NBA Playoffs

The Phoenix Suns have been dumped out of the 2022 NBA Playoffs after the Dallas Mavericks secured a 4-3 series win – meaning poor Chris Paul has blown yet ...

It was that reversal against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 which would have stung Chris Paul the most as the Suns blew a 2-0 series lead in the NBA Finals. What are the times Chris Paul has been part of a team to blow a 2-0 lead in the NBA Playoffs? But alas, the Chris Paul 2-0 lead in the NBA Playoffs curse has struck again – as the Dallas Mavericks brushed the Suns aside.

After two stunning Game 7s to close out the second round of the 2022 NBA playoffs Sunday evening, the schedule is set for the conference finals.

Michigan basketball has been humming along for a while now, and it's spilled over into the NBA as well. With the conference finals now set in the ...

For a while, it looked like Robinson was poised to be a starting member of the Heat for a long, long time. Poole has blossomed into a bonafide scorer in the NBA and is now viewed as a third Splash Brother alongside Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. During the latter part of the regular season, with Curry sidelined, Poole exploded as a scorer. While shooting nearly 50% from three-point range during his 17-game tear, he also showed that he can facilitate, push the pace and finish at the rim regularly in the NBA. Poole is still on his rookie deal, but he's positioned himself to sign a massive extension in the very near future. He was ruled out for yesterday's Game 7 against Phoenix but with the Mavs advancing, there's a chance he'll return to the lineup against the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. He hasn't done anything at full speed just yet, but it sounds like he's trying to get back on the court as the Mavs make a run. Three days later, he inked a two-year deal with the Boston Celtics. Stauskas has only played mop-up minutes in 10 games since signing with the Celtics, but he's in the league, signed and has a chance at a ring as of yesterday. Michigan basketball has been humming along for a while now, and it's spilled over into the NBA as well.

The No. 2 seed Boston Celtics and No. 1 seed Miami Heat face off in the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

Boston is equipped to guard the Heat in the halfcourt with almost no weak defenders in the rotation. The Heat are going to fight like hell, but I'm picking the Celtics in six." Boston's dominant defense will slow down everyone but Butler in the conference finals, and should flip first and second on that net rating leaderboard." Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Jimmy Butler is playing at a whole other level on both ends of the court. This should be another competitive series, with tough defenses to crack on both ends of the floor. The expectation here is that Butler’s defense will be enough to prevent Jayson Tatum from dominating on the offensive end of the court. But the Celtics are 4-1 on the road, having saved their season with a huge win in Milwaukee in Game 6 of the conference semis. On the other end, it feels like Boston has enough spacing to stretch out the Heat defense and let Tatum go to work against a Heat defense with more weak spots. They will force the other players on the Heat to beat them. He's been unbelievable in the NBA Playoffs, but the Celtics are a team designed to shut him down. John Schuhmann writes: "The Heat have home-court advantage, they had the East’s best home record (29-12) in the regular season, and they’re 6-0 at home in the playoffs.

Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns lost to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday evening in Arizona. The Game 7 loss officially ends their season in the second-round ...

- SHOULD THE BUCKS MAKE A TRADE? On Sunday afternoon, the Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 7 to the Boston Celtics, which officially ends their 2021-22 NBA season in the second-round. Paul was traded to the Suns in the summer of 2020 and had one of the best seasons of his entire career last year when he led the Suns out of a ten-year playoff drought and all the way to the NBA Finals. "I'll tell you that much.

The No. 4 seed Dallas Mavericks and No. 3 seed Golden State Warriors face off in the Western Conference Finals of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

Doncic has been the best player in each of the first two rounds, and the Mavericks advanced. The Warriors boast home-court advantage in the series. Look for the Warriors to earn an NBA Finals appearance for the sixth time in eight seasons." Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Mark Medina writes: "In his fourth NBA season, Doncic has maximized his individual dominance. They don't have a great No. 2 behind Doncic, but does it matter when he's been so brilliant The Warriors have a higher ceiling, but they haven't been crisp in the NBA Playoffs. The Mavs have been playing at an unbelievably high level. this playoff run is starting to feel eerily similar to the 2011 run. On the other side of the ledger, the Mavericks have been slept on all season. Dallas has two great wing defenders who can shoot in Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock, two extra creators in Jalen Bruson and Spencer Dinwiddie, and a head coach in Jason Kidd who pushed all the right buttons against a more talented Phoenix team. For all of Curry’s greatness, Doncic feels like the more overwhelming star right now. Curry has been great, but he hasn't reached quite the elite level of shooting as in previous years. Thompson is still shooting the ball well from 3-point range, but he's been forcing a lot of pull-up shots inside the line and hasn't been the same defender post-injuries.

Here's what you need to know about this week's playoff schedule, including the updated postseason bracket.

Mavericks, 9 p.m. ET (TNT) Mavericks, 9 p.m. ET (TNT) Mavericks, 9 p.m. ET (TNT) Hours later, the Mavs crushed the Suns in Phoenix to eliminate the reining Western Conference champions. The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks were ousted by the Celtics in Game 7 on Sunday afternoon. The conference finals are set in the 2022 NBA playoffs.

The Dallas Mavericks will play the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. Game 1 will be on Wednesday, May 18, at 8:00 p.m. CT on TNT.

You can also find the latest coverage, updates and analysis on the postseason at our SB Nation NBA home page, where we’ll be posting links to stories on the latest news and developments on these series from all of our excellent team sites as the NBA postseason continues apace. To get those in your podcast feeds every day, don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. So here are the full Conference Finals television schedules, and a dedicated page where you can come hang out and discuss the matchups in the comments below as they get underway.

Dallas was a big underdog ahead of its Game 7 blowout of the Suns. Can the Mavericks pull another series upset?

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The Miami Heat ousted the Philadelphia 76ers and reached the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night with a Game 6 win. The Golden State Warriors eliminated ...

Game 4: Mavericks vs. Game 3: Mavericks vs. Game 2: Heat vs. The Miami Heat ousted the Philadelphia 76ers and reached the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night with a Game 6 win. Game 1: Heat vs. Five teams remain in the battle for the 2022 NBA title, and a few have already punched their tickets into the conference finals.

As the 2021-2022 season rolls on, keep up with all news as it relates to the Dallas Mavericks right here with our DallasBasketball.com NBA Tracker.

In the face. And after the game ... By the bees. The NBA Playoffs are physical. “That’s cool,'' he said sarcastically, in no mood to goof off with Phoenix up 2-0 in the series. "I'll take the fine. When the two teams meet up again at Footprint Center, Suns coach Monty Williams will have a brand new trophy presented to him. And after how they just dismantled the top-seeded Suns? By the way: That's no sign of animosity; Carlisle recommended Kidd be his replacement. It occurred 14 years ago in the 2008 Western Conference semifinals. I want my guys to work through it, and this (game) is no different." What was the first 2-0 lead Paul lost?

The Boston Celtics have a terrific opportunity to win their first NBA championship since 2008 – and overtake the LA Lakers for the most titles.

The Celtics have been building for this moment for years with this group. Tatum will be the best offensive player on the court in the Miami series and he has shown growth in his game – the ability to take over as he did in Game 6 and the patience not to force offense as he did in Game 7 even with 23 points on just 14 shots. And Al Horford has been around, getting ready for his fourth conference finals. Tatum scored 46 points in Game 6, Horford 30 points in Game 4 and Williams 27 points in Game 7. “This is the group that I feel like is poised enough to get it done," Celtics star Jaylen Brown said. “I feel like everything we’ve overcome – all these battles and challenges and adversity that we’ve been through this season as well as the challenge that we just had overcoming the defending champs – I feel we are prepared.

Giannis Antetokounmpo said we have to want it more after his Bucks side wilted in the final quarter of a Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics; Every game in ...

"I've got to wish (Jayson) Tatum and his team the best for them moving forward. "I thought he was phenomenal. We got to want it more. He said: "We realised, like, hey, we got to get better. "I was just trying to be aggressive," he added. We got to get better as a team.

Luka Dončić has Dallas in the conference finals after handing Phoenix an embarrassing loss.

While she sat in the car, Cebrun went into the dorm to try to meet players. He injured his shoulder while trying to get ready for the 1953 season and never pitched in the big leagues again. Winter coats that the players could wear to South Bend for the big game against the Fighting Irish. Some $6,000 worth of merchandise in all, armloads and armloads, large cartons crammed full, every item purchased on the credit card of Raul Bey, a Las Vegas businessman who was in a loose partnership with a street agent named Nate Cebrun.” “The most brazen episode was a midseason, two-handed, shelf-clearing, 90-minute shopping spree by members of the Florida State team that would go on to win college football's national championship. Players also allegedly received a total of $10,000 in cash payments—peanuts compared to what their contemporaries are earning under name, image and likeness deals, but a massive scandal at the time: Necciai was only 19 at the time and beginning his third season as a pro. A lot of them dropped in the dirt. Necciai allowed four base runners on the night, one via walk, one on a hit-by-pitch and one who reached first after a dropped third strike. … Amar’e Stoudemire quit his assistant coaching job with the Nets and called out Kyrie Irving for choosing to skip half of the season. Unfortunately, the third goal he allowed was Johnny Gaudreau’s overtime winner for the Flames. That sets up an all-Alberta second-round matchup between Calgary and the Oilers. The Celtics won the first game of the day, beating the Bucks 109–81, behind a heroic 27-point performance from Grant Williams. At least that game was close for a while, though. He averaged a ridiculous 35.7 points per game last postseason, but Dallas lost in seven games to the Jazz. Now, with a different supporting cast around him, the Mavs are four wins away from their first Finals appearance since ’11.

Time gets us all. And in the Mavericks' dismantling of the top-seeded Suns, Luka Doncic showed his time is now and Chris Paul's is past.

He was constantly exposed by Dallas, and averaged just 9.4 points, 5.8 assists and 3.6 turnovers in the last five games, with Phoenix dropping four of them. And while Ayton’s future is unclear, the Suns could have a Paul problem. And his 39.0 point average in elimination games is the best in NBA history, albeit a small sample size. The Suns clearly have issues. “He’s Luka. He loves the stage,” Kidd said. Not to say that Doncic played harder than CP3 (he did), but at 37, Paul’s legacy can only change so much.

The NBA playoffs are hotting up with the Conference Finals now upon us. The Boston Celtics have upset the Kevin Durant led Brooklyn Nets and the defending ...

The Bucks the put on an impressive display in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead before the Celtics evened the series up at 2-2. The NBA playoffs are hotting up with the Conference Finals now upon us. Now, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and co.

The former Tennessee basketball Volunteers forward has the Boston Celtics in the NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals after beating the Milwaukee Bucks.

With that off-game, all the pressure was on him in Game 7, and he delivered in a huge way. If he needed to develop a three-point shot to make his pro career last, he was going to develop a three-point shot. In three years on Rocky Top, he hit 30 total threes and just under 30 percent from the three. He still had solid finesse under the basket and was an elite free throw shooter, hitting 82 percent of his free throws his final year there. The Vols had already cut the lead to two thanks to a three-pointer from Admiral Schofield the previous possession. At the heart of that comeback was a clutch Grant Williams three, something that has become regular for him these NBA Playoffs.

Phoenix coach Monty Williams benched big man Deandre Ayton in the second half of the Western Conference semifinals series finale, and played coy about the ...

He was not satisfied with his contract last October, when he was pushing for a five-year max contract worth $172.5 million ($A247.5m), but Phoenix wasn’t willing to make that offer. Williams subbed in center Bismack Biyombo for Ayton a few minutes into the third quarter. The situation wasn’t captured by broadcast cameras. “He’s the one guy on your roster that you could facilitate a sign-and-trade with and potentially bring back a third player, a wing player, that can get you buckets, that can guard,” Redick said. “His contract situation is between him and the front office,” Booker said. Phoenix coach Monty Williams benched big man Deandre Ayton in the second half of the Western Conference semifinals series finale, and played coy about the situation after the game, telling reporters “it’s internal” when asked about Ayton only playing 17 minutes.

We know what to expect from stars Steph Curry, Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic and Jimmy Butler in the next round. But which role players are key factors?

Kleber didn’t have a great series against Phoenix, but the threat of his shooting at 6-10 allows Dallas to stretch opposing bigs away from the paint and out to the 3-point line. He is a physical defender, rebounder and overall irritant who likes to get under the skin of opponents. After being cast out in Washington, Dinwiddie settled into his role of lead scorer off the Dallas bench. Now, Strus is in the starting lineup, playing nearly 30 minutes per game, averaging double figures in points (12.5) and shooting 35.1% on 3-pointers. Horford rejuvenated his savvy old-man game with the Celtics this season and the playoffs in particular. Williams scored a game-high 27 points and made 7-for-18 3-pointers in the Celtics’ series-clinching victory.

According to Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Phoenix Suns star Chris Paul had a left quad injury. The Suns lost to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night, ...

- SHOULD THE BUCKS MAKE A TRADE? On Sunday afternoon, the Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 7 to the Boston Celtics, which officially ends their 2021-22 NBA season in the second-round. When asked about his quad injury, Paul declined comment." @andscape learned that Paul had a left quad injury.

What do the final four teams in the 2022 NBA playoffs have in common? Defense. The Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks ...

“Golden State’s IQ and their cutting off the basketball, how they move and the way they play, with the IQ they play with, it grinds on you throughout a seven-game series. What’s his status (going to be)? … To me, the breakthrough series for them was Memphis. If they got through Memphis, the next series now with Dallas is a better matchup for them. … I’m not sure they have anybody who can guard … “The one X-factor is the injury to Kyle Lowry. What’s he going to look like, and can he come back strong? Executive’s outlook: “I think what we’ve seen in the playoffs from Boston, and even the end of the regular season, has been a testament to their resiliency and ability to play multiple styles. They have certain things that they like to do. Coach’s outlook: “I think Boston is going to win the NBA championship, and the reason I say that is because I like how they are jelling at the right time. Al Horford can play center, and Grant Williams, Daniel Theis and Robert Williams III (can too). … I think the Adebayo factor is going to be somewhat neutralized. Philadelphia did a decent job on him, but Tyler Herro’s got to rise to the occasion, and I’m not convinced he’s going to be a real productive number two to get them to the finals. Scout’s outlook: “That’s going to be a defensive series.

Kyle Lowry has been ruled out for Game 1 between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.

- SHOULD THE BUCKS MAKE A TRADE? On Sunday afternoon, the Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 7 to the Boston Celtics, which officially ends their 2021-22 NBA season in the second-round. Last season, they won the NBA Championship, and they will now enter an offseason where they can look to improve the roster to get back to the NBA Finals.CLICK HERE. Lowry got inured during Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks, and while they won the series in just five games, he did not play in either of the final two contests.

OK, so … now what? The Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns met in the NBA Finals last season, and each squad had high hopes of being back there this June.

It wasn’t that he sucked; it was that he was no longer in a position to offset the carnage on the perimeter. Contrast this with a year ago: Without the go-to space-ball forward of their own in P.J. Tucker, especially, Milwaukee didn’t have the right perimeter talent. Ayton met a similar fate in the conference semifinals, as did his backup JaVale McGee. In the ultimate irony, a Phoenix team that lost in the NBA Finals a year ago because it didn’t have enough quality size, lost this year because it lacked the perimeter groupings to face off against space ball. What made this hard for the opponents is that it turns out space ball isn’t a bad defensive strategy either, especially if you have the right type of forwards. Milwaukee tried to go big against Boston, and for five games, it was working out OK — the Bucks had a ton of rim protection, and they had Giannis to carry the offense. Kleber, whom I scouted as a small forward in Germany five years ago (where, coincidentally, he had a teammate named Devin Booker), ended up playing the majority of the minutes at center in this series against a 7-footer who was the top pick in the 2018 draft and against the giant Gobert in the previous round. I’m being overly reductive about the 3s, of course; both Dallas and Boston have superlative individual talents in Dončić and Jayson Tatum to center their attacks. In contrast, it might have looked weird when the Nets were playing three small guards against Boston in the first round, and they got swept for their efforts. The Mavs’ margin in the same category was 83 attempts and 33 makes in seven games against Phoenix. Meanwhile, Boston nearly doubled up Milwaukee on triples, 110 to 57, over seven games in the East second round. While other coaches likely have tried this from to time at some point, the real turning point for space ball came in the Clippers-Jazz series a year ago. It’s the latest evolution in a postseason tactical game that continues evolving at a dizzying pace: String five players on the perimeter, switch everything on defense, go one-on-one against a defense that can’t easily send help, and either feast on open 3s or get to the rim. It’s what happens when the Mavericks put five capable 3-point shooters on the perimeter and leave Rudy Gobert and Ayton in no man’s land, or when the Bucks’ protect-the-rim-first defensive ethos leaves them essentially daring Grant Williams to eliminate them.