Looking Back At Round One So Far

Welcome Back to For Three!

This is my second edition of For Three! and I welcome you to the blog, and thank you for coming back if you are returning. For this article, I want to do something a little bit different. Instead of talking about a single game, I want to talk about the series that have already happened. Let's get into it!

Celtics Sweep The Nets

A lot of people are talking about how bad the Nets were (which is deserved), but this is more about spreading positivity in the game, so let's give some credit to this Boston Celtics team. When talking about this team, the most important part is Jason Tatum. He was out there giving 100 percent on both ends of the floor, a crucial part to the struggles of Kevin Durant while still being the focal point of the Celtic's offense. Not to sound like an old-head, but it is refreshing to see a player that is so amazing and gives his all on both sides of the ball. Tatum has been amazing since this team has made their huge mid-season turn, and it is amazing to see people finally recognizing him as a top player in this league.

The other Jay in Jalen Brown was great as well this series. He was another big part of this team's offense, while being solid for them on defense as well. Marcus Smart was a pest on the defensive end as always, while being an integral player on the other side of the ball providing playmaking and shooting for this team. The others on this team were great as well, with Al Horford being a huge part of the defensive scheme. I also want to give roses to Grant Williams III, who was all over KD while hitting shots on the offensive end.

But it takes two to make a sweep. The Nets were disappointing at best this series. Their two stars in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both struggled with the looks Ime Udoka and the C's threw at them, which led to the others having to step up, which they couldn't do. Ben Simmons missing this series hurts, but I don't think that him being there wins the Nets this series, or even wins them a game. At the end of the day this team has a lot of major holes still, and is missing a coach better than Steve Nash to lead them. I think that this team not winning it all will dissuade super teams with max players and mid-level players, which will be better for parity in the league. I hope for major changes from this team in the off-season, and we'll see what they can do next year.

Bucks Handle The Bulls in 5

Not much to say about this series. The superior team was able to come in and beat the worse team, only allowing them to get one game in the process. The most significant part of this series for the Bucks was the unfortunate injury to Khris Middleton, who is now slated to miss the entire second round of the playoffs. For the Bulls, this was a successful season where they were able to make the playoffs after a long drought. They battled through a lot of injures throughout the season, but still made a lot of progress in their rebuild. I look forward to seeing the Bucks against the C's and seeing what the Bulls do this offseason.

Sixers Beat the Raptors in 6

This was a back and fourth series. It started with the sixers going up 3-0, then losing two, before ultimately winning the sixth game of the series. This series was controlled by the play of Joel Embiid. In games where Joel Played well, the sixers won. When he didn't, they lost. Outside of Joel, Harden looked shaky out there. He looked good in the first and sixth game, but the games between them were questionable. Tobias Harris was able to play closer to the hug contract he gets paid than he did in the regular season, hitting some shots and playing solid defense. But the big x-factor in this series was Tyrese Maxey. The second year kid from the Sixers made huge strides, especially in his shooting. When Maxey was shooting the pill in a way that fans know he could, the Sixers offense looked good. In games 3-5 when he wasn't shooting, the offense seemed stagnant. Going forward in the playoffs, they will need him to shoot well and with confidence if they have any hope of advancing past the second round.

For the Raptors, I think it is important to look at this season as a whole. While losing in the playoffs is always a disappointment, this is still an extremely productive season. The rookie Scottie Barnes was amazing, winning the Rookie of the Year award with the team. Pascal Siakam was able to take strides in his game, playing some of the best basketball I have ever seen him play. You still have a great young core that they are going to expand on for years to come.

Warriors Crusie Past Nuggets

Despite his best efforts, Nikola Jokic was not able to single-handedly beat this Warriors team. That sentence is not hyperbolic. Nikola Jokic led his team in what feels like every major statistical category, while passing the eye test with flying colors. Outside of Jokic though, this team felt flat. There were a number of times this series that Jokic felt like the only NBA player on the court. I think Nuggets fans are looking toward the return of MPJ and Jamal Murray and hopefully contention next year.

The Warriors look like a scary team. Their new version of the death lineup with Curry, Klay, Poole, Wiggs, and Green has look borderline unbeatable in their short sample size of minutes this playoffs. Jordan Poole's progression from unplayable to 20 ppg scorer is remarkable, the splash brothers are still not even in full affect, Wiggins is an all-star starter, and Draymond is one of the best defenders of this generation. This team is a team contending for a championship, and they look like they might have a good chance to win it.

Heat Dominate Hawks in 5

This years Hawks team was nothing like what we saw last year. They were not the team loaded up to make an ECF run, they instead were a bonafide first round exit. There were a number of things that led to this, like the injuries that this team was dealing with. But it is more than just the injuries. The Miami Heat played amazingly against Trae Young. The man was in Alcatraz all series, and it led to him putting up the stinkers that he did. I expect the Hawks to make a lot of moves this offseason. If I was the Hawks, the only players I don't look to move are Trae Young, Onyeka Okongwu, and De'Andre Hunter. Outside of that, I'm seeing what I can do to shake up this team to make it better.

As bad as the Hawks seemed, the Heat were just as good. Their defensive scheme to guard Trae Young and the Hawks as a whole was masterful. They were able to win this series even when they missed time from Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry due to the unlikely stepping up of players like Victor Oladipo who pulled out in a vintage performance in game 5. If this team is able to continue defending this way for the rest of the playoffs, they will not be a fun matchup for any team that they run into.

No Booker? No Problem. Suns in 6

Christopher Emmanuel Paul. CP3. The point god. Devin Booker missed time this series with a hamstring injury, but Chris Paul didn't seem to mind. Excluding one bad game, Chris Paul was electric, stepping up in the hole that Booker lef them. In the closeout game this series, Chris Paul was perfect in 14 shots, a playoff record. Deandre Ayton was also able to step up with Booker out, playing a huge role in winning without Booker. With Booker's return and this team depth, this team could easily return to the finals this year.

The Pelicans have to be happy with this season as well. They started the season off abysmally, and were able to turn their season around to become the nine seed and make the playoffs. Brandon Ingram looked great in the playoffs, CJ Mccollum stepped up in his new role, and their rookies played amazing. Both Herbert Jones and Jose Alvarado were disruptive on the defensive end, and Trey Murphy was able to play good rotational minutes. Next year with the progression of their players and the return of Zion Williamson, this team could make a deep run.

Signing Off

If you made it this far, shoutout to you. Thank you so much for reading this far, and I hope you got something out of this article. This was a lot longer than I thought it would be and took a lot of work to write, so I would appreciate any feedback you might have more me. Hope you have great days and remember to have fun with basketball!