THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER You don't go 68-14 in the regular season by accident, and you don't go up 2-0 in the Western Conference finals in dominant fashion by accident. The Thunder's dominance is years in the making,

Gilgeous-Alexander had five straight 30-point games, averaged 29.7 points in the seven-game semifinals and 27.8 in the first round. You must rewind to the first game of that opening series to spot the last time he was underwhelming, and it didn’t matter then; OKC won by 52 points over Memphis.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith shared his concerns about New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns before Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers.

The NBA DraftKings promo code offer for the Conference Finals. The welcome bonus bets offer has increased to bet $5, get $300 in bonus bets if your first bet wins.

NBA playoffs picks, predictions, odds, TV channel, how to watch, stream Minnesota Timberwolves vs Oklahoma City Thunder game on Saturday, May 24.

NBA playoffs score picks, predictions, odds, TV channel, how to watch and stream Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks NBA playoff Game 3 on May 25.

Happy Friday, everyone! Hope you have an exciting long weekend coming your way. A quick programming note: After this afternoon's newsletter, we'll be back in your inbox Tuesday morning, so enjoy Memorial Day!

In their first two playoff series, the Knicks' starting five was outscored by a combined 52 points. But the team executed when it mattered against the Pistons and came back from 20-point deficits twice against Boston en route to the Eastern Conference Finals.