AROUND THE LEAGUE
A 16-2 run in the final six minutes flipped a game that had felt out of reach, and the visitors walked out of a stunned building with the season sweep.
A 65-win pace, the youngest core in the bracket and home court locked through the conference finals — the season has gone exactly to script.
At 3.9 blocks a night, the third-year center is not just leading the league — he is lapping it, and opponents have stopped testing the paint entirely.
Another wire-to-wire win, another 30-point night from the backcourt, and the gap at the top of the conference keeps widening.
Six weeks on, the contenders that added size are cashing in, and the ones that stood pat are starting to feel the squeeze.
The 30-point triple-double used to be an event. In Denver it is now a Tuesday, and the MVP conversation is tightening because of it.
Ticket prices, decibel readings and a 29-point guard with no off switch — New York is peaking at the right time.
A 45-win season two years after the rebuild bottomed out, built on a point guard playing at an All-NBA level.
A 34-point closing statement in San Antonio settled the division and set up a first-round series with real bite.
The status lists are shrinking at the right time for three contenders — and at the worst possible time for one.
COURTSIDE