THE REAL games have started in the NBA, and underdogs made things interesting because some teams were not expected to survive the play-in tournament. The mini-tournament was borderline boring with some blowout games until Stephen Curry and LeBron James spiced things up.
It could have been the Western Conference Finals with Curry shooting from everywhere and LBJ with his clutch-ness, coupled with Oscar-worthy drama that would shame the choreographed moves of pro wrestlers.
This time, the most intimidating teams are not on top of the heap, and because of injuries to their stars and some lineup miscues, they could be in danger of early playoff exits. The West top seeds, Utah and Phoenix, are not favored to go all the way to the Finals, but things could change.
The LA Clippers are tied in their series with Dallas, and it looks like trouble for the Mavs with an ailing Luka Doncic. The Lakers are playing like worn-out champions and are getting sapped some more with another injury to Anthony Davis. They need to win over Phoenix to have a 3-2 edge and maybe advance to face the winner of the Denver-Portland series.
The Jazz has their best season so far in perhaps two decades, and for the past two years had a good regular season. Last year, they failed to advance to the next round. They lead Memphis 3-1 and should be bound to the next round.
New York teams are in. With the easing of restrictions and about 10 million people in the city either fully vaccinated or had at least one dose, the Madison Square Garden and the Barclays Center are bringing in the crowd.
At the right moment, the Nets are in full force, and they are a scary team with their offensive firepower. They’re going against an injury-depleted Boston Celtics that even coach Brad Stevens said would be hard to think of Brooklyn losing. The Celtics scored a win, but it would be hard to get another one versus the Nets’ big three, or four if you include Blake Griffin.
The Knicks are a game away from being eliminated by the Atlanta Hawks. Julius Randle and RJ Barret need to stay consistent in scoring if they wish to recover and maybe tie the series. But whatever happens, qualifying for the playoffs after eight dismal seasons is already a big improvement for the NBA’s most valuable franchise.
Milwaukee – with the memory of their semis exit last season at the hands of Miami still fresh – swept the Heat and now waits for the winner of the Nets-Celtics series. Giannis and the company aim for Milwaukee’s first trip to the Finals since 1974 and their first NBA title since 1971, starring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson.
Philadelphia – with Joel Embiid’s knee injury and Ben Simmon’s inconsistent shooting – should find ways to contain potential 2nd round opponent Atlanta if they want to advance to the EC Finals.
There might be some surprises this year and we could be seeing different teams battling on basketball’s center stage. I could see a Bucks-Nets EC Finale, but the WC finalists are still blurry, with LAL’s chances of repeating getting foggier. It’s the playoffs, and the process of picking out the pretenders from the contenders had started./PN
