Full Court Press 🏀

One NBA team just punched its ticket to Round 2, and one series is going to Game 7…Let’s hit rewind on last night and fast forward to what’s next!

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⏪ Look Back

Last night brought us two big Game 6 showdowns. Time to hit the rewind button!

🗽 New York Knicks at 🐎 Detroit Pistons

• It was a wild 4th quarter with back-and-forth lead changes. Want to see the ending?

• Knicks win the game 116-113 and take the series 4-2

🏔️ Denver Nuggets at ⛵️ LA Clippers

• The Clippers led most of the way but the Nuggets came back late…was it enough? Check out the last 5 minutes:

• Clippers win 111-105 and tie the series 3-3

• Game 7 is Saturday in Denver. Remember this stat from a few days ago? Home teams win Game 7 about 80% of the time in the NBA!

⏩ Look Forward

Tonight the Warriors try to join Round 2.

🚀 Houston Rockets at 🌉 Golden State Warriors

• Warriors lead 3–2

• Will Steph star after 2 straight quiet games from the NBA’s greatest 3-point shooter?

• Experts say: 60% chance Warriors win

🗺️ Look Out

The bracket’s filling up fast: 6 teams have advanced past Round 1, and there are just 2 series still finishing. Let’s see the bigger picture:

Sure, we’ve got matchups…but what about momentum? Here’s what else you need to know:

🧭 Same but Different: The Eastern Conference semifinals look familiar: Celtics, Cavaliers, Knicks, Pacers…same 4 teams as last year. But the matchups are different this time. Bonus fact: the Celtics are trying to become the first back-to-back NBA champs since Steph and the Warriors in 2018.

🎤 How many years ago was that?

🧓 Experience vs. Youth: The playoffs aren’t just stars vs. stars. It’s veterans vs. rookies, too. The Clippers, Warriors, and Celtics average over 5 years of NBA experience per player. The Thunder? Under 3 seasons per player​, youngest in the playoffs. We'll find out soon which wins: seasoned smarts or youthful spark.

⚡ MVP Showdown (Maybe!): There are 2 finalists for the NBA’s MVP award:

• ⚡ SGA = scoring machine, clutch leader of the NBA’s #1 seed (OKC)

• 🃏 Jokić = triple doubles, passing wizard, stat-sheet superhero

If the Nuggets win Game 7, we’ll get SGA vs. Jokić in Round 2. Both have strong cases to win the award:

Courtesy backyardbreaks on Instagram

Want to hear what current Warriors player Draymond Green and former NBA star Baron Davis think?

Now it’s your turn! Vote and tell us why in the comments.

🏒 Look Around

While hoops fans are watching these stories, another trophy chase is lighting up the ice. It’s called the Stanley Cup, and it’s the oldest championship trophy in North American sports.

No, it’s not the kind of Stanley cup that holds coffee.

The NHL’s Stanley Cup trophy vs. Stanley coffee cup mug; courtesy USA Today

Every year, hockey teams in the National Hockey League (NHL) dream of lifting it. Right now, we’re almost through Round 1.

Tomorrow we’ll go deeper and see what’s happening!

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💡 What we learned today

We’ve got twists, turns, and tension as Round 2 approaches in 2 different sports. Can’t wait to see what happens next, Smallball-ers!

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