Welcome to Act III of the 2024-25 NBA season. It was a rough start for the league this year. People came out of the woodwork to criticize it,offering wild solutions, and pointing out the low early season TV ratings. But then the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers and things got real interesting in Act II.
Now, though, we’re in the third portion of the season and it couldn’t be more exciting. Indeed, we seem far away from those calls for sweeping change. Let’s look at five players who have wowed us and taken us to the edge of our seats in this third act.
For the entire postseason so far, Brunson and the New York Knicks have been walking a razor’s edge. To the surprise of many, it took New York six games to send Detroit packing and none of those games were easy. But the Knicks keep finding ways to win. Just ask Boston, a team the Knicks were 0-4 against during the regular season. So far, in back-to-back games on the road, New York have come back from 20-point deficitsto beat Boston by a total of four points. Now, the series is headed to the Big Apple. For the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year (and former second-round pick), who had 29 points in Game 1 and 17 points with seven assists in Game 2, a shocking sweep of the reigning champions is still on the cards.
What you saw Tuesday night when the Indiana Pacers’ star point guard, Tyrese Haliburton, got his own rebound off a free-throw miss and, with just a few seconds on the clock, hit a step-back three-pointer to win the game was not a mere basketball play. It was the end of a video game where one character reaches into the chest of another and rips their still-beating heart out. Indeed, the No 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers, who had been led by a prolific Donovan Mitchell, lost at the buzzer in a game the entire world (besides Haliburton) thought they would win. Like Boston, Cleveland are now down an unthinkable 0-2 (and both teams are nursing significant injuries). For Haliburton, who was recentlyvoted the most overrated player in the NBA, victory must taste sweet. (Even if his dad isn’t allowed to watch.)
What is it about big sporting events – we love seeing our aging stars haveone morerun. Like Jimmy Connors reaching the US Open semi-finals at 39 years old, the Golden State Warriors and their two veterans, Steph Curry and Draymond Green, are enjoying one more deep run. Or at least they’re trying to. The Warriors hung on and beat the up and coming Houston Rockets in the opening round. Next, they took the first game from theMinnesota Timberwolves. But it was costly. Curry went out of that game with a pulled hamstring. He’ll be out at least a week. Can new acquisition Jimmy Butler help his team hold on against Minnesota? Will we see Green throwing pocket passes to Curry again this year? Well, that leads us to our next player …
How many incredible buzzer beaters is a team allowed to have in the playoffs? Last year, the Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray hittwoto beat the Lakers. This year, his teammate Aaron Gordon boasts two of his own. Thefirst came on a tip-in dunkwith .01 seconds left against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round. The next came in Game 1against the Oklahoma City Thunderin a double-digit-point comeback. The No 1 seed Thunder are led by presumptive MVP favoriteShai Gilgeous-Alexander. But it’s the Nuggets who have the best player in the world in Nikola Jokić. He proved that against the Thunder on Monday, leading his team expertly, and giving Gordon the opportunity for his second game-winner. OKCcame back big in Game 2, though, officially making it a series.
It’s all on a platter for Ant-Man. Already he and his Minnesota team have knocked off the Lakers and their stars, Dončić and LeBron James. That seemed almost impossible at the start of the playoffs – most analysts picked LA. But now Edwardscouldknock off Steph, Dray and the Dubs. All this after trouncing Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns in last year’s playoffs and winning an Olympic gold medal in the summer. Edwards is charming, talented and accomplished. If he were to lead his team to the Western Conference Finals (again) or beyond, he could become one of the biggest sports stars in America. But he laid an egg in Game 1 against Golden State, evengetting called out by his coach. It was a rare dud. If he wants to sniff the rarest of rarefied air, he can’t post another.