Basketball Intelligence For 5/11/26
Today's Best NBA Reporting And Analysis
THE PLAYOFFS: ROUND TWO
DET-CLE
An NBA coach and referee were once college teammates. But in the playoffs, it’s ‘professional’
Joe Vardon, The Athletic
3 things to watch in Pistons-Cavaliers Game 4
Shaun Powell, NBA.com
Sam Merrill’s return from injury changed the tone of the Cavs’ playoff fight
Ethan Sands, cleveland.com
Cavs’ Game 3 win over Pistons show how a ‘competitive maniac’ can help them win a championship
Jimmy Watkins, cleveland.com
The Cavaliers Keep Falling Back Into the Donovan Mitchell Trap
Con Brennan, Wait For The Screen
Can Jalen Duren find his swagger?
Omari Sankofa II, Free Press
James Harden’s Game 3 redemption began during an off-day chat with Kenny Atkinson
Chris Fedor, cleveland.com
MIN-SAS
Anthony Edwards saves the day as Timberwolves tie series
The Athletic
Victor Wembanyama lost his cool and was ejected. His coach still had his back
Jared Weiss, The Athletic
Anthony Edwards scores 36 points as Timberwolves rally late to beat Spurs
Chris Hine, Star Tribune
Naz Reid got back up, and the Timberwolves are in the fight with the Spurs
Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic
Locking down on defense, waiting for ‘The De’Aaron Game,’ and trusting that process comes before results
Matthew Tynan, Corporate Knowledge
Anthony Edwards Punched Back In Game 4
Charlie Walton, Zone Coverage
The Spurs expect Wembanyama to keep his cool
Jeff McDonald, Express-News
Having avoided a suspension due to his flying elbow, Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs are ready to settle scores
Game 5 keys to victory
Jeff McDonald, Express-News
NYK-PHI
The Knicks’ Streak By the Numbers
Above The Break
Knicks dismantle 76ers to complete sweep
The Athletic
No Drama. Just Dominance
Tommy Beer, Knicks Centric
Maxey’s All-Star season for Sixers ends with ‘one of the hardest series I’ve played in’ vs. Knicks
Gina Mizell, The Inquirer
Embiid battled, Sixers rotation was exposed
DeAntae Price, The Inquirer
OKC-LAL
The uncomfortable lesson for the Los Angeles Lakers down 3-0
Ramona Shelburne, ESPN
One team is top-heavy, overly reliant on those stars and forced to fill in the myriad gaps around them. It’s an ad hoc operation because it had to be.
The other has been built intentionally -- brick by brick -- for years, guided by cultural, strategic principles. Players fit seamlessly. Backups mirror the skills of their starters. Backups to the backups do the same.
That Lakers ethos is stuck in the 1980s. Oklahoma City is already preparing for the 2030s.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is scoring less but OKC Thunder still dominating Lakers
Justin Martinez, The Oklahoman
Austin Reaves and the Skill That Scales in the Playoffs
Iztok Franko, digginbasketball
3 things to watch in Thunder-Lakers Game 4
Jeff Zillgitt, NBA.com
TEAM-SPECIFIC
CHA: Hornets 2026-27 Offseason Outlook
Jonas Plaut, The Cap Crunch
GSW: Steve Kerr is running it back with the Warriors
Marcus Thompson II, The Athletic
IND: The Pacers didn’t deserve what happened Sunday
Gregg Doyel, Indy Star
IND: Inside the NBA Draft Lottery, where the Pacers’ big gamble came up agonizingly short
Tony East, SBNation
MIA: Heat legend Alonzo Mourning travels Rob Pimental’s transplant journey with him
Brian Martin, NBA.com
OKC: How the Thunder became the NBA’s newest villains
Tim MacMahon/Anthony Slater, ESPN
PHI: Sixers getting swept leaves Joel Embiid, Nick Nurse and everyone else under the microscope
Tony Jones, The Athletic
LEAGUEWIDE
NBA offseason: Draft, free agency, trade targets for eliminated teams
Bobby Marks, ESPN
THE DRAFT
Behind the scenes of the NBA draft lottery: What happens in the room where ping-pong balls determine teams’ futures
Rohan Nadkarni, NBC Sports
The rest of the deepest, most comprehensive draft coverage on the web, including links to 15 (15!) post-lottery mocks (and much, much more), follows for paid subscribers
