maxey, and George have combined to score 67% of the 76ers' points over the last three contests, and that's a lot closer to what the front office and fans expected two summers ago. Then again, Philly's comeback could be all for naught if it doesn't win Game 7, which would leave questions lingering into the offseason about why the team was a 7-seed in the first place. - Sam Oshtry
Thursday, April 30
McDaniels walks the talk
Jaden McDaniels ruffled some feathers when he called several Nuggets players "bad defenders" following the T-Wolves' Game 2 win. The 6-foot-9 forward added more fuel to the fire when he drew the ire of Nikola Jokic for making a layup instead of dribbling out the clock in Game 4. Not everyone may have agreed with McDaniels' decision to poke the bear, but you have to give him full credit for not backing down.
McDaniels was needed more than ever with Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo both injured. The Washington product didn't have his best performances in Games 4 or 5, but he came through when it mattered most in the series clincher with Minnesota down two more players. McDaniels registered a career-high 32 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals, one block, and a game-high plus-16 rating in 44 minutes. He had 12 points in the final frame to help stave off Denver's late surge.
For as good as McDaniels was offensively, his lockdown defense on Jamal Murray may have been most important. The Nuggets star was held to a series-low 12 points on 4-of-17 shooting in Game 6, and made only 35.7% of his field goals during the opening round - nearly 13% below his regular-season mark. Denver may have been the more talented team on paper, but the T-Wolves had Jaden McDaniels. - Chicco Nacion
Knicks finish off Hawks in emphatic fashion
If you just happened to stumble upon the Knicks-Hawks scoreline and weren't watching the game, nobody would blame you for thinking it was some sort of glitch. The dominance New York displayed Thursday evening shattered multiple NBA records. The Knicks came out of the gates looking for the kill and had Game 6 wrapped up before the Celtics and 76ers took the court an hour later.
New York led 40-15 after the first quarter and somehow stretched that advantage to as many as 61 points, which was the biggest edge at any point of a postseason contest in the play-by-play era, according to Josh Dubow of The Associated Press. The Knicks' 47-point halftime lead was the largest in NBA playoff history, surpassing the previous mark of 41. New York's 12 steals through two quarters equaled the amount of field goals Atlanta made.
The Knicks' lopsided Game 6 win pushed their point differential to plus-105, which is the largest in postseason history for a six-game series, per Stathead. - Chicco Nacion
PG turns back clock
At the peak of his powers, Paul George was one of the top two-way players in the game. His shot-creation, 3-point stroke, playmaking, and strong perimeter defense made him such a difficult player to gameplan against. Injuries have slowed George down over the past several seasons. But every now and then, he's capable of turning a game on its head.
George had an all-around performance with the 76ers' season on the line, tallying 23 points, four boards, three assists, two steals, one block, and a plus-11 rating in 40 minutes. The 35-year-old was knocking down pull-up jumpers, making backdoor cuts, side-stepping into threes, and even dropping behind-the-back dimes in transition. He scored 10 points in a decisive third quarter that saw Philadelphia stretch its lead to 19.
George held Jaylen Brown in check for the second consecutive contest, using his length, strength, and smothering on-ball pressure to frustrate the Celtics star. Brown never found his groove in Game 6 and committed a game-high five turnovers. It was a very similar story two nights ago in Boston as Brown went 2-of-10 from the field with George serving as his primary defender. If the 76ers complete the 3-1 series comeback, George will likely be a huge factor in Game 7. - Chicco Nacion.
Celtics need more from White
Somewhat lost in the doom and gloom of Boston's ice-cold fourth-quarter capitulation in the Game 5 loss to Philadelphia is how bad the usually reliable Derrick White has been. It's easy to dwell on the Celtics missing 14 straight baskets in the final seven minutes Tuesday - the most in a playoff contest since 2005 - but we're here to shine a light on White.
He's recording 8.2 points in this series on 30% shooting, nearly half his scoring average (18.5) from the regular season. The 31-year-old is also 7-of-33 (21%) from deep. In Game 5, White went 2-of-8 from the field and 0-of-4 from behind the arc, with a lot of those being open looks. He's also averaging two fewer assists per contest through five playoff games compared to the regular season and has seen his plus-minus drop from plus-7.8 to plus-1.4.
Payton Pritchard's postseason prowess might offset some of White's offensive failures, but he's nowhere near the defender that his struggling teammate is. Joe Mazzulla doesn't have another player that can do what White does, and at the moment, what he's doing isn't good enough. - Michael J. Chandler
Wednesday, April 29
Rockets suddenly have life
There's still a long way to go before Houston becomes the first NBA team to overcome an 0-3 series deficit, but the Rockets are halfway there and will have another chance to extend their season Friday at home. Ime Udoka's squad has gotten themselves back into the matchup with their 3-point shooting and defense. Houston has drained at least 12 triples in each of the past two contests, with Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard leading the way with six makes apiece. The Rockets have outscored the Lakers by 42 points from downtown across Games 4 and 5. Los Angeles started 3-of-5 from deep in Game 5 before missing 18 of its next 22 attempts.
Houston continued to capitalize on the Lakers' miscues Wednesday evening, tallying 18 points off 15 turnovers. Sheppard had his second straight three-steal performance and made amends for his costly turnover in Game 3 by stripping LeBron James of the ball and taking it back the other way for a flush to put the Rockets up by seven with 2:20 to go. Los Angeles is still in the driver's seat, but Houston's got momentum on its side. - Chicco Nacion
Schroder saves underwhelming Cavs
James Harden paced the Cavs early and Evan Mobley's most complete game of the series couldn't have come at a better time, but Cleveland owes its tiebreaking Game 5 victory to Dennis Schroder. I had been critical of head coach Kenny Atkinson's commitment to Schroder in the matchup against Toronto, but the veteran reserve swung the game and the series in the fourth quarter of Monday's contest.
The Raptors deserve a ton of credit for controlling Game 5 as long as they did and for being within an arm's length late. Toronto has been without starting point guard Immanuel Quickley all series. Leading scorer Brandon Ingram has played the worst basketball of his career and left in the second quarter (due to heel inflammation). Meanwhile, franchise star Scottie Barnes - who's been the best player in the series - was clearly hobbled in the second half. That the game played out the way it did is a testament to the young Raptors' toughness and an indictment of the big-budget Cavs. But what Toronto's elite defense couldn't do was stop Schroder.
Over a fourth-quarter stretch of 5:55, Schroder - who averaged 8.2 points for Cleveland during the regular season - scored 11 of the Cavs' 18 points and singlehandedly outscored Toronto, 11-10. It's no wonder Schroder played the final 16 straight minutes of Game 5, during which time he accounted for more than half of Cleveland's offense (19 of 37 points) between his scoring and assists. He consistently beat his man to the rim, blowing by each of a limping Barnes, a good defender in Ja'Kobe Walter, and RJ Barrett. When Walter ducked under a screen against the career 34% shooter, Schroder made him pay with a dagger three.
It was a massive boost for the uninspiring Cavs, and a deflating blow for the undermanned Raptors, who struggled to create decent looks on the other end. - Joseph Casciaro
Cade outduels Paolo to keep Pistons alive
Cade Cunningham put Detroit on his back with the Pistons facing an embarrassing exit at the hands of the 8-seed Magic. The two-time All-Star put together the finest playoff performance of his young career, tallying a postseason franchise-record 45 points on 13-of-23 shooting to go along with five assists, four boards, and one steal in 44 minutes. His 27 points at the midway point was the highest scoring postseason half in franchise history during the play-by-play era.
Cunningham had it going at all three levels. The 6-foot-6 guard was draining pull-up threes whenever the Magic went under screens. He repeatedly drew fouls with his brute strength, and proceeded to make all 14 of his attempts from the charity stripe. Cunningham was clinical around the free-throw line and elbow, too, consistently creating space for himself to knock down step-backs, including a decisive basket to put Detroit up two possessions with 31 seconds left.
The Pistons needed every bit of production from Cunningham to overcome a spectacular effort from another No. 1 overall pick on the opposite side. Paolo Banchero nearly willed Orlando to a Game 5 road win with his own 45-point outburst. The Magic forward also set a new playoff career-high in points and was just one shy of the team's single-game record shared by Dwight Howard and Tracy McGrady. Cunningham and Banchero are the first players to score at least 45 points in the same playoff game since Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray accomplished the feat in 2020, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. - Chicco Nacion
Celtics living and dying by 3-ball
The Celtics have ranked in the top five in 3-point attempts every season since Joe Mazzulla became the head coach in 2022. They unapologetically hunt threes. It's a risky but usually successful formula for a group headlined by two dominant downhill drivers - Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown - with shooters surrounding them. But as the old basketball adage goes, live by the three, die by the three.
That's never been truer than in Boston's first-round series against the Sixers. In the Celtics' three wins, they've drilled 41.6% (60-for-144) of their triples. In their two losses, they've connected on 27.2% (24-for-88) of their deep shots. Boston leads all postseason teams in threes attempted, averaging 46.6 per game (the Cavs average the second most with 39.3), and it's the only playoff squad with more than 50% of its shots coming from beyond the arc.
But when the Celtics shoot 28.2% from three on just 39 attempts, as they did in their Game 5 loss, they don't stand a chance. While Boston missed open shots it typically makes, the Sixers' defensive plan contributed to the rough shooting night. The Celtics averaged the most wide-open threes per game (when the closest defender is at least six feet from the shooter) through the first four contests of the playoffs. In Game 5, Philadelphia didn't overhelp on drives and coerced Boston into playing one-on-one, limiting the team's clean attempts from deep while forcing contested shots. The Celtics' 3-point identity depends on earning quality looks. They shoot a lot of threes because they earn open threes. If Boston can't create premium 3-pointers, it'll find itself in trouble in this series and beyond. - Sam Oshtry
Tuesday, April 28
Wemby, Spurs on to West semis
Things looked a little dicey for San Antonio when the team flew to Portland tied at one with Victor Wembanyama in concussion protocol. A week later, the Spurs are off to the second round after three straight wins over the Trail Blazers.
San Antonio showed us a little bit of everything in its triumphant five-game series. Wembanyama was a man among boys in the three full games he started and finished, averaging 26.3 points on 74% true shooting to go with 10.3 rebounds and five blocks across Games 1, 4, and 5. Forward Julian Champagnie continues to shoot the lights out. The team's three starting guards - Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox, and Devin Vassell - showed why they're so tough to contain, with their combination of rim-pressure, shot-creation, and shooting too much for opposing defenses to contend with.
The team's most improved guard, rookie reserve Dylan Harper, might've been the best of the bunch against Portland, leading an impressing second unit that includes Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson, veteran forward Harrison Barnes, and underrated center Luke Kornet. This is a sound two-way team playing wise beyond its years, coming off a series in which it outscored the Blazers by an average of 12.4 points per game. Not bad for the young group's first playoff run together.
Wemby and Co. will wait for a winner to emerge between the severely depleted Timberwolves and Nikola Jokic's inconsistent Nuggets. Other than an obvious edge in experience, there aren't many basketball reasons to believe either squad can take San Antonio down. Just as they did throughout a sparkling 62-win regular season, the Spurs still look like the team most capable of dethroning the Thunder. - Joseph Casciaro
KAT stands tall for Knicks
Jalen Brunson finally shook free for a big night (39 points on 73.5% true shooting) in New York's Game 5 win over Atlanta, but the most encouraging development for the Knicks has been the play of Karl-Anthony Towns. The enigmatic big man has a complicated playoff history, but he's been terrific against the Hawks, emerging as the series' best player thus far. Towns had his fingerprints all over a series-tilting Game 5 victory despite limited usage.
KAT was efficient (16 points on 10 shooting possessions). He moved his feet defensively and used his size in the paint, finishing with a game-high four stocks. He dominated the defensive glass to close possessions for the Knicks' outstanding defense, showing why he leads all Eastern Conference starters in postseason rebound rate. He also continued to excel as a playmaker, dropping some nifty dimes en route to six assists, a figure that doesn't capture the points he created with his screening, both on the ball and off.
The 2026 Knicks aren't the first team to say this at some point during a playoff run, but if New York can keep getting this version of Towns, their Finals odds feel a lot more promising. - Joseph Casciaro
Embiid's 2nd-half adjustments extend 76ers' season
Things didn't start off so well for Joel Embiid and the 76ers in Game 5. The All-Star center settled for way too many shots from the perimeter in the first half, going 5-of-13 from the field and 0-of-5 from downtown. But credit Embiid for making the proper adjustments coming out of the locker room. The former MVP bounced back for 18 points, three assists, and two boards in the second half as he repeatedly imposed his will on the Celtics' frontcourt.
Whether it was Neemias Queta or Nikola Vucevic, neither had an answer for Embiid's bully ball. The 7-footer faced very little resistance as he backed down toward the basket. Once Embiid saw the ball go through the hoop a few times, he had the confidence to hit turnaround jumpers and pull-ups from the free-throw line. The big man's dominance in the paint also attracted double teams and allowed him to hit teammates for clean looks from beyond the arc.
Philadelphia hit four more threes than Boston in Game 5. The winner of the 3-point battle has prevailed in each contest of this series. - Chicco Nacion
Past analysis
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