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The Indiana Pacers could lose Jeff Teague and C. J. Miles during free agency as the franchise begins a critical offseason after being swept in the first round.

Teague is an unrestricted free agent. After earning $8 million in each of the past three seasons, Teague will triple that, if not more.

Teague is going to get paid.

ATL Boy wrote:Goodness how I miss Joe Johnson

To this point, the battle between the all-offense Washington Wizards and all-defense Atlanta Hawks favors the team that scored the ball better during the year.

But the Hawks have made a series of it, getting a combined 47.4 points per game from Dennis Schroder and Paul Millsap, plus tantalizing defense from Taurean Prince, who's also averaging 12.6 points on 57.4 percent shooting.

Dwight Howard's mobility looks increasingly compromised, and Thabo Sefolosha has been glued to the bench in a series wherein his defense should have mattered.

Before we say goodbye to the Hawks, it's worth celebrating a sneakily sharp strategy they've employed to capitalize on the Wizards' woeful bench.

This is an imperfect measurement, and the sample is small, but Atlanta's reserves are playing at a scorching pace—the fastest of any playoff team. That's exactly what they should be doing to maximize the number of possessions against the Wizards' shoddy backups.

And if this is all just a coincidence, at least we've said something nice about the Hawks.

Zach Lowe wrote:Horford has been an all-around menace since Game 2 against Chicago. He'll never look like a typical max player. He's not a bucket-getter. But he does everything well, and makes everyone around him better. Always has. Boston snagged Horford on the cheaper mid-career max before another leap in the salary cap. He'll live up to that contract.

Max effort: Al Horford showing he's worth his salary this postseason

Horford has been nothing short of spectacular this postseason. He's averaging 16.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 0.6 blocks over 34 minutes per game. He is shooting 62.7 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. The Celtics own a net rating of plus-9.7 points when he's on the floor in the postseason.

Horford finished one rebound shy of a triple-double in Game 1 against Washington...he became the first center since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1995 to finish with at least 20 points and 10 assists in a playoff game.

Just how good has Horford been this postseason?

Of the 44 players in the playoffs with at least 75 plays finished, Horford ranks No. 1 while averaging 1.27 points per play. He's fractions of a point better than San Antonio cyborg Kawhi Leonard (1.268), and the rest of the pack is farther back.

Not only does Horford rank as one the postseason's top spot-up shooters, but also he's far and away the best roll man in these playoffs. Horford is averaging an absurd 1.667 points per play as the roll man, per Synergy data.

Synergy also has a metric called "plays + assists," a measure that rewards those who also create offense for teammates.
Of the 106 players with at least 40 plays + assists in the playoffs, Horford tops the list at 1.681 points per play, per Synergy data.

Source: Spurs' Tony Parker may have torn quadriceps tendon

The San Antonio Spurs fear Tony Parker may have a torn quadriceps tendon, which would mean season-ending surgery for the point guard, a source told ESPN's Michael C. Wright on Thursday.

Parker, 34, had an MRI after suffering the injury during the Spurs' 121-96 victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.

The most likely candidate to receive first crack at replacing Parker in the lineup is veteran Patty Mills, who averaged 9.5 points per game and 3.5 assists during the regular season and contributed seven points on Wednesday against the Rockets.