What's Wright - Best Of Nick Wright - Are Lakers FINISHED? Celtics TEAM TO BEAT w/ Tatum? Jokic TOP 10 EVER?

Welcome to the best of the week on What’s Right with Nick Wright. Let’s jump in with Tatum’s return to the Garden and why tonight matters.

Tatum’s first game back at MSG since the Achilles tear has him uneasy but determined. Smart move or too soon?

It’s the right call. He chose this game on a back-to-back so his first night in that building isn’t a playoff opener, and he’s been refreshingly honest about the emotions around it; the recent minutes and efficiency say he’s already playing at an All-Star level, which is why I’ve got Boston as the safest pick to make the Finals and win the title.

Who’s their biggest threat in the East?

Not the Knicks; it’s Detroit. New York’s been steady but short of expectations, while Detroit leveled up fast, found another creator to steady non-Cade minutes, and profiles as the team most likely to push Boston.

The Lakers just slid after injuries to Luca and Austin Reeves. Are they cooked?

If both miss the whole first round, they’re done; LeBron can flip the switch, but we just saw that isn’t enough, and using shorthanded losses to call them frauds is nonsense because any team missing its top scorer and another top option would crater, while Luca’s playoff resume shows he elevates undermanned rosters when healthy.

What happens with the sixty-five game rule and Luca’s appeal, and when do you expect him back?

He should win the appeal with real extenuating circumstances, and I expect him to return in round one, likely not Game One but back by the middle of the series after his Europe trip and treatment; for the Lakers to have any chance beyond round one, they’ll need Luca close to himself and Austin back too.

LeBron called the injury news a shot to the head, heart, chest, and mainframe. What does that tell you?

He knows the math without his top two running mates, yet he also showed he can instantly resume full-on command mode, which keeps next year’s options interesting; Cleveland’s a tougher fit, while Golden State makes sense with him as initiator, the Knicks could lighten Jalen’s load, and Denver is intriguing alongside Jokic’s brainy game.

Are people going too far with the Jokic praise?

Top five ever is too far right now, but he’s clearly ahead of Giannis and Durant; I’ve got him just outside the core dozen all-timers, and to crack that group he needs more deep runs, because those legends logged far more playoff games and stacked historic peaks like Shaq’s three Finals rampage or Hakeem’s two-way masterclass runs.

Will we ever see another repeat champion?

Probably, but it’s getting harder as talent deepens and parity rises; the ceiling of rings per era keeps dropping, which makes three-peats rare, even if a team like OKC could be two-thirds of the way there soon.

OKC dodged the post-title slump so far. Sustainable?

They look great, but recent champs kept getting clipped in round two; Boston last year, Denver the year before, so let’s see them clear that hurdle first.