Grading Every 2021 NBA Playoff Series

With the conclusion of the NBA Playoffs, it’s time to grade every single playoff series. Every single year we have 15 playoff series with 16 total teams and some series are incredible. With close games, great performances, they are instant classics. Other series, they fall short, to say the least. We had some memorable series in this year’s playoffs but we also had some duds. Here are my grades for every playoff series this year.

Western Conference First Round

(1) Utah Jazz vs (8) Memphis Grizzlies

This series wasn’t great, but it was better than most #1 vs #8 series. The Grizzlies stole Game 1 on the road, but Donovan Mitchell didn’t play. Game 2 was a blowout, Game 3 was kind of close but the Jazz won and so was Game 4. Game 5 was another blowout.

But Ja Morant was brilliant in this series and so was Donovan Mitchell. Very fun back and forth between the two of them, even if the Jazz won most of the games handily. But in the context of a #1 seed vs a #8 seed, this was pretty good.

Grade: B

(2) Phoenix Suns vs (7) LA Lakers

This series was good, but it left a lot to be desired. The Suns won Game 1 but Chris Paul was hurt with a shoulder injury that hampered him for the rest of the series. The Lakers won a close Game 2 to tie the series and then they dominated Game 3.

But then in Game 4, Anthony Davis got hurt and the Suns rallied back in the 2nd half to tie the series 2-2 heading back to Phoenix. The Lakers would miss AD in Game 5 and the Suns dominated, taking the pivotal 3-2 series lead heading back to LA.

Anthony Davis tried to play in Game 6, but hurt himself again and Devin Booker and the Suns raced out to a massive lead. The Lakers tried to get back into the game, but the Suns had sent Lebron and LA packing early. They had knocked out the defending champs and were heading to the 2nd round.

I thought the series was good but injuries hampered it. Chris Paul wasn’t the same Chris Paul after that shoulder injury, although he got progressively better as the series progressed. Devin Booker had 47 points in Game 6, this was a good series. But AD being injured hurt the Lakers a lot and the Lakers roster certainly wasn’t great. This series was good, but it could have been better.

Grade: B+

(3) Denver Nuggets vs (6) Portland Trail Blazers

Alright, let’s get this is over with (please end me). My Blazers took Game 1, I was feeling great. There was ball-movement, defense, scoring, it was the perfect blend. Portland dominated Game 1 to steal homecourt, yay. But things didn’t get much better from there.

In Game 2, Jokic dominated and the Portland defense was awful. The series was tied 1-1. Then Denver took Game 3 on the road thanks to 16 points in the 4th quarter from Austin Rivers. Austin Rivers. Blazers down 2-1.

Portland then gave us all a false sense of hope with a big Game 4 win to tie the series 2-2, with the pivotal Game 5 back in Denver.

We all know what happened next. Damian Lillard is incredible. 55 points with an NBA Playoff record 12 3-pointers. Kevin Durant called it a spiritual experience and it was. Lillard hit a 3 to force OT and then he hit another incredible 3 to force Double OT. But his heroics weren’t enough. Nurkic fouled out again and Denver’s offense proved to be too much as Portland went down 3-2.

In Game 6, the Blazers had a double-digit lead in the 3rd quarter. They then allowed the Nuggets to cut that lead to 3 entering the 4th and they were then promptly outscored 28-14 in the 4th quarter and their miserable season was over.

This series was still decent. Dame and Jokic were incredible and Game 5 was also incredible. But there wasn’t much defense in this series and there weren’t many close games. Along with the fact that I am a Blazers fan, this wasn’t a great series. If it had gone to 7 games, it definitely would have been better.

Grade: B-

(4) LA Clippers vs (5) Dallas Mavericks

Now this, this is a series. The Mavs and Clippers featured beef from last season, superstars, and one hell of a series. They really do better things in Texas.

Game 1 of this series was the Luka Doncic show. You’ll find that to be a common theme in this series. Doncic led the way with a 31-point triple double but got key contributions from Hardaway, Finney-Smith, and Jalen Brunson off the bench, stealing homecourt with the Game 1 win.

Game 2 was more of the same. Doncic had 39-7-7 and guys like Porzingis and Hardaway stepped up as Dallas took a shocking 2-0 series lead against the favored Clippers as the series shifted to Dallas. Enter the Klaw.

You could saw Kawhi Leonard responded in Game 3. 36 points and 8 rebounds on 13/17 shooting from the field (77%). PG added 29 as the Clippers overcome 44 points from Luka Doncic to make it a 2-1 series.

The Clippers defense was excellent in a Game 4 blowout win, Kawhi had 29 points on 73% shooting as the series had now been tied 2-2, the Clippers had momentum heading into the pivotal game 5. Re-enter Luka Doncic.

Doncic had 42 points, 8 rebounds, and 14 assists. He accounted for 31/37 of Dallas’s field goals, he made 17 shots and dished out 14 assists as well. Doncic was magnificent and the Mavs took the decisive 3-2 series lead. Re-enter Kawhi Leonard.

Leonard was a man on a mission in Game 6. 45 points on 72% shooting, another incredibly efficient masterpiece that forced a Game 7 back home in LA.

The Clippers dominated that Game 7 as the Mavericks gave no help to Luka. The Clippers came back from a 0-2 and a 3-2 series deficit to beat the Mavericks for the 2nd straight season in the first round.

This series was awesome. A lot of high-scoring, close games with the superstars playing excellent. Luka and Kawhi were utter brilliant and this series was amazing. We’re all thankful it was 7 games as this was one of the best series of 2021.

Grade: A+

Eastern Conference First Round

(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs (8) Washington Wizards

This series wasn’t as good as the Jazz vs Grizzlies series in the West. Game 1 was kind of close but Philly led for most of the way. Game 2 and 3 was a blowout. The Wizards did manage to win Game 4 and avoid the sweep, but Game 5 was also kind of a blowout.

3 blowouts and we had to watch Ben Simmons play basketball, which is the recipe for a terrible series. Not the best series in the world.

Grade: D

(2) Brooklyn Nets vs (7) Boston Celtics

This series was actually pretty good, even if the games weren’t close. Just watching the Nets Big 3 is entertainment.

Game 1 was more defensive but the Nets pulled away in the 2nd half. The Nets dominated Game 2, taking a 2-0 series lead.

Jayson Tatum had 50 points in Game 3 to outduel the Nets. Harden had 41 and KD had 39 but it was now a 2-1 series.

Game 4 was historic for the Nets Big 3. 42 for KD, 39 for Irving, and 23 points and 18 assists for Harden. The Big 3 combined for 104 points, tied for the most points by a trio in a playoff game. The record was first set in 1973 by Havlicek, Jo Jo White, and Dave Cowens of the Boston Celtics. It was matched in 1986 by Dominique Wilkins, Randy Whitman, and Spud Webb in Atlanta.

The Nets took the 3-1 lead and ran away with Game 5. It was a good series, Tatum had a 50 and 40-point game. The Big 3 did Big 3 things and we had crazy amounts of offense. Not bad for a 4-1 series.

Grade: B-

(3) Milwaukee Bucks vs (6) Miami Heat

God this series was disappointing. After what went down in the Bubble last year, the storylines, this was supposed to be one of the best series of the first round. It ended up being the worst.

Game 1 was excellent. Defensive battle, Jimmy Butler buzzer-beater to force OT and then a Khris Middleton game-winner in OT. If this is how the series was supposed to go, sign me up. Unfortunately, it didn’t go like that.

Game 2 was a blowout, Game 3 was a blowout, and so was Game 4.

Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo were awful. Jimmy Butler had less points than Bryn Forbes in this series. Bryn Forbes>Jimmy Butler. This series was supposed to be very, very good and instead we got 3 blowouts and only one good game. Thanks Miami.

Grade: F

(4) New York Knicks vs (5) Atlanta Hawks

This series was entertaining, but the Knicks kind of killed the energy with their sorry excuse for offense. The Trae Young villain thing was cool, the Knicks environment was awesome, but this series wasn’t as good as it could have been.

Game 1 was excellent. The atmosphere, the Trae Young game-winner, that was a great Game 1. It didn’t get much better from there. The Knicks won Game 2, but as Trae Young said, “see you in the A.”

The Hawks blew the Knicks out in Games 3 and 4 to take a 3-1 series lead and the Knicks bowed down to Trae Young in Game 5. This series should have been like 6-7 games, but Julius Randle was awful and so was the Knicks offense. This series offers a lot of what could have been.

Grade: D+

Dirty Lollipop Takes A Bow At MSG (2021)

Western Conference Semi-Finals

(1) Utah Jazz vs (4) LA Clippers

This series was good, but injuries obviously played a part in this series (unfortunately). Game 1 was a close game that came down to the final shot. Marcus Morris’s 3 for the tie was blocked by Rudy Gobert, Jazz survive to take Game 1.

Game 2 was also pretty close but Utah led for most of the game and 37 points from Donovan Mitchell paced the Jazz to a 2-0 series lead heading to Staples Center.

Let’s just say Games 3 and 4 weren’t close, because they weren’t. 65 combined points from PG and Kawhi gave the Clippers the 26-point Game 3 win. LA followed that up with another big win in Game 4, tying the series at 2-2.

But in the late stages of Game 4, Kawhi hurt his knee and missed the rest of the playoffs with a mysterious knee injury. We now know that injury to be a partial ACL tear and Kawhi is likely to miss all of next season.

So even though LA had tied the series 2-2, I don’t any of us expected what happened next. Paul George dominated Game 5 with 37 points and the Clippers had the 3-2 series lead.

The Jazz dominated the first of Game 6, leading by 25 in the early stages of the 3rd. We know what happens next. The Jazz perimeter defense couldn’t stop anything and Rudy Gobert was forced between a layup or defending Terance Mann. He tried to defend the layups which led to Terance Mann scoring 39 points and having the game of his life.

The Clippers won 4 straight games, 2 of them without Kawhi to get into their first ever conference finals. Obviously you wanted Kawhi to be healthy, but most of these games were close, you had your superstars play at a very high level, this was a solid series.

Grade: B+

(2) Phoenix Suns vs (3) Denver Nuggets

This series was another let down, because the Nuggets were overmatched. With no Jamal Murray, they handled a Blazers team that was allergic to defense. But this Suns team was complete and they just ran into a wall.

Games 1 and 2 were blowouts in Phoenix, Phoenix just looking a cut above the short-handed Nuggets. Game 3 was closer, but Booker and Paul were excellent again for the 3-0 series lead. Game 4 was even closer, but Jokic was ejected because of a “flagrant foul” and the Nuggets eventually lost.

Booker and Paul were great. Booker averaged 25 points and 8 rebounds on 49% shooting in the series. CP-3 averaged 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 10 assists on 63% shooting. They were both excellent, but a sweep is a sweep. Most of the games weren’t close, not the best series in the world.

Grade: D

Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs (5) Atlanta Hawks

This should be fun, sorry 76ers fans, better cover your ears. This could get ugly.

Game 1 of the series was a blowout, but then it got interesting. The 76ers didn’t put Ben Simmons on Trae Young in the first half and he scored 25 points. Philly was down by 26 at one point but they got back into the game. Their swarming defense was making the Hawks panic, enough to the point where the 76ers were down just 3 with one minute left. But Bogdan Bogdanovic hit a big 3-pointers and then a big John Collins and-one dunk sealed the deal. Hawks steal homecourt.

The 76ers put Simmons on Young and things went much smoother. 40 points from Embiid let the 76ers to tie the series 1-1 as the series shifted to Atlanta.

Game 3 was more of the same, the offense was rolling and the defense made it very hard for the Hawks to score. The 76ers Big 3 combined for 67 points as the 76ers took a 2-1 series. Buckle in everybody, things are about to get crazy.

Game 4 was similar to Games 2 and 3. The 76ers were dominating in the first half, leading by 18 at one point. Then came the 2nd half. Joel Embiid went 0/12 from the field in the 2nd half and Trae Young scored 17 in the 2nd half, including 6 points in the final 1:17 of the 4th quarter to win Game 4 and tie the series. But the heartbreak wasn’t over for Philly.

The 76ers again got off to a great start in Game 5 and actually held the lead. The 76ers were up by 20+ and they led by 18 entering the 4th. What happened next is infamous. The Hawks shot 16/22 in the 4th and outscored Philly 40-19. Joel Embiid and Seth Curry were the only 76ers to make field goals in the 2nd half. Ben Simmons was 4/14 from the free throw line. Game 5 was a disaster and now Philly had blown back-to-back leads and now trailed 3-2.

The 76ers won Game 6 but a Game 7 at home summed up their season. Ben Simmons not shooting that layup might have been the end of the process. Trae Young shot 5/23 from the field but the 76ers still lost a Game 7 at home. Tobias Harris was 8/24 and Ben Simmons had only 5 points.

But this series was great, if you weren’t a 76ers fan. Game 1 was very entertaining and you had two double-digit, 2nd half comebacks. Game 7 was a very close game, this series gave us some great games and performances. Not much more you can ask from a series.

Grade: A-

(2) Brooklyn Nets vs (3) Milwaukee Bucks

While the 76ers vs Hawks series was good, this one was great. Superstars, chaos, close games, game winners, chaos, yeah, this series had it all. And yes, I said chaos twice. I think this series warrants that with all that went on in this series.

Game 1 of this series started off with craziness. Literally 43 seconds into the game, James Harden tweaks his hamstring and is out. That hamstring will bother him for the rest of the series and cause him to miss multiple games. But no matter, the Nets get back to dominating. 91 combined points from KD, Irving, Harris, and Griffin as the Nets dominated Game 1.

No Harden for Game 2? No problem. The Nets stomped the Bucks, winning by 39. The Bucks offense struggled mightily and 32 from KD led the way for the Nets to take a commanding 2-0 series lead.

Game 3 was crazy. Back in Milwaukee, the Bucks got some energy. The Bucks dominated the first quarter, outscoring the Bucks 30-11. But the Nets responded by outscoring the Bucks 31-15 in the 2nd quarter. The 2nd half was back and forth throughout and the game came down to the final minutes. The Nets were up 3 with over a minute left, but chaos ensued.

Middleton scored to cut the lead to one. Joe Harris missed a wide-open jumpshot (a common theme in this series), but the Bucks couldn’t score. Milwaukee got another stop and this time Jrue Holiday made a great move right to the rim, scoring and giving the Bucks the lead with 11 seconds left. The Bucks forced the inbounds pass to go to Bruce Brown and he missed the layup. The Bucks made free throws and KD’s 3 at the buzzer missed, Bucks win Game 3, down 2-1 in the series.

Game 4 was disaster for the Nets. Kyrie Irving went down with an ankle injury that kept him out for the rest of the series, a costly blow for the Nets. The Bucks were too much for the KD only Nets, as 34 from Giannis led the Bucks to tie the series 2-2 heading back to Brooklyn.

Game 5 was the KD game. A one legged James Harden played, but this was the Kevin Durant game. He was hitting everything. Mid-range, contested, 3-pointers, in the paint, everything. His dagger 3 with 50 seconds left sealed the deal as the Nets outscored the Bucks by 12 in the 4th quarter to take Game 5, leading 3-2 in the series. KD had 49 points on 70% shooting and Jeff Green added 27 off the bench as the pressure was on Milwaukee again.

But they responded at home. The Nets offense struggled as just KD wasn’t nearly enough. 38 from Middleton and 30 points and 17 boards from the Greek Freak paced the Bucks to force a Game 7.

Game 7 was a spiritual experience, in the words of Kevin Durant. Durant was amazing again, single handily carrying the Nets. The game was close and it came down to the final few possessions. The Bucks turned the ball over with 6 seconds left, leading by two. We all know what happens next.

KD got the ball on the right wing and faded for a tough shot near the 3-PT line. He drilled it, but was it a 3? Almost. Kevin Durant is a large human being with a size 18 shoe. His toes were grazing the 3-PT line, so instead of winning the game, we headed to OT.

In OT, Giannis and Middleton hit big shots and shut down the Nets offense, completing the upset and ending this magnificent 7 game series.

This might have been the best series of the playoffs. KD and Giannis were absolutely magnificent. Middleton was excellent. You had injuries, down to the wire games, a Game 7 thriller that went to OT, this series had it all. This one was a very fun one to watch, even with the Nets short-handed.

Grade: A+

Kevin Durant has feet too big for his own good

Western Conference Finals

(2) Phoenix Suns vs (4) LA Clippers

Even with injuries to both sides, this series was good. Kawhi would miss the whole series with injury and Chris Paul missed the first two games after a positive Covid-19 test. But even while both teams were short-handed, this series was still very good.

Game 1 was a battle between Booker and George, with Booker coming out on top. Booker had a 40-point triple double in his first ever conference finals game. 6 Suns were in double figures, as Paul George’s 34 points weren’t enough.

Game 2 came down to the wire. There were 5 reviews in the final 90 seconds, the game took forever to finish. A Paul George jumper with 23 seconds left put LA up by one and then Booker turned the ball over. The Suns fouled Paul George, who had a chance to put the Clippers up 3. Instead, he missed 2 massive free throws. The Clippers still held the lead, but not for long. After a Mikal Bridges miss, the Suns had just 0.9 seconds to score and they were inbounding the ball from the corner.

Things didn’t go well but Monty Williams drew up a great play, getting Deandre Ayton a running start to the rim. Jae Crowder threw a perfect pass and the “Valley-Oop” won the Suns the game. They had narrowly beaten the Clippers in the first two games, taking a 2-0 series lead.

Chris Paul returned to the lineup for Game 3, but he and Booker struggled mightily. The two shot a combined 10/41 from the field and a balanced Clippers scoring attack led them to the win, Suns up 2-1 in the series.

Game 4 was a slugfest. The Suns jumped out to a big lead but a big Clippers 3rd quarter got them back into the game. But the 4th quarter was all defense. The teams combined for just 29 points in the 4th and things got pretty close down the stretch. But the Suns kept getting stops to hold onto their lead and big Chris Paul free throws late sealed the deal, Suns up 3-1.

The Clippers staved off elimination with a Game 5 victory, but the Suns dominated them in Game 6, advancing to the Finals, the first time Chris Paul had ever accomplished the feat.

This series was good. Game 1 was a duel between Booker and George. Game 2 had the Valley-Oop. Game 4 was a slugfest, this series had some good games and moments. Obviously no Kawhi made this a little less entertaining, but it is what it is.

Grade: B

Eastern Conference Finals

(3) Milwaukee Bucks vs (5) Atlanta Hawks

This series was also pretty good, but injuries kind of held it back. Trae Young was hampered with a foot injury because he stepped on an officials foot and then Giannis had that scary knee injury that ended up being pretty insignificant in the long run. But again, injuries definitely held this series back.

Game 1 of this series was the Trae Young show. The Bucks led by 7 late in the 4th, but Young and the Hawks stormed back to hand the Bucks their only home playoff loss of the 2021 playoffs. Young had 48 points, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists as the Hawks had taken homecourt.

Game 2 was a big blowout, with the Bucks tying the series 1-1 heading back to Atlanta.

In Game 3, the Bucks outscored the Hawks by 13 in the 4th to comeback and win. Khris Middleton had 25 of his 38 points in the 2nd half and the Bucks were up 2-1. Trae Young injured his foot in the 3rd quarter and while he finished the game, he clearly wasn’t 100%.

In Game 4, Young was out but it didn’t matter. The Hawks reserves dominated the Bucks and to make matters worse, Giannis had that scary (but really not to scary) knee injury and would miss the rest of the series. The series was tied 2-2 heading back to Milwaukee.

In Game 5, both Young and Giannis were out. But this time the Bucks supporting cast stepped up. Brook Lopez had 33 points to lead the way as 4 Bucks had over 22 points on the night. The Bucks dominated and they were up 3-2 in the series.

In Game 6, a hobbled Young came back, trying to extend the Hawks season. But to no avail. Khris Middleton had 27 in the 2nd half and Holiday added 17 in the 2nd half as the Bucks won Game 6, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

This series was ok, but when the two best players get injured and miss multiple games, a bit of a buzzkill. Couple of blowout games and there was only one game where it came down to the end, Game 1. All the other games were won somewhat comfortably. Khris Middleton 2nd half explosions made things a lot better, but this series was ok at best.

Grade: C+

“Crystal Ball, will Giannis be ready for the Finals?”

NBA Finals

(2) Phoenix Suns vs (3) Milwaukee Bucks

The NBA Finals. Everybody said this series would be awful, because there weren’t any superteams. But this series ended up being very good, with an all-time great performance from Giannis, very close games, and iconic Finals moments. This series was a lot better than most expected and for good reason.

But it’s not like the action started in the first two games. Booker and Paul ran circles around the Bucks in the first two games. The Suns passing and pick and rolls were excellent as they just looked like the clear-cut better team. Even with Giannis miraculously coming back from that knee injury and dropping 42 points in Game 2, he wasn’t getting enough help as the Bucks were in a 0-2 hole as the series went back to Wisconsin.

But in Game 3, the Bucks dominated. Giannis was magnificent again with 41-13-6, becoming the first player since Shaq with back-to-back 40-pt games in the Finals. He was truly dominating, but this time he got some help. Holiday and Middleton combined for 39 points as the Bucks were now down 2-1.

Game 4 was an instant classic. Entering the 4th quarter, the Bucks were down by 6 with their season hanging in the balance. But the Bucks clawed back into the game and a clutch Pat Connaughton 3 from the corner gave them the 97-95 lead with over 3 minutes left. The Bucks were still up two with 1:30 left in the game. What happens next is infamous

An alley-oop from Booker to Ayton was somehow blocked from Giannis. This preserved the lead for the Bucks who eventually took the lead for good in the final stages. Khris Middleton led the way with 40 points, matching Devin Booker’s 42 points to tie the series 2-2 heading back to the desert.

Game 5 was another instant classic Finals game. The Bucks came out flat and the Suns dropped 37 points in the first quarter, leading by 16. But the Bucks responded with a 43-point 2nd quarter, taking the lead into the half. The Bucks dominated the 3rd quarter and took a commanding 10-point lead into the 4th quarter. But of course, the game wasn’t over.

The Suns went on a 12-3 run late to cut the lead to one with 56 seconds left. The Suns had the momentum and their home crowd behind them. It seemed inevitable that they would win but the Bucks held their ground. Jrue Holiday missed and now the Suns had the chance to win the game, down one.

Devin Booker drove down the lane but was shut off by Giannis and PJ Tucker. He turned right into a brick wall named Jrue Holiday. Holiday ripped the ball loose and now the Bucks had a 3-1 transition with Chris Paul under the basket. Holiday wanted to burn some time and get fouled, but Giannis was screaming for the alley-oop.

Holiday threw the pass and Giannis, through a Chris Paul shove, threw down his own version of the Valley-Oop and now the Bucks were up 3. But the game wasn’t over, not yet. Giannis missed his free throw, but luckily the Bucks retained possession and Khris Middleton was fouled, an incredible break for the Bucks. Middleton hit 1/2 free throws and the game was over, the Bucks had held on to win Game 5.

The Bucks big 3 was excellent. 32-9-6 from Giannis, 29-7-5 from Middleton, 27 points and 13 assists from Holiday. The Bucks had done it, stealing Game 5 and they now had a chance to win the title, at home in Game 6.

Even Adele loves it. No, seriously, she does.

With that thriller of a Game 5, it was onto Game 6, another close game. This game was more defensive, but somebody forgot to tell that to Giannis. Giannis was just absolutely dominating. He had 17 points in the first half but that first half was a roller coaster for the Bucks. This time the Bucks led by 13 after the first quarter but then Chris Paul dominated the 2nd quarter and the Bucks lost their lead at halftime.

So despite that big first half from Giannis, Middleton and Holiday were struggling and the Bucks needed to get better in the 2nd half. In the 3rd quarter, it was just feeding Giannis. Giannis had 20 of the Bucks 35 points in the 3rd quarter. He was an astonishing 7/7 from the free throw line and the game was tied entering the 4th quarter. 12 minutes from celebration or 48 more minutes of basketball back in Phoenix.

But the Bucks dominated the 4th, outscoring the Suns by 8. Giannis poured in 13 more points in the 3rd and a Khris Middleton jumpshot with under a minute left put the Bucks up by 6, where they would hold on to win their first title since 1971.

Giannis had 50/105 Bucks points. He joined Lebron and MJ as the only players in modern NBA history to have a 50-point Finals game. Giannis was 17/19 from the free throw line and he was a champion. He won Finals MVP after putting one of the greatest Finals performances ever. The Bucks joined the 2006 Heat and 1977 Blazers as the only teams to win 4 straight games and win a title in 6 games.

This series was awesome. Giannis was incredible, with 3 games over 40+ points and that magnificent closeout Game 6. Middleton, Holiday, Portis, Lopez, Tucker, and Connaughton all pitched in. But the Suns put up a fight. Devin Booker had big games, Paul and Ayton were inconsistently excellent, this series was very, very good and lived up to or exceeded most people’s (and my) expectations.

Grade: A