{"id":1905403,"date":"2026-04-27T16:02:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1905403"},"modified":"2026-04-27T16:02:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:02:00","slug":"the-bounce-unwritten-rules-are-stupid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1905403","title":{"rendered":"The Bounce: Unwritten rules are stupid"},"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> to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Today we\u2019re getting the news of who won Rookie of the Year between Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel. It has been one of the hotly debated NBA topics in the last two months, and it\u2019s been even more contentious of an argument than MVP this year. Just remember that anybody who ever suggested, \u201cMaybe it should be co-Rookie of the Year,\u201d does not understand how the voting works.<\/p>\n

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Unwritten Rules<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Running up the score? No such thing<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard plenty about the \u201cunwritten rules\u201d of sports. As an Atlanta Braves fan, for years I had to suffer secondhand embarrassment as former catcher Brian McCann self-appointed himself sheriff of Unwritten Rules Land. \u201cDon\u2019t watch a home run for too long.\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t trot too slowly around the bases.\u201d \u201cMake sure your stirrup socks are the appropriate height!\u201d I may have made that last one up.<\/p>\n

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It was embarrassing to have the Dwight Schrute of baseball policing the fun of the game.<\/p>\n

One of the unwritten rules in basketball is at the end of a decided game, the winning team shouldn\u2019t score in the final seconds. Why? I don\u2019t know. Something about running up the score?\u00a0I don\u2019t believe that\u2019s a real thing in professional sports.<\/strong>\u00a0Only in youth sports.<\/p>\n

At the end of Game 4 between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets, this happened. The Wolves completed a dominant performance, despite losing Donte DiVincenzo in the first two minutes of the game to a torn Achilles and Anthony Edwards for weeks with a hyperextended knee in the second quarter. Ayo Dosunmu continued his offensive tear with 43 points off the bench, and the Wolves took a 3-1 series lead.<\/p>\n

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However, with less than 10 seconds left and a 14-point pad, the Wolves got a stop and Mike Conley tossed it ahead to Jaden McDaniels to avoid the eight-second violation. McDaniels took the ball down the floor and scored the layup with 1.3 seconds left. That\u2019s when Nikola Joki\u0107 ran the length of the floor to confront him in front of the Wolves\u2019 bench.<\/p>\n

Everybody rushed to the confrontation. Joki\u0107 wanted McDaniels to know this wasn\u2019t okay \u2026 for some unwritten reason. McDaniels did not care. He made the comment that he didn\u2019t really hear what Joki\u0107 said: \u201cI just seen someone that was big as hell.\u201d<\/p>\n

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You can see him not looking too scared, despite \u201cbig as hell\u201d Joki\u0107 getting in his face.<\/p>\n

Look at the woman in the background. She definitely did not want this to spill over into the crowd and had to be worried it might.<\/p>\n

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This whole moment is funny for a few reasons.<\/strong>\u00a0First, Conley admitted he just threw it ahead to a teammate, and when he saw it was McDaniels who he threw it to, Conley knew he was going to score. Why? McDaniels does this, and admits he keeps trying to score if the clock is running. He doesn\u2019t subscribe to the unwritten rule.<\/p>\n

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Secondly, a friend mentioned this was the fastest Joki\u0107 has moved on defense all series. (I had to remind him Joki\u0107 was technically on offense at that point, since Minnesota already scored.) McDaniels called Joki\u0107 and his Nuggets teammates out for something following Game 2. What was it again? Oh yeah.\u00a0For not defending!\u00a0<\/strong>How could McDaniels tell the difference between the Nuggets conceding and the Nuggets playing defense?<\/p>\n

Thankfully, nobody was suspended for leaving the bench or for the altercation itself.\u00a0Joki\u0107 received a fine<\/a>.\u00a0Julius Randle received a fine<\/a>. And both of those guys were ejected for the final 1.3 seconds.\u00a0If Joki\u0107 and the Nuggets are so concerned with the Wolves scoring, they might want to show it earlier than with 1.3 seconds left on the clock.<\/strong>\u00a0If teams don\u2019t want opponents to score in those moments, they can jog back on defense. It\u2019s one of the strangest things about sports to me. \u201cWe gave up, so please just stop.\u201d Have we learned nothing from tanking?<\/p>\n

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

\ud83c\udfc0\u00a0Resilient.\u00a0<\/strong>The Rockets were able to extend their season.\u00a0Alperen Sengun is no stranger to struggle<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\ud83d\ude21\u00a0Tempers flaring.\u00a0<\/strong>Stephon Castle and Deni Avdija got into it in Game 4.\u00a0Avdija called Castle \u201cdisrespectful.\u201d<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd0a \u201cNBA Daily.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>Watch and listen to a recap of last night\u2019s games.\u00a0Today, Wemby\u2019s return from concussion<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcbb Join us!\u00a0<\/strong>During the games, join writers in the \u201cDiscuss\u201d tab to talk about the action.\u00a0Jason Jones will be there for Wolves-Nuggets tonight<\/strong><\/a>!<\/strong><\/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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State of the East<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Checking in on the East\u2019s series<\/strong><\/p>\n

Magic lead Pistons 2-1<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  • Who has the momentum?\u00a0<\/strong>The Magic, but that is contingent on them winning again in Game 4 to go back to Detroit up 3-1.<\/li>\n
  • What\u2019s concerning about the Pistons?\u00a0<\/strong>Their offense is just so ineffective if Cade Cunningham isn\u2019t on a tear. The disappearance of Jalen Duren as an option is baffling.<\/li>\n
  • What\u2019s encouraging about the Magic?\u00a0<\/strong>Limiting points in the paint. Detroit was tops in the league with 57.9 PITP per game this season. That\u2019s down to 42.6 in this series.<\/li>\n
  • Key stat in this series:\u00a0<\/strong>19 turnovers. That\u2019s how many Cunningham\u00a0has through three games. He has 51 turnovers in nine career playoff games. He has to take care of the ball.<\/li>\n
  • Where do we think this is headed?\u00a0<\/strong>I\u2019m going to give the 60-win Pistons some benefit of the doubt. This is going seven.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Celtics lead 76ers 3-1<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    • Who has the momentum?\u00a0<\/strong>The Celtics, all the way.<\/li>\n
    • What\u2019s concerning about the 76ers?\u00a0<\/strong>They may have ruined their flow and gameplan by bringing Joel Embiid back in the middle of this series. Game 4 was awful.<\/li>\n
    • What\u2019s encouraging about the Celtics?\u00a0<\/strong>They\u2019re easily winning the rebounding battle. They\u2019re plus-40 in this series and ending possessions by hammering the boards.<\/li>\n
    • Key stat in this series:\u00a0<\/strong>Plus-29. The Celtics have made 29 more 3-pointers in this series through four games. The 24-9 advantage for makes in Game 4 helped further that.<\/li>\n
    • Where do we think this is headed?\u00a0<\/strong>I think we\u2019re done Tuesday night and Boston moves on.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Knicks and Hawks are tied 2-2<\/strong><\/p>\n

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      • Who has the momentum?\u00a0<\/strong>Slight edge to the Knicks with the easy Game 4 win.<\/li>\n
      • What do the Knicks need to work on?\u00a0<\/strong>Move the ball. They\u2019re assisting on just 54.4 percent of their shots in this series. That\u2019s down from 64.3 percent in the regular season. Sharing is caring!<\/li>\n
      • What do the Hawks need to work on?\u00a0<\/strong>Have to knock down 3-pointers. Guys not named Nickeil Alexander-Walker or Onyeka Okongwu are shooting 26.3 percent from deep. Yikes.<\/li>\n
      • Key stat in this series:\u00a0<\/strong>Plus-23. That\u2019s what the Knicks are in second-chance points. New York is taking advantage of a lot of offensive rebounds.<\/li>\n
      • Where do we think this is headed?\u00a0<\/strong>Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, where all the eyes in the crowd will be pointed toward the court, and all the in-arena cameras will be pointed toward the crowd.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Cavaliers and Raptors are tied 2-2<\/strong><\/p>\n

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        • Who has the momentum?\u00a0<\/strong>Slight edge to the Raptors after their home games.<\/li>\n
        • What do the Cavs need to work on?\u00a0<\/strong>Free throws? Fast-break points? Cleveland is only making 71.9 percent of its free throws and it scored 19 total fast-break points.<\/li>\n
        • What do the Raptors need to work on?\u00a0<\/strong>Taking care of the ball in Cleveland. They had 40 turnovers in two away games. They committed just 24 in Toronto. Don\u2019t give it away.<\/li>\n
        • Key stat in this series:\u00a0<\/strong>57. That\u2019s the total number of combined missed free throws so far this series. These are the two worst free-throw-shooting teams in the playoffs. Make your free throws and win this series.<\/li>\n
        • Where do we think this is headed?\u00a0<\/strong>Seven tense games.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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          State of the West<\/strong><\/h3>\n

          Checking in on the West\u2019s series<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Thunder lead Suns 3-0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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          • Who has the momentum?\u00a0<\/strong>The Thunder, of course.<\/li>\n
          • What\u2019s concerning about the Suns?\u00a0<\/strong>They don\u2019t have a time machine to go get prime Charles Barkley and prime Steve Nash into the mix.<\/li>\n
          • What\u2019s concerning about the Thunder?\u00a0<\/strong>Even though they\u2019re up 3-0, Jalen Williams has a hamstring injury that has him week to week. They need him to defend the title.<\/li>\n
          • Key stat in this series:\u00a0<\/strong>Through three games, the Thunder are plus-40 in points off turnovers. And Phoenix has twice as many turnovers (52) as OKC (26).<\/li>\n
          • Where do we think this is headed?\u00a0<\/strong>\ud83e\uddf9\ud83e\uddf9\ud83e\uddf9\ud83e\uddf9<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Spurs lead Blazers 3-1<\/strong><\/p>\n

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            • Who has the momentum?\u00a0<\/strong>The Spurs, even after missing Victor Wembanyama for a full game.<\/li>\n
            • What\u2019s concerning about the Blazers?\u00a0<\/strong>The offense from Jerami Grant, Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara is nearly nonexistent. They\u2019re not supporting Avdija and Jrue Holiday.<\/li>\n
            • What\u2019s encouraging about the Spurs?\u00a0<\/strong>Wemby seems to be okay. He had 27 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks after missing Game 3.<\/li>\n
            • Key statistic in this series:\u00a0<\/strong>Plus-56. The Spurs outscored the Blazers by 56 total points in the second half of Games 3 and 4.<\/li>\n
            • Where do we think this is headed?\u00a0<\/strong>Portland is putting up a great fight, but the Spurs should probably close out at home.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Wolves lead Nuggets 3-1<\/strong><\/p>\n

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              • Who has the momentum?\u00a0<\/strong>The Wolves, although the injuries do make it interesting.<\/li>\n
              • What\u2019s concerning about the Nuggets?\u00a0<\/strong>Joki\u0107 looks completely regular against Rudy Gobert. The supposed best player in the world can\u2019t score efficiently at all.<\/li>\n
              • What\u2019s concerning about the Wolves?\u00a0<\/strong>Changed the question for Minnesota because of the injuries to DiVincenzo and Edwards. That\u2019s asking a lot from Bones Hyland.<\/li>\n
              • Key stat in this series:\u00a0<\/strong>39.1. That\u2019s the field-goal percentage of Joki\u0107 in this series. And he\u2019s just 5-of-27 from deep. He\u2019s 9-of-24 from the field against Gobert and Naz Reid.<\/li>\n
              • Where do we think this is headed?\u00a0<\/strong>The Wolves should win this series, but it won\u2019t be easy without Ant.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                Lakers lead Rockets 3-1<\/strong><\/p>\n

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                • Who has the momentum?\u00a0<\/strong>The Lakers.<\/li>\n
                • What\u2019s concerning about the Rockets?\u00a0<\/strong>They\u2019ve had one good defensive game, Kevin Durant is injured and they can\u2019t seem to solve Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard.<\/li>\n
                • What\u2019s encouraging about the Lakers?\u00a0<\/strong>Without Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and Austin Reaves, they\u2019ve mostly executed their offense well. LeBron James and Smart have been excellent orchestrators.<\/li>\n
                • Key statistic in this series:\u00a0<\/strong>50.8. That\u2019s the field-goal percentage by a Lakers team missing its two best scorers. Where did the Rockets defense go?<\/li>\n
                • Where do we think this is headed?\u00a0<\/strong>The Lakers should end this in Game 5, but Houston might have found the turnover-forcing formula.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  The Bounce Newsletter\u00a0\u00a0| This is The Athletic\u2019s daily NBA newsletter.\u00a0Sign up here to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox. Today we\u2019re getting the news of who won Rookie of the Year between Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel. It has been one of the hotly debated NBA topics in the last two months, and it\u2019s […]<\/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-1905403","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\/1905403","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=1905403"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1905403\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1905403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1905403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1905403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}