🏀 Watch out for a Tatum Tornado!

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Good morning all! You know what’s cool about basketball? A few weeks ago, we watched one of the best single-game postseason performances in recent memory. And this weekend? We saw…one of the best postseason performances in recent memory. These playoffs have delivered in every possible way, and we still have at least 12 more games to watch. Let’s break down everything from this weekend.

Today’s Lineup

The People Are Saying “Jayson Tatum”: Boston is on to the ECF ☘️

King James Still Reigns: The Lakers discard GSW and now draw a Joker 🃏

I’m Feeling Lucky: The NBA Draft Lottery is Tuesday night 🎰

But first, what would a newsletter be without some trivia? Try this:

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Friday’s Finishing Moves

Miami pulled a Codebreaker on the Knicks in this series—not the most aesthetically pleasing, but after it’s over, you have to just shake your opponent’s hand out of respect. A huge first half from Bam Adebayo (17 points) set the tone in Game 6, and the Heat overcame a Jalen Brunson masterpiece (41 points) to close out the series.

The Heat are fascinating. Scorching hot three-point shooting was the story of their first-round matchup against Milwaukee, but those numbers didn’t feel sustainable. And while that efficiency wasn’t sustainable in the end—Miami barely shot 30% from deep against NYK—it didn’t actually matter. Erik Spoelstra’s team looked just as dominant even when shots weren’t falling.

Out in Los Angeles, the Lakers’ finishing move was akin to a Swanton Bomb—the first couple games were LA climbing up the ladder, Game 6 was the leap, and Austin Reaves’ 50-foot halftime buzzer beater to put the Lakers up ten was the landing. Los Angeles now finds themselves matched up against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets in the WCF.

Saturday Recap

Sixers/Celtics: A Beantown Beatdown

Game 7 between Philadelphia and Boston was yesterday, so let’s see if we can get an idea of what happened by looking at the score by quarter.

After one, Philly led 29-23. After two, Boston led 55-52. Normal enough, right? But after three quarters, Boston led 88-62. Can someone who is good at math help us out here?

Nevertheless, you don’t need to be great at math to know that Jayson Tatum’s 51 (!!!) is the record for most points ever scored in a Game 7! We won’t argue with you on this one, JT:

Philadelphia’s stars never got into the rhythm they needed. Al Horford did an incredible job defending Joel Embiid, who finished with just 18 points. James Harden finished with just NINE points on 3-11 shooting as the Sixers suffered another painful second round exit. Meanwhile, Boston moves on to face the Heat in the ECF.

Toronto Goes Wild For The W

This is what a WNBA game looks like in Toronto. A preseason game! The first W game in Canada’s history was a roaring success, and before the game on Sunday, Enjoy Basketball’s very own Crina Mustafa was on the scene with some hard-hitting questions:

In the game itself, the Chicago Sky topped the Minnesota Lynx 82-74. Way to make a international statement!

L’attent Est Finalement Terminée

If you’re wondering, that roughly translates to “the wait is finally over.” On Tuesday, we’ll finally know which franchise 7’5” French super-prospect Victor Wembanyama will make very, very happy. And while we’re truly fans of the entire NBA here at Enjoy Basketball, we can’t help but daydream about the potential of Victor on a few specific teams. Here are three intriguing homes for Wemby:

Orlando Magic: How big can a team be? Not in a Lil Wayne type of way—we’re talking physically big. Because a core of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Victor Wembanyama is big. And supremely talented. Orlando is already on the right track towards becoming a powerhouse, and Wemby would certainly speed up that process.

Oklahoma City Thunder: What’s better than one 7-foot basketball marvel?

We have no idea how productive a frontcourt duo of Wemby and Chet Holmgren would be, but wouldn’t it be thrilling to find out? Aside from the novelty of this uniquely long-limbed pairing, adding Victor to a lineup that already has (1) a First Team All-NBA guard and (2) this year’s Rookie of The Year runner–up would make the Thunder must-see TV (even though SGA was that on his own last season.)

Indiana Pacers: How quickly we forget! Indiana was 23-18 last year before star PG Tyrese Haliburton went down with an injury. Bennedict Mathurin looks like a potentially elite scorer. Myles Turner (2.3 BPG) remains one of the league’s best rim protectors. Rick Carlisle is an established, smart coach. And while Wemby will obviously “fit” anywhere, plugging him into a lineup that lacks a star PF would be a lot of fun.

Frozen Moments

• Is “close out game Bam” a thing? Kinda seems like it’s a thing…

• That’s some pretty good company for JT…

• ‘Showtime’ vibes from the Lakers on Friday…

What We’re Enjoying

Blackberry: There are so many fascinating historical moments out there that we know nothing about, and the creation of the Blackberry phone is one of those instances. If you’re an It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia fan, this is worth your time just for some classic “Dennis rage”, but it’s also a great watch in its own right.

Signing Off

They’re playing the music, which means we have to get off the stage. Have a great week! If you don’t think you deserve to have a great week, you’re wrong! We all do. Give yourself a compliment today. Talk soon.

-Quinn Everts

Trivia Answer: The most Game 7 wins in NBA history? The man with the most rings! Bill Russell won TEN of those things throughout his career.

Before you go…