Hot and Heavy as NBA First Round Winds Down

The 2021 NBA Playoffs have been tremendous so far. And one of the coolest things has been watching former Cavaliers players tearing it up across the league. Derrick Rose and Alec Burks in L.A., game 4 Jae Crowder in PHX, and Kyrie Irving and Joe Harris, among others. They are everywhere, really.

LeBron James, Andre Drummond, and some guys with the Lakers have played well. Seth Curry and Danny Green with the 76ers. And there are plenty of others worth mentioning, too. But that’ll be that. Let’s take a look at the actual results of some of these games and series so far.

Knicks On the Brink

It’s been tough sledding for the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. Just like the Miami Heat, they fell just short in a tight game one, and things got harder after that. Yes, they beat ATL in game two, but they stood no chance in either road game. It’s been a great year, but it’s almost over.

Julius Randle was a bonafide star all season and an obvious winner of the Most Improved Player award. But. the playoffs are a different beast, and one he was not ready for. After averaging 24-10-6 for NYK in the regular season and scoring effectively, he has been downright bad.

22-year-old Trae Young has become a hero for his city in the meantime, putting up numbers in his playoff-opening series that we haven’t seen since Steph Curry did it. The Hawks are dangerous, and if they can hold on, Philly might have a hard time putting them away. 

Bucks-Nets is Almost a Go

One more win for Brooklyn, and the Nets and Bucks will meet in round two. They almost met in the bubble playoffs, but Milwaukee got stuck with Orlando. This time, each team is loaded with star talent, ready to beat up on the other. Boston is all but done.

Even with Donte DiVincenzo out for the year, the team is equipped to handle his absence. They can slot Bryn Forbes in for extra minutes, and he can knock all the threes down. He buried seven in the fourth game against Miami, while Pat Connaughton will have a chance to join the starting five.

With Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis manning the center spot along with PJ Tucker, the team has versatility, depth, and tremendous floor spacing. They are built to guard any team, even one that has three guys that can all go off the dribble and beat you from 30 feet and in.

On the other side, Brooklyn’s D is not nearly as effective. They might need 130-140 points per game in order to move on. 

Clippers Making Noise

After going down 0-2 at home, the Clippers went on the road and won two in Dallas. Now that the series is tied, the home court has shifted. This one has seven games written all over it, considering how well the opposition can shoot.

It will be fun to see things continue here. Former Cav Yogi Ferrell got in at the end of Game 4, too.