Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The Hawks suffered a historic humiliation, Philadelphia forced Game 7 and the Nuggets were eliminated

Surprisingly, the Atlanta Hawks are not a Doc Rivers team. 

One could have looked at Cory Kispert playing, realizing that they had conceded, or checked the scoreboard highlighting a 47-point disparity at halftime. That was the largest lead at intermission in NBA playoff history courtesy of the Knicks sacking State Farm Arena.

OG Anunoby unfastened the defense with a scourge of jumpers and the others followed his lead by going to the body without restraint. 

A good chunk of the crowd remained seated to get as much of their money’s worth as possible, and other Hawks fans got a headstart on traffic as the team’s starters lasted between nine and 11 more minutes before yielding undignifiedly. Former top pick Zaccharie Risacher started the inconsequential second half, and Jalen Johnson wasn’t as invisible, but it didn’t matter. Former Knicks Walt “Clyde” Frazier and Allan Houston sat next to each other, satisfied with the slaughter. 

Philadelphia forces Game 7 

Joel Embiid’s presence has changed the series after a rough stretch in Game 4. His playmaking is putting tons of pressure on the Celtics, and he has picked up his scoring accuracy, particularly outside of the lane. On the other side, the Celtics have forgotten how to convert free throws and 3-pointers in their last two outings. Notably, they’ve been awful in the corners, which is the easiest shot in the NBA. 

Even if the Celtics, who typically take care of business at home during Game 7s, advance, they’ve been exposed a bit by losing two games at home. Keep in mind that Tyrese Maxey and Embiid went berserk in Game 5, and their combination of speed and strength are a problem for the Cs. Game 7 is on Saturday and the winner will play the New York Knicks.

Nuggets eliminated 

What was supposed to be a special season ended coldly in Minnesota with the team undermanned against the depleted Timberwolves, and with Jaden McDaniels, the one who said the Nuggets were all bad defenders, emerging as the best player. It should sting the Kroenke family even more that Tim Connelly, who left Denver for Minnesota almost four years ago, is responsible for two of the last three teams that have eliminated the Nuggets.

Imagine if ownership had paid the big bucks to keep Connelly around. 

It’s been a stream of shortcomings since the Nuggets won the title in 2023, and they’ve gotten further away from what the golden era of Nuggets hoops. They’re stale and now hungrier, better teams have risen.

Minnesota’s pressure prevented Jamal Murray from getting loose like he had in his All-Star regular season. As a result, the team couldn’t generate enough offense around Jokić, even with Cam Johnson having one of his rare high-scoring nights, and they took 19 less shots than Minnesota. 

Jokić is eligible for a contract extension this summer, and he says he wants to be a Nugget forever, but putting a contender around him will only get harder. He also shielded coach David Adelman as much as he could from blame, yet he notably didn’t want to make injuries the main excuse for not advancing. 

Still, that doesn’t change the fact that they were always at a significant disadvantage without Aaron Gordon’s two-way presence. The concerning part for the team is that injuries have compromised him the last two seasons when he’s been needed the most. Now there’s a big decision to make if he’s still a part of the team’s future, considering everything is magnified to extend Jokić’s prime. 

Now the Wolves, without Anthony Edwards (left knee hyperextension), Donte DiVincenzo (torn right achilles) and Ayo Dosunmu (sore right calf), will start round two against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday.