To say the first round of the playoffs are in full-swing would be an understatement.
You might look at the results and see that every home team/higher seed has won, taking you down the mindset that these games are boring and undesirable, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Chaos in the Garden
Knicks fans, it’s been about 24 hours since the heart-stopping Game 2 victory vs. Philly. We can breathe now. I, like many others, still haven’t fully processed what happened last night.
If you’re here, you’ve seen the clip. But how can I not show it in all it’s glory?
Not only does the last minute of this game display the true identity of this Knicks team, it displays the absolute pandemonium that Madison Square Garden emulates.
The Knicks are a historically unlucky/ill-fated franchise, but the culture of this team is seemingly flipping the script.
Jonathan Macri from Knicks Film School summed it up best by saying, “I saw it unfold, but I don’t believe that it happened yet because that doesn’t happen to the Knicks. That happens against the Knicks or happens when you’re watching other teams.”
The miracle that was this victory couldn’t have been predicted or expected, but because of the Knicks’ strength on the defensive side of the ball, offensive rebounding and three-point shooting, the signs were there.
Onto Game 3 in Philly on Thursday where the high of last night’s victory will have turned into anxiety for what comes next.
Heartbreak in Denver
It’s insane to say that the Knicks/76ers game might not have had the most chaotic ending of the night.
Jamal Murray’s game-winner came at the end of a 9-24 night from the field. Not ideal, but nobody cares as long as that last one went in.
You can’t help but feel for the Lakers after this loss. While I don’t think they played the better game, they did enough to win. It just came down to who got the ball last and I think either team would live with the result as long as they were winning going into the last possession.
I can’t help but think that this is the last run the Lakers have in them with this roster. Obviously there’s roster turnover every year, but there’s no way this front office can think another team with 40-year-old Lebron, Anthony Davis, a few mid-tier guards and rag-tag minimum-contract players can bring home a ring next year. That’s managerial malpractice.
Unless they’re somehow getting Trae Young or someone of that caliber, the Lakers are a lost cause.
I don’t expect the Lakers to get swept in this series. Before Game 1, I picked this series to go to a Game 7. I’m going to stick to that prediction because it’s hard to bet against Lebron, even though his mortality has been exposed in recent years.
They say you don’t realize when you’re in the good old days, and that rings true for Lebron’s streak in appearances to the NBA Finals. Back then, we could skip the entire regular season and just know he was going to be playing basketball in June. How sick was that?
The Rest
Every other series can be summed up in the same amount of time it takes the Knicks to score 8 points (About 30 seconds).
Damian Lillard finally gets a stage to make a playoff run, scoring 35 points in the first-half vs. the Pacers the other night. I wouldn’t be shocked if Milwaukee sweeps Indiana without even needing Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Pacers just aren’t there yet; that’s what happens when you ignore one side of the ball.
The Celtics are a million times more talented than the Miami Heat. Fact.
The Celtics should sweep the Heat. Fact.
The Heat will resort to other techniques to gain advantages against the Celtics, most not pertaining to basketball. Fact.
“Heat Culture” is one of the most overrated and misunderstood phrases in all of basketball. The Heat interpret their “culture” as hard-working, teamwork, and winning-plays. What it really induces is reckless, dirty, tumultuous basketball. If the Celtics can make it out of Miami alive they’ll be dangerous, but the fatigue, bumps, and bruises that will come from a 7-game series against Miami will be felt throughout the rest of the postseason.
The Timberwolves are literally calling the Suns old and washed from play-to-play. Anthony Edwards is pushing the narrative that it’s time for a new era in the league, laughing in Kevin Durant’s face after giving him bucket-after-bucket.
Think Randy Orton in the mid-2000s. Edwards might be a legend-killer.
The Cavs/Magic series doesn’t even deserve this line. Abysmal hoops are being played. Cleveland should sweep.
Oklahoma City vs New Orleans is an interesting series, I suppose. The Thunder are a pretty fun watch, compensating for having to see C.J. McCollum, Brandon Ingram, and Larry Nance Jr. on my TV screen for minutes at a time. I’ve caught some Pelicans games this year and haven’t hated on them as much as I should’ve because it’s hard to watch. I don’t even know what to say about the Pelicans not having Zion. It is what it is.
The Mavs/Clippers series is probably the most even series in the Association. Even after the Game 1 obliteration of Dallas, I expect this series to go the distance. Kawhi Leonard is the X-Factor in this one. If he plays, I’d like to think the Clippers are championship contenders. If the Mavs win this series, I think they’re a lock for the Western Conference Finals with a realistic chance to go the Finals. It’s going to be Luka’s year one of these years, and I think Kyrie simultaneously returns to the Finals. I’m kind of rooting for the storybook ending of Kyrie vs. the Celtics in the Finals. That chapter still needs to be closed.
-Dom