10 NBA Playoff Lessons
The NBA Playoffs are a place where superstars separate themselves from the rest of the league; a place where young players establish their true potential (Hello, Jaylen Brown!); a place where fraudulent teams get exposed. You learn the most about the league during the NBA Playoffs.
Here’s 10 things The Has Been Sports Blog has learned at the halfway point of the 1st Round:
[Note: I handed this to the editor before Pacers-Cavaliers, Game 4 concluded].
1) The 76ers and Heat were meant for each other
Welcome to the NBA’s version of the Cleganebowl.
The young 76ers are starting to get that look of a contender, but the scrappy Heat are giving them everything they can handle.
This series has featured entertaining basketball, trash talk and a number of near fights. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid have played like top-10 players. Dwyane Wade has turned in two throwback performances. Justise Winslow has turned full-heel. And James Johnson has scared the crap out of everyone (don’t mess with someone who has neck tattoos and a black belt in karate). This series, in one sequence:
2) The Pelicans are this year’s surprise contenders
An anecdote for how well the Pelicans are playing right now: Anthony Davis averaged 33p/12r/3b in the sweep of the Blazers, yet you could argue that Jrue Holiday had a better series. Not only did Holiday average 29p/4r/6.5a on 57% shooting, but he shut down Damian Lillard like Jon Taffer shuts down bars with moldy glasses and drunk owners.
3) The 2017–18 rookie class is special
This rookie class will rival the 2003–04 (LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Carmelo), 1996–97 (Kobe, Iverson, Allen, Nash) and 1984–85 (Jordan, Olajuwon, Barkley, Stockton) classes as one of the best in NBA history:
- Simmons became the first rookie to record a triple-double in the playoffs since Magic Johnson;
- Donovan Mitchell broke MJ’s record for most points by a rookie guard in his first two playoff games (55 vs. 53); and
- Jayson Tatum went for 19p/10r in his first career playoff game.
4) The Tom Thibodeau effect is overrated
The Coach Thibs who created the defensive scheme that helped the Big 3-Celtics win the title and the Derrick Rose-Bulls contend in the East — he’s gone. The rest of the NBA copied his defensive system (“ICE!!! ICE!!!”) and, more importantly, learned how to attack it. The T’Wolves have finished 26th and 22nd in defensive rating the past two seasons. Playing Rose and Jamal Crawford together certainly isn’t going to help that rating in the playoffs either.
5) Portland’s future is murky
The Blazers are about to enter “[salary] cap hell” according to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor. They have zero flexibility this summer and have to make decisions on a number of rotation players (Jusuf Nurkic, Ed Davis, Shabazz Napier, Pat Connaughton).
Unfortunately, their best way out of “cap hell” is to let Nurkic walk in free agency, and trade CJ McCollum along with one of their bad contracts (Evan Turner, Meyers Leonard or Mo Harkless) for an above-average wing player.
Not sure Damian Lillard is going to be on board with that plan.
6) LeBron is all alone
After the trade deadline, the Cavaliers momentarily looked like a team that would waltz through the East the same way it had the past three seasons. In actuality, LeBron is flanked by a banged-up Kevin Love and a bunch of flawed role players with that he has little chemistry with.
They can still win playoff games when LeBron summons the power of Zeus like he did in Game 2. However, when he plays his B+ game, the Cavaliers get outclassed. Here’s a stat from Game 3 that epitomizes this team’s struggles: from the 9:17-minute mark in the 4th quarter to the 7.7-second mark, LeBron was the only player to score for Cleveland.
7) Victor Oladipo is a player you can build a contender around
The soon-to-be unanimous Most Improved Player is more than a cute feel-good story — he’s a bonafide superstar entering his prime. After transforming his body (below) and game this offseason, Oladipo made “The Leap” and improved on literally every statistical category.
Oladipo has gone toe-to-toe with LeBron James and has the Pacers on the verge of an improbable 1st Round upset over the Cavaliers — which would be the first time LeBron James has ever lost a 1st Round series.
8) Podium Thunder > Playoff Thunder
Down 2–1 to the Jazz, it might be time for the Thunder to channel their inner-Migos and “Walk it like I talk it”. Until then, here’s their best podium moments:
9) The Rockets & Warriors are still on cruise control
The Rockets are toying around with the talented albeit disjointed T’Wolves whereas the Warriors are sleepwalking through their series against the Kawhi-less Spurs a/k/a Rudy [Gay] & The Goldfish. Both will win in five or six games. We won’t learn much about either team until they face more formidable opponents in the 2nd Round.
10) Rooting for the Raptors is rough
The Raptors finally seemed to have exercised their postseason demons after Games 1 & 2 versus the Wizards — then they promptly fell flat in Games 3 & 4. Now, the underachieving, yet talented Wizards have the momentum as the series heads back to Toronto. Even if the Raptors emerge victorious, their fans will have no faith in them heading into a potential matchup with the Eastern Conference’s Boogyman — LeBron James.
Bonus: Giannis is an alien, Part 100
RIP Erin Popovich.
Thanks for reading! Check out more of Pat Heery’s work at The Has Been Sports Blog.
