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How do you trade for two Hall of Famers, win a title with them — and still lose the trade? On this day in 1956, the St. Louis Hawks acquired Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan from the Boston Celtics. They’d go on to help the Hawks take the 1958 championship, but they gave the Celtics the No. 1 draft pick. Boston selected Bill Russell with it. Case closed.
The Comeback(s)
Are we about to witness playoff history?
The Celtics, Wolves, Magic and Lakers have all failed to close out their respective series. Boston couldn’t end Philadelphia at home while up 3-1. Minnesota and Orlando couldn’t close out on the road with a 3-1 lead. And the Lakers were up 3-0 on the Rockets.
So how seriously should we take these potential comebacks? Since Doc Rivers isn’t coaching any of the teams that are up 3-1, it’s not such an easy answer. We’ve had 13 out of 298 teams complete comebacks after going down 3-1 in a playoff series. Let’s eliminate some series right off the bat. If Doc coached you, or it happened in The Bubble or it happened before the Merger, we’re going to excuse you from this exercise.
That leaves us with seven series.
1979: Bullets over Spurs: Elvin Hayes and Bob Dandridge get the stops at home.
1981: Celtics over 76ers: Five games decided by one or two points. Game 7 in Boston.
1995: Rockets over Suns: Game 7 was in Phoenix, and Houston won by one.
1997: Heat over Knicks: Tim Hardaway Sr. lit up the Knicks for 38 in Game 7 in Miami.
2006: Suns over Lakers: Kobe Bryant kind of quietly quit on his team in Phoenix.
2016: Warriors over Thunder: The 73-9 Warriors made an epic comeback that sent Kevin Durant right into their arms. Won Game 7 at home.
2016: Cavs over Warriors: The most famous example, with LeBron and company winning it in Oakland.
It so rarely happens, and only a couple of teams have closed it out on the road. Philadelphia and Orlando would have to do that. Denver has a good chance because of the Anthony Edwards injury. As for the Rockets, they’re already just the 16th team to force a Game 6 after going down 3-0. The 1951 Knicks, 1994 Nuggets, 2003 Blazers and 2023 Celtics are the only teams to force a Game 7. And nobody has won that Game 7 … yet?
Since we’re here, let’s do a quick preview of tonight’s Game 6s. All times Eastern.
Knicks at Hawks, 7 p.m. (ESPN) | Knicks lead 3-2
Something to look for: James Edwards III said it best in his article. We’ll find out how serious the Knicks are.
Celtics at 76ers, 8 p.m. (NBCSN/Peacock) | Celtics lead 3-2
Something to look for: The Sixers found the right balance with Joel Embiid on the court in Game 5. But the Celtics getting back to their normal shooting would neutralize that.
Nuggets at Wolves, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN) | Wolves lead 3-2
Something to look for: Dare I say… must-win game for both teams! The Wolves don’t want to go back to Denver, sans Edwards.
The last 24
🏓 Lottery reform. Vecenie also took a look at the NBA’s new lottery proposal. He’s not convinced it’ll fix tanking.
🏆 Not dwelling. Cooper Flagg accepted his Rookie of the Year award yesterday. And he just wants to start winning games.
🤔 Decision time. It’s up in the air whether Steve Kerr will be back as Warriors coach. The two sides talked and will meet again next week.
🔊 “NBA Daily.” Watch and listen to a recap of last night’s games. Including how Cade and Paolo put on a show.
Stream the NBA on Fubo (try it for free!) and catch out-of-market games on League Pass.
About last night
Pistons and Rockets survive
Let’s review last night’s Game 5s …
Pistons 116, Magic 109: Magic lead 3-2
Read the takeaways from The Athletic. Here are mine.
The duel! Cade Cunningham set the Pistons franchise record with 45 in a playoff game. He inexplicably hit five 3s. Paolo Banchero had 45 and inexplicably hit six 3s.
Board dominance. The teams were about even on second-chance points (22-21 for Detroit), but the Pistons had eight more offensive boards and 16 more total rebounds.
Free throws. In a game the Magic lost by seven, they missed 14 free throws. Banchero missed half of them! His game could have been so much better.
Who played huge in this game? Cade, obviously. You can’t say enough about how great he was in this game. He got a little sloppy in the fourth, but made the big plays when it counted.
Who came up short for the Magic? Wendell Carter Jr. wasn’t the guy we saw the last few games. Jalen Duren wasn’t back to All-NBA form, but he outplayed Carter, finally.
How concerned should the Magic be? Paolo goes for 45 on the road, and you lose? They have to be concerned. Yes, Game 6 is at home, but we don’t know if Franz Wagner will play.
PPM: 🚨🚨🚨🚨 for Orlando | 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 for Detroit
Cavs 125, Raptors 120: Cavs lead 3-2
Read the takeaways from The Athletic. Here are mine.
Dennis Schröder saved the day. He had 11 of his 19 points off the bench to help on a night James Harden turned it over six times and Donovan Mitchell struggled.
Fourth-quarter shutdown. Toronto didn’t make a basket in the first 4 1/2 minutes and shot 25 percent from the field and 2-of-12 from deep in the final quarter.
The Raptors’ running did not help. They had a 26-6 fast-break advantage, but they only had nine of those in the second half. They needed to keep the pressure on Cleveland.
Who played huge in this game? Evan Mobley. After the Raptors’ dominant second quarter, Mobley responded with 10 of his 23 points in the third. He also made three 3-pointers and blocked three shots.
Who came up short for the Raptors? RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes and Jamal Shead. They combined for six points on 2-of-17 from the field in the fourth. Barnes was banged up, but Barrett threw up some terrible shots. Shead missed three wide-open 3s down the stretch.
How concerned should the Raptors be? Pretty concerned. They played much better at home than in Cleveland, but they still need to win the next two.
PPM: 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 for Toronto | 🚨🚨🚨 for Cleveland
Rockets 99, Lakers 93: Lakers lead 3-2
Read the takeaways from The Athletic. Here are mine.
In the first three games, the Lakers made 46 percent of their 3s. Houston made 28.7 percent. The last two games? Lakers: 24.4 percent. Rockets: 37.1 percent. Los Angeles went 1-of-12 in the second half last night.
Tari Eason. He had 18 points after having 20 in Game 4. His ability to score and make plays on defense is galvanizing Houston.
Austin Reaves is back. He looked a little rusty on a couple of missed layups, but he had 22 points off the bench on 4-of-16 shooting. He was 12-of-13 from the line.
Who played huge in this game? Jabari Smith Jr. stretched the floor with four 3-pointers, blocked a couple shots and led Houston with 22 points.
Who came up short for the Lakers? Luke Kennard. One point? That’s it? That was Kennard’s night in 31 minutes. He missed all four of his shots.
How concerned should the Lakers be? History says not to worry. The Lakers have Reaves now. They should be able to close out.
PPM: 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 for Houston | 🚨🚨🚨 for Los Angeles.
Draft SZN
What I like and don’t like from latest mock
obody is better at breaking down the NBA Draft, knowing every prospect’s attributes and creating mocks with expertise and reporting, than The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie. Yesterday, he did a spin on Tankathon to get a draft order before the actual lottery on May 10. In this spin, the Jazz won the top pick, the Wizards were second and the Hawks were third, thanks to New Orleans’ trade on draft night last year to select Derik Queen.
Sam unleashed a great two-round mock draft with full analysis. I picked out three things I love from it and three things I don’t. Let’s journey through this!
Three things I love:
1. Darius Acuff, Jr. to the Nets at No. 6. I fully recognize that BYU’s AJ Dybantsa is the best player in the draft. But Acuff is my favorite. I think the Arkansas point guard is probably the third or fourth best prospect overall. He’s a killer on the court. He can really shoot. He can score. He’s a good facilitator who takes care of the ball. The Nets need a future star, and he’s exactly that.
2. Kingston Flemings to the Kings at No. 7. Sacramento desperately needs star potential and an injection of fun into its arena and organization. Kings fans have been through enough and need some hope. I’m not totally convinced Flemings can shoot right away, but the Houston freshman is super explosive and will make great decisions on the court. The Kings should actually keep this point guard.
3. Koa Peat to the Grizzlies at No. 16. This would be teaming him up with North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson, whom Sam mocks to the Grizzlies at No. 4. I have no idea if Arizona’s Peat will be a big-time player at the NBA level. I know at No. 16, you’re not getting a more physical player with this upside.
Three things I don’t:
1. Cameron Boozer to the Hawks at No. 3. It’s not that I think Boozer is a bad prospect. I just hate the fit with him in Atlanta. The Hawks need a big man, but there isn’t one to take here. They kind of need a point guard, but I doubt they’d reach at 3. Duke’s Boozer doesn’t fit with Jalen Johnson, Jonathan Kuminga and Okyeka Okongwu on the frontline. Maybe they move down?
2. Aday Mara to the Bulls at No. 9. Granted, we don’t even know who will be handling these decisions. I promise the Bulls fans did not sit through this monstrosity of a direction to see them finally embrace more of a sound rebuild to get Michigan’s 7-foot-3 Mara. I hated it the first time we did this and called him Danny Wolf.
3. Nate Ament to the Thunder at No. 12. This just feels unfair. Ament’s draft stock is all over the place and he had a horrible end to what was a promising freshman season at Tennessee. But you’re going to put this 6-foot-10 bubbling potential in the Thunder’s program, and then they get yet another one of these guys who plugs in perfectly in Year 2?
The NBA Draft will be held June 23-24.