NBA Western Conference Round 1 Overview

The weekend is over, and so every series has had a game played. Now that this has happened, we can take our first look at making a real analysis out of the 48-53 minutes of action that has taken place.

The biggest surprise happened in the final game, with the #8 Grizzlies snatching game one in a crowded, loud Vivint Smart Home Arena in Utah.

Grizzlies For Real?

As the #9 seed, the Grizzlies needed to win two games in order to qualify for the playoffs. They held off the Spurs and also found a way to outlast the Warriors in overtime. And then they went ahead and took down the Mitchell-less Jazz in a tightly contested first game.

They are a tough team to slow down on offense, and their entire team features good defenders. There is no weak link on that end. It had to be extra sweet for former Jazz guard Grayson Allen, who shot the ball well in 23 minutes off the bench.

Utah should not panic yet, but will certainly HAVE to win game two.

Dallas More Dangerous than Last Year?

The Clippers defeated the Mavericks in six games in the first round last season. And so it only makes sense that the teams meet again. Dallas wasted no time in 2021, taking the first game on Saturday afternoon. As they play game two on Tuesday, there is a lot at stake.

A 2-0 deficit for a re-tooled Clippers team would be disastrous. That would be true because this is the first round, and the team blew a 3-1 lead in round two and bowed out earlier than expected last season.

Luka Doncic is one dominant player and has his team trending in the right direction. A healthy Kristaps makes them much better than before.

Portland Ready for an Upset?

There is little doubt that Terry Stotts will be fired if the Blazers fall in round one. Even against a team led by the MVP-favorite, this rings true.

They lost to the Lakers in 5 last year and have no excuses now. They have enough talent to hang with anybody for most of a game. How they close is what matters.

Nikola Jokic was scoring well in game one, but his assists were way down. That credit goes to Jusuf Nurkic and the perimeter defenders. But, he has to be better. After a WCF trip last season, a first-round exit would set the Nuggets back.

Sup, Suns?

The Suns took game one from the Lakers. They did this despite the fact that Chris Paul suffered a shoulder stinger in the second quarter and could barely shoot the ball or even reach the rim after returning to the game.

People circled this as a terrific series. The #7 Lakers want to repeat as champs. Phoenix is in the playoffs for the first time since 2010. It’s been a long time for them, and they made sure they got the last laugh in front of their home crowd in game one.

This will be a long series, but the early signs show that L.A. is in trouble.