A perfect start to the NBA postseason, plus a full NFL mock draft

The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! A personal note: I’ll be sharing more Pulse-related stuff over on Instagram if you’d like to follow along, or if you want to yell at me about mixing up a mascot. Coming up:  🏀 Hornets and Blazers win bangers 🫵 All 257 draft picks 💬 MLB’s group chats Last night’s debut Play-In games were, conservatively, the best possible outcome for the NBA. Two thrilling matchups that went to the final minutes among teams not expected...