If you haven't watched any NBA playoffs, this post is meant for you. It's still early in the postseason, a lot of things are being said about players, but we have to talk whether or not it's too early or too late. I also have made an NBA Bracket for the playoffs but that will be shown in a separate blog post after the playoffs are over, or at least after the first round is over.
-Heat/76ers- Series is tied 2-2, This series is up for grabs. Joel Embiid missed 2 games, the Sixers lost both games, Joel Embiid comes back in game 3 dealing with other injuries and one that involves surgery in the offseason. Nonetheless, Joel's presence has helped the 76ers knot up the series at 2-2, but James Harden seemed to really become an offensive scoring threat last game which was really encouraging to see. This is a really tough call, but I see the 76er's wanting it more than the Heat, and I would think Joel deserves the round victory. I don't believe the Heat have enough consistent offense to keep up with the 76ers with Joel Embiid. Why hasn't Duncan Robinson had more minutes?!
Aftermath- Heat win 4-2 against the 76ers, I was wrong. The Heat ultimately outplayed the 76ers and took the series. Whether or not Embiid was 60% or 80% healthy, his team just didn't have enough to consistently outscore the Heat. The last 2 games of the series were won by the Heat who had different guys contributing to the team's success unlike the inconsistent 76ers. A lot of things have already been said about the 76ers team such as Doc Rivers possibly being the one to blame, whether or not James Harden is still the dominant player he has been, and the 76ers have already announced that Doc Rivers will return as head coach.
-Celtics/Bucks- Series is tied 2-2, This series is tight and seems to rely solely on runs. Both the teams are excellent and are better in different ways, but if their entire team is rolling, that team is going to win. Game four, the Celtics had a lot of contribution especially from Al Horford who is putting a lot more pressure on the Bucks' defense. The Bucks have won with Giannis dominating but he even closed out game 3 which he used to be shamed for.(Not being a great closer for his team) I think the Celtics will take this series and it would look great for them.
Aftermath- Celtics win 4-3 against the Bucks, I was correct and the Celtics are doing exactly what I thought they could do. The Celtics have some incredible defense, a really solid coach, and matched up really well against the Bucks. The Bucks didn't have Khris Middleton, but they showed they were still capable of beating the Celtics in a series. The Celtics had an incredible end to game 7 as they really seemed to hit on all cylinders. Jayson Tatum continues to bring more attention towards his name.
-Suns/Mavericks- Series is tied 2-2, This series is chippy, there's some drama, and there's no clear cut winner. Chris Paul hasn't been consistent this series, Luka has been dominating defenders in the post and he's just been playing great overall. Dorian Finney-Smith having a career night helped the Mavericks take a game, but it's more likely to me that the Suns will take advantage of their size and Devin Booker needs to continue to be a factor for the Suns. I think the Suns will take the next two games and will be facing someone else in the conference finals.
Aftermath- Mavericks win 4-3 against the Suns, oh my gosh. I still can't believe what happened in this series. I honestly don't think I even believed that this series had gone to 7 games. The Mavericks played the best playoff game I've seen in a long time, Luka continues to amaze the fans, but he has exceeded to a new tier. We all know Luka is incredible, but when you lead your team to the conference finals as the number 4 seed, and as a team who had struggled at the beginning of the year, you deserve to be in the best player conversation. As I really try to not to be biased, I must say that the way Luka is leading his team does look similar to Harden carrying the Rockets to the playoffs. One of the differences is that Luka is 23 years old and possibly has not even entered his prime yet.
-Warriors/Grizzlies- *Sigh. Injuries are the worst. I'm not going to comment on whether or not the injury was nobody's fault, or if it was Jordan Poole's fault because that doesn't matter. All that matters is that Ja Morant is injured and was listed doubtful for game 4(He didn't end up playing). Injuries are the worst, but there's no stopping them. The Grizzlies actually put up a really good fight without Morant but the Warriors just came up clutch and closed their home game out to give them a 3-1 series lead. I think this series will end in the next game they play whether or not Ja Morant returns.
Aftermath-The Warriors win 4-2 against the Grizzlies, this series was bittersweet as we saw how incredible Ja Morant will be, and we saw this series end once an injury occurred. There isn't much to say other than the Grizzlies have a solid team despite Ja Morant, but they won't go far without him.
Conference Finals Predictions by the Midway Point of the Next Round
-The Mavericks will be up 3-1 on the Warriors.
-The Celtics and Heat will be knotted up at 2-2.
good stuff, I hated to see Ja Morant get injured, I really think they could have taken the series if he was there, the tricky part will now be to somehow keep that Grizzly Team together so that they can go for the big prize next year!