The 2018 NBA Playoffs are more fun and more competitive
By Joshua Lea
As the NBA Playoffs continue one thing is clear. This first-round may be one of the most competitive first-round Playoffs in NBA history.
The NBA Playoffs have been fun to watch. Aside from the series involving New Orleans and Portland. All first-round Playoff match-ups have been somewhat back-and-forth. In the Eastern Conference, Cleveland and Indiana are tied at 2-2.
The Washington Wizards evened up their series with Toronto 2-2 after winning games three and four in Washington D.C. The same is the case for Milwaukee and Boston as they are tied at two. The Philadelphia 76ers have a commanding 3-1 lead over the Miami Heat after winning games three and four in Miami.
In the Western Conference, the playoff landscape is similar to that of the East. The OKC Thunder are trailing the Utah Jazz 2-1 after losing game two in OKC and game three in Utah. If Utah wins tonight. OKC is in serious trouble heading back to Oklahoma for game five.
Minnesota trails the Houston Rockets 2-1 after winning game three on their home floor. Game four of that series is also tonight. Minnesota will look to even the series putting pressure on Houston to close this series out quickly.
Golden State leads San Antonio 3-1 in their series. With New Orleans awaiting the winner. Game five of this match-up is tomorrow in Oakland California with Golden State looking to deliver the knockout blow to the Spurs.
The two most entertaining first-round series’ thus far
So far, the most entertaining series of these playoffs has been the New Orleans Pelicans Portland series in the West. As far as the Eastern Conference, the most entertaining series is the Philadelphia Miami series.
Ben Simmons has been stellar during this series. Joel Embiid has been a shell of himself, however, the mask he is forced to wear is a product of frustration for Embiid. Still, the 76ers look to be for real as they’ll look to finish off Miami tomorrow night.
The Pelicans displayed a level of dominance against Portland that no one saw coming. Not only, did they sweep PDX, they did so in balanced fashion. For the first three games, New Orleans had a different scorer tally the 30 margin. Game four brought two 40 plus point performances from Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday.
The head-scratcher first-round series is the usual suspects
Within the first-round of these Playoffs is a series that is more of a head-scratcher series than an entertaining one. In the East, it’s the Cleveland Indiana series. In the West, it’s the bipolar Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz.
Starting with Indiana and Cleveland. Each team has won one road game, Lance Stephenson still frustrates LeBron James, and Victor Oladipo is a bad dude on the court. Cleveland and Indiana is always a fun series to watch. This year is different because Indiana actually has a chance to beat Cleveland.
Oklahoma City is a team that has bad habits. Those habits have been with them all season. One of their most crippling habits is avoiding the paint on offense. Steven Adams has been a monster in the post for them on both sides of the ball. In game three, Adams took six shots. That is unacceptable if you are a Thunder fan. OKC falls into Isolation basketball and Utah clogs the lane with rebounders.
Next: The difference between 2018 and 2015 for NOLA
Tonight is game four of Houston Minnesota and OKC Utah. The Pelicans could be waiting until next week before playing in round two of the NBA Playoffs.