NEW YORK KNICKS (3) vs BOSTON CELTICS (1)
Non-contact injuries frighten me more than those that occur when someone is hit. So on that note, let me say that even if Tatum is cleared to play in Game 5, I'm kinda hoping that he doesn't.
The way I've come to understand it, these professional athletes are being paid gazillions of dollars basically to destroy their own bodies. On that note, I've been a strong advocate of key players sporting through injuries, especially during pivotal junctures in the season. But the way your boy was on the court like that, writhing in pain in front of the entire world, shit touched me.
Remember how KAT was down there on the court, clapping for Jayson as he was carried away. Haters are always trying to make it like Karl is soft, but he probably understands that if you're going up against somebody, if you want to truly say that you're better, then they need to be at full strength before you can really feel good about yourself.
The irony of the situation isn't only that Jayson went down when his team needed him most, but also that beforehand, he was having arguably the game of his career. He was making an absolute mockery out of a team that has a number of above-average wing defenders. As soon as he went down and it was clear he wasn't getting back up, NYK went from 'likely to win series because they have a 2-1 lead' to it being almost inevitable that they'll eliminate Boston.
You have to give it to the Knicks though that first of all, they did not allow the Celtics to build a big lead out of the gates, as they have in the previous games this series. To note, Boston did win a game in the First Round without Tatum. But you know, that was against the Magic.
Let's not forget that the Celtics also won a championship last season more or less without Porzingis. As far as I know, winning a championship with your starting C being on the injured list during half of the Playoffs was unprecedented prior to Boston doing it. I don't care if your starting C was fuckin Todd McCollough. To have a chance at the Finals you still needed him, or at least that seemed to be true back in the old days.
My point is that you can't count these dudes out, even if they are devoid of Tatum. It wouldn't be overly surprising if they won Game 5 without Jayson. But now, it's starting to feel sorta like, let's just get this shit over already. If you wanted a chance to win even if your franchise player got hurt, then you should've at least won at least one of those first home games.
The Knicks meanwhile, when they acquired KAT heading into this season, the way I understood it wasn't like they were trying to replace Robinson at starting C. Rather, no one was really expecting Mitchell to be consistently healthy. He sat out most of the regular season if I remember correctly and has this historical tendency to be injured around the times the team needs him most. Hartenstein was able to make a name for himself last offseason due to Robinson being hurt.
But lo and behold, everybody in the Knicks' rotation is healthy. So if they do go on to face the Pacers, as seems likely, remember both of those teams have the health advantage over their respective Semifinals' opponent.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (3) vs MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (1)
This upcoming offseason is shaping up to be an interesting one, where the teams with good braintrusts will be convincingly distinguished from those that don't. I don't know much about the 2026 Draft, but I don't think there's any player therein who everyone is dickridin as the unanimous first pick. So I think this coming season, every team should be trying to win instead of tank.
One of the teams that really need to put their thinking cap on is the Warriors. Their core have had these age + injury issues for years, something it feels like their braintrust has been more or less ignoring. Yes, now that Klay is gone, I'm talking most specifically about Steph.
If the doctor tells you 'hey, if you keep smoking you're going to catch lung cancer' and you do catch it five years from now, the problem didn't start then. I was saying as far back as 2022 that 'hey, the Dubs are aging and need to do something about it'. They still kept enjoying those cigarettes though, and we all partook of the celebration for awhile. But some of the decisions they made, besides devoting so much money to an aged core, were foolhardy. For instance they traded away Jordan Poole (instead of resolving whatever beef he had with his teammates) who, at the time, was their most-promising young player and the face of the Dubs' youth movement.
So nowadays, GSW doesn't even have a youth movement to speak of. Podziemski, no offense, is overrated. Jonathan "Butterfingers" Kuminga is still a player I'm hoping will end up with a younger squad, more age-appropriate squad, preferably Memphis. Moses Moody went from a borderline starter a few games back to now being limited to garbage time. And as for the Gauntlet, he's older than he looks, like he isn't actually a "young" player but one who blew up late.
Am I counting Golden State out? Yeah, more or less. I love a good Cinderella story, but it isn't ideal if a team makes it all the way to the Finals on luck.
Speaking of which, I guess we'll see what Minnesota is really made of in the next round. Them playing the Curry-less Warriors while OKC and Denver are dogfighting isn't necessarily ideal from a preparation standpoint. And as for the Nuggets v Thunder, remember that's the only series in the Semifinals whereas both teams are fully healthy. That's why it's more intriguing, and shall we say genuine than the rest.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE: DALLAS MAVERICKS
I actually wrote a "Where Do We Go From Here" section dedicated to the Brooklyn Nets before realizing the draft lottery was last night and, oh shit, Dallas got the no.1 pick. Besides Utah and perhaps Boston, no other team has had as much historical success with White players as the Mavericks.
Apparently, some people are saying that the draft was rigged, and yes, instantly teaming Flagg up with Kyrie + AD, two future HOFers, does feel suspicious. But it isn't like this type of shit is unprecedented in the NBA. Remember how they had draft sympathy on the Cavs after Lebron jetted. Cooper can now be considered the luckiest draftee since Magic entered the league over 40 years ago(!).
Who I really feel sorry is the likes of the Nets, Wizards and especially Jazz. Remember I was asking, when it became apparent that Utah was tanking, what was their backup plan if they don't get Flagg? Danny Ainge used to be my executive hero. But now it's like, who knows what he's doing? Some of these guys don't realize that the era of Sam "the Antihero" Hinkie is over.
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