Tag: nytimes.com

CLEVELAND — It was a Saturday night in the Eastern Conference playoffs, and a Green Giant was crashing toward the Earth. Joel Embiid is too big, too decorated, to be called the little guy. But his sudden re-emergence with the Philadelphia 76ers after two virtually lost seasons not only was a rock to the Boston…

The Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t just beat the Los Angeles Lakers this season — they dominated them. Now comes the part that has to matter. The reigning champion Thunder enter the second round as the standard in the Western Conference, backed by a league-best regular-season record of 64-18 and a first-round sweep that only reinforced…

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — Before the New York Knicks had even wiped out the Atlanta Hawks, their coach was discussing lessons learned. The Knicks had switched up their offense, and thus their identity, after falling down two games to one earlier in the series. Now, they were just one win away from moving on to the…

DETROIT — After they hugged each other and congratulated the opponent, Orlando Magic players and their head coach trudged off the Little Caesars Arena court late Sunday afternoon, perhaps for the last time as a unit. Wendell Carter Jr. was the first of the starters to leave, followed a short while later by Paolo Banchero…

One round of the NBA playoffs is now fully in the books, and what an entry it became. The opening series of the 2026 postseason gave its viewership so much — three Game 7s, two sizable upsets, a Victor Wembanyama debut for the ages and a timeless performance from LeBron James. What awaits us in…

Jaylen Brown had some lingering thoughts to get off. Less than 24 hours after Brown and the Boston Celtics blew a 3-1 lead to the Philadelphia 76ers with a Game 7 loss, Brown took to Twitch to break down highlights and discuss myriad topics. He began by praising the 76ers’ former MVP center, Joel Embiid,…

Through 6 1/2 games, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors scored the same amount of points. That’s how even these two teams played in their first-round playoff series. The start of the second half is where the No. 4-seeded Cavaliers jumped ahead, taking their first lead in Game 7 en route to beating the No.…

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick said there’s no point in being disillusioned about what the Lakers are about to have to do. To keep their season alive, they’ll have to find a way to beat a team that, he said, isn’t simply the best in the NBA this year. “We…

Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris combined for 62 points, and the Detroit Pistons used a dominant defensive performance to close out the Orlando Magic with a 116-94 home win in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference first-round series Sunday. The Pistons came back from a 3-1 deficit against the Magic in the first round of…

Joel Embiid is asking Philadelphia 76ers fans to keep their tickets for the team’s second-round series with the New York Knicks, and the organization is doing its part to try to limit an onslaught of Knicks fans in the building for Games 3, 4 and 6 (if necessary). The 76ers put those tickets on sale…