By: Isabel Gomez

After a less-than-ideal performance during Game 1, Anthony Davis bounced back and helped the Lakers go 1-1 in Phoenix. The Lakers got the split on the road and will now play their first playoff game at Staples Center since 2013. 

Davis couldn’t quite get his rhythm going on Sunday and took the blame for the Lakers losing the first game of the series.

“There’s no way we are winning a game, let alone the series, with me playing the way I played. This one is on me,” Davis said after struggling to get 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting.

LeBron James heard what his teammate said and accurately predicted what would happen in Game 2.

“Any time he comes to the press room and tells you we can’t win without him or with him playing the way he played, he always responds. I’m looking forward to that,” James said.

He definitely responded. Davis redeemed himself on Tuesday by leading the Lakers to a 109-103 victory with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. 

The power forward/center said he felt the biggest difference was just coming out with more energy and playing more aggressively. He made 18 free throws on 21 attempts, which were both career playoff highs for him.

The Lakers were up by as many as 15 points during the game, but the fourth quarter was a competitive one. A dunk by Deandre Ayton gave the Suns an 88-86 advantage with 6:15 on the clock. The game stayed pretty tight until Davis blocked an Ayton hook shot with 3:15 remaining. The Lakers held a one-point lead at that time (93-92), but then Davis and LeBron James, described by head coach Frank Vogel as “two of the top five players in the NBA,” used that as momentum to go on a 7-0 run.

Vogel said that James, who finished the night with 23 points, is an all-time great and consistently shows it. He also praised Davis for showing “great assertiveness” in how he responded on Tuesday.

“He does it in so many ways,” Vogel said of Davis. “He didn’t settle much for the jump shot. He really ran the floor. Rolled hard. Drove the ball hard, and had the intent to attack the paint with or without the basketball.”

There is no question that both stars performing well will be crucial for the Lakers to go all the way. During the regular season, both of them suffered injuries and were out for a significant amount of games. They’re looking healthier now, but injuries are still part of the storyline for this postseason series. 

James played more minutes than Vogel originally wanted him to on Tuesday when Davis found himself in foul trouble early in the game. However, James looked comfortable out there. It’s actually the Suns who have more to worry about. 

Chris Paul only played 23 minutes on Tuesday while clearly struggling with a shoulder injury he suffered in Game 1. The Phoenix guard is listed as probably for Thursday’s game. If his minutes are limited, Cameron Payne will likely see more time in the point guard position. 

Devin Booker and Ayton are currently the two top scorers for the Suns during the postseason. In two games, Booker is averaging 32.5 points and Ayton is seeing 21.5 points while making 87.5% of his shots. The Lakers ended the regular season with the league’s No. 1-ranked defense, so they should have enough power to stop them.

The Los Angeles team will likely use the purple and gold fans as extra motivation, especially since it will be their first playoff game in LA in eight years.

“It’s going to be pretty special for our fans,” James said. “That’s what I came here for to be able to play a playoff game in front of the Lakers faithful.”

Game 3 is scheduled for Thursday at 7pm PT and will be nationally broadcast on TNT.

The post Anthony Davis shines for the LA Lakers just before game 3 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Some 90s trends made a comeback this year, and the New York Knicks are one of them.

The Knicks haven’t been great for a long time, but they made it into the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Their 41-31 record earned them the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference and home court advantage for the first round. 

Tom Thibodeau is one of top candidates for the NBA Coach of the Year Award. He was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for May after the Knicks went 6-3 this month . This included three straight victories to wrap up the regular season.

They will be playing Game 1 against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. The Knicks came out victorious in all three of their meetings earlier this year, but this doesn’t guarantee anything.

Sure, New York has been one of the league’s biggest surprises this season, but Thibodeau admitted what everyone who follows basketball already knows: the regular season and playoffs are very different from each other. 

“Once you get to the playoffs, teams are locked in to you specifically. They’re going to know you inside and out and you’re going to know them inside and out,” he said. “You just have to be ready to play. Hopefully you’ve built the proper habits to get yourself ready to play.”

Their last encounter on April 21 went into overtime after Bogdan Bogdanovic hit a three-pointer with six seconds left on the clock. That level of intensity would be fun to see during the playoffs, and it’s actually completely possible.

The Knicks have been one of the best defensive teams all season long. They hold the best opponent points per game average of 104.7. However, they have one of the weakest offensive ratings from teams in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Hawks have one of the top 10 offenses but aren’t too hot in the defensive area. 

Julius Randle played really well through the three games against Atlanta. He averaged 37.3 points while shooting at 58.1% from the field and 50.0% from beyond the arc. He showed he can handle the Hawks, but he said he is trying to not think too much about those past games. 

“It doesn’t matter. We got Game 1 coming up on Sunday,” Randle said. “I just gotta be prepared for whatever comes at me. Whatever they throw my way, I’ll be prepared for it. It’s really not about what’s happened in the past.”

He’ll be an important player to watch through the series, but the Knicks have made it clear they believe their strength comes from the entire roster. In April, Randle and Reggie Bullock were asked about the Brooklyn Nets and their Big 3. Their response was that the Knicks were the Big 15.

That was not a one time thing. On Wednesday’s media availability, Randle once again talked about his confidence on his entire team.

Thibodeau agrees with that mentality. The coach said the depth of his team is one of their biggest strengths.

“The thing that I love about our team is if someone is not going good, another guy steps in. If he’s going good, everyone cheers for that guy,” Thibodeau said. “The most important thing is the team winning. That’s where I want the focus to lie.”

The times for the first round are yet to be announced. However, Knicks fans already received the news that 13,000 of them will be allowed during home games at Madison Square Garden.

The post The New York Knicks are ready for their return to the playoffs appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Isabel Gonzalez @cisabelg

It’s been a “long, super quick” season for the Los Angeles Lakers, as described by LeBron James.

The Lakers star spent six week out due to a high right ankle sprain that occurred on March 20 against the Hawks. Missing 20 games became James’ longest absence of his career, and unfortunately for the Lakers, that count didn’t stop there.

He returned to the court last Friday against the Kings and admitted it had been stressful to not be able to help his team, which currently holds a 37-28 record. He talked about the number of hours he spent doing rehab because of the determination he had to get back.

“It was a lot more than I slept. Over the last six weeks that’s all I’ve been doing, having the urgency to get back and play,” James said. “I knew getting back to 100% was impossible. I don’t think I’ll ever get back to 100% in my career, but I felt comfortable that I could get out on the floor and help my team win.”

Through the two games after his return, James said he started out fine but could feel his ankle getting tight and sore after halftime. He said there hasn’t been much practice time this season, so during his rehab he didn’t experience five-on-five or contact. Instead, he had to focus on individual workouts and a lot of running to keep his conditioning going.

His pain caused him to check out before Sunday’s game against the Raptors was over. James then sat out Monday’s game against the Nuggets for the same reason. The Lakers picked up a much needed win without him, but on Wednesday head coach Frank Vogel announced that he will continue sidelined for at least one more game. James will miss Thursday’s game against the Clippers and then be day-to-day after that. 

The Lakers will also be missing starting point guard Dennis Schroder. On Monday, Vogel confirmed that he will be out 10-14 days due to health and safety COVID-19 protocols.

This is a continuation of what the Lakers have been dealing with for the last couple of months. Forward/center Anthony Davis was out of the lineup for 30 games due to a calf strain and Achilles tendinosis. He returned on April 23, but the time off was noticeable at first.

Vogel said Davis is slowly getting back to where he wants to be in rhythm, timing and conditioning. The coach liked the defensive effort he saw from him on Monday.

While Davis is improving, the Lakers are still missing some key pieces. Kyle Kuzma didn’t shy away from pointing out that his team felt disconnected because of all the inconsistency in the lineup. James agreed with him but also said that at the end of the day, whoever was on the floor had to figure out a way to get it done. 

The veteran said the Lakers can hang their hats knowing they can perform well in the postseason because of the experience in the roster. However, the team is currently sixth in the Western Conference, which means dropping one spot would force them into the play-in tournament. 

Vogel said the Lakers were not in an ideal situation right now, but also that the No. 1 goal is to get James’ ankle better, even if it’s not 100%.

“Wherever we end up in the standings, we want him as healthy as possible going into the playoffs,” Vogel said. “Other than that, we are just going to compete and win as many games as we can down the stretch here.”

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