[Charania] San Antonio Spurs star De’Aron Fox has been ruled out for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to an ankle sprain, sources tell ESPN.
With Donovan Mitchell making the ECF for the first time, Joel Embiid is now the only player with an All-NBA First-Team selection to not make a conference finals in the last 40 years.
[Nick Wright] “It’s not an exaggeration to say for the Thompson twins… if they locked themselves in a gym and come back with a capable corner 3 point shot… that could cumulatively for the two of them be worth 1 billion dollars”
[Charania] BREAKING: The New Orleans Pelicans are hiring Jamahl Mosley as the franchise’s new head coach on a five-year contract, sources tell ESPN. Mosley accepts the Pelicans job after five seasons in Orlando where he guided the Magic to three consecutive playoff berths.
Jeff Teague on Knicks vs Cavs: “They don’t got nobody who can guard Jalen Brunson, this sh*t over with. I want James Harden to get to the Finals definitely, but ain’t nobody on that team can guard Jalen Brunson.”
[Amick, Robbins & Vardon] So … it turns out LeBron James’ opinion wasn’t an outlier after all… When players were asked which team would be at the top of their “no-trade” list, Memphis received more than three times as many votes (35.8%) as the second-place Washington Wizards (11.7%).
[The Athletic] The Pistons will try to retain Jalen Duren this offseason — just at a lower rate than expected, per @HunterPatterson
“Given his postseason showing, the widely held belief around the league is that he has little to no leverage to negotiate for the max.”
If the finals is Spurs vs Knicks then Jeremy Sochan will get a ring
Kevin Hart talks about avoiding Shaq/Embiid in public since they always pick him up and then talks about the time he avoided Shaq for six months after being used as a prop during a skit. (Clip of skit included)
[Hollinger] to ask execs from the other 29 teams if they thought Wemby had supplanted Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić as the league’s best player. Mostly, I was met with chortles and nods.. is Wemby the best player in the league? “No,” another veteran exec said. “He’s the best player I’ve ever seen.”
[Bontemps] “This ( Oklahoma City Thunder vs San Antonio Spurs) is the Finals,” a West assistant coach told ESPN. “This has a chance to go down as one of the best series of the past decade,” an Eastern Conference executive said. “This is the start of [another] Magic vs. Bird,” a West scout said.
[The Athletic] NBA anonymous player questionnaire 2026: Where will Giannis play next season? Most passionate/obnoxious fans? Teams on no-trade list? How should teams be spending money?
[Vardon] Yes, Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert really rented 25 buses, filled them with nearly 1,400 people… The Pistons gave the Cavs “some” extra tickets, to quote a league source, but it was clear Northeast Ohioans were grabbing the tickets for Game 7 and planning to get up north
[Bleacher Report] Stephen A. Smith: “Jaylen Brown, be careful what you wish for. You really want me to start reporting on that level? You understand? Locker room, how the organization might think about you, how the city may feel about you, how Jayson Tatum may or may not feel about you”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with gifts for all of his teammates
Dylan Harper will start Monday’s Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Thunder.
Oklahoma City skyline showing love for Shai’s 2nd straight MVP
[Bill Simmons Pod] “I think the Knicks winning the championship is the biggest thing left in any sport other than Bills, Vikings or Detroit Lions winning the Super Bowl”
Jaylen Brown: “Fuck Stephen A. You want me to be quiet and stop streaming, I want you to be quiet and get off these networks. You’re not doing real journalism, you’re using your platform to do clickbait.”
Joe Ingles to join Melbourne United on a 2 year deal
Prime Video has been eliminated from the 2026 NBA Playoffs
[Nick Camino] Cavs owner Dan Gilbert reportedly sent 25 bus loads of Cleveland fans to Detroit for Game 7, potentially 1,200 people.
Prime Video crew reacts to Shai MVP being spoiled earlier this morning: Taylor: “Just to be clear the official MVP announcement is happening here. Dirk & Steve you both won MVPs—but I don’t remember [Charania] spoiling it”; Blake: “What are we doing man? Like it’s Sunday, go to brunch you nerd.”
Dirk Nowitski: “What do you think will be going through your mind in 10-15 years when you look back on the 2 time MVP trophies?”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: “Probably something like ‘Damn I used to be nice.’”
Steve Nash: “Yup, that’s how it feels.”
[Post Game Thread] The Cleveland Cavaliers (4-3) dominate the Detroit Pistons (3-4) in Game 7, 125-94, to advance to their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2018
OKC vs SAS WCF - is this the most anticipated / hyped playoff series in recent memory?
Alex Caruso checked in at 9:24 in the first quarter with the Thunder down 0-7. That’s the earliest Caruso has checked into a game all season. Caruso rewards the decision with 10 pts, 1 stl, and 1 blk, +2 in 5 minutes while taking the Wemby assignment defensively
Jaylen Brown on Stephen A: “Tell this motherfucker to retire because he’s the face of clickbait media. With his retirement we can spark a movement to get the rest of these motherfuckers out. Have some type of integrity in order to hold themselves accountable to the bullshit takes they put out.”
[Highlight] Alex Caruso scores over Wemby, intercepts a pass to Wemby for another contested lay-in
[Charania] I do know a lot of teams are calling LeBron and his camp. I spoke to Rich Paul last week, and he told me every contender in the NBA has essentially placed a call since the season ended.
Kenny Atkinson on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ adjustments: “The tactical adjustment we made was avoiding [Ausar] Thompson. We were just like, if he’s near the ball, throw it to someone else.”
THE DETROIT PISTONS HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED FROM 2026 NBA CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENTION
[Highlight] Caruso hits a 3 so good it ruins the broadcast audio
[Lowlight] Ausar Thompson horribly air balls the wide open corner 3
Jalen Duren had more single-digit scoring games in the 2026 playoffs (14 games) than he did the entire regular season (70 games played).
[Highlight] James Harden experience whiplash effect from arm contact
Brendan Haywood: “I tell you another thing in Miami that was a microaggression that Pat Riley did… LeBron wanted Rich Paul, Maverick, Randy, and Lynn Merritt. He wanted their season tickets to be right beside the Heat bench… They were right beside the bench, but it was the other team’s bench”
[Highlight] Lu Dort fouls Victor Wembanyama early in the game (with a replay)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got the entire Thunder team ‘Audemars Piguet’ watches to thank his teammates for helping him win MVP
[Lowlight] Jalen Duren smokes the wide-open layup
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander receives the 2025-26 Most Valuable Player award from Adam Silver in front of the home crowd.
SGA is now officially x2 MVP
JB Bickerstaff: “It’s not a disappointment at all. I’m not ever will not be disappointed in these guys”
[Charania] Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams – out since April 22 with a hamstring strain – is listed available against the San Antonio Spurs for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.
[OC] r/NBA Playoffs Game Thread Analysis: OKC vs. Lakers sets a new record for ref complaints, and the Detroit Pistons set a new record for foul language in the Second Round!
[Highlight] Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turns the ball over, and Victor Wembanyama dominates Chet Holmgren, taps 3 offensive rebounds before the tip in goes in
[Highlight] Sam Merrill takes the hit for a charge on Ausar
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Thunder fans: “I really, really, really knew they were real when we sucked for 3 years and they didn’t go anywhere. That’s when I realized they really love us.”
The Cavaliers Now Have the Best Game 7 Win Percentage in NBA History (Minimum 5 Games)