Clutch Morant Stuns Wolves and Wins MIP

The Enjoyment of Basketball is at an all time high, ladies and gentlemen. We had arguably the best playoff game so far in Grizzlies vs Minnesota where Anthony Edwards hit an ice-cold shot, but then Ja Morant laid in the game winner, sprinkling extra pizzaz on his new Most Improved Player award. The Heat closed out the series versus the Hawks 4-1, so Trae Young finally can go to sleep without visions of getting switched from Jimmy Butler to Kyle Lowry to PJ Tucker. Oh, and the Suns won as Mikal Bridges sat for like 15 total seconds. But let's start with the best game of the playoffs.

Morant's last-second bucket stuns T-Wolves, takes 3-2 lead

This was absolutely the most thorough enjoyment of basketball I've experienced this playoffs. Once you finish reading this newsletter, go to YouTube and watch the extended highlights and you'll feel as giddy (no Josh) as I did. Let me tell you why.

Minnesota lead by around ten points for most of the game, until the Grizzlies roared back behind Ja Morant's 18(!) fourth quarter points. But with the Grizzlies up three, Minnesota drew up a play where Jordan McLaughlin threw a brilliant bounce pass to free up Anthony Edwards, who drained a contested faraway corner three with 3.7 seconds remaining. But that was too much time for Ja. He received the inbound pass and finished an acrobatic layup over Jarred Vanderbilt to seal the win for Memphis and go up 3-2 in the series. 

Morant was simply spectacular in the fourth. He attacked the rim relentlessly and drew foul after foul. I'd also like to point out that while early on he struggled at the line, in the last six minutes he shot 9-10 from the charity stripe. This is huge for Morant, who has missed game tying/winning free throws for his team twice this year. Much like field goal kickers in football, people only seem to care when a guy misses in crunch time, but let's hand Morant his flowers and improving. Oh, and he also put Malik Beasley on a ridiculous poster.

I'm conflicted on the Timberwolves' performance because I think they have very little to be ashamed about, yet that is the most frustrating part. They shot a better percentage than the Grizzlies from the field, three, and free throw line. How often does that result in a loss? Karl-Anthony Towns (28 points, 12 rebounds) had another impressive performance, but D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards combined for only an inefficient 34 points. Although, I hate that Edwards' tough bucket at the end will be lost in history.

Heat survive Hawks' late run to win the series

The Miami Heat have put on one of the greatest defensive performances throughout an entire series I've ever witnessed, and today was no different. For most of the second half they led by 10 to 15 points, absolutely incarcerating Trae Young. They held the star guard to 11 points on 2-12 shooting and forced 6 turnovers on him. With Ice Trae suffering in basketball hell, the offensive load surprisingly fell to De'Andre Hunter, who beautifully rose to the occasion. The third-year guard who averaged 13ppg exploded for 35 points and was taking Heat defenders off the dribble, hitting pull-up threes, and drawing fouls inside in order to bring the Hawks back into the game. It was a joy to see a young gun blossom when his team needed him most.

But Miami still prevailed, even with Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry out. Their presence was definitively missed on offense but shockingly Victor Oladipo, who did not crack the rotation for two games this series, filled the vacuum they left and added 20 points on 8-16 from the field. Bam Adebayo also contributed a solid 20 points and was an interior force, but again even his impact was more on the defensive side of the ball. One funny moment was Markieff Morris getting a tech for restraining Hunter from stepping back onto the court in a play. Classic Morrises, am I right?

Shoutout to the 10-seeded Hawks for clawing themselves into the playoffs and pressing the #1 seed in two games, and I'll be curious to see what corrections they make in the offseason to learn from their mistakes.

Paul, Bridges launch Suns to 3-2 lead over Pelicans

Last night the Suns finally felt more like the 64-win regular season machine we saw all year. Even without Devin Booker, the number two and three options stepped up big. Chris Paul gave them 11 assists and 22 points by obliterating the floater game and his signature right-elbow pull up jumpers. But Mikal Bridges is who really astounded me. We need to stop taking his consistency for granted; he is an iron man. The young wing played 47(!) minutes in which he dropped 31 points, hitting three triples and mercilessly seeking the rim. His shot-making down the stretch uplifted the Suns and the usually reserved Mikal hyped up the crowd.

The Pelicans supporting cast didn't play poorly, but without an exceptional night from Brandon Ingram or CJ McCollum its hard to beat an on-point Suns team. They also shot 5-25 from three which really held them back. On the bright side, Jose Alvarado forced yet another 8-second violation on CP3, which is incredible. Alvarado has become my favorite part of this series - us New York City Catholic league guards have to stick together. 

Ja Morant wins Most Improved Player Award

Congratulations to Ja Morant on winning this years Most Improved Player Award, beating out finalists Dejounte Murray and Darius Garland. While only playing one more minute per game, Morant increased his points per game from 19.1 to 27.4, field goal percentage from 45% to 49%, and three point percentage from 30% to 34%. On top of that, he made his first all star appearance and is pretty much a lock for first or second team All NBA, which is a massive leap to (super)stardom. He beat out other very deserving candidates (shoutout Jordan Poole and Miles Bridges) and even left the award on the kitchen counter of fellow teammate and MIP candidate Desmond Bane. Still, Morant was personally my vote for the award and should be lauded for his massive leap, even if he was the Rookie of the Year two seasons ago. Congrats to Temetrius Jamel Morant!

Lavine out for Game 5, Caruso Questionable

Zach Lavine will miss Game 5 of the Bulls/Bucks series as he enters health and safety protocols. The timing could not be worse because Chicago is on the brink of elimination and Lavine's absence all but seals their fate. This turn of events is also remarkable given that Lavine has been sidelined for COVID-19 multiple times in the past two seasons. Prayers up to the guy, he (and the Bulls) can't catch a break.

Additionally, it is reported that Alex Caruso is questionable for Game 5 after entering concussion protocols. This news comes after Javon Carter inadvertently poked Caruso in the eye in Game 4. The Bulls are already down 3-1 in the series to a superior Bucks team, and these injuries pretty much shut the door on a miraculous comeback. 

Pacers want to hold onto Myles Turner long-term

Per Marc Stein, the Pacers view Myles Turner as a long-term keepsake. This comes as somewhat of a change, given that they were reportedly open to trading the 26 year old center during last year's trade deadline. Turner is a valuable piece for Indy, perennially sitting near the tops of blocks per game leaderboards and stretching the defense with solid shooting skills for a big man. He will be on the older side of a young core featuring Tyrese Haliburton, Goga Bitadze, Chris Duarte, and whoever the Pacers select in this upcoming draft.

Explain one play: How the Heat are stifling Trae Young - Nekias Duncan, (BaskteballNews)

Pelicans’ Jose Alvarado on his new contract, the art of creating steals and more: ‘Defense is 90 percent heart’ - William Guillory, (The Athletic)

Undrafted Timberwolves Playoff Heroes - Leo Sun, (Canis Hoopus/SB Nation)

Chicago Bulls @ Milwaukee Bucks - 7:30 p.m. EST

As mentioned above, Zach Lavine is out for tonight's game and Alex Caruso is listed as questionable. Even if both were healthy, I would probably pick the Bucks anyways because they have somehow flipped a switch since the injury of Khris Middleton, but now my decision has become easier. Bucks close it out tonight in 5.

Denver Nuggets @ Golden State Warriors - 10:00 p.m. EST

Game 5 should be a good one between these two teams, as Game 4 became the first real thriller in this series. Jokic has been hot as of late, and bench player Steph Curry lit up the fourth quarter last time up, so I expect strong performances from both sides. Because I expect both teams at their peak, I default to pick the more talented team to emerge victorious. Warriors in 5. 

Alright that's it for me. Quick agendas I want to push before Kenny cuts off my word count: 1) stop hating on KAT, he's played amazing the past two games, 2) normalize calling Ja Morant "Temetrius," 3) we should start using "to Alvarado" as a verb to jumpscare someone, almost like a defensive version of the paper-in-trash "Kobe."

- Conor Geelan

Last trivia answer: Jack gave us a good one on Monday and I had no idea. Turns out that Kevin Durant scored only 10 points in Game 4 of the 2017 First Round against the Trailblazers, which is his lowest scoring output in the playoffs.

Trivia Question: This will be a "Guess that Player" for one of the more underrated stars in NBA History. He played virtually his entire career for the Phoenix Suns, earned three all star appearances, and posted 17.9 points and 9.1 assists per game for his career. Who is he?