🏀 Steph Is Simply Unbelievable

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Good morning, Enjoyers! And goodbye, first round. You will be missed. As we bid farewell to one of the most thrilling playoff rounds in recent memory, let us think back to the great moments the past few weeks have provided us…

Okay, we’re done reminiscing. Bring on the second round 🤑 

Today’s Lineup

A Mile-High Statement : Denver dominates Phoenix in Game 1 🧐

Miami Quiets MSG: Late-game D and timely 3’s have the Heat up 1-0 🔥

Steph Makes History: The Golden State Warriors are inevitable 🫠 

PrizePicks

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For Monday, we’re sticking with basketball. What do y’all think?

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Friday Festivities: Lakers Send Grizz Packing

And they didn’t do it in a very friendly way, either! LA jumped on Memphis early in Friday’s Game 6 and then never looked back. Anthony Davis finished with a rather modest statline (16 PTS, 14 REB) but his protection of the paint and rim (5 BLK) should be studied by all aspiring centers. AD gave a truly masterful defensive performance. D’Angelo Russell provided LA an early offensive spark—finishing with 31 points—and it was smooth sailing most of the way for the Lake Show. Game, set, series.

Saturday: Murray Is Masterful

Jamal Murray has been that guy. He continued to be that guy on Saturday night to the tune of 34 points, nine assists, and 6/10 from 3PT. The “bubble Murray” accusations never really made a ton of sense to begin with, but it’s nonetheless great to see Murray tear through these playoffs.

On the Phoenix side, good things did happen! Kevin Durant and Devin Booker both shot the ball well (22/38 combined). But, the Suns were just giving Denver too much room to operate on offense, and chasing the ball more than stopping it. Monty Williams’ adjustments for Game 2 will be key if Phoenix wants to avoid falling in a 2-0 hole.

Sunday: Kyle is Clutch, Steph Is Silly

Heat clamp up Knicks late, steal Game 1 108-101 (MIA 1, NYK 0)

Silencing Madison Square Garden is nearly impossible—but Miami has already done a bunch of things that seemed impossible this postseason, so just add this to the list. New York managed just 20 points in the third quarter, and went long stretches in the fourth with virtually no offensive fluidity. Of course, a lack of Julius Randle, who was out with an ankle injury, had a part in that.

Miami’s hot shooting from the first round didn’t continue into Sunday, so they got back to their calling card; thriving in the “ugly.”

Steph drops a 50-piece, Warriors beat Kings, 120-100 (GSW 4, SAC 3)

Don’t hold your heads, Kings fans! You had one of the most fun regular seasons in recent memory, and there’s no reason to think it was a one-off; Keegan Murray will continue to improve, and the core players are all solidly in their primes.

To Warriors fans… congrats on having Steph Curry on your team. It looks like a lot of fun. The greatest shooter of all-time now holds another NBA record; the most points in a Game 7. Ever. 50 of them.

Sacramento was winning this game at halftime. They looked like a team who wanted the world to know they belong. But early in the third quarter, it was evident which team has “been here before.” Golden State took the reigns of this game, being the aggressor the entire second half, where they outscored the Kings 64-42.

Embiid Uncertain For Game 1

76ers superstar Joel Embiid is currently lsited as “doubtful” for Philly’s series opener against Boston. Regardless of who you cheer for, it’s not fun to see star players miss postseason games. Here’s to hoping Embiid can give it a go on Monday.

Lots of Fun To Come

By the time you read this newsletter, two second round series’ will have already begun. Let’s take a peek at the two series that have yet to kick off, and find out what we have to look forward to (there’s a lot to look forward to).

Celtics vs. 76ers: Round 22, anyone? That’s right—these teams have matched up 21 times in the NBA playoffs, the most of any two teams in the league. Boston has won the last five and holds a 14-7 all-time edge right now. But do we think any current 76ers players care about some old stats? Not particularly!

So what does this series hinge on? Well, health, of course. But the difference maker in this series may be versatility. Boston has so many players who are effective with the ball in their hands—the Jays and Marcus Smart, of course—but also Derrick White (17.3 PTS 46% 3PT) who was phenomenal in round one, and 6MOY Malcolm Brogdon. Look for Philly to try and curb their impact with guys like PJ Tucker, Jalen McDaniels, and Paul Reed, whose switchability could be paramount against a Boston offense that can hurt an opponent in so many different ways.

Lakers vs. Warriors: The people are saying Steph Curry vs. LeBron James…

Okay, guess we should probably write a little more than that. The battle between two of the best to ever step on a basketball court is certainly the headliner in this series (their only other Western Conference postseason meeting was a blast) but this series contains multiple intriguing matchups, and one of those is not a matchup we thought we’d be anticipating a few weeks ago; Kevon Looney vs. Anthony Davis. The rebounding battle between these two might be one for the ages. Looney became the first player in over a decade to grab 20+ rebounds in three games of a playoff series, and well, AD is AD. We’re stoked.

Frozen Moments

• This is a classic “no, no, no… Yes!” moment from Jamal Murray 😅 

• Kevin Love was dropping dimes in front of Jets QB Aaron Rodgers 🪙

• Steve Kerr had some serious praise for his center after Game 7 🙏

What We’re Enjoying

No More Lies by Thundercat & Tame Impala: Turns out, if you take two people who make some of the funkiest music in the world, you get… a really groovy song. It’s simple mathematics when you think about it. We’d do devious things for an entire album from this combo. In the meantime, we’ll settle for a single. Run up the groovy 'No More Lies’ now.

Signing Off

That just about wraps things up! Folks, the weather is finally getting warmer out, and changing seasons can really throw our brain into a funk sometimes. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re feeling a little lost. Nobody knows what they’re doing! Literally nobody. We’re all just freestyling it each day. You’re doing better than you think. Talk soon!

-Quinn Everts

Trivia Answer: The most steals in an NBA playoff game? The answer is… The Answer! Allen Iverson recorded 10 steals in a 1999 first round game.

Before you go…