Philadelphia has Joel Embiid ... and a whole lot of cap room.
Year 1 of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard was one big mess.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Josh Hart rattled a box of candy — “Mike and Ike’s, baby!” — to explain where he found the energy boost to hit the winning 3-pointer in Game 6. Hart then turned to his left and raised his right hand, expecting some love from Jalen Brunson. Brunson left Hart hanging. “Don’t dap him,” New York Knicks teammate Donte DiVincenzo chimed in. Brunson joked that, yes, it was movie theater snacks that fueled Hart through the playoffs. “It’s Mike and Ike’s. It’s popcorn,” Brunson said.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Coach Rick Carlisle kept insisting the Indiana Pacers should strive for more than just making the playoffs. He thought his young team could win, advance, maybe even play into late May or June. On Thursday night, Indiana took one gigantic leap forward by routing the Milwaukee Bucks 120-98 in Game 6 to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time since 2014. “You talk about getting to the playoffs and it's like in college when you have a really good team and you t