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Dive into our Game 7 coverage … Buddy’s moment nyti.ms/3Z3xbqJ Draymond’s poise (Anthony Slater) nyti.ms/4iMr3u8 The Warriors’ validation (Sam Amick) nyti.ms/3GEbE1D The Rockets’ lesson by (Kelly Iko) nyti.ms/3GSxZsc

Dejounte Murray to The Athletic: “It’s special. It’s a testament to hard work, dedication but most importantly, his character.” On a cold, rainy morning in San Antonio, Mitch Johnson was given the keys to the franchise. Continuity, community and trust. nytimes.com/athletic/63362…

Rafael Stone on draft capital, potential upgrades: “The business we’re in, nobody’s untouchable. But we deeply value everyone on our roster. We have those picks, we accumulated them so we could draft guys or upgrade our current roster. We’ll see what makes the most sense.”

“They need to figure out how to reintroduce Jabari (Smith Jr.) back to this team,” said Kelly Iko from The Athletic after the Houston Rockets Game 7 loss to the Golden State Warriors. #Rockets #Sarge Kelly Iko

Reporting live from Ball Arena for Game 3. Ignore Tony Jones and his affinity for glizzies.

The Thunder’s defense held Nikola Jokić to 20 points on 32% shooting and eight turnovers. But the Nuggets simply know what to do down the stretch of games, and the Thunder have struggled. Takeaways from Tony Jones and Kelly Iko: nytimes.com/athletic/63456…

In the final five minutes of Game 3, Oklahoma City was no longer just the regular season darling that flirted with 70 wins. This was a team battling familiar demons, struggling to heal old wounds.

Make no mistake, this series — at least for the time being — is fully in Denver’s hands now. Kelly Iko on the Thunder's OT loss ⤵️ nytimes.com/athletic/63460…

Oklahoma City and Denver finished second and fourth in offensive rating -- after one quarter, the Thunder are 6-for-22, the Nuggets are 2-for-22. Playoff basketball is a thing, and it's strange sometimes.

Lu Dort: “I’m not a guy that goes out there trash-talking and being loud. I do my job and move on.“ Inside the mental matchup with Jamal Murray, the screening chess match and a significant Game 4 win in a hostile environment. An The Athletic exclusive nytimes.com/athletic/63485…

The true measure of the Nuggets’ greatness is amplified when Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray are working in tandem. But Sunday in Denver, Lu Dort won the Murray matchup — pivotal to Oklahoma City taking Game 4. More, from Kelly Iko ⤵️ nytimes.com/athletic/63485…

Houston’s recent playoff loss to Golden State— a familiar pain within the organization— has become an inflection point. On flexibility, the future direction and an important offseason on the horizon. With ⁦Sam Amick⁩ for ⁦The Athletic: ⁩ nytimes.com/athletic/63469…

Diving into the Rockets offseason, with intel on all of the star player scenarios that might be in play if they take a swing, at The Athletic (yes, including that Giannis guy) W/ Kelly Iko nytimes.com/athletic/63469…

◽️ Believing in Jalen Green ◽️ Cooled interest on Booker, Durant ◽️ The looming Giannis question It's not going to be a dull summer in Houston, Kelly Iko and Sam Amick write. nytimes.com/athletic/63469…

The Thunder jump out to a 12-2 lead, and I can't hear myself think. Paycom Center is ELECTRIC.

Much better resemblance to an actual basketball game. Thunder shooting 50 percent from the field after one quarter, Nuggets shooting 48 percent.

It really doesn’t matter which side of the MVP debate you stand on — this league is in a great place with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. And these playoffs are incredibly dope. What a game. What a performance.

Oklahoma City has relied on its depth — a bet that has paid off repeatedly. And with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way — and slamming the door — the Thunder took a 3-2 series lead, writes Kelly Iko. nytimes.com/athletic/63549…