Welcome back to NBA Star Power Index: A weekly display of the players who are causing the most stir in the league. Being on this list isn’t necessarily a good thing – it simply means you’re catching the attention of the NBA world. Again, this is not a ranking. The players listed are in no particular order. This column runs every week during the regular season and playoffs.
Doncic’s injury is tricky. The Mavs call it a strained calf, which is vague. Tension makes it sound harmless, but tension is a tear; It’s all about degrees or grades, as you may recall hearing about Kevin Durant’s calf strain with the Warriors in 2019. That was called a “mild” strain initially and was eventually classified as a Grade 1 or possibly Grade 2 variety. Durant was missing for over a month before returning in Game 5 of the Finals when he naturally tore his Achilles tendon.
That’s the thing about calf injuries. They can become Achilles tendon injuries fairly easily if you come back too soon. It’s all connected, and if the calf hasn’t fully healed (depending on the location of the calf injury), you may be risking a much more serious injury, either to the calf or to the Achilles’ heel. dr Alan Beyer, an orthopedic surgeon and senior medical director at the Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Newport Beach, California, warned me about Durant’s initial calf injury.
“You see, a strain and a tear are the same thing,” said Dr. Beyer told CBS Sports after Durant’s initial calf strain in 2019. “So Durant has a tear in that calf. The rating only indicates how many fibers are affected. So a slight strain or grade 1 or 2 tear, whatever you want to call it, that’s one thing, but if he comes back with a partially healed calf and then tears it completely on landing or takeoff, that’s wrong, now you’re talking about it, may never come back to 100 percent. He would regret that decision for the rest of his career.”
dr Beyer also told me that before Durant tore his Achilles tendon, which in retrospect became an almost sinister warning.
Well, none of this is to say that Doncic will tear his calf worse or blow his Achilles tendon. Suffice it to say that a “stress” is not as harmless as it sounds. Doncic, whose injury has been described as “more than a light strain” according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowksi, could easily be out longer than you might think. As it stands at the moment, the Mavericks are reportedly skeptical about Doncic becoming available to play Dallas in the first-round series against Utah any time soon.
Unlike Stephen Curry, who I expect to play in Game 1, I’d be surprised if Doncic left for the Mavericks against Utah in the opener.
Irving pulled off a masterpiece in the Nets’ play-in win over the Cavs on Tuesday. He made his first 12 shots, which would be an NBA playoff record if we called the play-in tournament the playoffs, which technically we’re not. He didn’t miss the first three quarters. Irving finished with 34 points and 12 assists on 12-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3 and 7-for-7 from the free throw line.
Irving and Kevin Durant, who was great on his own, especially defensively, finished the first quarter with 19 points combined on 10-of-10 shots. Cleveland actually outscored the Nets by 13 points in the final three quarters, an effort helped by the Nets being held to eight points in the first nine-plus minutes of the second quarter, which Durant started on the bench. Brooklyn needs to figure out the non-KD Kyrie combo minutes, but there won’t be many. Steve Nash will play these two guys at least 40 minutes a game going forward. He has no choice.
Beverley went into overdrive Tuesday in Minnesota’s play-in win over the Clippers (the team Beverley traded last summer to save luxury tax dollars). I’ve written about it here, and I repeat, don’t let Beverley’s antics fool you into thinking he’s only an instigator in the league. This man is a great basketball player. A real winner. A defender at the highest level. Beverley’s teams have made the playoffs in eight of their nine seasons in the league and in the one year it didn’t (2017-18 Clippers), Beverley only played in 11 games.
It’s no coincidence that Beverley popped up in Minnesota and suddenly Wolves are in the playoffs for the third time since 2004. He has arguably done more to change the identity than any other person in this organization. Beverley expects to win and boy did he play like that on Tuesday. He finished with seven points and 11 rebounds, but as usual, his impact wasn’t based on the box score.
Against his former team, who he feels disrespected and treated like an outcast, Beverley was ready to scratch the crack. This is a few seconds into the game.
This wasn’t the last time Beverly and Marcus Morris would get in touch. Less than a minute into the second half, Beverley nearly baited Morris into his second technical foul, which sent him out. The review correctly found that Beverley was… imagine… the instigator.
From my postgame story:
Don’t even try to argue that Morris started this contact with Beverly. Players do this all the time to get a feel for their man, to know where he is while watching the jump ball. Beverley hacks at Morris’ arm like a cement block in a kung fu video. Beverley knew he was baiting Morris into his second tech, and when he initially thought he’d made it, he started hopping down the pitch and waving goodbye, like the villainous showman he always was. Seriously, if this guy wasn’t so good at this basketball thing, he’d have a job as a wrestling heel in a second. Vince McMahon would reset a Brinks truck.
However, what gets lost in all this antics is that Beverley is a really good player. Defense is a skill, and despite the emphasis on long, versatile off-ball defenders running around and making passes, an old-fashioned defender getting in the shirt remains the opponent, not a goalscorer or ball carrier wanting to see. Beverly is low and sideways fast. He has fast, aggressive hands. And he anticipates the way a great passer sees games developing ahead of time.
Watch the entirety of that crucial fourth quarter possession below. Beverley starts with Paul George which tells you how great a defender is that Chris Finch would put him on opposing superstar who cooked up in the second half in a two-point game with less than five minutes left. When Morris opens for a 3, Beverley runs out to bother him a bit. Morris then hands it to Reggie Jackson, who goes into a pick and roll, which Beverley switches to have him guard Jackson directly. Now the shot clock is ticking under five seconds. Beverley knows Jackson needs to act quickly, and he also knows Jackson likes to sidestep his dribbling before ramping up into a jumper or crossing. He’s counting on it. See it. And in a split second he strikes. knock it loose He basically single-handedly kills all possessions.
Beverley again selected Jackson to play with under 30 seconds to officially seal the game:
All of this preceded a celebration befitting a championship — which, to be fair, is about what a Minnesota playoff spot feels like.
The Timberwolves meet the No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs, with Game 1 scheduled for Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET.
McCollum led the Pelicans past the Spurs 9-10 in the West in Wednesday’s play-in game, recording 32 points, seven assists and six rebounds on 12-of-23 shots, including 3-of-5 from 3. He topped the entire Spurs lineup from the start in the first half, 27-25.
With all the talk about the Blazers not being able to win with McCollum and Damian Lillard paired in backcourt, you might have allowed yourself to forget that McCollum is a bucket. Has always been. always will be In a one-on-one situation, there might not be 10 players in the world I’d rather have a shot at than McCollum in a playoff scenario.
Blazer fans know this. McCollum was a hugely popular player in Portland, and now Rip City supporters need to cheer on McCollum — because if the Pelicans make the playoffs, the protected first-round pick Portland will get back in the McCollum trade from New Orleans has, not mediate. That pick only goes to the Blazers if they’re between No. 5 and No. 14. If New Orleans makes the playoffs, it can’t pick higher than No. 15 in the upcoming draft, which would then make the Blazers’ choice thanks to a 2025 Milwaukee first-rounder of nowhere near the same value.
Portland wants, needs, New Orleans in the lottery. That way, the Blazers would have their own lottery pick, and most likely a second lottery pick from New Orleans (unless they beat the ping-pong ball odds and jump into the top four, which is unlikely). That would give the Blazers two really nice perks they could potentially hit the trade market with when trying to rebuild a contender on the fly. If McCollum of all people costs the Blazers this election by missing a couple of play-in games (he’s halfway through), it will be a very bitter pill for the Blazers and their fans.
Curry has been out since March 16 with a sprained ligament in his left foot and his status for Saturday’s Golden State playoff opener game against the Nuggets is “undetermined,” according to the team.
It goes without saying how badly the Warriors need Curry not only back on the court, but as close to 100 percent as possible if they intend to go in for a real title shot. Based on the reports of how Curry is progressing, I’d be surprised if he didn’t play on Saturday. But even if he doesn’t, he’ll almost certainly be back on the court relatively early in this series.