Confetti, Crayons, and Crunch Time ššļøā³
Confetti after a blowout in OKCā¦ crayons after elimination in Denver (sort of)ā¦ and crunch time tonight in New York!
Here are 3 things to know as we move one step closer to the NBA Finals! š
1ļøā£ OKCā¦ One Step Closer! š£
The Thunder are heading to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012!
In Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, OKC overwhelmed the Timberwolves, jumping out to a 26ā9 lead in the first quarter and never looking back in a dominant 124ā94 victory.
SGA led the charge (again!) with 34 pointsā¦ and his cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker struggled with zero points on 0-for-8 shooting.
The Thunder continue to blow teams out in the playoffs! They now have:
A 51-point win over the Grizzlies
43-point and 32-point wins over the Nuggets
This 30-point win over the Timberwolves
š„ Want to see the confetti fall?
On the other side, Ant and the Wolves head home after their second consecutive season ending in the Western Conference Finalsā¦ last year, they were eliminated by Luka DonÄiÄ when he was still on the Mavericks.
Which got us thinkingā¦
2ļøā£ What Do Eliminated Teams Do? šØ
Letās check in on what the Nuggets have been up to since OKC bounced them last round.
Apparently they areā¦ paintingā¦ terribly.
š„ Watch them try (and fail!) to paint portraits of each other!
Letās just sayā¦ itās a good thing they play basketball.
š¤ Smallball-ers, your turn: Draw or paint your favorite player! Doesnāt matter if itās a masterpiece or a doodleā¦ we canāt wait to see your art.
3ļøā£ One More Win, or One Last Stand? š½š
The Indiana Pacers are one win away from their first NBA Finals trip since 2000. But standing in their way?
A desperate Knicks team, a roaring Madison Square Garden, and a rivalry that refuses to be quiet.
Game 5 tips off tonight in New York. The Pacers lead the series 3ā1, thanks to Tyrese Haliburtonās historic Game 4: 32 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds, 4 stealsā¦ and zero turnovers.
For the Knicks, thereās concern about Karl-Anthony Townsā health. Near the end of Game 4, he slammed into the Pacersā Aaron Nesmith in the lane. Though he returned to the game, his status for Game 5 is uncertain.
šÆ Experts say: 54% chance Pacers win.
š¤ If you were coaching the Knicks tonight, would you tell them to play with a special sense of urgencyā¦ or treat it like any other game?
Some teams are celebrating. Some are sketching out plans for next season. And some are still in the thick of it.
Thatās what makes this time of year special!
Catch you tomorrow, Smallball-ers!