J-Speaks: 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals Preview

 

To win a championship these days in the NBA, you have to have either a dynamic duo or trio that compliments one another along with a set of role players who star in their role in helping the team succeed on a game-in and game-out basis. Then there is the other option of having a dynamic player who makes the game easier for the rest of their teammates to be at their best. In the upcoming two series to decide who will compete to represent the Eastern Conference in the 2021 NBA Finals, we have one series that many are calling the best series of the 2021 NBA Playoffs that will feature two dynamic trios led by two former Kia MVPs. The other series will feature the top seed in the East having to not only deal with a player who has shined in his first appearance in the NBA’s second season but also the unknown of if their star player, who is a leading candidate for Kia MVP will be available. Here is the J-Speaks 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals Preview.

     (1)     Philadelphia 76ers versus (5) Atlanta Hawks

                 (49-23)                                 (41-31)

      PHI: Won the season series 2-1.

While the other East Semifinals tilt features some serious star power, this Semifinals tilt between the No. 1 Seeded Philadelphia 76ers against the No. 5 Seeded Atlanta Hawks was in need of something eye catching to generate some major interest. While the continued intrigue of the stellar play of Hawks’ star point guard in his first appearance in the postseason has generated some buzz, the unknown of the availability of the 76ers’ starting center and MVP candidate is the main question about how this series will go.

While the 76ers advanced to the East Semis for the third time in the last four seasons defeating the No. 8 Seeded Washington Wizards in Game 5 129-112 on Wednesday night to take the series 4-1, they did it without All-Star center Joel Embiid, who suffered what would be diagnosed as a small meniscus tear in his right knee in the first quarter in the 122-114 loss at the Wizards in Game 4 on Monday night on TNT that pushed this series to five games.

Thankfully, Embiid, who averaged 24.0 points and 6.8 rebounds on 63.5 percent from the field, 46.2 percent from three-point range and 88.9 percent at the foul line against the Wizards will not need surgery on his right knee, but his status for this series is up in the air as he is listed as day-to-day with no knowledge of if he will be available for Game 1 of this series on Sunday afternoon or if he will be available at all.

“Obviously playing in a playoff game without Joel was not planned, you know,” 76ers head coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers said in his postgame Zoom presser after the Game 5 victory on Wednesday night. “But it’s real. And so, we have to deal with it.” 

Coach Rivers added in his media availability about Embiid that he was okay shooting the ball in working out with the training staff, but as far as doing anything strenuous or live in terms of like 3 on 3 or 5 on 5 that he is not there yet. 

If Embiid is not available or limited in any kind of way, that means Tobias Harris, Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Danny Green have to step up.

Curry, Harris, and Simmons each rose to the moment in the Game 5 clincher as Curry scored a playoff career-high of 30 points on 10 for 17 from the field, including 3 for 6 from three-point range. Harris had 28 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and three steals.  Simmons, whose poor free throw shooting of 5 for 11 in the Game 4 loss, including going 3 for 6 in the fourth quarter bounced back with his third career playoff triple-double of 19 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds.

To put into context what Embiid has meant to the 76ers this season, counting the First-Round against the Wizards, they are 42-13 with him (39-12 during the regular season) in the lineup and just 11-11 without him (10-11 during the regular season). They began the season 1-5 the first six games Embiid missed because of back issues. 

With Embiid in the lineup during the regular season, the 76ers averaged 115.4 points and 24.2 assists, and just 109.3 points and 22.4 assists without Embiid. 

When Embiid, Simmons, Curry, Harris, and Green have started together this season, including the first five games of the 2021 Playoffs, the 76ers are 30-6.

In the opening-round against the Wizards, the 76ers averaged 124 points per game, the fourth most for a team in their first five postseason games in NBA history. The teams that had higher scoring averages the first five games of their respective postseason journeys in the 1985 Lakers (133.4 points) and the 1987 Lakers (129.6 points), and the 1963 Boston Celtics (125.2 points) won the championship.  

“Earlier in the year, we really struggled in games where Joel didn’t play or really when one of the starters didn’t play,” Harris said after Game 5 win. “So, tonight we were okay to adapt to what we needed to do out there.”

Curry, who scored a total of 49 points in the first four games of the opening-round against the Wizards before his career-high performance in his playoff career said simply after the win that he and his 76ers teammates “don’t have a choice” but to be confident in themselves that they can still get the job done whether or not Embiid plays.

“Joel’s been a huge for us all year. So, it’s only right for us to give him as much time as he needs to get back and help us win it all.”

The good news for the 76ers is that Embiid’s understudy Dwight Howard, who had 12 points, eight rebounds, three block shots on 8 for 10 from the foul line in the Game 5 clincher versus the Wizards has shown he cand produce at a high level on both ends of the court, like he did in helping the Los Angeles Lakers win their 17^th NBA title in franchise history in the restart in Orlando, FL.

The bad news is if Embiid is out, that means the Hawks front court tandem of John Collins, who averaged 12.2 points and six boards on 53.7 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from three-point range in the First-Round against the Knicks, and Clint Capela, who averaged 10.0 points and 13.4 rebounds as well on 66.7 percent shooting in the opening-round could possibly wreak havoc in the paint on both ends, especially on the offensive glass in the case of Capela.

Both Collins and Capela took 2021 Kia Most Improved recipient Julius Randle out of the series holding him to 29.8 percent (28/94) shooting from the field. 

"I think it's a very similar game to New York," Hawks interim head coach Nate McMillan said in describing how the 76ers play. "They're bigger than New York. I think they could be more physical. They fight you. They battle you. They touch you. Offensively, they have size where they can attack you in the paint with post ups. They have perimeter shooting." 

The 76ers most important priority besides getting Embiid healthy to perhaps play in this series at some point is to slow down All-Star lead guard Trae Young, who has shined as bright as the Sun in his first postseason appearance.

The No. 4 Seeded New York Knicks got a taste of the kind of problems Young can wreak on you from his scoring, passing, energy, and determination, and he left a bad taste in the mouths of the Knicks and their fans.

It started with a game-winning layup that got the Hawks a 107-105 win at the Knicks on May 23, that capped a performance of 32 points, 10 assists and seven boards on 11 for 23 from the field. Young scored 13 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter.  

After a disappointing 101-92 loss in Game 2, where the Hawks were outscored 10-1 the final five minutes of the contest, missing their final eight shots, including their six three-point attempts, the Hawks won Games 3 and 4 back on their homecourt of State Farm Arena 105-94 on May 28 and 113-96 on May 30 respectably. Young led the way with 21 points and 14 assists in Game 3 and 27 points and nine assists in Game 4.

His final act at Madison Square Garden was an 18-point fourth quarter explosion as part of his 36-point performance with nine assists on 13 for 15 from the foul line in the Hawks 103-89 series clinching victory in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

“I know where we are. I know it’s a bunch of shows around the city, and I know what they do when the shows over,” Young, who took a bow to the Knicks faithful during the fourth quarter of Game 5 said to NBA on TNT’s Marv Albert and Reggie Miller after the win.

The Sixers will be better equipped to attempt to slow down Young with the length, savvy, and quickness of Simmons, Green, Matisse Thybulle, and George Hill.

That said, Young averaged 38.9 points and eight assists in two of the three games he played against the 76ers during the regular season, and averaged 29.2 points and 9.8 assists on 44 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from three-point range in the opening-round against the Knicks.

That was then and the playoffs will be a different animal. The one thing that Young has going for him is that he can deal with a hostile crowd as he showed in the First-Round at the Knicks. He is expecting even more and then some from those the 76ers faithful that will be in attendance at Wells Fargo Center. 

"I'm sure it's not going to be a welcome one," Young said in answering a question about the reception he expects from 76ers fans. "It's going to be a fun environment. I'm looking forward to meeting some Philly fans and getting out there, and enjoying and having a fun series."

How Young plays will dictate how productive Collins, Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Andre Hunter, Danilo Gallinari, Kevin Huerter and Lou Williams are in this series.

In the First-Round against the Knicks, Bogdanovic, who did not play in any of the three regular-season meeting against the 76ers averaged 14.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. Hunter averaged 10.8 points and four rebounds, while Huerter and Gallinari each averaged 9.4 points.

Two other keys for interim head coach Nate McMillan’s squad in this series is their ability to make three-pointers at a consistent rate as well as getting to the foul line and making their freebies when they get there.

During the regular-season, the 76ers outscored their opponents by 156 points at the charity stripe, while the Hawks were a plus-198 at the foul line.

In their 112-94 win versus the 76ers on Jan. 11, the Hawks went 17 for 44 from three-point range and 21 for 27 from the foul line, compared to the 76ers 8 for 36 from three-point range and 12 for 13 from the charity stripe. The Hawks outrebounded the 76ers 73-51 and outscored them 21-2 in fast break points.

The 76ers on this night did not have Simmons, who was sidelined by a sore left knee, and a handful of players including Curry were on the shelf because of Coronavirus (COVID-19) protocols.

The 76ers got the better of the Hawks in their two-game mini-series back in Philadelphia winning 127-83 on Apr. 28, going 16 for 36 from three-point range, compared to the Hawks 6 for 19 from distance. 76ers had 10 block shots, 12 steals, 29 assists on 48 made shots, shooting 53.9 percent for the game. They also outscored the Hawks 30-9 in fast break points, including 20-0 in the opening period.

In the rubber match of the series two nights later, the 76ers won 126-104 outscoring the Hawks 68-42 in the paint and registering 24 points off their 18 turnovers.

It should be noted that this was Young’s first game back from a four-game absence because of a sprained ankle. He registered 32 points in the loss. 

"The Playoffs are a different beast," Coach Rivers said about facing the Hawks now compared to the regular season. "Guys are more focused. Atlanta's coming in here shooting the heck out of the ball. They're a better team then the last time we've seen them." 

Back in the beginning of March, the Hawks were 14-20 on the outside of the playoff picture. Then the change was made as then head coach Lloyd Pierce was given his walking papers and McMillan was hired as the interim head coach. The Hawks went 27-11 to close the season and made the playoffs for the first time since 2017, winning their first playoff series in four seasons.

So, for the Hawks, they are essentially playing with house money at this point. With or without Joel Embiid in the lineup, the Hawks believe they have enough to make this series competitive.

“I’m just not satisfied with just getting to the Second-Round [of the Playoffs]. I’m not satisfied with where we are,” Young said after the Game 5 clincher at the Knicks about his team’s confidence heading into this series. “I know what this team’s capable of, and like I’ve been saying all year, we have a squad and a team that can surprise a lot of people. But we’re not going to surprise ourselves because we know what we’re capable of.” 

Coach McMillan concurred by saying about being at this point in the playoffs, "When you get to this point, the team is going to be solid. 

That said the 76ers are the more seasoned team. They have homecourt advantage, which was hanging in the balance the final two weeks of the regular season. They have the experience of not having Joel Embiid in the lineup for extended periods of time, they know how they have to operate if he is unavailable. 

Prediction: 76ers in six games.

     (2)   Brooklyn Net versus (3) Milwaukee Bucks

                (48-24)                            (46-26)

      MIL: Won the season series 2-1.

If you are basketball fan that likes high octane offense. Dynamic trios that are extremely skilled. Contrasting styles, and two former MVPs going at each other with the opportunity to inch one step closer to competing for the Larry O’Brien trophy, it will all be on display in the East Semifinals tilt between the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks.

This series will feature plenty of offensive fire power and a ton of star power on both sides, this will be a matchup of two contrasting styles.

The Bucks, who are in the East Semifinals for the third straight season led the NBA at 120.1 points per game during the regular season, with the Nets, in the East Semis for the first time since 2014 ranked right behind them at No. 2 at 118.6 points per contest.

The 238.7 combined scoring average between the Bucks and Nets during the regular season is tied for the most between two squads to meet in a playoff series over the last 50 years.

The Nets had the best offense in the opening-round of the playoffs led by the NBA’s latest rendition of “Lethal Weapon 3” of 2014 Kia MVP, two-time Finals MVP and two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant, perennial All-Star Kyrie Irving, and 2018 Kia MVP James Harden.

In their First-Round take down of the No. 7 Seeded Boston Celtics in five games, Durant, Irving, and Harden averaged 85.2 points combined in the series, a new NBA record by a trio in a postseason series in NBA history. They scored or assisted on 88 percent points in their five-game victory in the First-Round series against the Celtics.

Durant averaged 32.6 points and 7.4 rebounds on 54.6 percent from the field in the opening-round against the Celtics. Harden in the First-Round averaged 27.8 points and 10.6 assists on 55.6 percent from the floor, and Irving averaged 24.8 points on 49.4 percent shooting.

This was a major step for first-year head coach Steve Nash’s squad, who only had the trio do on the floor together for just eight games during the regular season because of injuries (went 6-2). The fact that they were able to build some chemistry against the Celtics is a big step towards their ultimate goal of winning a title.

“To play against the best players in the world on this stage, this platform, so many people watching with guys that I came up with in the league, James, Kyrie is definitely cool. But I mean, I’m not trying to paly with those guys. I’m trying to get out there and get work done and worry about how we’re going to get better each and every day,” Durant, who had 17 of his 24 points in the Game 5 clinching 123-109 win versus the Celtics on Tuesday evening with three blocks on 4 for 6 from three-point range said postgame. “But it’s fun playing with two guys that can pretty much do everything on the basketball court.”

The Nets have proven that they can score against anyone in the NBA with their three-headed monster in Durant, Irving, and Harden, and the supporting cast of sharp-shooter, Joe Harris, Bruce Brown, Landry Shamet, Blake Griffin, Jeff Green, Tyler Johnson, and Nicolas Claxton.

The advantage if the Nets have any going into this series is the Bucks have not seen the Nets with their trio whole as Irving did not play in the first meeting, a 125-123 thrilling win by the Nets versus the Bucks on Jan. 18. Irving did not play in the Nets two-game mini-series at the Bucks, a 117-114 loss on May 2 and a 124-118 loss two days later.

The main concern many have for the Nets is can they take care of their business at the defensive end.

In their lone loss of the series at the Celtics in Game 3 125-119, the Nets allowed the Celtics to shoot 50.6 percent from the field, 16 for 39 from three-point range, and were outrebounded 46-37.

During the regular-season, where the Bucks took two of the three matchups against the Nets, while they scored 121.3 points per game in the season series on 46 percent shooting, making on average 13.3 threes, they gave up an average of 119.0 points on 49 percent from the field and 17.3 made three-pointers.

While Blake Griffin was the starter for the series against the Celtics, the Nets will for sure use veteran center DeAndre Jordan in this series mainly to handle reigning two-time Kia MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who averaged 39.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and five assists on 48.9 percent from the field in the season-series against the Nets.

The issue for Jordan will be his conditioning because since that two-game mini-series at the Bucks to close the regular season, he has only played just a total of five minutes in the 11 games since.

The Nets mainly went with a small lineup with Durant and Green at center for an average of 13.2 minutes in the opening-round (66 total minutes). Whether they played small or not, the Nets had their issues rebounding against the Celtics. Second-year player Nicolas Claxton could be of help in this series with his size and mobility, but he lacks the experience to have total confidence in a spot of this nature having only played just 52 career NBA games.

“We’re talking a lot about Giannis, but you know, they have to stop us too,” Claxton said. “We have some of the best players in the world. So, it’s going to be a good matchup. It’ll be a lot of fun.”

If the Nets have aspirations of having the chance of winning it all, they will have to be execute their defensive game plan to a tee whether they have a big lineup on the floor or a small one. Whether they play the pick-and-roll straight up or they switch on those ball screens like they have all season long because if Jayson Tatum could have this defense for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Giannis Antetokounmpo will for sure have a field day against the Nets guards who get caught up on him inside.

That is what makes not having Green at the start of this series due to a plantar fascia strain in his foot that he sustained in Game 2 versus the Celtics.

“We’re a special group, especially when we lock in defensively,” Harden said to NBA on TNT’s Jared Greenberg after the Game 5 win. “If we can get three to four stops in a row, we’re a very special group because offensively we can get it going. We’ve got that much fire power.”

The Bucks enter this series with sky-high confidence having taken down their arch nemesis the Miami Heat in the opening-round 4-0 after losing to them in five games in the 2020 East Semifinals. 

The Bucks won by a +20.5 point differential in the four-game sweep of the Heat, the largest in a postseason series against a defending conference champion in NBA history. 

The center of the Bucks universe is the aforementioned reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was sensational against the Heat in the four-game sweep averaging 23.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 1.8 steals on a solid 45.0 percent from the field.

The difference between the Bucks over the past two postseasons, where Antetokounmpo won league MVP and this postseason the growth of Khris Middleton, and new comers in Jrue Holiday, Bobby Portis, Bryn Forbes, Jeff Teague, and P.J. Tucker this time around to go alongside the likes of Brook Lopez, Pat Connaughton, and Donte DiVincenzo.

The Bucks new-found confidence was shown right from the start of this series beginning with Middleton’s game-winning 19-foot jumper with 00.5 second left in overtime to help the Bucks to a 109-107 win on May 22.

The Bucks followed that up with blowout wins of 132-98 and 113-84 in Games 2 and 3.

The Bucks overcame a 12-point first half deficit outscoring the Heat 63-39 in the second half to complete the sweep with a 120-103 win in Game 4 a week ago.

Brook Lopez had 25 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in the Game 4 clincher on 11 for 15 shooting. Antetokounmpo had his first career playoff triple-double and the third postseason triple-double in Bucks’ postseason history with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 15 assists with two block shots. Middleton had 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Portis had 13 points going 3 for 7 from three-point range and Holiday had 11 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and four steals.

To put into context the kind of turnaround the Bucks had against the Heat, they averaged 106.0 points, grabbed 42 rebounds, and got 24.2 points from their bench in their five-game setback in the 2020 East Semis. Entering Game 4, the Bucks averaged 118.0 points, 60 boards and 39.3 points from the bench in the First-Round tilt against the Bucks. 

The Bucks trio of Antetokounmpo, Middleton, and Holiday totaled 241 points, 114 rebounds, and 87 assists on 47.1 percent shooting against the Heat. 

The main thing that the editions as well as a change in offensive philosophy has allowed head coach Mike Budenholzer’s squad to do is be more balanced on both sides of the court.

Over the last two seasons, the Bucks offensive attack centered around Antetokounmpo initiating things from the top of the circles and the other four players standing around waiting for the ball to come to them essentially.

While that strategy worked against some teams during the regular season, it did not work in the Eastern Conference Finals against the eventual NBA champion Toronto Raptors in 2019, where the Bucks lost the final four games of the series going down in six games and it was a bust against the Heat who walled off Antetokounmpo each time he tried to attack the rim and the Bucks season ended in as mentioned five games.

Coach Budenholzer experimented during the season with different offensive sets and it worked where they put the ball in Holiday’s hands more and let Antetokounmpo be the finisher, while also putting the ball in the hands of Middleton at the end of games, and that has proven to work quiet nicely.

“It was super hard. But at the end of the day if you want to be great it’s going to hurt a little bit. It’s not going to be easy. But at the end of the day, I’m blessed that I can do a lot of things to contribute for my team,” Antetokounmpo said to NBA TNT studio crew of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal after the Game 4 win about adjusting to the new playing style. “I can defend, I can pass the ball, and whenever it opens up, I can score.”  

The other thing that this change in philosophy has allowed is to mask the weaknesses in Antetokounmpo’s game, with the most glaring being his jump shot and his free throw stroke.

In the First-Round against the Heat, Antetokounmpo shot 5 for 26 (19 percent outside the paint (4 for 10 from mid-range and 1 for 16 from three-point range). On top of that, he only shot 63.6 percent from the foul line in the First-Round against the Heat. The Bucks as a team shot just 32.7 percent from three-point range in the First-Round against the Heat

Antetokounmpo should expect any Nets defender to lay off of him and entice him to take the three-point shot, which he has shown he can hit at times, just not consistently. Also, he has to when he goes to the foul line to take each attempt with confidence.

During the regular season series against the Nets, Antetokounmpo made on average 3.3 threes on 8.7 attempts.

Aside from having to carry a heavy load at the offensive end, Antetokounmpo will have his focus on guarding Durant, who was the only member of the Big Three to play in all three regular season tilts against the Nets averaging 34.7 points and 9.3 boards on 48.7 percent from the field and 52.0 percent from three-point range. Middleton will be focused on guarding Harden, who in the Nets lone win against the Bucks as mentioned back in January had 34 points and 12 assists. Holiday will put his defensive focus on Irving, who in the two losses at the Bucks as mentioned back in May averaged 29 points, 5.5 assists and five rebounds.

“KD’s one of the greatest forwards to ever play the game,” the reigning Kia MVP said of the 2014 Kia MVP. “We’ve got to lock in.”

“We’re going to try to throw things at them to see what works. Game 1 it might be me. Game 2 it might be Khris. Game 3 it might be P.J.”

“We’re just going to see how it works but at the end of the day right now, we’re just trying to focus on ourselves as much as possible. There’s now way you can stop them; you can make it as much as possible.”

Lopez, who spent much of the Heat series protecting the rim, will spend much time in this Semis against the Nets having to do that as well defend in space. That is why the addition of Tucker, who was acquired at the Mar. 25 trade deadline will be huge in this series because he has the ability to defend in space keeping the ball in front of him forcing any of the Nets from Durant, Irving, and Harden or any of the Nets perimeter players to beat the Bucks over the top.

“They have guys out there who can make tough shots,” Lopez, who averaged nine points, five boards and 2.7 blocks against the Nets during the regular season said about the Nets ability to make shots under pressure. “We’ve played great defense for 20 seconds or 24 seconds or someone will play great individual defense and KD or Kyrie would hit a tough shot. That’s what they do.”

The Bucks will be without one of their best perimeter defenders in DiVincenzo, who suffered what was originally called a left foot contusion in the second quarter of Game 3 at the Heat on May 27. It was diagnosed as torn ligament in his left ankle that he suffered while driving to the hoop in the second quarter of the 113-84 win that put the Bucks up 3-0 in their First-Round series.

This is the kind of series that you hoped took place in the Eastern Conference Finals with all the star power, offensive fire power and different philosophies on how both get the job done on both ends. Which Big Three between the Nets and Bucks can outduel the other? Can the Nets get enough stops and keep the rebound margin close? Can the Bucks dominate the game in the paint and stay even on the perimeter with the Nets? 

"They're playing as well as any team in the league right now," Coach Nash said of the Bucks high level of play at the moment. "We have the talent to match any team in the league, and it's just a matter of who performs. But definitely on paper you can see this being a classic series. We'll see who brings it and who has the rhythm and timing, and performances that are sharper." 

Prediction: Nets in seven games.

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 5/28/2021 www.espn.com story, “Milwaukee Bucks Lose Starter Donte DiVincenzo For The Playoffs With Ankle Injury;”  5/29/2021 4 p.m. NBA on TNT Game Break following “Milwaukee Bucks versus Miami Heat” Game 5 Eastern Conference First-Round” on TNT, presented by State Farm with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal 6/1/2021 7:30 p.m. “Boston Celtics versus Brooklyn Nets” Game 5 Eastern Conference First-Round on TNT, presented by State Farm with Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, and Jared Greenberg; 6/2/2021 www.nba.com story “Series Preview: Nets-Bucks Features Star Power, Contrast Styles,” by John Schuhmann; 6/3/2021 www.nba.com story, “Series Preview: Sixers-Hawks Could Hinge on Joel Embiid Health,” by Steve Aschburner; 6/2/2021 12:30 a.m. “Inside the NBA,” presented by Kia on TNT with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal; 6/2/2021 2 a.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter” with Steve Levy and John Anderson 6/4/2021 1 a.m. “Inside the NBA,” presented by Kia on TNT with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal; 6/4/2021 8 p.m. “NBA Countdown” on ESPN, presented by Mtn Dew with Maria Taylor, Jalen Rose, and Jay Williams; 6/4/2021 11:30 p.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter With Scott Van Pelt” from Washington D.C.  6/5/2021 www.nba.com story, “Tune-In Tidbits: TNT Saturday, June 5, 2021,” by Brian Martin; 6/5/2021 2:30 p.m. NBATV's "Gametime," with Matt Winer, Isiah Thomas, and Quentin Richardson; https://www.espn.com/nba/team/stats/schedule/news_/name/bkn; https://www.espn.com/nba/team/stats/schedule/news/_/name/atl; https://www.espn.com/nba/team/stats/schedule/news/_/name/phi; and https://www.espn.com/nba/stats/schedule/news_/name/mil.