A Series-by-Series look at First Round of the NBA Playoffs
Thunder – Grizzlies (4-0)
The Thunder made a statement in the first 2 games of the series. After a posting point differential of +70, you could clearly see the effect of two Play-In games wear on the Grizz during their time in Oklahoma. After a trip across I-40, they did punch back by getting ahead by 29(!!) point in the first half of game 3. But after losing Ja Morant to a hard fall, and the biggest choke job since the Reggie made stared Spike down, the Thunder clawed all the way back to get up 3-0 in the series. Credit to Memphis for not giving up, but having JJJ post-ups be your first option on offense proved to be fruitless as the Thunder swept.
Cavaliers – Heat (4-0)
Cleveland didn’t come to mess around. It was Cavalanche after Cavalanche after Cavalanche. The Heat were the first 10-seed to make it to the playoffs and it showed. The depth of Cleveland proved itself again as one of the best in the league. The Miami tried to convince everyone that they were going to try and fight at home. But in reality, they were just looking forward to their 2 hour flights to Cancun.
Pacers – Bucks (4-1)
First of all, prayers up for Dame. But, did the Bucks lose solely because of that injury? NO! Milwaukee had shown that they were not ready for the playoffs all year. Their bench was not good. Their offense was never particularly pretty. And on top of all that, they traded away one of their key championship players for…Kyle Kuzma??? Sure, he won the 2020 Bubble Championship. But he had been playing ugly, tanking basketball for 4 YEARS. But enough about the Bucks (they will have enough time in the headlines coming up.) The Pacers might be for real. They have an unstoppable supply of guys who will attack and defend at a high level from all over the floor. Don’t look now, but Indiana will cause some trouble just like last year.
Celtics – Magic (4-1)
The Reigning Champs ran rampant in Game 1, sneaked out in Game 2, looked mortal in Game 3, then put away the competition in Games 4 & 5. The young Orlando team looked…young and inexperienced. They showed that they had energy and athleticism, but their lack of shooting really hamstrung them this series. Speaking of…anyone who knows basketball, knows that the Celtics need a healthy Jrue Holiday to have a chance at repeating.
Lakers – Timberwolves (1-4)
These Wolves aren’t scared. ‘Oh no, it’s Lebron, it’s Luka, what shall we do???’ You think Anthony Edawards cares? You think Naz Reid cares? Wolves hunt in a pack. Everyone and their mom (including my mother) thought the Lakers would make it out of this. The whole WORLD (except the North Star State) thought that LA would win the series. The Lakers lack of depth was their obvious Achilles Heel. They even knew it! They only played 5 players all of the second half! The T-Wolves are the scariest team left to face.
Knicks – Pistons (4-2)
BING BONG ! Jalen Brunson on one-and-a-half ankles and Bodega KAT made it past Detroit. The Pistons put up a fight every night. Every game was a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat thriller. The youth and inexperience of the Pistons was thin, thin difference in this series. When it was time for players to be clutch, the experienced New Yorkers came up clutch. And in the playoffs, those few plays, and a 21-0 run in Game 1, are the slim margins that differentiate who goes through.
Nuggets – Clippers (4-3)
Everything happened in this series. We had 2019 Kawhi, 2017 Harden, 2013 Russ, pick any of the last 5 years of Jokic. One player after the other would step up to do incredible, exciting plays that their team needed. MPJ was playing with one shoulder, Zubac turned into Bill Russell, Aaron Gordon got and alley-oop as one half of the backboard lit up. It’s like the NBA asked M. Night Shyamalan to write the script of each game. And in the end, the Nuggets laid a WWE Saturday Night SmackDown at home to close the series. Where the Clippers go from here? Only time will tell. But also, time is something that a franchise built on James Harden and Kawhi Leonard doesn’t have.
Rockets – Warriors (3-4)
Steph Curry and the Warriors, standing on a 3-1 lead. Draymond Green, collecting all the different types of fouls like he’s gonna add them to his Hall-of-Fame bio. Jimmy Butler, proving he can be a great teammate and definitely not a major problem to any locker room ever. They went up against the young, spry Houston team that played like the anti-Warriors. They play big, forcing the ball through Sengun with Steven Adams getting any offensive rebound available. It was a beautiful clash of styles. And in the end, Steph and the Warriors advance. Curry and the boys are inevitable.