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On this date in 2001, Allen Iverson became the shortest and smallest MVP in NBA history. He was listed at 6 feet and 165 pounds. I don’t love getting into time-travel debates of what players would look like in different eras. But culturally, I wonder what Iverson would have been like in today’s NBA. He was so important to young fans and so influential on society that it’s hard to imagine the same thing today. Regardless, here are some Iverson highlights from his MVP season. The first sequence alone is incredible.
Spurs-Wolves Game 6 preview
Can Wemby close it out in Minneapolis?
There are two Game 6s tonight. We’ll preview them both, starting with the one in Minneapolis …
Victor Wembanyama is here. In his first playoff run so far, he’s been dominant, even as teams try to rough him up. Physicality has been the running theme during this postseason, and Wemby responded perfectly in Game 5 after reacting poorly in Game 4. But he’s sent a message both with his elbow and his play on the court. He has the Minnesota Timberwolves on their heels and the Spurs one win away from their first Western Conference finals since 2017. Can they close out tonight?
When is Game 6? 9:30 p.m. ET (Prime Video)
What’s the DNA of the Spurs’ wins? Three things have been evident in the Spurs’ three wins in this series. 1) Wembanyama has been awesome. He’s putting up 28.3 points, 15.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks with 59.2/41.2/83.3 shooting splits. 2) The Spurs have knocked down their 3-pointers — 37.5 percent from deep in the wins. 3) They have completely dominated the paint.
What’s the DNA of the Wolves’ wins? In the Wolves’ two wins, they have been far more competitive in the paint, they’ve kept the Spurs from going on big runs and Anthony Edwards has been a hero in the fourth quarter. He had 11 big points to steal Game 1. He had 16 points in the fourth in Game 4 to even up the series. Ant has to be a superhero, and the Wolves have to keep attacking the paint like they claimed they would.
Can the Wolves solve Wemby? Aside from getting him kicked out? Probably not. It’s worth noting the Wolves were a lot more aggressive attacking him in the paint in Game 1, even with all the blocked shots. That was far more effective than what we saw in Games 2, 3 and 5.
Who has to step up for Minnesota? Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels. They have to get to the free-throw line, score in the paint and lure Wemby away from the rim by punishing smaller defenders in the mid-post.
Who is the X-factor for San Antonio? Dylan Harper. Minnesota has failed to handle the pressure he puts on the rim in drives, fast-break opportunities and the offensive glass.
Would the Wolves’ season be a failure if they lose? No, but they do have some tough financial decisions coming up. They must re-sign Ayo Dosunmu, and they’re already paying five players significant money. Next season could be make or break with this roster.
Would the Spurs be in trouble in a Game 7? There’s no reason to think the Spurs would lose a Game 7 at home. But it’s worth remembering what the Wolves did to the Nuggets in Denver in Game 7 in 2024.
When would Game 7 be? Sunday. Time to be determined.
What’s a GIF to sum up this series:
Who awaits in the conference finals? The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. They swept the Lakers, and they’re hoping this extra time can help Jalen Williams get back on the court from his hamstring injury.
Prediction: Wemby and the Spurs close it out in Minneapolis.
The last 24
👑 What’s next? Our staff kicked around some ideas for LeBron James’ next move. Maybe he can join Steph Curry?
👀 Combine confidential. Our John Hollinger picked up some intel at the NBA Combine this week. Here is what he learned about the draft prospects.
👃 Getting salty. NBA coaches need a pick-me-up sometimes. A handful of them are turning to smelling salts.
🗽 Manhattan project. How did the Knicks turn into a playoff juggernaut seemingly overnight? Our Fred Katz has a detailed look at their reinvention.
🗣️ Chuck speaks. The death of Jason Collins made Charles Barkley very vocal. He lamented the lack of progress in “a homophobic society.”
🐂 New hires. The Bulls are filling out their new front office. They hired Stephen Mervis from Orlando and Acie Law from Brooklyn.
🔊 “NBA Daily.” Watch and listen to breakdowns of tonight’s Game 6s.
Stream the NBA on Fubo (try it for free!) and catch out-of-market games on League Pass.
Flagg bearer
How will Masai Ujiri reshape the Mavericks?
Dallas hiring Ujiri as its new lead executive seemingly came out of nowhere. With the Mavericks not needing permission to talk to him, they kept these talks and negotiations fairly quiet. All of a sudden, one of the best lead executives of the past 15 years was in charge of shaping the Dallas roster and future around Cooper Flagg. The Rookie of the Year winner has been easily identified as a generational talent.
He plays both sides of the floor really well, and the sky is the limit for the teenager — who doesn’t turn 20 until December. When Ujiri was introduced to the Dallas media, he couldn’t stop gushing about Flagg.
“I’m going to do anything in my power — anything in my power — to make that kid and his family great. Those talents, they don’t come often.
“The one difficult thing to find anywhere — anywhere — in sports is a generational player. We have one. We have planted a flag here. We have one player here who can turn everything.”
So what does this look like in the immediate and in the long view? First, let’s take a look at the Mavs’ salary page on Spotrac to see what flexibility this roster has.
There are options this summer, but mostly you’re looking at 2027 when Dallas can really move things around. Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall will be free agents next year. Kyrie Irving and Caleb Martin could be free agents if they don’t pick up their player options. P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford are the only guys signed long-term (aside from Flagg’s rookie deal), but they are also on phenomenal contracts for value.
Not listed are Dereck Lively II (who will be a restricted free agent in 2027 if no extension is agreed to this fall), Max Christie (who has an $8.8 million player option) and Ryan Nembhard (who will be a free agent too). The Mavs have a lot of flexibility, and we still don’t know if they’re committed to some of these potential free agents beyond the trade deadline.
Dallas will have the eighth and the 30th picks in this draft. You can still get a very good player at No. 8, and Sam Vecenie mocked Arizona’s Brayden Burris for that pick. Flagg probably won’t be a full-time point-forward, but we can expect him to make a lot of plays over the next few years. You want to surround him with shooting, big men who stretch the floor vertically and some secondary playmakers.
Nembhard could be a really good backup point guard. Lively and Gafford can stretch the floor vertically. But shooting will be where Ujiri needs to bring guys in long-term. Dallas was 26th in 3-point shooting this year. Granted, it was a chaotic season of changes.
In Toronto, Ujiri fell in love with having a lot of 6-foot-8 and 6-9 guys with long wingspans and lots of defense to promote switchable defending. That may not be the proper vision for Dallas. Regardless, I would expect this roster to look extremely different after next year’s trade deadline.
Pistons-Cavs Game 6 preview
Can Detroit stay alive?
And now, for tonight’s other Game 6 …
They say a playoff series doesn’t begin until the home team loses. Well, the Cleveland Cavaliers have begun their postseason, despite being 12 games into the second round. They finally won a road game when they came back in Game 5 to beat the Detroit Pistons in the Motor City.
The overtime victory exorcised some of the demons the Cavs have had during this postseason. Can they protect their home court and move to their first Eastern Conference finals since 2018?
When is Game 6? 7 p.m. ET (Prime Video)
What’s the DNA of the Cavs’ wins? There are three things in these Cleveland wins over Detroit. 1) James Harden has been good-to-excellent. 2) The Cavs are making 37 percent of their 3s. 3) They’re getting to the line nearly 12 more times per game.
What’s the DNA of the Pistons’ wins? In the Pistons’ two wins, they’ve turned the ball over 4 1/2 fewer times per game and shot lights out from distance at 44.4 percent. They also get to the line more in the wins (27.5) versus the losses (18.0).
How did the Pistons survive last round? Most of it came on defense. They held the Magic under 30 points in the paint per game over those three comeback victories. Also, Cade Cunningham averaged 36 points per game, and Tobias Harris gave Detroit 25 points per game.
Who has to step up for Detroit? Jalen Duren. It’s a broken record at this point, but it’s truly incomprehensible how he became so mediocre after such an amazing regular season.
Who is the X-factor for Cleveland? Harden. When he’s been good in this series, the Cavs have won. When he’s been bad, the Cavs have lost.
Would the Pistons’ season be a failure if they lose? No, but the ending would be weird. They still won 60 games and were the No. 1 seed after winning just 14 games two years ago. They just have to use this playoff experience to go get some scoring help.
Would the Cavs be in trouble in a Game 7? Yes, simply because one win on the road does not make them trustworthy. It’s great that they figured out a game in Detroit. They had to do that, obviously.
When would Game 7 be? Sunday. Time to be determined.
What’s a GIF to sum up this series?
Who awaits in the conference finals? The Knicks swept Philadelphia and are waiting around for the end of this series. This is helping OG Anunoby recover from his hamstring injury.
Prediction: Pistons pull off the victory. This feels destined for seven games.