Everything is mixed up, or the announcement of the second round of the NBA playoffs

So the first round was played and brought us some kind of sensation – Miami beat Milwaukee. Beat pretty fast, 4-1. What can we expect from the next round of competition? Unknown. After all, every pair of teams is pretty equal. But that’s what makes the NBA interesting – its unpredictability. This means that we can enjoy the four matches of the second round of the playoffs of the strongest league in the world to the fullest.

Denver Nuggets – Phoenix Suns

Larry O’Brien Trophies: 0-0
Regular meetings: 2-2
Match schedule: 30.04; 02.05; 06.05; 08.05; 09.05; 11.05; 14.05

regular season

Both teams got the places they wanted. Denver had a very strong team of players and coaches during the regular season, so it’s no wonder they pre-ordered the Western Conference first place and gave them plenty of time to prepare for their playoff duel, they don’t pay much attention to the rest. season. (5 losses in the last 7 matches). At the same time, Phoenix was very average for an NBA favorite. Paul isn’t getting younger (the worst scoring season of his career), Ayton continues to feel insecure (because of the constant trade rumors), and Booker is injured (the player with the fewest games in a season in his career). The Suns needed to be shaken. And that move was a Kevin Durent trade. After that, the team again felt the strength to continue the championship.

“Phoenix” and “Denver” played 4 games against each other during the regular season. The score is even, 2-2. But if the Nuggets had their win against Sunny even before the KD era in Arizona, Phoenix won that fight when Michael Malone’s wards no longer needed anything and they played the regular season. Also, Jokic was resting in those games and Deandre Jordan was the main center. Therefore, it will be more interesting for them to meet in updated warehouses and in combat conditions.

first round

Denver quickly and easily tackled Minnesota, the second winner of the play-in tournament. The team only suffered in the fourth full-time game they lost and the fifth game, which ended by just three points. It should be noted that when star pairs Jokic-Murray played for the Nuggets, the team only won this playoff. Perhaps with the return of the quarterback, Denver will no longer be the subject of ridicule later in the postseason?

Phoenix also did not have a big problem, but already with the Clippers – 4-1. Tai Liu’s team was again unlucky due to injuries: George was eliminated in the regular season. And in the playoffs – Leonard. Frankly, without their stars, the LAC disbanded and ended this game year again with no results.

However, attention should be paid to the nature of the Suns. The team, in the person of Kevin Durent, who lost the first duel of the series at home, displayed calmness. For example, this happens and what matters is how quickly we can get out of the current losing situation. And Monty Williams’ wards got out of this pretty quickly, beating their opponents in the next four games in a row.

Summary

Probably the most interesting couple of this tour if you’re not a fan of the Lakers. But the winner is a couple who have to pass the tests. For Denver, that means moving from an elite regular season team to playoff contender status, and how Jokic and his company will handle what Mitchell/Gobert’s Utah, Mike Budenholzer’s Atlanta (and his Milwaukee for now) or Memphis can’t handle. relating to. . The Suns must resolve their teamwork and rotation issues as Durent is unable to play 45 minutes per game while the other stars of the team are even more traumatic.

Miami Heat – New York Knicks

Larry O’Brien Trophies: 3-2
Regular meetings: 1-3
Match schedule: 30.04; 02.05; 06.05; 08.05; 10.05; 12.05; 15.05

regular season

The second team to lose is the Heat, who finished second in rebounds during the regular season. That’s right, Eric Spoelstra’s wards suffered an unspecified attack when the attacks deviated into the individual skills of individual players – Butler, Irrow. But the Floridans’ defense was solid. How could it be otherwise? Jimmy only “wakes up” after the season, and Lauri spends half of the game year either in infirmary or outside the top five. This is an anonymous team that does their job well. They surrender themselves on the defensive and suffer every match, stooping, sitting on the bank of the river, but sometimes their opponent’s corpse still passes by them. As it is fairly recently, but we’ll talk about the first round below.

Tom Thibodeau got the missing piece in Jaylen Brunson. And he moved up to fifth place in the championship. By far surpassing the same “Miami”, “Atlanta”, “Toronto” and “Chicago”. There are no superstars like Butler, Young or Mitchell. However, Sergeant Thibodeau can only now claim that this is his team.

And this team defeated their future rivals 3-1 in the regular season. The matches were pretty close: the two meetings ended by two points, and neither team had a double-digit advantage. Equal competitors? See you in the playoffs.

first round

The Knicks beat Cleveland 4-1 pretty quickly, mentally breaking the Caves when they won 101:97 in the first game. It should be noted that this series was entirely dictated by Thibodeau: in five games, New York was “released” only once from hundreds of Bickerstaff wards in the only losing game of the series.

Miami defeated main postseason favourites, Milwaukee Giannis. Also 4-1. True, the Greek had only two full-fledged meetings in this match – he was lost by the Bucks basketball players. But if Antetokounmpo was completely healthy, then how would this duel have ended? Probably more matches. And so, we point out that “Hit” is based on more stellar and generally stronger opponents.

Summary

The glorious confrontation of the 90s is back. Pat Riley was coaching Miami at the time, and Tom Thibodeau was part of Jeff van Gundy’s coaching team in New York. A new round of rivalry between the two old acquaintances will begin on Sunday.

Randle and Grimes have been knocked out by the Knicks, but must return for the first game of the second round: “He hasn’t practiced much today, but he’s feeling better,” Tom Thibodeau said after Randle’s practice Friday. , so we look forward to his return.”

“Everything is going according to plan,” said Quentin Grimes. “If I feel like today on Saturday, then my recovery is going according to plan.”

The Heat waited for Jimbo to wake up and make the best attack ever in the playoffs. Butler himself scores an average of 37.6. However, Oladipo and Irrow will be left out of the cast for the current series. Defensive versus offensive game? Rather, it’s a game of defense and defense, in which opponents will try not to “leave” each other in the hundreds. Self-promotion of the anonymous against the Thibodeau system. And possibly the one who can collect points (who owns Jimbo) will also win.

Boston Celtics – Philadelphia 76ers

Larry O’Brien Trophies: 17-3
Regular meetings: 3-1
Match schedule: 02.05; 04.05; 06.05; 07.05; 09.05; 11.05; 14.05

regular season

Last year’s finalist is not for nothing the main favorite of this NBA draw. Boston kept all its stars. It calmed some (Brown), strengthened others (Brogdon, Gallinari, Griffin, Muscala). And he played the regular season with confidence, taking the second “seeded” of the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Celtics are in fourth place in numbers scored and missed. And they are first in terms of abandoned / missed points (+6.5).

Philadelphia is third in terms of points difference (+4.3). And in the East they are in third place. The team of Harden and Embid (the regular season’s top scorer) defeated the Celts at the end of the championship, where they battled for second place in the standings. However, they lost the previous three matches. It is noteworthy that each match was close and ended with a clutch – double-digit advantage of one of the teams was not recorded even once among the opponents.

first round

“Boston” smoothly defeated “Atlanta” Quin Snyder 4-2. Confidently, the Celtics only took the first two games. Moreover, the Hawks managed to put up a fight and were almost in no way inferior to Tatum and company: I know these conversations we had to tear them down, it should have been an easy walk, says Jason Tatum after game six with Atlanta: “They really tested us. We were confident in our abilities and you saw it.”

The Phils defeated Brooklyn, who was replaced by Durent and Irving in the postseason, 4-0. And it’s not just the last two meetings that ended with the winner’s double-digit advantage. Everything was simple and predictable: Philadelphia is on its way and Brooklyn is gearing up for next season.

Summary

Seventysixers looks very strong on paper. And while Milwaukee is already resting, the path to the NBA Finals is clear. But something unpleasant is happening within the organization itself. Journalists started talking about James Harden going to Houston, where he felt at home. And a lot will be decided in this playoff. Also Embid and House have been damaged but they will be back soon. It can be concluded that the team approached the second round with a suboptimal physical condition and weakened morale. And there he will play against an opponent who has “pros” where Doc Rivers’ bodyguards are weak.

But much in this series will depend on Embid’s health and whether Harden can maintain his outstanding postseason level. Because the Celtics rotation is impressive. And if they also shoot 3-pointers with 40+ percent, which has occurred in 36 games of this game year (34 wins / 2 losses in the segment), then Fila may well crumble. And then the character game will begin (which is so lacking in Doc Rivers).

Los Angeles Lakers – Sacramento/Golden State winner

Larry O’Brien Trophies: 17-2/7
Regular meetings: 1-3/3-1

regular season

Now that the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors won’t be able to determine the winner until tonight, let’s talk about the Lakers. Derwin Ham’s team was in heat throughout almost the entire championship. Terrible start 2-10. LeBron is maxing himself out with an average of more than 30 points for the season. Nothing comes out. And here is the deadline for trades, when the organization decided to get rid of the 2027 first-round pick and strengthen the roster. LAL started to play, the victories began. However, James was injured. And then the most interesting thing began: the team showed character and, when no one believed it, rose from 12th to 7th in the Western Conference standings. A jump at the finish 9-3.

Also in the qualifying tournament, the win against Minnesota was 108:102. LeBron is already in the composition. And the transition to the much-desired playoffs that could be King’s last major title adventure.

first round

Steven Adams, Brandon Clarke and Luke Kennard flew in Memphis. Ja Morent is injured. You can’t be envious of the Grizzlies fans, who confidently take second place and hope to fight for first place at the end of the regular season. At the same time, the Lakers outperformed their opponents with 49.7 rebounds per game and showed excellent defensive skills, notably by collecting 9.2 blocks per game. In both indicators, the team is now leading the playoffs.

“It was like a mentally decisive game,” LeBron James shares his impressions after today’s victory: “We wanted to try to finish in front of our fans.”

second round

LAL does not yet know their opponent for the next round, but they already know their strength for sure. They experience self-confidence. And they want to win because this is their current chance. Next year the King will be one year older. It is unknown what the roster will be and whether these basketball players who are currently winning for the California team will extend their contracts. Therefore, they don’t care if it’s Kings or Warriors. Does not matter. The playoffs are here and the Lakers have no choice but to win right now.

“It’s a great honor to play for the Lakers and play for this team. I feel necessary. I hope to add something to the history of this club. I hope I can be a part of this great story.”

Vyacheslav Shevchenko