Hornets, Trail Blazers Set the Tone for Wild NBA Postseason | Deadspin.com If the first night of the NBA play-in tournament is an appetizer of what’s coming for the next couple of months, the postseason will be at the very least intriguing.
The teasers came with a couple of compelling results. While there’s no guarantees that a new wave of contenders have been identified, there’s the notion that there are must-see moments ahead.
Ripe with controversy, comebacks and drama, it’s odd to suggest that the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers could be responsible for setting the tone.
The Hornets survived for a 127-126 overtime victory against the visiting Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference. In the Western Conference, the Trail Blazers rallied for a 114-110 road victory in Phoenix to advance into the playoffs.
The Suns will have to play Friday night at home against Wednesday’s Golden State-Los Angeles Clippers winner for the right to reach the playoffs.
The Hornets have work to do as well, taking on the loser of Wednesday’s Orlando-Philadelphia game on Friday with a spot in the playoffs in the balance.
The Heat have been eliminated, failing to reach the playoffs for the first time since prior to the COVID pandemic. Their chances might have dimmed anyway with Bam Adebayo sitting out since early in the second quarter Tuesday because of a back injury. He played only 11 minutes.
That’s where the controversy arrived in the first game following the regular season. Adebayo crashed to the floor courtesy of an undetected trip by Hornets star guard LaMelo Ball.
The Heat were hot that no infraction was called, with coach Erik Spoelstra adamant after that the game that the maneuver should have resulted in Ball’s ejection.
Instead, Ball made the winning shot a couple of hours later.
These play-in games don’t come with the benefit of a series, so this saga won’t play out across another week.
Should they win Friday, the Hornets might be fun to have around in the playoffs for no other reason it’s an injection of new blood. They’re a team that emerged to exceed expectations from what most observers projected last fall. Charlotte hasn’t appeared in the playoffs in a decade.
After Coby White rescued the Hornets in regulation with a tying 3-pointer, they won on Ball’s drive for a basket and then – of all things – a defensive play with Miles Bridges blocking the game’s final shot on Davion Mitchell’s attempt to extend Miami’s season.
Charlotte’s success in the first play-in game came despite minimal contributions from Kon Knueppel, who’s a favorite to be named Rookie of the Year. The NBA’s most productive 3-point shooter during the regular season went 0-for-6 from long range and 2-for-12 overall.
But the Hornets have Ball, who’s been waiting for the spotlight to shine his way.
Later out West, the Trail Blazers earned the right to hold the No. 7 seed and face the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. All it took was rallying from 11 points down in the fourth quarter and a 41-point night from Deni Avdija.
Portland finds itself in the playoff field for the first time since 2021. That qualifies as an infusion of something new, with Avdija landing in the playoffs for the first time.
We could enjoy more of what he has to offer after Tuesday night’s sampling.
#Hornets #Trail #Blazers #Set #Tone #Wild #NBA #Postseason #Deadspin.com
If the first night of the NBA play-in tournament is an appetizer of what’s coming for the next couple of months, the postseason will be at the very least intriguing.
The teasers came with a couple of compelling results. While there’s no guarantees that a new wave of contenders have been identified, there’s the notion that there are must-see moments ahead.
Ripe with controversy, comebacks and drama, it’s odd to suggest that the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers could be responsible for setting the tone.
The Hornets survived for a 127-126 overtime victory against the visiting Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference. In the Western Conference, the Trail Blazers rallied for a 114-110 road victory in Phoenix to advance into the playoffs.
The Suns will have to play Friday night at home against Wednesday’s Golden State-Los Angeles Clippers winner for the right to reach the playoffs.
The Hornets have work to do as well, taking on the loser of Wednesday’s Orlando-Philadelphia game on Friday with a spot in the playoffs in the balance.
The Heat have been eliminated, failing to reach the playoffs for the first time since prior to the COVID pandemic. Their chances might have dimmed anyway with Bam Adebayo sitting out since early in the second quarter Tuesday because of a back injury. He played only 11 minutes.
That’s where the controversy arrived in the first game following the regular season. Adebayo crashed to the floor courtesy of an undetected trip by Hornets star guard LaMelo Ball.
The Heat were hot that no infraction was called, with coach Erik Spoelstra adamant after that the game that the maneuver should have resulted in Ball’s ejection.
Instead, Ball made the winning shot a couple of hours later.
These play-in games don’t come with the benefit of a series, so this saga won’t play out across another week.
Should they win Friday, the Hornets might be fun to have around in the playoffs for no other reason it’s an injection of new blood. They’re a team that emerged to exceed expectations from what most observers projected last fall. Charlotte hasn’t appeared in the playoffs in a decade.
After Coby White rescued the Hornets in regulation with a tying 3-pointer, they won on Ball’s drive for a basket and then – of all things – a defensive play with Miles Bridges blocking the game’s final shot on Davion Mitchell’s attempt to extend Miami’s season.
Charlotte’s success in the first play-in game came despite minimal contributions from Kon Knueppel, who’s a favorite to be named Rookie of the Year. The NBA’s most productive 3-point shooter during the regular season went 0-for-6 from long range and 2-for-12 overall.
But the Hornets have Ball, who’s been waiting for the spotlight to shine his way.
Later out West, the Trail Blazers earned the right to hold the No. 7 seed and face the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. All it took was rallying from 11 points down in the fourth quarter and a 41-point night from Deni Avdija.
Portland finds itself in the playoff field for the first time since 2021. That qualifies as an infusion of something new, with Avdija landing in the playoffs for the first time.
We could enjoy more of what he has to offer after Tuesday night’s sampling.
![Brandon Aiyuk’s 49ers divorce keeps getting uglier Brandon Aiyuk’s war of words with the San Francisco 49ers reached new heights on Tuesday.In a video posted to social media, Aiyuk blasted the organization as “stupid” for paying him, and “mad” at themselves for how the team was handling the situation.The video came after Aiyuk posted one over the weekend, where he called the 49ers “little-ass boys” who needed to “stop running from the bill.”The two videos are the wide receiver’s first lengthy public comments since the team placed him on the reserve/left team list back in December of last year. Aiyuk has not played in a game for the 49ers since midway through the 2024 season, when he suffered a torn ACL.Prior to the 2024 campaign, Aiyuk was a hold-in during training camp until he agreed to terms with the team on a new four-year extension worth up to $120 million.Head coach Kyle Shanahan, along with general manager John Lynch, continue to assert that Aiyuk has played his last snap for the 49ers. Speaking at the team’s end-of-season press conference in January, the coach indicated he had lost contact with Aiyuk, going on to say that “eventually you understand that it’s not going to change and you’ve got to move on with your football team.”On that January day, Lynch explicitly said that Aiyuk had “played his last snap with the Niners.”Then at the end of March at the league’s annual meetings, Shanahan maintained that stance, but did not put a timeframe on a resolution.“I don’t have a date for it, but I know eventually it’ll resolve itself,” Shanahan said in March. “Hopefully, we could get something for [him]. And I know we’re in no rush to do that. You’ve got to do what’s right for the Niners, and you’re not trying to hook up any other team as fast as you possibly can. Hopefully, we can get something for that, and it’ll take care of itself.”As far as what that resolution looks like, many believe Aiyuk will find a home with the Washington Commanders. Aiyuk played with Jayden Daniels at Arizona State, and over this past weekend did share a photos of himself wearing a Commanders hat.However, he is still technically under contract with San Francisco through the 2028 season. And while the 49ers did void the guaranteed money he was owed for 2026, the guaranteed money Aiyuk is owed for 2027 is still on the books.NFL insider Ian Rapoport addressed the situation on Monday.“First of all, here’s what the San Francisco 49ers would like: They have his rights, he’s not due any guaranteed money because he forfeited that by not showing up to his rehab,” said Rapoport. “So, they would like to trade him, probably to the Commanders, with his old friend Jayden Daniels and an organization that obviously knows him well, considering (Commanders general manager) Adam Peters was in San Francisco, and all that.“What the Commanders would like to do is sign him without having to trade him. … We’re in a situation where nobody wants to move at all. They’re all staring at each other. There’s really no deadline to make a move at all. So, until and unless everyone gets tired of Brandon Aiyuk sending Instagram messages, this is going to be a storyline that takes us through the summer.”Happy offseason, everyone. #Brandon #Aiyuks #49ers #divorce #uglier](https://i1.wp.com/platform.sbnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/gettyimages-2183567424.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C78.534031413613&w=1200&ssl=1 "Brandon Aiyuk’s 49ers divorce keeps getting uglier Brandon Aiyuk’s war of words with the San Francisco 49ers reached new heights on Tuesday.In a video posted to social media, Aiyuk blasted the organization as “stupid” for paying him, and “mad” at themselves for how the team was handling the situation.The video came after Aiyuk posted one over the weekend, where he called the 49ers “little-ass boys” who needed to “stop running from the bill.”The two videos are the wide receiver’s first lengthy public comments since the team placed him on the reserve/left team list back in December of last year. Aiyuk has not played in a game for the 49ers since midway through the 2024 season, when he suffered a torn ACL.Prior to the 2024 campaign, Aiyuk was a hold-in during training camp until he agreed to terms with the team on a new four-year extension worth up to $120 million.Head coach Kyle Shanahan, along with general manager John Lynch, continue to assert that Aiyuk has played his last snap for the 49ers. Speaking at the team’s end-of-season press conference in January, the coach indicated he had lost contact with Aiyuk, going on to say that “eventually you understand that it’s not going to change and you’ve got to move on with your football team.”On that January day, Lynch explicitly said that Aiyuk had “played his last snap with the Niners.”Then at the end of March at the league’s annual meetings, Shanahan maintained that stance, but did not put a timeframe on a resolution.“I don’t have a date for it, but I know eventually it’ll resolve itself,” Shanahan said in March. “Hopefully, we could get something for [him]. And I know we’re in no rush to do that. You’ve got to do what’s right for the Niners, and you’re not trying to hook up any other team as fast as you possibly can. Hopefully, we can get something for that, and it’ll take care of itself.”As far as what that resolution looks like, many believe Aiyuk will find a home with the Washington Commanders. Aiyuk played with Jayden Daniels at Arizona State, and over this past weekend did share a photos of himself wearing a Commanders hat.However, he is still technically under contract with San Francisco through the 2028 season. And while the 49ers did void the guaranteed money he was owed for 2026, the guaranteed money Aiyuk is owed for 2027 is still on the books.NFL insider Ian Rapoport addressed the situation on Monday.“First of all, here’s what the San Francisco 49ers would like: They have his rights, he’s not due any guaranteed money because he forfeited that by not showing up to his rehab,” said Rapoport. “So, they would like to trade him, probably to the Commanders, with his old friend Jayden Daniels and an organization that obviously knows him well, considering (Commanders general manager) Adam Peters was in San Francisco, and all that.“What the Commanders would like to do is sign him without having to trade him. … We’re in a situation where nobody wants to move at all. They’re all staring at each other. There’s really no deadline to make a move at all. So, until and unless everyone gets tired of Brandon Aiyuk sending Instagram messages, this is going to be a storyline that takes us through the summer.”Happy offseason, everyone. #Brandon #Aiyuks #49ers #divorce #uglier")
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