NBA PLAYOFFS RECAP
A Look Back At The NBA Playoffs Ahead of the NBA Finals
Some major surprises this postseason and a gratifying Lakers’ exit
I have not written about the NBA since my hometown, Sacramento Kings, played and lost to the defending NBA champion, Golden State Warriors, in the first round of the NBA playoffs. That is still the most exciting series so far this postseason. I was so torn up about the loss that I just didn’t have any desire to write any more on the playoffs to give myself time to process the major disappointment.
The Lakers beat the Warriors
Yes, you weren’t imagining this. This really happened. Anthony Davis had two good games, two horrible games, and two average games in that six-game series that saw them defeat the Warriors in six games. The Lakers had snuck into the playoffs as the 7 seed and had to play one play-in game to secure their seed. They then tore through the first two teams in Memphis and Golden State. Davis himself in the Golden State series averaged 21.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. Those are good numbers and they were good enough to get by the Warriors but I see him as a top-tier player in the league and those numbers were more average than I expected for him.
The Heat beat the Bucks and pretty much every other team to this point
Okay, this one isn’t really fair. The Heat were better than their record suggested and then there’s always playoff Jimmy Butler. Even at 33 years old, he’s still a force on both ends of the floor. The Bucks also went without Giannis for at least two games in this series. He got injured in Game 1. His heroics in Game 4 and 5 weren’t enough to gain the Bucks a series victory. His efforts would’ve been fruitless anyway, the Heat gained a 2–1 advantage before he came back and ended up getting beaten in the two games he was in. The Heat also defeated the Knicks in six games.
The Heat were just destined to do this. They are now one win away from facing the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals. The Celtics did win Game 4 in Miami but no team has ever overcome a 3–0 deficit in the playoffs and I don’t see this trend changing now. Could this Miami Heat team go all the way and become the first 8 seed to win an NBA championship?
Celebrating the Nuggets
This one isn’t really a surprise but more of a celebration of the number 1 team in the West finally making it over the hump. They held one of the longest streaks in NBA history for a team that had made the playoffs but never made it to the NBA finals. In fact, in their entire 46 years as a franchise, they hadn’t made it until now. This is their first NBA Finals appearance.
I think back to all of the all-time great NBA teams, including many of the high-flying ones back in the 1980s and this stat shocks me the most. I know that in that era, they played against the Lakers a lot in the NBA playoffs. It’s just that you think that they would’ve had at least one Finals appearance.
With the previously reigning two-time MVP, Nikola Jokić, this team has become a top-tier caliber team in the NBA. The young center finally is going to get to prove his doubters wrong this year if he can claim an NBA title. They called him a stat padder and soft.
He’s a historically great center. There should be no question even if he falls short this year. This name-calling is unnecessary. Denver was definitely a big surprise for me where they landed this year but you shouldn’t sleep on this team in the future. They are for real.
They have a young core of Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Nikola Jokić, and Aaron Gordon. Nikola Jokić is basically averaging a triple-double in the playoffs and just set the NBA record for most postseason triple-doubles in a single postseason.
He averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists in 69 games this season, which is literally almost a triple-double a night. He also finished second in MVP voting, although could’ve very well finished first yet again this season but I think that the voters wanted to reward Joel Embiid for his great offensive season and awarded his scoring instead.
Congratulations to the Denver area for having a team in the NBA worth talking about finally. Yes, I know you have an NFL team worth talking about. My very favorite, Carolina Panthers, found that out in Super Bowl 50.
LeBron James talking about retirement after getting swept out of the NBA Finals by the Denver Nuggets
After what was the closest game in the four-game sweep, LeBron had a game that made him look like vintage playoff LeBron James, as he scored 40 points in the one-point loss in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. I’m sure that he got frustrated out there because he seemed to be one of the only ones who cared whether they won or lost in a season that surprised many when it looked like the Lakers might miss the playoffs again for another season.
They made some big moves late in the season and improved the team enough to finish solidly in the 7th seed in the West. They were looking to surprise some teams and they certainly did that. I’ve never been a fan of the Lakers, as I grew up in Sacramento, and it was pretty much in our DNA from a young age to dislike our cross-state rivals, Los Angeles, especially after they called us a cow town.
Before even the controversial 2002 NBA Finals, there was still bad blood between the two teams.
With that being said, I’m a fan of LeBron James, the man, and the player, and I was sad to see him exit in his first sweep before the NBA Finals. Do I want to see him retire? No. I’d really like to see history made as the first father-son duo in the NBA at the same time, even if not for the same team when Bronny James can enter the NBA in his dad’s age-40 season.
Sure, LeBron has now played in 20 seasons and has surpassed the scoring record to become the all-time best scorer but it would just be a fan’s delight if he just stuck around and figured it out for the next couple of years so we could witness more history. I get that he’s emotional and I actually doubt that he’ll really retire but his team got such a beatdown in the last round, that I’m not surprised that he’s at least considering it.
I didn’t expect this potential NBA Finals matchup but it’s nice to see a new team
Barring a historic collapse, I don’t see the Heat getting knocked out by the Celtics at this point. Boston has been asleep at the wheel at times during this postseason. I’m surprised they’re still hanging around, even after beating the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 last round in the second-most exciting playoff series this postseason. Seeing a Denver-Miami NBA Finals will be fun for both fan bases but also for the NBA as a whole. Parity is always good for sports. As much as people love dynasties, they do not get fans involved more than with a feel-good story or a surprise. We’re going to have both coming into this Finals matchup and I certainly hope that you get excited for what’s to come. Regardless of the outcome, this year’s NBA Finals will truly be an exciting one to keep an eye on.
