Around the League: Week 25 4/2-4/11

[carey]

Nationally televised games this week

Monday: None.
Tuesday: Golden State @ OKC 8:00 PM EST TNT, San Antonio @ L.A. Clippers 10:30 PM EST TNT
Wednesday: Boston @ Toronto 8:00 PM EST NBATv, San Antonio @ L.A. Lakers 10:30 PM EST ESPN
Thursday: Washington @ Cleveland 8:00 PM EST TNT, Minnesota @ Denver 10:30 PM EST TNT
Friday: Cleveland @ Philadelphia 7:00 PM EST NBATv, Minnesota @ L.A. Lakers 10:30 PM EST NBATv
Saturday: Denver @ L.A. Clippers 3:30 PM EST NBATv, OKC @ Houston 8:30 PM EST ABC
Sunday: Dallas @ Philadelphia 1:00 PM EST NBATv, Detroit @ Memphis 3:30 PM EST NBATv, Orlando @ Toronto 6:00 PM EST NBATv, Golden State @ Phoenix 9:00 PM EST NBATv
Monday 4/9: Cleveland @ New York 7:30 PM EST NBATv, New Orleans @ L.A. Clippers 10:30 PM EST ESPN
Tuesday 4/10: Boston @ Washington 8:00 PM EST TNT, Houston @ L.A. Lakers 10:30 PM EST TNT
Wednesday 4/11: Milwaukee @ Philadelphia 8:00 PM EST ESPN, Utah @ Portland 10:30 PM EST ESPN

NBA News

D.A.'s Big Board: Guards - http://www.nba.com/da-big-board-guards-2018-draft

Other stories.

PLAYOFF PICTURE UPDATE
Let's make this update snappy. The Sixers, Cavaliers, and Pacers had good weekends. The Wizards, Bucks, and Heat did not. The Blazers, Nuggets, Spurs, and Jazz had good weekends. The Clippers and Pelicans did not. The Thunder were mixed.

The upshot in the East: the Cavaliers and Sixers are still virtually tied for the No. 3 seed, with Cleveland holding the advantage on projected tiebreakers. They play Friday in a potentially crucial game. The Pacers are holding tough just one game back in the loss column. The Wizards are now four games back in the loss column, and just one game ahead of both No. 7 Miami and No. 8 Milwaukee for the No. 6 seed. The Pistons have slightly re-entered the conversation with a 5-game winning streak -- word to Reggie Jackson -- but they are still four games out with five to go, so it'd take an incredible miracle to get in.

The upshot in the West: the Blazers have a 3-game gap for No. 3, the Spurs have taken sole possession of No. 4 with a 1-game cushion over the Thunder and Jazz, and the Wolves and sliding Pelicans have just a 1-game lead over No. 9 Denver. The Clippers are two games out.

No games scheduled for Monday in apparent deference to the men's college basketball championship game.

[carey]

This thread on Twitter is hilarious. Just click on the first one then enjoy.

https://twitter.com/Sp0rtsTalkJo3/status/979078903498145792

[Superbone]

First clip looks like the Washington Generals versus the Globetrotters.

[Mori Chu]

I like the caption about "in this one MJ scores on the members of One Direction", lol.

[Split T]

Dallas and Orlando in an epic tank battle.

Orlando started: augustin, iwundu, hezonja, Gordon, biyombo and are closing the game with Artis, Mack, iwundu, hezonja, birch

Dallas started: barea, Harrison, McDermott, Finley-smith, motley and are closing the game with collinsworth, jalen jones, Aaron Harrison, Finley-smith, motley

[carey]

Dallas and Orlando in an epic tank battle.

Orlando started: augustin, iwundu, hezonja, Gordon, biyombo and are closing the game with Artis, Mack, iwundu, hezonja, birch

Dallas started: barea, Harrison, McDermott, Finley-smith, motley and are closing the game with collinsworth, jalen jones, Aaron Harrison, Finley-smith, motley

[Split T]

Kyrie is out for the season and playoffs. Wizards/Bucks/Heat should be fighting over that 7 seed spot.

[carey]

Kyrie is out for the season and playoffs. Wizards/Bucks/Heat should be fighting over that 7 seed spot.

Woah. Really? What a bummer for Boston to lose Hayward and Kyrie for the year.

[carey]

I can't remember if it was TOO that was really high on Trey Burke when he came out, but I believe so. Anyway, it looks like he turned it around enough this year to make Lowe's "Luke Walton All-Stars." http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2302 ... -stars-nba

Trey Burke, New York Knicks

Burke leapfrogged Jarrett Jack for New York's Walton spot and resurrected a career that appeared headed toward China. As Mike Vorkunov wrote at The Athletic, change had to start with Burke cleaning up his off-court life. Teams intrigued by his talent were turned off when they dug deeper. Burke matured.

The results have been beyond anything any reasonable person could have dreamed. Burke in New York has the statistical profile of a star. He's shooting well from everywhere: 39 percent from deep, Nowitzkian levels from midrange on colossal volume, and even 73 percent at the rim -- once a no-fly zone for an undersized guy with average athleticism.

Burke isn't just hunting points. He has assisted on almost 40 percent of New York's baskets while on the floor, a borderline top-five number. He has developed a nice pick-and-roll chemistry with Michael Beasley, captain of last year's Waltons; New York has scored 1.28 points per possession on any trip featuring a Burke-Beasley pick-and-roll, the fourth-best (!) mark among almost 300 duos that have run at least 150 such plays, per Second Spectrum.

Only six players over the past two seasons have commandeered such a large share of possessions with shots and assists: LeBron, Russell Westbrook, John Wall, James Harden, Dennis Schroder, and D'Angelo Russell.

Most of those guys are stars. Burke fashions himself an All-Star. Almost every team -- including the Knicks -- considers Burke a very nice backup, even now. They are all wondering how Burke will receive that message.

Some of his shooting numbers are unsustainable. He'll never be a plus defender. But his life is in order, and he adjusted to the superior athleticism of NBA defenders by adding subtle craft to his pick-and-roll game -- fakes to set up defenders before he uses a screen, change-of-pace dribbles, other goodies.

He is a good shooter capable of playing off the ball and producing a decent midrange shot in a pinch. He should stick beyond his contract, which runs through next season.

[TOO]

I was indeed high on Burke. We took Len, didn't like it. Good for Trey, looks like he's finally figured out his role.

[UglyTruth]

Glad we didn’t trade Josh Jackson for injured goods Kyrie Irving.

[Charlie Smithy!]

Let's do the time waaaaaaarp again!

[Mori Chu]

Glad we didn’t trade Josh Jackson for injured goods Kyrie Irving.

(poop emoji)

[In2ition]

Minnesota lost a close game to Denver. I thought there was some really questionable calls down the stretch.

[Split T]

Sixers smashing the Cavs right now. Up 23 halfway through 2nd Q. They win this game and I think they go to the Eastern conference finals. 24-6 since the start of February +9 point differential. They are really good. How crazy if they represent the East in the finals? And they could add LeBron next year.

[Split T]

Cavs within 7 going into the 4th.

Meanwhile, magic are in full tank mode. Down 45 to the Hornets. Hornets were the team that beat Memphis by 61. Has any team ever had two 50 point wins in a season? Hornets might do it and miss the playoffs.

[carey]

Sixers smashing the Cavs right now. Up 23 halfway through 2nd Q. They win this game and I think they go to the Eastern conference finals. 24-6 since the start of February +9 point differential. They are really good. How crazy if they represent the East in the finals? And they could add LeBron next year.

I don't think LeBron goes to Philly next year. Especially if they win the East. But I wanted to ask what makes this game so important that if Philly won (they did by 2 points) they would be going to the ECF?

[Split T]

This puts Philly in the driver's seat for the 3 seed(they've got Dallas, Atlanta and Milwaukee left) let's them avoid Toronto in round 2 and let's them play Boston without Kyrie.

[Mori Chu]

You'd think that teams would not be especially scared of Toronto in the playoffs, given that franchise's overall playoff record.

[Mori Chu]

Wow. Philly won over Cleveland by 2 points. Both Lebron (44/11/11) and Ben Simmons (27/15/13) had triple-doubles in the same game. Crazy.

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400975929