NBA Playoff Takeaways: Round 1
Photo from NBA.com
Usually, the NBA Playoffs first round is just weening out the teams who aren’t cut out for it, and the series are short and not very fun.
It’s why I never really got super into the NBA Playoffs until later on.
But this year, we had some absolutely excellent first round series.
So let’s dive into what we learned.
Thunder defeat Pelicans 4-0
The Pelicans, without Zion Williamson, had a legitimate chance to win game 1, before it fell by the wayside and the Thunder won.
But with the talent deficiency they had minus Zion, and a heartbreaking game 1 loss, it felt like they never had a chance in games 2 through 4.
It was the perfect series for OKC, who has a very young roster and needs playoff experience.
A quick sweep is a great way to get your feet wet.
Mavericks defeat Clippers 4-2
Series tied 2-2. In Los Angeles. The Clippers have a legitimate chance to win the series, which may set them up for a conference finals run.
And in the next two games, James Harden, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook shot a combined 21 for 77, a whopping 27% from the field.
In completely and totally unrelated news, the Clippers lost those two games and subsequently the series.
Quite frankly, I’m not sure where they go from here.
I see no possible way it gets better for the Clippers.
We’ve seen too much that says otherwise.
Timberwolves defeat Suns 4-0
We can talk all we want about the Suns core and future being a total disaster, and it is, but not enough attention is going to the Timberwolves future.
Anthony Edwards is a superstar, which means Karl-Anthony Towns can be a very good number 2 option which is where he thrives, and Rudy Gobert can still be defensive player of the year caliber.
The Wolves are genuinely set up for many, many years of success.
It’s a weird feeling for a Minnesota team.
Nuggets defeat Lakers 4-1
Every game of this series summarized the gap between the teams perfectly.
The Lakers have a lot of talent, play extremely hard, and can get out to big leads.
But when the Nuggets turn it up to 11, the Lakers have absolutely no answer.
That’s why, despite 4 Nuggets wins in 5 games, the Lakers led for about 76% of the series.
Maybe it’s coaching. Maybe it’s depth. Who knows?
But the gap is big enough that it cost the Lakers a deep playoff run.
Celtics defeat Heat 4-1
The Celtics did exactly what they needed to do.
In game 2, the Heat made a franchise record 23 three pointers to get an upset win over the Celtics, which led to the NBA community calling the Celtics fraudulent.
Maybe they are. We’ll find out eventually.
But the Celtics answered how they had to, which is closing out the series by three double digit wins to finish it off.
They did their jobs.
Now, they have to keep doing it.
Cavaliers defeat Magic 4-3
Despite a Cavaliers win in this series, I think the future of these teams looks vastly different.
The Cavs Donovan Mitchell, an established star, will likely want out of Cleveland and to go to a title contender like the Lakers or the Knicks.
The Magic however had an amazing series from second year forward Paolo Banchero, and are now quite an attractive spot for any free agents looking to join an up and comer.
It’s all about the timing.
Pacers defeat Bucks 4-2
No Giannis on a Doc Rivers coached team?
This was a very expected first round exit for Milwaukee.
Knicks defeat 76ers 4-2
The Knicks might just find their way into the NBA Finals.
I know! It sounds crazy!
But Jalen Brunson is a playoff stud, the rest of the roster plays incredibly hard, and the bench is solid where they don’t have much of a drop off when Brunson is off the floor.
They can give Boston a run for their money in the conference finals (if they make it there).
