NBA Notebook: Ben Sullivan on teaching Celtics shooting, Ime Udoka and Damon Stoudamire's departure

Ben Sullivan, at 28-years-old, joined the San Antonio Spurs as a video coordinator thanks to a call from an old friend from his native Portland. 

Ime Udoka spent the previous summers around the turn of the last decade playing with, against and sometimes fighting Sullivan, a former University of Portland center who boasted a smooth jump shot, during pick-up runs. Udoka's career winded down after stints with the Kings, Spurs and UCAM Murcia in Spain in 2011, joining Gregg Popovich's Spurs staff the next season and suggesting his friend from Portland for a film room role, one that landed him next to fellow future Celtics assistant Will Hardy. Sullivan retired in 2008 after playing in China, Chile and Germany. His coaching career began leading a sixth-grade suburban travel team. 

"When I was playing basketball, some people think, I want to be a coach when I'm done, they see that path and they understand it," Sullivan said last summer. "It wasn't quite as clear for me. I didn't necessarily see that, but when I was done playing, my girlfriend at the time, who's now my wife, I was working a regular job and she suggested to me, 'Why don't you try coaching?' I was like, ok, so I tried, I talked to my high school coach in Lake Oswego and he set me up to be the high school boy's coach. I can still remember, five minutes into the first practice, I was like, 'This is what I want to do.' I loved it instantly. Then from that point on, when I was in that elementary school in Lake Oswego, I did not envision it would lead to what it led to. One foot in front of the other." 

The last 13 years rushed by, including receiving mentorship from Popovich, Mike Budenholzer, who Sullivan followed to Atlanta and Milwaukee as an assistant, and Chip Engelland in San Antonio, Engelland one of the league's highest-regarded shooting coaches who now serves on Oklahoma City's staff. Sullivan recently spoke to his wife Bailee about living in the moment, and how he already tried to take his life day-to-day, enjoying moments along the way rather than focusing on the big picture, but wanted to fully embrace it to live his most fulfilling life. That helped him ease into his current role, the most experienced assistant on Joe Mazzulla's staff after the departures of Udoka, Hardy and more recently Damon Stoudamire, who Georgia Tech hired as its head coach last month. Udoka's exit, suspended for the season for an improper relationship and let go later in the season, and those of his long-time Portland and Spurs connections for bigger opportunities reshaped Mazzulla's staff drastically on a team that maintained championship expectations.

Sullivan didn't notice a substantial change to his role, other than doing more of what he focused on last season. Derrick White and Grant Williams began working out with him, White coming off a season of noted discomfort following his trade from San Antonio and shooting inconsistency. Williams achieved shooting success, hitting 41.1% from deep last year, but looked to diversify his game early before hitting a mid-season slump he struggled to escape consistently. White thrived after a strong training camp, removing lean from his motion to improve to 38% on three-pointers. Sullivan assesses their mechanics, but he also understands the psychological aspect of shooting, helping his players manage the highs-and-lows, important for a team that attempts 47.8% of its shots from behind the line and for Williams, who faced lows like missing game-winning free throws at Cleveland. 

"His biggest thing for me is just always getting my base set," Williams told Boston Sports Journal. "Because I make shots when I'm set and not lazy. He always jokes around calling me a 6-6 guy with 7-foot tendencies, but he's a phenomenal coach, he's helped me throughout the course of the year continue to improve. He just continues to remind you of where you're been in the past, but he also continues to remind you that it's bound to happen, shooters go through (slumps) and the way that you work that out is by putting in more work and getting back to what got you there in the first place. He's done a phenomenal job helping me through those ups and downs, and he's always gonna have a player's back." 

White, Williams and Sullivan often begin and finish their sessions with games. They take turns trying to bounce free throws into the hoop off the ground. They sometimes compete to hit them with their off hand. HORSE remains a post-practice and shootaround staple though, White and Williams bouncing the ball off walls of the Auerbach Center, their heads and even their feet trying to complete trick shots. Jarell Christian, a Celtics assistant and Maine's general manager, sunk a baseline hook from behind the basket that set the season standard for the group. Sullivan relies less on luck, draining three after three in impressive fashion when he shoots around with his players, flashing an impressive release himself. 

Their games try to ease the mental strain of a long season. When Hardy left the Celtics, he only worried about the group's long path back to the NBA Finals. Both coaches began their NBA careers watching Ray Allen step behind the right corner after Chris Bosh grabbed an infamous offensive rebounds in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals to tie, force overtime and eventually steal the title from San Antonio. The Spurs returned next year and crushed Miami in their rematch, almost tricking Sullivan into thinking winning was easier than it proved to be in the NBA. 

"I was just like, 'Do we go to the Finals every year? Is that the NBA?'" Sullivan told BSJ. "Then it's like, no, it's not like that, that is special and rare."  

The anxiety of the days following Udoka's suspension, which spilled into training camp, wore on Sullivan and everyone's faces as September turned into October. Nobody knew what happened, only that Mazzulla took over the head coach's role and everyone needed to rally to support him. Sullivan coped at the time by focusing on his job, focusing on the bigger picture goal they shared of winning a championship and getting to know Mazzulla on flights the year prior allowed the group to trust him. Stoudamire stayed on and played a key role in game management, while Tony Dobbins, D.J. MacLeay, Aaron Miles and the team's development staff all progressed into larger roles. Most importantly, Sullivan remembered, Mazzulla didn't change in his new position, so the staff rallied. 

While the Celtics' coaching future becomes one of the more intriguing stories this summer now that Udoka officially departed the organization, Sullivan said he remains 100% committed to Boston, despite the tumultuous season left behind, focused on his goal to evolve personally and professionally with the team while delivering a championship. Mazzulla considers him invaluable for his in-game contributions, like Stoudamire, whose loss the group felt, but progressed past to rank No. 1 in offense and defense over their last 15 games entering the postseason. 

"The staff deserves a ton of credit. At the beginning of the year when all this went down, they had a decision to make, were they going to buy in? Were they going to trust, blind trust? Were they going to be empowered and step up? I think everybody, including Damon at that time, just did a great job of understanding the circumstances and moving on," Mazzulla told BSJ. "Damon leaving is a huge void, and I think Ben's done a great job ... the experience that he has. People don't realize he's won two NBA championships with the Spurs and the Bucks. So he's seen a lot of things, and that's really helpful. He stepped up in that department and our staff, the work load is more, but I trust every one of those guys and I'm really grateful for the mindset they brought to this situation and they've made the most of it, and credit to the guys for trusting our staff as well. I appreciate that."

Sullivan spoke to BSJ on Friday about coaching White and Williams, supporting Mazzulla and withstanding three coaching departures this season.

BSJ: What's this year been like, especially since Stoudamire left, for you specifically? 

Sullivan: Definitely miss Damon, his perspective, his coaching ability, the person, most of all, and all the things he brings to the table. You're never gonna replace somebody like that, but that's part of why you have a staff. We're like our own version of a team in that when a void is left and people have to step up and fill different roles or responsibilities or assume different things, or whatever. For me, it's more of a leadership role, just doing more of what I was already doing is probably the best way to put it. I just keep doing what I'm doing, and if there's something else that needs to be done, I don't know. I haven't really stopped to think about it to be honest with you. You just asked me, and I was like, 'uh, I don't know.' 

But there's a little more on your plate now? 

"There's more on all of our plates, it's not like any one person has to do anything specifically more. We all have to do a little more and pick it up." 

Joe gave a lot of credit to you guys, obviously losing Ime at the beginning of the year, that's a close friend of yours as well ... losing him, losing Will, losing Damon now, what's it been like for you guys rallying around Joe? 

"We've really just been focused on this season and the goals we had to start out, I haven't really had time to stop and reflect on all that. I'll probably do that at the end of the season when it's all said and done, how that was and how that affected me, but I haven't really taken a lot of time, just because we have work to do. We have a job, we have stuff going on and we have things that we want to accomplish. I haven't really focused on how that's changed, you just know that it had to and we had to grow and adapt and do that. I think Joe's done a tremendous job stepping into a difficult situation and he's handled it with class and humility and I've been impressed, he's done a really good job."

What's been the key to making that work? Bringing all these guys together and pushing ahead despite the difficulties you faced? 

I think the key to success is having good people around, and we have a lot of good people in this building, players, staff, organization, whatever. If you fill your building with really good people, then you can handle adversity, because you have a lot of good people that you can trust, that you can rely on that'll be there, take accountability, that are willing to do the hard stuff, check their ego at the door and do whatever it takes to put the team first.

What were your goals and aspirations coming to Boston? You had a great tenure in Milwaukee, Atlanta, what the was the next step you were looking to take here and how has it gone? 

Just looking to grow and learn and improve, and that's for me personally, I'm always trying to grow and then be part of a great organization and win. That same goal is to win a championship, that's what we're here for, that's what they do here and I've just wanted to be a part of that.

I talked to you at the beginning of the year about Derrick, he looked good in camp and he's had a great year ... you work a lot with Grant, what have you been able to accomplish with them in their individual work? 

I don't know man. It's not really about me. I've been really impressed with their dedication to the work, their dedication to routine, their professionalism, their willingness to be coached and the attitude that they come in with, day in and day out, them wanting to get better and when you fall in love with the process like that and truly are just about getting better, you put yourself in a really good position to have success throughout the season, because it's long. It's a marathon and there's a lot of games and a lot of nights when you don't feel great and all that stuff, but those guys are both really routine-oriented, highly professional high character guys, and they've been an absolute joy to work with.

I see you out there playing HORSE, I see you guys together all the time, how's it been building relationships with those guys? 

It's been fun. It's a joy. That kind of stuff just grows organically, you get a sense for different guys and I've worked with a lot of different people over the course of my career and sometimes you get a sense that some people like to have a little bit of fun. There's a fun factor. Like I was telling you earlier, the season's so long, the little pockets and moments where you can have fun and have a little joy, we do different little games to warm up and move around and laugh a little bit, then it's like alright, now let's get to work and then we work on the stuff that's applicable to that game or their individual games, or whatever. It's just been a lot of fun. They've been great.

What's the difference been like working with Joe this year, and how have you gotten to know him on a game-by-game basis ... versus last year?

He's the same. He's in a different role, he's the same person though. I sat next to him on the plane last year and got to know him really well, you get on the plane, you fly, you talk, you're watching film together, all that kind of stuff and I got to know him and he's a really good person, he works really hard, he's really detail-oriented. He's really the same Joe. He's just doing a different job now. 

What are some of the other assistants and the contributions they've made you'd like to highlight? 

I think everyone's kind of stepped up in their own individual way. If I say a name, I'm gonna leave someone out, but it's been great to see Tony grow and use his voice and the other assistants Matt and D-Mac and Garrett, Mike, everybody. I think everyone has really stepped up and grown and embraced their role and is contributing in their own unique way and I've been really proud of the group and what we've been able to accomplish this year.

What's your outlook on your time here ... things have changed, Ime's gone, he's the guy who brought you in, Joe's coaching now, do you look at this and say I'm still committed to this? 

I'm 100% committed. I love being here, I love the organization, love the team. That doesn't change. Who I worked for changed, but my goal and my outlook has stayed the same." 

How'd you look at the journey to get here? ... Lake Oswego to San Antonio, Atlanta, Milwaukee? 

Whenever anybody asks me about that particular topic, I just feel lucky, blessed, fortunate to be here. I've wanted to coach, and I'm getting to do that at the highest level. It's like living the dream, so I couldn't be any happier. 

What is your favorite part about the day-to-day? ... You seem like a guy who just stays in the moment. 

I was talking about this with my wife the other day. I've really been working on, the past few years, and I was always like this, but really diving deeper, trying to really enjoy what you're doing when you're doing it. If you do that moment-to-moment, day-to-day, I'm finding that you live a more enjoyable lifestyle, because you find the positive in what you're doing and whether it's shootaround, whether it's a game or practice or a flight, there's always a chance to talk to somebody or work on something or enjoy the competition aspect of it, or get better as a team. There's always little moments and things you can find and take joy in.

You look like a great shooter out there when I see you shooting around, and you're known for working with guys on their shots ... how did that develop for you? 

When I played, I definitely loved to shoot. That's another thing that I don't have any other explanation than just sheer, dumb luck. I was lucky enough to know Ime and he brought be into San Antonio, and then I was fortunate enough to be there with Pop and Tim and Tony and Manu were still playing, and young Kawhi was on the team and to be able to be a part of that was really special. It was just really lucky that I ended up getting paired with (Engelland), and he's one of my mentors, one of my close friends in the league and he really took the time to invest in me and I can't give him enough credit for teaching me how to teach shooting, not only shooting, the mechanics of it, but helping to work with guys throughout a season, the ups-and-downs, how to ride that roller coaster, because you have good nights, bad nights, good stretches, bad stretches, whatever it is and how to manage and navigate your way through a season and really help the guys that you're working with. You asked me, 'what have I done with these guys?' I'm not even thinking about me and what I've done. I'm just trying to think about how to help them be the best version of themselves, not only for themselves, but also within the team and when you get guys like Derrick and Grant, they're really bought into that. I'm not thinking about what I'm doing. I'm just thinking about how can I help? Maybe I'll, at the end of a season, look back and be like, this was good, this was bad, look through my notes and different things and different parts of the season, to try to evaluate how I can get better and how I can help them more, but it's really not about me, man, it's about the guys and helping them be the best version of themselves.

When you talk about riding that (shooting) wave ... what helps guys in that sense? 

I always go back to routine and keeping it consistent. You've gotta be consistent with guys and you've gotta understand that it's difficult playing, being in the NBA and even getting here is difficult, and then succeeding on a consistent basis is even more difficult once you get here. Just understanding the bigger picture that not every shot's gonna go in, you're not gonna win every game and accepting that part and that aspect, and realizing that it's not perfect all the time and that's ok. That happens to everybody. It happens to the greats. I've seen Steve Nash miss two free throws in a row at the end of a game, or whoever. It happens. Just recognizing that it's a bigger picture and don't be prisoner of the moment. Recognize, you had a bad game, that happens. Coaches coach a bad game. We make bad decisions, whatever. We all make mistakes. Refs have a bad game. It's part of the game. Mistakes are a part of the game. The humanity is a part of the game, and you recognize that, you understand it, you talk through it, you work through it and then you go back to your routine and your work and you get better and go out and try again.

Do you think these guys have gotten better with that? 

Definitely. They're not OG vets, they're not old, but they're not (in) their first year in the league either, so they've been through it a few times, they understand some stuff, but they're now at that stage in their careers where they're fine-tuning that aspect of it, understanding and I think they've been really, really good at it. 

Here's what else happened around the NBA this week... 

Atlanta (41-40): Clinched the No. 8 seed and will visit the Heat on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. EST for the play-in tournament, with the winner advancing to face the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Atlanta will visit Boston on Sunday first for the season finale that'll likely feature reserves for both teams before a potential playoff series that'll require the Hawks beat a team that topped them in three of their four meetings, albeit all decided by fewer than 10 points. The Hawks rank No. 8 in offense and No. 22 in defense, sitting at 10-10 since Quin Snyder took over as head coach, though their offense has outpaced 119.4-118.2 points per 100 possessions over that stretch. Allowing 136 points to Philadelphia without Joel Embiid on Friday showed their issue.

Boston (56-25): Will await the winner of Hawks-Heat as the No. 2 series, beginning a difficult playoff path that's starting to resemble last year's run through Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Miami. Jaylen Brown received five stitches and missed Friday's win over the Raptors after cutting his hand picking up glass from a vase while flowering plants, appearing with a bandaged shooting hand. He said he'll return in time for the playoffs, finishing the regular season averaging 26.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG and 3.5 APG on 49.1% shooting, hoping to achieve All-NBA status over contenders like Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Lauri Markkanen and LeBron James at forward, he told Stadium, rather than guard. Making the team would allow the Celtics to offer him a five-year, $290 million extension this offseason and avoid him going to free agency in 2024. He spoke proudly about receiving the Red Auerbach Award.

"Red Auerbach had a vision for this organization, and so many years later, to see that vision still being maintained, is amazing," Brown said. "I'm grateful to be a part of it, especially when you are highlighting things that necessarily don't have to do with stats or analytics. Leadership, on and off the floor, being able to receive an award for something that ... doesn't always come up in the stat sheet, I appreciate that. I've put my everything into this team, I've put my everything into this city, into this organization since I've been here. To get that award, I thought, meant a lot."

Brooklyn (45-36): Clinched the No. 6 seed with wins in 5-of-6, including against the Magic on Friday, to hold off the Heat's late-season rally and improved their record to 13-14 since the trade deadline. They'll face the 76ers as heavy underdogs, but Mikal Bridges appears ready to at least steal one game after averaging 27.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 2.8 APG on 47.5% shooting. He'll play his 83rd game of the season on Sunday, given the timing from his trade from Phoenix to Brooklyn, which has only happened 41 times in NBA history. Bridges hasn't missed a game yet in his NBA career, and one of 10 players on track to finish the full season with load management a challenge the league looked to address in its latest CBA. 

Chicago (39-42): Clinched the No. 10 seed and will visit the Raptors needing two wins to reach the playoffs. Losses to the Hawks and Bucks limited Chicago's ability to move into the upper-tier play in game or steal home court from the Raptors as they lost two games to the Celtics. Their ascending defense and Toronto's struggles give them a chance to move on, but they lost 2-of-3 to the Raptors this year and can only earn themselves a first-round series against the Bucks they got swept in last year. At this point, a quick exit and an 8% prayer to retain their first-round pick (top-4 protected to Orlando) might be their best bet to chart a future path. They face the Raptors healthy on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., ranked No. 24 in offense and No. 5 on defense. 

Cleveland (51-30): Their first playoff appearance since 1998 without LeBron James awaits, with home court advantage against a difficult Knicks team in round one that beat them in 3-of-4 regular season meetings, the latest Jalen Brunson's 48-point outburst last month. Only the Celtics posted a better regular season net rating than Cleveland's +5.8 and Donovan Mitchell averaged 28.3 PPG through five postseasons, but the Cavs shot 44.6% against New York as a team, their worst mark against any opponent. The Knicks shot 48% against them, including 39.2% from three, though they mustered little resistance against Mitchell individually, who averaged 31.8 PPG and 7.5 APG, and becomes the story of the series following his near trade to New York.

“It’s full circle. You wouldn’t want it any other way. What kid wouldn’t want to play against his hometown team in the playoffs?” Mitchell said. “I think for me, I wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s a storybook ending — it’s not ending, but it’s a storyline. Something that’s really special and near and dear to me, being able to play in a playoff game in front of my friends and family, the team that I grew up watching.”

Dallas (38-43): Eliminated from postseason contention after startlingly forgoing a chance to keep their hopes alive against the Bulls on Friday by sitting Kyrie Irving (foot) with Christian Wood, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber (hamstring). Luka Dončić played for one quarter then sat in a bizarre finale for a group that hoped to contend in the west when it landed Irving before the trade deadline. Instead, they finished 9-17 in the games since, falling to 26th in defense over that stretch despite playing top-10 offense and boasting the league's best effective shooting. 

It didn't solve this team's issue, and instead made it worse as Irving and Wood become unrestricted free agents and Dončić's future hangs in the balance. Owner Mark Cuban likely made the executive decision to increase the odds Dallas keeps its first-round pick (top-10 protected) rather than chase the play-in tournament with the team's destiny out of its hands. He complained this week about the process that led Jalen Brunson away from the franchise, a clear second-guess given the events since his departure. Waving the white flag on the season, meanwhile, presents an awful forecast for Dončić's future. Cuban said he hopes to retain Irving, who the team traded Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie and a future first-rounder for. 

Denver (52-28): Await the second leg of the west play-in tournament as the top seed, likely the winner of Thunder-Timberwolves against the loser of a 7-8 game that could include some combination of the Warriors, Clippers, Lakers, or Pelicans. The Clippers and Warriors both play the Blazers as part of their remaining schedules, a significant leg up on their rivals who remain 0.5 games behind them in the 7-8 spots. As for the Nuggets, the week off presents valuable rest time for Nikola Jokić, who averaged 24.8 PPG, 11.9 RPG and 9.8 APG on 63.3% shooting during a campaign that would've earned him MVP nine out of 10 years. Joel Embiid's competition could make it that off season, but with Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray available, this team could be positioned for a special run with home court. They posted the No. 3 offense this season and their 18th-ranked defense allowed them the sixth-best net rating (+3.3), second to the Grizzlies among west teams. They aren't a clear frontrunner though, and even round one could present challenges. 

Detroit (17-64): Clinched the league's worst record in a difficult step back, however necessary, for the team after Cade Cunningham's shin surgery early in the season. With Cunningham on track to recover and a top-five pick guaranteed, a quiet benefit to finishing last despite the flattened lottery odds, Victor Wembanyama could join a team already featuring multiple former top picks. Dwane Casey may not coach them, Jake Fischer reported on Friday, with people in the organization preparing for him to no longer hold the head coaching role next year. Casey could remain part of the next coaching staff, or make a similar move to the front office alongside GM Troy Weaver, similar to Brad Stevens' front office transition in Boston after 2021. Casey has posted a 121-262 in five seasons with Detroit. Bucks assistant Charles Lee and Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin are possible replacements.

Golden State (43-38): A win over the Trail Blazers on Sunday and one Clippers loss clinches them the No. 5 seed and a first-round meeting against two-time Warriors champion and Suns star Kevin Durant -- the first postseason meeting between Durant and Golden State since 2015-16. Andrew Wiggins (personal) returned to the team this week, increasing optimism that they can capture postseason fire after a disappointing regular season, similar to last year. Wiggins, who called his 23-game absence from the team a private family matter, returned to a standing ovation after progressing to five-on-five work in hopes of a playoff return next week. Bad luck might also explain their road struggles, in part, this season. 

Avoiding the play-in would buy him more time to ramp-up. Without a win on Sunday, the Warriors could fall into the play-in tournament with wins by the Pelicans, Lakers, or both against the Wolves and Jazz. They could also fall behind the Clippers (0.5 GB) even with a win if LA beats the Blazers and Suns, which would line Golden State up as the No. 6 seed against the Kings in round one. They're 13th in net rating, 12th in offense and 17th in defense.

Houston (21-60): Narrow hope remains for them to slide to No. 33 in the second-round, or the third-worst record in the league, which would convey their high second-round selection to the Celtics. They need to fall behind the Spurs, though, which is unlikely with San Antonio facing the Wolves and Mavericks while only the Wizards remain on Houston's schedule. The pick goes to Indiana, from a separate trade, if it's No. 31-32 overall. Regardless, another lottery finish will land Stephen Silas out of town after three seasons coaching the rebuilding Rockets. Silas' contract ends after this season. GM Rafael Stone will reportedly remain in place, interesting given their constant connection to possible free agent James Harden in rumors this year.

Clippers (42-38): Blasted the Lakers in a key win that puts them in control of their destiny for No. 5 in the west, 125-118, needing to beat the Blazers and Suns. It also marked their 11th victory over the Lakers in a row, a startling streak against their rivals who dominated the city for decades. The Clippers still need to match the Lakers' 2020 title, but this latest win set the Lakers back into the play-in picture while the Clippers can still land the No. 6 seed against the Kings with a split and a range of other results in the loaded standings. LAC leads the Lakers and Pelicans by 0.5 games, though the Pels own the tiebreaker over them. Russell Westbrook, who scored 14 points with four assists against his old team, left his memories short and sweet. 

"It was an experience," he said. "I’m past it now, in a new place, and looking forward.”

Lakers (42-39): Wins in 5-of-6 place them squarely along the play-in line and one win from at least hosting the 7-8 game against the Pelicans, which appears most likely given the Lakers' loss to the Clippers on Wednesday and their finale coming against a severely limited Jazz team they beat on Tuesday. Still, a win over LAC would've given them pole position to take the No. 5 seed, avoid the play-in tournament and face a Suns team in the first round that's played fewer than 10 games with Kevin Durant. Instead, they'll likely face the loser of Sunday's Timberwolves-Pelicans game in the play-in.

No. 5 still attainable, as is catching the Warriors given LA's tiebreaker over them, but both teams face the Blazers in their final games, a near-automatic win as Portland prioritizes the lottery, and LAC plays against the resting Suns. Anthony Davis deserves love for getting LA to this point, posting 14 points and 21 rebounds against Phoenix on Friday. He's averaging 27.0 PPG, 12.9 RPG and 2.0 BPG since Feb. 25, when they stood at 13th in the west.

Memphis (51-30): Jaren Jackson Jr. likely finished his season with 36 points over the Bucks and is the favorite to edge out Brook Lopez for defensive player of the year. Jackson, a strong contender last year too, averaged 3.0 BPG and 1.0 SPG on a Grizzlies team that ranked third in defense as of Friday behind Cleveland and Boston. They'll await the winner of what's currently a Pelicans-Lakers play-in game, which could shift drastically to also include the Warriors, Clippers, or Timberwolves. Ja Morant (hand) left Friday's game and had two fingers on his shooting hand taped together after a collision. 

Miami (43-38): Host the Hawks on Tuesday in the play-in tournament to earn an east finals rematch against the Celtics. Their offense improved this week, scoring 129 points over the Mavericks and 76ers, and Jimmy Butler closed his season averaging 26.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 6.1 APG on 60.5% shooting, getting hot from three and scaring Boston fans still in shock over the potential game-winning three he got off in the final seconds of Game 7. The Heat around him, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herroa aside, regressed drastically and only tanking teams boast a worse offense. Weirdness around Kyle Lowry remains, as did Erik Spoelstra and Pat Riley's early-season comments toward him, Dwayne Dedmon's ousting and more. 

Intangibles and Butler's skills that helped the Heat split the season series sets them up as a dangerous first-round opponent. They need to win the one-game playoff first.

Milwaukee (58-23): Khris Middleton underwent an MRI on his right knee that cost him 18 games earlier this season after he aggravated it on Wednesday against the Bulls. Milwaukee had already clinched the league's best record and home-court advantage in the east, but the play-in layoff leaves room for some amount of repetitions late in the regular season. The Bucks will likely face some combination of Miami, Atlanta, Toronto or Chicago, teams they finished 9-6 against in the regular season with splits against the Heat and Bulls that point toward the Bucks needing Middleton, as did their 15th-ranked offense. The 2021 champion Bucks ranked fifth in offensive rating, a nod to the impact of a past version of Middleton struggling to appear. 

Minnesota (40-40): Winning out gives them a leg up on the Pelicans, who they'd clinch a tiebreaker over with a win in the season finale and lead them to the No. 8 seed. They play against the Spurs on Saturday, a manageable task with their roster healthy aside from Jaylen Nowell (knee) and Naz Reid (wrist). Their last two games come back-to-back, though, complicating Karl-Anthony Towns' availability. He's listed as questionable against San Antonio, which could be the game to sit him given the stakes on Sunday. Minnesota would play on Tuesday as the No. 8 seed and Wednesday at No. 9, which they've clinched, against a Thunder team locked into No. 10. The Wolves have lost 3-of-4, including to the Blazers on Sunday as 18.5-point favorites. 

New Orleans (42-39): Zion Williamson won't return in time for the play-in tournament, which the Pelicans can still avoid but only with help from the Warriors or Clippers in front of them. Williamson (hamstring) was re-evaluated last week after sitting since Jan. 2, with David Griffin saying Williamson needs to go through practices he won't participate in before their games next week. The Pelicans nearly capsized without Williamson and Brandon Ingram, who's averaging 26.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 6.4 APG on 48.4% shooting in 29 games since his return from a toe injury. New Orleans has won 8-of-10, and secure at least the No. 8 seed with a win against Minnesota on Sunday. A loss likely drops them to No. 9 if Minnesota also beats the Spurs. They could rise as high as No. 5 with wins and losses by the Warriors, Clippers and Lakers. 

New York (47-34): A successful season concluded for Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson and a young team that took massive strides offensively to finish No. 5 on that end after ranking 23rd and missing the playoffs last year. Their five-game win streak and regular season success against the Cavaliers, their first-round opponent, counteracts concerns about their defense, especially in fourth quarters where New York ranks 16th in defense with a slight negative net rating. They'll likely lose the second Dallas first-round pick (1-10 protected) from the Kristaps Porzingis after the Mavericks lost to Chicago and fell to 10th in the lottery. That and a difficult first-round series against Donovan Mitchell and Cleveland's top-ranked defense stymie some excitement, but the Knicks held the Cavs to 81 and 103 points in separate wins this season, before scoring 130 points against them behind Brunson's 48 late last month. 

Oklahoma City (39-42): Clinched the No. 10 seed after two seasons outside of the playoffs with a team younger than many college programs, a remarkable achievement that hasn't received enough attention and followed Chet Holmgren's season-ending injury over the summer. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should make All-NBA Second Team for his efforts, 31.4 PPG and 5.5 APG on 51% shooting. The Thunder also narrowly posted a positive net rating (+0.8) thanks to their 14th-ranked defense, and when shots fell for an athletic group many older teams struggled to hang with, including Boston, they produced big victories. An outside lottery shot could still follow a loss in the play-in tournament, likely against the Wolves or Pelicans, then some combination of the Clippers, Lakers, or the other remaining team that falls from the 7-8 game. They visit Minnesota or New Orleans on Wednesday. 

Philadelphia (53-28): Drew a manageable opponent in the Nets in round one after clinching the No. 3 seed, a success for a Sixers team that started slow and surged to the finish line behind Joel Embiid's likely MVP campaign. Philadelphia started 5-7 after their opening night loss to the Celtics, and finished 48-21 with the No. 3 offense and No. 9 defense, statistically a championship formula. Three typical concerns emerged late in the season that'll prevent many from selecting them though, Embiid's foot pain he faced in January, February and March, James Harden's late-season slump where he missed six games, shot 36.8% from the field over his final seven appearances and 28.6% from three. He struggled against the short-handed Celtics last week, a win where Embiid needed to score 52 points to win by one possession. Their struggles against Boston (1-3), their likely round two opponent, loom large.

Embiid won the scoring title with 33.1 PPG for the second consecutive year, doing so on elite mid-range shooting (54.8% FG). Jayson Tatum took the total scoring title over him, with 2,225 points, the first 30.0 PPG season in Celtics history. 

Phoenix (45-36): No time remains to prepare for the playoffs with Kevin Durant, but settling in as the No. 4 seed against the Clippers, Lakers, Warriors, or Pelicans, all facing injuries, absences, or inconsistent play isn't a bad result, along with an 8-0 record with Durant. They didn't beat the elite of the league, the Hornets, Bulls, Spurs, Mavericks, Wolves, Thunder and Nuggets twice, but Durant averaged 26.0 PPG on 57% shooting while returning far earlier than anticipated from his layup line ankle injury. The Suns ranked ninth in offense and seventh in defense since Mar. 1, Durant's first game, showing their ability to win with and without him, with Chris Paul hitting his threes, Devin Booker averaging 30.3 PPG and a great cast of role players. 

They're my pick to win the west, despite lining up against a difficult first-round opponent and a daunting Nuggets team in round two. 

Sacramento (48-33): Secured the eighth-best season in franchise history and will host a playoff game for the first time since 2006 next weekend, likely the Warriors, if the Clippers win out, or LA if the Clippers split their remaining games and the Pelicans lose to Minnesota. They could also see the Pelicans, due to their tiebreaker over LA, if they beat the Wolves on Sunday. Sacramento finished 1-3 against Golden State during the regular season, 3-1 against the Clippers, including their 176-point outburst, and 2-1 against the Pelicans. The Lakers can only move up to No. 6 if the Clippers win out, Warriors lose to Portland and LAL takes care of business against Utah. 

Toronto (40-41): They entered the week tied with the Hawks for the No. 8 seed, and received an Atlanta loss against Philadelphia on Friday, but they faced a Boston buzzsaw even with the Celtics resting various starters. The Raptors shot 41.1% from the field and 18.2% from three on Wednesday, nearly coming back from down 13 points anyway before Malcolm Brogdon and Jaylen Brown slammed the door on them. Then, on Friday, the Celtics blasted them offensively and went up by 36 points in the first half, sending Toronto to No. 9 in the east and a play-in game on Wednesday at home against Chicago. They'll face the loser of Hawks-Heat if they win, with a trip to the NBA's best in Milwaukee on the line. Their trade deadline decision to stand pat looks like a poor decision now, and while much change could still come in the summer, including possibly moving on from Nick Nurse, their roster construction looks disastrous against a two-way Celtics team. Scottie Barnes couldn't operate, there was no spacing and little playmaking. 

The Toronto Star and Yahoo reported Ime Udoka could be in line to replace Nurse, who led Toronto to the 2019 championship and coached there as an assistant from 2013-18. Udoka made his first public appearance since his suspension and exodus from the Celtics on Wednesday at Clippers-Lakers.