Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports Philadelphia ends the Knicks 7-game win streak going back to the regular season and avoid the dreaded 0-3 series hole After an all-time finish at the end of Game 2 of this series, Game 3 between the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers continued to live up to the hype of this I-95 match-up. New York made it a point to come out strong in this one, and as a result it was the first time through the first 3 games that New York won the first quarter for the first time this series and held a lead at halftime. The game completely flipped on its head though in the ..read more

Caleb Martin and Nikola Jovic led a parade of unsung shooters in the Miami win tonight | David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports No Jimmy Butler again? No problem as five Heat players scored in double digits and 2⁄3 of their field goals coming from behind the arc Sans their star Jimmy Butler, the Miami Heat, bolstered by a cascade of franchise-record-setting threes (23 for 43), in their 111-101 road victory. An understaffed Miami Heat squad traded blows with the top seed Boston Celtics throughout the first half, and after 13 lead changes and six ties, surged ahead in the third quarter for good while ..read more

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images Questionable calls now dominating the series between Philly and New York It what has become an issue for more than one team, questionable officiating is taking the spotlight from some great basketball. The other night, the Knicks scored 8 unanswered points in 27 seconds to steal the wind from the 76ers sails and take a a 2-0 lead in the series. Here’s the feedback in the NBA’s last two-minute’s report: With 1:14 remaining, OG Anunoby committed a defensive three-second penalty that the officials missed. This ultimately suited Philadelphia just fine, though, as ..read more

Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images Welcome to Pounding the Rock’s 2023-24 player reviews! The series will look at the 15 players who finished the season with the Spurs on guaranteed contracts (so no two-way players because we saw so little of them this year, and no Doug McDermott). Enjoy! Devonte’ Graham 2023-24 stats: 23 games, 5 points, 1.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 52 FG%. Contract Status: 1 year, $12.650 million remaining ($2.850 million guaranteed) Age: 29 Devonte’ Graham could have pouted. Yes, he’s on a contract that compensates him highly for a guy who hasn’t been that good ..read more

Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images The electric guard would provide a scoring punch for San Antonio. Let me know if this situation rings a bell. The San Antonio Spurs find themselves in a tight game in the second or third quarter. Victor Wembanyama has gone to the bench for some rest and the team can’t generate any offense. They aren’t getting out in transition and three point shots aren’t falling. The opposing team is able to either dig into the Spurs’ lead, or extend theirs while the offense falters. Too often were the Spurs searching for offensive consistency in the 2023-24 season. They fi ..read more

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images For some, winning isn’t everything...it’s the only thing Saw a post that J. J. Redick is set to interview for the head coaching position with the Charlotte Hornets, recently vacated by Steve Clifford. In the landscape of a win now NBA, only a few NBA coaches can walk into the summer without a championship and feel certain they will still have an office in the months to come. There are 16 teams currently in the playoffs. That is sixteen coaches. In a week, eight of these teams will be on vacation, and eight coaches could possibly be out of work. Who is the ..read more

Indiana’s Pascal Siakam muscled through and around Bucks defenders all night en route to a road win in Game 2 | Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports Indiaia shot 55% from the field and found offense from more sources than Milwaukee’s duo of Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez The Indiana Pacers won their first playoff game in six years by beating the Milwaukee Bucks 125-108. In a game characterized by numerous runs with many of them often coming one after another, Indiana had a superior second half to move far enough out aheada and prevent Milwaukee from attempting a comeback. Milwaukee was unable to overco ..read more

Photos by Darren Carroll/NBAE via Getty Images Vote on how you think the Spurs should approach the 2024 offseason. The NBA Playoffs are in full swing and we are already getting buzzer beating shots and improbable comebacks. San Antonio Spurs fans are watching from the sidelines this year, all while scheming for ways the team can improve to playoff status. There are a lot of differing opinions on exactly how to reach that goal. Some people want the Spurs to move fast. Victor Wembanyama has already proven to be an NBA star in his rookie season, so why not put a team around him that can contend ..read more

Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports Gregg Popovich also got some love — and little bit of hate? The NBA recently ran an anonymous player poll, which up to 141 players participated in voting on a variety of questions, ranging from who the greatest player of all time is (spoiler: it’s Michael Jordan) to who should win MVP this season (Nikola Jokic, followed closely by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander). However, there were also questions where some Spurs received votes. Beginning with the most relevant to today, Victor Wembanyama came in first for the “Best Defender” with 15.2% of the votes (or about 20 of 132 v ..read more

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images Donte DiVincenzo hits clutch game clincher One full round in saw grudge matches, some great basketball, and a few boring blowouts. Nothing says NBA Playoffs like a last second comeback. Last night, it looked like the Knicks were going to lose home court advantage and let the 76ers head back to Philly with the series tied 1-1. With seconds left, the Knicks were up five points, but an 8-0 run in the last 27 seconds, including back-to-back threes by the Knicks, changed the fate. Brunson, who had yet to hit a three, dropped his first of the game ..read more