Magic Johnson Apologizes to Fans for Wrongly Placing Blame on Lakers’ Struggles

May 2, 2024 Jimm Sallivan

Magic Johnson regrets a social media post he sent to the internet shortly after the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

“Laker Nation, I have to apologize to the Lakers organization,” Johnson posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday. “It was injuries that plagued the Lakers this season, not load management.”

Laker Nation, I have to apologize to the Lakers organization. It was injuries that plagued the Lakers this season, not load management.

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 2, 2024

The content on Johnson’s social media accounts are known to be almost comically vanilla, but he put that aside Tuesday—the day after the Lakers’ season ended—and posted a pair of spicy takes.

Johnson blamed load management for the reason Los Angeles finished with the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed and claimed the Nuggets were both mentally and physically tougher in their playoff series.

The Lakers have nobody but themselves to blame. They wouldn’t have been in the play-in game or finished as a 7th seed this season if they hadn’t lost too many games because of load management.

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 30, 2024

And the #1 reason the Lakers can’t beat Denver in a 7 game series is because the Nuggets are mentally and physically tougher than the Lakers.

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 30, 2024

The Lakers had many issues during the 2023-24 NBA season, but load management probably wasn’t a top factor in their struggles. Los Angeles’ most common starting five—LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Taurean Prince—all played at least 71 regular-season games.

James dealt with calf and ankle issues and missed 11 games. Role player Jarred Vanderbilt missed the last three months with a foot injury, and Rui Hachimura battled calf issues at times. But Davis played a career-high 76 games, as did Russell—his most since 2018-19—and Reaves played all 82 for the first time in his career.

If it wasn’t load management or injury issues that caused the team to fall short of expectations, the Lakers just simply weren’t good enough in 2023-24.

6 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

NBA Playoff Schedule: Full Rundown for Conference Semifinals

The first round of the 2024 NBA postseason had some great matchups, and things will only get better from here on out. Saturday marked the start of the second round of the playoffs, when true contenders battle against one another in an effort to reach the final four of their conference. Iron sharpens iron, after all, and this year's slate of Round 2 contests look pretty great across the board.

Fewer games means fewer overlapping broadcast times, too. After two weeks with up to three NBA games on every night, we're more or less back to the standard of an Eastern Conference tip-off around 7 p.m. ET and a Western Conference tip-off around 10 p.m. ET.

For your viewing habit purposes, here is the full schedule for the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs, organized by series.

NBA Playoff Schedule for Second Round

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston Celtics v. (4) Cleveland Cavaliers

• Game 1: Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Tuesday, May 7 (7 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 2: Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Thursday, May 9 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 3: Celtics vs. Cavaliers, Saturday, May 11 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
• Game 4: Celtics vs. Cavaliers, Monday, May 13 (7 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Wednesday, May 15 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Celtics vs. Cavaliers, Friday, May 17 (TBD)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Sunday, May 19 (TBD)

(2) New York Knicks v. (3) Indiana Pacers

• Game 1: Pacers vs. Knicks, Monday, May 6 (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 2: Pacers vs. Knicks, Wednesday, May 8 (8 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 3: Knicks vs. Pacers, Friday, May 10 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 4: Knicks vs. Pacers, Sunday, May 12 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Pacers vs. Knicks, Tuesday, May 14 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Knicks vs. Pacers, Friday, May 17 (TBD)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Pacers vs. Knicks, Sunday, May 19 (TBD)

Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder v. (5) Dallas Mavericks

• Game 1: Mavericks vs. Thunder, Tuesday, May 7 (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 2: Mavericks vs. Thunder, Thursday, May 9 (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 3: Thunder vs. Mavericks, Saturday, May 11 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
• Game 4: Thunder vs. Mavericks, Monday, May 13 (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Mavericks vs. Thunder, Wednesday, May 15 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Thunder vs. Mavericks, Saturday, May 18 (8:30 p.m. ET)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Mavericks vs. Thunder, Monday, May 20 (8:30 p.m. ET)

(2) Denver Nuggets v. (3) Minnesota Timberwolves

• Game 2: Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Monday, May 6 (10 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 3: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Friday, May 10 (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 4: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Sunday, May 12 (8 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Tuesday, May 14 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Thursday, May 16 (8:30 p.m. ET)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Sunday, May 19 (TBD)

Key Dates for the 2024 NBA Playoffs

Aside from the all the above, the NBA postseason generally has a few key dates.

The first have already passed in the form of the play-in tournament, as well as the start of the first round. The Nuggets and Timberwolves kicked off the second round on Saturday, May 4. Below are several other key dates to look forward to.

• Conference Finals start dates: May 19-22, depending on the length of the second-round series.
• NBA Finals start date: Thursday, June 6 will be Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals. Sunday, June 9 will be Game 2. Game 3 will take place on Wednesday, June 12. Friday, June 14 will be Game 4.

First Round Results

Below are the full results for the first round of this year's postseason.

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston Celtics def. (8) Miami Heat in 5 games

(2) New York Knicks def. (7) Philadelphia 76ers in 6 games

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers def. (5) Orlando Magic in 7 games

(6) Indiana Pacers def. (3) Milwaukee Bucks in 6 games

Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder def. (8) New Orleans Pelicans in 4 games

(2) Denver Nuggets def. (7) Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games

(3) Minnesota Timberwolves def. (6) Phoenix Suns in 4 games

(5) Dallas Mavericks def. (4) Los Angeles Clippers in 6 games

And that's everything you need to know about the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs. Enjoy watching!

7 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Draymond Green Doesn’t Think Jamal Murray Deserves Suspension For Game 2 Antics

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray's antics in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves could potentially result in a suspension after he was seen throwing a heating pack onto the court from the bench while play was live.

Although the incident went unnoticed by officials during the game, the moment was caught on the TNT broadcast, prompting plenty of discussion online among fans as to whether Murray deserves to be suspended.

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green weighed in on the situation during the latest episode of his podcast, and he made clear that he didn't believe that Murray's actions warranted a suspension.

"I was just online and I see people are like, 'Oh Jamal Murray's probably going to get suspended for throwing the heat pack,'" Green said. "I mean I didn’t think he'd get suspended, although that was very dangerous. Somebody steps on that, A, it leaves a wet spot. B, it can really jack somebody up. But I didn’t see that and be like my first thought wasn’t, ‘Ah, he’ll get suspended.’"

"It's crazy how people just automatically start calling for suspensions these days. I just don’t really understand that. But in saying that, man, Denver's down bad right now," he added.

Game 2 was a frustrating one for the Nuggets, as they were held to a season-low 80 points by an overwhelming Timberwolves defense. The usually composed squad appeared rattled, particularly Murray who was facing frequent pressure from the moment he entered Minnesota's half.

Although no one was hurt after Murray launched the heating pack onto the court, it was a reckless move from the 27-year-old, and one which could've led to an injury or accident. A suspension certainly isn't out of the question for Murray, who figures to at least be fined for his actions, though an official decision in that regard has yet to be made by the league.

7 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Anthony Edwards Receives MVP Chants in Denver As T-Wolves Dominate Game 2

Anthony Edwards is quickly reaching new heights as he spearheads the Minnesota Timberwolves' impressive playoff run, and he received a standing ovation from fans after the Game 2 victory despite the fact that it was a road game in Denver.

The Timberwolves took a 2–0 series lead over the Denver Nuggets as Edwards dropped a joint game-high 27 points, and the 22-year-old was serenaded with MVP chants from fans looking to show their appreciation for his efforts.

While Edwards was at the free-throw line during the fourth quarter, the MVP chants could be heard taking over Ball Arena.

MVP chants for Anthony Edwards in Denver pic.twitter.com/BU1s7gM0nf
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) May 7, 2024

The reigning champs looked totally outmatched during Monday night's humbling defeat against Minnesota despite the absence of star Wolves center Rudy Gobert, who missed the game following the birth of his first child.

Despite the defensive anchor not suiting up, the Nuggets mustered just 80 points, their lowest tally not only of the playoffs, but of the entire season.

In addition to his 27 points, Edwards provided seven assists, two rebounds and two steals while helping to set the tone with some quality work on the defensive end.

Edwards has taken his game to a new level during the postseason and it's safe to say that fans have taken notice. The series will head to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4, where Timberwolves fans will get the opportunity to deliver more MVP chants to their budding superstar if the team is able to continue its strong run.

US Sports News

Magic Johnson Apologizes to Fans for Wrongly Placing Blame on Lakers’ Struggles

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Jimm Sallivan