🏀 Joel for EMVPIID

Powered By

Thank god you made it! Last night’s 13 game slate was too much for any mere mortal to watch all on their own—you could have ended up like this poor guy:

Anyways, before we get started, check out this big moment for us that’s been a long time coming! It’s always been our goal to spread the Enjoy Basketball message as far and wide as possible, and now we’re teaming up with the NBA to make that happen. Yes, that NBA!

If you’re craving more Enjoyable™ hoops content, head on over to NBA.com to read our Eastern Conference and Western Conference play-in previews ASAP! We’ll be dropping more fire collabs with them in the future, so stay tuned. 👀

Today’s Lineup

Making a Statement 🗣: Joel Embiid puts an exclamation point on his MVP resume

Five of them Things 5️⃣: The Huskies win their 5th NCAA title

From the Bench to Buckets 🏀: Breaking down the 6th Man of the Year race

RunYourPool

Enjoyers, it’s time to put you to the test.

Our good friends over at RunYourPool are back again, bringing sports fans and Enjoyers of Basketball together to compete in exciting bracket challenges! With over 50 game types for every sport you can think of and 2 million players, there’s no better place to run your bracket than RYP.

For the second straight year, we’re teaming up to run the official Enjoy Basketball NBA Playoff Pool. Compete against the EBB team to show that you know ball! All you need to do is fill out your picks for who will win each series and in how many games. The player with the most points at the end of the playoffs wins a $150 Fanatics gift card, courtesy of RunYourPool!

The best part? It’s absolutely free. So what are you waiting for? Sign up TODAY and show off your hoops knowledge.

Tuesday’s Throwdowns

Adam Silver has been giving us his best the last few days, with another massive 13 game extravaganza last night. Just like Monday, we’re gonna move a bit faster than usual to get to everything, but we promise to make it worth your while! If you want all the numbers, check out the box scores here.

Sadly, the night started with an elimination. The Magic (34-45) ran out of gas late against the Cavs (50-30) in a 117-113 loss and officially dropped out of playoff contention, despite a heroic late-season surge. And a quick shout-out to Donovan Mitchell, one of the purest bucket getters out there! Spida became the first player since James Harden in 2018 to score 40+ in four straight games. In Milwaukee, the Bucks (57-22) cruised past the Wizards (34-45) 140-128 in their quest to lock up the #1 seed in the East. And hey, Johnny Davis, we see your improvement! That was a sick jam on Jrue Holiday’s head:

Heading down south to Charlotte, the Raptors (40-39) took care of business against Frankenstein’s Hornets (26-54) in a 120-100 victory. Props to Will Barton for making the most of his opportunity with a cool 20 piece. Also in the Hornets’ division, the Heat (42-37) had a bit of a scare against the Pistons (16-63) before eventually pulling out a 118-105 W on the back of Jimmy Butler’s 27, 8, and 8.

And Miami fans surely appreciated Anthony Edwards’ clutch block that secured a 107-102 win for the Timberwolves (40-40) over the Nets (42-36), leaving the Heat just one game back of Brooklyn for the 6th seed. 👀

Keeping things in the east, did Joel Embiid just lock up MVP? The superstar center was the best player on the court by a WIDE margin in a matchup of two northeast powerhouses. He powered the Sixers (52-27) to a 103-101 win over the Celtics (54-25). Like… how are you even supposed to stop plays like this? Sheer dominance. And to cap off the East coast action, the Hawks (40-39) acted like they hadn’t even heard of Trae Young in their 123-105 win over the Bulls (38-41) without the star PG.

And what’s that we see? A Jalen Johnson breakout game? The young forward was simply electric on both ends, capping off the night with a gorgeous steal and slam to ice it.

Let’s head out West to break down the rest of the night’s action, starting with some good news for the Beam Team. The Kings (48-31) secured their first Pacific Division title in 20 (!!) years, thanks to a 121-103 win against the Pelicans (40-39). And how about those Rockets (20-60)? A Jalen Green 30 piece, a ridiculous no-look dime from Alperen Sengun, and 8 forced turnovers on Nikola Jokic was enough for a stunning 124-103 upset over the Nuggets (52-27).

In Memphis, the Grizzlies (50-29) escaped a close one against the Blazers (33-49) before eventually pulling away late to win 119-109. And of course, you couldn’t have two high flyers like Ja Morant and Shaedon Sharpe face off without some fireworks.

Last three games—stick with us here! The Suns (44-35) rode a strong first quarter performance to a 115-94 win over the Spurs (20-59), behind 27 points from Devin Booker. An 18 point fourth quarter from Jordan Poole, including this magnificent transition spin move, helped the Warriors (42-38) take down the Thunder (38-42) 136-125. And last but not least, the Jazz (36-43) and Lakers (41-38) put on the game of the night in Salt Lake City. Kelly Olynyk turned back the clock to 2017 with some absolutely mind-boggling shots, but as usual, it was LeBron James who got the last laugh to seal the 135-133 OT W.

Five of Them Things

After seeing Lamont Butler’s epic last-second buzzer beater on Saturday, UConn made sure that San Diego State wouldn’t get another chance two days later.

The Huskies swarming interior defense was simply DOMINANT, holding the Aztecs to a practically Antarctic 32% shooting night. Combine that with a couple double-doubles, courtesy of Adama Sanogo and Tristen Newton, and you have a recipe for a 76-59 victory that very rarely seemed in doubt.

We’ll admit that it can be a little boring watching a team slow roast their opponents over an open fire every single game, but you have to respect UConn’s supremacy throughout this March Madness run. Plus, it was great to see Cardiac Kemba having fun out there.

Award Watch

In a media landscape dominated by the comings and goings of star players, it’s important to appreciate the hoopers who come off the bench and make things happen. Today we’ll be looking at the leading candidates for Sixth Man of the Year, and recognizing how these two chefs have been COOKING behind the scenes this year.

Malcolm Brogdon - 14.7 PTS, 4.2 REB, 3.7 AST, 61.4 TS%

He might be your guy if…. you appreciate efficiency. Brogdon comes off the bench and just doesn’t miss, posting a higher true shooting percentage than any other backup guard this year. And if you’re a staunch sixth man traditionalist, just know that he’s started zero games this year and still put up crazy numbers.

Our favorite highlight: Like hands on a clock, Brogdon never stops moving. His 30-point barrage back in January shows how important he is to keeping Boston’s offense dynamic when Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are resting.

Immanuel Quickley - 14.3 PTS, 4.1 REB, 3.3 AST, 1.0 STL

He might be your guy if… defense is more your thing. Quickley has blossomed into one of the league’s better perimeter defenders this season. Not to mention his all-around superb offensive skills, which have helped him become the odds favorite for 6MOTY. Plus, the Knicks bench mob has the best net rating of any backup unit in basketball.

Our favorite highlight: Quickley is just ridiculous sometimes, and no play encapsulates that more than this triple-teamed circus shot over three Heat players. We’ve watched it 20 times and we’re still not sure how he hit that…

IQ vs Brogdon. New York vs Boston. Who you got? Let us know in the poll below, and feel free to write in some bench dawgs who deserve more love.

Frozen Moments

• Giannis Antetokounmpo does his best heat seeking missile impression.

• The Celtics’ bench’s reaction to back-to-back clutch PJ Tucker threes…

• Markelle Fultz snuck a trampoline onto the court with this gravity-defying jam!

• The Lakers locker room sounded like a barnyard postgame.

Good Reads

Meet Caitlin Cooper, the NBA writer winning over fans and players alike by actually focusing on basketball - Stephen Noh (Sporting News)

Inside a G League season: Journey to basketball’s crossroads with the Maine Celtics - Jared Weiss (The Athletic)

This Could Be the Start of Something Special in Oklahoma City - Seerat Sohi (The Ringer)

What We’re Enjoying

GIANNIS: If you haven’t read this enthralling biography from one of the best sports writers in the game, please do yourself a favor and pick it up. Mirin Fader goes the extra mile to give us an inside look at Giannis Antetokounmpo’s grueling journey from the streets of Athens to the NBA. We guarantee it’ll give you a newfound respect for one of the games biggest stars.

Signing Off

And that’s all from us! Here’s a little challenge for you all: next time your favorite team loses, try and choose three plays that you really liked. Whether it was a bit of extra hustle from a bench guy or some great help defense from a star, finding the little chunks of positivity in tough moments is a great way to make basketball more enjoyable. 💙🏀

Until next time,

-Spencer Poole

Trivia Answer: The answer to today’s trivia is the Boston Celtics! They’ve played in 161 playoff games since 2010, just seven more than the Heat.

Before you go…

Happy birthday to Enjoy Basketball legends Daniel, Saul, and Alan — we appreciate you! If you want a birthday shoutout in the newsletter, and want to help us make a better product in general for your reading pleasure, take a minute and fill out our survey below. 👇