NBA Playoffs

Cameras caught Alex Rodriguez seemingly dozing off on Sunday at the Phoenix Suns' Game 7 blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the NBA ...

Doncic wasn’t the only one celebrating, as Padgett — a Dallas-based fitness competitor who was first linked to Rodriguez in January — later congratulated Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on the victory. Everybody believed. We believed.

Michigan basketball has been humming along for a while now, and it's spilled over into the NBA as well. With the conference finals now set in the ...

For a while, it looked like Robinson was poised to be a starting member of the Heat for a long, long time. Poole has blossomed into a bonafide scorer in the NBA and is now viewed as a third Splash Brother alongside Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. During the latter part of the regular season, with Curry sidelined, Poole exploded as a scorer. While shooting nearly 50% from three-point range during his 17-game tear, he also showed that he can facilitate, push the pace and finish at the rim regularly in the NBA. Poole is still on his rookie deal, but he's positioned himself to sign a massive extension in the very near future. He was ruled out for yesterday's Game 7 against Phoenix but with the Mavs advancing, there's a chance he'll return to the lineup against the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. He hasn't done anything at full speed just yet, but it sounds like he's trying to get back on the court as the Mavs make a run. Three days later, he inked a two-year deal with the Boston Celtics. Stauskas has only played mop-up minutes in 10 games since signing with the Celtics, but he's in the league, signed and has a chance at a ring as of yesterday. Michigan basketball has been humming along for a while now, and it's spilled over into the NBA as well.

The No. 2 seed Boston Celtics and No. 1 seed Miami Heat face off in the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

Boston is equipped to guard the Heat in the halfcourt with almost no weak defenders in the rotation. The Heat are going to fight like hell, but I'm picking the Celtics in six." Boston's dominant defense will slow down everyone but Butler in the conference finals, and should flip first and second on that net rating leaderboard." Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Jimmy Butler is playing at a whole other level on both ends of the court. This should be another competitive series, with tough defenses to crack on both ends of the floor. The expectation here is that Butler’s defense will be enough to prevent Jayson Tatum from dominating on the offensive end of the court. But the Celtics are 4-1 on the road, having saved their season with a huge win in Milwaukee in Game 6 of the conference semis. On the other end, it feels like Boston has enough spacing to stretch out the Heat defense and let Tatum go to work against a Heat defense with more weak spots. They will force the other players on the Heat to beat them. He's been unbelievable in the NBA Playoffs, but the Celtics are a team designed to shut him down. John Schuhmann writes: "The Heat have home-court advantage, they had the East’s best home record (29-12) in the regular season, and they’re 6-0 at home in the playoffs.

Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns lost to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday evening in Arizona. The Game 7 loss officially ends their season in the second-round ...

- SHOULD THE BUCKS MAKE A TRADE? On Sunday afternoon, the Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 7 to the Boston Celtics, which officially ends their 2021-22 NBA season in the second-round. Paul was traded to the Suns in the summer of 2020 and had one of the best seasons of his entire career last year when he led the Suns out of a ten-year playoff drought and all the way to the NBA Finals. "I'll tell you that much.

OK, so … now what? The Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns met in the NBA Finals last season, and each squad had high hopes of being back there this June.

It wasn’t that he sucked; it was that he was no longer in a position to offset the carnage on the perimeter. Contrast this with a year ago: Without the go-to space-ball forward of their own in P.J. Tucker, especially, Milwaukee didn’t have the right perimeter talent. Ayton met a similar fate in the conference semifinals, as did his backup JaVale McGee. In the ultimate irony, a Phoenix team that lost in the NBA Finals a year ago because it didn’t have enough quality size, lost this year because it lacked the perimeter groupings to face off against space ball. What made this hard for the opponents is that it turns out space ball isn’t a bad defensive strategy either, especially if you have the right type of forwards. Milwaukee tried to go big against Boston, and for five games, it was working out OK — the Bucks had a ton of rim protection, and they had Giannis to carry the offense. Kleber, whom I scouted as a small forward in Germany five years ago (where, coincidentally, he had a teammate named Devin Booker), ended up playing the majority of the minutes at center in this series against a 7-footer who was the top pick in the 2018 draft and against the giant Gobert in the previous round. I’m being overly reductive about the 3s, of course; both Dallas and Boston have superlative individual talents in Dončić and Jayson Tatum to center their attacks. In contrast, it might have looked weird when the Nets were playing three small guards against Boston in the first round, and they got swept for their efforts. The Mavs’ margin in the same category was 83 attempts and 33 makes in seven games against Phoenix. Meanwhile, Boston nearly doubled up Milwaukee on triples, 110 to 57, over seven games in the East second round. While other coaches likely have tried this from to time at some point, the real turning point for space ball came in the Clippers-Jazz series a year ago. It’s the latest evolution in a postseason tactical game that continues evolving at a dizzying pace: String five players on the perimeter, switch everything on defense, go one-on-one against a defense that can’t easily send help, and either feast on open 3s or get to the rim. It’s what happens when the Mavericks put five capable 3-point shooters on the perimeter and leave Rudy Gobert and Ayton in no man’s land, or when the Bucks’ protect-the-rim-first defensive ethos leaves them essentially daring Grant Williams to eliminate them.

The No. 4 seed Dallas Mavericks and No. 3 seed Golden State Warriors face off in the Western Conference Finals of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

Doncic has been the best player in each of the first two rounds, and the Mavericks advanced. The Warriors boast home-court advantage in the series. Look for the Warriors to earn an NBA Finals appearance for the sixth time in eight seasons." Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Mark Medina writes: "In his fourth NBA season, Doncic has maximized his individual dominance. They don't have a great No. 2 behind Doncic, but does it matter when he's been so brilliant The Warriors have a higher ceiling, but they haven't been crisp in the NBA Playoffs. The Mavs have been playing at an unbelievably high level. this playoff run is starting to feel eerily similar to the 2011 run. On the other side of the ledger, the Mavericks have been slept on all season. Dallas has two great wing defenders who can shoot in Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock, two extra creators in Jalen Bruson and Spencer Dinwiddie, and a head coach in Jason Kidd who pushed all the right buttons against a more talented Phoenix team. For all of Curry’s greatness, Doncic feels like the more overwhelming star right now. Curry has been great, but he hasn't reached quite the elite level of shooting as in previous years. Thompson is still shooting the ball well from 3-point range, but he's been forcing a lot of pull-up shots inside the line and hasn't been the same defender post-injuries.

Here's what you need to know about this week's playoff schedule, including the updated postseason bracket.

Mavericks, 9 p.m. ET (TNT) Mavericks, 9 p.m. ET (TNT) Mavericks, 9 p.m. ET (TNT) Hours later, the Mavs crushed the Suns in Phoenix to eliminate the reining Western Conference champions. The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks were ousted by the Celtics in Game 7 on Sunday afternoon. The conference finals are set in the 2022 NBA playoffs.

The Dallas Mavericks will play the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. Game 1 will be on Wednesday, May 18, at 8:00 p.m. CT on TNT.

You can also find the latest coverage, updates and analysis on the postseason at our SB Nation NBA home page, where we’ll be posting links to stories on the latest news and developments on these series from all of our excellent team sites as the NBA postseason continues apace. To get those in your podcast feeds every day, don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. So here are the full Conference Finals television schedules, and a dedicated page where you can come hang out and discuss the matchups in the comments below as they get underway.

After two stunning Game 7s to close out the second round of the 2022 NBA playoffs Sunday evening, the schedule is set for the conference finals.

Dallas was a big underdog ahead of its Game 7 blowout of the Suns. Can the Mavericks pull another series upset?

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The Miami Heat ousted the Philadelphia 76ers and reached the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night with a Game 6 win. The Golden State Warriors eliminated ...

Game 4: Mavericks vs. Game 3: Mavericks vs. Game 2: Heat vs. The Miami Heat ousted the Philadelphia 76ers and reached the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night with a Game 6 win. Game 1: Heat vs. Five teams remain in the battle for the 2022 NBA title, and a few have already punched their tickets into the conference finals.

'He can't guard anybody': NBA superstar shredded by rival in stunning TV spray.

Marc J. Spears of Andscape reported Paul is dealing with an undisclosed quad injury in the postseason. Paul said after Sunday’s game that he had no plans to retire. Once you see they started attacking Chris early and you know that might become a problem later on, you need to see how the team works without Chris in the game a little bit. “You know what you do with cones, in the summer time you got a cone, you make a move. The point guard did not record his first field goal until the third quarter — and at that point, the Mavericks had already run away with the game. Minnesota was eliminated by the Grizzlies in six games of their first-round playoff series.

Luka Dončić has Dallas in the conference finals after handing Phoenix an embarrassing loss.

While she sat in the car, Cebrun went into the dorm to try to meet players. He injured his shoulder while trying to get ready for the 1953 season and never pitched in the big leagues again. Winter coats that the players could wear to South Bend for the big game against the Fighting Irish. Some $6,000 worth of merchandise in all, armloads and armloads, large cartons crammed full, every item purchased on the credit card of Raul Bey, a Las Vegas businessman who was in a loose partnership with a street agent named Nate Cebrun.” “The most brazen episode was a midseason, two-handed, shelf-clearing, 90-minute shopping spree by members of the Florida State team that would go on to win college football's national championship. Players also allegedly received a total of $10,000 in cash payments—peanuts compared to what their contemporaries are earning under name, image and likeness deals, but a massive scandal at the time: Necciai was only 19 at the time and beginning his third season as a pro. A lot of them dropped in the dirt. Necciai allowed four base runners on the night, one via walk, one on a hit-by-pitch and one who reached first after a dropped third strike. … Amar’e Stoudemire quit his assistant coaching job with the Nets and called out Kyrie Irving for choosing to skip half of the season. Unfortunately, the third goal he allowed was Johnny Gaudreau’s overtime winner for the Flames. That sets up an all-Alberta second-round matchup between Calgary and the Oilers. The Celtics won the first game of the day, beating the Bucks 109–81, behind a heroic 27-point performance from Grant Williams. At least that game was close for a while, though. He averaged a ridiculous 35.7 points per game last postseason, but Dallas lost in seven games to the Jazz. Now, with a different supporting cast around him, the Mavs are four wins away from their first Finals appearance since ’11.

Time gets us all. And in the Mavericks' dismantling of the top-seeded Suns, Luka Doncic showed his time is now and Chris Paul's is past.

He was constantly exposed by Dallas, and averaged just 9.4 points, 5.8 assists and 3.6 turnovers in the last five games, with Phoenix dropping four of them. And while Ayton’s future is unclear, the Suns could have a Paul problem. And his 39.0 point average in elimination games is the best in NBA history, albeit a small sample size. The Suns clearly have issues. “He’s Luka. He loves the stage,” Kidd said. Not to say that Doncic played harder than CP3 (he did), but at 37, Paul’s legacy can only change so much.

The Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics earned dominant Game 7 wins in the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Where do they rank among the most lopsided Game 7s of all ...

Dallas manhandled the Houston Rockets at home in Game 7 of their 2005 first-round series. The 33-point margin doesn’t approach the biggest playoff loss in NBA history, but where does it rank among Game 7s? The Mavs took a lead as big as 46 points in the second half.

The former Tennessee basketball Volunteers forward has the Boston Celtics in the NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals after beating the Milwaukee Bucks.

With that off-game, all the pressure was on him in Game 7, and he delivered in a huge way. If he needed to develop a three-point shot to make his pro career last, he was going to develop a three-point shot. In three years on Rocky Top, he hit 30 total threes and just under 30 percent from the three. He still had solid finesse under the basket and was an elite free throw shooter, hitting 82 percent of his free throws his final year there. The Vols had already cut the lead to two thanks to a three-pointer from Admiral Schofield the previous possession. At the heart of that comeback was a clutch Grant Williams three, something that has become regular for him these NBA Playoffs.

With both 2021 NBA Finals participants out, that caused some big changes in the championship odds. One team in particular is far ahead of everyone else. Scroll ...

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The stage is finally set for the NBA Conference finals. The Celtics and the Heat will fight it out in the East; the Mavericks and the Warriors, in the West.

The Boston Celtics defeated the exhausted Bucks in Game 7 and advanced to the Eastern Conference final round. After an intense drawn-out contest, the players will be taking a day off to prepare for the NBA Conference Finals. The stage is finally set for the NBA Conference finals.

The Suns' Deandre Ayton problem only gets more real after playoff flameout.

The Suns were the favorites in many circles to win the title heading into the playoffs. In the end, the cost of retaining Ayton for Phoenix is only money. Phoenix also has the ability to re-sign Devin Booker to a max extension this year that would make him on the league’s highest paid players when it kicks in in 2024. As a restricted free agent, Ayton can sign an offer sheet with any team who has the cap space to bring him in. Phoenix has the ability to match any contract Ayton signs in free agency, but doing so at the max number he desires would push the team into the luxury tax for the first time in more than a decade. The Suns would likely need to slot in another high-level creator to play next to Booker to really contend, but that’s still a great foundation to have in place. Ayton’s restricted free agency was always going to be a thorny situation for both the team and the player, and Game 7 against Dallas only made the situation more murky. Per Marks, the Suns have $128.8 million already committed in salary, and are projected to be about $20 million below the tax threshold going into the offseason. A max contract for Ayton from another team would be $131.1 million over four years. The Suns were eliminated in the second round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks after getting smoked in Game 7, 123-90, on their home floor in a game that amounted to an organizational-wide failure. After making a surprise trip to the NBA Finals last year, Phoenix was even better in Chris Paul’s second season with the franchise. With Paul turning 37 years old during the playoffs and one major roster decision looming, the Suns knew this was their best chance at a ring for a franchise that’s never won one.

Phoenix coach Monty Williams benched big man Deandre Ayton in the second half of the Western Conference semifinals series finale, and played coy about the ...

He was not satisfied with his contract last October, when he was pushing for a five-year max contract worth $172.5 million ($A247.5m), but Phoenix wasn’t willing to make that offer. Williams subbed in center Bismack Biyombo for Ayton a few minutes into the third quarter. The situation wasn’t captured by broadcast cameras. “He’s the one guy on your roster that you could facilitate a sign-and-trade with and potentially bring back a third player, a wing player, that can get you buckets, that can guard,” Redick said. “His contract situation is between him and the front office,” Booker said. Phoenix coach Monty Williams benched big man Deandre Ayton in the second half of the Western Conference semifinals series finale, and played coy about the situation after the game, telling reporters “it’s internal” when asked about Ayton only playing 17 minutes.

It's finally here, the match-up we've all been wanting to see when the top two seeded East teams go at it starting Tuesday with Game 1 set to tip-off at ...

Bam would go 3/4 from the line to end things in a huge Heat win. (Later, Adebayo and Chris Silva played in tandem.) Miami only scored 14 points in the first 12 minutes. The Heat were missing three starters (Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler and P.J. Tucker) and are in the midst of a four-games-in-five-nights stretch. Boston defenders were better prepared for Lowry’s quick outlet passes, shutting off a key cog of Miami’s offense. Miami and Boston have faced each other five times in their playoff history, with this year’s match-up representing the third consecutive time they meet in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat have won the last three series, most recently in 2020 in six games as well as in 2012 in a memorable seven game series. In the midst of a 23-3 Celtics run, even Jimmy Butler missed both attempts during a trip to the foul line. Given their torrid end to the regular season and their impressive postseason run, the Celtics arguably represent the biggest obstacle to the Heat’s quest for the 2021-22 NBA championship should they eventually win 16 games. Once Max Strus found his shot again, the Heat suddenly looked way more dangerous against the Sixers — able to not only provide scoring relief to Butler and Herro when the team struggles to score at times in the half court. On the bright side, Gabe Vincent has stepped up in his place and played well as a starter while Victor Oladipo has taken advantage of the extra spot in the rotation to provide reliable minutes off the bench. Boston dominated the league in their final 35 games thanks not only to All-Stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum but also in part to players such as starting center Robert Williams III and his increased role as well as Grant Williams, who led the team with a career-high 27 points and hit seven 3-pointers in their blowout 109-81 Game 7 victory against the Bucks. Mirroring each other, both starting point guards enter the series with huge question marks. If both teams are really on top of their games, this should be a series where neither team is scoring 130 points.

According to Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Phoenix Suns star Chris Paul had a left quad injury. The Suns lost to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night, ...

- SHOULD THE BUCKS MAKE A TRADE? On Sunday afternoon, the Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 7 to the Boston Celtics, which officially ends their 2021-22 NBA season in the second-round. When asked about his quad injury, Paul declined comment." @andscape learned that Paul had a left quad injury.

What do the final four teams in the 2022 NBA playoffs have in common? Defense. The Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks ...

“Golden State’s IQ and their cutting off the basketball, how they move and the way they play, with the IQ they play with, it grinds on you throughout a seven-game series. What’s his status (going to be)? … To me, the breakthrough series for them was Memphis. If they got through Memphis, the next series now with Dallas is a better matchup for them. … I’m not sure they have anybody who can guard … “The one X-factor is the injury to Kyle Lowry. What’s he going to look like, and can he come back strong? Executive’s outlook: “I think what we’ve seen in the playoffs from Boston, and even the end of the regular season, has been a testament to their resiliency and ability to play multiple styles. They have certain things that they like to do. Coach’s outlook: “I think Boston is going to win the NBA championship, and the reason I say that is because I like how they are jelling at the right time. Al Horford can play center, and Grant Williams, Daniel Theis and Robert Williams III (can too). … I think the Adebayo factor is going to be somewhat neutralized. Philadelphia did a decent job on him, but Tyler Herro’s got to rise to the occasion, and I’m not convinced he’s going to be a real productive number two to get them to the finals. Scout’s outlook: “That’s going to be a defensive series.

We know what to expect from stars Steph Curry, Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic and Jimmy Butler in the next round. But which role players are key factors?

Kleber didn’t have a great series against Phoenix, but the threat of his shooting at 6-10 allows Dallas to stretch opposing bigs away from the paint and out to the 3-point line. He is a physical defender, rebounder and overall irritant who likes to get under the skin of opponents. After being cast out in Washington, Dinwiddie settled into his role of lead scorer off the Dallas bench. Now, Strus is in the starting lineup, playing nearly 30 minutes per game, averaging double figures in points (12.5) and shooting 35.1% on 3-pointers. Horford rejuvenated his savvy old-man game with the Celtics this season and the playoffs in particular. Williams scored a game-high 27 points and made 7-for-18 3-pointers in the Celtics’ series-clinching victory.

The Eastern Conference Finals series tips off Tuesday, May 17.

Boston went 2-1 against Miami during the regular season. Kyle Lowry leads the Heat averaging 7.5. We’ve compiled some of the best introductory offers to help navigate your first bets from BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, PointsBet, Caesars Sportsbook and BetRivers. - *5/29 Game 7 Boston @ Miami 8:30 p.m. on ESPN. Stream onfuboTV, Sling, DirecTV Stream, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV. - *5/27 Game 6 Miami @ Boston 8:30 p.m. on ESPN. Stream onfuboTV, Sling, DirecTV Stream, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV. - *5/25 Game 5 Boston @ Miami 8:30 p.m. on ESPN. Stream onfuboTV, Sling, DirecTV Stream, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV. BOTTOM LINE: The Miami Heat host the Boston Celtics to begin the Eastern Conference finals. They then went on to finish the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 6 (99-90) off 32 points from Jimmy Butler. - 5/23 Game 4 Miami @ Boston 8:30 p.m. on ABC. Stream onfuboTV, DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV. - 5/19 Game 2 Boston @ Miami 8:30 p.m. on ESPN. Stream onfuboTV, Sling, DirecTV Stream, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV. - 5/21 Game 3 Miami @ Boston 8:30 p.m. on ABC. Stream onfuboTV, DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV. - 5/17 Game 1 Boston @ Miami, 8:30 p.m. on ESPN. Stream onfuboTV, Sling, DirecTV Stream, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV.

The NBA has arrived at its final four, the conference finals that will determine who gets the chance to win the next championship — and who'll lose it.

Oh, and they’ve also placed their trust in the secure hands of Luka Doncic; that also helps. Even better, Spoelstra can mix and match the rotation and tailor it to deal with the opponent in front of him. Golden State is positioned to return to the promised land and stocked with enough youth to buy more time at the top. But to be fair, the Celtics have dialed up the D since January, when their flat season flipped and they made a steady rise in the standings. There should be little debate that nobody has had a bigger challenge from a defensive standpoint than the Celtics, who had Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo standing in their path. Everyone thinks they have a shot, and as we’ve seen in this unpredictable postseason, everyone has a good reason for that.