Eastern Conference
#1 Toronto Raptors Vs #8 Washington Wizards (Toronto Leads Series 2-0)
The Raptors suddenly have one of the deepest teams in the NBA. Delon Wright has been spectacular, Lucas Noguera, Pascal Siakam, Jakob Poeltl, CJ Miles. All these guys have an impact on the game. Fred Van Vleet hasn’t even played yet, so that makes them 11,12+ deep.
Derozan went for 37 points in game 2 and while Kyle Lowry is never spectacular in the playoffs, he did almost put up a triple double last game.
For the Wizards….its simple. They don’t like each other. John Wall only cares about his stats, and don’t get me wrong he has great stats, but its so obvious that the team doesn’t consider him there leader.
Last game there was an epic moment where John Wall and Gortat were arguing on the bench, and sitting next to them was Brad Beal with his head in a towel. His head was in a towel for like a full 10 seconds, and the game wasn’t even that close to being over, but clearly Beal was already defeated, either that or he was just so sick of listening to John Wall’s constant bitching.
#4 Cleveland Cavaliers Vs #5 Indiana Pacers (Series Tied 1-1)
This series is fun, aside from Jazz, Thunder it is the one too watch. The Indiana Pacers have been underrated all year, and Oladipo is a superstar. The Cavs will probably win in 7, because of the pure greatness that is Lebron James, but they don’t look good. They almost blew there big lead last game, and got lucky that Oladipo missed a wide open 3 to tie the game. I would be concerned if I was a Cavs fan, LBJ went for 46 points at home and you almost lost.
Kevin Love messed up his thumb, George Hill doesn’t look like he can be the point guard on a championship team, and the young guys they got in the trade (aside from Jordan Clarkson) haven’t meshed with the team. The only positive is that J.R Smith seems to be a different player in the playoffs. He is holding his own.
For the Pacers, Myles Turner looks really good. He is a fantastic young player. Darren Collson has played well, Thaddeus Young, Cory Joseph. Its a good, deep team. I truly believe Lance Stephenson is one of the only players in the NBA that gets in LeBron’s head. It will be really fun to see that matchup progress, especially as Lance has the home crowd behind him in Indiana to encourage his antics.
#3 Philadelphia 76ers Vs #6 Miami Heat (76ers Lead Series 2-1)
Ben Simmons is great and Bellineli can’t miss a shot. Dario Saric is always killing the Heat, but the reason the Heat will lose the series is because Embiid is in another class than Hassan Whiteside. I can’t stand this guy. He is such a bad teammate its scary. I have posted articles all year about how much I can’t stand this guy, and he just keeps proving my point. Last night after he was totally embarrassed for a third straight game, again he deflecting the blame onto everyone but himself. Saying coach just wants him to stand in the corner and set picks. Well guess what, thats all your good for. Not one time did I see you aggressively post up, not one time did I see you even set a strong pick. You are totally worthless and you are the reason we are going to lose this series.
https://steemit.com/sports/@toddcast/my-least-favorite-heat-player-ever-hassan-whiteside
The 76ers really move the ball well, and right now the Heat don’t. I love D Wade too death, but the ball is a bit stagnant when he’s in the game. The best lineup we can throw on the court is Dragic, Richardson, Winslow, James Johnson, Kelly Olynyk.
#2 Boston Celtics Vs #7 Milwaukee Bucks (Boston Leads Series 2-0)
Eric Bledsoe had the nerve to say “Terry Rozier, Who The F Is That”, when asked a direct question about him being outplayed. You know who he is Eric, he’s the backup (Kyrie Irving) to the backup (Marcus Smart) who is busting your ass. Brad Stevens is The Coach Of The Year and he keeps proving it. There isn’t even a single thing I can point at and say this is why they are winning, its simply good strong team basketball.
Western Conference
#1 Houston Rockets Vs #8 Minnesota Timberwolves (Houston Leads Series 2-0)
Karl Anthony Towns where are you??? I posted an article right before the season ended saying I would rather see Jokic in the playoffs than Towns and so far that has been proven correct. He has been atrocious. The Rocket are simply too good for the T-Wolves. This is going to be a sweep, not worth be commenting on.
https://steemit.com/nba/@toddcast/nuggets-t-wolves-preview-win-or-go-home
#4 Oklahoma City Vs #5 Utah Jazz (Series Tied 1-1)
This is the best series of the first round, and its not that close. Donovan Mitchell continues to become a superstar before our eyes. That spin move he put on Paul George in the closing minutes of Game 2!! It reminds me of the famous D Wade Vs Charlotte Hornets shot his rookie season, first playoff series. I was worried that his foot was messed up after Game 1, but he looked just fine.
Rubio played well, Gobert gets the boards and defends the paint, Ingles plays stifling defense, and Derick Favors played his ass off in Game 2 (20 Points, 16 Rebounds). They got a solid 10 point bench production out of Jonas Jerebko, and that will need to continue. I personally think Jae Crowder needs to give them more than 1 point in 19 minutes for them to win this series.
The Thunder look solid as well, although I will continue to not like Carmelo Anthony, who just jacks up three after three. Paul George was great in Game 1, and Russell Westbrook will always bring intensity to the game. Corey Brewer has been a really nice surprise for them, he plays hard. They don’t have much in the way of bench production. Jerami Grant gave them good minutes, be he can’t shoot. Patrick Patterson and Alex Abrines combined for 0 points in a combined 25 minutes last game. The Thunder need someone on there bench to step up.
#3 Portland Trailblazers Vs #6 New Orleans Pelicans (Pelicans Lead Series 3-0)
I was absolutely wrong about this series. Shootout to @brandonp who nailed it. He said the Blazers were probably the worst matchup in the league when it came to guarding Anthony Davis and he was right. But its not just that, Jrue Holiday & playoff Rondo are totally outclassing Lillard and McCollum. I did not see that coming.
The Pelicans are 8-0 since Nikola Mitotic shaved his beard. He is the fountain of the youth, scoring a play-off career high 30 points last night!
This series is basically over, as well all know the history behind teams down 3-0 in the playoffs. This is a real surprise for me, after Damian & CJ complained all year about how they never get respect, they are proving why we don’t give it to them.
#2 Golden State Warriors Vs #7 San Antonio Spurs (Warriors Lead Series 3-0)
This series isn’t worth commenting on. The Warriors are too good for the Spurs. The only downside for them, is the Pelicans are going to sweep the Blazers, and Steph Curry isn’t going to get that extra week of rest between round 2.
WHAT SERIES HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE SO FAR? WHAT PLAYER HAS IMPRESSED YOU THE MOST?