Chasing History: Legendary Matchup<\/p>\n
LeBron James leads L.A. past Kevin Durant and Houston in Game 2, narrated by Jamal Crawford. <\/p>\n
The NBA Mailbag is open with NBA legend and NBC analyst Jamal Crawford here to answer your questions during the 2026 NBA Playoffs as he calls games on NBC\/Peacock. This weekend, he will be in Phoenix for Game 3 of the Thunder-Suns series on Sunday (3:30 ET, NBC\/Peacock<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a question for Jamal? Submit it\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Which first-round series is the best matchup in your opinion? \u2013 from Landon in Burlington, Ontario, Canada<\/p>\n There are some really good ones. I\u2019m going to pick one in the East and the West.<\/p>\n For the West, I love the Lakers-Rockets<\/a> series because I believe small adjustments can shift the entire series. The Lakers are playing great, LeBron\u2019s at an unreal level and JJ Redick is making all the right moves. But I think it\u2019s Houston\u2019s time to shine when they go home, regroup and make adjustments. So I\u2019m excited about that series.<\/p>\n In the East, it\u2019s Philadelphia-Boston<\/a>. It\u2019s intriguing because everybody had Boston just blowing everybody out. But losing at home like that changes things. If Embiid can come back, things will get really interesting.<\/p>\n Which player do you think is built for a breakout moment in these playoffs, and why? \u2013 from Kishu in Chicago, IL<\/p>\n Jalen Johnson. After watching him up close, it\u2019s clear he has all the tools and unselfishness you need to lead a team. I feel like he\u2019s making that mental adjustment with his physicality and learning when to dominate on offense and put on his scoring hat. So I think he\u2019ll be the guy that kind of breaks out.<\/p>\n Which playoff team this year has the best closer when the game gets tight? \u2013 from Sam in Great Neck, NY<\/p>\n Nikola Joki\u0107, because he can close you out from anywhere \u2013 in the paint, from mid-range, 3-point or the free-throw line.<\/p>\n And he\u2019s different from closers who only beat you with a shot. He can beat you in so many different ways.<\/p>\n What stood out to you most when calling Game 2 of Hawks-Knicks<\/a>? \u2013 from Devin in Brooklyn, NY<\/p>\n What stood out most was how the Knicks were playing unbelievably early in the game, but they couldn\u2019t really separate and get away from the Hawks. Atlanta stayed right there. And that proved to be enough.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll tell you guys this (and I told my NBC family) \u2026 CJ McCollum talked to me before the game, and said, \u201cWe\u2019re winning tonight. I promise we\u2019re winning tonight.\u201d So it was cool to see him be instrumental in their win.<\/p>\n CJ WHOA \ud83d\ude33 pic.twitter.com\/5AJGSMlazt<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Seeing how Jayson Tatum has returned from one of the worst injuries in sports in such a short time, what do you like most about how he has changed his style of play? \u2013 from Hareth in California<\/p>\n I like that he\u2019s grown mentally. Sometimes when people get injured, they don\u2019t come back the same player athletically, but they come back the same player mentally.<\/p>\n He\u2019s made that adjustment and taken his game a step further mentally. Just how willing he is to bring everybody else along with him, while still being so good. It\u2019s inspiring to see.<\/p>\n Is Scoot Henderson\u2019s Game 2 performance repeatable? How did he adjust his game? \u2013 from Sam in Boulder, CO<\/p>\n His physical gifts and physical mentality have helped him in the playoffs. He\u2019s not playing for fouls. He\u2019s just attacking, picking his spots and making his jump shots.<\/p>\n So when he\u2019s doing those three things and playing with confidence, he\u2019s tough to stop. He\u2019s been great for the Trail Blazers. Even Tiago Splitter said that was maybe the best game of his career. That always makes you feel good when your coach says stuff like that about you. It gives you a certain freedom.<\/p>\n Scoot found himself in rare Blazers company after his game 2 performance \ud83e\udd1d pic.twitter.com\/cnNaCaM9WF<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) April 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n How else does Wembanyama affect offenses other than blocks, steals and deflects? \u2013 from Jace in Santa Maria, CA<\/p>\n He\u2019s hurt right now; hopefully, he\u2019ll be back to full health and ready to go soon.<\/p>\n He changes your entire offense because you have to be so aware of where he is at all times. It\u2019s almost like how Deion Sanders used to be in football. Teams would completely avoid throwing the ball to his side of the field. Wemby\u2019s the same way in the paint.<\/p>\n Wherever he\u2019s at, you don\u2019t even get close to going in there because he\u2019s going to make you think you have a shot, and then attack to block it.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n How do you expect Joki\u0107 and the Nuggets to adjust for Game 3? \u2013 from Caleb in Denver, CO<\/p>\n They were right there. Joki\u0107 was missing touch shots that we\u2019ve seen him make consistently for 3 years. They just weren\u2019t going in during Game 2. I think he\u2019ll be more dominant right from the start. He\u2019s played against Rudy before in the playoffs. He knows who he is. Rudy does an excellent job on defense overall, but Joki\u0107 is just a different level from everybody who plays the game. So he\u2019ll exude his dominance, and that gives his teammates confidence to do what they do best.<\/p>\n Do you think the Cavs can make it to the East Finals or even the Finals due to how experienced Mitchell and Harden are in the playoffs? \u2013 from Farhan in Brantford, Ontario, Canada<\/p>\n Anything\u2019s possible. But I lean more towards the Celtics. I think Boston has everything it needs to get there. They have that championship pedigree that could be difficult for the Cavs to overcome.<\/p>\n You played in the NBA for 20 seasons. What is the one piece of advice you give to young players today about how to keep their bodies and minds sharp for two decades? \u2013 from Jack in Sydney, Australia<\/p>\n Stay in love with the game. When you stay in love with it and the process, everything else follows. The ice tubs, the massages, the foam rolls, the acupunctures, eating right, drinking lots of water, not hanging out too much \u2026 all of those things are related to your love for the game. When you\u2019re in love with it, you want to be good at it. You want to be able to do it at a high level. You want to be consistent with that approach. Like anything, it just becomes routine, which turns into a way of life.<\/p>\n So stay in love with the game. All the other things become necessary and easy for you when you love it. Like, \u201cYeah, I know I need to get my extra weights in, because I want to feel better when I\u2019m competing at the highest level.\u201d<\/p>\n What is one skill young guards should master early if they want to last in the league? \u2013 from Abudukerimu on X<\/p>\n They should be able to play off the ball. When you get to the league, you\u2019re playing with the best players in the world. So it\u2019s more likely you\u2019re going to play with a team that already has a star or 2 or maybe even three. The more you can fit in with those guys, the better. Play off the ball, catch and shoot, make quick decisions, do the stuff they don\u2019t necessarily need to do \u2013 picking up full court, being a leader, coming with positive energy, being somebody who\u2019s low maintenance off the court. All those things go into having a long career as a guard.<\/p>\n Who all-time is the most \u201csilent-but-deadly\u201d player that you can think of? \u2013 from Jason in Mukilteo, WA<\/p>\n Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Nick Van Exel, Rod Strickland and Mark Price.<\/p>\n How do you separate basketball life and being a family man? \u2013 from Yadram on Facebook<\/p>\n Family always comes first. There\u2019s nothing more important. They\u2019re the backbone of everything, and they give you the peace of mind that allows you to go out there and compete at the highest level because you know your family supports you \u2013 good, bad, or indifferent.<\/p>\n So that comes first. But basketball for me is a way of life. I\u2019ve loved it ever since I was two years old. The game\u2019s always had a hold on me, and it\u2019s been really cool to see it from different angles. It\u2019s continued to evolve and I continue to want to learn more about the game and see it from new perspectives. So it\u2019s changed over the years, but family\u2019s always first.<\/p>\n When you do the double-behind-the-back dibble move, what in particular do you have to do to sell the defender? \u2013 from Derek in Cheshire, CT<\/p>\n It helps when there\u2019s a screen there, because most really good defenders are going to try to fight over the screen. When they do that, you make it look like you\u2019re going the way they\u2019re trying to fight over \u2026 then that instant behind-the-back comes.<\/p>\n What was your workout routine in your freshman year of high school? \u2013 from Luke in Vermont<\/p>\n Oh wow. You\u2019re going all the way back. Obviously, I was one of the before-practice, after-practice guys. I was always trying to get better, always working on my game.<\/p>\n But the summer was really where the separation came. I would wake up, eat, go to the gym at 10 a.m., and be there until 1. I\u2019d work on my game and play with the group that was there. That group would leave every lunch, and I\u2019d get a quick bite, then come back to that gym at 2, and here comes a whole other set of guys who weren\u2019t there earlier. I\u2019d play with them from 2 to 4. And they would leave.<\/p>\n Then I could jump on my bike and go to another gym to get some more run and shots in. So it was two or three times a day, just different gyms all the time.<\/p>\n Have A Question For Jamal?\u00a0Submit It Now<\/a>!
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