At The Halfway Point, The First Round Of The NBA Playoffs Have Absolutely Lived Up To The Hype
After such an incredible regular season, I think anyone who loves basketball was extremely excited for the 2022 Postseason. The talent, the series matchups, the fact that things feel wide open in each conference, the stage was set for an incredible next few months of NBA basketball. As we sit here at pretty much the halfway point of the first round, how could anyone suggest that these playoffs aren't already delivering on that promise? Let's have a look at how things stand as of this morning
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We have lower seeds finding ways to win on the road to make their series competitive. The Nets/Celts first round series is breaking ratings records. Even the series that have someone up 2-0 or 3-0 have had some awesome moments. The Warriors have given us some insane Jordan Poole and Steph moments already.
Jimmy Butler went full on Bubble Jimmy Butler and had one of the best postseason performances in NBA history based on his box score
Are you someone that loves game winners? Me too. Love that shit. Well we've already had two of those so far this postseason
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One pretty much ended a series despite there being 1 game to play and the other has a team in a great position to advance which is all you can really ask for at this point in a first round series. Big time players making big time shots in big time moments is why we watch. It's how these guys establish a legacy. Regular season shit is fun, but postseason moments are what matter. Can you come through when your team needs you to put them on your back and win a game. To already have multiple moments of this in the first week or so of the playoffs is fantastic.
Are you someone that loves upsets? Again, me too. That's what makes these games so much fun. Check the ball and let's go. These teams records don't matter, their offensive and defensive ratings don't matter. It's all about who can be the better team on any given night. I think we all were under the impression that the Suns would make quick work of the Pelicans right? Are we still sure about that?
Even though it came in a loss, how nuts was Devin Booker's Game 2 performance?
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Now with Devin Booker slated to miss Games 3 & 4 in NO, this series is a whole hell of a lot more interesting. The Pelicans have showed they clearly are not afraid of the Suns and truly believe they can compete at the highest level. While I think it may be a little insane to think they'll end up winning this series, all I care about is having a fun, competitive, and long series.
Then how about the Bulls. Remember, the Bucks lost on purpose to end the season so they could face this CHI team. You could understand why given the fact that the Bulls went all year without beating anyone good, but last night showed that sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for. Especially when DeMar DeRozan exists
Unfortunately, Khris Middleton has a sprained MCL which sucks, but it does open the door for the Bulls to make this a competitive series. Last night was their first win against a top 3 seed all season and now they take that momentum back home to CHI where they were 27-14 this season. I think most people thought this was another series that was going to be quick work, but now I'm not so sure. Sometimes you just need to get over the hump to completely change the vibe of your team, and who knows maybe the Bulls Game 2 win is the thing that turns things around. It's important to remember that when the Bucks are fully healthy, they are nearly unbeatable. But when just one of their Big 3 is missing, they are very much beatable
Let's also not forget about the Wolves. A young team that's fun as shit to watch and is loaded with high end young talent has already gone into one of the hardest buildings to play in and come out victorious
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This was a series most were excited for mostly because of how even they were against each other during the year. The Wolves give Memphis some matchup issues, and now that they responded with a Game 2 blowout, I cannot wait for Game 3. That building in MIN is going to be insane and as we know, young guys tend to play better at home.
How about the gritty as hell Mavs surviving without Luka? Who on earth thought that was possible given everything he does for that team. After they let Game 1 slip, I could understand being a little nervous as a Mavs fan. But then came Jalen Brunson with the game of his LIFE
and now they could be days away from getting Luka back which will absolutely impact this series. The best part of playoff series in my opinion is you never know who could pop off and have a game changing performance. Brunson has been really great for the Mavs all season long and is set to get a big time contract from someone this offseason, but I'm pretty sure nobody saw that type of performance coming. It's clear that Brunson is not afraid of the moment and sometimes that confidence is all you need to steal a game over the course of a series.
No matter where you look, you can pick the series, there have been awesome moments. Every night is must watch stuff because of how wide open everything is. We've had upsets, we've had game winners, we've had all time postseason performances and I'll say it again, THIS IS THE FIRST ROUND. Things are only going to get better as we get deeper in the playoffs and the stakes get even higher.
If that doesn't have you excited, I'm not sure what will.