BOS: With Jayson Tatum sidelined, Jaylen Brown shall be requested to shoulder load of retaining Celtics’ season aliveJulina Benbow, The Boston Globe
BOS: ‘A extremely vital damage’: Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles’ tendon. Native medical doctors weigh in on what’s subsequent.Camilo Fonseca, The Boston Globe
CLE: Recreation 5 Observations: One other Postseason Failure for the Cleveland CavaliersDanny Cunningham, The Inside Shot
CLE: What’s subsequent for Cavaliers? How payroll may pressure Cleveland’s hand after early playoff exitSam Quinn, CBS Sports activities
These aren’t questions the Cavaliers wished to ask. They justifiably thought they might win the championship right here and now. Doing so would have made this simple. They might have saved who they might and run it again figuring out that they had the core they wanted. The way in which they misplaced is remarkably irritating in that respect. A 12 months in the past, everybody informed them this core wanted to be damaged up. They spent the common season disputing that, however the method through which they misplaced takes them proper again to the place they have been a 12 months in the past. If Cleveland had stayed wholesome and made its photographs and nonetheless misplaced to Indiana, nicely, that might have answered the query for them.
CLE: The Cavaliers are headed house — a lot sooner than anybody anticipatedJoe Vardon, The Athletic
CLE: Cavs’ dream season turns into nightmare with 114-105 playoff-elimination loss to Indiana PacersChris Fedor, Clveeland.com
Cleveland entered this season with championship aspirations. It received 64 video games, 16 greater than the earlier season and second-most in franchise historical past. It spent many of the season with the league’s greatest mark, clinched a playoff berth in March and rewrote the document books.
However it was all for naught. And it’s over. Earlier than anybody anticipated.
DAL: As Cooper Flagg-led actuality units in, Duke star’s match with Mavs isn’t tough to ascertainBrad Townsend, The Dallas Morning Information
DEN: David Adelman revels in additional concerned function in Nuggets’ protection as interim coachBennett Durando, The Denver Put up
DEN: Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ship Recreation 5 duel that completely encapsulates MVP debateBrad Botkin, CBS Sports activities
Whereas Gilgeous-Alexander obtained between 13 and 18 factors from 5 of his teammates on Tuesday, Denver’s non-Jokić forged put simply three gamers in double figures and shot 31.9% (23 for 72) as a gaggle. As Jokić did the whole lot in his energy to hold on to what was a nine-point Denver lead with 13 fourth-quarter factors on 4-of-6 taking pictures, his teammates made simply one among their 15 photographs, and none of their 10 3-pointers, over the ultimate 12 minutes.
DEN: Nuggets enable one other fourth-quarter result in slip regardless of Nikola Jokic’s epic evening, fall behind 3-2 to ThunderBennett Durando, The Denver Put up
DEN: Nuggets’ tragic flaw ruins Jokic masterpiece at worst attainable timeBen Handler, Nugg Love
DEN: Nikola Jokić, Nuggets run out of fuel as Thunder’s depth turns into defining issueTony Jones, The Athletic
GSW: Preview: On the precipicePunk Basketball, Dub Nation HQ
GSW: The Plight of the Steph-less WarriorsLogan Murdock, The Ringer
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