Let’s play two truths and a lie. Nikola Jokic will win the regular season’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), the Los Angeles Lakers will win against their opponents in five games, and the Boston Celtics will two-peat. I’m sorry. My mistake. They are all lies.
Like always, the NBA playoffs bring an exciting season to an even more exciting end. For those who don’t know how the playoffs are organized, the NBA playoffs work in a specific format. Each team plays in their own conference split into the Eastern and the Western teams. Each series plays on until one team reaches four wins against the other (best of seven). In the end, the winners of each conference play the other conference champion, and the winner of that series is crowned the NBA Champion.
First Round (The West):
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies
The Oklahoma City Thunder, led by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, dominated the Memphis Grizzlies. They completed a clean sweep (meaning they won 4-0) and advanced to the second round.
(4) Denver Nuggets vs. (5) Los Angeles Clippers
The Nuggets faced a resilient Clippers team but managed to win the series in seven games. This was all thanks to Nikola Jokić’s consistent triple-double performances.
(3) Minnesota Timberwolves vs. (6) Los Angeles Lakers
Anthony Edwards crushed Lakers fans’ dreams by winning game five 103-96. His electrifying dunks shook the stadium as he vowed to take on Steph Curry and his Warriors as his next opponent in an interview.
(2) Houston Rockets vs. (7) Golden State Warriors
In a close-fought series, Warriors players Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler edged out the Houston Rockets in seven games. In a surprising turn of events, Buddy Hield, a Warriors player that no one expected to rise to the occasion, dropped 33 points and 9 three-pointers, shocking Jimmy Butler and even Steph Curry.
First Round (The East):
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Miami Heat
With Jimmy Butler’s sudden departure from the team, the Miami Heat struggled. They got swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 by a 55-point margin when it all ended (138-83). It was an incredibly lopsided performance with Donovan Mitchell of the Cavaliers stealing the show.
(4) Indiana Pacers vs. (5) Milwaukee Bucks
Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 33-point performance in game five, the Milwaukee Bucks were unable to force a game six against Tyrese Haliburton and his Indiana Pacers. Indiana won their final game in overtime, 119-118 in 5 games. They came back from 20 points down, which seems to be a common theme in this deep playoff run for the Pacers. Only one question remains: if Damian Lillard was healthy in games four and five, would we have still seen an upset?
(3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Detroit Pistons
The New York Knicks were led by Jalen Brunson’s 40 points, while Mikal Bridges added 25 points. The Detroit Pistons were led by Cade Cunningham’s 23 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds. The Knicks sealed a 4-2 victory over the Pistons due to Jalen Brunson’s game-winning 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left on the clock.
(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Orlando Magic
Although it wasn’t a sweep, the Boston Celtics seemed to be in control the entire time. A healthy Jayson Tatum led the Celtics to a 4-1 series win. They only lost to the Orlando Magic in game three by two points (95-93).
Semifinals (The West):
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (4) Denver Nuggets
The battle between the two potential MVPs (Jokić and SGA). After almost foreshadowing the vote for Most Valuable Player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 29.8 points per game to beat out Jokić’s 26.2 points per game. The Thunder were able to just barely win over the Denver Nuggets in a seven-game series. Without a doubt, this Thunder team is one of the greatest teams in NBA history. The Thunder secured a 68-14 regular season record, and now they are making a deep run into the playoffs. They currently lead 2-0 in the Conference Finals.
(6) Minnesota Timberwolves vs. (7) Golden State Warriors
After Steph Curry got injured in game one, the Warriors lost in five games. Anthony Edwards averaged 26.3 points per game, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.7 assists to defeat the Warriors (who lacked firepower without Steph). Despite the Warriors winning game one because of a terrible shooting performance from the Wolves, they quickly picked up the slack. The Dream Team of Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry was sent packing.
Semifinals (The East):
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (4) Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers, led by Tyrese Haliburton, defeated the Cleveland Cavs in a convincing 4-1 win. With Donovan Mitchell out in game three due to an ankle injury, and in game four after being down 3-1 , the Cavaliers lost and were sent home.
(3) New York Knicks vs. (2) Boston Celtics
The defending NBA Champions, the Boston Celtics, versus a team that hasn’t made it to the NBA finals since 2000. Who wins? Of course, it’s the New York Knicks in six. With Jayson Tatum going out in game four because of a torn achilles, the firepower of Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby was just too much for a lone Jaylen Brown. The Knicks are down 2-0 in the conference finals against the Pacers. We’ll see if they can come back.
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