It took two weeks of battles, comebacks, twists and turns. Sensational feats and disconcerting fiascos. But after 25 games – some very tight, others one-sided – the NBA playoffs have issued their halfway verdict. Playing for access to the final will be Boston and Indiana in the Eastern Conference, and Minnesota and Dallas in the Western. A bizarre scoreboard, where the absolute favorite – the Boston Celtics who dominated the season – are flanked by three teams that few would have predicted. But they have reached this point with full merit, showing peculiarities that were indigestible to their opponents. They therefore say goodbye to the reigning champions Nuggets, and the New York Knicks, that is, the great nostalgia operation that had brought attention and celebrity back to Madison Square Garden, only to then dissolve at the best moment and above all in front of their own audience.
New challenge
Everything seemed set for the great Balkan derby: Luka Doncic against Nikola Jokic, Slovenia against Serbia, genius of the perimeter against genius of the area. But no one really realized what the Minnesota Timberwolves had in store, who overturned a game that now seemed lost – down 58-38 at the start of the third period, away from home – and conquered the Denver plateau. Even stronger than the altitude which, at over 1,500 meters above sea level, often makes opponents dizzy. Minnesota’s victory wasn’t just a victory of character. It was also the triumph of a tactical structure – one with two big men employed simultaneously, one of which was harmless beyond three meters from the basket – which seemed totally anachronistic for the modern NBA.
Yet, they were right. The angular Frenchman Rudy Gobert, acquired in a highly criticized transfer move, triggered the comeback in the second half of game 7, erecting a shutter under his own basket, and then going on to grab attacking rebounds in the opponent’s area. The team’s colleague Karl Anthony Towns, a gentle giant with a long tongue and delicate hands, kept the team up in the most difficult moments, showing off all the offensive weapons that had led Minnesota to take him as the first overall pick in the 2015 draft. Also chosen the one criticized. But today, with all due respect to those who made fun of him for his meek nature, he acquires a completely different meaning. The most effective team defense of these playoffs took care of the rest, as well as the flights of Anthony Edwards. A cartoonish character, with two springs instead of legs, and an ability to release the shot at sidereal heights. Which the outstretched fingers of the opponents cannot reach. And so, the last duel in the West will be Dallas versus Minnesota. A bizarre, unexpected, virtually unprecedented series, except for the dry 3-0 with which the Mavs got rid of the T-Wolves way back in 2002. There were Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash. It was truly prehistory in basketball.
Even for Luka Doncic and his Mavs the conference final represents an unexplored frontier. He had already gotten there, in 2022. But he found himself against the latest armored version of the Golden State Warriors, who in fact went on to win the title. Two years later, Doncic is a more experienced player. After the honeymoon of his first years in the NBA, he experienced the bitter taste of criticism – justified – after failing to qualify for the playoffs last year. And in these playoffs, plagued by knee problems, he had to learn to win with a different style. More human, less divine.
He gritted his teeth, took and given blows, learned to accept bad evenings. And, although limited in his movements, he made decisive moves in a tremendously tight series. In which almost every game came into balance at the start of the fourth quarter. In the adventure that awaits him, he will have the support of Kyrie Irving. One of the most bizarre, yet crystalline talents we have admired in the last decade. Criticized for his flat-earth positions, and above all for his refusal to get vaccinated against Covid which left him on the sidelines for much of a season, Irving brought to the Mavs a component of creativity that often proved decisive. He didn’t play particularly well, nor was he consistent. But his incursions have often shuffled the cards at the end of the game, resolving thorny situations.
The Mavs’ aggressive supporting cast took care of the rest, bringing energy, defense and rebounds. And that physicality that made the difference against a team as rich in talent and light as the Oklahoma City Thunder. And a wingman, PJ Washington, was decisive, earning the free throws which, with two seconds left, gave the Mavericks the last lead of the game. The most important one, which earned them qualification amidst the delirium of the home crowd.
Offensive harmony
Historically, the Eastern Conference tends to be the stage for rough, physical battles. Where, despite the exploits of individual stars, the defenses gain the upper hand. Precisely for this reason, the match between Boston and Indiana is particularly fascinating. It is difficult to imagine two more harmonious, dynamic and balanced attacks than those of the Celtics and Pacers. In defiance of the stereotypes that reduce the offensive philosophy of NBA teams to a succession of individual initiatives. Let’s be clear, there is no shortage of talent. With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Boston boasts the most versatile and physical pair of wingers in the entire league: two complete and virtually interchangeable scorers who know how to shoot threes, penetrate, attack off the dribble, and play with their backs to the basket.
Around two guns like that, the team was shaped following the most logical approach: surrounding the two stars with an army of shooters, small and long, ready to take advantage of the spaces on the perimeter. The result was the offense with the highest number of three-point shots attempted (42.5) and made (16.2), and the second in percentage (39%). After dominating the regular season, the Celtics had a relatively easy time in the first two rounds, getting rid of the Heat and Cavaliers. And above all they gave the impression of having taken it quite easy, allowing Tatum and Brown to rest, and distributing space, points, and shots to all the players in the rotation. Which will become even more profound with the possible return of the Latvian Kristaps Porzingis: last summer’s transfer coup who, however, as usual, found himself battling with injuries. But for redemption it is never too late.
Boston, however, will have to deal with an opponent in a state of grace: the Indiana Pacers fresh from the dominant victory in Game 7 against New York. A game in which they shot 67% in total, breaking the all-time record in the history of the playoffs. On the move, and in a very busy environment. Trained by Rick Carlisle – a character with an easy grimace but excellent intuition – Indiana embodies two qualities that make her a very dangerous opponent. One is offensive harmony. Led by Tyrese Haliburton, a wiry guard capable of releasing a shot in a pocket of space, the Pacers are a team in which the ball circulates quickly, and everyone is capable of taking the initiative. Not only players with proven experience like the Cameroonian Pascal Siakam, but also unlikely third line elements like the crazy elf TJ McConnell, who tore the Knicks to pieces with his penetrations.
The second is psychological solidity, which allowed the Pacers to remain competitive without being influenced by external events. First they ended up 2-0 down, at the end of two games they could easily have won; and then they snatched a victory that was as ugly as it was vital in game 3. Finally, after suffering an epochal blow in game 5, they reacted by submerging the Knicks in the last two games. A task made easier by the injuries of the opponents, of course, but nevertheless completed with a certainty and confidence in one’s own abilities that will not allow the Celtics to sleep peacefully. Favorites, but aware that they have a very tough problem to solve.
Equilibrium
The playoffs we have admired so far have been very balanced. Not so much at the level of individual matches – many matches ended with double-digit margins, and point-to-point finishes were relatively rare – but for the balance of forces on the pitch. Two series ended beautifully, while one ended in the sixth game by a matter of seconds. Only the match between Celtics and Cavs was one-sided. And so, once again we were able to enjoy the unique nature of a type of preliminary round that sacrifices the madness of the one-off match, and therefore a bit of unpredictability. But it allows you to observe equally interesting aspects of the game. Like the possibility for the protagonists to study themselves, adapt, and learn from their mistakes along the way. And the ability, elevated to art by Indiana and Minnesota, of knowing how to quickly put an unhappy evening behind them, presenting themselves the next time as if nothing had happened. This also means being champions. And this is also the charm of the playoffs.
2024-05-22 08:38:47
#NBA #semifinals #dont #expect
