Knicks stun Celtics again, take 2-0 lead; Thunder throttle Nuggets; PSG reach Champions League final
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π Good morning to all, but especially to ...THE NEW YORK KNICKS
Stunning. Shocking. Monumental. Magnificent. Choose whatever adjective you like, whatever crossover of unexpected and glorious, and that's what the Knicks delivered, yet again. For the second straight game, New York overcame a 20-point deficit to upset the Celtics in Boston, this time by a score of 91-90.
There are plenty of reasons for these comebacks, but it boils down to a couple of things: In crunch time, the Knicks have Jalen Brunson on offense and Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby on defense.
The Knicks are the first team in the play-by-play era (since 1996-97) to have 20-point comebacks in consecutive playoff games on the road.
- New York was down 16, 84-68, after a Payton Pritchard 3 with 8:40 left. The Celtics would then miss their next 13 shots over the eight-plus minutes. By then, they trailed, 89-88.
- Jayson Tatum finally ended the drought, blowing by Mitchell Robinson for a go-ahead dunk with 18.1 seconds left, but Jrue Holiday fouled Brunson on the ensuing possession. Brunson's two free throws gave New York a 91-90 edge.
- Tatum had the ball in his hands once again, but this time he couldn't get past Robinson, who got some great help defense, first from Anunoby and then, at the last moment, from Bridges, who provided the game-clinching steal for the second straight game.
- Brunson scored nine of his 17 points in the fourth quarter. Josh Hart finished with 23 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 17 rebounds.
The offense comes and goes, but the effort never wavers, James Herbert writes.
Afterward, the Thunder finally restored a semblance of order, rolling past the Nuggets, 149-106, to even their series and become the first home team to win in this round. Oklahoma City tied a playoff record with 87 first-half points and never looked back. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 34 points on 11-for-13 shooting.
π Honorable mentions π And not such a good morning for ...THE BOSTON CELTICS
I told you not to expect another playoff-record 45 missed 3s from the Celtics, and I was right. The only problem? The Celtics shot a miserable 10 for 40 from deep, the exact same rate (25%) as in Game 1.
We can indeed copy and paste a lot of issues from that game into this one: They built a big lead, and their offense completely fell apart, stagnant and sloppy.
Tatum finished with a measly 13 points on 5-for-19 shooting. Jaylen Brown had 20 points, but on 8-for-23 shooting. The only player to make at least half of his shots from 3 was Kristaps Porzingis, who made the only 3 he took but doesn't seem quite healthy; he played just 14 minutes.
We can nitpick the offense all we want. There's plenty wrong. But the Celtics are also just missing tons of wide-open shots. There's an incredibly easy -- and simultaneously incredibly difficult -- fix: Make them. We'll see if Boston can do that in time to save its season.
π Not so honorable mentions π George Pickens traded to Cowboys: Why Dallas won trade, what's nextWhen Jerry Jones said pre-draft he had some big trades in the works and then the draft came and went, we wondered if he was bluffing.
As it turns out, it just took a little bit of time. The Cowboys acquired George Pickens (and a 2027 sixth-round pick) from the Steelers for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
But Dallas still comes out ahead in Jordan Dajani's trade grades.
- Dajani: "Cowboys: A- | At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Pickens is a legitimate perimeter threat that should have Dak Prescott giddy. He will open up things for CeeDee Lamb, and vice versa. On paper, the Cowboys just created one of the best wide receiver duos in the league."
I agree with Jordan here. Since Pickens entered the league in 2022, only Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson have more catches than Pickett on throws 20 yards or more downfield, and only Amon-Ra St. Brown has more catches than Lamb on throws 20 yards or fewer downfield.
After a down year, Dallas needs to get back to the playoffs, Jeff Kerr writes, and this, on paper, is a huge step in the right direction. There's still work to be done, though, Tyler Sullivan writes.
Then there's the Steelers' side. Pittsburgh acquired DK Metcalf, but if you haven't heard, quarterback remains a big question. Aaron Rodgers still hasn't signed with the team, and a Steelers minority owner said it remains a complex issue. Rodgers likely wasn't surprised by the Pickens deal, but the Steelers now have work to do to improve their pass-catching corps. Keenan Allen and other notable names are available, and Pittsburgh is reportedly interested in an old Rodgers friend. (Sound familiar, Jets fans?)
Pickens' tenure in Pittsburgh -- much like Pickens in general -- proved a frustrating mixed bag, Bryan DeArdo writes.
- DeArdo: "Some of the risks the Steelers have taken have backfired more frequently than other teams, especially at the receiver position. While the Steelers' willingness to give players with character concerns a chance is admirable, it's also a considerable risk that deserves questioning and even criticizing when it doesn't work out."
Stephen Curry is expected to miss multiple games -- at least a week, in fact -- due to the hamstring strain he suffered in Game 1, which the Warriors won 99-88 over the Timberwolves.
If Curry misses one week from Wednesday's announcement, he'd miss Game 2 (tonight), Game 3 (Saturday), Game 4 (Monday) and Game 5 (Wednesday). There are three days off between Game 5 and Game 6.
Since Curry joined the Warriors in 2009, they are 9-3 in the postseason without him, and as Game 1 showed, Golden State can survive if he can't play. Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green all had big games, and the Warriors' defense showed up in a big way. That defense will have to continue to shine, Isabel Gonzalez writes.
On the other side, Chris Finch challenged Anthony Edwards to "set the tone" after a lackluster Game 1.
Finally, both coaches are unhappy with the refereeing. What a surprise!
β½ PSG beats Arsenal, into UEFA Champions League finalThe UEFA Champions League final is set: PSG will face Inter after defeating Arsenal, 2-1, in the second leg and, 3-1, on aggregate.
Les Parisiens entered with a 1-0 lead and got goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi to put things out of reach before Bukayo Saka finally put one past a terrific Gianluigi Donarumma to get the Gunners on the board.
PSG has never won the competition (Inter has thrice) but perhaps Les Parisiens are too young to know any better, Chuck Booth notes.
- Booth: "Youth can be taken as a disadvantage, but for players like Desire Doue and Joao Neves, they don't have the weight of PSG's history on them."
Here are Pardeep Cattry's early keys to the May 31 final and Francesco Porzio's ode to San Siro on a magical night.
πΊ What we're watching Thursdayπ Hurricanes at Capitals (Hurricanes lead 1-0), 7 p.m. on ESPN π Warriors at Timberwolves (Warriors lead 1-0), 8:30 p.m. on TNT/truTV π Oilers at Golden Knights (Oilers lead 1-0), 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
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