As Wembanyama started dribbling with 3 seconds left, I got a suddenly strong instinctive feeling that he'd make a half-court buzzer-beater. But when he actually proved that impulse right, I could only burst out laughing.

One cool thing about how great the Thunder and Spurs are: They both know it, and they're treating every possession with the urgency it deserves. The speed and physicality on every play is extraordinary.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's career high for playoff assists is 12. He's done it three times: - Game 7 vs. the Pacers last year - Game 1 vs. the Spurs - Game 3 vs. the Spurs

Two pieces today! First up, analysis of the Knicks' Harden-centric attack down the stretch in Game 1—why it worked and how Cleveland can fix the issue going forward

Last night, the Knicks targeted James Harden with 27 picks. That's the most picks he's ever defended in any game in his career (in the tracking era, since 2013-14). The Knicks scored 1.53 points per pick (!) that led directly to a shot, foul, or shot one pass away.

Oops

Overtime helps counting stats, but still—here is every player with 40+ points and 20+ rebounds in a conference finals game: Victor Wembanyama Charles Barkley Moses Malone Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Recency bias but I don't care: This is the highest-level start-to-finish NBA game of the 2020s. This is hoops nirvana.

This is a *phenomenal* basketball game. Both of these teams are so good and versatile.

Notable stat: In the regular season, Wemby took fewer 3s against the Thunder than any other opponent. In the first half of Game 1, he took 11 2-pointers and zero 3s.

Thunder! Spurs! Conference finals! I went long previewing the first playoff series between teams with 62+ wins since the 1998 Finals. Here are the stats, scouting notes, matchups, and trends to know before a blockbuster begins tonight:

I think the strangest NBA discourse topic this week is the idea that the Thunder will trade Ajay Mitchell this summer. He's young, awesome, cheap, and improving—why would a win-now contender think about dealing him?

There have been about a dozen ridiculous momentum swings in the last 20 minutes of this Cavs-Pistons game. Playoff hoops!

Every player in NBA history with 37 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks in a playoff game, per @stathead.com: Wemby tonight Shaq Hakeem Kareem Wilt

In Game 1, the Spurs handily won the shot quality battle, but got unlucky on 3-pointers. I didn't understand some analysis that acted like the Spurs were doomed after a 2-point Wolves win. Lo and behold, a 24-point San Antonio lead at halftime of Game 2.

For reference, the official NBA record for blocks in a playoff game (tracked since 1973-74) is 10, by Hakeem Olajuwon, Mark Eaton, and Andrew Bynum. Victor Wembanyama has 8 blocks (perhaps aided by a missed goaltend) at halftime.

Watching Wemby load up for a weakside block is approaching the same level of anticipatory excitement as watching Steph curl off a screen for a heat check 3

Some Sunday night reading for all you NBA fans: I wrote about the 10 biggest lessons from Round 1, and what they mean for the rest of the playoffs and offseason to come.

In Game 5 at home, the Celtics' last made shot came with 7:03 remaining. In Game 7 at home, the Celtics' last made shot came with 5:02 remaining (not counting a layup against little defensive pressure with the game already decided).

The 2004 Pistons would be proud of this second-half shot chart for Orlando

The Nuggets scored fewer than 100 points just twice in 82 regular-season games. Minnesota held them under 100 three times in six games in the first round.

Minnesota was missing its top 3 guards, shot 24% on 3-pointers, and still managed to eliminate its rival and advance to the next round. What an impressive win. On the other side—what a catastrophic result for the Nuggets, after they entered the playoffs on a 12-game win streak.

I just turned on the TV after dinner to start watching Knicks-Hawks and almost did an actual-in-real-life spit take when I saw the score

Wrote about a handful of key trends from the NBA playoffs so far, including: - A massive leaguewide decline in scoring - Star player comebacks - The chance for an unsurprising (?) 8-over-1 upset - And more!

Very fitting if the Thunder and Spurs are the only two teams in the second round after tonight. They're a level above everyone else in the league right now.

Cade Cunningham has 24 turnovers in the last three games, which is the most in a three-game span in NBA playoff history. (The previous record was 22, held by Harden and Bird.)

The "foul up 3" strategy at the end of close games is growing in popularity and controversy. With insight from coaches, executives, and lots of film study, I dove deep to answer two key questions: Is this tactic good for the sport? And does it even work?

Most points off the bench in a playoff game, per @stathead.com: 1. Downtown Freddie Brown (45 in 1976) 2. Ayo Dosunmu (41 tonight) 3 (tie). Steph Curry and Nick Van Exel (40 each, in OT games)

The Rockets were up by 6 points with the ball with 30 seconds left. They proceeded to: - pass the ball to a Laker - commit a 3-point foul - turn the ball over again - allow a game-tying 3

Imagine telling Hawks fans before the season that they'd win a playoff game because of clutch plays by CJ McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga. What would they think had happened at the deadline?

Currently injured from the top 4 seeds in the West: Luka Doncic Austin Reaves Jalen Williams Peyton Watson Victor Wembanyama I think this would be the best starting lineup in the league.

VJ Edgecombe is the 8th rookie with 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game in the 3-point era: VJ Edgecombe Tim Duncan Alonzo Mourning David Robinson Hakeem Olajuwon Jeff Ruland Magic Johnson Larry Bird

I recently completed a full re-read of the Expanse series, and man, what an incredible piece of longform sci-fi storytelling. I wish we'd gotten the Laconian trilogy on TV.

The Lakers enjoyed a historic shooting night in Game 1. Here's why that's good news for ... the Rockets. My latest piece ahead of a big Game 2:

76ers players with at least 10 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 steals in a postseason game*: Julius Erving, twice Moses Malone Andre Drummond tonight * I know tonight's stats will be lost to the ether afterward. But still!

I ranked the 50 players most likely to have an impact on the 2026 postseason, combining quality and quantity of play. Probably the only time I'll ever rank Daniss Jenkins above Steph Curry on a list of any kind!

The chaos and drama of this game is an auspicious sign for the rest of the postseason

Included in today's piece: why I'm not worried about Wemby's ability to ramp up his workload in the playoffs—which should be great news for Spurs fans

The NBA postseason is nigh! So the ESPN editors had me fill out my entire playoff bracket, with predicted winners for every series leading up to a surprising champion:

It would be a shame to miss out on a Durant vs. LeBron playoff matchup when both players are still no. 1 options this late into their careers

A strange thing is happening in the NBA this year: Almost all the fast-paced teams are bad, and almost all the slow-paced teams are good. Why? And what does it mean? I talked to a bunch of folks around the league to find out:

Denver is now just half a game back of the decimated Lakers for the #3 seed, while the Spurs are now 2.5 back for the #1 seed. There's a solid chance we get a rematch of today's Nuggets vs. Spurs classic in the West semis.

I'm thrilled for Kevin, who has long been one of my favorite writers and basketball thinkers. My only disappointment is that I hoped to work with him for many more years.

Final rookie rankings of the year! In which the top 4 players happen to be the first 4 players picked in last year's draft:

The Spurs are 2 games back of the Thunder, with the tiebreak and an easy remaining schedule, while OKC has the hardest remaining schedule in the NBA. I hope both teams go for the #1 seed. Buckle up!

News story from Chicago, where Rockets coach Ime Udoka called out “soft” officiating following two technical fouls and an ejection

New ESPN story: With the benefit of hindsight, I ranked the 10 best and 10 worst transactions of the last year in the NBA.

Underrated part of Venezuela's title: Salvador Perez got to catch the final pitch of the WBC title, after he wasn't in for the end of the Royals' win in 2015. (Drew Butera caught the final strike after Jarrod Dyson pinch ran.)

With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the verge of breaking a 63-year-old Wilt Chamberlain record, I dove deep into the facts and stats around his extraordinary achievement

Italy and Mexico can reenact the Disgrace of Gijon in their WBC game tomorrow, if they want to both advance at the United States' expense