4 Games down, and only 1 team moving on so far....
- PC
- Apr 25, 2023
- 10 min read
Dude…
Games 3 and 4 are in the books throughout the playoffs. We have series that are legit over, some teams need one more win to move on, and some are still a flip of the coin on who will win. These playoffs have been amplified as stars emerge, and some people aren’t living up to the hype. Most of these games have been dy-no-mite. Some games have been an absolute snooze fest. Will the teams in the lead be able to wrap up the series, or will they choke it all away? Here is your recap of these crazy playoffs.
The Nuggets looked like they had his series in the bag. The Nugs were up 2-0 going into Minnesota looking to cruise to the next round. Joker has been throwing dimes to players like Micheal Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray who continue to make it rain from the three-point line They had been dominating the T-Wolves at home. Game 3 took place in a fierce Minnesota crowd and the home fans hoping the T-Wolves could even the series. Karl-Anthony Towns was looking to have a big game after being mostly a non factor in games 1 and 2. He didn’t. Instead, Micheal Porter Jr. had 25 and made 4 threes. Joker had 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists to complete his triple double. The Nuggets also had Jamal Murray score 18, with 6 rebounds and 9 assists. It was a complete game by the Nugs. Anthony Edwards showed out for the T-Wolves scoring 36 points, but got no help. The Nugs were just too good and had more production out of other players than just their stars. The Nugs won 120-111 to take a commanding 3-0 lead. In game 4, Anthony Edwards said that they wouldn’t get swept and to watch him. The T-Wolves did not disappoint in the elimination game. Anthony Edwards helped the T-Wolves stay in it for the entire game. Anthony Edwards made 5 threes and scored 34 points. Kyle Anderson who came off the bench had a huge impact scoring 11 points. Karl-Anthony Towns had a medicore day scoring 17 and Mike Conley had 19 points. The Joker was unstoppable even with guys like Towns and Gobert roaming the paint. Jokic scored 43 points, with 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. However, his contributing stars didn’t have such a great game which allowed Ant to take over and win at least a game for Minnesota as they win 114-108. So, the series is 3-1 in favor of Denver as they head back to Colorado. I think this series is over and should be wrapped up in game 5 but, you never know.
Dillon, Dillon, Dillon… Tsk Tsk Tsk. Why did you have to open your mouth? The series was tied 1-1 and Dillon made some interesting remarks about Lebron and how he’s old. BUDDY…. That’s like calling Michael a bum. Why wake a sleeping giant? It wasn’t just Lebron that Dillon Brooks pissed off… it was the entire team. In game 3, the Lakers DOMINATED. It wasn’t even close. The Grizzlies couldn’t get any contributions from anyone. No one could shoot the 3. Even if Ja Morant had 45 points, he had no help. Anthony Davis went off. He had 35 points and 17 rebounds, Lebron had 25 points and 9 rebounds, D’Angelo Russell finally had a decent game with 17, and Rui Hachimura continues to show that he can make the 3 and had 16. I don’t even remember much of the second half. The Lakers cruised to a 111-101 win. In game 4, the Grizzlies needed to win. Going down 3-1 to Lebron would be devastating for any team, especially since Lebron gets any call he wants. The Grizzlies started off hot and it looked like Desmond Bane was finally back to his old self. The game was back and forth, as three-point shooting was nowhere to be found. The Grizzlies shot 21% from 3 and the Lakers were 27%. The boys from Memphis were tied when Desmond Bane scored a jumper to put them up 2. Lebron, being Lebron, made a layup with about 0.8 seconds left. Ja got a decent look to win the game, but AD blocked it and sent game 4 into overtime. Lebron proceeded to take over and Ja Morant tried to play hero ball the entire overtime. Ja, we get it. You’re athletic, but trying to jump over The King when he’s already taken 2 charges against you for doing the exact same thing. You think you would realize, maybe I should try something different. However, there weren’t any other options. The Grizzlies couldn’t shoot and AD was locking Jaren Jackson Jr. down all night. He had no choice. Lebron took over and had 22 points and 20 rebounds to help the Lakers win 117-111. Memphis is in deep shit, and I don’t know if you can come back against Lebron down 3-1. It is The King all.
OH BOY, WE HAVE A SERIES!!! As most people expected, the Kings vs Warriors game is going to come down to the best 2-3. Now, the real question is who is going to take one while they are on the road. Or will the home team win every time as this series goes 7 games? Games 3 and 4 both took place in the Bay of California, where the Warriors prove to be dominant. In game 3, even without Draymond (still a dumb suspension) DOMINATED the Kings. Steph lead the way with 36 points. Andrew Wiggins had 20 points and second-year guy, Moses Moody had 13 points off the bench. The Kings still had a great output from De’aaron Fox had 26 points, but didn’t have much help from the supporting cast. The Warriors won 114-97 to make the series 2-1. In game 4, the game was much closer. The game went back and forth where at one point it seemed like the Warriors were gonna win, then the Kings would take the lead and it came down to a final shot. Steph Curry lead the way for the Warriors with 32 points. While Klay Thompson had 26, Jordan Poole actually had an impact with 22, and finally, Andrew Wiggins had 18. The Kings threw an uppercut back with De’aaron Fox scoring 38 points, King’s rookie Keegan Murray had 23, and Domantas Sabonis had 14. They also had major contributions off the bench with Damion Mitchell scoring 13 and Malik Monk had 16. The Kings found themselves down one and Harrison Barnes had a good look at the win, but failed to complete the field goal. The Warriors won 125-126. So, the series is tied and a lot of questions have yet been answered. We should find out those answers in what should be an anxiety inducing, rigervating, and a true spectacle series final 3 games.
Well without Kawhi, this series is over. The series headed to LA 1-1 and it seemed like the Clippers could actually win the series. Then, Kawhi was out for game 3. That left Westbrook to act like Dora the Explorer and put the Clippers on his back against the Suns loaded offensive squad. Norman Powell exploded onto the scene and helped the Clippers make game 3 close. Norman ended up with 42 points and Westbrook had 30, and had 20 off the bench from Bones Hyland. However, the Suns were just as good, if not better, on offense. Devin Booker had 45 points, KD had 28 and the rest of their starters had more than 10 points.The Clippers just didn’t have enough as they fall 129-124. In game 4, people hoped Kawhi would play… nope. He’s out for another game. So, once again Westbrook has to try and carry the team. He gives it his best effort scoring 37 points, but didn’t get the same production out of Powell who had 14, and the bench was mediocre at best. The Suns played well, with KD scoring 31 and Devin Booker had 30, and Chris Paul had 19. That was too much just for Westbrook to carry as the Clippers fall to the Suns again 112-100. The biggest factor is not having Kawhi. It was bad enough that Paul George couldn’t play this series, and now not having Kawhi is a hill that I don’t see the Clippers climbing. If Kawhi comes back, they have a shot. However, it still may not be enough to beat the Suns 3 times in a row, and 2 of those games being in the desert.
All I got to say is three words. HIMMY FREAKING BUCKETS!!! The dude is one of the best players in the playoffs. The Heat traveled back to South Beach for games 3 and 4. In game 3, Giannis Antetokounmpo was sidelined again for game 3. The Bucks played well without him to even the series, but it would be a struggle. The Heat came out guns a blazing and continued to dominate the entire game. You can just tell this is not the same team without their star player. Khris Middleton had 23 and Jrue Holiday had 19. However, Jimmy Butler had 30, and they got lights-out shooting from Duncan Robinson who had 20 points and going 5-6 from three-point land. The Heat dominated and won 121-99. In game 4, the Bucks knew they needed to win. Giannis was cleared to play and for most of the game, the Bucks proved to be the better squad. With around 3 minutes left to go, the Heat trailed by 11. Then, Jimmy Buckets decided to turn up the heat. The Heat went on a 13-0 run and with around a minute and a half left, they found themselves leading. The Bucks were able to go up by 1, but couldn’t stop Jimmy. Jimmy proceeded to hit a 3, get a MASSIVE stop against Giannis on the other end, then hit a very long (his foot was on the line) 2, and the crowd went nuts. The Bucks tried to foul to make it a one-possession game, but Jimmy is ice cold. He didn’t miss a free throw. Jimmy Buckets had 56 points, in one of the greatest individual playoff performances I’ve ever seen. The Bucks are in deep trouble, but this is a team I could actually see coming back down 3-1. Giannis is incredible, but if the Bucks can’t solve the Jimmy problem, it’s gonna be over very soon.
This was a series I predicted on being a sweep. It’s not. Obviously. However, it might as well be for the performance the Celtics have been putting on lately. In game 3, the Hawks stepped up. Trae Young had 32 and Dejonte Murray had 25. Saddiq Bey contributed off the bench for 15 points as well. The Celtics had a nice outing from Jason Tatum who had 29 and received some help from Marcus Smart who had 24 and Malcolm Brogdon who had 17. Jalen Brown had an abysmal game with 15 points and went 0-4 from deep. The 56 points combined by Young and Muray allowed the Hawks to bounce back and win 130-122. There seemed to be some life in the Hawks going into game 4, but the duo of Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum shut that down. Going into the 4th, they found themselves down. However, the Celtics played like a championship-contending team when Jason hit some clutch threes and Jalen Brown played how he’s supposed to. Tatum and Brown both had 31 points and got help from Marcus Smart who had 19 and Derrick White who had 18. The Hawks got another great performance from Trae Young who lead all scorers with 35, Dejonte Murray had 23, and a surprise 27 from Deandre Hunter. Even with all of this offensive output, the Hawks still lost 129-121. So the Celtics look to wrap the series up in 5 at the garden, but the Hawks have kept it closer than I thought it would be.
Unlike the Hawks, the Nets did play like I thought they would. This was an absolute snooze fest of a series and one I didn’t spend a whole lot of time watching. In game 3, the 76ers again kept the Nets under 100 points. Mikal Bridges continues to prove that he has a bright future ahead of him with 26 points. The 76ers didn’t get the production out of Joel Embiid that they wanted and James Harden had a decent game with 21. However, they did get 25 out of Tyrese Maxey. The problem with the Nets is they just can’t score enough points. You’re also not going to win many games not scoring 100 points. This was the Nets best shot at turning the series around but fell 102-97 to the 76ers. In game 4, it was do-or-die time, and with Embiid was sidelined due to an injury. This looked like a prime opportunity to win a game. Except they died. The leading scorer on the Do or Die Nets. 20 POINTS!!! THAT’S IT??!! You can’t win games if you can’t score, and 20 being your highest scorer won’t win you games. Even without Embiid, Tobias Harris had 25 and lead the 76ers to a 96-88 victory. I don’t need to go into detail about this game because it was pretty revolting. Even though the Nets got swept, there is some promise. Mikal Bridges looks like a great piece. Cam Johnson and Spencer Dinwiddie also have shown some flashes of success. The Nets need a star, and they sold them both at the trade deadline. The 76ers are our first team to reach the conference semi-finals in sweeping fashion
This series looks like it’s over, unless the Cavs get their head out of their asses and play like they’re supposed to. Yes, I'm talking to you Donovan Mitchell. The games went to NY tied 1-1. Making for an interesting game 3-4. In game 3, it turned out to be a low-scoring affair. At least for Cleveland anyhow. The Cavs ended up having a mediocre game from Mitchell who had 22, but had ZERO production from anyone else. The Knicks, however, got 21 out of Jalen Brunson, 19 points for RJ Barrett (quick note, Barrett has been improving over the series and is a big factor why the Knicks might make it out of the first round), and some decent bench work from Josh Hart. The Knicks didn’t need very much production as the Cavs only score 79 POINTS!! The Knicks take a 2-1 lead with a 99-79 win. In game 4, the Cavs tried not to repeat their disastrous performance in game 4. Darius Garland stepped up and contributed 23 points, 14 from Caris LeVert, and Cedic Osman had 10 off the bench. The Knicks also had great games from Jalen Brunson who dropped 29, and RJ Barrett had 26. The Cavs needed their star, Donovan Mitchell to play decent to get the win. HE HAD 11 POINTS!! HE WENT 5-18 FROM THE FLOOR!! I mean come on. You’re supposed to be the star and you keep blowing chunks. Be Better. So, game 4 ended up in a victory for the Knicks 102-93. The Knicks are up 3-1, and are looking to move on from the first round for the first time in a long time.
コメント