Courtesy of ESPN

May is the best time of year for an NBA fan, with the playoffs entering full swing. It seems as if nearly every night, a number of the game’s biggest stars are decking it out on the National stage. Here are four takeaways from all of the NBA.

1. “If you ever see me fighting in the forest with a Grizzly bear, HELP THE BEAR 👑”

Rule number one of the NBA playoffs: don’t go after the King unless you can hold your own ground. Even in year twenty, Lebron James is not to be messed with. Sure, he may not be the athletic specimen he was in Miami, or have the ability to take over entire cities (cough cough, Lebronto) with his playoff antics. But the kid from Akron is still really freaking good, which the Memphis Grizzlies saw firsthand last week after losing to the Lakers in 6 games. 

Just how good is James in the playoffs? After the Memphis series, James’ teams are 41-11 in the playoff series, with only one loss coming in the first round. That’s a 65-win pace in the postseason, which is one of like seventy-four different absurd stats that display James’ greatness. 

Of course, Lebron was aided by the stellar play of Anthony Davis, as well as Memphis’ internal struggles. Despite securing the 2-seed in the West with 51 wins and led by the enigmatic play of Ja Morant, the Grizzlies were far from a complete team entering the playoffs. Key bigs Brandon Clarke (torn Achilles) and Steven Adams (knee injury/scheduling conflicts for shooting the next Aquaman film) were hurt, and Morant had seemed to put more focus into bringing a gun into a strip club and fighting high school kids than winning NBA games. Still, Morant had declared that the Griz were “fine in the West” despite coming in shorthanded.

Making things worse, Morant’s coconspirator in bad takes, Dillon Brooks, decided to add fuel to the fire by calling James “old,” and saying that he “poke[s] bears,” then proceeding to get ejected for hitting James in the nether regions during Game 3. All the while, Brooks played an atrocious series, shooting 31% from the field and 24% from three. Recent reports are that the Grizzlies will not, “under any circumstances,” bring Brooks back, which makes Draymond Green’s comments about him from earlier this year about ten times funnier. NBA Twitter suggests that Brooks’ next team will be on the Asian continent, although his defensive chops will most likely keep him back in the States.

So despite regular season struggles, in came Lebron & Co, aided by shrewd mid-season pickups D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Rui Hachimura and the emergence of (checks notes) Austin Reeves as a legitimate scoring threat. After two months of cryptic social media posts, Lebron emerged victorious, winning a series. The moral of the story? Don’t help the King, help the Bear.

2. “One, two, three, CANCÚN!”

A “trip to Cancún” is code language for a playoff exit in the NBA world. The slang dates back to a Laker team from the late 90s but has become commonplace in the realm of NBA Twitter.

Joining the Grizzlies in Cancún this season after the first round are a number of teams that once held championship aspirations. The Milwaukee Bucks were shocked by the Miami Heat in five games after Giannis Antetokounmpo spent half the series injured. Milwaukee is seemingly at a crossroads this offseason, having just fired Coach Mike Nudenholzer. Much of the Greek Freak’s supporting cast is also on the wrong side of 30 (even though I’m not sure Brook Lopez even ages). Lopez is a free agent, and Kris Middleton could join him by declining his player option. Despite Giannis’ declaration that “there are no failures in sports”, this season does admittedly feel like a disappointment for the Bucks.

The Los Angeles Clippers, who arguably had one of the deepest rosters when healthy, were also disposed of rather easily in five games by Phoenix. Kawhi dominated for just two games until tearing his meniscus and Paul George sat with a Knee sprain. Despite an under-the-radar strong series from Rusell Westbrook, the series was over once Kawhi went down. Luckily for LA, Cancún is just a short flight away.

The other first-round and play-in-exit teams fall into three categories, up-and-coming young teams that will surely have more opportunities to compete in the future (Cleveland, Sacramento, Oklahoma City), franchises stuck in mediocrity (Atlanta, Minnesota, New Orleans, Chicago, Toronto), and whatever is going on with the Nets (Brooklyn).

This season, so much of the league’s talent is already in Cancún. Giannis is gone. Luka and Kyrie didn’t even make the playoffs. Donovan Mitchell was sent to Mexico early, along with Ja Morant. Only time will tell if these stars will take advantage of an extended Summer to bounce back and lead their teams to more success next year.

3. Don’t Jinx the Knicks

Two years ago, I prematurely declared in my New York City high school newspaper that “the Knicks were back” on the NBA map. They had talent, cap space, and most importantly, hope. A few weeks later, they were shellacked in the first round by the Trae Young-led Atlanta Hawks in five quick games. 

Before Young became public enemy number one in NYC, the Knicks looked promising. But the next season, they appeared demoralized. Julius Randle regressed exponentially, injuries arose, and new acquisition Kemba Walker quickly joined Tracy McGrady, Penny Hardaway, and Dikembe Mutombo in the club of NBA All-Stars with forgettably disappointing New York stints.

So instead, what I won’t do here is talk about the Knicks’ recent success. I will refrain from discussing their dominant round-one performance versus Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavs or talking about the current series versus the always-dangerous Miami Heat that is sure to go to six or seven games. I refuse to discuss Jalen Brunson’s emergence into a legitimate star, or why Josh Hart may actually be the best player in league history.

All I will say is this– this year’s team is a far cry from the team two years ago, one that started Elfrid Payton in the playoffs and played Taj Gibson for thirty-five minutes in an elimination game. I’m not going to jinx the Knicks, but I will say that any games in Madison Square Garden are must-see TV.

4. Board Man Gets Paid?

One of the most underrated contributions to Warriors teams of the last decade has been the consistent play of  Kevon Looney. The eighth-year big man is still just 27 years old and has played in all 82 games for the second consecutive year (the only other player to achieve this feat is Mikal Bridges).

This season, Looney has put up career highs in points (7.0 per game), rebounds (9.3), minutes (23.9), and assists (2.5). These numbers may not blow anyone away, but Looney has contributed well above his pay grade all year. While his salary (8 million dollars) is well above the league minimum, he is just the 177th highest-paid player in the league, nestled directly between Thaddeus Young and TJ McConnell (two players I’m sure you forgot were still in the NBA).

Looney has also upped his contribution in the playoffs, averaging 15.2 rebounds per game. That’s more rebounds than his teammates Draymond Green, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson have recorded combined. It’s hard to see the Warriors emerging with their dominant Game 7 victory in the first round of the playoffs without Looneys’ 21 boards (10 of which were on the offensive end).

Looney’s effort and unselfish play have always been fun to watch. Hopefully going forward he can continue to improve his game and earn a pay raise as the NBA salary cap further balloons.