Gary Payton II is reportedly available to make his return for Game 1 and we absolutely love to see it

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What’s up y’all. It’s Prince here for Layup Lines, and it’s only right on the evening of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, we talk about the game a little. Specifically, I want to talk about Gary Payton II, who is reportedly on track to suit up and be available for the Warriors.

This development isn’t necessarily the biggest news in the grand scheme of things, but it’s not nothing…especially for Payton.

If you know about his journey from an undrafted player who bounced around four teams in five years, including a few G Leauge trips, to someone who finally found a home and role on the Warriors, you felt for him when he fractured his elbow in the Western Conference Semifinals.

That the play he was injured on bordered on being dirty made it all the more tough to see. It totally could’ve been avoided had Dillon Brooks just pulled up instead of whatever it was he was trying to do.

Either way, four weeks later and Payton is back. And he can actually help!

Payton is one of the Warriors’ best defenders. If they need an extra body to throw at guys like Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Derrick White, etc, he can help. It’s unclear how much he’ll actually play, but even if it’s just a few minutes the entire series, it’s cool to see someone be able to see this journey through to potentially playing in the NBA Finals.

The Tip-Off

Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

I’ve heard a lot of things about Michael Jordan. Some people think he’s the greatest player of all time, some people think he’s somewhere right under No. 1.

But something I’ve never heard about MJ is that the GOAT changed the game of basketball for the worse…that is until Thursday. That’s exactly the take Stephen A. Smith decided to role will with on First Take, and Kevin Durant wasn’t ready to let it fly. He instead pointed the finger to the debate shows Smith has helped popularize. Our guy Blake Schuster has more on their back and forth.

“If you want to argue shows like Undisputed, First Take and the like are all harmless fun, I hear ya. These are the debates happening in group chats, bars and everywhere basketball is played. The appeal is there. But the shine certainly wears off when the conversation always returns to the sillier fringes of “who ruined basketball”.

It’s the start of the NBA Finals, after all, surely there are better topics to debate.”

Indeed.

One to Watch

(All odds via Tipico.)

Celtics (+135) vs. Warriors (-3.5, -170), O/U 213.5, 9 PM ET

Listen, man. The Celtics are really good and I respect how they’ve gone about their business to reach this point. But this whole NBA Finals business is new to everyone on that roster. I’m expecting a Warriors team that’s undefeated at home this postseason and has a lot more experience on this stage to be more prepared. They’ll cover this number without a problem, and I also like the under between two good defensive teams.

Who’s in and out?

— Robert Williams III (knee) questionable

— Andre Iguodala (cervical) questionable

— Gary Payton II (elbow) questionable

— Otto Porter Jr. (foot) questionable

Shootaround

— Fans were floored to hear Nike co-founder Phil Knight has joined a bid to purchase the Trail Blazers

— You might hear a lot about Jayson Tatum’s connection with Kobe Bryant during the Finals. Here’s more on the history of that

— The deadline for players in the NBA Draft to retain college eligibility has passed. Here are the top 20 players who had a decision to make and which way they went

— Stephen Curry is still searching for his first NBA Finals MVP, but he isn’t the only superstar without one

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