Gamecocks

It is common for the players who score the most points to get the most praise. They get the credit on SportsCenter and are viewed as the stars of the night. But there is another kind of player who typically doesn't get the credit they deserve, whose importance to the team is not often illuminated.
Enter Victor Oladipo.
In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics on Saturday night, Oladipo's 5 points didn't make the ESPN highlight reel or pop out in the box score. His stat line wasn&rsquo;t highlighted on the NBA TV recap.
After being bumped out of the rotation in the first half in favor of Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson, Oladipo could have pouted and had an attitude. This is something that happens at every level: a player doesn&rsquo;t play in the first half and mentally checks out. Sometimes, they are visibily disgruntled. You may be able to see it during halftime warm-ups or in his demeanor on the bench.&nbsp;
Oladipo didn&rsquo;t do any of that. He stayed locked in and was ready and prepared if his number happened to be called. Then, it happened. Jimmy Butler went down and could not return to the game in the second half. Butler has been carrying the team throughout the series; he is who the offense runs through, who the team relies on every trip down the court in some capacity. When he couldn't return due to a knee injury, Oladipo&rsquo;s number was called and he was ready.
In just 20 minutes, Oladipo had 4 steals (twice as many as the Celtics had as team for the entire game) and 8 pass deflections (one more than the Celtics). After the game, PJ Tucker raved about Oladipo's play.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s usually his offense everybody talks about,&rdquo; Tucker said. &ldquo;He comes in with a spark. But his lateral slides and quickness were unbelievable. I told him tonight, 'That was some of the best lateral foot speed I&rsquo;ve seen anybody have.' Jaylen Brown, when he gets going &mdash; especially right &mdash; he's tough to get back in front of. For Vic to square him up was unreal. He gave us a spark.
&ldquo;We talked about it at the half, knowing he was about to start the half and play. To not play at all and then step in and do what he did in the second half, that level of professionalism is few and far between.&rdquo;
Former NBA guard Jamal Crawford tweeted: &ldquo;Vic Oladipo&rsquo;s stats won&rsquo;t justify the game he actually played. They don&rsquo;t win this game without him.&rdquo;
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Vic Oladipo&rsquo;s stats won&rsquo;t justify the game he actually played. They don&rsquo;t win this game without him.
&mdash; 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) <a href="https://twitter.com/JCrossover/status/1528214518660157440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2022</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;Everything about it, it speaks to his competitive character,&rdquo; Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Oladipo. &ldquo;That was not easy. We went with a slightly different rotation because Kyle [Lowry] came back. That is going to force some changes throughout the rotation, so he didn&rsquo;t play in the first half. We&rsquo;ve had so many guys that have had to take on different roles and sacrifice. We say it&rsquo;s always easy to sacrifice when you&rsquo;re not the one doing it, and he&rsquo;s had to sacrifice many times. That wasn&rsquo;t easy. That wasn&rsquo;t necessarily the way we were going to go the first half. Just things were going really well. We just kept going with that. Then, all of a sudden, boom: Jimmy is not going to go in the second half.
"For him to be stable enough and not be frustrated and not be rolling his eyes and like, 'Oh, okay, now I get an opportunity.... he&rsquo;s just steady. Stays the course. He&rsquo;s made himself available, made himself vulnerable through this whole process. He&rsquo;s prepared behind the scenes. His minutes in the second half were so important defensively against their two studs (Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown), and then offensively, he just gave us a facsimile of a lot of the stuff we do with Jimmy. And I mean that as the ultimate compliment.&rdquo;
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This isn&rsquo;t the first time during these playoffs that Oladipo has had to be ready to jump right in and be a determining factor when his number was called. Oladipo was actually outside of Miami's rotation in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks. However, he ended up being one of the key reasons for the Heat's 97-94 win in Game 5, which could have easily gone in the Hawks favor. Oladipo poured in 23 points, 3 assists and 3 steals, while shooting 50% from the floor and 50% from three. After that game, his play was featured in ESPN's highlight reel and his stat line jumped out when looking at the box score.
But again, if he hadn't been ready when his number was called, none of that would have been possible. Time and time again, Oladipo has shown that when given the opportunity, he can produce at a high level and be a game-changing player. Any questions about his past injuries (including a ruptured right quadricep tendon) should be laid to rest as he's proven that he's back in terms of his lateral movement, athleticism, ability to create his own shot, outside shooting and transition defense.
&ldquo;Signing Victor Oladipo [to a veteran-minimum deal] was one of the biggest steals in NBA history for the Miami Heat," said Daniel Abraham, Oladipo&rsquo;s former AAU coach. "To get a former All-Star and All-Defensive Team player still near his prime like that for very little and be able to wait patiently for him to get healthy is the type of move that will likely land them in the NBA Finals! And if you know Vic like I do, you know the level of the dedication and work ethic he has always had, so none of this would surprise you.&ldquo;
Many in the NBA world were ready to write him off into irrelevance after he re-injured his leg in 2020 and got traded twice. In January 2021, Oladipo was traded to the Houston Rockets in the four-team blockbuster deal that also sent James Harden to Brooklyn and Caris LeVert to Indiana. Two months later, the Rockets sent Oladipo to Miami for a first-round pick swap, Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk.
But with all that behind him, Oladipo is proving all of his doubters wrong. He is far from finished and he has proven that he's still capable of being an impact player and a X-Factor for his team &mdash; whether it&rsquo;s by solely playing defense on one of the best scorers in the league or stepping in and being one of the game's high scorers himself. Regardless of his role, Oladipo will have the right attitude and energy, even if those opportunities don&rsquo;t present themselves each and every game.
This is the type of player whom any organization would want on their team, and Oladipo should receive plenty of interest from teams when he hits unrestricted free agency this summer.
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Regardless of what the box score showed, Victor Oladipo played a crucial role in the Heat's Game 3 win over the Celtics.

Victor Oladipo staying ready and making the most of every opportunity

The ball bounced twice on each side of the rim before going in.
Kawhi Leonard&rsquo;s nearly impossible game-winning fadeaway jumper over the outstretched right arm of Joel Embiid ended a seven-game thriller of a 2018-19 Eastern Conference Semifinals. The series saw the Toronto Raptors escape with a 92-90 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, in large part due to underwhelming performances from Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris all series long. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jimmy-butler-is-a-16game-player">Those were expounded upon here just last month</a>. In fairness to Embiid, similar to these 2022 playoffs, <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/05/07/joel-embiid-76ers-injuries-illness-timeline-history-playoffs">he was injured as hell.</a> He tried his best.
Jimmy Butler wasn&rsquo;t perfect for the Sixers that spring, but he was a hell of a lot better. He averaged 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists in the series, with by far the team&rsquo;s best offensive rating at 118, not counting Amir Johnson who played a mere (ha, get it? Never mind) 20 minutes. Yet and still, the Sixers were right there, and had Leonard&rsquo;s shot missed, who knows if the Sixers would&rsquo;ve went on to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors as the Raptors did en route to their first NBA championship?
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Regardless, those four bounces led to Butler&rsquo;s fate: he was signed-and-traded to the Miami Heat that very summer. Instead of keeping Butler, the Sixers chose Simmons, Harris, Brett Brown and Al Horford.
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Jimmy Butler: &ldquo;Tobias Harris over me.&rdquo; <a href="https://t.co/23K3HgaA0R">pic.twitter.com/23K3HgaA0R</a>
&mdash; Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheHoopCentral/status/1524965729165901824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Simmons and Harris both<a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2843932-ben-simmons-76ers-agree-on-5-year-170m-max-contract-extension">&nbsp;received max contract extensions</a> <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/tobias-harris-signs-sixers-76ers-contract-20190710.html">in the summer Butler was dealt to Miami</a>.
Miami was where Butler wanted to go. <a href="https://www.insider.com/jimmy-butler-wanted-join-heat-dwyane-wade-conversation-2020-9">They were his top choice</a>.
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1. Since &ldquo;why&rsquo;d the Sixers let Jimmy Butler go?!&rdquo; is a big topic today, figured I&rsquo;d do a thread on what I&rsquo;ve put together from the past few years. Some of this I&rsquo;ve written before, some not. Figured would be helpful to put it all in one place. So👇👇👇
&mdash; Yaron Weitzman (@YaronWeitzman) <a href="https://twitter.com/YaronWeitzman/status/1525118168754159617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Since Butler became a member of the Heat, the Sixers have still been a playoff team. In the 2019-20 season, which was obviously paused in March due to COVID-19 before resuming in the summer, the Sixers earned the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference and were swept in Round 1 of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics. Simmons didn&rsquo;t play in the playoffs due to injury. Those same Celtics lost to the Heat in six games during the Eastern Conference Finals, and a Butler-led Miami team reached its first NBA Finals since LeBron James&rsquo; 2014 departure. The Heat, who were a five-seed in the East and top three or four for most of the season, lost to the champion Los Angeles Lakers in six games, but not without a historical postseason from Butler.
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In 2020-21, the Sixers were the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s top seed after compiling an impressive 49-23 record in the 72-game season. Unfortunately, they were embarrassingly defeated on their home floor against the fifth-seeded Atlanta Hawks in Round 2. Simmons still hasn&rsquo;t played since, and despite Embiid&rsquo;s play, he was once again let down by those around him.
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Butler and the Heat? Well, after a little seven-week break between the end of the NBA Finals and the beginning of training camp for the 2020-21 season (as opposed to the standard three-plus months even a Finals team would get in a typical league calendar year), the team flamed out and were swept by the Bucks.
Both teams were able to properly reset heading into the 2021-22 season, and as fate would have it, the No. 1 seeded Heat matched up with the No. 4 seeded Sixers in the semifinals. Butler vs. his old team, where Simmons and then-head-coach Brown no longer resided, but Embiid and Harris were among those who remained.
With a 4-2 lead on May 12, 2022, exactly three years after Leonard&rsquo;s four bounces ended Butler&rsquo;s Sixer tenure, he led his team, in a hostile environment that once rooted for his every move, to an emphatic 99-90 victory to end the Sixers&rsquo; season. Sure, 99-90 may not sound like much, but if you watched the game, you saw the Heat grind their way to a 19-4 run to begin the third quarter, mount nine-straight points to begin the fourth and build a 20-point lead as just five minutes remained before the Sixers cut the lead in garbage time.
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In the modern NBA, organizations seem to take on the personality of their stars, for better or worse. But Miami identified one who matched their ethos, and Butler knew it would be the place for him. A place where villains are welcomed, as <a href="https://www.slamonline.com/nba/jimmy-butler-to-joel-embiid-i-know-a-place-where-villains-are-welcome/">he once told Embiid</a>. And a place that is, in their own culture, counter to what their own city is admired for. Miami, to outsiders, is revered for partying, glamour and beaches, but the Heat are respected and occasionally mocked for a culture that is driven by blue-collar work ethic. It's an identity that requires being in &ldquo;Heat shape,&rdquo; playing defense-first, developing undrafted rookies into future rotation players and adding the occasional stars who fit into that identity.&nbsp;
The Heat are also known for their persistent fight, for being a pain in the ass for whoever opposes them and for being an overlooked team that is tailored to those who prioritize winning over highlights.
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James Harden was brought to Philadelphia to lead in moments like these, but he did anything but that. Butler, who had often been compared to Harden as a byproduct of playing similar positions, dropped 32 points with 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and a steal in a closeout game. Harden had 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting, taking one shot in each of the final two quarters. He said the ball didn't get back to him. That's the guy who had the Sixers' second-highest usage rate in the series. Butler is now averaging 28.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 2.1 steals and on 53/36/81 shooting splits in the playoffs.
Butler doesn&rsquo;t (yet?) have a championship. Most players don&rsquo;t, including many greats, but Butler is a winner, a leader and someone <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amof84tDBnM">Embiid's career misses dearly for good reason</a>, even while he could look at his bench and see another all-time wing in Harden beside him. But basketball isn&rsquo;t strictly about&nbsp; numbers, or strictly in between the lines, or strictly any one thing. It encompasses everything. And that&rsquo;s what the Sixers and many have failed to realize when assessing Butler&rsquo;s greatness.
But in Philadelphia, exactly three years after it all ended, he had the last laugh.
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Exactly three years after Kawhi Leonard's shot ended Jimmy Butler's last game as a Philadelphia 76er, he returned -- with the organization people made fun of him for joining -- to lead the Miami Heat to the Eastern Conference Finals. And he did it in Philadelphia. Last laugh. <a href="https://t.co/Fzr3Ug73tT">pic.twitter.com/Fzr3Ug73tT</a>
&mdash; Bryan Fonseca 🇵🇷 (@BryanFonsecaNY) <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanFonsecaNY/status/1524925290367025172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2022</a></blockquote>

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After falling short of postseason success with Philadelphia, Jimmy Butler showed the Sixers why it was a mistake to let him go.

In Philadelphia, Jimmy Butler gets the last laugh

Every day, BasketballNews.com gives you NBA betting analysis before tip-off. Make sure you subscribe to our daily podcast, &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nothing-but-bets/id1589799249" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zNxt0NQXPmKuryAdz89m0?si=1038d121100444fd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a>&nbsp;or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Without further ado, let&rsquo;s dive into our favorite NBA spread bets for Wednesday's postseason slate.
Miami Heat (-8) vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Without Joel Embiid, Philadelphia is completely unrecognizable. After being blown out in Game 1, we&rsquo;re expecting more of the same tonight in South Beach. James Harden is already having a tough go of it against Miami&rsquo;s tenacious on-ball defense.
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&mdash; Wednesday, May 04th Philadelphia 76ers @ Miami Heat</blockquote>

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With so much pressure on the Sixers&rsquo; backcourt to deliver, the Heat&rsquo;s all-around effort will simply overwhelm them in this spot. As a best bet for Wednesday&rsquo;s postseason slate, feel comfortable locking in the Heat to cover and eventually win by double-digits.
Pick: Heat -8
Player Props: James Harden over 22.5 points, Bam Adebayo over 19.5 points, Tyrese Maxey over 3.5 assists, Max Strus over 2.5 threes
Phoenix Suns (-6.5) vs. Dallas Mavericks
Somehow, Game 1 ended up being way closer than it should have been. Phoenix still covered, but there were stretches where the top overall seed was dominating Dallas on both ends of the court with ease. The Suns locked-in at that level are simply unstoppable, and it&rsquo;s hard to envision how the Mavericks can keep up with them throughout a long series.
Devin Booker is back to 100% following his strained hamstring, and he&rsquo;s due for a bounce-back performance from an inefficient game on Monday night. All roads are leading to the Suns winning by a wide margin, so lock it in with our projection.
Pick: Suns -6.5
Player Props: Luka Doncic over 33.5 points, Devin Booker over 25.5 points, Deandre Ayton over 18.5 points, Dwight Powell over 3.5 rebounds
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Who are the best bets for Wednesday night's NBA playoff games? We've got you covered!

Best Bets: BasketballNews' NBA picks and fantasy advice for 5/4/22

The Philadelphia 76ers were up 3-0 in their series against the Toronto Raptors just a few days ago. The lead has since been sliced to 3-2.
That is waking up some echoes for 76ers coach Doc Rivers.
He&rsquo;s the only coach in NBA history to lose three series in which his team had a 3-1 lead. No coach in NBA history has ever been on the losing end of a series after leading 3-0, either. But Rivers and the 76ers haven&rsquo;t put the Raptors away yet, and now face a Game 6 in Toronto on Thursday night with hopes of avoiding a winner-take-all Game 7 in Philadelphia on Saturday.
&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s win it,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;Then we don&rsquo;t have to talk about it.&rdquo;
The 76ers are one of three teams that will take 3-2 leads on the road Thursday night, when a trio of Game 6&rsquo;s are on tap. The others are Western Conference matchups: Top-seeded Phoenix will try to close out New Orleans, and fourth-seeded Dallas has a chance to eliminate fifth-seeded Utah.
Philadelphia&rsquo;s lead looks far more tenuous than the ones held by Phoenix and Dallas. The Suns and Mavericks are coming off double-digit home wins that gave the appearance of them gaining control of those respective matchups.
But the 76ers are hurting, most notably because center Joel Embiid has a torn thumb ligament. And two closeout opportunities have already come and gone, which is why Rivers was getting questions Wednesday about those past 3-1 leads that haven&rsquo;t worked out.
The first was in 2003, when he had eighth-seeded Orlando on the brink of beating top-seeded Detroit in Round 1 before the heavily favored Pistons rallied. The next was in 2015, when the Los Angeles Clippers led Houston 3-1 in the West semifinals before falling apart when Chris Paul got hurt. And the other was in 2020, when the Clippers lost a 3-1 lead to Denver in the NBA&rsquo;s restart bubble at Walt Disney World near Orlando.
&ldquo;Game 7 would have been in LA,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;It just happens.&rdquo;
The Raptors, meanwhile, continue to believe they can make history. Only three teams have come back from a 3-0 deficit to force a Game 7 in the NBA. None has gone on to win the series; if Toronto pulls this off, it would meet Miami &mdash; and former Raptors guard Kyle Lowry &mdash; in the East semifinals beginning Monday.
&ldquo;If somebody could do it, it would be us,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.
Thursday&rsquo;s games:
76ERS AT RAPTORS
Philadelphia leads 3-2. Game 6, 7 p.m. EDT, NBA TV.
&mdash;NEED TO KNOW: The Sixers lead, yes, but the pendulum sure seems to be swinging Toronto&rsquo;s way. Over the last three games, the Raptors have led (or been in a tie) a staggering 92.8% of the time. And if the Raptors hadn&rsquo;t blown a 17-point lead in Game 3, the overtime game where Embiid&rsquo;s 3-pointer was the game-winner, they could have a chance to close things out Thursday.
&mdash;KEEP AN EYE ON: 76ers G James Harden. He&rsquo;s shooting just 35% from the field, 29% from 3-point range and averaging a low-for-him 16.9 points over his last eight playoff games going back to last season. With Embiid hurting, Harden needs to do more.
&mdash;INJURY WATCH: Raptors G Fred VanVleet (hip) missed Game 5 and is listed as doubtful for Game 6. Embiid is continuing to play through a torn thumb ligament.
&mdash;PRESSURE IS ON: Philadelphia. If this goes to Game 7, even in Philly, the advantage would be all Toronto.
SUNS AT PELICANS
Phoenix leads 3-2. Game 6, 7:30 p.m. EDT, TNT.
&mdash;NEED TO KNOW: In the all-rounds-best-of-seven format that has been in place since 2003, only four No. 1 seeds have been taken to a Game 7 in Round 1. Phoenix is going to try and avoid becoming the fifth. The Suns had a very businesslike win in Game 5, and now will enter a raucous road environment to try and close things out.
&mdash;KEEP AN EYE ON: New Orleans&rsquo; turnovers and 3-point shooting. The Pelicans were outscored by 11 (23-12) in points off turnovers in Game 5 and by 15 (30-15) from 3-point range. Phoenix won by 15. The Pelicans can&rsquo;t afford discrepancies like that again and think this is going to Game 7.
&mdash;INJURY WATCH: Suns G Devin Booker (hamstring) remains out.
&mdash;PRESSURE IS ON: Phoenix. There&rsquo;s no way for the Pelicans to feel pressure in this series, after going 36-46 and needing two play-in wins just to get here. They&rsquo;re using house money right now, and the Suns can&rsquo;t risk a winner-take-all Game 7 against a team playing fast and loose.
MAVERICKS AT JAZZ
Dallas leads 3-2. Game 6, 10 p.m. EDT, TNT.
&mdash;NEED TO KNOW: The last time Dallas won a playoff series, David Stern handed Mark Cuban and Dirk Nowitzki the Larry O&rsquo;Brien Trophy. The Mavs have lost all six series they have played since winning the 2011 NBA title, but the seventh try might be the charm. Utah will try to overcome a 3-2 series deficit for the first time since the 2007 first round against Houston.
&mdash;KEEP AN EYE ON: Jazz G Donovan Mitchell. He&rsquo;s 3 for his last 30 from 3-point range, spanning the last 14 quarters. His nine points in Game 5 were a playoff career-low.
&mdash;INJURY WATCH: Mitchell&rsquo;s quads are bruised, but an MRI ruled out any hamstring issues.
&mdash;PRESSURE IS ON: Utah. It&rsquo;s not just because the Jazz face elimination. If they can&rsquo;t get out of this round, in a series where Mavs G Luka Doncic missed three games, it would be reasonable to think that big changes might be on the horizon.

There are three close-out situations for higher-seeded teams on the road in Game 6 on Thursday night.

Suns, 76ers, Mavericks all have chance for Game 6 closeouts

After everything the Brooklyn Nets went through this season, they still entered the playoffs with the third-best championship odds (+600), which is a testament to this team's talent on paper. However, though they were considered a favorite to hoist the Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy and boasted the NBA&rsquo;s second-highest payroll ($174,811,922), the Nets failed to win a single playoff game. &nbsp;
Multiple players blamed Brooklyn&rsquo;s lack of continuity. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving played just 17 games together this season after playing only 27 games together last year. Irving couldn&rsquo;t suit up in home games until late March due to New York City&rsquo;s vaccine mandate. A number of key contributors were acquired halfway through the campaign, including Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and Goran Dragic, making it even tougher for the team to get everyone on the same page.&nbsp;
Injuries also impacted the team&rsquo;s ability to play at full strength and develop chemistry, as Durant missed 27 games with a sprained MCL, Joe Harris suffered a season-ending ankle injury in November and Ben Simmons dealt with a herniated disc in his back after being traded to Brooklyn as the centerpiece of the James Harden blockbuster.
Now, after being swept by the Boston Celtics on Monday night, what&rsquo;s next for the Nets?
&ldquo;This summer is gonna be a very, very important summer for our organization,&rdquo; Durant said after the Game 4 loss. &ldquo;We'll see where we go next year."
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Durant is correct, as the Nets will be one of the most interesting teams to watch this offseason, and it&rsquo;s possible that their roster could look very different entering the 2022-23 season.
The Nets have only six players with guaranteed contracts for next season: Durant, Simmons, Harris, Curry, Cam Thomas and Day'Ron Sharpe. Brooklyn already has $144,555,667 in guaranteed money on their books for 2022-23. Next year&rsquo;s salary cap is projected to be $122 million and the luxury tax is expected to be $149 million, so they&rsquo;ll likely have one of the NBA&rsquo;s most expensive payrolls once again.
The Nets are already close to being a tax-paying team before factoring in any of their potential free agents such as Irving, Drummond, Dragic, Bruce Brown, Patty Mills, Nic Claxton, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kessler Edwards and David Duke Jr.&nbsp;
Irving has a player option worth $35,328,700. On Monday night, Irving was asked about his future and said, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really plan on going anywhere... There's no question where I'm going: I'm here with 7 (Durant)."
Either Irving will opt-in and cost quite a bit, or he&rsquo;ll opt-out and potentially cost even more if he signs a new, multi-year deal with the Nets.
Mills also has a player option, which is worth $6,184,500. He could opt-in, but it&rsquo;s also possible that the 33-year-old will prioritize his long-term security and try to ink a multi-year contract elsewhere. He's coming off a productive season, averaging 11.4 points, 2.8 threes and 2.3 assists while shooting 40.0% from three, so he will likely have other suitors.
Claxton and Duke will hit restricted free agency, assuming the Nets extend qualifying offers to both players ($2,228,276 for Claxton and $1,576,305 for Duke). Also, Edwards has a team option worth $1,563,518.
The rest of Brooklyn's players are unrestricted free agents including Brown, Drummond, Dragic, Aldridge, Griffin and Johnson.&nbsp;
Brown earned $4,736,102 this season, but he's going to get a significant raise after his career-year, averaging 9.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks on .506/.404/.758 shooting splits. He was one of the Nets' most dependable and versatile players all season long. He stepped up in the playoffs, averaging 14.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks on .568/.429/.800 shooting splits. This is a relatively weak free-agency class, so don&rsquo;t be surprised if some team makes a big offer to the 25-year-old.
When asked about the possibility of re-signing with the Nets, Brown responded, &ldquo;Yeah, hopefully. The season just ended. I&rsquo;m not thinking about it. If there's a chance to stay, we'll talk about it. But we'll see."&nbsp;
It remains to be seen if Drummond, Dragic, Aldridge and Griffin will return.&nbsp;
Drummond played well as the Nets' starting center, averaging 11.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 block and 0.9 steals (while shooting 61.0% from the field) in 22.3 minutes per game. When Drummond signed a one-year deal last offseason, it seemed like he wanted to showcase his value and then ink a larger contract this summer, so if he gets the kind of offer he&rsquo;s anticipating, he&rsquo;ll likely be too expensive for Brooklyn to retain.
In a shockingly candid moment back in March, Drummond <a href="https://twitter.com/krisplashed/status/1506663720931500046" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told reporters</a>: "If we're all being honest, I'm only here &lsquo;til the rest of the season. Who knows what&rsquo;s gonna happen in the offseason? So they need a guy like [Claxton].&rdquo;
Last season, the NBA world was outraged that a super-team like the Nets was able to add Griffin and Aldridge for nothing via the buyout market, putting them alongside their Big Three of Durant, Irving and Harden. At one point, Brooklyn&rsquo;s roster had a combined 41 All-Star appearances and 32 All-NBA selections. However, it didn't translate to postseason success. It remains to be seen if Griffin, Aldridge or Dragic will return. It&rsquo;s possible that Brooklyn will be able to attract other ring-chasing veterans to take their places.
After all, despite their first-round flameout, the Nets will once again enter next season as a top contender. If Simmons is able to return his All-NBA, Defensive-Player-of-the-Year-candidate form, it would be a huge addition that makes the Nets much scarier. And the more Durant and Irving play together, the more dangerous they&rsquo;ll become as a duo. Also, with Harris and Curry, the Nets will have two outstanding shooters to put around their Big Three. If this team is able to stay healthy and develop chemistry, Brooklyn has the talent to go on a deep postseason run.
Using the taxpayer mid-level exception and minimum deals, Brooklyn shouldn&rsquo;t have trouble surrounding its core with decent veterans.
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When asked specifically about who might be back and what the Nets need to add to their roster in order to contend, Durant shrugged.
"We just got done playing. You know I don't know the answer to that question right now,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;I don't know the situations with the contracts. I just don't know. Obviously when you lose in the playoffs, you&rsquo;re looking toward next year and who may be on the team, and there's a lot of high expectations around the Nets so people want to have some hope of what may happen in the future. But at this point, an hour after the game, it's hard for me to say.&rdquo;
Another avenue for the Nets to improve is through the 2022 NBA Draft, where they&rsquo;ll have the No. 23 overall pick via the Philadelphia 76ers. In <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's latest 2022 NBA Mock Draft</a>, Brooklyn is projected to take Jaden Hardy of the G League Ignite with its late-first-round selection.
The Nets can try to find a diamond-in-the-rough with that selection, or they can attempt to trade that pick for a win-now piece. Since the Nets will be above the luxury tax and the rookie will be a relatively cheap contributor, it may make sense to keep the pick. Remember, this year&rsquo;s roster featured four rookies: Thomas, Sharpe, Edwards and Duke.
In recent years, players such as OG Anunoby, Darius Bazley and Rodney Hood have been selected at No. 23 overall. Other notable players drafted at that spot include Tayshaun Prince, A.C. Green, Wesley Person, Wilson Chandler, Bobby Jackson, Trevor Booker, DeShawn Stevenson and Tyronn Lue.
While the roster could look very different, don&rsquo;t expect the Nets to make a coaching change. Steve Nash expressed that he hopes to return as the team&rsquo;s head coach, and Durant got annoyed and shot down a question about whether Nash is still the right coach to lead the Nets.
&nbsp;&ldquo;Come on, man. Yeah,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;Steve has been dealt a crazy hand the last three years. He&rsquo;s had to deal with so much stuff as a first-time head coach &mdash; trades, injuries, COVID, just a lot of stuff he had to deal with. I&rsquo;m proud of how he just focused and of his passion for us. We'll all continue developing over the summer and see what happens.&rdquo;
Durant did express that he wants to have some input over this offseason&rsquo;s personnel decisions.
&ldquo;Yeah, of course! I want to know who I'm playing with out on the floor. I want to know what we're thinking,&rdquo; Durant said. &ldquo;[Nets general manager] Sean [Marks] and the front office, we all just talk basketball regardless because we all enjoy basketball; sometimes our team may come up and what we need and what I see from a player&rsquo;s perspective. We always have conversations and that&rsquo;s what makes great organizations.&rdquo;
Irving made it clear that he wants to be involved in &ldquo;managing this franchise&rdquo; as well.
&ldquo;When I say I&rsquo;m here with Kev, it really entails us managing this franchise together alongside [Nets governor] Joe [Tsai], Sean and our group of family members that we have in our locker room and organization,&rdquo; Irving said.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just about me and Kev. We're cornerstones here, but we have Ben and a few other guys who are under contract [too]. I think we've just gotta make some moves this offseason and really talk about it and really be intentional about what we&rsquo;re building, and have some fun with it and make it enjoyable.&rdquo;
After a disappointing season, all eyes will be on the Nets to see how their decision-makers attempt to right the ship.
If the last year has been any indication, there won&rsquo;t be a dull moment.&nbsp;
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After getting swept by the Celtics, the Nets are poised for a very interesting offseason. What's next for the team?

2022 NBA offseason preview: What's next for the Brooklyn Nets?

At around 6:00 pm on Sunday, June 30, 2019, word began to spread that free agents Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving had decided to team up and join forces in Brooklyn. It was hailed as one of the most important and impactful days in the history of the Nets as a franchise.
Despite the fact that KD was recovering from an Achilles tear, expectations in Brooklyn were sky-high. Euphoric Nets fans were incredibly optimistic, dreaming of the imminent success this dynamic duo would enjoy.&nbsp;
Yet, with both KD and Kyrie sidelined by injury during the 2020 postseason, Brooklyn was swept out of the playoffs by the Toronto Raptors that first year.
Nevertheless, expectations ratcheted up even further once Nets fans watched Durant return fully healthy in 2020-21. And that optimism reached a fever pitch when the team added a third future Hall-of-Famer, James Harden, in mid-January 2021.
However, Kyrie injured his ankle in Game 4 of the Nets' second-round series vs. the Milwaukee Bucks last postseason, and Harden was nursing a hamstring injury that prevented him from playing at full strength. KD put the team on his back and played brilliantly, but the Nets eventually lost Game 7 at home to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the eventual NBA champions.
Still, the team and its fan base were incredibly hopeful heading into the 2021-22 campaign. And for good reason, as KD, Kyrie and Harden were all healthy. Brooklynites were convinced this would be the year their team would advance to the Finals and capture the Larry O'Brien trophy, and sportsbooks in Las Vegas agreed with them, installing the Nets as the heavy preseason favorite to win the NBA title.
Things got off to a rocky start.
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Irving decided to reject the advice of medical experts and refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19. As a result, due to New York City vaccine mandates, Irving could not play in home games. Consequently, in early October, Nets general manager Sean Marks and team owner Joe Tsai informed Irving that he couldn't rejoin the team &mdash; for games or practices &mdash; until he was vaccinated.
"He has a choice to make, and he made his choice," Marks stated. "My job here is to make what we deem as the best choices for the organization moving ahead as a whole... We're looking at putting a group of people that are going to be able to participate fully. That's what this comes down to, and we're not looking for partners that are going to be half-time."&nbsp;
In November, Tsai told the New York Post: "Kyrie talks about it as a sort of personal choice issue, which I respect. But we all need to not forget our goal. A championship team needs to have everybody pulling the same direction."
Even without Irving, the Nets got off to a strong start, winning 21 of their first 29 games. Durant was playing at an MVP level over the first two months of the season, averaging 29.7 points (on 52% shooting), 7.9 rebounds and 5.9 rebounds. Brooklyn had the best record in the Eastern Conference through the first 30 games of the 2021-22 campaign.&nbsp;
However, in mid-December, a COVID outbreak decimated the Nets' depth. Durant, Harden De'Andre Bembry, Bruce Brown, Jevon Carter, LaMarcus Aldridge, James Johnson and Paul Millsap were all placed in health and safety protocols. Unnerved, the Nets front office relented and decided to welcome Irving back to the team.
With KD, Kyrie and Harden reunited, NBA pundits and oddsmakers once again predicted Brooklyn's immense collection of talent would carry them to a title.&nbsp;
However, the Nets' Big Three never seemed to get on the same page. In a Jan. 15 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, Durant sprained the MCL in his left knee. The injury would sideline KD for six weeks. By late January, rumors began to surface that Harden was fed up with the circus-like atmosphere and wanted out of Brooklyn.&nbsp;
On Feb. 2, Brooklyn was beaten badly by the lowly Sacramento Kings, and Harden's effort (or lack thereof) was appalling. In what would be his final appearance in a Nets uniform, The Beard finished with 4 points on 2 of 12 shooting.&nbsp;
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On the day of the trade deadline, Brooklyn shipped Harden to the Sixers in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks.
Following the blockbuster deal, the Nets remained the consensus favorites to win the 2022 NBA title. Caesars Sportsbook elected to keep the Nets' odds at 4-1 after the trade, ahead of the Golden State Warriors (9-2), Phoenix Suns (5-1) and Bucks (7-1).
In his introductory press conference with Brooklyn, Simmons said he was looking forward to returning to action.
"I feel physically pretty good," Simmons told reporters. "Mentally, I'm getting there, so it's an ongoing thing to stay on top of that. But I think I'm heading in the right direction."
As we now know, Simmons would not set foot on an NBA court all season. Drummond, who provided much-needed rebounding help for Brooklyn early on, was essentially unplayable by the time the playoffs arrived (he logged less than 4 minutes of action in the Nets' season-ending loss Monday night).
Once Durant returned from his knee injury, Brooklyn got back on track and went 6-1 over a seven-game span in mid-March. Kyrie hung 50 on the Hornets in Charlotte on March 8. KD poured in a season-high 53 points in Brooklyn's victory over the New York Knicks on March 13. Two nights later, Irving scored a franchise-record 60 points in a blowout win over the Orlando Magic.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Irving and Durant became the first pair of teammates in NBA history to score 50 points in consecutive games. KD and Kyrie are also just the second duo to record multiple 50-point games in a season, joining Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, who accomplished the feat for the 1961-62 Los Angeles Lakers.
Then, in late March, New York mayor Eric Adams altered the city's vaccine mandate, clearing the way for Irving to play in home games. Adams, who initially stated that "it would send the wrong message" to give Irving an exemption when the city's other employees were still subject to the same mandate, said the revised decision was "about putting New York city-based performers on a level playing field."
Thus, the Nets would enter the postseason with their two top guns available (and Irving fresh/well-rested after being a part-time player for most of the season).
Yet, as it turned out, the disjointed Nets were no match for a unified Celtics team that had spent the past three months building its chemistry on both ends of the court.
Boston swept Brooklyn out of the playoffs, effectively locking up both Kyrie and KD.
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Durant played well in Game 4, but disappeared in Game 3 on Saturday night. KD was shockingly passive the entire evening, finishing the must-win contest with just 16 points on 6 of 11 shooting; his lack of aggression and intensity was stunning. In that contest, the most important game of the Nets season, Durant &mdash; a four-time scoring champion and two-time Finals MVP &mdash; finished with 10 fewer points and 8 fewer field-goal attempts than Brown.&nbsp;
Incredibly, over Game 2 and Game 3 combined, Brown scored more points (49) and grabbed more rebounds (16) than both Durant (43 points/12 boards) and Irving (26 points/12 boards).
Irving closed out his season averaging 15.3 points while shooting just 37.2% from the floor and 18.2% from three-point territory over the final three games of the series.
Being swept out of the playoffs in the first round would have been considered almost unimaginable at the start of the season, or really at any point over the past 12 months, assuming KD and Kyrie were both healthy.&nbsp;
In fact, SportsBetting.ag confirmed to BasketballNews.com that the Nets are the first NBA team ever to enter a season as the favorite to win a title, yet fail to win a single playoff game.&nbsp;
It's not hyperbole to suggest that the 2021-22 Brooklyn Nets will go down as arguably the most disappointing team in the history of the National Basketball Association.
That's not the all-time legacy Brooklynites were anticipating this squad would be remembered for. Dating back to the 2021 postseason, the Nets are 1-8 in their last last nine playoff games...
The unforgettable Sunday afternoon in June 2019, when Durant and Irving revealed they were teaming up, was 1,030 days ago.
Imagine telling enthusiastic Nets fans back then that KD, Kyrie and company would win only one playoff series (and a grand total of seven playoff games) over the subsequent three seasons.&nbsp;
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Tommy Beer reviews the Nets' latest playoff shortcoming and how they haven't gotten it done since Kyrie Irving and KD joined forces.

The 2021-22 Nets: Arguably the most disappointing team in NBA history

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are struggling against Boston, and Ben Simmons won't be available to help them Monday night with the Brooklyn Nets' season on the brink.
His former teammate plans to play on, though. Joel Embiid is determined to stay in Philadelphia's lineup, no matter how much pain he has in his right thumb.
Now 2 1/2 months after their blockbuster trade, the Nets and 76ers are in decidedly different places. The 76ers can move into the second round with a victory in Game 5 against Toronto, while the Nets will be trying to avoid a sweep when they host the Celtics.
The idea of four straight losses in the first round seemed unimaginable before the season, when the Nets were an NBA Finals favorite with Durant, Irving and James Harden. But Irving didn't play at all to begin the season and then only on the road for most of it because he is not vaccinated against the coronavirus, making him ineligible in New York City. Then Harden was dealt to Philadelphia in a swap for Simmons at the trade deadline and Brooklyn never met those expectations.
Now even Durant doesn't look as expected. Boston had him second-guessing himself after he took only 11 shots Saturday in a 109-103 loss. Irving was 6 for 17, missing all seven 3-pointers, and the only people who don't seem surprised are the Celtics.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going exactly how we expected for the most part, just because we believe in ourselves more than anything,&rdquo; Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart said. &ldquo;We knew the task coming in was high against a really good team with two of the best players to ever do this. So for us, we also knew that our defense had the potential to do our best on those guys because of our length, our size and the way we play defense together.&rdquo;
Simmons hasn't played at all this season, sidelined by a herniated disk in his back after coming to Brooklyn, and was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-steve-nash-1bc623409719d0c145880d7e507ff1d5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled out of Game 4</a> after hoping to play during the series. Unable to play their best players on the floor often enough, the Nets don't have the chemistry of a Celtics team that started slowly but has kept getting better as the season went on.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re all just trying to jell,&rdquo; Irving said, &ldquo;and usually you&rsquo;re jelling around the right time and that team in the other locker room is jelling at the right time. They&rsquo;ve been jelling since Christmas.
"So for us, we&rsquo;re just in a new experience as a group and we&rsquo;ve just got to respect that and just bring everything we can to this next game and just do one possession at a time. I don&rsquo;t want to be too clich&eacute;, but I don&rsquo;t have a lot of answers for how you make up time from October until now when usually teams would be jelling and things would be feeling good.&rdquo;
Embiid's thumb isn't feeling good after he hurt it in Game 3. He acknowledged being in pain when the 76ers dropped Game 4 on Saturday but will try to ignore it.
&ldquo;Like I always say, when I go out there I&rsquo;m not really worried about whatever that can happen,&rdquo; Embiid said. &ldquo;I just want to focus on whatever I can focus.&rdquo;
Monday&rsquo;s games:
CELTICS AT NETS
Boston leads 3-0. Game 3, 7 p.m. EDT, TNT
&mdash;NEED TO KNOW: Durant had five more turnovers in Game 3 and has committed 17 thus far in the series.
&mdash;KEEP AN EYE ON: Jaylen Brown. He was 6 for 9 in the second half Saturday and the Nets don't have a good matchup for the guard if he comes out aggressively.
&mdash;INJURY WATCH: Celtics center Robert Williams came through well after returning from a nearly month-long absence with torn cartilage in his left knee Saturday. He played about 16 minutes and coach Ime Udoka said he probably could have gone more. He was no longer listed on the injury report for Game 4.
&mdash;PRESSURE IS ON: Durant and Irving, just as it's been the entire series. If they struggle the way they have in the last 1 1/2 games, the offseason probably begins Tuesday in Brooklyn.
76ERS AT RAPTORS
Philadelphia leads 3-1. Game 5, 8 p.m. EDT, NBA TV
&mdash;NEED TO KNOW: The 76ers won their two home games easily to begin the series, with a 131-111 victory in Game 1 followed by a 112-97 rout in Game 2.
&mdash;KEEP AN EYE ON: Embiid. The NBA's leading scorer was only 7 for 16 in Game 4 and shooting could be a struggle if he is limited much by the thumb.
&mdash;INJURY WATCH: Toronto All-Star guard Fred VanVleet was limited to just 15 minutes in Game 4 because of a strained left hip and is listed as questionable. But Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes had six points and 11 rebounds off the bench after missing two games with a sprained ankle.
&mdash;PRESSURE IS ON: Harden. Knowing Embiid is battling an injury, the 76ers could be in trouble if Harden can't do much better than the 5 for 17 he shot Saturday.
JAZZ AT MAVERICKS
Series tied 2-2. Game 5, 9:30 p.m. EDT, TNT
&mdash;NEED TO KNOW: The Jazz evened things up with a 100-99 victory on Saturday after the Mavericks had won the previous two games.
&mdash;KEEP AN EYE ON: Rudy Gobert. His go-ahead dunk on a lob from Donovan Mitchell with 11 seconds left in Game 4 capped a game in which the Jazz center was more involved in the offense that he had been previously in the series. Gobert took a series-high eight shots, finishing with 17 points and 15 rebounds.
&mdash;INJURY WATCH: Luka Doncic seemed fine in Game 4 after missing the first three games with a strained left calf. The All-Star guard had 30 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes.
&mdash;PRESSURE IS ON: Spencer Dinwiddie. After averaging 19.7 points as a starter the first three games, the Mavericks guard managed just five off the bench Saturday after Doncic returned. He needs to impact the game more, especially since the Jazz know they can count on Jordan Clarkson to come off their bench and do so.

On Monday night, there are three NBA playoff games. Here's a preview of the slate.

As Nets try to hang on vs. Celtics, Embiid and 76ers can move on

Pascal Siakam scored 15 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, Gary Trent Jr. added 24 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 110-102 Saturday to avoid a four-game sweep in their first round playoff series.
Game 5 is Monday night in Philadelphia.
No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win an NBA playoff series. Fans briefly chanted &ldquo;Raps in seven&rdquo; after both coaches emptied their benches in the final minutes.
Philadelphia&rsquo;s Joel Embiid started despite a right thumb injury that required him to wear a brace. He was seen shaking his hand in pain several times, occasionally doubling over as he held the area.
Embiid shot 3 for 10 in the first half. He finished 7 for 16 and scored 21 points in 39 minutes.
Before Saturday&rsquo;s game, 76ers coach Doc Rivers said Embiid is expected to undergo an MRI. The team has &ldquo;concern&rdquo; about Embiid&rsquo;s injury, Rivers said, but don&rsquo;t believe it can get worse by playing.
Thaddeus Young scored 13 points, OG Anunoby had 10, and newly crowned NBA Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes had six points and 11 rebounds off the bench as Toronto overcame an injury to All-Star guard Fred VanVleet to stave off elimination.
After being called for a foul with 4:57 to go in the second quarter, VanVleet ripped his jersey apart in frustration and walked off the court to the locker room because of a strained left hip. VanVleet shot 2 for 6 and scored five points in 15 minutes.
Tobias Harris had 15 points and 11 rebounds and James Harden scored 22 points for the 76ers.
After being held scoreless in the second half of Toronto&rsquo;s Game 3 loss, Siakam shot 10 for 19 and went 13 for 15 at the free throw line.
For the first time in the series, the Raptors shot more free throws than the 76ers. Toronto went 28 for 35 at the line, while Philadelphia was 21 for 25.
Philadelphia called timeout with 9:10 left in the fourth quarter after Young&rsquo;s steal on Embiid&rsquo;s wayward pass led to a driving basket for Achiuwa, giving Toronto an 88-81 lead.
Harden&rsquo;s layup with 8:20 to go made it 90-85, but Toronto scored the next six points, all at the free throw line. Embiid stopped the run by making a pair at the line, but Anunoby&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 3:44 to go in the fourth gave the Raptors a 99-87 edge.
Ahead of tipoff, the NBA announced that Toronto&rsquo;s Barnes had won the Rookie of the Year award, edging out Cleveland&rsquo;s Evan Mobley. The difference of 15 points was the smallest margin in the rookie category under the current voting format that began with the 2002-03 season.
Barnes left Game 1 of the series after spraining his left ankle and hadn&rsquo;t played since, but came off the bench midway through the first quarter Saturday.
Barnes needed treatment after falling down on defense early in the second, but remained in the game.
Embiid missed all five shots he took in the first quarter, including one from 3-point range.His only point in the opening period came when made one of two free throws.
Siakam scored 10 points in the first but the Raptors shot 2 for 9 from distance. The game was tied 24-24 after one.
Trent scored 12 points in the second and Young had eight as Toronto led 54-49 at the half.
Embiid shot 4 for 5 and scored eight points in the third but the Raptors took an 80-77 lead to the fourth.
TIP-INS
76ers: Harden had nine assists. &hellip; Tyrese Maxey shot 4 for 12 and finished with 11 points. &hellip; Embiid was called for a technical foul in the fourth quarter.
Raptors: Siakam had eight rebounds. &hellip; Young had five rebounds and five assists. &hellip; Canadian singer Avril Larvigne attended the game.
UP NEXT
The 76ers host Game 5 on Monday night.

Pascal Siakam scored 15 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, Gary Trent Jr. added 24 points and the Raptors beat the 76ers 110-102.

Siakam scores 34 as Raptors avoid sweep, beat 76ers 110-102

It hasn&rsquo;t even been a week since the playoffs began, and we&rsquo;ve already seen some amazing basketball and game-winning shots. Joel Embiid buried the Raptors on Wednesday, and Jayson Tatum himself scored a buzzer-beating layup against the Nets last Sunday.
We&rsquo;ve seen some crazy individual performances and some dramatic finishes. We&rsquo;ve even seen some of the younger teams out there like the Memphis Grizzlies show that they can take a few punches, but recover.
One thing we haven&rsquo;t seen, though, is what I would call a rivalry. It&rsquo;s something I found myself thinking about while watching the Celtics beat Brooklyn in Game 2.
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I&rsquo;ve heard different people question whether Brooklyn and Boston are becoming rivals and whether this can be the beginning of a rivalry, and sad to say, I just don&rsquo;t see it. There&rsquo;s definitely an interesting storyline and connection between the two teams, but rivals?
Sad to say, I don&rsquo;t really think there&rsquo;s real rivalries in the NBA anymore. And I really don&rsquo;t think they&rsquo;ll ever come back.
To have a rivalry, I think you need a few different things.
The first, and most important, is the same set of core players, at least five or six. The second is that the teams have to actually be good enough to be some of the last ones standing when it&rsquo;s all said and done; there has to be something bigger than a division title at stake for the players to really be emotionally invested.
And the third is that the teams have to actually play each other often. When I was an assistant coach on the Cavs &mdash; even though we played the Warriors in the Finals four years in a row &mdash; we didn&rsquo;t really consider them our &ldquo;rival,&rdquo; because we just didn&rsquo;t really see them and play them enough. It just so happened that when we did, it was for the championship.
The main thing preventing us from seeing real rivalries develop in today&rsquo;s game is player movement. There&rsquo;s nothing wrong with players moving around and picking their own paths, but we all know that back in the 1980s and 1990s, it was just different. It was &ldquo;a business&rdquo; back then too, but guys made their teams their homes. It&rsquo;s really not like that anymore.
More and more, we see players today signing three- and four-year deals. By the time you blink, guys are free agents and moving on to new teams. Gordon Hayward signed with the Celtics and it seemed like he was gone before you knew it. I remember the days when guys used to get seven-year deals. Shoot, Magic Johnson signed a 10-year deal with the Lakers back in the day.
And that&rsquo;s just it... &ldquo;Back in the day.&rdquo;
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If anything, the rivalries we see in the NBA today are more between a player and a certain team or between two or three players &mdash; and that&rsquo;s not really the same thing.
I found myself having these thoughts during the Nets-Celtics series mainly because, as fun as it is to see these teams go at it, I don&rsquo;t really think they&rsquo;re going to get to that level. It&rsquo;s only the first round of the playoffs.
When I think of rivalries, I think of Shaq and Kobe vs. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. I think of Michael and Scottie against Patrick Ewing and the Knicks, Isiah and the Pistons vs. Jordan and the Bulls. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, and of course, the classic Lakers and Celtics battles.
What those rivalries all had in common was continuity, and it&rsquo;s missing from the league in today&rsquo;s day and age. Think about it, pretty much all of the biggest stars in the league (except Steph Curry and Giannis) have been on more than one team. LeBron, Durant, Kawhi, Paul George, Russell Westbrook and James Harden have all even switched conferences.
Because of that, we haven&rsquo;t really gotten the same opportunity we once did to see teams grow into contenders, and to be standing in one another&rsquo;s way like we once did. It probably won&rsquo;t happen much more in the NBA, and I definitely don&rsquo;t really see that happening with Brooklyn and Boston.
As far as the Celtics and Nets are concerned, Durant is 33 years old and Kyrie is 30. I don&rsquo;t really look at Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as their rivals, I more so look at them as the young, up-and-coming team that&rsquo;s trying to show the older generation that it&rsquo;s their time to take over. Ben Simmons gives the Nets some youth, and maybe he can prolong their championship window, but I don&rsquo;t see these two teams battling it out at the top of the Eastern Conference for a chance to go to the Finals year after year.
In today&rsquo;s game, we tend to focus more so on individual players and their individual storylines, and it makes sense since, like I said, guys seem to switch teams so much more.
If anything, what we have seen more of are mini-rivalries on an individual level. And even those were just mini-rivalries.
When LeBron was in Cleveland the first go-round and then Miami, you could have said he had a mini-rivalry with Paul Pierce and KG, I guess. You could probably make the same argument for Chris Paul and Steph Curry in the Western Conference too. Before them, maybe Steve Nash in Phoenix and Dirk in Dallas and Tim Duncan in San Antonio? They definitely had some fierce battles.
But compared to some of the classic rivalries we&rsquo;ve seen, and what I came up watching, none of today&rsquo;s &ldquo;rivalries&rdquo; really compare.
That said, the league today is still in great hands. We&rsquo;re seeing the game played at maybe the highest level ever, and there are so many individual storylines; it&rsquo;s impossible to not get invested.
But things are just different now. Players are quicker to move on and even those who give us those fierce battles are friendlier with their competitors than they were back in the day.
I&rsquo;m not mad at it, it&rsquo;s just a fact. And when I saw Boston take Game 2 from Brooklyn on Wednesday night, I saw a lot of things. Unfortunately, though, I didn&rsquo;t necessarily see a rivalry in the making.
And I&rsquo;m not sure when I will again.
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James Posey shares his thoughts on the current NBA Playoffs and what makes a real rivalry.

Sad but true: In the NBA, playoff rivalries may be a thing of the past

The last time Ben Simmons appeared in an NBA game was June 20, 2021.&nbsp;
It was Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, which the Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Atlanta Hawks, 103-96. Simmons contributed 5 points, 13 assists, 8 rebounds and a steal, but the most memorable play occurred with 3:30 left in the fourth quarter when he passed up a wide-open layup. The loss ultimately led to the Simmons saga, which culminated in a trade to the Brooklyn Nets. 
Simmons has yet to suit up for the Nets, but that may change very soon. ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/woj-ben-simmons-targets-first-rounds-game-4-to-be-his-nets-debut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that Simmons is targeting Game 4 against the Boston Celtics to make his season debut. The 25-year-old has been dealing with a herniated disc in his back, but he's made progress this week.
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Based on Ben Simmons&rsquo; progress in practices this week &ndash; and the anticipation of him further accelerating in the coming days &ndash; Game 4 vs. Boston on Monday is looming as a realistic target for his Brooklyn debut, sources tell ESPN.
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1516830553160527889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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If Simmons does get cleared, does it even make sense for Brooklyn to play him against Boston? Do the risks outweigh the rewards? We asked our BasketballNews.com writers to weigh in:
Mark Schindler: I'd probably lean toward not playing Ben. I understand the impact he&nbsp;could have, but the precedent of bringing players who haven't logged a regular-season minute into the middle of a playoff series makes me lean "no." I don't think it's as simple as, &ldquo;Well, he could just play 15-to-30 minutes&rdquo; because he needs rhythm. The players in the rotation already have a rhythm, and even then, it's still being sorted out. Brooklyn&rsquo;s rotation has been in flux and has varied all year, and it finally feels close to right. Given that, as well as Ben&rsquo;s injury timeline, it's murky for me.
Nekias Duncan: The Nets could use Simmons, particularly on the defensive end. They currently don't have a forward-sized player aside from Kevin Durant who is completely trustworthy. Considering the role Simmons would have to play on both ends, I don't think it'd be a crazy adjustment period for him. Defend, push after misses, execute some handoffs and hang around <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the dunker spot</a> otherwise.
Alex Kennedy:&nbsp;This is complicated. Simmons has been sidelined for nearly a year, so he's going to be rusty. It also seems unlikely that he'll be 100% healthy. A few weeks ago, Simmons needed an epidural because his herniated disc was causing him so much pain. Also, he hasn't played with any of these current Brooklyn players (aside from 49 games alongside Seth Curry in Philadelphia). He'll be trying to learn a new system, a new role and new teammates' tendencies on the fly; meanwhile, the other players will be trying to adjust to Simmons and the new rotation. If that wasn't tough enough, Simmons also has dealt with confidence issues and has struggled in high-pressure moments. This isn't throwing him into the deep end; it's tossing him into the Mariana Trench. I understand the temptation to play him since he's a Defensive Player of the Year runner-up, and the Nets had the NBA's 15th-ranked defense this season (third-worst among the East playoff teams). There's no question that he'd help on that end, especially against Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Still, I lean toward sitting him and focusing on next season. Playing him is the high-risk, high-reward move, but it feels like that could blow up in the team's face.&nbsp;
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Sharon Brown: I would play him in limited sets. Simmons' role with the Nets is different than it was with the Sixers. Defense comes naturally to him. He will be able to get rebounds, alter passing lanes, block shots and more. All the Nets need him to do is play defense and pass the ball to either Kyrie or KD. I don't see how that can hurt the Nets.
Bryan Fonseca: F**k no! You're really going to take a guy who had that playoff experience last year and &mdash; fresh off a back injury and alleged mental-health issues &mdash; just throw him into this series? How does that make sense? Can he help from a basketball standpoint on the floor? Sure. That's why Brooklyn made the trade, isn't it? And maybe the Nets are confident in how they've gotten him ready, his progress, their culture and things of that nature. Cool. But to throw him back in there after a year off, after the conclusion to last season and after all that's unfolded since, I'm not sure what sense this makes. Perhaps he's mentally and physically ready, but it feels like a desperate-times-call-for-desperate-measures move.
Spencer Davies: Despite having the luxury of an All-NBA defender and All-Star-caliber threat in the open floor, it'd be wise for the Brooklyn Nets to ease Ben Simmons back into competition. If that means he plays 10 total minutes in short, separated stints, so be it. He'd likely be tasked with roaming off the ball on defense and trying to create pick-sixes, in addition to containing Jayson Tatum and/or Jaylen Brown directly. There's always an inherent risk with debuting a player who hasn't played with your team in a playoff setting, particularly one where you could be experimenting in a situation that needs to be concrete (pending the series score). Still, there's always room for a playmaking, athletic, rangy weapon in the postseason, no matter how little Simmons is out there.
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Moke Hamilton: I&rsquo;m torn on this. I argued that the Nets <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/at-some-point-nets-may-be-wise-to-rule-ben-simmons-out-for-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">should shut Simmons down</a>, but I also recognize that Kevin Durant is no spring chicken. He and Kyrie don&rsquo;t necessarily have all the time in the world to bring a championship to Brooklyn, so you figure Simmons can help while they&rsquo;re both playing at a high level. Why not, right? At the end of the day, if you&rsquo;re Sean Marks, you have to trust your medical staff. If I&rsquo;m Brooklyn, I&rsquo;d let him run if everyone thought he was good to go. My major concern is that after a one-year layoff, coming back in the playoffs &mdash; especially against a team like Boston &mdash; is going from zero-to-100 pretty quickly. And let&rsquo;s keep in mind, medical staffs can be wrong. The Warriors probably didn&rsquo;t think Durant could do further damage to his &ldquo;calf strain&rdquo; by returning against Toronto in the 2019 NBA Finals. Wrong they were, obviously. I&rsquo;d let Simmons play, but I would slowly ramp him up. I also wouldn&rsquo;t be expecting him to be as effective as usual. At that point, you&rsquo;d have to wonder if he&rsquo;d even be a net-plus over the guy whose minutes he&rsquo;d be taking (Bruce Brown, in most instances)&hellip; But that&rsquo;s Steve Nash&rsquo;s problem.
Ethan Fuller: I don't think a mid-playoff-series toss into the teeth of the Celtics' defense is going to get Ben Simmons feeling confident and in rhythm after nearly a year on the sidelines. The Nets have already faced trials of team chemistry with the James Harden trade and Kyrie Irving&rsquo;s return to full-time play. Now they want to roll out Simmons and further disrupt a rotation that's finding its footing? Simmons is an All-World defender, and maybe that's what the Nets will need if they face elimination. But until then, I just can't logically picture him instantly clicking with the high stakes of the postseason.
Tommy Beer: I understand the hesitancy to introduce a new player into a heavily competitive series when he clearly hasn&rsquo;t had enough time to practice with his new teammates. However, I think throwing Ben Simmons into the mix is worth the gamble for Brooklyn, primarily because of the significant contributions he can make on the defensive end. Keep in mind, Simmons was named to the All-Defensive First Team for a second consecutive season in 2020-21 and was one of just two unanimous selections (along with Rudy Gobert). The Nets will need quality defenders if they hope to slow down a Celtics squad featuring Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Also, Simmons brings incredible versatility to the table. He is one of the very few players in the league capable of covering quick point guards (like Marcus Smart) as well as burly power forwards (like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/appreciating-a-brilliant-showing-from-al-horford" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Al Horford</a>). While the downside is obvious (expect Boston to send Simmons to the free-throw line early and often), the pros outweigh the cons for Brooklyn.
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Jesse Blancarte: I am guessing that most people think the Brooklyn Nets should not play Ben Simmons this postseason. I understand the arguments. He has not played in a long time. He has struggled mightily in past postseasons. His shooting is a problem. He is playing on a new team and will have to try and fit into their offensive and defensive systems on the fly. He could become a distraction if he clams up and the collective focus turns to his struggles like it did in Philadelphia. I still think the Nets should integrate Simmons immediately if he is healthy. Assuming Simmons is healthy, he is one of the most versatile defenders in the league. He has the length, mobility and strength to defend guards and forwards and can jump passing lanes to create easy fastbreak opportunities. Integrating him on offense will be more complicated, but a progressive ramp-up could pay off down the road, assuming the Nets can advance past the Boston Celtics (which is not a certainty at this point). If he doesn&rsquo;t look healthy, or if he is struggling, then bench him or scale back his minutes. But considering his skillset, his playmaking ability and the fact that he has Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to distribute the ball to, I think there is too much upside to not give him a chance. Without him, the Nets are viable contenders, but if Simmons is activated and plays well, the Nets could become the favorite to win it all.
Justin Lewis: The Nets clearly need a body to throw at Jayson Tatum and another playmaker to take some pressure off of Kyrie and KD. They don't need Simmons to score a single point. His defensive prowess and ability to start a fastbreak and make plays for his teammates are valuable enough to throw him out there despite the rust.
Drew Maresca: Simmons is a risky play at best. Back injuries are fickle, and proceeding without sufficient time to gauge how well he responds to contact is dangerous. Simmons may have caught a break in that he avoided surgery. Why tempt fate? If his back is re-injured in any way, surgery is all but guaranteed, and that would result in additional complications. As much as Brooklyn and its fans are dying to push their chips to the center of the table, I'd proceed with caution.
Matt John: There are just so many unknowns surrounding what Ben Simmons could do for the Nets. He hasn't played all season and he's playing for a new team that will put him in a different role from what he was accustomed to in Philadelphia. Simmons could be a game-changer for Brooklyn, but that remains in the abstract until further notice. He's a great passer, but he's not going to have the ball too much playing next to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. He's a great defender, but there's only so much ground he can cover for a sub-par defensive team like the Nets. Right now, Brooklyn's problem is that they need guys who can help them on both ends of the floor outside of KD and Kyrie. Defensively, Simmons helps them immensely. Offensively, he may pose spacing problems. On paper, Simmons should help slow down Jayson Tatum, but since he's coming off a back injury, there's no telling if he's physically capable of covering one of the league's best players. If he comes back, he won't be eased in because the Nets will be throwing him to the wolves. If he thinks he's ready, he'll have to prove it right away.
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Ben Simmons is hoping to make his season debut in Game 4 against the Celtics. Should the Nets to play him? Our writers weigh in.

NBA Roundtable: Should the Brooklyn Nets play Ben Simmons right now?

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; For most of the season, the spotlight was on everyone except the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
That was until Boston and new coach Ime Udoka put things together down the stretch with a brand built on defense, buoyed by All-Star Jayson Tatum&rsquo;s nightly scoring punch.
It was the blend needed to ignite a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-boston-celtics-nba-sports-boston-e61d397df9a25728d0008ee874bdafd7">post-All-Star break surge</a> that took the Celtics from 11th place in the conference to the No. 2 seed. With it came a change in perception that suddenly has them garnering attention as a championship contender.
But after having their foundation shaken by a knee injury to big man Robert Williams III, the Celtics&rsquo; reward is a first-round matchup with a seventh-seeded Brooklyn Nets team that also suddenly looks capable of realizing its potential. Its James Harden failed experiment is over, and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-covid-nba-health-sports-cd006e842e2b82c9c81441cacf4e856d">Kyrie Irving's a full-time player again,</a> sharing the scoring load with Kevin Durant.
It&rsquo;s a challenge the Celtics are ready for.
&ldquo;Everybody knows the talent that they have and that it&rsquo;s not a traditional seventh-seed team,&rdquo; Tatum said. &ldquo;They had some ups and down this year but for the most part got their full team and they&rsquo;re really good. Well-coached. Some great players. I&rsquo;m just looking forward to it.&rdquo;
While Tatum has taken his scoring to elite levels, notching 40 or more points five times during the regular season, including a season-high 54-point performance in their most recent matchup with Brooklyn last month, Durant and Irving have sparkled, too.
In the 17 games they&rsquo;ve played together this season, Brooklyn is 11-6. In those games Irving is averaging 27.8 points and 5.8 assists, with Durant averaging 29.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.5 assists.
Still, Udoka dismissed the idea that the Celtics should be considered an underdog in the series.
&ldquo;We know who we are and who we&rsquo;ve been over the past few months,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The focus toward the end of the season was worrying about health and ourselves more than the opponent. And that&rsquo;s how we approached it.&rdquo;
The Celtics' defensive (111.1) and offensive ratings (124.0) were the best in the NBA after the All-Star break. They are just 11-10 without Williams, but trying to avoid Brooklyn was never a consideration.
&ldquo;We weren&rsquo;t running from anybody, we were worrying about ourselves the whole time,&rdquo; Udoka said. &ldquo;In order to win you have to win against really good teams at some point.&rdquo;
The seeds were reversed when these teams matched up in the first round of the playoffs last season. Led by Durant, Irving and Harden, the Nets took the series 4-1, overpowering a Celtics team that didn't have Jaylen Brown after a late-season hand injury.
Irving has a lot of respect for what the the Celtics have built since he departed Boston after an at-times tumultuous two seasons.
&ldquo;I think this is the best part of the story that could be written. We go against Boston and have a chance to redeem ourselves,&rdquo; Irving said. &ldquo;They have a healthy team. We have a healthy team. Now we get to see who&rsquo;s the better squad. It&rsquo;s exciting because we know each other really well.&rdquo;
BRING IT ON
Brooklyn&rsquo;s Bruce Brown made headlines when he told reporters he thinks the Nets can attack Al Horford and Daniel Theis at the rim, noting that the Celtics have &ldquo;less of a paint presence&rdquo; without Williams.
Udoka said he thinks they can fill in the gaps just fine.
&ldquo;We have layers to our defense, it&rsquo;s not like we get blown by and Rob is protecting,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We still have Marcus (Smart), Jaylen, Jayson and everybody else in between. We know how (Durant) he scores and how he attacks in a lot of drop situations. ... They think it&rsquo;s attack time because Rob&rsquo;s out. We&rsquo;ve played in quite a few games without him now and have done good enough beating some good teams.&rdquo;
INJURY UPDATES
The Celtics aren&rsquo;t anticipating Williams being ready to return before the second round, should they advance. He&rsquo;s been doing some light shooting and drills but isn&rsquo;t close to playing at full speed.
Point guard Ben Simmons' status is more ambiguous. He&rsquo;s also doing some on-the-court work but has been dealing with back issues since he was dealt from Philadelphia.
Irving said no one is putting expectations on Simmons to rush back.
&ldquo;If he feels like he can go out there and contribute, then great,&rdquo; Irving said. &ldquo;We just don&rsquo;t know. I just want him to take one day at a time &mdash; get his mental, his heart right, his spirit right, and we&rsquo;ll be fine.&rdquo;
___
AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this report.

The Celtics have a first-round matchup with a seventh-seeded Nets team that also suddenly looks capable of realizing its potential.

Celtics not fazed after drawing recharged Nets in first round

NBA playoff basketball is finally here! With things kicking off on Saturday, I decided to highlight an X-factor I'll be keeping tabs on for each first-round series. Let's dig in, shall we?
(For deeper thoughts on each series, listen to <a href="https://twitter.com/HPbasketball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part I</a> and <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/play-in-weigh-in-part-two/id1547857052?i=1000557698545" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part II</a> of our series previews at <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot</a>.)
(1) HEAT VS (8) HAWKS: STAR SWITCH BATTLE
Any hope of an Atlanta Hawks upset begins with the virtuosic creation ability of Trae Young. He's one of the NBA's best pick-and-roll creators, blessed with the ability to bend defenses to his will with a blend of pull-ups, floaters, stop-on-a-dime foul-drawing and every pass in the book.
Enter the Miami Heat, who do a tremendous job of flattening out offenses with switches. And that&nbsp;discussion begins with the versatility of Bam Adebayo.
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The Hawks score on this possession, but look at how much work it takes. Double drag? Nope. Running to a handoff to create an advantage? Nope. Forcing a favorable switch (Tyler Herro will have his work cut out for him) and hoping to attack? Nope, here comes a double.
Only two teams &mdash; the New Orleans Pelicans (0.847 PPP) and the Sacramento Kings (0.722 PPP) allowed fewer points per possession against Young-led ball screens than the Heat (0.851 PPP), and Miami faced more picks (182) than those two teams combined (119).&nbsp;
There's a reason for that. The Heat have the personnel and scheme versatility to make Young's life difficult.
(2) CELTICS VS (7) NETS: BRUCE BROWN'S PLAYMAKING
"We got to be physical with them. Now they don&rsquo;t have Robert Williams, so they have less of a presence in the paint. We can attack Al Horford and [Daniel] Theis. Them not having Rob Williams is huge.&rdquo;
That was Bruce Brown following the Brooklyn Nets' victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Round 1 of the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday night. Kevin Durant had to put out the fire shortly after, but the message rang loud: We think we have another avenue to attack your defense.
I think a lot about this possession from their most recent outing.
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The Nets opened the quarter with Spain pick-and-roll (!!!) and Boston switched every bit of it. That led to an Al Horford-Kyrie Irving matchup, but Williams felt comfortable trapping Kyrie to get the ball out of his hands. Brown has been making hay as a short-roll threat in 2022, and does so here by nailing a floater.
How often will those advantages be there for Brown? With no Williams, the Celtics will have to decide which of their frontcourt guys &mdash; Horford or Theis &mdash; will take the Brown assignment. And from there, what coverage will they go with? Will they switch, possibly throwing Horford or Theis on Kyrie or Kevin Durant in space? WIll they trap from there?
If so, the Nets may have a way to create some advantage situations aside from their stars.
(3) BUCKS VS (6) BULLS: KHRIS MIDDLETON LEADING THE DANCE
This doesn't seem like a great series for the Chicago Bulls. Quick hat tip to <a href="https://twitter.com/HPbasketball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Moore</a> for detailing just <a href="https://twitter.com/HPbasketball/status/1515199182641926145?s=20&amp;t=9hbXMskZXIW6rvu06kVdpQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how much of a mismatch</a> &mdash; on paper, at least! &mdash; this matchup projects to be.&nbsp;
If there's a Milwaukee Bucks thing to keep an eye on, it's the Khris Middleton-led stuff. The Bucks swept the season series, but Middleton wasn't his best self. He shot a shade under 28% from three and, for the purposes of this section, averaged nearly 4 turnovers per contest.
For the brilliance that Middleton can provide with his shot-making, his handle has long been a weak point against the peskiest of defenders. He's likely to see a steady dose of Ayo Dosunmu and Alex Caruso, guards who don't mind getting in his jersey.&nbsp;
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If Middleton isn't able to get to his spots comfortably &mdash; or worse, turns the ball over &mdash; the Bulls may have an avenue to junk up the Bucks' half-court attack.
(4) SIXERS VS (5) RAPTORS: JAMES HARDEN'S STEPBACK
I think James Harden's hamstring has been talked about enough. I'm not a doctor; I simply hope he's good to go because he's freaking awesome when he's healthy. It unlocks the full breadth of his game.
Regardless of which version of "Harden, The Driver" we get, he's going to need this shot.
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Harden made one of his eight stepback-three attempts against Toronto this season, and has converted just 31.6% of his stepback threes this season (roughly 4.0 attempts per game) via InStat tracking. That's a wild dip from last season (36.7% overall on 4.3 attempts) and the year before that (34.7% on 6.5 attempts).
I don't have to explain why shooting under 32% on an already-tough shot isn't ideal. The layer beyond that shot is the real issue; the nature of the shot, and location of the shot, makes Harden one of the last lines of defense in transition. The Sixers have been bad at getting back &mdash; they rank 20th or worse in every transition defense stat, per Cleaning The Glass &mdash; while the Raptors have been incredibly fruitful when they're able to run.
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(1) SUNS VS (8) PELICANS: WHO DEFENDS CHRIS PAUL?
Herb Jones is one of the best defenders in the sport. My pals and I landed on him as the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/defensive-awards-and-a-celebration-of-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA's best screen navigator</a> already. His nimbleness and persistence will bother someone in this series.
That's the thing though: He's only one dude.
If Jones gets the Devin Booker matchup (a reasonable guess), who's defending the other All-NBA caliber guard for Phoenix? That might land on nominal point guard CJ McCollum, who hasn't had the best luck at defending Paul.
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Paul-led pick-and-rolls with McCollum as the primary defender have generated well over 1.5 points per possession over the last three seasons, per Second Spectrum. That number drops to the 1.3 PPP range when filtered for drop coverage, but, like, that's still pretty absurd.
The Pelicans will have some options. Chief among them: Switching screens between Paul and Deandre Ayton, then tasking Jaxson Hayes (likely to defend Jae Crowder) with saving McCollum by executing a scram switch.
Of course, the Suns have counters to that counter; don't be surprised if Crowder is used as an off-ball screener to occupy Hayes' attention.
(2) GRIZZLIES VS (7) TIMBERWOLVES: WHERE IS JAREN JACKSON JR.?
Let's take a look at two possessions. Ja Morant-led pick-and-rolls, the Minnesota Timberwolves in their base "two to the ball" pick-and-roll coverage. Two missed shots. Keep an eye on Jaren Jackson Jr. for both.
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That's JJJ chilling at the left wing, with Jarred Vanderbilt stunting at the roll from Steven Adams before retreating. D'Angelo Russell is now tasked with making the rotation as the low-man.
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On this one, Jackson is chilling in the dunker spot after clearing the left side of the floor. The Memphis Grizzlies are setting up a screening action for Desmond Bane &mdash; a smart counter to the Wolves sending two players to Morant &mdash; but look at Vanderbilt. He's able to peel over early while Karl-Anthony Towns works his way back to Adams. Russell tasked with dropping down to Jackson if a full rotation from Vanderbilt is needed.
When I say "Where is JJJ.?", you can take that in a "Will he show up?" context. He will need to knock down threes, and his mobility will be needed against Towns in space when he's asked to play the 5.
But it's important to note Jackson's literal location on the court. Where he's stationed can lead to some tough rotations for the Wolves if they continue to defend aggressively.&nbsp;
(3) WARRIORS VS (6) NUGGETS: FINDING THE BLEND WITH NIKOLA JOKIC
Nikola Jokic has improved quite a bit as a defender over the past three seasons. He's firmly good as an at-the-level defender, and he made real strides as a drop defender this season. Arguing for an All-Defensive team selection is a bridge (or two) too far, but the liability talk should've died a while ago.
With that being said, the Golden State Warriors pose some real trouble for him. The Stephen Curry-Jordan Poole-Klay Thompson triumvirate has the pull-up chops to abuse drop coverage. Kevon Looney screens and hand-backs could also create open threes.
With Draymond Green (or Gary Payton II when he's out there), the Warriors have the short-roll playmaking chops to beat a two-to-the-ball scheme.
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We get both coverages from Jokic on this possession. He starts in drop, with Monte Morris doing a fine-enough job staying attached to Poole. The ball swings to Thompson, and Jokic plays higher up. Two screens, two coverages, two solid results for Denver.
Then the&nbsp;third&nbsp;action happens, which also coincides with Poole jetting to the right corner and Aaron Gordon being occupied with Andrew Wiggins. Jokic is in another drop but he can't beat Thompson to his spot, nor does he have help on the backline.
What do you do with that?
Probably not drop.&nbsp;
The Warriors generated north of 1.3 points per possession (!!!) when facing Jokic in drop coverage during their regular season meetings, per Second Spectrum. Playing Jokic to the level will be a tough task, especially considering the offensive workload he'll have to carry, but that may be the easier poison to deal with.&nbsp;
(4) MAVERICKS VS (5) JAZZ: SPENCER DINWIDDIE'S DRIVES
With no Luka Doncic for at least Game 1, more offensive responsibility will fall into the hands of Spencer Dinwiddie.&nbsp;
He's been a godsend for the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 16-3-4 while shooting over 40% from three since joining the team. He's been a great complement to Doncic; naturally, some of Dinwiddie's success is due to Doncic drawing the best perimeter defender on the opposing team.
That may shift to Dinwiddie now &mdash; I doubt we're going to see, like, Royce O'Neale on Jalen Brunson for extended stretches. It'll be up to Dinwiddie to puncture defenses and start the chain of rotations. He hasn't had much success against Utah this season; he's shooting just 44.4% off of drives against the Jazz, and he's paired that with a paltry 8.5% assist rate.
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Nekias Duncan breaks down a key factor for each first round series of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

Pressure points: Critical first-round battles in the 2022 NBA Playoffs

Suitcases are packed, and passports are in tow. The Philadelphia 76ers will soon be heading to Canada to do battle with the Toronto Raptors in this year's NBA Playoffs.
Best believe, no matter how lightly he packs, it is James Harden who will be carrying most baggage, even if he doesn&rsquo;t want to admit it.
Ahead of Saturday&rsquo;s playoff matchup in which the Sixers will play host to the Toronto Raptors, Harden has been consistent in stating that he doesn&rsquo;t feel any pressure heading into his first playoff series as Joel Embiid&rsquo;s running mate.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s nothing to it,&rdquo; he <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33739023/philadelphia-76ers-james-harden-not-feeling-pressure-entering-playoffs-ready-hoop">said to ESPN</a>, just days after he <a href="https://www.complex.com/sports/james-harden-interview-philadelphia-sixers-playoffs-brooklyn-nets?utm_campaign=sportstw&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_medium=social">declared to Complex</a> that he had, &ldquo;Nothing to prove.&rdquo;
Not even Harden himself believes that. That is, assuming he gives one iota about the legacy he will eventually leave.
Named MVP in 2018, the 32-year-old Harden is a 10-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA First Team Member. He&rsquo;s one of the most talented players of his generation and one who has helped revolutionize the way the game is both played and officiated today.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
James Harden + Joel Embiid Best of PNR Highlight Reel I First 5 Games Here are the top PNR plays between James Harden and Joel Embiid through 5 games, good luck stopping this duo Brooklyn <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sixers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sixers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HereTheyCome?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HereTheyCome</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JamesHarden?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JamesHarden</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JoelEmbiid?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JoelEmbiid</a> <a href="https://t.co/iKBMReqBLP">pic.twitter.com/iKBMReqBLP</a>
&mdash; MRCROCKPOT TPL (@mrcrockpot) <a href="https://twitter.com/mrcrockpot/status/1501996652634193921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Despite being able to boast those facts, if things ended for Harden here and now, he would only be remembered by future generations as another &ldquo;superstar&rdquo; who ultimately wasn&rsquo;t able to deliver when it mattered most. Fair or not, he wouldn&rsquo;t be considered among the likes of Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson or even, perhaps ironically, Chris Paul.
Each of those three players have proven histories that show they were not only winners, but that they managed to get every bit out of their potential. They showed up, every single day.
Can the same be said of Harden?
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As a basketball-viewing public, we are in an era where individual greatness is ultimately defined by someone&rsquo;s ability to deliver championship-level performances, if not championships. The perception (whether true or not) is that Harden hasn&rsquo;t done that. What he&rsquo;s mostly remembered for today is quitting on each of his last two teams. That, and a rather shabby playoff track record.
To his credit, in his eight years in Houston, Harden did get the Rockets out of the first round five times, reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2015 and 2018. But is that good enough? Do people remember that he lost twice to the dynastic Warriors? Do they even care?
Or do people more remember Harden for his five dubious Game 7 performances? In those contests, he shot a combined 37.4% from the field and also happens to have a higher regular-season scoring average (24.9) than playoff scoring average (23.3). If you check the tape on the greatest of Harden's contemporaries &mdash; Giannis, Curry, LeBron and Durant among them &mdash; you&rsquo;d see that this isn&rsquo;t the norm.
In the end, sadly for Harden, the scoring titles, incredible individual performances and career accolades ring a bit hollow. Not only because he hasn&rsquo;t been able to win a championship, but because, on an individual basis, he has faltered so tremendously on the quest.
Once upon a time, we said similar things about Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce. To a lesser extent, we at least questioned the true greatness of Kevin Garnett. In the end, they were able to write final chapters that mostly made us forget about their earlier shortcomings. They reinvented themselves and changed their legacies. The aspiration is what brought Harden to Philadelphia to in the first place.
On the precipice of his first postseason run with MVP candidate Joel Embiid, Harden can only hope that his career trajectory in Philadelphia emulates that of his new teammate. Through his first eight seasons as a professional, the hallmarks of Embiid&rsquo;s still-young career have been about working harder and doing more. He just secured his first scoring title and has a legitimate shot at dethroning reigning MVP Nikola Jokic for that accolade. He&rsquo;s looked almost as dominant as an in-prime Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal and will now attempt to lead the Sixers to the franchise&rsquo;s first Eastern Conference crown in over 20 years.
That, Embiid knows, will require Harden to play at a high level.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
James Harden discusses shooting struggles: "I'm one of the most confident players in this league because I put the work in." <a href="https://t.co/YdbevAOCZW">pic.twitter.com/YdbevAOCZW</a>
&mdash; HoopsHype (@hoopshype) <a href="https://twitter.com/hoopshype/status/1513152084069130244?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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"I tell him to be himself,&rdquo; Embiid <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33739023/philadelphia-76ers-james-harden-not-feeling-pressure-entering-playoffs-ready-hoop">told ESPN</a>. &ldquo;He just has to be himself and not worry about people talking about pressure. Whatever happened in the past, you look back at what he's accomplished and what he's done, he had to play against a dynasty&hellip; Bad timing. But I'm sure it's going to be fine."
For Embiid&rsquo;s sake and that of the front office in Philadelphia, we can only hope his words are prophetic.
Whether James Harden cares to admit it, there&rsquo;s a lot riding on his marriage with Joel Embiid. Not the least of which is James Harden&rsquo;s ability to write a final chapter devoid of postseason shortcomings.
With all his baggage, Harden forced his way to Philadelphia.
Passport in tow, baggage checked, as he prepares to head north to Canada next week, the hope for Harden is that it will be just the first of many postseason trips that the Sixers will be taking.
Truth be told, Harden's legacy depends on it.
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When it comes to legacies, championships are the measuring stick, and Philadelphia's James Harden is still fighting for his.

Despite his remarks, James Harden actually has quite a bit to prove

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid and James Harden are off to Toronto for the playoffs. Defensive specialist Matisse Thybulle is staying behind for the road games; he's not fully vaccinated and barred from entering Canada.
Embiid sat out after he clinched the scoring title and Harden joined him on the bench, leaving Shake Milton and Tyrese Maxey to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 118-106 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.
The Sixers finished with the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and will open against Toronto.
&ldquo;We pretty much knew it going into the game,&rdquo; coach Doc Rivers said. &ldquo;So we'll be ready."
They'll try and beat the Raptors without Thybulle.
Unvaccinated foreign nationals are currently prohibited from entering Canada. Limited exemptions to the rule no longer apply to professional athletes. Rivers said Thybulle would be &ldquo;ineligible&rdquo; for Games 3 and 4.
Thybulle said he was raised in a &ldquo;holistic household&rdquo; and declined to become fully vaccinated. He said he did feel the need to get one shot last season but did not go through with any more, saying &ldquo;I felt like I had a solid foundation of medical resources that could serve me beyond what this vaccine could do for me.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It was not the outcome that I wanted,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It's always hard not be available.&rdquo;
Thybulle said he's accepted his decision could hurt the Sixers, his reputation and future earnings but he did not see any benefits he could get from trying &ldquo;alternative medicine.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I made this choice and thought I could keep it to myself, I could keep it quiet,&rdquo; Thybulle said.
Milton scored 30 points, and Maxey and Paul Reed had 25. Luka Garza led the Pistons with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Embiid sat at the end of the bench and Harden pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and they both watched the Sixers rally from a blown 15-point lead to knock off the 59-loss Pistons.
Allen Iverson was in the house and the last Sixer to win a scoring title -- four, actually&mdash; got to share the arena with this season&rsquo;s champ. Embiid finished at 30.6 points per game. Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo also rested Sunday, finishing at 29.9 points. Embiid posted those numbers in just 33.8 minutes per game, the fewest minutes averaged in a season by the scoring champion in the shot-clock era. He also became the first international player to win a scoring title and first center since Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal in 1999-00.
Sixers fans erupted into &ldquo;MVP! MVP! chants for Embiid when he was celebrated on the big screen for his scoring title.
Harden also earned a game off and averaged 21 points and 7.1 rebounds in 21 games with the Sixers. He has been plagued by hamstring issues since he played with Brooklyn &mdash; the Nets sent him to Philly for Ben Simmons in a trade-deadline deal &mdash; but Rivers said Harden was fine.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s in a good place, I can say that,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;Conditioning wise, he&rsquo;s in a good place. We&rsquo;ve got a week to get that a little bit better. The hamstring, from everything they tell me, is in a very good place. That&rsquo;s the biggest concern, but I don&rsquo;t have much. Going by our staff, they feel pretty good about him.&rdquo;
Rivers will give the Sixers a day off Monday and use Tuesday for film before running playoff practices.
TIP-INS:
76ers: DeAndre Jordan had 11 rebounds.
Pistons: Former Villanova star Saddiq Bey started all 82 games. ... Cade Cunningham sat out.
HE SAID IT
&ldquo;We're not going on a Paul Reed victory tour. We're trying to win a championship, man.&rdquo; &mdash; Rivers, shooting down questions that Reed could have a larger role in the playoffs.
LOOKING AHEAD
Pistons coach Dwane Casey said there was reason for excitement next season. Casey said the best part of this season was &ldquo;growth" and how they played close to .500 ball after the All-Star break.
&ldquo;Just watching them grow," he said. &ldquo;A lot of the games didn&rsquo;t equate to win, but the growth is there. It&rsquo;ll be evident in the future.&rdquo;

Even without their two stars, Philadelphia won their final game of the season and clinched the No. 4 seed out East.

76ers win without Embiid, Harden, earn No. 4 seed in East

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Joel Embiid made his closing argument for MVP votes and all but wrapped up the NBA scoring title, scoring 41 points while adding 20 rebounds and four assists to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 133-120 victory Saturday over the Indiana Pacers.
Embiid shot 14 for 17 from the floor, went 11 of 15 from the foul line and made both his 3-point attempts in a game that Philadelphia (50-31) needed to win to remain alive in the hunt for the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. It was the first time this season that an NBA player scored 40 or more points and had 20 or more rebounds in a game. It was the third time in Embiid's career it has happened &mdash; with all three times coming against the Pacers.
&ldquo;I've always said that every single night, I want to dominate,&rdquo; Embiid said. &ldquo;If you are dominating, things can show up in a lot of different ways &mdash; whether it is offensively or defensively. Sometimes, the numbers don't show it. But it's good, I guess.&rdquo;
Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers said: &ldquo;It's methodical and historical. Whatever the calls you want to put on it, it's what's he's been."
James Harden had 22 points and 14 assists for Philadelphia, who also got double-digit point performances from Tobias Harris (18), Tyrese Maxey (18) and Danny Green (15).
&ldquo;We're getting better,&rdquo; Rivers said.
Oshae Brissett scored 20 points and Tyrese Haliburton had 19 for Indiana (25-56), which lost its ninth straight game. The Pacers fell behind by 21 points in the first half, then cut the deficit to five late in the third quarter before Embiid and Harden began to take control of the game.
&ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t seen a guy like this in the history of the league who has this kind of power and skill,&rdquo; Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said of Embiid. &ldquo;He's able to score on all three levels effortlessly. He's an amazing player and it will be interesting to see what teams do in the playoffs to try to slow him down.&rdquo;
Embiid is now averaging 30.6 points for the season, which is just ahead of LeBron James&rsquo; 30.3-point-per-game clip for the Los Angeles Lakers and Kevin Durant&rsquo;s 30.1 average for the Brooklyn Nets.
But neither James nor Durant will play enough games to qualify for the statistical title; in an 82-game season, 58 games played is the minimum. That means the scoring race comes down to Embiid and Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who would need a miracle finish to grab the scoring crown. The last center to win a scoring title with a more than 30 ppg average was Bob McAdoo, who averaged 31.1 points in 1976-77.
Embiid also has been considered one of main contenders for league MVP, along with Antetokounmpo and Denver's Nikola Jokic. Saturday's game was Embiid's 13th scoring 40 or more points.
The Sixers can move up to the third seed in the East and a first-round matchup with Chicago with a victory over Detroit on Sunday and a Boston loss at Memphis. Otherwise, Philadelphia will face Toronto in the 4-5 matchup in the first round of the postseason tournament.
Embiid said no decision was made about his playing status for Sunday night's game, which takes place at the same time Boston faces Memphis.
&ldquo;I want to, but at the same time it's a back to back and we have to get ready for the playoffs,&rdquo; Embiid said. &ldquo;I want to play because we still need to work on my spacing and chemistry. Whatever we can get out of this last game, it will be good.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Pacers: Indiana guard Malcolm Brogdon was ruled out with lower back soreness while Jalen Smith sat because of left groin soreness. Reserve forward Nate Hinton was ruled out for the final two games because of the NBA's health and safety protocols. &ldquo;He's in a van heading home,&rdquo; coach Rick Carlisle said.
76ers: For the second straight game, Philadelphia inserted veteran guard Danny Green into the starting lineup in the spot normally held by top defender Matisse Thybulle. Thybulle may not be able to play in a possible first-round series in Toronto because of his COVID-19 vaccination status. Canadian rules forbid cross-border travel to anyone not vaccinated; Thybulle has not said publicly whether he is vaccinated. He missed Thursday night's 119-114 road loss to the Raptors and was listed as &ldquo;ineligible to play." ... Guard Georges Niang missed Saturday's game with left knee soreness. Rivers said the move was precautionary. &ldquo;If this was a playoff game, he would be in there,&rdquo; the coach said in his pre-game meeting with the media.
UP NEXT
Pacers: Play at Brooklyn on Sunday to finish their season.
76ers: Host Detroit on Sunday night in regular-season finale.

Joel Embiid makes one last MVP push with 41 points and 20 rebounds in Philadelphia's season finale.

Embiid has 41 points, 20 rebounds as Sixers down Pacers

NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 36 points, leading a pair of fourth-quarter surges that carried the Brooklyn Nets into a tie for seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a 118-107 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night. 
The Nets caught the Cavaliers at 43-38 with a game remaining and clinched the tiebreaker. They will finish seventh if they beat Indiana on Sunday in their final regular-season game. The No. 7 team hosts No. 8 on Tuesday, moving into the playoffs with a victory. 
The loser of the 7-8 game has a second shot at the postseason by beating the winner of the game between the Nos. 9 and 10 teams on Friday.
Kyrie Irving shook off a poor shooting night to finish with 18 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Bruce Brown had 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Nets, who won their third straight. Andre Drummond had 15 points and 12 rebounds. 
Darius Garland scored 31 points for the Cavaliers, who dropped their third straight. They got rookie Evan Mobley back after a five-game absence with a sprained left ankle but are still missing All-Star center Jarrett Allen because of a broken finger that has sidelined him nearly a month.
Mobley and Lauri Markkanen both had 17 points. 
Durant scored 16 points in the first quarter but the Cavaliers defended well across the middle two periods and were ahead 93-89 early in the fourth. Durant then made a go-ahead 3-pointer during a 10-0 spurt that made it 99-93.
Cleveland got the next two baskets but Durant made another 3 to kick off an 8-0 run that put Brooklyn in control at 107-97 with about 4 1/2 minutes remaining. 
Durant was 6 for 7 in the first quarter and the Cavaliers barely outscored him, with the Nets leading 34-19. But he missed all three shots in the second and the Cavs worked their way back into it, getting within five before Brooklyn took a 62-54 advantage to the half. 
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Cedi Osman turned 27. ... Former Nets swingman Caris LeVert scored 16 points. 
Nets: Coach Steve Nash, on the decision to waive veteran James Johnson on Thursday: “There’s a lot of tough decisions throughout the year, so that’s just another tough one and sometimes it’s a bit unforeseen where things are going to go and the decision was made. So we just have to move on and just keep coaching the group, keep pushing the group.”
CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR?
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he wasn't offended by the notion that top teams in the East might have been angling to avoid the Nets and would rather face his young team.
“I mean, the perception or the reality of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and the pieces that are around this team and the way that they’re coached, you can understand why people would want to do that,” Bickerstaff said. “But I’ll tell you this, if we’re healthy, we’re not a team people want to face.” 
SEEMS LIKE OLD TIMES
Allen and LeVert, who originally ended up in Indiana before being traded this season to Cleveland, were part of the four-team deal in January 2021 that brought James Harden to Brooklyn.
“It’s amazing. It’s probably been 13 months or something like that it feels like five years,” Nash said. “But happy for those guys doing well, playing on a good team and they’ve found a nice home.”
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Host Milwaukee on Sunday.
Nets: Host Indiana on Sunday.

Brooklyn Nets improve playoff positioning with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Durant, Nets beat Cavs, in position to take No. 7 in East

After looking at how to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/betting-the-west-why-the-suns-being-heavy-favorites-makes-sense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bet the Western Conference</a> in the forthcoming NBA Playoffs, we now turn our attention to the Eastern Conference. Parity is of the essence atop the East, which includes five teams with a legitimate argument to win the conference and make a run to the NBA Finals. From a betting perspective, sportsbooks are all over the place when it comes to forecasting what&rsquo;s next in the East. How should the conference be divvied up before the postseason? Let&rsquo;s dive into the odds.
Tier 1: Milwaukee Bucks +270, Brooklyn Nets +330
I have this weird feeling building we&rsquo;re going to get Suns vs. Bucks Part II in a few months with another championship on the line. As of late, Milwaukee is finding a groove and rounding into form for their title defense. Giannis Antetokounmpo can break any defense apart, so another dominant run could cement his overall legacy. Considering the Bucks have such a strong rotation, the safest bet right now is to repeat last year&rsquo;s Finals matchup.
The one X-factor in the East has to be Brooklyn. Although James Harden is no longer there, Brooklyn still has two stars in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving who can push an elite team like Milwaukee to the brink. As we&rsquo;ve seen this season, the Nets are nearly impossible to stop when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are both going off offensively.
Last season saw Durant nearly beat the Bucks by himself in the Eastern Conference Finals. If Irving stays healthy, the main theme of top teams repeating could circle back around for an epic early-round clash.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Highlights from last night's OT WIN vs. Nets. ⚡️ <a href="https://twitter.com/we_energies?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@we_energies</a> ⚡️ <a href="https://t.co/A8gHaMibWs">pic.twitter.com/A8gHaMibWs</a>
&mdash; Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1509923795028615197?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Tier 2: Miami Heat +425, Boston Celtics +430, Philadelphia 76ers +500
Kudos to BasketballNews&rsquo; own Spencer Davies, because he called it on the first &ldquo;Nothing But Bets&rdquo; podcast episode previewing the 2021-22 season. He said that Miami was going to surprise some people and was right on the money. Miami has the two-way versatility to compete with the East&rsquo;s elite. The leaps from Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo have taken pressure off of Jimmy Butler, and it always helps to have a soothing veteran point guard presence in Kyle Lowry.
Miami has shown lockdown potential on both ends of the court, so if they have a hot shooting series, they can go toe-to-toe with anybody.
Losing Robert Williams due to injury is going to hurt Boston in the short-term, but this team has been scary good since the All-Star break. Jayson Tatum is one of the best scorers in the NBA, and Jaylen Brown is finding his spots within the flow of the offense. Any concerns related to Tatum and Brown&rsquo;s on-court fit have fizzled out. Boston has the star power to win big, but they also have some veterans who can be key in postseason pushes.
If I wanted to throw a dart at any of the odds presented on the board, Philadelphia gets my attention. The odds at +500 are simply too good to pass up. Betting on a historic postseason from Joel Embiid and James Harden, who continue to build chemistry together, has an extremely high ceiling. Tyrese Maxey has also begun to blossom, helping form a fun long-term trio in Philadelphia. I wouldn&rsquo;t be stunned if we saw the Sixers make the Finals, and I still feel there&rsquo;s a real shot there.
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Tier 3: Chicago Bulls +2700, Toronto Raptors +3000, Cleveland Cavaliers +5500
Unlike the Western Conference&rsquo;s top Tier 3 team, the Utah Jazz (+950), Chicago kicks it off at +2700 odds. It&rsquo;s been disappointing to watch the Bulls lose steam over the last few months because the early potential was off the charts. DeMar DeRozan is a perfect fit within the Bulls&rsquo; system alongside Zach LaVine, but losing Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso for the majority of the regular season were massive blows. Maybe the Bulls can surprise in the first round, but betters shouldn't expect much beyond that, especially now that Ball is officially out for the season.
Second to Philadelphia on my favorite odds out East, Toronto at +3000 is very tempting to hammer. The Raptors have caught lightning in a bottle for a while now, and their blend of win-now veterans and exciting young players is fun to watch. Pascal Siakam deserves an All-NBA spot, and the trio of Fred VanVleet, Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby provide ideal two-way balance. Versatility is off the charts in Toronto, and there&rsquo;s a reality where they could be playing in the Eastern Conference Finals. Don&rsquo;t sleep on the Raptors because they&rsquo;ve been quietly impressive since February.
In the opposite direction of Toronto, Cleveland checks in with long +5500 odds. The Cavaliers were rolling behind their dynamic young trio of Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley. When Allen, their two-way All-Star anchor, went down it knocked the wind out of Cleveland&rsquo;s surging sails. Garland taking the leap could help Cleveland become a frisky opponent out early in the postseason. I&rsquo;m excited to see what happens this offseason for a team ready to take another huge leap forward in 2022-23.
Tier 4: Atlanta Hawks +10000, Charlotte Hornets +18000
In Tier 4, the odds are bordering on impossible for an NBA Finals run. Atlanta has been one of the NBA&rsquo;s most disappointing teams this season after their surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago. Trae Young is doing his best to carry a consistently short-handed Hawks squad, which is leading to some absurd individual numbers along the way. Maybe Young can help Atlanta push a team in the first round, but betting against another surprise run shouldn&rsquo;t be off the table.
Charlotte is one of my favorite teams to watch this season when they get humming offensively. LaMelo Ball running the show is so entertaining, plus they have a plethora of high-volume three-point shooters. Miles Bridges&rsquo; leap in a contract year makes him a pillar piece to Ball in Charlotte. It would be fun to have the Hornets in the postseason, but it may be a very quick exit for them. If Charlotte can add one more game-changing piece in the offseason (Myles Turner, perhaps?), they could take a huge leap in 2023.
Analyzing the betting odds in the Eastern Conference, the possibilities are endless. Five teams sit within the first two tiers of Finals probabilities, and it wouldn&rsquo;t be surprising to see a team with longer odds (Raptors, Hawks, etc.) make a surprise push further.
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With the NBA postseason drawing near, which teams have the best odds to come out of the Eastern Conference?

Betting the East: Possibilities are endless for NBA Finals contenders

The process of selecting the NBA's Most Valuable Player is inherently subjective. Circumstance factors into the equation, as does recent history. Big picture, the MVP award is not meant to celebrate the best player. Instead, it attempts to reward the player with the biggest impact &ndash; meaning that winning plays a major role.
There are a few blatant examples in the past 30 seasons where the general consensus is that the wrong player was crowned MVP, many of which involve Michael Jordan losing the award during certain years in his prime. However, those aren't the only controversial recent MVP awardees.
Considering all the debate around this award, it's worth examining recent MVPs as scientifically as possible. Let&rsquo;s take a look back at the 10 most recent MVP races to explore what the voters were thinking and whether they got it right:
2020-21 Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Team&rsquo;s record: 47-25 (3rd&nbsp;in Western Conference)
Stats: 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game&nbsp;
Jokic&rsquo;s all-around ability was on full display in 2020-21. He dragged the Denver Nuggets to the third seed in a tough Western Conference despite losing his running mate, Jamal Murray, with nearly 20 games remaining in the regular season.
Admittedly, Jokic didn&rsquo;t have a peak LeBron James or a healthy Steph Curry or Kawhi Leonard to compete with, but each of those stars were playing alongside another star, making it less likely for them to win.
From a voting standpoint, the 2020-21 MVP was over before it started. Jokic collected 91 of 101 first-place votes.
Verdict: Correct
2019-20 Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Team&rsquo;s record: 56-17 (1st&nbsp;in Eastern Conference)
Stats: 29.6 points, 13.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game
Prior to leading the Bucks to a championship in 2021, Antetokounmpo was a polarizing player. The narrative around him was that his shooting limitations would hold him back from realizing his potential &ndash; but this was clearly wrong. That didn&rsquo;t stop MVP voters from falling in line behind him either.
Antetokounmpo received 85 of 101 first-place votes. James was the only other player to receive a first-place vote (16.) In the post-Jordan era, James is also the most complicated player to gauge for MVPs. He&rsquo;s received four MVPs thus far and was widely seen as the final word in the &ldquo;best player on the planet&rdquo; debate until around 2019-20.
An argument can be made against Antetokounmpo due to the rarity of back-to-back winners (Antetokounmpo is just the 11th player to win back-to-back MVPs in NBA history), the perception around his limitations and the assumption that the Bucks were inherently capped in how far they could go. But if we&rsquo;re being honest, Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s 2019-20 season was even more impressive and deserving of an MVP than his first &ndash; save for the fact that he had the lowest win shares (11.1) of any MVP since Karl Malone in 1998-99 (and the fourth-lowest ever.)
Verdict: Correct
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2018-19 Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Team&rsquo;s record: 60-22 (1st in Eastern Conference)
Stats: 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game
Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s 2018-19 season was incredibly impressive. He won the MVP at just 24 years old, making him the ninth-youngest player to win. Still, this one may have been a reach for the voters, who favored a very good season by a breakout superstar over a great season by an established one.
Antetokounmpo received 78 first-place votes, compared to James Harden&rsquo;s 23. That was the final season in Houston for Harden and Chris Paul, and it was one in which Harden led the Rockets to a 53-29 record (including a 12-5 record without Paul). But the perception of Harden among the media was complicated. MVP voters seemed apprehensive to name Harden a back-to-back winner, despite his averaging more points per game (36.1) in a single season than anyone not named Wilt Chamberlain or Michael Jordan. His scoring average was the seventh-best in NBA/ABA history.
Harden&rsquo;s 2018-19 season was far from a sure thing as far as MVPs are concerned, but objectively, Harden&rsquo;s season was more impressive than Antetokounmpo's.
Verdict: Incorrect
2017-18 James Harden, Houston Rockets
Team&rsquo;s record: 47-25 (3rd&nbsp;in Western Conference)
Stats: 30.4 points, 8.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game&nbsp;
Harden may have frustrated basketball purists, but at his pre-COVID best, he was as impactful a regular-season player as we&rsquo;ve seen. The 2017-18 season may not represent his best statistical output, but it was still pretty darn impressive.
Harden earned 86 of the 101 first-place votes, and rightfully so. At his best, Harden ranks among the most infuriating players to game-plan against. He put defenders on skates, got to the line at will and connected on an obscene percentage of difficult shots.
Verdict: Correct 
2016-17 Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma State Thunder
Team&rsquo;s record: 47-35 (6th in Western Conference)
Stats: 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game&nbsp;
Westbrook&rsquo;s style of play, much like Harden's, was (and is) polarizing among basketball purists. Still, Westbrook couldn&rsquo;t be denied this MVP award after averaging a triple-double for an entire season for just the second time in NBA history. Sure, Westbrook did so in each of the next two seasons too, but a.) the first time is always the most impressive, and b.) Westbrook was rewarded in 2017 for keeping the Thunder afloat after Kevin Durant fled to Golden State in hopes of finding a greener pasture (which he did).
While voters were never smitten with Westbrook, he secured enough support in 2016-17 to take home the award. Westbrook secured 69 of the 101 first-place votes, significantly more than Harden (22). &nbsp;
Verdict: Correct
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2015-16 Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Team&rsquo;s record: 47-25 (3rd&nbsp;in Western Conference)
Stats: 30.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game&nbsp;
Curry was among the most obvious MVP winners of all-time in 2015-16. As great as he was in 2014-15, he really took the league by storm this season. He shot an even better three-point percentage than in 2014-15, he led Golden State to an all-time-best 73-9 record as easily the best player on the defending-champion Warriors.
The 2015-16 MVP race was as non-competitive as ever, as it was the first unanimous vote in history. Curry won all 131 first-place votes, securing his second consecutive award.
Verdict: Correct
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2014-15 Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Team&rsquo;s record: 47-25 (3rd&nbsp;in Western Conference)
Stats: 23.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game&nbsp;
Curry&rsquo;s 2014-15 season is tough to gauge. On the one hand, this is the season in which Curry became a global icon, challenging the league&rsquo;s balance of power and making teams rethink what was possible by forever altering the way the game was played.
Still, Curry&rsquo;s individual impact was debatable. He was on a perfectly-balanced team whose sixth man (Andre Iguodala) was even so good that he ultimately won Finals MVP. Objectively, Harden&rsquo;s season was more impressive &ndash; albeit less historically significant &ndash; and LeBron James was clearly more valuable to his Cavaliers. Still, Curry managed to take home 100 of the 130 first-place votes, netting him his first MVP.
Verdict: Incorrect
2013-14 Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Team&rsquo;s record: 59-23 (2nd&nbsp;in Western Conference)
Stats: 32.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game&nbsp;
Durant&rsquo;s 2013-14 season wasn&rsquo;t his best, but it was easily deserving of the MVP. His only real competition for MVP, LeBron James, was coming off back-to-back wins, making it all the more likely that voters would give the award to someone else. Not that Durant needed the help though.
Durant elevated his game in 2013-14. He was already an elite scorer, but this was one of the first seasons in which he put it all together. Durant blossomed into an all-time great in 2013-14, leading to an easy decision for voters, who ultimately gave him 119 of the 125 first-place votes.
Verdict: Correct
2012-13 LeBron James, Miami Heat
Team&rsquo;s record: 66-16 (1st&nbsp;in Eastern Conference)
Stats: 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game
James continued his dominance en route to the Heat&rsquo;s second-consecutive title in 2012-13, and he even shot a career-best 41% on three-pointers. He&rsquo;d already achieved near-unanimous support as the league&rsquo;s best player, and he was treated accordingly by MVP voters.
James&rsquo; 2012-13 season was nearly as dominant as Curry&rsquo;s unanimous MVP season. James won 120 of the 121 first-place votes, with only one dissenter choosing Carmelo Anthony.
Verdict: Correct
2011-12 LeBron James, Miami Heat
Team&rsquo;s record: 46-20 (2nd&nbsp;in Eastern Conference)
Stats: 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per gam
After losing to Dallas in the 2011 NBA Finals, James&rsquo; priorities were probably different. Specifically, he likely viewed regular-season accomplishments differently. Still, he was brilliant in his third season with the Heat, persevering through a tough year in which running mates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh missed 33 and 25 games, respectively. James missed 20 games himself; but he was so good, it didn&rsquo;t matter.
Verdict: Correct
Debates over sports awards are inevitable, but after taking a closer look at the 10 most recent MVPs, it's clear that voters have made the right choice more often than not. In fact, one could argue that eight of the last 10 MVPs were picked correctly. So, as we approach the 2021-22 NBA award season, it seems more likely than not that voters will make the right decision.
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The process of selecting the NBA MVP usually ends up with the award in the right person's hand. But not always.

Revisiting the last 10 NBA MVPs: Did the voters get them right?

All things considered, the Brooklyn Nets should consider themselves fortunate to have gotten a player of Ben Simmons&rsquo; caliber in exchange for James Harden.
And you know what? That will be just as true next season as it is today.
At some point, Brooklyn may need to do the responsible and sensible thing and rule the young point guard out for the remainder of the season, for the good of the team and for Simmons himself.
Since his arrival in Brooklyn, the Nets have been cryptic in the information they&rsquo;ve provided on Simmons' availability, or lack thereof. He&rsquo;s gone from being expected to suit up almost immediately after to trade to being available &ldquo;at some point this season.&rdquo;
Now, it's anyone&rsquo;s guess.
When asked about him on Tuesday, Nets head coach Steve Nash would only offer that there has been no improvement in Simmons' condition and that he&rsquo;s no closer to returning than he was last week. He also hasn&rsquo;t had another MRI, which can be good or bad, depending on your perspective.
Either way, at 25 years old, Simmons has an entire career ahead of him, so the idea that the Nets would somehow lose face on the Harden trade if Simmons is unable to play this season is absurd. Brooklyn was able to rid themselves of a disgrunted superstar who could have walked for nothing and got an All-Star caliber 25-year-old in return. The trade was a windfall, even without considering Seth Curry and Andre Drummond.
Knowing that there's a bigger picture (and a future) in Brooklyn, the Nets at some point will need to be responsible and simply rule Simmons out. Even if Nash still wanted to work him into the lineup ahead of the postseason, the grace period during which a coach would have been able to incorporate a new player has all but run out on Brooklyn.
More importantly, though, is that if Simmons is still nowhere near returning to the court, his back injury is probably more serious than originally thought. Rushing him back to make a run this postseason would be shortsighted.
Dwight Howard, Larry Johnson and Larry Bird all had back issues, and their careers were undercut as a result. Plenty of players &mdash; including Michael Porter Jr. &mdash; know they aren&rsquo;t anything to play with.&nbsp;And in Steve Nash&rsquo;s locker room, best believe, the clarity on Simmons' fate this season would probably go a long way. Of all the colors, gray is the least favorite of any NBA player.
As a class, our heroes thrive on routine, habit and known expectations. Players like to know how many minutes they&rsquo;ll play, what their roles will be, what is expected of them and who they can count on to be beside them. The lack of clarity with Kyrie Irving, it is believed, had a lot to do with Harden&rsquo;s unhappiness in Brooklyn in the first place. Ironically, now that Irving is available to the team on a full-time basis, the question mark that Nash and his coaching staff had to operate around &mdash; Irving &mdash; has now been replaced by another in Simmons.
For comparison's sake, the Golden State Warriors took the bull by the horns and ruled James Wiseman out for the remainder of the season so he can rehab his torn meniscus. The Warriors understand that his future is too important to risk rushing him back, so they're giving him every opportunity to get himself right and his teammates will likely benefit from the clarity it provides.
Brooklyn should be so wise.
Entering play on March 30, the Nets have just six games remaining in the regular season, and there&rsquo;s quite a bit at stake. They can realistically finish anywhere from seventh to 10th&nbsp;in the Eastern Conference. The same will be true for the Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks.
It&rsquo;s all but guaranteed that Brooklyn will find themselves in the play-in tournament, though their seed and opponent are obviously still to be determined. Without Simmons suiting up to play at least four or five regular-season games, the risk of putting him out there in a do-or-die scenario could be too great for Nash to co-sign. A play-in game also doesn&rsquo;t seem like the ideal scenario to deploy a player who will need to acclimate himself to new surroundings. The same can be said of a first-round playoff series in which the Nets know they would be facing even stiffer competition should they advance.
Ideally, when a new key player is introduced to a lineup, a coach will give himself a 15-to-20 game grace period to figure out rotations, allow the troops to build chemistry and truly get a grasp on what it is they like to run. In the case of Simmons, incorporating him will be more difficult than a player like Seth Curry because Simmons is not a catch-and-shoot scorer. In order for Simmons to thrive, he'll need to have an opportunity to learn Brooklyn&rsquo;s offense, operate with the ball in his hands and learn his teammates' tendencies. That&rsquo;s not a process a team with championship aspirations can cheat.
Admittedly, Simmons could serve some utility as merely a finisher at the basket and a defensive presence, even if he's less than 100%. But there&rsquo;s at least room to wonder whether relegating him to that role would make him a net-positive over the likes of Bruce Brown or Andre Drummond. Brown can shoot, and Drummod provides more credible resistance to the likes of Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.
In the end, Brooklyn is in a bit of a conundrum. On the one hand, they don&rsquo;t want to rush Simmons back before he&rsquo;s ready, but on the other hand, the longer he takes to get on the court, the higher the stakes will be for a team that will certainly need a few games to figure things out.
When Simmons arrived in Brooklyn, it was thought to signify the beginning of a new era for the Nets.
In the end, it still can be, even if it means waiting until the 2022-23 season to see it all come together.

With Ben Simmons still ailing, the Brooklyn Nets may be wise to shut him down for the remainder of the season.

At some point, Nets may be wise to rule Ben Simmons out for season

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Kevin Durant scored 38 points, Seth Curry returned to the lineup with seven 3-pointers in his best game as a Net, and Brooklyn rallied to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 128-123 on Friday night.
Curry finished with 27 points, his most since coming from Philadelphia last month in the trade headlined by James Harden and Ben Simmons. Curry had missed the previous three games with left ankle soreness.
Andre Drummond and Bruce Brown each added 17 points for the Nets. They bounced back from their loss at the buzzer to Dallas on Wednesday and won for the fifth time in six games.
Josh Hart scored 25 points for the Trail Blazers, who led by 18 early in the second half but couldn't hold on and lost their third straight. Brandon Williams added 24 points.
Durant shot 11 for 15 from the field and added six rebounds and six assists, but the decisive stretch came when he was on the bench to begin the fourth quarter. The Nets opened with a 10-0 spurt, featuring two 3-pointers by Curry, to turn a tie game into a 111-101 lead.
Portland would get it down to three late but Curry finished it off with two free throws the final time.
Playing again without Kyrie Irving at home, the Nets allowed the Blazers to make nine of first 12 shots, but recovered for a 34-33 lead after one behind 13 points from Durant. Portland then shot 18 for 25 (72%) in a 42-point second quarter. Ben McLemore's 3-pointer made it 75-62 at the break.
Portland extended the lead to 82-64 with a good start to the third. The Nets charged back by hitting 13 of 18 shots in the third, outscoring the Blazers 39-26 to even it at 101 heading to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Justise Winslow played in his second straight game since returning from a sore right Achilles tendon. Coach Chauncey Billups said he came through Wednesday's game well and had a good workout Thursday.
Nets: Durant was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Friday for directing obscene language toward a fan with 9.4 seconds left in the first half of the loss to Dallas on Wednesday. ... The Nets had lost six straight home meetings, though one was a designated home game played at Walt Disney World during the restart in 2020
FORGETTING FEBRUARY
Coach Steve Nash said he couldn't recall whether he noticed if Simmons, who remains out with a back injury, appeared to have any physical issues after the Nets acquired him from Philadelphia on Feb. 10.
&ldquo;What was that, a month ago?&rdquo; Nash said. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t remember if he was having issues or if it flared up.&rdquo;
Simmons' back began bothering him after he tried to rebuild his conditioning after the trade and has done nothing more than individual workouts. Nash revealed that the guard had an MRI he believed was a couple weeks ago and how no update on how Simmons felt after getting an epidural earlier this week.
STANDINGS SITUATION
Toronto went into play Friday tied with Cleveland for sixth place in the East. If the Raptors avoid seventh and the play-in, the Nets wouldn't have to worry about possibly playing there without Irving, who can't travel to Canada because he is unvaccinated.
&ldquo;Not that I&rsquo;m oblivious to all that, but I&rsquo;m not like refreshing my screen to find out what the standings are,&rdquo; Nash said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re focusing on ourselves, trying to improve, trying to put ourselves in a position where we&rsquo;ll be ready for that game no matter who we play.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: At Indiana on Sunday.
Nets: Host Utah on Monday night.

Kevin Durant scored 38 points, Seth Curry hit seven 3-pointers and the Brooklyn Nets rallied to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 128-123.

Hayden