Thoughts on Round 1

The playoffs are here and I want to talk about the 6 series that are 2 games in as of Wednesday. Sorry to Magic, Pistons, Suns and Thunder fans but their teams won’t be talked about. Although, I do want to mention how impressive that game 1 win was for Orlando.

Knicks 1, Hawks 1

Let’s start with the series that resumes the soonest. Game 2 was a bad one for New York, for a lot of the game it just felt like Atlanta’s offense just did not have enough to get going and then CJ McCollum happened. He attacked Jalen Brunson over and over again. McCollum had 13 points and 4 assists on 5/6 from the field when guarded by Brunson in game 2. Late in the game, the Hawks ran pick and roll to get Brunson on CJ and the Hawks scored what felt like every time in an isolation. New York is going to need Brunson to be more than a literal traffic cone on the defensive end if they ever want to accomplish what they want too. Jonathan Kuminga was great in game 2 as well after looking like a zero in game 1. His 19 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals played a huge part in the Hawks comeback win. Mike Brown needs to do away with the minutes with both Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns on the bench. The Knicks were -7 in 11:22 with those guts on the bench with an offensive rating of 84.2. They were +1 in 8:50 during game 1 but I don’t think the Knicks can sustain any sort of offense with those 2 guys on the bench. If Brown does go back to it, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby need to be on the floor because they weren’t during game 2. I picked the Knicks in 6 and will stick with that pick but the Hawks have proven they can hang with this team. Game 3 is Thursday at 7pm/EST on Prime Video.

Cavaliers 2, Raptors 0

If we have learned anything from this series it is that the Raptors are pretty hopeless against Cleveland, especially without Immanuel Quickley. They can’t stop the ball when either of the Cavaliers guards, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, get going down hill, and they can’t create enough offense to keep up without Quickley in the lineup. Brandon Ingram needs to, of course, play better than he did in game 2 when he was 3/15 from the field with 7 points and was a -15. He and RJ Barrett are getting beat too quickly in isolation against Harden and Mitchell. I am interested to see what Toronto does at center in game 3, Jakob Poeltl has been a mess and Collin Murray-Boyles can give them more of an offensive punch, even if he is also limited on that side. At the end of the day, Toronto doesn’t have enough to beat the Cavaliers and I would not be stunned if there was a sweep. Game 3 is Thursday at 8pm/EST on Prime Video.

Nuggets 1, Timberwolves 1

Game 2 was quite the ball game. After game 1 where the Timberwolves just could not get over the hump despite the Nuggets shooting 10/36 from three, in game 2, they found a way to win a gritty game. It starts with Rudy Gobert’s defense on Nikola Jokic, despite 24 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists, Monday was not Jokic’s best day on offense. When guarded by Gobert, Jokic was 1/8 from the field during game 2. It was another example of how great Rudy Gobert is defensively and why the Wolves traded all they did to acquire him. The 4th quarter was a bad one for both Jokic and Jamal Murray. They combined for 2/12 from the field (one made basket each) for 4 points (2 points each). The shot Murray took at the end of the game was one of the worst shots you will see. Down 3, you need either a quick layup or, much preferably, a three. Instead, Murray took a long, contested, two point shot which didn’t go in and the Nuggets lost the game. Anthony Edwards is dealing with a knee issue and at times this series it has looked to affect him but he has still been awesome with 22 points in game 1 and 30 point in the game 2 win. The Wolves need him to be as close to 100% himself as possible if they are going to win this series because it has a great chance to go the distance. Game 3 is Thursday at 9:30pm/EST on Prime Video.

Celtics 1, 76ers 1

I think there are a number of ways you can look at game 2 for Boston. The positive side is, the Sixers shot 19/39 from three while the Celtics were 13/50. The bet is that won’t happen again and the Celtics should still win this series. The other side is they really struggled to guard the quickness of the 76ers guards on Tuesday night and with the looming return of Joel Embiid, maybe as soon as Friday night, the Sixers have forced their way back into the series. I tend to lean more on the positive side but Philly can be dangerous. Tyrese Maxey is a superstar level player with the way he can shoot the ball when Boston was playing drop and can burn the Celtics centers on a blow by when they come up to the level of the screen. Boston is going to need Derrick White and Payton Pritchard to make more shots as the playoffs go on because as we saw on Tuesday, when those guys aren’t hitting shots, the Celtics are vulnerable. Game 3 is Friday at 7:00pm/EST on Prime Video.

Lakers 2, Rockets 0

Woof, Houston. Losing to the Lakers without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves twice, is eye opening. I know that the Rockets are without Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams while Kevin Durant missed game 1 but you can’t be down 0-2 to a team missing its 2 most important offensive players. Meanwhile, LeBron James looks incredible at age 41. He had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 13 assists in game 1 and 28 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in game 2 as the Lakers took the commanding 2-0 series lead. He looks as spry as ever and has adjusted well to whatever role Los Angeles has needed from him all season. Also, shoutout to Marcus Smart. Traded by the Grizzlies to the Wizards at the trade deadline last season, Smart joined the Lakers this summer after being bought out by Washington. He was excellent on Tuesday with 25 points, 7 assists and 5 steals while shooting 8/13 from the field and 5/7 from three. Making so many plays to help push the Lakers across the finish line to take that 2-0 series lead. However, I think that this is more about Houston than it is Los Angeles. This is a roster that lacks shooting and guard play. Yes, VanVleet would help both of those things but if your season falls off the rails due to a Fred VanVleet injury, you might have bigger problems. I know he doesn’t guard a lick but Ime Udoka needs to play Reed Sheppard more than the 10 minutes he played in game 2. Sheppard is the Rockets best shooter and best guard on the roster, he needs to be on the court. The Rockets can turn this series around but it is getting late fast for Houston. Game 3 is Friday at 8:00pm/EST on Prime Video.

Spurs 1, Trail Blazers 1

None of this matters if Victor Wembanyama is seriously injured. He has a concussion and it is uncertain if he will play on Friday night. There is a toughness to this Portland team that makes it work. Robert Williams’ and-1 dunk to put Portland up three was so awesome. Portland was a +14 in his minutes last night and -13 in Donovan Clingan’s so that is something to keep an eye on going forward. However, outside of Wemby’s injury, the story from game 2 was Scoot Henderson’s breakout. In Tuesday’s win, Henderson had 31 points while shooting 11/17 from the field and 5/9 from three. You’d like to see some assists mixed in there (he had 0 in game 2) but Henderson looked like what we all thought he could be when Portland drafted him 3rd overall in 2023. It was also a very good Luke Kornet game, he had 10 points and 9 rebounds but he is no Victor Wembanyama. I still think the Spurs can, and would, win game 3 if Wembanyama does not play but they probably prefer he does. Game 3 is Friday at 10:30 on Prime Video.