The NBA playoffs started in April with a lot of intriguing matchups spread throughout the calendar. A lot of great rivalries being reignited along with some new faces to the playoffs made this opening round intriguing from the opening dribble. There are eight teams from each conference trying to advance for that opportunity to play for the Larry O Brien Trophy in June.
One of the most anticipated series was the Boston Celtics vs the Miami Heat. The Celtics won the series 4-1 led by Jayson Tatum scoring an average of 21.8 points per game while getting 10.4 rebounds per game along with 5.4 assists per game. The Celtics need Tatum to continue to put up leading numbers to continue to set the tone for future series. Bam Adebayo led the charge for the Miami heat in Jimmy Butler’s absence by putting up 22.6 points per game while grabbing 9.4 boards per game along with 3.8 points making Adebayo the go to option for the Heat.
Another entertaining series during the first round was the battle of Nuggets center Nikola Jokic up against superstar Lebron James. The Denver Nuggets won the series 4-1 in a series that was close up until the final buzzer for each game. Point guard Jamal Murray for the Nuggets hit 2 game winning shots electrifying the crowds for every single moment.
“It will be interesting to see what Lebron James future is on the Lakers with his son about to enter the NBA draft. Is Lebron going to stay and try to rebuild for another championship run or is he going to follow his son to wherever he is drafted. Whatever that decision is it’s definitely going to impact the future of the league,” NHS junior Theo Anderson said.
The Battle of the northeast between the Knicks and 76ers was the buzz of New York and Philadelphia respectively by making each game an unbelievably daunting environment to play in for 6 games. The Knicks won the series 4-2 signaling another early round playoff loss for the 76ers and another uncertain future. Joel Embiid put up 33 points per game along with 10.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game making him the go to option. Embiid led the league in points during the regular season but didn’t qualify for the scoring title because of the many injuries sustained throughout the year.
Another significant injury for another Eastern Conference player was Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks He was injured throughout this playoff series causing concern for Bucks fans. Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton had to make even more significant contributions to the game to keep up. Middleton especially by putting up 24.7 points per game along with 9.2 rebounds per game and 4.7 assists. The Pacers won the series though 4-2. With a leading tempo from forward Pascal Siakam. Siakam put up 22.3 points per game along with 8.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.
The Oklahoma City Thunder were the surprise of the season by grabbing the number one seed in the Western Conference after having a losing record in the year before. Led by guard Shai Gilgeous Alexander he put up 27.3 points per game along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists to balance out a young and motivated Thunder squad. This Thunder team swept the New Orleans Pelicans leaving uncertain futures for superstars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
“It’s just amazing to see how teams such as the Thunder and Pacers were able to have such turnarounds after disappointing seasons last year through smart trades and other decisions. To me that works much better than hoping one draft pick will be able to change the whole franchise in five seconds,” NHS sophomore Stephen Jarvis said.
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