Ja Morant Explodes for 45, Celtics win by seemingly 45

Another day, another set of playoff Basketball to be Enjoyed!

The Grizzlies-Warriors series continues to be Ja-dropping (get it? crickets? okay...) and the Celtics-Bucks series continues to be blowout central. Grant Williams stepped up, Klay Thompson stepped down, and Doc Rivers has a mysterious, undying love for DeAndre Jordan. Let's ride.

Morant's career night propels Grizzlies past Warriors

This series, ladies and gentlemen, is the NBA gods' magnum opus. Say a prayer of thanks to your Ja Morant figurines for blessing us with his bounciness, dynamism, and griddy.

Things were chippy early on. In the first quarter, Dillon Brooks was ejected for hitting the head of Gary Payton II, who would be unable to return. Draymond Green also got whacked on the noggin and briefly exited to get stitches on his eye, but returned after.

Mr. Morant flourished tonight, pouring in 47 points which is the most of any player in this playoffs. When the Warriors played him straight up, he slashed to the rim. When Golden State sagged off, he shot over them. On doubles, he dished out one of his eight assists. And in the last minutes of the game, Morant dropped Jordan Poole on his butt and executed a lefty acrobatic lay-in to permanently take the lead. Morant joins Kobe and LeBron as the only players to have multiple 45+ playoff games before turning 23 years old. Greatness.

Outside of Tee Morant's son, Ziaire Williams shined, burying four of eight three pointers, including several down the stretch. The Grizzlies needed someone to fill the scoring vacuum of Desmond Bane, who was neutralized by the Warriors who ran him off the three point line and limited him to five points.

Not to be too negative (hence the title of this brand), but Klay Thompson was really disappointing. Even before looking at his 5-19 shot chart, my eye test saw that he would take contested threes and tough pull-ups seemingly every time he caught the ball. To top it off, the Jackie Moon stunt double travelled on a possession to tie the game up in the final seconds. Going forward, I hope he takes more of the open catch-and-shoot threes by which he ascended the pantheon of GOAT-tier shooters.

Steph Curry had a mediocre stat line for his standards: 27 points on subpar shooting and five turnovers. Still, I would've liked to see a bit more isolations with Steph down the stretch. Overall, though, the Grizzlies definitely showed up more in the clutch and deserved this win. The Dubs now need to focus on defending The Bay.

Celtics slaughter Bucks to even the series

So this game was equally uncompetitive as Game 1, which saw the Bucks dismantle the Celtics. This game was the exact opposite. While Milwaukee kept with their strategy of protecting the paint at the expense of allowing three pointers, the Celtics hit 20 of their 43 attempts which outpaced a lethargic Bucks offense which only shot 17% from three, 65% from the line, and assisted on only 16 total baskets.

Jaylen Brown had his way, dropping 17 of his 30 points in the first quarter alone. He broke down defenders and pulled up for long twos, draining them with a distinctly 2000's-era ease in addition to six threes. Jayson Tatum also added a beautiful 29 points, but the majority of which came in the second, third, and fourth quarters, which remarkably all classified as "garbage time" in this instance.

But my flowers go to Grant "Fire Hydrant" Williams. The sturdy sniper drilled six of nine three pointers and, more importantly than just putting up the points, forced the Bucks to play the perimeter and open up driving lanes for the stars. Additionally, Williams and Horford effectively slowed down Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first half by staying in front and grittily taking contact in the chest.

Giannis struggled heavily in the first half but seemed to be their only source of life in the latter 24 minutes. The Greek Freak put up a dominant third quarter with 18 points, muscling through the layers of bulky Celtics defenders which gave him so much trouble throughout this contest.

US Government now considers Brittney Griner "wrongfully detained"

United States officials are classifying WNBA star Brittney Griner as wrongfully detained in Russia, meaning the government will more aggressively work to secure her release even as the legal case against her plays out, the State Department said Tuesday. Griner was detained at a Russian airport in February after authorities found in her bag some vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis. Griner's case will now be handled by the US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs.

Griner was in Russia to play for a Russian team during the WNBA offseason, as is common with numerous WNBA players, even the stars. Hopefully this draws more eyes to the underpaid nature of a career in the WNBA. Imagine if Joel Embiid, the NBA equivalent of Griner, had to play in another country during the NBA offseason to supplement his salary? Obviously the NBA is far more popular than the WNBA, and so the different leagues command different revenues and budgets, but it's something to point out. Regardless, let's all hope this present WNBA legend and fellow human being gets back home safe and sound.

Doc Rivers will continue to start Deandre Jordan

Doc Rivers doubled down on his decision to start DeAndre Jordan at center in place of the injured Joel Embiid. "We like DJ, we’re going to keep starting him whether you like it or not," Rivers commented in the post-game presser. Jordan put up a box plus/minus of a -22 in just 17 minutes. I understand there isn't many alternatives given a sudden injury to your star center, but personally, I'd give Paul Reed some more run, even if he fouls like crazy.

Jaren Jackson Jr. May Be the Future of NBA Defense … If He Can Stay on the Court - Rob Mahoney, (The Ringer)

‘Beyond the moments of protest’: How the NBA-backed Social Justice Coalition is sustaining the movement - Joe Vardon (The Athletic)

Guards like Marcus Smart should always be Defensive Player of the Year - James Posey, (BasketballNews)

Philadelphia 76ers @ Miami Heat - 7:30 p.m. EST

Though the 76ers played the Heat virtually even in the first half of Game 1, the wheels flew off the wagon in the second half. Philly can't seem to run an effective half court offense without Joel Embiid, despite my high hopes for James Harden. I think Miami takes Game 2, unless Chef Harden winds back the clock three years.

Dallas Mavericks @ Phoenix Suns - 10:00 p.m. EST

For Game 1, Jack predicted a "Luka Doncic Master Class and a Mavericks win." Well, he got the first part right. However, Phoenix looked like flat out the better team in Game 1, and Devin Booker did not even play that well whereas it might end up being Luka's best game of the series. I expect a similar outcome in Game 2 led by DBook. Phoenix protects home court and goes up 2-0.

That'll do it for me. I really am loving these two series we discussed today because it is establishment versus young guns. In the East, the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks with the best player in the league are being legitimately threatened by a 24/25-year-old duo in Boston. In the West, the biggest powerhouse of the last 10 years, lead by the highly decorated Steph Curry, is being pushed to the brink by a 22-year-old Ja Morant and more young, underrated role players. Is this the changing of the guard? Or the reassertion of the old order? We will just have to watch, and that's the beauty.

- Conor Geelan

Last Trivia Answer: The Chicago Bulls attempted the most three-pointers in a single game in these playoffs. They chucked up 52 three's in Game 5 against the Bucks and shot just 28% on them. Yes, the Bucks have forced the two largest attempts of three's this playoffs, proving Mike Budenholzer's defensive scheme to be effective, at least for now.

Trivia Question: It takes true basketball mastery to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award while also being an offensive star. Ranking DPOY seasons by points per game goes as follows: Michael Jordan '88, Giannis Antetokounmpo '20, Hakeem Olajuwon '94 and '93. Which two players come in at the #5 and #6 slots?