What's Wright - Game 1 Reactions: Knicks ROLLING, Wolves STUN Spurs, will Lakers do UNTHINKABLE? | Nick Wright NBA

Good morning after a wild sports weekend—NBA chaos, a Kentucky Derby shocker, and a boxing crowd story where a guy told me my old show helped get him through federal time; that hit me. Congrats to Victor on the new baby, funny twist with Demonzé’s daughter having almost the same name, and yes, mailbag’s open this week; let’s jump to Wolves–Spurs.

Wolves keep winning shorthanded while Wemby flirts with a quadruple-double. Is it time to treat Minnesota like a real contender?

If Ant’s moving well, they can win the title; he’s not all the way back, but he swung the second half. The books had them buried two hundred to one a couple days ago, but I thought Ant would return—Giannis once came back fast from a similar hyperextension and wrecked the Finals—so I never wrote Minnesota off.

Finch has levers: with Rudy on, he muzzles Wemby’s offense; the flip side is Wemby can roam because Rudy won’t space, so late they went five-out and opened the lane. Wemby’s blocks were ridiculous, but on nights his three isn’t dropping he’s not yet a steady scorer, and some swats led to Wolves threes anyway; if Ant’s available, I lean Minnesota.

How healthy does Ant need to be to beat the Spurs and then make a run?

They can beat San Antonio with Ant around sixty-five; to get past OKC they’ll need him closer to whole. I’d use Rudy more in non-Wemby minutes and toggle five-out when Victor sits in the paint, and I get the late three they took because a make ends it; the every-other-day grind will test Wemby’s legs.

The Knicks just smashed Philly. You picked the Sixers if Embiid’s right—still there?

I expected a Game 1 letdown off that emotional comeback, not a thirty-nine-point beating while New York became the first team ever with three straight twenty-five-plus playoff wins. Brunson is cooking, the Knicks wings were built for Boston but Philly has Maxey’s speed; the bigger issue might be who guards Brunson—still not overreacting, and if Philly’s top group stays healthy they can trade blows, so Game 2 tells us if this is matchup or fatigue.

Lakers get OKC and it sounds like they’ll be without Luka early. What shot are you giving LeBron?

If Luka isn’t back fast, beating the Thunder would be one of the wildest upsets ever; the line has LeBron as a bigger dog than he’s ever been. That said, Game 6 versus Houston was peak command—twenty-eight, seven, and eight while directing traffic—another reminder that even now he can decide, not tonight; the haters keep moving the goalposts, and I still think OKC in five unless L.A. steals the opener and Luka returns by Game 4, and I’m curious how JJ manages being outgunned.

Demonzé, your team—the Celtics—blew a three-one lead; where’s your frustration?

I’m on Mazzulla for the rigidity and shot diet. And I’m ready to move on from Jaylen Brown’s whole vibe; something has to change.

One wild but clean solution is Jaylen for Giannis, or a three-team version with Atlanta sending picks to Milwaukee; Brown’s brilliant and thoughtful, but he says some odd stuff and might want his own team—he’s great, just not in that top tier he thinks. Mazzulla’s resume has real variance sins—like a Game 7 lineup with zero prior minutes—while the nonstop three math backfires in high leverage; I adore Tatum and worried about overuse, so as brutal as it was, the early exit might spare him and let him fully rebuild that leg.

Which first-round losers should blow it up and who should run it back?

Orlando runs it back with a new coach and healthier creators; Boston likely makes a big swing. Houston can’t return as is with the Durant drama—maybe they chase Giannis or pivot hard to the kids. Denver’s window got shaky despite having the best player, and I could see Jamal–Jaylen talks surfacing; tonight it’s Cavs–Pistons and Lakers–Thunder, I’m off to Cowherd and then Simmons, and yes, I’ll lobby to bump LeBron above the retired legends on that Ringer list—talk tomorrow.