標籤: diagnosis

The New York Knicks have not been lucky in the playoffs in recent years. He missed the 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup with the Indiana Pacers due to injuries. And bad luck struck again in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, starting in Game 1 when they blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter in a 128-135 overtime loss to Indiana. The Knicks ultimately lost that series in six games.

However, the Knicks’ fortunes may have changed. And while there is an injury Never To celebrate, it was recently announced that Cade Cunningham has a partially collapsed lung, which could impact the balance of power in the Eastern Conference.

And considering how bad Detroit’s matchup has been for New York, this is a situation that could benefit the Knicks.

How Cade Cunningham’s injury changes the power dynamics in the East

Cunningham is the offensive engine of the Pistons. He is their leading scorer (24.5 points per game). And he also leads them in assists (9.9 assists per game). Cunningham also sets the tone for the Pistons’ success overall, as his outlook and approach are adopted by the broader team. Losing Cunningham to a partially collapsed lung is a huge loss for Detroit. Damaged lungs usually take three to eight weeks to heal. With the 2026 NBA Playoffs starting in about a month, timing may not be on Detroit’s favor.

What happens will depend on the severity of Cunningham’s injury and how long he will be out. The Knicks have a slight advantage if he returns before or during the first round — although that’s assuming he returns close to 100%. Thankfully, Cunningham’s injury was not considered serious. In other words, surgery is unlikely. More likely, Cunningham has returned rusty.

Assuming a return occurs, Cunningham will likely be out of shape. He will be unable to maintain cardiovascular fitness during his recovery. This means fewer minutes on the rebound and/or less impactful clutch minutes. Therefore, if Cunningham returns in the first round, the Pistons are likely in a good position to advance given their overall superiority, especially against the bottom tier of the Eastern Conference. And that will give the All-NBA guard time to get himself in shape.

However, it is more likely that he will not be back so soon. There is more possibility of a comeback in the second round. That means the Pistons will need Cunningham to step up quickly against a well-prepared Cleveland Cavaliers team – possibly the Knicks. And this is where things get tricky for Detroit.

How the Knicks could benefit from a Cunningham-less Eastern Conference

Without speculating too much about Cunningham’s return date, the benefit to New York is fairly obvious. The Pistons will either be without their best player or a younger version of themselves for part of the playoffs. Considering how Detroit has handled the Knicks this season, this isn’t bad news for New York. Although given the glory involved in winning your conference – and ultimately a championship – avoiding top-flight competition is clearly lacking – winning is the ultimate goal.

Considering the risks involved in recalling Cunningham, as well as the potential limitations he will face upon returning, it is unlikely we will see him at full strength for the rest of this season or the playoffs. This means a more open Eastern Conference. And that should benefit the Knicks as they attempt to make their first NBA Finals since 1999.

When the Golden State Warriors traded for center Kristaps Porzingis from the Atlanta Hawks, they were getting a versatile big man with the ability to score inside and out. The questions surrounding Porzingis’ acquisition were not about him on the court, but off it.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Kristaps Porzingis was reportedly battling postural tachycardia syndrome, a condition that causes increased heart rate, dizziness and even fatigue when going from lying down or sitting to standing. Symptoms of POTS, which are caused by a lack of blood flow to the eardrum when a person stands, may also be relieved by sitting or lying down.

Porzingis had lost 14 consecutive games for the Atlanta Hawks before being traded to the Atlanta Hawks at the NBA trade deadline for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield.

Since the trade, Porzingis has played in only one of a possible eight games for the Warriors. He was able to make his Dubs debut on February 19 against the Boston Celtics, where he scored 12 points in 17 minutes of play, but subsequently missed three consecutive games due to illness.

According to head coach Steve Kerr, however, Kristaps Porzingis is not dealing with POTS. Kerr recently spoke with Willard and Dibs, a Bay Area radio show that airs weekday afternoons, and that’s where he revealed that Porzingis isn’t working out with Potts at all.

“When I heard about the trade, I read about his POTS diagnosis and then called Onsi Saleh, who was with us, he’s Atlanta’s GM now and he’s a good friend of mine,” Kerr explained. “I called him and said, ‘Is this POTS story real?’ And he said it’s not really Potts. It wasn’t Potts.’ So that was some of the misinformation that was out there.

“I don’t know if anyone asked him about it, but the bottom line is that whatever was bothering him in Atlanta, that was keeping him out, had nothing to do with last week’s illness. He was just sick. As you guys know, there’s a lot going on and he was quite sick, losing a lot of fluids and infectious substances, so we kept him at home, but he’s doing much better now.”

Kristaps Porzingis is believed to have been dealing with POTS for several months and it has led many to question what is really left in his NBA career. But Steve Kerr says the Warriors got confirmation that Porzingis is not dealing with POTS ahead of the trade that sent Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Hawks.

“I don’t really know what’s out there,” Kerr said. “All I know is that we had internal discussions and I’ve talked to Kristaps and he told me he’s feeling good and we didn’t go into depth about his illness in Atlanta, but I got confirmation that it wasn’t Potts, but it was something else that was really difficult to figure out and sometimes it happens, even in this modern age where we have a lot of answers, we never have all of them. Sometimes just mysterious things happen.”

As of Friday night, Porzingis is listed as “doubtful” to play in Saturday night’s game against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers due to illness. While Stephen Curry is listed as out with “runner’s knee,” Draymond Green is listed as “probable” after missing the Warriors’ last game.

Porzingis has played in only 18 games so far this season between the Hawks and Warriors, averaging 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 blocks per game, while shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from three.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Nikola Topic addressed the NBA media for the first time since his cancer diagnosis. Topic made his NBA debut last week before the All-Star break in a 105-86 win against the Milwaukee Bucks. It was an emotional moment for Nicola, who received a standing ovation at the Paycom Centre.

After helping lead the Thunder to a 105-86 win against the Brooklyn Nets, the subject, playing in my first two NBA Games talked about what it was like during his first postgame media availability on Friday.

Topic said, “Amazing moment. I’ll remember this for the rest of my life – thanks to the fans.” “Definitely, I will remember it for the rest of my life.”

Nikola Topic got a standing ovation as he checked in to his first career NBA game.

He also gets an assist with a nice pass to Jaylin Williams for an easy bucket. Topic made a great start pic.twitter.com/oJqrXDkPKT

-Joshua Peacock (@Joe_Sway) 13 February 2026

Topic admits that it felt strange to return to the game after being away from the game for so long. However, he managed to put his emotions aside shortly after attending the first NBA game of his career.

Topic continued, “It was weird at first. I’m just getting back to the game experience again.” “I was out for a while. It was very weird coming back. I was finding myself doing things I had never done before. It was pretty hard to adjust to, but every game was better. The first game in the G League. The second game was better. The first game here was OK. The second was better. But I think it will only get better.”

Nikola Topic thanks Thunder fans for standing ovation in NBA debut:

“I will remember this for the rest of my life” pic.twitter.com/N8xqQELZoc

-Joshua Peacock (@Joe_Sway) 21 February 2026

Topic finished with nine points on 4-for-6 shooting, including 1-2 from deep, three rebounds and two assists in 11 minutes. He helped put the Nets away throughout the second half, especially early in the fourth quarter when Topic scored five points and an assist in less than two minutes, giving Oklahoma City a 16-point advantage.

Chet Holmgren keeps it 100 about Thunder’s Nikola theme

All-Star Chet Holmgren reacts to Nikola Topic’s Thunder debut, praising the newcomer’s courage. While Holmgren missed his entire rookie season due to injury, similar to Topic’s ACL repair that sidelined him for the entire 2024-25 campaign, Chet couldn’t start since October due to Nikola’s testicular cancer diagnosis.

Holmgren shares heartfelt comment on Topic’s return to basketball.

“Anyone battling cancer is fighting for their life. I’ve never been able to understand what it’s like. It just speaks to the power of [Topić]And who he is as a person,” Holmgren said. “It would have been very appropriate for him to be down and angry at everyone around him, and be angry at the world because the child he is doesn’t deserve this. We’re all very happy that he was able to fight through it, get back to hooping.

“You see the huge smile on his face when he’s able to put his shoes on and get out there. I thought he played a really good game tonight. He could have made 100 shots or missed 100 shots tonight; it was an amazing game for him. To be able to get out there, get some reps under his belt, and now, he can learn from them, we can learn from him too.”

Topic will play the third game of his NBA career when the Thunder host the Cavs on Sunday at Paycom Center.