Enjoy Basketball: Jimmy Butler channels D-Wade, fortune favors the Magic

Wednesday morning is here, and so is Enjoy Basketball!

Last night saw the first game of the NBA Semifinals and 48 minutes of high-level hoops. I am thoroughly convinced that the Heat and Celtics are the two best defensive teams in the NBA, and last night showed how Miami can steal every pass imaginable (and the Celtics' lunch money).

We also had the Draft Lottery, which saw the Kings leap up to the #4 pick. Can we all pretend for a few weeks that they won't draft another bust? I sympathize with you, SacTown, because my Knicks are no better as a franchise (BTW, why can't the Knicks move up, ever?). Anyways, congrats to the Magic for getting #1, congrats to Jimmy for being baby D-Wade, and congrats to Steph Curry for graduating college! Hopefully I can do the same... my first-year grades in college are as inconsistent as the ref's treatment of offensive fouls!

Jimmy Buckets and Heat defense stifle Celtics

Jimmy G. Buckets. The "G" stands for "Gets." I have never been more impressed with Butler than I was last night, as he dropped 41 points and was far and away the best player on the court. Relentlessly attacking the rim, drawing free throws, and hitting tough midrange jumpers over helpless Celtics defenders, Jimmy asserted his will last night.

This game was a roller coaster. The Celtics jumped out to an early lead and were ahead by 8 points at halftime. But then the Miami Heat strung together one of the most dominant, one-sided, and intense quarters of basketball I've ever witnessed. Miami gave Boston zero breathing room on offense. Any open layup was immediately chased down LeBron-style. Any dribble handoff was instantly jumped and doubled. Any casual pass or unwary dribble was poked away and transformed into a Heat fast break layup. The third quarter was the embodiment of the "good defense makes good offense" slogan, which resulted in a 39-14 score during those 12 minutes, 17 points coming from Himmy Butler.

Outside of the main man, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent, two undrafted diamonds in the rough, came up big offensively for the Heat with several deep three's and Tyler Herro carried the offense in the first half. In the second half, the Heat attacked Payton Pritchard on virtually every possession, running pick and rolls to get him switched onto Butler, who went an insane 17-18 from the free throw line in the game.

For Boston, this match was up and down. They visibly missed Al Horford (health and safety) and Marcus Smart (foot) last night, but in their absence Payton Pritchard (18 points) and Robert Williams (18 points) stepped up on offense. Jayson Tatum put up 21 points in the first half, but went cold in the second. For Jaylen Brown, it was reversed, as he couldn't hit anything in the first half but then dragged the Celtics back within 10 points of the Heat near the end.

All in all, this was an entertaining game between two defensive powerhouses, and Miami is now impressively 7-0 at home in these Playoffs.

Magic win #1 pick, OKC and Rockets follow, and Kings jump to #4

The NBA Finals is still a few weeks away, but the bottom of the barrel had its own little playoffs last night, and the Orlando Magic won. The Thunder and Rockets hit on the second and third picks, but must notably is the Kings jumping up to the 4th pick. The Kings had the 7th best odds and only a 7.5% chance of receiving a top-4 pick. Hopefully they have better draft luck than history suggests. The full order is as follows:

1) Magic 2) Thunder 3) Rockets 4) Kings 5) Pistons 6) Pacers 7) Trail Blazers 8) Pelicans 9) Spurs 10) Wizards 11) Knicks 12) Thunder (via Clippers) 13) Hornets 14) Cavaliers

Steph Curry graduates college

"Wardell Stephen Curry the Second" rang over the loudspeaker during the Davidson University 2022 graduation ceremony. Curry received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in sociology. Steph, along with J.R. Smith, headlines a recent trend of athletes returning to school to get their degree, and I could not be more thrilled. Professional hoopers earn a scholarship at a university, but often leave for the pros without graduating, and sometimes without learning much. Big names like Curry and Smith valuing education sends the right message to the next generation of athletes. Perhaps even more gratifying to Steph fans, however, is he will finally have his jersey retired at Davidson, which is an honor reserved for graduates. Congrats Steph!

Deandre Ayton's future in Phoenix uncertain

Rumors have emerged that center Deandre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns organization are not seeing eye to eye and neither are thrilled with the others' behavior. Ayton played just 17 minutes in Phoenix's humiliating defeat at home in Game 7 versus the Mavericks, and when asked why, coach Monty Williams commented tensely that its "it's internal." Lil Wayne, whose word should absolutely be taken as Gospel here, claims that he heard Williams tell Ayton "you freaking quit on us!" On the other hand, Woj reported that "Deandre Ayton did not feel valued by the Phoenix organization." With Ayton due for an extension and at least one team bound to offer him a max contract, the Suns are now in a very precarious position.

2021 WNBA ROY Michaela Onyenwere on Liberty, giving back to New York - Sharon Brown (BasketballNews)

2022 NBA Mock Draft: Updated Picks With the Lottery Set - Kevin O'Connor, (The Ringer)

An amateur GM looks back on the last seven years of Knicks draft picks - Abe Beame, (Posting And Toasting)

Dallas Mavericks @ Golden State Warriors - 9:00 p.m. EST

This series is going to be amazing. Thrilling superstars, various second and third options who can go for 25 or more, and a slew of high quality role players! In this series, I have Warriors in six, but that could totally be my love for Steph Curry blinding me.

For tonight, I have the Warriors defending home court and coming out with the win. The Mavericks role players have generally underperformed on the road, and I think the Warriors home crowd will make a tangible difference. Jordan Poole has been lackluster recently, so look for him to reawaken for another Poole Party.

That'll do it for me! It is honestly crazy to me that there are only four teams left and I have no clue which team is going to win the NBA Finals. Plus, the Mavericks and Celtics look primed to be legitimate contenders for the next 10 years. The league is in a great place now, with an equally great future.

- Conor Geelan

Trivia Question: Of the top ten players in playoff points per game (minimum 10 games played), five of them are still active. Who are they?

Last Trivia Answer: Grant Williams attempted 18 threes on Sunday night, which is tied for second most in a playoff game ever. The only player ahead of him? RUSSELL WESTBROOK! Even though the jokes write themselves... Russ shot a very respectable 7-19 (37%) from three against the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the first round in 2018.