Good morning. Let’s basketball.
DeMar DeRozan can shoot again, and he didn’t even have to cut off his thumb!
Good morning. We have that and more in Thursday’s NBA newsletter.
JUST BLAZE: Portland gave another gallant effort but fell short against the Warriors, who won 125-121 and ejected the Blazers from their improbable playoff run. You’ll be unsurprised to learned that Steph Curry hit a couple of late step-back threes to seal it. Also note that there are no broken plays with the Warriors.
Kudos to Damian Lillard, Terry Stotts and the whole Blazers franchise for a dream season. Come back stronger next year, maybe with Al Horford in tow!
THIS IS STILL HAPPENING: DeMar DeRozan finally broke out, and the Raptors beat the Heat 99-91 in Game 5 for a 3-2 series lead. DeRozan dropped 34 on 11-of-22 shooting with 11 FTAs. Kyle Lowry shot poorly but seemed to have an inordinate impact on the game whenever he sat. Toronto looks rudderless without him.
ON THE AIR TONIGHT ...
Spurs at Thunder, 8:30 p.m. ET, TNT (OKC leads 3-2)
This could be the end of San Antonio’s season, which could also mean the end of Tim Duncan’s illustrious career. I wrote about the quiet finish of Big Fundamental, attempting to put his career in context and find a place for him in the game’s history.
IT’S OFFICIAL: After this block and finger wag on Dwyane Wade, it’s official: Bismack Biyombo is one of our finest humans.
PODCAST TIME: Mike Prada and a special guest discuss the Thunder’s chances to finish off this series.
IT’S TIME: The Vertical’s second DraftExpress/Jonathan Givony mock draft. Ingram-Simmons-Bender going top three.
Happy Thursday. See you next time.
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