{"id":1883690,"date":"2026-04-15T14:00:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T11:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1883690"},"modified":"2026-04-15T14:00:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T11:00:51","slug":"the-bounce-which-teams-are-feeling-the-most-pressure-in-the-nba-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1883690","title":{"rendered":"The Bounce: Which teams are feeling the most pressure in the NBA playoffs?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Bounce Newslette<\/b>r<\/strong>\u00a0\":basketball:\"<\/span>\u00a0| This is The Athletic\u2019s<\/em> daily NBA newsletter.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

So much of Amazon Prime\u2019s NBA season has been brilliant broadcasting. Last night, however, the streamer lost the signal for about 20 seconds<\/a> of overtime action when the Hornets went up 125-120 on the Heat. It put up a \u201ctechnical difficulties\u201d graphic, and people were furious. Maybe worse is the \u201cPlaymaker Chain\u201d given out to players after the game<\/a>. I love a gimmick, but this was kind of corny.<\/p>\n

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Play-In Tournament<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Hornets and Blazers stay alive<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the last three years, the Heat have thrived in the Play-In Tournament. They made it out three straight years, eliminating the Bulls and Coby White in all three years. This time, White helped exorcise those Play-In demons by having a big second half in the 9-10 matchup in the East last night.<\/p>\n

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The Hornets won 127-126 in overtime, but there was a lot of drama in this game in the second quarter \u2014 and it was actually broadcast. After LaMelo Ball was blocked and Bam Adebayo corralled the ball to save it from going out of bounds, the Hornets guard swept the leg of Adebayo<\/a>, causing him to crash hard onto the ground:<\/p>\n

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It was a terrible play by Ball, and he should have received at least a flagrant 1.<\/strong> It may have even been grounds for ejection, based on how flagrants are called in today\u2019s NBA. Instead, no foul was called, and because play just kept going, the rules prevented the refs from reviewing it. Adebayo left the game with a lower back injury and did not return.<\/p>\n

After the game, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra had this to say:<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s cute. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s funny. I think it\u2019s a stupid play. It\u2019s a dangerous play. He should be penalized for that. I don\u2019t think that belongs in the game, tripping guys. Somebody has got to see that. He should have been thrown out of the game for that.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Ball had this to say about the play:<\/p>\n

\u201cI apologize on that one. I got hit in the head, didn\u2019t really know where I was, but I\u2019mma check on him and see if he\u2019s OK and everything. I haven\u2019t even seen it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The Heat wished Ball wasn\u2019t available at the end of the game. White had 14 of his 19 points in the third quarter and hit a big 3 toward the end of regulation. Tyler Herro missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. After the Hornets took a five-point lead with 26 seconds left in overtime, Herro scored six straight points as Miami took a one-point lead with 8.7 seconds left.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when Ball did this<\/p>\n

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Kel\u2019el Ware (who had five blocks, including one he caught) was on the bench for that possession.<\/p>\n

Davion Mitchell (28 points) tried to get a game-winner at the other end with no timeouts left, but Miles Bridges blocked the shot. Ball finished with 30 points on 12-of-31 shooting, including 2-of-16 from deep. Kon Knueppel had just six points on 2-of-12 shooting and was subbed out of the game with 1:45 left in the fourth when the Hornets were down six and needed 3-pointers. He didn\u2019t play in overtime either. Bold move by Charles Lee that paid off.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Heat\u2019s season is over, and the Hornets await the loser of Magic-76ers tonight. <\/strong>The Hornets will play them on Friday for the No. 8 seed.<\/p>\n

Blazers 114, Suns 110: <\/strong>Another great game last night<\/a>, with Deni Avdija carrying the Blazers in the West 7-8 game. He had 14 of his 41 points and three of his 12 assists in the fourth quarter to bull his way through everything the Suns threw at him. It was enough to overcome Jalen Green\u2019s 35 points and 22 points from Devin Booker. Despite being one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA, the Blazers hit 17 3-pointers and held the Suns to just nine makes from deep.<\/p>\n

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{“endpoint”:”https:\/\/api-prd-nyt.theathletic.com\/graphql”}<\/p>\n

Portland came surging back after the Suns\u2019 16-4 start to the fourth quarter that had Phoenix looking like it might walk away with this one. The Suns had an 11-point lead with 6:41 left. The Blazers finished the game on a 25-10 run and have now made the playoffs for the first time since 2021.<\/strong> How much pressure is on them in their series against No. 2 seed San Antonio? We have that answer below.<\/p>\n

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The last 24<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\ud83d\udcbb Don\u2019t forget. <\/strong>As the Play-In Tournament games are on, you can hang with us. This is the live blog<\/strong><\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc0 RSVP. <\/strong>Our annual anonymous player poll rolls on. Today\u2019s topic: Would you go to the White House if your team won the NBA title<\/a>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc0 Final chapters. <\/strong>Steph Curry and Kevin Durant are in the twilight of their illustrious careers. \u201cIt\u2019s OK to acknowledge that it\u2019s gonna end<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa5 Must-watch. <\/strong>There\u2019s a new Netflix documentary on one of the most fascinating teams ever: the Jail Blazers<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc0 No answers. <\/strong>Lakers coach JJ Redick gave updates on the health status of Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and Austin Reaves. Both are out \u201cindefinitely.\u201d<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Stream the NBA on Fubo (<\/em>try it for free!<\/a>)<\/em>\u00a0and catch out-of-market games on\u00a0<\/em>League Pass<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Balloting issues<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Awards voting is delayed<\/strong><\/p>\n

Up until the 65-game rule was implemented, NBA awards voters would receive their awards ballots in the last week of the regular season and would have to submit their picks the day after the regular season ended. Once the 65-game rule was put in, the league sends out the ballots at the end of the day after the regular season finishes. Voters have about 17 hours to submit their picks.<\/p>\n

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This year, that\u2019s not happening. Don\u010di\u0107 is expected to appeal his lack of eligibility (just 64 games) due to \u201cextraordinary circumstances\u201d because he missed two games for the birth of his daughter. Some have wondered if the collapsed lung that cost Cade Cunningham his eligibility might prompt him to appeal as well. Regardless, the ballots have not gone out, and it\u2019s causing some angst in the media world.<\/p>\n

On my SiriusXM NBA Radio show \u201cDeals and Dunks\u201d with Marc Stein on Monday and Tuesday, my cohost wondered if a big game by Knueppel in a Play-In game might influence voters to give him the edge over Cooper Flagg for Rookie of the Year. Considering the regular season is over, that game shouldn\u2019t have any bearing on the award. Others wondered on social media if voters would be swayed by the action in the Play-In games.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll remind you that Knueppel was terrible last night and got benched in overtime. Jaime Jaquez Jr. had a good game but a rough shooting night, possibly influencing his candidacy for Sixth Man. Avdija\u2019s tremendous game against Phoenix could technically influence the Most Improved race.<\/p>\n

I would like to think these games have no consequence with the voting that will hopefully happen sometime this week. I am fortunate enough to have a vote, and there\u2019s no part of me considering these games. That this is even being discussed, however, shows another major flaw in this 65-game rule.<\/p>\n

Our John Hollinger does not have a ballot, but he offers up his picks for the major awards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Pressure meter<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Who\u2019s really sweating the first round?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We know five of the eight first-round series in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, as the two No. 1 seeds and a No. 2 seed await their matchups being decided tonight and Friday night in the Play-In Tournament. Who has the most pressure? Let\u2019s bust out the matchup pressure meter and provide bulletin board material, shall we? If you\u2019re a regular Bouncer, you know these meters are a scale of 1-5 (5 being the most pressure).<\/p>\n

(7) Blazers v. (2) Spurs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Both of these teams missed the Play-In a year ago. Now they\u2019re facing off in the first round of the playoffs. This will be the first test for the Spurs<\/a>, as they\u2019ve ascended into title contention. The Blazers have hit the icing-on-the-cake portion of their run.<\/p>\n

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Blazers Pressure: \ud83c\udf32\u00a0 | Spurs Pressure: \ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\udc7d<\/strong><\/p>\n

(3) Nuggets v. (6) Wolves<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was internet chatter that suggested the Nuggets hoped to lose games at the end of the season to avoid Minnesota in the first round. I\u2019m not sure I believe that. However, the Wolves did take down the Nuggets in Denver\u2019s pursuit of a back-to-back run in 2024. Denver and Minnesota are both deeper now. They\u2019re also both dealing with key injuries. Both franchises are typically frugal, so the losing team may change how its roster is constructed.<\/p>\n

Nuggets Pressure: \u26f0\ufe0f\u26f0\ufe0f\u26f0\ufe0f\u00a0 | Wolves Pressure: \ud83d\udc3a\ud83d\udc3a\ud83d\udc3a<\/strong><\/p>\n

(4) Lakers v. (5) Rockets<\/strong><\/p>\n

With the Don\u010di\u0107 and Reaves injuries, this series expectation has completely flipped. Even with the Rockets finishing the season strongly, I\u2019m not sure how trustworthy they were or how seriously people were taking them against a healthy Lakers team. Now, Houston almost needs to dispatch L.A. early just to stop people from finding more doubt with this squad.<\/p>\n

Lakers Pressure: \ud83c\udfac | Rockets Pressure: \ud83d\ude80\ud83d\ude80\ud83d\ude80\ud83d\ude80\ud83d\ude80<\/strong><\/p>\n

West Play-In: (9) Clippers v. (10) Warriors<\/strong><\/p>\n

The future of the Clippers is up in the air for many reasons. We\u2019re not sure how much of this team will be intact after the season, nor if the Clippers will receive a big punishment from the league for the cap circumvention allegations investigation. The Warriors are running out of time in Curry\u2019s career, but they can still play the injury card for the end of this season.<\/p>\n

Clippers Pressure: \ud83d\udea2\ud83d\udea2\ud83d\udea2\ud83d\udea2\u00a0 | Warriors Pressure: \ud83e\uddd1\u200d\ud83c\udf73\ud83e\uddd1\u200d\ud83c\udf73\ud83e\uddd1\u200d\ud83c\udf73<\/strong><\/p>\n

(3) Knicks v. (6) Hawks<\/strong><\/p>\n

This Knicks team is supposed to go to the finals, and that hasn\u2019t changed this season. The Hawks are mostly playing with house money as they\u2019ve surged since trading Trae Young. This should be a great basketball nerd-out series.<\/p>\n

Knicks Pressure: \ud83d\uddfd\ud83d\uddfd\ud83d\uddfd\ud83d\uddfd\ud83d\uddfd | Hawks Pressure: \ud83e\udd85\ud83e\udd85 <\/strong>(yes, I know that\u2019s an eagle, but it\u2019s the closest the emojis have)<\/p>\n

(4) Cavaliers v. (5) Raptors<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Cavs should win the series based on roster, style of play and star power. But they are not close to the team we saw a year ago heading into the playoffs. Maybe that\u2019s a good thing? The Raptors are very expensive as a roster, but they\u2019ve taken a big step forward with Brandon Ingram. How much success do they need to justify the price?<\/p>\n

Cavs Pressure: \u2694\ufe0f\u2694\ufe0f\u2694\ufe0f\u2694\ufe0f | Raptors Pressure: \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6<\/strong><\/p>\n

East Play-In: (7) 76ers v. (8) Magic<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stop me if you\u2019ve heard this one before, but Joel Embiid\u2019s unavailability has changed any type of expectations for the Sixers here. Most of the pressure is on the Magic because of their disappointing season and the embarrassing end to the regular season. Maybe losing to face Detroit instead of Boston is actually beneficial?<\/p>\n

Sixers Pressure: \ud83d\udd14 | Magic Pressure: \ud83c\udfa9\ud83c\udfa9\ud83c\udfa9<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Bounce Newsletter\u00a0\u00a0| This is The Athletic\u2019s daily NBA newsletter.\u00a0Sign up here\u00a0to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox. So much of Amazon Prime\u2019s NBA season has been brilliant broadcasting. Last night, however, the streamer lost the signal for about 20 seconds of overtime action when the Hornets went up 125-120 on the Heat. It […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1883690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1883690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1883690"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1883690\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1883690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1883690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1883690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}