Being in the middle of the NBA playoffs is a strange place, especially when, somehow, it’s September. There is a lot to do right now, the rest of the league is crammed into the same few square miles and these games are moving fast. If you’re just catching up, or just basking in the glow of post-season basketball, here are some thoughts on the state of affairs as it is made up.
1. It is not sincere to write a column on playoff plots without first recognizing the collective strength of the players, who have handled an extraordinarily difficult situation in the bubble with heart and courage. The history of American sport is inextricable from the civil rights movement, and black athletes have often been at the center of that discourse. But NBA players are facing a painfully modern challenge, with the task of going to work every day under an inescapable microscope. It is a burden that their critics will never understand, and sad but unsurprising that many of them have no interest in listening. The double duty of being a high-performance athlete who must also demand action with some degree of authority in the public sphere is nearly impossible, particularly at a time when both overt and subtle racist ideas have been aggressively armed by those who it is in power as a means to an end.
It was a challenge trying to write about the NBA as if it were just a sport at a time when it is extremely clear that the league has surpassed all of that. I can only imagine what it would be like to try to interpret this moment. No matter what you think about league politics, the particularly careful way they chose to make protest a part of the bubble pitch and the fact that not all team owners are truly in line with what needs to happen next, is essential to simply try to empathize with what players are dealing with every day. Imagine being Jamal Murray, scoring 50 points in a thrilling victory to avoid elimination from the playoffs, and then being immediately put in the spotlight on national television to try to explain everything you felt this week. I’m glad the playoffs are still underway, but if last week’s strike was the end, I would have understood. The rest of this column is about what’s happening in the league, but as you watch the games, don’t forget the context of what these guys are going through and the work that remains to be done.
2. Hats off to the Nuggets and Jazz after a series of roller coasters that ended with a beautiful train wrecked of a game 7. Denver held out for life during a dizzying finale sequence that included two beautiful defensive performances by Gary Harris on Donovan Mitchell, the Nuggets runs upcourt out a steal with a two point lead and inexplicably smoking a layup instead of burning the clock, and the Jazz giving one last good look at a Mike Conley three who narrowly missed. Jamal Murray was clearly favoring his left leg (the one that had been injured earlier in the bubble) at the end of the game after he collided with Joe Ingles, and worked in the final minutes after leading the Nuggets alone for the three games previous. Murray lost 50, 42, and 50 points in Games 4, 5 and 6, and if he can get back to near full strength, Denver could give the Clippers some problems.
So, the Jazz became the first team to lose a 3-1 playoff lead since then, well, you know when. It’s hard to get over the hump and Utah will be panned for missing three chances to make it happen. The good news is that Donovan Mitchell’s arrival is more or less complete. Trying to recap this bizarre and hilarious series with consistency is still difficult, but Game 6 in particular – which Murray couldn’t miss – was particularly memorable, and Mitchell for the most part matched it with every step over the course of seven games. . . It was the kind of unexpected duel between two young players in the kind of strangely transcendent zones that only happens every now and then. They brought so much from each other that it felt like a simultaneous ascension to another level of stardom, and a rematch next season would have been enough. We’ll be lucky if there is another playoff series that matches pure entertainment value here. But Wednesday may be more chaos in the immediate order …
3. What began as more of a muted streak between Rockets and Thunder has morphed into Match 7 with real competitive stakes coming Wednesday night, largely thanks to three factors: an unstoppable Chris Paul stepping back in time. , Russell Westbrook returning to the track in uncertain form, and the fact, of course, that they were swapped for each other last year. There was a lot to do in the fourth quarter of Game 6, with Paul taking over both ends of the pitch (and delivering an epochal slap to Robert Covington) as the series became even more physical and personal. Meanwhile, Westbrook devoured too many key assets, the cost of the opportunity was fewer late game hits for James Harden. There was a fleeting but acute déjà vu in what happened.
So now it doesn’t seem excessive to me to think that Race 7 could be a crossroads for the careers of all three superstars, all in their thirties and still looking for a championship. There is an added subtext as the winner of this series gets a crack at LeBron and the Lakers. It looks like Mike D’Antoni ended up in Houston after this season, which throws the Rockets in an organizationally interesting place after selling the farm to get Westbrook. James Harden will have to intervene here, and Westbrook will have to discover enough self-awareness to allow him to do so. There’s a little less at stake for Paul, who should be credited with leading the Thunder this far, but knocking out his old team should be insanely satisfying. There is some thought around the NBA that OKC may decide to ditch the veterans and rework the roster this off-season, and this may very well be the only race for this surprisingly fun iteration of the Thunder. A 7 game is a 7 game and this should be a pleasure.
4. As for the Eastern Conference playoffs, well … it’s a good thing we’ve come down to four teams, and it’s better news that both series are legitimate. Milwaukee isn’t clicking and Miami looks very capable of upsetting, thanks to the thorny persistence of Jimmy Butler and a healthy Goran Dragic providing quality pacing and capable late game decision making. The Heat are still inexperienced on the fringes of the roster, but it’s clear since the regular season that they are giving the Bucks problems.
Bam Adebayo and Jae Crowder won’t shy away from being physical with Giannis. Milwaukee missed Eric Bledsoe in Game 1, with his absence lengthening their backcourt painfully. The burning question for the Bucks will always be late-game execution – creating a good-looking out of thin air against a defense designed to cram it in paint is where Antetokounmpo can fail. This series may hinge on Giannis’ ability to find shooters in tough times. Aside from Khris Middleton, none of the Bucks perimeter players are very afraid of attacking a closeout with play on the line. Milwaukee’s ability to grasp and keep leads, rather than playing from behind late, could be an important factor.
5. How much trouble are the Raptors in? It’s not often that you see Toronto lose consecutive games where they’ve been beaten, but that’s how good Boston was at the start of this series. The Raptors missed an opportunity to equalize on Tuesday, blowing a lead in the fourth quarter after Marcus Smart (of all people) scored five consecutive three points and more late-game gaffes than Pascal Siakam didn’t help. If you gave most coaches a chance, they would still take the odds of Smart beating you three to death at the hands of Kemba Walker or Jayson Tatum, but these are the types of interruptions that define seven-game streaks, and Boston. got them. And so the reigning champions are on their heels and face a daunting task.
The Raptors are still tough as hell, and after all of that, I’m willing to bet this series will last at least six games. There are no obvious flaws to exploit – they simply lost twice in a row. Boston squeezed solid minutes from Daniel Theis and Robert Williams; The Toronto supporting cast didn’t perform particularly well aside from OG Anunoby. And the Celtics deserve a lot of credit – from a staff point of view, they’re the hardest team in the east to defend after a game. Boston has the luxury of Walker and Tatum, two legitimate late strike makers, and can choose which matchups to attack when things slow down in the fourth quarter. Considering two staffs of coaches who excel at making adjustments, and a must-see Match 3 should be fascinating.
6. Rather than an extensive obituary for the Blazers, who always seemed somehow destined to run out of breath against the Lakers, it’s probably worth reiterating just how much revelation Jusuf Nurkic was in the bubble. His return from injury could not have gone much better given the circumstances, and it was almost shocking to see how thin he had been. Clearly, he took his rehab and body seriously, and if this is the player Portland is going to get for the next few years, the cap for their team increases considerably. His activity on glass, passing skill and increased defensive impact make it much more difficult for defenses to simply press on Damian Lillard, and it won’t be surprising if they start playing through him more and lighten some of the mileage. on their guards ✔. If Nurkic continues to make his best impression of Arvydas Sabonis, the Trail Blazers could be one of the top four teams in the West next season.
7. Finally, the biggest what-if of the playoffs so far is probably Kristaps Porzingis’ injury, which deprived us of a real Clippers-Mavs series finale that for a few days was the highlight of the first round. Everyone knows exactly how good Luka Doncic is now, but he’s not quite ready to take this particular squad to a series of slugfests, most notably with Kawhi Leonard involved. But it was noteworthy that Porzingis was up for the challenge and caused major problems for the Clippers in the early games – his ability to pull the centers out of the paint opens up the space for Doncic to attack the ball screens and that LA is perhaps excessively praised. the defense is somewhat vulnerable if the opposing guards can get into the paint and put pressure on the circle.
This is by no means an original opinion, but the Dallas rebuild is over. The Mavericks are a third star away from contention in the West, and they know it. There is plenty of room for the supporting cast to improve, but watching Doncic’s presence elevate the game of kids like Dorian Finney-Smith and Trey Burke has made it clear that there is some room for experimentation and error with whoever gets it right. around going forward. Simply replacing lucky Tim Hardaway Jr. with a more experienced and responsible scorer might have been enough to rock a streak with healthy Porzingis. The gap between the Mavs and the rest of the West isn’t as wide as you think, and simply tightening the screws defensively will make them a real force. They are so good on the other side of the ball, and Doncic is 21 and arguably one of the top 10 players in the league. Guessing the Western conference standings next season will be a chore.
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