Ring chasing
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
It’s so on!
Trophy season has arrived with the NBA postseason already underway, the puck dropping on the Stanley Cup Playoffs tomorrow, and the race for the PWHL postseason heating up. We’ll have a special edition NHL preview tomorrow (just in time for the launch of our bracket challenge), so today’s all about the NBA with the final official playoff spots on the line tonight. Buckets, loading…
⚙️ Setting the stage
The sixth edition of the NBA Play-In Tournament wraps up tonight with a pair of No. 8 seeds still up for grabs. The Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic will battle for the final Eastern Conference spot at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors vying for the West’s at 10 p.m. ET.
- The rest of the playoff field is already set: The top six teams in each conference were already locked in at the end of the regular season, while the No. 7 seeds — the Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers — punched their tickets earlier this week.
After tonight’s tilts, the traditional postseason slate tips off tomorrow, starting with the 16-team first round. The league’s top squads (the West’s Oklahoma City Thunder and the East’s Detroit Pistons) will battle the newly-minted No. 8 seeds, the No. 2 seeds will take on the No. 7 seeds, and so on.
- And while the Play-In Tournament has featured do-or-die single games, all four playoff rounds consist of best-of-seven series. The more the merrier, right?
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📌 The hardwood drama: Storylines to watch
👀 NBA viewership is on the rise with the league reporting its best numbers in more than two decades. In fact, a brain-bending 1.3B (yes, billion) hours of live NBA coverage was enjoyed globally this season, a 93% increase from last year.
❌ The Playoffs are always star-studded, but this year’s also about who’s not there — including two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had a tumultuous season with the Milwaukee Bucks, and playoff mainstay Kawhi Leonard after his LA Clippers were eliminated in Wednesday’s Play-In game.
- Meanwhile, the jury’s still out on LA Lakers besties Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, both of whom are sidelined indefinitely with injuries — a brutal blow for playoff king LeBron James and the Lakeshow as the duo averages a combined 56.8 points per game.
🐣 The tide is turning, highlighted by a few rebuilding teams back in the spotlight…
- 🦖 The Eastern Conference No. 5 seed Toronto Raptors are back after a three-year playoff absence, powered by last season’s trade acquisition Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, and hometown hero R.J. Barrett.
- 👟 The new-look Portland Trail Blazers stunned the Suns in Tuesday’s Play-In game to lock in their first playoff berth since a first-round exit in 2021.
- 🐝 Charlotte could punch their first playoff ticket in a decade tonight, potentially snapping the longest active playoff drought in the league — everyone’s buzzing about these Hornets.
🏆 The end-of-season awards list became a little more crowded after the aforementioned Dončić and Detroit Piston Cade Cunningham were deemed eligible for major awards after filing appeals to mitigate the NBA’s 65-game rule. The math is mathing for once.
⚡ Oklahoma City Thunder, Western Conference No. 1
The defending champ Thunder are an absolute juggernaut on both sides of the ball. Yes, they have the reigning MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but it’s their league-best defense that truly sets them apart: OKC’s relentless pressure forces opponents into nearly 16 turnovers per game.
💙 Detroit Pistons, Eastern Conference No. 1
The Pistons’ grind-it-out style isn’t always pretty, but boy, is it effective. Detroit’s been atop the Eastern Conference all season long, and it’s because of their lockdown defense. They lead the league with 6.4 blocks per game — pairing that iconic Detroit D with an emerging perennial MVP candidate in Cunningham is certainly a recipe for success.
🐴 San Antonio Spurs, Western Conference No. 2
The Spurs could technically be filed under “rebuilding teams back in the spotlight” since they’re back in the playoffs for the first time since 2019. That said, 7-foot-4 phenom Victor Wembanyama and Co. have bigger aspirations: Despite their inexperience, San Antonio’s the only playoff team ranked top three in the league on offense and defense. These kids are alright really good.
🍀 Boston Celtics, Eastern Conference No. 2
Death, taxes, and the Celtics as a title contender. No one thought the C’s would be in this position after Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles last year, but an unprecedented recovery and Jaylen Brown’s MVP–caliber season have Boston right back in the mix. It doesn’t make sense — but that’s just Celtics basketball.
⚒️ Denver Nuggets, Western Conference No. 3
Two words: Nikola. Jokić. The three-time MVP could probably carry this newsletter team to the NBA Finals with his playmaking abilities. He’s averaging a triple-double for the second straight season and leading the league in assists…as a center. Add in a career-best year from Jamal Murray and a finally healthy Aaron Gordon, and no one wants to see the Nuggets this postseason.
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So much content, so little time. Here are the sports articles and conversations from beyond the hardwood that had GIST HQ talking this week.
🔬 ACL tear fears, TikTok myths and the fight for credible women’s health science in sports (The Athletic)
🎧 When it comes to Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel-gate, everybody is missing the point (The Sports Gossip Show)
🏒 Inside the stunning fall of the Maple Leafs: Chaos, dysfunction and AI (The Athletic)
⚾ Rachel Robinson, with a story all her own, deserves a celebration, too (Yahoo Sports)
Today’s email was brought to you by Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Grace DePaull, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Caroline Price. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Elisha Gunaratnam and Briana Ekanem. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Lisa Minutillo. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.