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Sometimes, it’s hard to get up in the morning. Other times, you wake up feeling good about yourself and what you have in store for the day ahead of you. And in even rarer occasions, you wake up just BEAMING with excitement about how great the world is.

But you’ll never wake up as happy as Timberwolves fans did this morning.

Today’s Lineup

Full-Court Coverage

Wolves dominate Nuggets, force Game 7 with 115-70 blowout

When the Timberwolves are clicking like they were last night, it’s hard to imagine they’ll lose another game before Anthony Edwards retires.

The Wolves’ 45-point win over Denver last night was the eighth-largest margin of victory in NBA playoff history. That alone is incredible, but don’t forget that the Nuggets were also held to just 70 points—their fewest in playoff franchise history and the fewest that ANY team has scored in a single game throughout this entire season and postseason.

Yeah. Our jaws are on the floor too.

And despite an injury scare in the third quarter, the Ant-Man had an incredible night himself. His 27 points were a huge part of the Wolves’ dominance in this one, but don’t count out the impact that Minnesota’s big man trio had as well! Rudy Gobert, KAT, and Naz Reid combined for 38 rebounds last night, and their collective defensive anchor was a big reason why Denver shot just 30% from the field and 19% from three. On to Game 7!

Celtics advance to ECF with 113-98 win over Cavaliers

It’ll be three straight conference finals appearances for Boston, who did away with the Cavaliers on Wednesday in convincing fashion. Jayson Tatum (25 PTS, 10 REB, 9 AST) flirted with a triple-double and we got to see a vintage Al Horford (22 PTS, 15 REB, six threes) performance for the AGES. Despite a run that put the Cavs up by six in the second quarter, Boston had regained the lead by halftime and maintained it throughout the entire second half.

On Cleveland’s side, we’ll never know how differently this series would have played out with a fully healthy Donovan Mitchell. Either way, this will certainly be an interesting offseason for the Cavaliers.

Luka lifts Mavericks to 104-92 win, 3-2 series lead over OKC

Remember how Jayson Tatum flirted with a triple-double? Luka flirted with one as well, but he ended up getting her number. His 31 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds led Dallas to a crucial Game 6 win against SGA (30 PTS, 8 AST, 6 REB) and the rest of the Thunder.

Outside of Luka, though, the Mavericks got plenty of meaningful play up and down the roster that helped them get this W. Derrick Jones Jr poured in 19 points of his own, thanks to some great shooting (3-5 3PT) and highlight plays alike, and Dereck Lively (11 PTS, 10 REB) continued to show why he’s been one of the most underrated rookies in the 2023 class.

It’s a hard task to figure out how to stop Luka’s routine dominance AND breakout performances from his supporting cast, but it’s what OKC will have to do to avoid elimination on Saturday.

Back to the Past: New York in the ECF

With a 3-2 series lead and a potentially series-clinching Game 6 matchup tonight, Knicks fans are feeling good about their chances to move on to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in over twenty years.

Speaking of, let’s take a little trip down memory lane to the year 2000. What was the world like the last time the Knicks made the ECF?

For starters, New York was led by a trio of 15 PPG scorers in the 2000 playoffs. There was Allan Houston, the Knicks’ only All-Star selection; Latrell Sprewell, who led the team in minutes played in the playoffs (Thibs would have loved him!); and none other than 37-year-old Patrick Ewing, who was certainly past his prime but still playing a huge part in the Knicks’ success in the late ‘90s.

This team was beloved in and out of New York, but they ended up losing to the Reggie Miller/Jalen Rose-led Pacers in the ECF. However it wouldn’t be Indiana who would end up winning the Larry O’Brien in 2000—after all, when you run into Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in the postseason, your fate is (pretty much) pre-determined.

But what about outside of basketball? Topping the Billboard charts in May 2000 (right as the ECF was kicking off) were the smooth guitar tones of Carlos Santana on the track “Maria Maria”. If you’re not familiar with this song itself, you’re definitely familiar with its interpolation on DJ Khaled, Rihanna, and Bryson Tiller’s hit “Wild Thoughts”. Take a listen and see if you can recognize the sample…

And just a month before the Knicks went on their playoff run in 2000, “American Psycho” was released in theaters. Was the enthralling yet gruesome tale of serial killer Patrick Bateman (a New Yorker himself) a warning for opposing foes that New York isn’t to be messed with, on or off the court? Who’s to say…

Three in the Key

Signing Off

Thanks for sticking with us this week! Whether your team just got knocked out or is still fighting for a chance to survive, we hope you take this weekend to reflect and be appreciative of what you’ll always have to root for—the friends and family around you. Talk soon.

-Austin Zeglis

WAIT! Before we go, happy birthday to Certified Enjoyers of Basketball Gavin, Andrew, Nick, Drew, Josiah, Uddav, Emīls, and Edward! Thank you all SO much for supporting us and our positive movement—we hope you have a great day. 🎂 🎉