Jun 3, 2021
As we get closer to the start of the NBA conference semifinals, it’s a good time to look at the most surprising stars of the postseason. Some are familiar faces elevating their game, while others are thriving in their first taste of playoff basketball. Here are the five first-round breakout stars of the 2021 NBA playoffs.
5. Austin Rivers
Rivers’s bravado has been infectious for this Nuggets team. Despite being waived multiple times in his career, Rivers plays like he belongs, which has been enough to earn minutes on a depleted Denver roster. Nuggets coach Michael Malone knows he can count on the guard to play tough defense and have the confidence to take the biggest shots.
Jun 2, 2021
Welcome to the Morning Shootaround, where every weekday you’ll get a fresh, topical column from one of
’s NBA writers: Howard Beck on Mondays, Chris Mannix on Tuesdays, Michael Pina on Wednesdays, Chris Herring on Thursdays and Rohan Nadkarni on Fridays.
In the waning minutes of Brooklyn’s 123–109 series-clinching win over Boston, the TNT cameras captured a terrifying image: Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving leaning against a table, laughing and smiling, three healthy NBA superstars seemingly in lockstep with one another. For conference rivals, that image is as frightening as it gets.
The Nets are headed to the second round after mopping up the Celtics. It was a predictable outcome. Any chance Boston had of hanging in this series evaporated when Kemba Walker and Robert Williams joined Jaylen Brown on the injured list after Game 3. Any hope the Celtics had of forcing a Game 6 in Boston was buried under an avalanche of Brooklyn three-pointers in the
After her withdrawal from the 2021 French Open sparked conversations on both mental health and press conferences at sporting events, where does Naomi Osaka go from here?