NBA Playoffs Recap 9 — The Unstable East
As Golden State punched its ticket to the second round, the East continues to confuse
The Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team to lock up a second-round appearance over the weekend, but Golden State followed close on their heels with a sweep of Portland last night. However, every other series in the league will go at least six games (with the possible exception of OKC/Houston). Last night’s winners in the East — Atlanta and Toronto—both punched home huge wins to continue the overall uncertainty in this conference.
Between the beginning of the playoffs and today, the Eastern Conference playoff teams caused massive uncertainty about who was really a “good” playoff team (outside of Cleveland). The Raptors and Celtics both lost their opening games, prompting familiar doubts about their ability to convincingly win a playoff series. Meanwhile, Cleveland and Washington both got off to hot starts, looking like the playoff teams many expected them to be.
Since then, all of these series — except for CLE/IND—have shifted. Toronto is back ahead in the series after a convincing game five win, Boston has won tow in a row to even the series, and Atlanta turned in a phenomenal homestand to do the same. As a result of all of these games, the projected second round in the East has shifted greatly over the last few days.
The Raptors and Hawks both won last night, locking down essential games for their playoff hopes. Atlanta absolutely had to have this game to have any chance against Washington, and can now take the lead if they steal an away game on Wednesday night. Toronto now controls its own series, and can finish things off with a win in Milwaukee. The Raptors are perhaps a safer bet to win, but both teams have pulled off nice performances recently.
For these two teams, these wins were important because they validate each one’s vision for this season. The Hawks looked flat and defeated after going down 0–2, but rallied to put together two fantastic performances. Even if Atlanta’s win relied on Jose Calderon more than the team would like, the overall performance was still great. Howard was energetic, Millsap made some insane shots, and this Atlanta team played up to its full potential for the second night in a row.
The same should be said for Toronto. DeMar DeRozan was great last night as well, involving his teammates and exploiting double teams. One of the biggest critiques of this Raptors team is that it can’t adapt when a star underperforms. Milwaukee schemed to limit DeRozan last night, but it didn’t matter. From NBA.com:
“I knew tonight they were going to come out and try to get the ball out of my hands early, blitz me, double-team wherever I caught the ball,” he said. “And [it was about] me being conscious of that and taking advantage of it early.”
This is a huge adaptation for Toronto, and a sign that this team’s best games are ahead of it. And now, game six is pivotal. The Raptors can’t afford to rely on a home game seven, they need to win now to get as much rest as possible before facing Cleveland. This Toronto roster has all the pieces it needs to threaten Cleveland, but these players need maximum rest and preparation before the next round starts. Whenever that series starts, it will immediately be must-watch television.
