Before we dive into the start of the Conference Finals, we’ve got to remind y’all that we just dropped something special.

We teamed up with Fanatics on a brand new NBA apparel collection repping four iconic franchises: the Knicks, Lakers, Raptors, and Bulls. The Hometown Pride capsule is all about premium quality, unique design, and showing love to the cities that live and breathe basketball.

Check it out now at enjoybball.com! 💙🏀

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Alex Reese and Ousmane Dieng! 🎉

Playoff Recap

OKC storms through second half to take Game 1 over Wolves 114-88

Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals opened with a defensive slugfest—both teams grinding for every bucket, especially in the paint. But Julius Randle (28 PTS, 8 REB) didn’t seem to get the memo.

The Wolves’ forward lit it up with five first-half threes, giving Minnesota a narrow lead at the break while everyone else struggled to find daylight. For OKC, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31 PTS, 9 AST) couldn’t buy a bucket early but kept the scoreboard ticking with trips to the line—controversial ones, depending on your affiliation.

Then came the third quarter.

SGA and Jalen Williams (19 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST, 5 STL) turned it up in the 3Q, combining for 20 in the frame as OKC flipped the script and built up a double-digit cushion. Meanwhile, Chet Holmgren (15 PTS, 7 REB, 2 BLK) did what he does best, completely changing the geometry of the floor with his rim protection that helped hold Minnesota to their lowest paint scoring total this postseason.

For the Wolves, it’s time to adjust. They’ll need Anthony Edwards (18 PTS, 9 REB) to find another gear—and fast—if they want to stay in this fight.

Around the League

Meet Your 2024-25 NBA All-Rookie Teams!

Despite all that talk about a “weak” draft class, some serious young talent showed out this year. Here’s who made the cut for All-Rookie First and Second Teams!

First Team

• Stephon Castle (SAS): 14.7 PPG, 4.1 APG, 3.7 RPG

• Zaccharie Risacher (ATL): 12.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 36% 3PT

• Jaylen Wells (MEM): 10.4 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 138 3PM

• Zach Edey (MEM): 9.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 58% FG

• Alex Sarr (WAS): 13.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.5 BPG

Second Team

• Kel’el Ware (MIA): 9.3 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 55.4% FG

• Matas Buzelis (CHI): 8.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.0 APG

• Yves Missi (NOP): 8.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 54.7% FG

• Donovan Clingan (POR): 6.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 53.9% FG

• Bub Carrington (WAS): 9.8 PPG, 4.4 APG, 4.2 RPG

📝 A Few Rookie Notes

• Grizzlies' Dynamic Duo: Memphis made history with Wells and Edey earning First Team honors, the first time since 2019-20 that two teammates achieved that feat.

• Wizards' Youth Movement: Washington's future looks promising, with Sarr on the first team and Carrington on the second. Carrington also led all rookies by playing in all 82 games—a future Iron Man, perhaps?

• Castle's Dominance: The nearly unanimous Rookie of the Year led all first-years in total points (1,190) and steals (74) to give the Spurs back-to-back ROTY winners.

• International Flair: For the first time, two French players—Risacher and Sarr—made the All-Rookie First Team. Could they be up for Olympic gold in 2028?

• McCain's Early Impact: Despite playing only 23 games due to injury, we have to give a shout-out to our favorite TikTok star! Jared McCain averaged 15.3 PPG on 38.3% shooting from three in his electric start with the Sixers.

Last thing: if you could sneak one more guy onto the All-Rookie teams, who are you picking? 👀

Numbers to Remember

10.7%

…the Thunder’s turnover percentage in the playoffs, the lowest of any remaining team by far.

For all the things OKC did right in their Game 7 demolition of Denver, what stood out most was how secure they were with the ball—they coughed it up only seven times before garbage time. If the Wolves want a shot at winning this series, they’ll have to find a way to disrupt the Thunder’s offensive rhythm.

The good news? They’ve got the personnel to do it, with defensive dogs like Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jaden McDaniels on the wings and four-time DPOY Rudy Gobert locking down the paint.

51.6

…the number of points in the paint Minnesota averages per game in the playoffs.

For better or for worse, no remaining team leans more on inside scoring than Minnesota, and they’re about to face an OKC defense that was the best in the league during the regular season.

Not to mention they just made Nikola Jokić look human with their relentless post pressure.

The difference? Minnesota doesn’t rely on feeding a big man in the post like Denver. Their versatile paint attack is built around Anthony Edwards’ explosive slashing, Julius Randle punishing mismatches, and Gobert floating into open space for easy lobs.

If the Wolves can find ways to score inside against this Thunder team, they’ll be that much closer to their first Finals appearance in franchise history.

21.6%

…the Pacers’ lackluster offensive rebound rate in the playoffs.

To be fair, Indiana’s offense has been so absurdly efficient (61.5% true shooting!) that there haven’t been a ton of misses to chase down. But if this series slows into a more physical, defense-first battle like those classic ‘90s Pacers-Knicks matchups, the rebounding gap could swing things.

Enter Karl-Anthony Towns. Big Purr has quietly been one of the most dominant rebounders in the league this season, and it’ll be on him to set the tone. That’s especially true regarding the Knicks’ double-big lineups with Towns and Mitchell Robinson, which were crucial in the Boston series. If New York can control the glass, they might control the series.

+19

…the Knicks’ net rating against the Pacers this season with Jalen Brunson on the floor.

Brunson torched Indiana last postseason, averaging nearly 30 a game before a hand injury cut his Game 7 short. Now he’s back and, after dismantling Boston, he looks like a guy who’s nowhere near done.

But the Pacers might have their answer: Andrew Nembhard. After struggling to stay in front of Brunson last year, the Gonzaga guard is coming off a series where he held Donovan Mitchell to just 23% shooting as the primary defender. If Nembhard can slow down Brunson even a little, it could tilt the balance in Indiana’s favor.

Three in the Key

Signing Off

There’s just something different about this time of year. The stakes, the stories, the way legacies get written and rewritten right in front of us: it’s all a reminder that this is the perfect time to start truly appreciating the game. 🏀💙

Talk soon,

Spencer Poole