The first-round offense mostly got mugged

The first-round offense mostly got mugged

The 2025-26 regular season was the highest-scoring regular season since 1969-70, with the league-wide scoring average peaking at 115.6 points. Then the playoffs showed up and started slamming the brakes: league-wide offensive rating fell from 115.7 in the regular season to 111.0 in the playoffs, a 4.7 drop the fact pack calls the most dramatic in the tracking era.
The weird part is how cleanly the postseason exposed the gap. Teams were held below 100 points in 29% of the first 72 playoff games, compared with only 11% of regular-season games failing to hit triple digits. Oklahoma City and New York were the only teams that actually held or improved their offensive output in the first round, using high-volume isolation scoring and offensive rebounding to keep the engine from stalling completely.

Gobble's Take: The regular season was a fireworks show; the first round was the league reminding everybody that playoff defense still has teeth.
Source: Coach Vaz

Boston's 3-point rescue mission ended in Boston

Jayson Tatum's return was one of the season's biggest storylines, and he came back producing 21.8 points, 10 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. Boston even looked lined up to cruise after taking a 3-1 lead over Philadelphia, with Tatum piling up 99 points in the first four games.

Then the plot bent hard. Tatum left game six early, was ruled out for game seven with a knee injury, and Boston responded by launching 49 3-pointers and 44 2-pointers in the finale. Peyton Pritchard, Derick White, and Sam Hauser were the names carrying the triple barrage, but the shots didn't cash: White went 5-for-16, Jaylen Brown 3-for-9, Pritchard 2-for-7, and Boston made just 27% from beyond the arc. Philly won 109-100 — in Boston. Brown also ended up with 10 offensive fouls over the series, mostly push-offs, and had plenty to say about the officiating afterward.

Gobble's Take: When the answer is 49 threes and you're shooting 27%, you're not running a strategy — you're running a eulogy. Source: Jim Sumner | Substack

Golden State faces Atlanta again, with a return trip to follow

The Valkyries and Dream are set for a 7:00 p.m. PT game, with ION on the TV side and WNBA League Pass available if you are out of the blackout region. Not only did Golden State play Atlanta this Wednesday and today, but the Valkyries will also travel to Atlanta to play again next Saturday — a schedule the source describes as "kind of absurd."

There is also roster history in the matchup. Iliana Rupert was Golden State's expansion draft selection from Atlanta in 2025. Laeticia Amihere played 37 games across two seasons in Atlanta before being waived; the Valkyries claimed her on waivers Feb. 6, 2025. Tiffany Hayes spent the first ten years of her WNBA career with the Atlanta Dream.

Gobble's Take: Three games against the same opponent in one week, including a road trip — the schedule is what it is. Source: Eric Apricot

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