Once again, apologies for the not-quite-complete edition. Xfinity’s poor internet service once again reared its ugly head. Despite that, today’s BI is closer to complete than yesterday’s and with Xfinity’s promise that the problems are fixed, we look forward to returning to the quality you expect from BI tomorrow. Thanks for your patience. (And btw our confidence is finally high thanks to the great assistance received from an Xfinity agent today).
BOS-CLE/ORL
Joe Mazzulla wants Celtics to be the tougher team going forward
Adam Himmelbach, Boston Globe
CLE-ORL
Magic ‘stay the course,’ survive Mitchell’s 50-point game
Kendra Andrews, ESPN
Magic moments add up to dramatic win as Orlando gets ready for Game 7
Josh Robbins, The Athletic
Donovan Mitchell’s masterpiece not enough as Cavs lose Game 6
Chris Fedor, cleveland.com
Cavs’ season — and perhaps Donovan Mitchell’s Cleveland future — comes down to Game 7
Chris Fedor, cleveland.com
Chippy, physical play fueling the Magic’s postseason run
Kendra Andrews, ESPN
Seven storylines for only Game 7 matchup in the first round of NBA playoffs
Jack Maloney, CBS Sports
DAL-LAC
Mavs dismantle Clippers in dominant fashion, turn attention to Thunder
Brad Townsend, Morning News
Two under-the-radar trades turned the Mavericks into a real West threat
Tim MacMahon, ESPN
Kyrie Irving vanquishes Clippers in Game 6 as Mavericks move on
Tim MacMahon, ESPN
5 takeaways as Kyrie Irving finishes Clippers in Game 6
Michael C. Wright, NBA.com
Clippers eliminated: What’s next for Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Ty Lue
Sam Amick/Law Murray, The Athletic
In defeating Clippers, Mavericks show why they’re built to contend for a long time
Tim Cato, The Athletic
DEN-MIN
Preview: The NBA’s most intriguing second-round series couldn’t have been scripted better
Seerat Sohi, The Ringer
Timberwolves boss Tim Connelly helped build Denver into ‘the best team in the world’
Chris Hine, Star Tribune
3 keys for the Timberwolves to upset the Nuggets
Jannelle Moore. Sporting News
Nuggets-Timberwolves preview: Nikola Jokić, Anthony Edwards and the ultimate chess match
Ben Rohrbach, Yahoo Sports
IND-NYK
The Pacers needed to get to get in the playoffs to learn; now they can apply lessons
Dustin Dopirak, Indy Star
The Definitive Pacers vs Knicks Semi-Finals Preview
Caitlin Cooper/Rit Holtzman/Samson Folk, Basketball She Wrote
NYK-PHI
You can’t lump these Sixers in with the team’s past playoff failures. There are reasons to be optimistic for the future.
Paul Hudrick, Liberty Ballers
How the Knicks’ special chemistry helped them turn back the 76ers
Jake Fischer, Yahoo Sports
1 Fix for Each NBA Playoff Team Still Standing
Zach Buckley, Bleacher Report
DAL: Q & A: Derrick Jones Jr.
Joey Mistretta, Clutch Points
PHI: Joel Embiid and the Burden of Dominance
Danny Chau, The Ringer
NBA Rookie Rankings: Final Evaluations
J. Kyle Mann, The Ringer
Michael Ruzic Scouting Report
Ersin Demir, Ersin’s Draft Newsletter