This is the last post of Hoops Now and Then. From now on, Baseball Now and Then and Basketball Now and Then will consolidate to form 4 Sports Now and Then. The 4 stands for the 4 major sports that I will cover, and that the blog is for sports. In the Warriors, Cavaliers, and Rockets are going on the Second Round. It seemed inevitable, that the two defending conference champions would sweep, and that a team with one of the best players in the NBA would advance. I'm sorry to all of the Blazers and Pacers fans out there, but they did not stand a chance. I was however surprised with how quick the highly anticipated Thunder vs. Rockets series lasted. Russ left to early. The Spurs and Raptors could advance with wins tomorrow. The Celtics and Bulls will battle for a commanding series lead, as are the Wizards and Hawks right now. I will continue to follow the NBA in 4 Sports Now and Then. I will also follow Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, and eventually football, although not as much as the others. Here the link to my new blog. Enjoy! http://4sportsnowandthen.blogspot.com/ 

The First Round is almost coming to a close, and the Celtics caught a huge break. Rajon Rondo, who was tormenting Boston, was injured, and the Bulls proved in Game 3 that they can not handle the Celtics without him. The Cavaliers are trying to knock off the Pacers right now, and later, the Rockets will play the Thunder. It looks like there will be some good Basketball games today.

The playoffs have begun, and here is Sports Illustrated's bracket. The Celtics, who miraculously got the #1 seed rather than the Cavilers, lost Game 1 to the Bulls, after Isaiah Thomas' sister died in a car crash. The Cavilers just barely got by the Pacers in Game 1 by a score of 109-108, and will play Indiana in Game 2 tonight. Honestly, I hope Indiana wins, because they never win, and I don't like LeBron. He's too cocky and wins too much. #6 Milwaukee stunned Toronto in a blowout win of 97-83. John Wall's Wizards beat the Hawks 114-107. I like the Wizards, I hope they go far,(unless they face the Celtics). In the West, the Spurs slammed the Grizzlies 111-83. If the Warriors don't make it to the Finals, it will be the Spurs. The Jazz beat the Clippers, who always lose early in the playoffs, on a buzzer beater, which you can see here. http://www.nba.com/video/2017/04/15/0041600171-uta-lac-play19
I don't think I need to tell you who won the Warriors-Blazers game. The last Game One was the most anticipated: Russel Westbrook, who is having a historic season with his record setting 42 triple-doubles, and the Thunder versus MVP candidate James Harden and the Rockets. Close match-up, right? Wrong. The Rockets ran away with the game, and pounded the Thunder 118-87. Witch teams are you rooting for. Good Luck to your team, and enjoy Game 2!

Now that the Madness is over, the other basketball playoff will begin in the NBA. The Boston Celtics are playing the Bucks tonight, trying to clinch the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. They have been battling with the mighty Cavaliers for this spot. The Cavaliers will play the #3 seed Raptors. The main NBA headlines however, are not focusing on teams like the Cavs, Celtics, or even the Warriors, but the Minnesota Timberwolves. They have started rebranding by introducing a new logo, seen to the left. The rbranding will also include new jerseys, court designs, and more. It is causing interesting reactions. The Arizona Coyotes had a very funny reaction, which you can see here.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2703359-arizona-coyotes-roast-minnesota-timberwolves-over-new-logo 
 

  At first, I had mixed feelings about it. It looks a lot like an SB Nation logo, but it has grown on me. I like it a lot better than the other one. What do you think about it?  Comment Below to let me know. Also, here is the Timberwolves' new era website. Enjoy!

websitehttp://www.nba.com/timberwolves/newera#0

The American Athletic Conference will have a new team next year. Wichita State, which is a perennial NCAA tournament team, will join the conference starting in July as a basketball and Olympic sport only school.  The Shockers were under-seeded in the tournament this year, and lost to #2 Kentucky in the Second Round by only 3 points. I think the AAC will be perfect for Wichita State because it offers competition for this yearly winner that the weak Missouri Valley Conference does not offer. It also gives them more national attention. In all this will benefit both the school and the conference. Welcome to the AAC, Wichita!