Basketball Intelligence For 5/4/26
Today's Best NBA Reporting And Analysis
THE PLAYOFFS: ROUND TWO
Previewing the second round
ESPN
Ranking the final eight teams
Ricky O’Donnell, SBNation
NBA Playoff Power Rankings
Stephen Loung, Sportsnet
Second Round Predictions
Yahoo Sports
Predictions for Round 2 NBA Playoffs Series
Dan Favale, Bleacher Report
Conference semis storylines
Tim Reynolds, AP
CLE-DET
Cavaliers-Pistons preview
The Athletic
OKC-LAL
The Thunder have owned the Lakers. But the Lakers still have LeBron James
Law Murray, The Athletic
3 best matchups of Lakers-Thunder NBA playoff series
Melissa Rohlin, NY Post
Thunder ready to roll
Khobi Price, NY Post
What to expect in Thunder-Lakers series
Jeff Zillgitt, NBA.com
Series Preview
The Oklahoman
The Statistical Blueprint to Beat OKC
Iztok Franko, digginbasketball
How the Lakers and Thunder match up entering their playoff series
Thuc Nhi Nguyen, LA Times
Upset-minded Lakers refuse to be intimidated by Thunder
Broderick Turner, LA Times
Lakers praise Thunder before playoff series: ‘One of the greatest teams ever’
Dan Woike, The Athletic
PHI-NYK
What to expect in Knicks-76ers series
Shaun Powell, NBA.com
Breaking down who has edge in Knicks-76ers matchups
Jared Schwartz, NY Post
Knicks vs. Sixers Series Preview
Tommy Beer, Knicks Centric
The 76ers Are Suddenly an NBA Playoff Nightmare
Jason Gay, Wall Street Journal
What to watch for in second-round series
Adam Aaronson, Philly Voice
Mitchell Robinson is Knicks’ X-factor against 76ers
Rafael Canton, SNY
Current, former NBA coaches break down Knicks-76ers
Stefan Bondy, NY Post
SAS-MIN
Rudy Gobert has mentored Victor Wembanyama for years. Now they stand in each other’s way
Jared Weiss, The Athletic
Spurs vs. Timberwolves series preview
The Athletic
Game 1 Keys to Victory
Jeff McDonald, Express News
How can the Timberwolves beat Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs? It’s all about defense
Chris Hine, Star Tribune
THE PLAYOFFS: ROUND ONE
10 lessons from strange Round 1, impact on semifinals
Zach Kram, ESPN
Cavs’ and Pistons’ survival, Joel Embiid, 3-1 comebacks turned the East on its ear
Joe Vardon, The Athletic
CLE-TOR
4 takeaways
Jeff Zillgitt, NBA.com
Cavaliers finally wear down weary Raptors in Game 7 win
The Athletic
Game 7 Observations: Jarrett Allen’s Dominance, a Growing Mental Toughness and The Other Guys
Danny Cunningham, The Inside Shot
Jarrett Allen won back Cleveland’s trust
Caleb Crowley, King James Gospel
Cavs weren’t great, but they handled the relentless Raptors
Jason Lloyd, The Athletic
Player Grades: Cavs vs Raptors Game 7 - Role players get the job done
Tony Pesta, Fear The Sword
Tobias Harris Round One Offensive Performance vs Orlando Magic
Bryce Simon, Motor City Hoops
DET-ORL
Pistons showed grit in series comeback. Did they unlock a new level for the future?
Hunter Patterson, The Athletic
4 takeaways
Steve Aschburner, NBA.com
Pistons complete 3-1 series comeback against Magic
The Athletic
Cade Cunningham takes huge superstar step by saving Pistons from first-round upset
Brad Botkin, CBS Sports
Big changes coming in Orlando? For Magic, everything’s on table after a playoff collapse
Josh Robbins, The Athletic
MIN-DEN
How to dominate Jokic and Murray
Ben Taylor, Thinking Basketball
NYK-ATL
Knicks learned vital lessons in first round of NBA playoffs, just as they did a year ago
Fred Katz, The Athletic
PHI-BOS
Evaluating how the Celtics blew the series vs. the 76ers
Chad Finn, Boston Globe
TEAM-SPECIFIC
BOS: Top 3 Priorities for Boston Celtics During 2026 NBA Offseason
Dan Favale, Bleacher Report
BOS: Reflecting on a rare Celtics season where the glass is both half full and half empty
Trevor Hass, Celtics Blog
DEN: Nuggets 2026 offseason preview
Bennett Durando, Denver Post
HOU: Why the Rockets’ season ended with a thud
Ramona Shelburne/Tim MacMahon, ESPN
HOU: The Rockets have no shortage of questions about their future
Kelly Iko, Yahoo Sports
HOU: Rockets’ Top 3 Priorities During 2026 NBA Offseason
Dan Favale, Bleacher Report
OKC: Cason Wallace receives major recognition many associate with Victor Wembanyama
Zane Gelphman, Thunderous Intentions
ORL: Magic fire Jamahl Mosley
Tim Reynolds, AP
PHX: Another Challenging Summer for the Suns - 2026 Offseason Preview
Yossi Gozlan, Third Apron
TOR: The Raptors got exactly what they needed from the playoffs — clarity
Eric Koreen, The Athletic
TOR: The Raptors may be eliminated, but 2025-26 was everything the franchise needed from it
Louis Zatzman, Raptors Republic
TOR: The hearts were there but the legs gave out in Game 7 loss
Dave Feschuk, Toronto Star
UTA: Finally, a draft lottery Jazz fans can feel good about
Sarah Todd, Deseret News
THE DRAFT
Best Game Series: Tarris Reed Jr. Video Breakdown
Bryce Simon, Game Theory
LEAGUEWIDE
NBA offseason: Draft, free agency, trade targets for eliminated teams
Bobby Marks, ESPN
Today’s BI is dedicated to the memory of Alfrederick Hughes
Loyola great Alfredrick Hughes, a 1985 All-American, dies at 63
Chicago Sun*Times