What We Learned From The First Three Rounds
I know the Finals haven’t officially started – but here are some of the questions that have been answered through three rounds of action.
What did we learn through three rounds of conference play? Which players increased their stock the most? Who had the biggest choke job? Today, it’s time to answer all of those questions.
(Disclaimer: I will be wrong on everything I say in this article in the coming months/years. I’m counting on it.)
Who Are The Five Best Players Under 25 Now?
Young superstars in the playoffs have been one of the best things about 21st-century basketball. We’re seeing top draft picks in the playoffs faster than ever. It’s given us a chance to see how they perform under the brightest lights.
So, have the best youngsters in the NBA changed at all after this postseason?
- Luka Doncic (Dallas)
noexplanationneeded.exe
- Jayson Tatum (Boston)
You could have said this months ago, but now the gap between Tatum and Doncic is closer. Now headed to the Finals, Tatum did it at every step of the way. He shut down KD in the first round. His 46-point special in game six against Milwaukee saved Boston’s season. And finally, a great performance to send Boston to the Finals after a game 7 road win. Not too bad.
- Ja Morant (Memphis)
I would have taken Young over Morant before this season. But Morant took the leap he’s been building up to. And man, was it fun. Morant turned into one of the best paint scorers in the NBA. He also improved as a three-point shooter. Injuries derailed his season, but he did this against the Warriors in the second round;
38.3 points / 8.3 assists / 6.7 rebounds / 62% TS
So, yeah, Ja Morant is a star.
- Trae Young (Atlanta)
Trae Young’s ugly postseason was a bitter end to an otherwise magical season. He joined Tiny Archibald as the only player to lead the league in points and assists. The Hawks may have been medicocre, but it wasn’t because of Young.
- Cade Cunningham (Detroit)
I’ll take Cunningham over Lamelo. Fight me.
Which Star Had The Worst Postseason?
Answer: Kyle Lowry
Kyle Lowry and Miami seemed like a match made in heaven when he signed there this summer. Miami’s fabled heat culture fit him like a glove. In desperate need of a steady hand at point guard, Miami had seemingly found their guy. Then the playoffs happened.
Lowry has been dealing with a hamstring injury. While he’s returned to the court, it’s clear that he’s not 100%. But I’m not here to give excuses. Everybody is injured in May/June. Lowry doesn’t get any pity points from me.
Anyway, back to Lowry. This postseason, the Heat have played 8 games without their commander. In those games, they have a 7-1 record. When Lowry has played, they have a 4-6 record. So, Kyle Lowry is the newest member of the Ewing Theory.
Lowry joins the company of others like Patrick Ewing (duh, 1999), Elgin Baylor (1972), Chris Webber (2006), and Adrian Dantley (1989-1990).
Miami has been better without Lowry than with him. Sure, Lowry is great at setting the tone with his breakneck tempo. Other than that, Lowry hasn’t been impactful this postseason. He’s shooting just 21% from the 3-PT line. Not that I’ve been counting, but he probably has more flops than field goals.
To say that Lowry has been bad would be an understatement. With Miami’s team falling apart at the seams, they needed someone to step up in the backcourt. Not having the 6th man of the year in Tyler Herro necessitated that. So what did Lowry do? Have the worst postseason of his career. Ouch.
What Happened To The Suns?
Answer: Still Trying To Figure That One Out
Remember the Suns? The team who was supposed to win it all? It’s easy to forget how shocking their second round exit was. We still don’t have any answers as to what happened with them.
It can’t all be on Deandre Ayton’s rocky relationship with the franchise. The worst part of this all is what transpired next. Golden State thoroughly outplayed Dallas in the conference finals. Phoenix should have done the same thing, but they didn’t.
We still don’t have any information on Chris Paul’s injury. After the game 7 loss, he said that he wasn’t injured. I’m calling BS on that, for now. I refuse to believe that Chris Paul played as poorly as he did to end that series on his own accord. There had to be something bothering him, right?
As to why the Suns collapsed, it’s painfully simple. They relied too heavily on their backcourt. Once Paul shut down, they weren’t as dangerous. Then, Dallas started doubling Booker whenever he got the ball. It was game over once that happened.
Phoenix, and I can’t believe I’m going to say this, didn’t have the depth to survive that scoring. The bench was underwhelming throughout this postseason. Guys like Payne, Shamet, and Johnson, all valuable pieces from the past two seasons, were quiet when the Suns needed them the most.
I guess I’m still a little shocked? I mean, what else is there to say? It’s highly unusual to see a 64-win juggernaut get outplayed. These sorts of things don’t happen every year. Now, I guess we wait and see what the Suns do this offseason. Spoiler alert, it probably doesn’t involve Deandre Ayton.
Why Are The Warriors So Good?
Answer: They’re Egoless
The Warriors are back where they belong. A two-year, injury-riddled, frustrating hiatus away from the playoffs made us think the unthinkable. Could they ever get back to the promised land? That question has been put to rest.
Golden State cut through the Western Conference like butter. It was easy. They’ve lost just two playoff series with Steve Kerr at the helm. More impressively is the fact that the Warriors have won 18 straight series against the Western Conference. WHAT!
This iteration of Golden State again proved that they don’t need a superteam to be dominant. People tend to forget their 2015 and 2016 runs, where they ran teams out of the gym without Kevin Durant. It’s almost as if their system applies to just about anybody. Weird.
Anyway, back to the Warriors. We’ve heard so much about Heat Culture over the past few years. Why don’t we talk about Warriors Culture more? There isn’t another team in the NBA who plays like the Warriors do.
No other team is disciplined enough to pass, cut, and move off-ball as much as this team. In an age of offense, the Warriors are an outlier. No other team has dared copy them in an aspect other than shooting threes. That’s why people assume the Warriors win. That they just shoot threes.
But it’s so much more than that. The unselfishness and egoless way of Golden State’s stars is unlike any other team. Curry, Thompson, Green, and now Wiggins don’t care about anything else than winning. All four of them play their roles to a T. It doesn’t matter how many points one of them scores. It just matters that they win.
That is what makes them special. Not the 3-PT shooting or the star power. It’s their unselfishness. The Warriors break the mold in the best way possible. And now they’re going to their sixth finals in the last eight years.
Why Is The Officiating STILL So Bad?
Answer: I Don’t Know
I thought we solved the whole officiating debacle last year. Yes, the NBA made big strides by taking away the whole ‘I’m going to jump into the defender but it’s still going to be a foul anyway,’ shenanigan. And, we saw more offensive fouls than ever this season. That’s all great.
I would say that if I hadn’t just watched the first three rounds of the postseason. Here are all the problems we had to get through;
- Every time a foul occurred involving somebody’s head, even if it was incidental, it had to be a flagrant foul. Even worse, they had to review it for an eternity.
- Flopping. That’s still a thing. I’m looking at Lowry and Smart in particular when I say that.
- Transition take fouls. I agree with Stan Van Gundy on this one. It takes away from the action. Thank god they’re making this thing go away next year.
Again, I don’t want to come here riding my high horse about something so insignificant. The NBA has done a great job fixing some of the problems we’ve seen over the past few seasons. But, clearly, they have some work to do.
My solution? We should adopt (most) of FIBA’s rules because they don’t have these sorts of problems over there. Just whatever you do, for christs sake, don’t adopt their goaltending rules. Just don’t. Trust me on that one.
NBA Stock Market
(Use Jared Vennett’s voice)
Welcome to the NBA Stock Market. Sure, the actual stock market and cryptocurrency may be going down the drain, but who cares! In this totally real exchange located inside Spencer Dinwiddie’s house. Anyway, here are our updated postseason numbers. Here’s Barry Bonds in a pharmacy to explain.*
(Note: Barry Bonds is not here)
All jokes aside, let’s talk about stocks. The playoffs are the best (or worst) way to boost your standing. Just ask Jerome James. So, here were the players who changed their stock the most this postseason.
The Risers
Brandon Clarke (Memphis)
Last year, Brandon Clarke was out of the rotation. This year, especially in the first round, he proved his worth. Clarke was a ball of energy, giving the Grizzlies so much production off the bench with his scoring and rebounding.
Barring an extension, Clarke will become an RFA next offseason. If he continues to do what he did this postseason, he’ll have played himself into a big contract.
Andrew Wiggins (Golden State)
Andrew Wiggins is finally fulfilling his promise. Leaving Minnesota has been the best thing for his career. In Golden State, he’s been around winning teammates and, more importantly, a winning coaching staff. He put everything together in the conference finals against the Mavericks.
Not only did he blanket Luka Doncic better than anyone before him, he also was a safety valve on offense, good for 15 a night. Wiggins is now joining the overqualified role-player realm of NBA players. Not bad for a supposed draft bust.
Grant Williams (Boston)
For two years, Grant Williams was solid. At best, he was a backup forward who could give you minutes. His third season has been his breakout campaign. He’s one of the big game-changers for Boston, a team now headed for the Finals.
Williams’ shooting has been massive all postseason long, including 7 treys against the Bucks in game seven of the second round. His bulky frame has made him a swiss-army knife defensively, taking on all the tough assignments.
And he’s Batman. What’s not to love?
The Fallers
Edrice Adebayo (Miami)
Now, Bam Adebayo still played his usual brand of elite defense. I have no gripes with him on that end. But, his offensive output this postseason was pathetic. There were games where he wouldn’t look to score. Other games, he would chuck up ill-advised shots.
Bam had six games this postseason where he didn’t crack double digits. That included three games in the conference finals versus the Celtics, where his production was about as consistent as Eddie in Midnight Run.
Heck, I don’t even want to call him Bam anymore. I don’t think he deserves it. Edrice, you were bad this postseason.
Mikal Bridges (Phoenix)
Similar to Andrew Wiggins, Bridges is in that overqualified role player realm of the NBA. On most other teams, he would be an All-Star. On the Suns, he’s a 3&D wing. But, he couldn’t even do that against the Mavericks.
Not only could he not stop Luka Doncic, he averaged just 8 points on 35% shooting over the final four games. Ew.
Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee)
Without Khris Middleton, it was time for Jrue Holiday to step up. Instead, he took rushed shots, missed every 3-pointer he took, and cost the Bucks their chances at defending their title. Oops.
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