NBA Playoffs Bring Ratings, Drama

Morning Edition

May 4, 2026

The NBA’s first round delivered three Game 7s, a stunning Sixers comeback, and some of the league’s strongest early playoff ratings in decades. Now the second round begins with questions around Joel Embiid and Luka Dončić—and what’s next for the teams already eliminated.

—Colin Salao

First Up

The Golden State Valkyries waived Marta Suárez, the rookie they acquired for Flau’jae Johnson in a draft-night trade that drew scrutiny. Read the story.
Panthers owner Vincent Viola earned his second Kentucky Derby victory, while Cherie DeVaux became the first woman to train a winner. Read the story.
Ariel Investments expects a women’s pro franchise to reach a $1 billion valuation within five years as girls’ youth participation fuels growth. Read the story.
The NFL is expected to drop its 2026 schedule any week now, and teams could turn Mike Vrabel’s off-field scandal into punchline material. Read the story.

NBA Playoffs Deliver Early With Game 7 Drama, Strong Ratings

Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

After a regular season filled with competition issues stemming from tanking, the NBA playoffs have started strong.

The first round wrapped up Sunday after a weekend with three do-or-die Game 7s, the most in the NBA’s opening round since 2014. But the lengthy series matchups—which saw the 76ers, Pistons, and Cavaliers advance—mean there’s little break in the action as the second round starts Monday.

The Road Ahead

Joel Embiid and the Sixers shocked the NBA by coming back from down 3–1 to defeat the Celtics. The Knicks, another East Coast rival, await in the semifinals, and a revitalized Embiid already has a plea to Philadelphia:

“Last time we played the Knicks, it felt like [Philadelphia] was Madison Square Garden East,” Embiid said Saturday. “We’re going to need the support. Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you. We need you guys.”

The Sixers are trying to limit ticket sales to fans who are residents of the Greater Philadelphia area based on the addresses on their credit cards. But given the proximity of the two cities, it’ll be difficult to completely restrict the Xfinity Mobile Arena from New Yorkers.

Out West, perhaps the biggest question looming over the playoffs is the potential return of Luka Dončić, who has been out a month since sustaining a Grade 2 hamstring strain.

The defending champion Thunder will likely still be the favorites if Dončić returns. Worth noting: The last time the Thunder lost in the playoffs was in the 2024 Western Conference finals against a Dončić-led Mavericks.

Out and Uncertain

For the teams that have already been eliminated, the offseason questions have already begun, especially for those who were expected to make a deep run.

Nuggets: According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Nuggets will listen to offers for everyone on their roster other than Jokic. That means All-Star Jamal Murray, who has three years, $161.4 million left on his contract after this season. Head coach David Adelman, who joined the team late last season, is reportedly safe.
Rockets: Houston has “no plans” of moving on from head coach Ime Udoka or GM Rafael Stone, according to Yahoo Sports. The question is whether the team will keep Kevin Durant—and if they do, will they try to acquire another star to pair alongside him.
Celtics: Boston overachieved this year in what appeared to be a gap year after shedding $300 million in projected salary. But after being upset by the Sixers in the first round, Boston will have to find ways to retool around their two stars—particularly by bolstering a frontline that was exposed by Embiid.
Magic: Orlando nearly brushed off a disappointing regular season by upsetting the No. 1 seed Pistons in the first round. Instead, they blew a 3–1 lead. Head coach Jamahl Mosley will be on the hot seat after the team finished at the bottom of the league in offensive efficiency despite sending four first-round picks to Memphis for Desmond Bane.
Raptors: Toronto exceeded expectations this year, but it’s unclear if their core’s ceiling is higher than an early playoff exit—and most of their cap space is tied to their starting five next year. Their offseason question: Will they try again with the same group?

Strong Ratings

The league announced Thursday that the first round of the playoffs was averaging 3.91 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, NBC/Peacock, and Amazon Prime Video, the league’s highest viewership in 33 years. The success comes after an opening weekend that was the second-most-watched since 2011.

It should only go up once the final opening-round viewership is announced, especially given three Game 7s, which are known for bringing in increased viewership.

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LOUD AND CLEAR

Artificial Fever?

The Indianapolis Star

“Please stop using AI … So tacky!”

—A fan reacting on social media after the Indiana Fever were accused of using AI, days after Caitlin Clark called out the team for an AI-altered image.

The latest criticism followed a Fever post on X that fans said read like AI-generated copy, with one reply blasting the team’s use of AI drawing more likes than the original post did. Two days earlier, Clark flagged what appeared to be an AI-edited image of her with a pointed comment: “New hand alert.” Read the story.

Daily sports trivia: Can you rank the top five foreign-born NBA players by the highest career on-court earnings?

ONE BIG FIG

Miami Shake-Up

Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The points gap between Max Verstappen and second-place George Russell after the Miami Grand Prix, three points more than before the weekend. Verstappen finished fifth in the full race and sprint in Miami, while Russell secured fourth in both races. Kimi Antonelli, 19, of Mercedes won Sunday’s race, his third victory in a row.

Verstappen was P2 at the start of the race after a strong qualifying session, but fell to the middle of the pack in the first lap after losing control and spinning around.

Verstappen reportedly has an exit clause in his contract that allows him to leave Red Bull by the end of the season if he is not in the top 2 of the drivers’ standings by the summer break. Only seven races remain before that break, though Verstappen said the car was “better” this week than in the first three races.

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STATUS REPORT

Four Up

The Courier-Journal

Kentucky Derby ⬆ NBC announced that 19.6 million viewers watched “The Run for the Roses” on Saturday across NBC and Peacock, the most on record, according to Nielsen’s preliminary data and Adobe Analytics. The race peaked at 24.4 million viewers around 7–7:15 p.m. ET, around the time jockey Jose Ortiz led Golden Tempo to victory.

Nelly Korda ⬆ The women’s golf star won the Riviera Maya Open one week after a wire-to-wire win at the Chevron Championship. Korda, who reclaimed the world No. 1 ranking last week, won $375,000 for this week’s title.

DK Metcalf ⬆ The Steelers wide receiver will not receive any criminal charges from his altercation with a Lions fan at Ford Field during their December game in Detroit, the Wayne County Prosecutors’ Office announced Saturday. Metcalf had an altercation with the fan, Ryan Kennedy, in which Metcalf grabbed Kennedy and pushed him back.

Maple Leafs ⬆ Toronto announced two major front office hires: former star player Mats Sundin will be the senior executive adviser for hockey operations, and ex-Coyotes GM John Chayka will be the team’s next GM. The Maple Leafs fired GM Brad Treliving after a disappointing 32-36-14 campaign, where they missed the postseason for the first time since 2016.