The 27th WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will take place Friday, a day before WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas (ESPN Unlimited, 6 p.m. ET). It will feature a legendary lineup of inductees.

In 1993, Andre the Giant became the first inductee, paving the way for future generations of professional wrestlers.

This year’s spotlight shines on WWE Grand Slam Champion AJ Styles and former WWE CEO Stephanie McMahon. Three-time WWE tag team champions Demolition will also be inducted, along with two-time WWE and WCW Heavyweight champion Sid, Bad News Brown and celebrity inductee Dennis Rodman.

This year’s Immortal Moment — introduced at last year’s Hall of Fame ceremony to celebrate historic matches — will honor the renowned Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant showdown at WrestleMania III.

Let’s have a closer look at this year’s inductees.

AJ Styles

In a career that spanned nearly three decades, Styles built one of the most influential paths in pro wrestling. Before his Royal Rumble debut in 2016, Styles had brief appearances in WWE and WCW, gaining some experience before moving on to the independent circuit, Ring of Honor and NWA-TNA.

In 2002, Styles became the first NWA-TNA X-Division champion, a division known for its fast pace and aerial offense — Styles’ game in a nutshell. The championship, which still stands today, was largely built on Styles’ body of work.

Styles, a two-time TNA World Heavyweight champion, won his first in 2009, when he defeated a couple of other future WWE Hall of Famers in that match, Kurt Angle and Sting.

Styles also made a major impact in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Though he had worked with the company previously, he returned in 2014, and, in addition to winning the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship twice, he led the influential Bullet Club faction.

After nearly 18 standout years in pro wrestling, Styles finally signed with WWE in 2016. His debut became one of the most memorable Royal Rumble moments, entering as a surprise and immediately going face-to-face with Roman Reigns.

It wasn’t long before Styles climbed the ladder and established himself on “SmackDown” as the “Face That Runs the Place.” Less than one year after his debut at the Rumble, Styles won the WWE Championship, a title he held twice. Holding gold was common for Styles in the WWE — he won the Intercontinental Championship, the United States Championship three times and the tag titles twice. He also holds the honor of sharing the stage with The Undertaker in what was the final WrestleMania match for the “Deadman.”

Styles’ decade in WWE cemented him as one of the company’s greats. It’s no wonder his Hall of Fame induction came so soon after his final match in January. Styles is the definition of a Hall of Famer.

Stephanie McMahon

The McMahon family laid the foundation for WWE, and Stephanie has been instrumental in its success, as a performer, promoter and executive.

Originally introduced as the friendly but quiet daughter of Vince McMahon in 1999, Stephanie transformed into one of the company’s top villains in less than a year.

Initially pitted against Triple H, who manipulated her into a storyline marriage, Stephanie joined forces with him to form the McMahon-Helmsley era, instantly functioning as WWE’s dominant heel faction.

Stephanie mastered the art of crowd control that few WWE performers have been able to do, seamlessly combining confidence with just the right amount of whining and antagonism to rile up fans. The blend was heel perfection.

Stephanie grappled a bit inside the ring as well, winning the WWE Women’s Championship, a title she held on to for close to 150 days in early 2000.

She later reinvented herself as a fan favorite during her time as “SmackDown” general manager, before eventually returning to her on-screen roots. In 2013, she reunited with Triple H as part of The Authority, once again becoming the company’s primary heels.

Behind the scenes, Stephanie has been a force. She has been WWE executive vice president, chief brand officer and chairwoman/co-CEO.

Stephanie was a major part of the Women’s Revolution, famously introducing Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks on an episode of “Raw” in July 2015, a turning point in the evolution of women’s wrestling.

Stephanie McMahon is as deserving a WWE Hall of Fame inductee as there’s ever been.

Demolition

Known for their unique appearance and aggression, Demolition stood out as a premier tag team in WWE in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Managed by WWE Hall of Famer Mr. Fuji for much of their run, Ax and Smash captured the WWE Tag Team Championship three times. The first came at WrestleMania IV in 1988, when they defeated Strike Force. It became a historic title run, spanning a record 478 days.

Demolition dominated the tag team scene between 1988 and 1990, with all three of their reigns coming during that span and totaling 698 days.

Though Ax and Smash led Demolition through its peak, Crush also deserves some recognition. He joined the group in 1990 and became a tag champ during their third title run.

Legacy inductee: Sid

Sid is a long-overdue WWE Hall of Fame inductee. Throughout his career, he moved between NWA/WCW and WWE, achieving success at each company and delivering strong character work, especially during his time in WWE.

Sid’s first true claim to fame was his inclusion in the legendary Four Horsemen stable, however, his first run in WWE established him as a main attraction. He debuted in WWE in 1991, and a year later, he was in the WrestleMania VIII main event, where he battled Hulk Hogan.

In 1995, he adopted the gimmick of Psycho Sid, often working alongside Shawn Michaels as his enforcer — and nemesis. This led to two WWE Championship reigns, with Sid defeating two of the best — Michaels and Bret Hart — to capture the titles.

Sid later returned to WCW and became a two-time heavyweight champion.

Legacy inductee: Bad News Brown

Bad News Brown was exactly what his moniker indicated — he was a no-nonsense powerhouse. After a brief stint with the WWE in the late 1970s, Brown returned to the WWE in 1988 and immediately made an impact at WrestleMania IV, winning the opening Battle Royal by eliminating WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart last.

Throughout his time in the WWE, Brown worked with the top stars — Hulk Hogan, “Macho Man” Randy Savage and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.

Brown faced Jim Duggan at WrestleMania V, followed by a match with Roddy Piper at WrestleMania VI.

Brown was a true tough guy — a persona that left a lasting mark in WWE.

Celebrity inductee: Dennis Rodman

Rodman was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2026, he will join the WWE Hall of Fame.

One of the NBA’s most notable rebounders made his pro wrestling debut in 1997 alongside “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan on “WCW Monday Nitro.” Rodman became a member of the New World Order and took part in a trio of matches during his time with the company.

At the 1997 Bash at the Beach pay-per-view, he teamed with Hogan, but the duo lost to Lex Luger and The Giant (Big Show). At the same event a year later, Rodman picked up his first pro wrestling victory when he and Hogan beat Diamond Dallas Page and NBA star Karl Malone. In 1999, Rodman took part in a match with Randy Savage at Road Wild.

Rodman’s charisma fit perfectly in the world of pro wrestling, and he has earned his spot in the celebrity wing.

Immortal moment: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant, WrestleMania III

The bodyslam heard around the world is one of the most replayed scenes in WWE history. At WrestleMania III, Hogan and Andre met in one of the company’s most famous main events.

Before the epic clash, the former allies became rivals during several “Piper’s Pit” segments, where Andre eventually challenged Hogan for the WWE Championship. To this day, it’s one of the all-time great buildups to a WrestleMania match.

A claimed record attendance of 93,000 fans at Michigan’s Pontiac Silverdome watched as Hogan struggled to bodyslam Andre early in the match. But as the match neared its culmination, he lifted Andre and delivered the slam — and the crowd erupted.

The bodyslam ranks as one of pro wrestling’s greatest moments.

NEW YORK — Azzi Fudd is on her way to Dallas as the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft with a $500,000 payday waiting for the former UConn star.

“I’m not really sure I have words to describe that feeling what that meant,” Fudd said of getting drafted. “I don’t think it’s fully sunk in. It’s nothing I could have imagined. The feeling of sitting with my family, with Morgan (Valley), hearing your name called, go up there. Such a surreal feeling.”

Fudd will pair again with former Huskies teammate Paige Bueckers, who was the Wings’ top pick last year. Bueckers — who along with Fudd gave UConn a record seven No. 1 selections — was in attendance at the draft along with Fudd’s Huskies teammates.

“Paige is an incredible player, everyone knows that,” Fudd said. “She’s someone that makes playing basketball with easy.”

UCLA stars Lauren Betts and Gabriela Jaquez went in the top five, a little over a week after leading the Bruins to their first NCAA championship.

Their teammate, Kiki Rice, went sixth to Toronto, the first pick for the expansion franchise. The Tempo chose to have the higher pick in the college draft after winning a coin toss, giving the Portland Fire the top choice in the expansion draft earlier this month.

UCLA broke UConn’s record of having four players drafted in the first round, a mark the Huskies set in 2002, when Angela Dugalić went ninth to Washington — teaming her again with Betts — and Gianna Kneepkens was chosen by Connecticut with the last pick of the opening round.

With Charlisse Leger-Walker‘s selection in the second round at No. 18 by the Sun, the Bruins also broke a record shared by Tennessee (1997, 2008), Notre Dame (2019) and South Carolina (2023), which all had five players drafted in total.

The new collective bargaining agreement that was ratified last month gave huge pay raises to rookies. Fudd will make nearly seven times what Bueckers earned last season as the top choice. The No. 2 and No. 3 picks will get $466,913 and $436,016, respectively.

Second- and third-round picks will make $270,000 — which is more than the previous maximum salary in the old CBA.

“I’m just blessed and grateful to come at this time,” said No. 8 pick Flau’jae Johnson, who went to Golden State before being traded to Seattle. “The 30th season [of the WNBA]. My goal is to leave it better than I found it. It’s a gratitude thing, but also a responsibility thing. I’m taking that with full force.”

Minnesota took Olivia Miles of TCU with the No. 2 pick. Miles decided to stay in college last season instead of enter the WNBA draft. She transferred from Notre Dame to the Horned Frogs. She helped the team reach the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year.

“Deep breath that’s why I got emotional,” Miles said of finishing her journey. “It’s finally here, finally heard my name. This is what this was for.”

After Seattle took Spain center Awa Fam Thiam at No. 3, Washington selected the 6-foot-7 Betts before the Chicago Sky followed with Jaquez, who is the sister of Miami Heat player Jaime Jaquez Jr. She now has family bragging rights not only with a national championship, but also was picked higher than him. Jaime was taken 18th in the NBA draft in 2023.

Portland took Spanish guard Iyana Martín Carrión with its first-ever pick. Indiana took South Carolina’s Raven Johnson with the 10th pick and Washington drafted Cotie McMahon of Ole Miss next.

Connecticut took French player Nell Angloma with the 12th pick. A second Gamecock went next with Madina Okot drafted by Atlanta. Seattle drafted Duke‘s Taina Mair with the 14th choice.

The Sun closed out the first round choosing Kneepkens.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Who is ready for some big-money baseball?

The most expensive series in MLB history begins Monday night when the New York Mets, carrying a $375 million-plus CBT payroll, visit the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have an MLB-high $413.5 million CBT payroll this season.

When you factor in the competitive balance tax both teams are paying this year, the total player expenditure for the 2026 season jumps to more than $1.07 billion.

As the two biggest spenders the sport has ever seen square off, we break down how their outsized payrolls compare to the rest of MLB and how their financial might will be on display this week. (Payroll numbers from Spotrac’s MLB salary database)

Astounding facts about the Dodgers’ and Mets’ payrolls

• The Dodgers’ 2026 CBT payroll is more than the bottom four spenders (White Sox, Rays, Guardians and Marlins) combined while the Mets total payroll is more than Chicago, Cleveland and Tampa Bay combined.

• The Dodgers’ 2026 estimated tax bill of $161.9 million is higher than 12 teams’ total tax payrolls this season while the Mets’ $120 million tax bill is higher than six teams’ tax payrolls.

• The combined 2026 salaries of the four players with the highest AAV (average annual value) on the Dodgers and Mets (Juan Soto, Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette) is more than the total payroll of 14 teams and within $400,000 of the Seattle Mariners.

• The New York Yankees are the only team besides the Mets with a payroll within $100 million of the Dodgers this season. The Phillies rank fourth in the sport at $312.7 million, which is $100.8 million shy of L.A.

• Last year’s meeting between the Mets and Dodgers was the previous most expensive series at $764 million in combined payroll — $36 million in total payroll behind this year’s matchup. When you add in their tax bills, the total jumps to over $1.07 billion, surpassing last year’s record of $1.025 billion

• The Dodgers and Mets have ranked first and second (in some order) in total payroll four times since 2022. 2023, when the Mets ranked first and the Dodgers fourth, is the only exception during that stretch.

The highest paid players on the Dodgers and Mets

L.A’s most notable big contracts

• Shohei Ohtani, 10 years, $700 million: The oft-mentioned deferrals in Ohtani’s record-setting contract spread payments out through 2043 with a yearly luxury tax value of $46 million.

• Kyle Tucker, 4 years, $240 million: Tucker sent shockwaves through the sport with his four-year, $240 million contract with the Dodgers last offseason. Though shorter in length than many other big-money deals, after factoring in deferrals, the $57 million CBT AAV is the largest in MLB history.

• Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 12 years, $325 million: Weeks after Ohtani signed with the Dodgers during the 2023-24 offseason, Yamamoto signed a record contract of his own in joining L.A. on the largest starting pitcher contract in MLB history.

New York’s most notable big contracts

• Juan Soto, 15 years, $765 million: The owner of the largest total contract in MLB history won’t be on the field for this week’s series as Soto is on the injured list with a right calf strain.

• Francisco Lindor, 10 years, $341 million: Lindor signed what was then the largest contract ever given to a shortstop shortly after joining the Mets in a 2021 trade with Cleveland.

• Bo Bichette, 3 years, $126 million: The Mets pivoted to Bichette after missing out on Tucker in January, giving the former Blue Jays infielder a deal with the fourth-largest AAV in the sport (behind only Ohtani, Tucker and Soto).

Why are the Dodgers and Mets able to spend at a level so far above the rest of the league?

Brad Doolittle gets into some of the details in the next question but suffice it to say: Revenues in baseball are not equal. In the NFL, the national media rights deals are split evenly among the 32 teams — about $432 million per team. In MLB, national media rights are also shared — but local media revenue is not. So while the Dodgers’ local TV deal with SportsNet LA generates an estimated $334 million per year (based on an annual average for the deal, which runs through 2038), smaller-market teams may earn a tenth of that. The Milwaukee Brewers, for example, earned a reported $35 million from their FanDuel agreement last year and owner Mark Attanasio claimed earlier this year that number will decline $20 million in 2026 as the Brewers move over to MLB Advanced Media. Of course, the Brewers nonetheless won more games in 2025 than the Dodgers.

You also have vast differences in ballpark revenue. The Dodgers easily led MLB in attendance in 2025, averaging over 49,500 fans per game. The Mets ranked fifth, averaging over 39,000 per game. Meanwhile, five teams averaged under 20,000 fans per game while four others were under 25,000. The advantages of playing in a bigger market extend beyond local media revenue.

In the Dodgers’ case, don’t underestimate the impact that Shohei Ohtani alone has on the bottom line. When they won the 2020 World Series, the Dodgers were fifth in competitive balance tax payroll. In 2023, the year before they signed Ohtani, they were fourth. That number climbed from $268 million in 2023 to $417 million in 2025. Put it this way: With the revenue Ohtani generates, any team could have afforded to sign, although the Dodgers have certainly leveraged his value better than any other team could have.

In the Mets’ case, you have an owner in Steve Cohen who wants to win — and has been willing to spend big in an attempt to do that. Cohen bought the team after the 2020 season from the Wilpon family. Under the Wilpons, the Mets never cracked the top 10 in payroll from 2012 to 2019, ranking as low as 27th in 2014 — and made the playoffs just twice in those years. Under Cohen, the Mets have ranked first or second in payroll each year since 2022. The big contract for Juan Soto last year paid immediate dividends at the gate: Attendance jumped to 3.18 million, up from 2.33 million in 2024. Like the Dodgers, the Mets are willing to spend money to make money — which many other teams are reluctant to do, even if they can afford such risks. — David Schoenfield

How did the Dodgers’ payroll get to this level?

Not to oversimplify things, but first and foremost the Dodgers spend at this level because they can afford it. According to analysis of baseball’s economic landscape by Forbes and CNBC, L.A. has swamped the rest of the majors with massive revenue streams that seem to keep swelling each season. During a moment of upheaval in the local broadcast revenues column of most teams’ balance sheets, the Dodgers’ deal continues to be a cash cow. It seems like there’s a weekly announcement about some massive new sponsorship deal, many of them partnerships with Japan-based companies looking to cash in on the Ohtani phenomenon. They continue to pack Dodger Stadium and the galaxy of parking lots around it despite the game’s highest ticket prices. If you average the data from Forbes and CNBC, we’re talking about $900 million in revenue last season, $168 million more than the second-place Yankees and nearly four times that of the last-place White Sox.

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but the Dodgers could spend even more on payroll if they wanted to. That may or may not take them into the red at the operating income level, but with franchise valuations now pushing to around $8 billion, what’s a few million bucks here or there? Taking a rough cut at it, using the Forbes/CNBC figures for estimated revenue and last season’s final CBT payrolls, as estimated by Baseball Prospectus’ Cot’s Contracts, the Dodgers allotted about 46% of their 2025 revenue to their CBT payroll. That’s actually below the MLB average of 47.7%. For all those decrying the Dodgers’ spending, it’s pretty easy to make the argument that the problem here isn’t spending disparity, it’s revenue disparity.

Even so, the Dodgers have spent rationally. They often wield baseball’s highest payroll, but not always. The last few seasons, they’ve targeted the top of whatever market they were interested in and won more than their share of those pursuits. Want the best available free agent starter? Well, here’s Blake Snell. Want the best overseas pitcher? How about Yoshinobu Yamamoto one year and Roki Sasaki the next. Best available hitter? Hello, Kyle Tucker. Best closer? Sorry, Mets, Edwin Diaz is with us now. And, of course, if you want the best player now and perhaps ever and one of the most famous and marketable athletes on the planet? Shohei Ohtani looks right at home in Dodger Blue. But if the Dodgers had not completed these pursuits successfully, they probably would have a lower payroll. Nothing in their behavior over the last decade-plus suggests they’d simply throw the money at somebody else.

Aiding this gradual climb of revenue and payroll has been the Dodgers’ comprehensive domination of baseball processes. Through all of their success and the lower draft picks that come with it, they continue to feature a fecund farm system that allows them to plug in-season holes and pull off trades for players like Mookie Betts. The expectation of winning and the culture the Dodgers have created is a magnet for top talent. All of these things iterate with each season, making each factor tilt even more in the Dodgers’ favor. This is how dynasties come to be. — Bradford Doolittle

How did the Mets’ payroll get to this point?

It starts and ends with Steve Cohen. The hedge fund billionaire became the wealthiest owner in Major League Baseball when he bought the Mets from the Wilpons for $2.4 billion in November 2020. He is worth over $20 billion according to recent estimates and he has not hesitated to invest piles of cash into the organization. The Mets’ payroll jumped from $158.7 million in 2019, the 12th-highest in the majors, to $330.7 million by 2023, the highest in baseball. The Mets have operated at a loss for most of Cohen’s stewardship, but that hasn’t stopped him from spending even though the Mets have yet to win an NL East title and have reached the postseason only twice in his first five seasons. Cohen desperately wants to win the franchise’s first World Series since 1986 and he’s spending whatever he believes is necessary — not just on payroll but on infrastructure and employees — to make it happen.

Unlike the Dodgers, the Mets don’t own their television network (the Wilpons remain majority owners of SNY), they don’t boast a robust revenue stream from another country, and they don’t sell out every night. But Cohen’s plan for a casino and resort next to Citi Field appears likely after a yearslong battle, potentially giving the billionaire a lucrative moneymaker. Cohen will likely keep spending on his baseball team. Whether on-field success ever follows remains to be seen. — Jorge Castillo

What is the one at-bat we could see in this series that would most signify the big-spending ways of both teams?

Here’s the one that jumps out (with Soto sidelined): Kyle Tucker versus Sean Manaea. Tucker’s four-year, $240 million contract with the Dodgers created an uproar in the baseball world, with many predicting that contract will be the one everyone cites when there is a likely lockout after the season. Not that Tucker isn’t a good player; he is. But how many teams could afford this kind of deal? He’s not a marquee player like Ohtani, Yamamoto, Freddie Freeman or Mookie Betts. But the Dodgers saw it as signing an All-Star player for minimal risk, since the deal is only four years, even if the average annual salary makes Tucker the highest-paid player in 2026. Other teams saw it as a sign of the apocalypse to make him the highest-paid player.

Manaea’s contract, meanwhile, symbolizes the Mets’ gluttonous payroll that hasn’t produced the same level of success. Manaea had been a below-replacement-level pitcher in 2022 and 2023 but then had a good season for the Mets in 2024, helping them reach the NLCS. The Mets re-signed him to a three-year, $75 million contract as a free agent. He then had a bad 2025, going 2-4 with a 5.64 ERA, and is pitching out of the bullpen so far in 2026, making him the most expensive middle reliever in the game.

The Dodgers spend and win. The Mets spend and hope to make the playoffs. — Schoenfield

Despite carrying similar payrolls over the past five seasons, why have the Dodgers had more on-field success than the Mets?

Since Andrew Friedman took over baseball operations in October 2014, the Dodgers have built an infrastructure that is the envy of teams around the league. It’s not just the size of their staff that overwhelms opponents. It’s the quality. They scout exceptionally well, domestically and internationally. Their player-development system consistently churns out high-quality major league talent. Their analytics and player-performance departments identify areas of improvement and craft well-considered plans.

The Mets are getting better in all of these areas, but true organizational excellence takes time and consistency. Check back in a couple of years, when David Stearns has had time to unfurl a full organizational overhaul, and the gap is bound to be smaller. — Jeff Passan

In the NBA, March and April can be a mirage.

The final few weeks of the regular season feature the best teams preparing for the playoffs, the worst teams tanking, banged-up star players being shut down and plenty of outlier situations unfolding.

The bottom line? Performances and storylines at this point in the season aren’t always predictive of the league, its teams and its players’ future. (The Malachi Flynn Principle, if you will.)

As a result, one thing coaches, scouts and executives do this time of year is decide whether what they’re seeing on the court is real or not. As the 2025-26 regular season enters its final weekend, we asked league insiders which late-season trends will carry over to the playoffs and which could reverse once the stakes become greater.

Brian Windhorst: It is important to understand that both Doncic (hamstring) and Reaves (oblique) were diagnosed with Grade 2 strains. Both players will absolutely try to find a way to come back in time to make an impact on the first round, but these are significant injuries. Who can say how a soft tissue injury will feel two weeks from now, but the Lakers have to operate as if Doncic and Reaves will miss the entire series.

The question becomes: Can the Lakers win four of seven games with 41-year-old LeBron James carrying them against the Houston Rockets, their most likely opponent?

“There’s tactical stuff I’m sure [Lakers coach JJ Redick] and his staff are examining, and they’re running through lineup ideas,” an Eastern Conference scout told ESPN. “But honestly, the Lakers need LeBron to have a hot shooting series and for the Rockets to have a cold shooting series. That’s possible, and when LeBron gets his 3-pointer going, it opens up the entire game.”

“They need Marcus Smart to be healthy,” a Western Conference scout said. “He’s an important point-of-attack defender for them. They can’t afford to lose another starter, and he’s been out.”

Tim Bontemps: The unfortunate irony is that James, Doncic and Reaves had finally gotten themselves going — in large part because James bought into a “third star” role.

“Someone always has to sacrifice in that role,” an East executive said. “In the past, that’s been Chris Bosh or Kevin Love. This time, it was him.”

Now, the Lakers will lean on James to carry lineups that are virtually devoid of ballhandling and shot creation. You can construct a world where the Lakers can do that — James gets hot, the Lakers’ role players hit shots and Houston struggles in the clutch — but that’s also ignoring the clear talent gap between the two sides with Doncic and Reaves out.

“Houston’s defense,” a West executive said, “will just swallow them up.”

Windhorst: For two decades, when James’ teams have been in trouble, the old reliable has been to put the ball in his hands, spread the floor and let him find the best shot. But there is a question of whether James, who has looked healthy for the past four to six weeks, can still beat players off the dribble in the half court. (Much of the damage he has done during the Lakers’ second-half surge has been in transition, where he remains very effective.)

“I’d love to be able to see LeBron have a vintage series,” a second West executive said. “But I’m afraid the teams that win the play-in might give OKC and San Antonio a better series than the Lakers can give Houston without AR and Luka.”

Is Boston’s supporting cast good enough for another Finals run?

Bontemps: Much of the focus during the Celtics’ time as title contenders has been on their stars: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and also players such as Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Jrue Holiday.

But that focus has masked one of the NBA’s top player development machines, one that has continuously turned late first-round picks, second-round picks and undrafted players into mainstays. This season, after the franchise lost Porzingis, Horford and Holiday in the offseason, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla has put role players such as Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez in positions to succeed.

“Everyone’s weaknesses are minimized,” an Eastern scout said, “and they maximize their guys’ strengths. And, by doing that, they create so many 3s that it’s tough to match up with them.”

Windhorst: Mazzulla really did a masterful job this season of developing his bench and setting and defining roles that allowed Tatum to rejoin seamlessly. It also helps that Payton Pritchard has matured into an indispensable contributor who delivers whether he’s starting or coming off the bench.

But rivals believe Boston’s young players will be tested.

“There’s going to be a bad quarter or two, and probably not until the second round, where their young guys are going to show their age,” an East executive said. “They probably have enough [star power] to bail them out once or twice, but how they respond to adversity will teach us a lot about how good this roster really is.”

Bontemps: Boston’s other question is at center. Neemias Queta is a deserving Most Improved Player candidate, but his potential playoff matchups include the Detroit Pistons‘ Jalen Duren, the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ Jarrett Allen and the New York Knicks‘ Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson. The Celtics’ backups, Luka Garza and Nikola Vucevic, are both floor spacers but question marks defensively.

“Can you survive with Queta and Garza and Vuc [at center]?” a West assistant coach said. “I think they’re the team to beat because I’ve seen them do it.”

Will the Cavs’ defensive regression doom them?

Windhorst: The Cavaliers had one of their best halves in the past few weeks Wednesday when they beat the Hawks, who entered the night winning 18 of their past 21 games. They held Atlanta to 41% shooting in the second half, and Donovan Mitchell and James Harden were terrific in a 44-point third quarter. Evan Mobley had a big game scoring and rebounding.

But that game stuck out because the Cavs allowed 67 points in the first half, part of a regression over the past two-plus months that has dropped their defensive efficiency to 17th since the All-Star break. Earlier this week, they gave up an NBA-record 29 3-pointers to the Memphis Grizzlies, part of a 3-point defense that has been victimized this season. Cleveland is allowing 42% shooting on corner 3s since the break, 20th in the league alongside many of the tanking teams.

The Cavs are 19-6 when Harden plays, but their defensive struggles and shifting lineups have made it hard to have enormous confidence in them.

“Harden is a master of offense, and he and Mitchell are an absolute load to handle every night,” an East scout said. “But Harden has been in better shape and the referees don’t give him as many calls as they used to for some reason. And it shows up on defense; he and Mitchell sometimes get torched out there.”

Bontemps: On one hand, Cleveland can hope that getting back Allen, who has been dealing with knee issues for the past few weeks, will help remedy its struggling defense.

On the other hand, relying on either Max Strus or Dean Wade to guard elite bigger wings and ball handlers in the playoffs could prove to be a struggle.

“Allen has missed a bunch of time, and he’s a big part of who they are,” a scout who saw the Cavaliers recently said. “You’ll get a bump because it’s the playoffs, and everyone is locked in, but you still have to manage Donovan and James. …

“Strus and Wade aren’t good enough, and Keon Ellis is too small.”

Windhorst: Harden is averaging 5.8 free throws per game in Cleveland, down from 8.5 in the 44 games he played for the Clippers this season. The Cavs are fourth in the league in offensive efficiency since trading for him.

“I understand the reasons they made the Harden trade, and I think it did put them in a better spot,” an East executive said. “But they are going to have times where they’re going to be better off with [Sam] Merrill out there on defense more than Harden. I think they’ll go as far as Donovan’s scoring can take them, and that’s something we’ve seen before with his teams.”

Mitchell has averaged 28 points over 63 playoff games, with seven 40-point playoff games and three 50-point playoff games. He has never reached a conference finals.

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Can Jalen Duren be the second option for a Finals team?

Bontemps: Duren, alongside MVP candidate Cade Cunningham, has driven massive success during Detroit’s run to the East’s top seed. But can the first-time All-Star center score enough to be the second option on a team that hasn’t had any playoff success yet?

“I like Duren,” a West executive said. “I’m terrified to give him his max [this summer], but the dude is a beast. He grabs every rebound, can guard and his scoring has exceeded everything I would have expected coming into the season.”

Windhorst: When Cunningham was sidelined with a collapsed lung, the playmaking-challenged Pistons started leaning on Duren to create offense for them. Coach JB Bickerstaff designed plays on which Duren was the trigger man with the ball at the top of the key, something few knew he had in his game. His usage rate and assists spiked, and the Pistons’ offense really benefited.

In the 12 games before Cunningham got hurt, Duren had a total of 14 assists. In a nine-game stretch with Cunningham out, Duren averaged four per game. It’s something new the Pistons could have in the game plan during the playoffs.

Bontemps: That said, teams have typically needed a second high-level ball handler to get to the end in the postseason, like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams for Oklahoma City last year. That option doesn’t exist right now for Detroit, meaning it will have to be a committee approach.

“When the first guy has so much usage, is that easier?” the West executive asked. “That helps it some. But I don’t know if it can be only him.”

Is San Antonio’s post-All-Star shooting surge real?

Windhorst: Early in the season, even as the Spurs were off to an awesome start behind Victor Wembanyama‘s rim attacking, the common counter was to pack the paint to force 3-pointers. It was a sound strategy — the Spurs aren’t loaded with long-range shooters, and Wembanyama can be tempted into lower-percentage shots. Over the season’s first 50 games, the Spurs were 17th in 3-pointers per game and 22nd in percentage.

“I keep seeing you media guys say why the Spurs aren’t going to win the title,” one East vice president said. “You’d be better off listing reasons why they are.”

OK, here is a big one: Since the All-Star break, the Spurs have surged big-time from deep. They are shooting better than 38%, third in the league in that span, and are up to 14.9 makes a game, putting them just outside the top five.

Bontemps: It’s one thing to make those shots in February and March. It’s another to make them in late April, May and June — particularly when this roster is largely devoid of playoff experience.

It’s been 30 years since a team in this type of position reached the NBA Finals without making a run the year before: the 1995 Orlando Magic, led by Shaquille O’Neal and Anfernee Hardaway. There are plenty of similarities between these two teams, and perhaps things will play out like they did that year for the Magic and their young stars.

However, Saturday’s thriller against the Denver Nuggets, during which Keldon Johnson, De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle combined to go 0-for-16, is a window into the approach playoff opponents could take.

“Young guys going through the playoffs for the first time is a totally different animal,” a West assistant coach said. “It will be interesting to see how those guys handle it.

“But maybe Victor will figure it all out on his own.”

Can Stephen Curry power Golden State to two road wins?

Bontemps: The immediate answer from league insiders I spoke to was “no.” Obviously, it’s been a brutal season for Golden State from an injury perspective, including losing both Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody for the season, plus the Jonathan Kuminga drama over the first half of the season and Kristaps Porzingis and Curry missing large chunks of the second half.

“I’m not sure they even win the 9-10 game, let alone both,” a West scout said. “It’s one thing when Steph gets it going at home and he’s got that crowd roaring behind him. That’s a real thing.

“It’s different when they’re on the road and he’s doing it somewhere else. That same factor just isn’t there.”

Windhorst: So much of the attention on the Warriors is naturally on Curry, a game changer in every way. But the Warriors’ defense has really struggled coming down the stretch as Steve Kerr has managed injuries.

“Our analytics people will tell me that 3-point shooting often comes down to luck, and it’s just a matter of the quality of the shot,” a West scout said. “Well, the Warriors sure as hell must be having some terrible luck, because the last few times I’ve watched them they’re getting killed on corner 3s.”

The numbers, horrifyingly for Golden State, back that up. Since the All-Star break, the Warriors are giving up a league-worst 46% shooting percentage on corner 3-pointers and a jaw-dropping 57% on right corner 3s. But it’s also bad inside, as opponents are shooting 71% in the restricted area over the past two months, fifth worst in the league.

It’s difficult to look at the Warriors’ current form and argue they’re primed for any sort of run.