Surprises, disappointments, and game 7’s. This distinctive NBA season had the one thing that always comforted us, held us, scared us, angered us and that’s: playoffs.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Houston Rockets – Lakers won the series 4 to 1
The MVP of this series was the Lakers’ defense and their ability to adjust to Houston’s gameplan. In the first game of the series, it seemed like Houston was at an advantage the entire game. The fact that the Lakers only had one week to prepare for this game after their first-round battle with the Blazers coupled with the Rockets’ small ball-playing style led to a very rough game for the Lakers. The Rockets have a unique system in that they play small ball, where they have a small lineup and put up a bunch of threes to try to tire out your big guy lineup, and this is exactly what happened in the first game. The Lakers were not prepared defensively for this onslaught, and it showed as they lost by almost 20 points. However, the Lakers are a championship-level team, and it shows in their coaching and execution. They could have sat down, gave up, and let the Rockets run away with the series, but they didn’t. For the next four games, the Lakers put up a suffocating defense along with a smaller lineup to keep up with the Rockets. Not only did they keep up, but they blew the Rockets out of the water. They won the next four games and ended the series, telling the NBA and the entire audience watching at home that they were here to play. This series told us that to succeed in the NBA or any professional sports environment —you cannot sit there and just let someone else beat you with any advantages that they might have. You must adapt, adapt, adapt or you will never be the one hoisting the Championship trophy at the end of the season. For the Rockets, this just seemed like an entire year of wasted potential. You have reunited Westbrook and Harden, two of the best players in the game, yet the farthest you reach is the second round. This seems to be the narrative of the Rockets’ postseason aspirations for the past few years. Small ball doesn’t work, especially when the other team has one of the best big men in the game, Anthony Davis. It works here and there, but it’s not effective in its consistency. Something needs to change in their style, or they are never going to end up going all the way in the postseason. The best players in this series for the Lakers was Lebron James, who averaged 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists, and Anthony Davis, who averaged 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists. For the Rockets, it was Harden averaging 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Clippers – Nuggets won the series 4 to 3
Oh. My. God. The Clippers just lost a series that they had a 3 to 1 series lead-in. Can a team go down any lower than the Clippers? I would call this team hot garbage, but then I feel like that would be an insult to garbage. What happened to all the noise and the hype the Clippers were supposed to bring into this playoffs? The Clippers had control of the series early on with Kawhi Leonard balling out. Even Paul George had an impressive game three. The Nuggets had Jokic and Jamal Murray balling out and playing well to each other’s strengths, but it looked like it was going to be an early end for the Nuggets, but then God stepped in and just said “Screw it” and made the series a lot more interesting for the fans. The Nuggets, for the second time in this year’s playoffs, overcame a 3-1 series lead. Jokic and Murray put their team on their back and decided to do the world a favor and put the Clippers where they belong, at home most likely crying. They won the last three games by playing the way they should have. The Nuggets never gave up, and they are going to the Western Conference Final because of this mentality. The Clippers horrendously played down to their opponents, and their mentality resulted in them failing to get out of the second round, the firing of their coach, and getting basked in memes and laughter from the world.
Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks – Heat won the series 4 to 1
My god, how does the team with the best record in the league lose in the second round and win only one game? Yes, Giannis got injured in Game four, but they were dead in the water before they even got to that point. They lost this series because Miami was the better coached team, plain and simple. They found a way to stop the Greek Freak —make sure he can’t get to the rim and push up the score as high as he can until there is no chance for a comeback. If you are a Bucks fan, this series was like watching a car crash slowly unfold. It’s horrifying to watch, and yet you can’t look away. The Bucks need to come up with a better plan than giving Giannis the ball and hoping he wins the game for them. The man is a two-time MVP, not God. And soon, Giannis’s contract will be done, and he could potentially leave the team. This was their year, and they blew it. The Heat played a great series. They put the Bucks down and didn’t let up until they were dead. That is how you are supposed to play a series, take notes, Clippers. The Heat will be a serious contender in the Championship, especially with the likes of Butler, Herro, Bam Adebayo, and Duncan Robinson. This team is stacked with players, and now it is all about getting to the promised land.
Boston Celtics vs Toronto Raptors – Celtics won the series 4 to 3
This series was by far the best in the second round. It was dramatic, filled with miraculous plays and great moments, and was a series that no basketball fan will forget. Unfortunately, Toronto was not going to replay their success from last year. There is one key difference between last year’s roster and this one, and it is a certain player who laughs like a pregnant donkey in labor, Kawhi Leonard. Without Leonard, this series was going to be difficult, downright impossible to win. However, the Raptors never gave up and tried their hardest to win in Game seven but lost a heartbreaker. The Raptors, at the beginning of the series, were not what they should have been offensively. In the first two games of the series, the Raptors couldn’t even reach 100 points. The Celtics’ defense was just that dominating. Game three ended on a miracle play by the Toronto Raptors. Kyle Lowry threw a beauty to Anunoby, who put up the game-winning three with .5 seconds left. This shifted the momentum of the series with the Raptors edging out the Celtics in game four, tying the series. Game 5 was all Celtics. Once again, that monster defense stuffed the Raptors who couldn’t even break 90 points as a professional sports team; they looked more like a JV team with that defense suffocating them like that. Game six was full of drama and took us into DOUBLE OVERTIME with Lowry leading the way for the Raptors, and it ended with Toronto barely squeaking out of the game with a victory. Game seven was just as dramatic with the score being pretty close the entire game. In the end, the Celtics’ defense matched with their young, explosive offense proved too much to handle for the Kawhi Leonard-less Raptors. The Raptors are still a legit team with Lowry still balling out with 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. They just need another superstar, maybe Giannis when he leaves the Bucks during contract time. The Celtics are an impressive bunch of players with Tatyum averaging 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists along with Kemba Walker and the other Celtics. This team was impressive all around, especially their defense, and one can hope they bring this to the Western Conference Final against the Heat.
