Good morning. Let’s PLAYOFFS.

As we zip into the Very Serious And Important And Meaningful NBA Playoffs (thanks for the heads up, Mr. Worldwide), it’s worth taking a step back and appreciating what really makes #ThisLeague great. It’s the personalities, the fun, the shade, the goofiness, all of the essence of extra that these players and everyone around the league brings to the table.

That’s why Whitney Medworth’s B-Sides has been one of my favorite going concerns of the season. She makes sure no one is missing any of the real fun that’s happening before, during, and after the 1,110 or so games.

So it gives me great joy to link to her inaugural B-Sides Awards, reminding us of the fun we’ve had this year with best buds Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, top Supreme customer Kelly Oubre, dancin’ Kevin Durant, and of course, most importantly, Most Valuable B-Sider Klay Thompson.

Don’t forget to take a break from yelling about LeBron, Draymond, Russ, and the Celtics to laugh a little this postseason. When in doubt, figure out what Klay Thompson is up to and go along for the ride.

(Hello there, do you want to get content like this in your email box every weekday — and, during the playoffs, on the weekends too? If so, stick your email address in the box below and you can wake up to BASKETBALL every morning!)

Spurs at Warriors, 3 p.m. ET, ABC
Wizards at Raptors, 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Heat at 76ers, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Pelicans at Blazers, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

And another one. The Hornets dismissed head coach Steve Clifford on Friday after five years. Cliff took over a 21-win team in 2013 and got them to the playoffs twice in three years. This included the franchise’s best season in the post-expansion era, a 48-win season in 2015-16. But Charlotte was pretty mediocre over the last two seasons as the league shifted and Cliff didn’t. Time for a fresh start for everyone. The Hornets appear to be the only team turning over both their front office and coaching staff this summer. Mitch Kupchak was recently hired to take over the former.

Teams with coaching openings, not counting the Bucks who have an interim head coach but are in the playoffs: Grizzlies, Suns, Knicks, Hornets, and Magic. And maybe one more ...

... because the Hawks have granted Mike Budenholzer permission to talk to Phoenix about their opening, Woj reports. Budenholzer still has two years and $14 million left on his deal with Atlanta, but the Hawks likely have at least two more years in the tank while Phoenix wants to climb back to the surface immediately. Bud happens to be from Arizona, too, and having already been stripped of front office power in Atlanta, he might see an opportunity for future full control in Phoenix. Intriguing news.

The Nuggets said Michael Malone will be back next year, by the way. That would have been the best opening of the summer otherwise.

A fascinating reality I’d never considered: because pro women’s basketball is a somewhat less viable and much less lucrative career than men’s basketball, getting your degree is very important to WNBA draft picks. So for some players the WNBA Draft comes with a night of celebration ... followed by classes the next morning.

Players and coaches talk to Tim Cato about the impossible, demoralizing task of guarding James Harden. More Harden: Zito Madu on the undeniable power of the future MVP.

Kawhi Leonard has been officially ruled out for Game 1 of Spurs-Warriors. Also, the Wizards’ Jodie Meeks has been ruled out for 25 games due to testing positive for PEDs. He’s denying everything, which is a change from the norm.

Marc Stein on whether the Warriors can be fun again.

Top 2019 prospect Bol Bol on what he remembers most about his father, the legend Manute Bol.

Brian Windhorst on the mystery of the Raptors’ Game 1 curse.

The agony of Daryl Morey.

Howard Beck wrote a piece about Jordan Bell called “The Perfect Warrior” and I am all the way in and now I’m mad I forgot to include Bell in my 50 most fascinating figures of the playoffs.

This great Jerry Bembry profile of Robert Covington has an excellent lead photo and now I’m mad I forgot to include Cov in my 50 most fascinating figures of the playoffs. Covington is truly one of the best stories in the league.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Women’s Final Four heroine Arike Ogunbowale will be on an all-athlete Dancing With The Stars. Kareem is 70!

Enjoy Day 1 of the playoffs and be excellent to each other.