Recent days have emphasized how wobbly things are in the NBA's Eastern Conference. But with big-picture thoughts comes potential change.

The team will therefore head to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second year in a row, and two-time All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton has led the way. After Game 5 on Tuesday, he lauded his team.

Hall scored on a breakaway set up by a stretch pass from Jack Roslovic at 8:24 of the third period Monday, giving the Hurricanes a two-goal cushion in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Second Round. It proved to be the game-winning goal in a 5-2 win against the Washington Capitals that gave Carolina a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.

"If the 2024-25 season had gone poorly, the Knicks would have had strong interest in dealing for Antetokounmpo, Begley notes. The Knick focus at the moment is far from Antetokounmpo; they host Boston in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series and hold a 2-1 series lead," he wrote.

The Knicks will try to take a commanding 3-1 lead against the reigning-champion Boston Celtics on Monday night. Find out how to bet Game 4 at the best New Jersey sportsbooks.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers, the top seeds in the playoffs and owners of the best regular-season records in the NBA, find themselves in dire need of wins as they host Game 5s in the conference semifinals on Tuesday night.