ESPN NBA Analyst Danny Green previewed the 2026 NBA Playoffs presented by Google on an April 17 media conference call.

ESPN’s postseason coverage tips off Saturday, April 18, as the Los Angeles Lakers, led by four‑time MVP and the NBA’s all‑time leading scorer LeBron James, host the Houston Rockets and former MVP Kevin Durant, who now ranks fifth on the league’s all‑time scoring list, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Q. Danny, I just saw you picked the Celtics to win the East. Can you kind of explain why? Also, this is nine years now that Brown and Tatum have been appearing. That’s a long time. Obviously, you’ve been around the league for a long time. That’s a long time for an NBA duo to be together and both just kind of entering their primes. Can you kind of touch on the uniqueness of that? And also, your thoughts on the Celtics entering this playoff run.

GREEN: Thanks, man. Thank you for having me. I did pick the Celtics. The reason I picked the Celtics is because of that experience and that bond, that chemistry. That’s a big part of the playoffs. That’s a big part of the season.

There are teams that aren’t as gifted and talented as other teams that win more games just because they have a bond and chemistry. That backcourt, that duo, nine years is a long time to be anywhere. You don’t see a lot of guys making nine years, let alone play a professional sport or stay in one organization. So, for two of those guys to do that is special.

Originally at the beginning of the year I had the Knicks. The Knicks probably had the highest expectation, the most pressure on them. They made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year. Indiana dropped out with injuries. Boston had dropped down with injuries but came back, and they’ve been playing well even without Jayson Tatum for most of the year.

Detroit is good. They’re just young and inexperienced. That’s why I couldn’t give the edge to Detroit. Boston and New York have to face each other in that second round at some point. The winner of that matchup is the one that’s going to get to the Finals.

Right now, I’m giving the edge to Boston even though the Knicks have played well against Boston. Simply because the fact that the Knicks this year, especially late in the season, they looked very up-and-down. They looked like they were disconnected; the chemistry wasn’t there.

There are rumblings about some guys don’t like Mike Brown or work with the coaches. There are rumblings that some guys are feeling they’re not getting touches or there’s over usage of Jalen Brunson. That seems to me like a team that could self-implode.

But they have all the talent, they have all the tools, they have everything, and they were going to beat Boston, regardless of whether Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles or not. But just this year with the coaching change, they seem a little bit more disconnected at the wrong time of year.

It doesn’t matter how talented or how good of a roster you have, if you’re not on the same page and you’re not in alignment and the chemistry is not good, it’s going to be very hard to win any championship, let alone beat a championship type of team like the Boston Celtics.

Q. I would like to ask what you think of the Lakers now that they don’t have Austin and Luka at the start of the series and against a Rockets team that’s the best surviving team in the league.

GREEN: When I first heard the news, I thought it was over. Lakers are done, they’re cooked, they’re going home, but now they’re showing signs of life in the last — even though the strength of schedule wasn’t great teams, but they showed some togetherness in those last four or five games without those guys when they played — I think it was Utah, Pelicans, I forget who else, Phoenix. They won some games, played Golden State. But they looked like a good collective.

And the fact that — obviously, Houston is thanking the basketball gods; it’s a gift to them — but Houston to me is probably the weakest team in that group. If I was to face a team in the 4, 5, 6 area, 3, 4, 5, 6, whether it was Minnesota, Denver, or Houston, it probably was the Houston Rockets because they’re without Steven Adams, who is their biggest power in offensive rebounding. He’s no longer there.

Sengün helps, Amen Thompson helps, but Steven Adams was the reason why they were so good in rebounding. He’s gone. Fred VanVleet has been gone since the beginning of the season. They’ve struggled to have point guard issues all year long. They have not fixed that issue. Deadline, they did nothing. They made no moves.

In struggles it shows, even in clutch time efficiency. In clutch time minutes, clutch time games, they’re 22-23. Lakers, obviously with Luka and A.R., but they’re 23-8. They’re one of the best clutch time teams. It’s going to be different without them, but Lakers, I think, can extend the series.

Houston should, if they do what they’re supposed to do — all the pressure is on them — but they need to take care of business and win this series in five games or less. If they don’t, if they stretch it to six, then it’s trouble.

Lakers have definitely shown some more togetherness. This is a group that that’s why I said there is a chance they can extend this series because, even though they lost their two best players, they have Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton. They have some playoff experience. Some of the guys have been there and done that, obviously LeBron James another one. I believe in those guys, the veterans, more than I do the young core of Houston, which may struggle.

Again, Houston is a more talented, better roster team, and healthier. They should win this in five games or less, but you just never know with them. They’re so up-and-down, and that’s why I just don’t have much faith in Houston.

Q. With the playoffs coming up, what do you feel is the best matchup to look out for?

GREEN: In the first round, for me, I’m looking at superstars to see how they carry it. I think the second round is really going to get to electricity happening.

The four or five matchups, like Cleveland and Toronto, Cleveland has a lot to prove as well. Even Atlanta-New York could be a good matchup. I really hope Charlotte wins tonight because I want to see Charlotte-Detroit. They have some history there, and like history where there’s beef and fights and that type of thing.

When you get to that first round of the playoffs, people are going to be very excited and intense and tuned into that type of matchup.

Surprisingly, I don’t think the 2-7s are exciting or the 1-8s are exciting. Except on the West Coast, I don’t see a 1-8 being exciting. Steph’s playing at a high level. If Golden State wins, it’s always fun to watch Steph, but I still see OKC beating them up pretty easily.

Everyone is talking about the Minnesota-Denver series because Ant has a vendetta against Minnesota. That one could be interesting, but to me Minnesota hasn’t played as a group really good basketball. They seem also not hitting their stride at the right time. Last two years they’ve been able to turn it on and hit their stride in April, like March, April, lead into May, and somehow end up in the Western Conference Finals.

I don’t see that happening this year, but Anthony Edwards is always fun TV to watch. When he plays against the Nuggets, he puts on a show.

Q. I was hoping to get your thoughts on something that’s not playoff connected. That’s Cooper Flagg’s season. When you’re looking at the kind of player that Cooper emerged as this year, was that all within your expectations, or were there parts of his game that surprised you at all?

GREEN: A lot of parts of his game surprised me. None of that was in my expectations. Maybe because I’ve seen so much, I don’t have high expectations for these rookies, no matter how much they get talked about. Even [Wembanyama], they talked him up a lot, I’m like, all right, he’s kind of rare, kind of raw, kind of thin. It’s going to take some time for him to get his legs under him and get used to the physicality of the game, and hopefully his body holds up. He adapted very quickly.

Same with Cooper Flagg. Within his first year, he made leaps and bounds when it comes to strides of progress in his offensive game — finishing at the rim, getting to the free-throw line — and that only was able to happen because the team is so bad. To me I thought he was going to be good, a good role player because I thought Dallas was going to be good.

If Anthony Davis stayed healthy, if Kyrie is coming back, D’Angelo Russell they picked up somehow as a coming off the bench guy. They had the big lineup with Gafford and Lively. I’m like this could be something crazy. And Klay was there, so I’m like this could be really good — Naji Marshall — a good team.

I thought he’d fit right in and wouldn’t have a lot of pressure, kind of like how Dylan Harper was fitting in with the Spurs. He’s coming in off the bench, not high expectation, he doesn’t have to do much, and this is the perfect fit for him. He could learn from De’Aaron Fox. I thought Cooper would do the same thing with those guys; with A.D. and Gafford and all those guys he could learn from while playing on a good team and getting better and not having so much on his shoulders.

That didn’t happen unfortunately. He’s had to carry the team night in and night out, but also, it’s the blessing in disguise. He was able to play point guard and grow and show off his tools and get into his bag more. He’s exceeded my expectations way far and above what I expected him. I’ve seen him grow.

To me in high school watching him, he was a defensive player. Like I didn’t see offensive skill set. He can score, but I thought he was more of a team guy, did little things, blocked shots, steals, pushed the break, was athletic, can get out and run on wing. But I didn’t see like pick-and-roll, breakdowns, or mid-post. He could shoot a little mid-range, but he’s working the game and getting his handle right and making some one-on-one iso moves and learning the pick-and-roll and also how to lead a team.

He’s grown up a lot in the first year of his career, more than I expected, especially with the fact he started off slow. So, it’s going to take him some time. No, he adapted and adjusted very well throughout the 82 games.

Q. I’ve got a shoe question, if that’s all right. There are these sites now that track how much different players are wearing different shoes, and the Nike Kobe VI has become more popular year over year over year. This year, I think 25 percent of players were wearing that, something along those lines, and it’s a 15-year-old shoe. First off, I’m curious if you have a theory why that shoe model in particular has become so popular for players. Secondly, I’m curious if you noticed any culture shift in players wearing other active players’ shoes, whether that’s more or less taboo than it was 10 or 15 years ago, to be wearing a LeBron, whether you’re playing against him or not, while you’re playing?

GREEN: I’m going to answer the second question first. I think it’s less taboo now. So many guys have their own shoes now or other companies have come aboard. I’ve seen the shift in like trends. Like now, New Balance is a trend, New Balance, Puma, and other guys getting shoes from those. Then going to Chinese companies guys don’t care to wear.

But Kobe, the reason why it’s 15 years, it’s because of Kobe. It was based off a soccer style type of shoe if I can recall. It was light. I think maybe it had something to do with seeing he was good at soccer and his footwork. I remember when they were designing Kobe’s shoes, he wanted them light and kind of be like soccer style.

But it’s Kobe. People like the style. It’s going to be around for a while. People like the color scheme. And because Kobe is a legend — was a legend, God rest his soul — but, yeah, there has been a culture and a fashion shift and change when it comes to shoes because of those other companies have re-emerged with Puma and New Balance, and they kind of sit at the forefront of it.

They have the commercials with the top guys being part of their sponsorships, be sponsored by them, so the young kids are kind of going that route. I think less players are wearing other guys’ shoes now when they’re playing against them because there’s so many other options now.

Q. I want to take you to Boston for one second. In your personal opinion, do you feel as though Jaylen Brown exceeded expectations this year in terms of success and leadership?

GREEN: Absolutely. People thought he was a good player, but he’s shown that he’s a great player. A lot of people weren’t sure if he was a guy to actually lead a team if he didn’t have a Jayson Tatum — like not alongside him, and he’s shown and proved that. I can be a focal point. I can be a franchise guy. I can be your star if I wasn’t on this Boston team, because he did it without Jayson Tatum this year.

He’s shown a lot to people that didn’t know he had and more of his character. He’s gotten better each year. He’s grown. He’s matured. He was impressive, and he was a leader. He’s always led by what he said on his platform using words, but this time it was more with action.

Smart young gentleman, also went to a really good school, well-educated, and he shows that every time he speaks. I respect him as a basketball player, but I think he earned a lot more respect this year after what he did without having Tatum on the floor for 80 percent of the year.

Q. Do you feel as though Jayson Tatum came back prematurely?

GREEN: No. I think they were very careful with this. If he came back, it’s because they knew he’d been cleared for like a month or so. From what I was hearing rumblings, this was a month or two before he even got on the court, doctor said he’s okay. It’s really up to him.

I think they allowed it because it would have looked really bad in the organization if they allowed him to play and that thing retear, like re-popped. I don’t know if it’s the same with Achilles, but ACL is like, once you tear it, you have a 70 to 80 percent chance of retearing it again if you don’t have it correctly rehabbed or if it’s not strengthened. You rehab it enough to where it’s stronger than the other leg.

When I tore my ACL — I tore my ACL and LCL. I got cleared in 7 1/2 months, but I gave myself an extra two weeks just to make sure the tendon was more whole. The more time you wait, the stronger it gets. The tendon was strong enough to hoop at that point.

I think he took more than an enough time — I don’t want to say more than enough. He took enough time, and they were very careful because they didn’t want the backlash of a superstar going down twice with the same injury and having him back prematurely and him be out for another full year. That would look really, really bad on the league and the Boston Celtics organization.

Q. Picking up on Luka’s injury, I think you also had a hamstring injury?

GREEN: I have.

Q. Could you walk us through the recovery process and what you think of the timetable based on your experience?

GREEN: When I heard grade 2, I said he’s out, he’s not coming back. I had a grade 2 strain in my calf. I’ve had grade 1 strain to the hamstring. But basically, grades are based on how big the tear is. Grades are small tears. Based on how big the tear is or how many tears.

If you have two small tears, they’re going to say grade 2. If you have one small tear, it’s a grade 1. If you have a big tear, it’s grade 2. If it’s a really big tear, they’re going to say torn ligament, whatever it is. Grade 2 means it’s pretty unique — it’s a bigger tear than they would like him to have, and it’s the second time he injured it. So, he reinjured it.

You get a grade 1 hamstring tear, that’s at least two to three weeks — like three weeks normally. You can rush in in two weeks, but hamstrings are very sensitive. You have to be very careful how you monitor and operate with these. They’re an important part of the body. If you pop that thing, you’re out for a very long time.

Grade 1, I’m thinking two to three weeks, three or four weeks depending how bad it is. You can book it from two to four weeks. Grade 2, it’s usually four to six weeks, but if you had injured this already, you can add another two weeks on top of that. I was like six to eight weeks with this. If he wants to make sure it’s okay and not retear it, it’s probably going to take him five or six weeks at the very least.

Five or six weeks for me, when it happened at that time, meant he’s not going to play in the playoffs. If he doesn’t play in the playoffs, I thought they were going home.

Lakers look good. They can extend it. I know he’s going to get some regenerative therapy, stem cells, which does help the process some, helps you recover better or faster. They’re taking stem cells from a placenta or something else, stir it up and makes healing things, youthful whatever, juices that make the body heal faster. So it does help, but I still don’t see him getting back sooner than five or six weeks.

Again, they had stretched out that series. If you look at the schedule, Adam Silver tried his best to make that series as long as possible so those guys can get back. A.R. the same, it’s a grade 2 tear, it’s an oblique. If you know anything about obliques, you use it for everything. You use it for when you laugh, you use it for when you have to use the bathroom. He can’t roll over, can’t use the bathroom, can’t laugh without something hurting. It’s bad for him.

Those guys, I don’t expect to come back any sooner than five to six weeks.

Q. My second question, Danny, I don’t know how much baseball you watch, but this year they’ve added automatic balls and strikes.

GREEN: Automatic balls and strikes? I know they put the clock on the pitching.

Q. This year they’ve got automatic balls and strikes, and players are the ones who challenge. I’m curious what you think about possibly letting NBA players initiate the challenge —

GREEN: Terrible idea.

Q. — and if that would help at all with the griping that goes on during the play?

GREEN: A player challenge, they’d challenge every damn play. I do think you should automatically get two challenges. It shouldn’t be one and one. You get one a half, leave it at that. The whole one, if you win, keep it, if you lose, lose it. You should get one a half and leave it at that.

Maybe if you don’t use the first one in the first half, you should get two a game, and that’s it. If you lose, you lose it. Win or lose, you lose it, and I guess maybe a timeout, I don’t know. Maybe a timeout too.

Players doing that or challenging plays, I think would be very chaotic and hectic.

Q. I thought I’d follow up on the question I asked earlier about what you saw in Cooper, and that’s going into next year when you look at him. Do you look at his game and see something he needs to add to his game going forward? Do you hear people talking about a better 3-point shot? Do you look at it that way? Or do you say, no, you need to get more efficient all around? What would you want to see him add or change about his game going forward?

GREEN: I know people looked at him like Jayson Tatum or Grant Hill when he was coming out. I’m looking at more like Gordon Hayward. I think he could add more to the bag a little bit. I don’t think he needs much more. I think he just needs a consistent 3-point shot at midrange. That will help him because he’s great at finishing around the rim, he’s great at getting out in transition. He’s a good defender too. And just learning and communicating, he’ll just grow with that.

Now if I was [Kendrick Perkins], what Perk would say, “I see him as a future All-Star, like next year. All he needs to work on is getting better teammates. He might say something like that. Or he’d say probably work on his jumper, on his 3-point jumper.”

“Outside of that, this kid’s got all the tools. The only thing that’s letting him down right now is that he’s not on a good team.” Perk might say something like that, like he needs better teammates to help him flourish a little bit more.

Q. The Pistons have been No. 1 all season long, but they don’t seem to be getting much love as a national contender. They’re kind of like 5th behind OKC, Spurs, Nuggets, Celtics. Why do you think that is?

GREEN: Experience, lack of experience, and the coaching experience. J.B. Bickerstaff has done a great job with them, but he doesn’t have a lot of playoff experience or even winning a playoff. He’s not been to the playoffs much.

They are youthful. Their team is youthful. They don’t have many vets that have experience in deep playoff runs. Tobias Harris is there, he’s a vet that you can go to. Outside of that, Harris, who else is their vet they can lean on? Oh, yeah, he knows something, he can teach us something. None of those guys have been out of the first round really.

A lot of those guys’ experience in the playoffs was last year for them in the first round and first round exit against the Knicks. That’s why people — and because also Cade was out with that lung collapse thing. He’s come back, but it takes a while to heal from that. It takes a while to get your wind up. People thought he is a big part of everything they do.

It’s shown they have depth now and those guys can step it up, those other guys, but Cade is a big part of what they do. If he’s not at full strength, it makes it that much harder. It’s hard to believe in them when they’re that youthful and their best star player isn’t at 100 percent.

Q. Hey, Danny, you’ve kind of seen what’s happened in Orlando where it looks like there’s issues with Jamahl Mosley and the team is completely off kilter. Then you look at other situations where you mention the Knicks and Mike Brown. It used to be that there is now this blueprint for a coach where you had to be young, relate to these young guys, and now some of these young coaches are getting — losing their jobs, Darvin Ham, guys who used to be former players. Is there a blueprint for an NBA coach, or have young players changed so much it’s hard to have a blueprint for a coach that could be successful?

GREEN: It’s hard to put a blueprint on that when we’ve had seven different champions each year. I like Mark Daigneault, I like Mitch Johnson, they’ve done great jobs, even Joe Mazzulla. And I see Utah making a turnaround next year. Will Hardy, we’ll see with the pieces he got, what he can do because he’s been dealt a pretty bad hand the last couple of years trying to rebuild in Utah.

So, some of the young coaches I do like, but I feel like you also need some experience too. I don’t know what that is. GMs, I’d have to have a sit-down talk with them. I’m assuming front offices and owners, I think they’re going in the direction of younger guys, giving assistants an opportunity, because it’s hard to recycle the same people, older coaches.

But yes, the new generation is very different. It’s hard to just put one particular category on it, oh, this is what works for them. I think it’s different for different teams, different organizations, different generations. Some of them like the old guys, some of them don’t.

I think the newer generation is more relatable to guys that are younger and closer in age. I won’t say respect them because not everybody has respect, but they think they can relate to them better.

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