This has been an incredible NBA postseason. Any chatter suggesting otherwise misses the mark entirely.
I seem to see a great deal of discourse about this being an underwhelming or disappointing playoffs. No. Wrong. Incorrect. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, except for this one. We have several fresh, young, energetic, potential face-of-the-league stars emerging. We have teams coming together when it matters most. We have upsets. We have potential dynasties in the making. We have small-market underdog stories. We have the biggest market in the sport looking to end a five-decade title drought. We have Chalamet! This is an all-you-can-eat buffet with something for every palate.
Outside of the injuries (devastating) and the officiating (spotty at best), we have been lucky to experience such a wild, unpredictable postseason.
I have no idea who is going to win. I lean toward Oklahoma City, but it truly feels like any of these four teams could be crowned champion when it is all said and done. The NBA is traditionally the most predictable, chalkiest sport when it comes to its postseason. Not anymore. But it is still home to some of the world’s most pressure-packed, ruthlessly intense competition.
Every year, the NBA postseason acts as a both a high-powered microscope and a heat lamp cranked to the max. Any crack in your franchise’s foundation will be exposed. Any flaw will be exploited. Conversely, strength will be revealed and rewarded.
Four teams saw their seasons end within the last week. What did the microscope expose?
Denver: They don’t have enough guys. We knew that going in, but Game 7 against OKC showed how impossible it is to beat a title contender with one otherworldly player. Nikola Jokic saw triple/quadruple/quintuple teams for much of the postseason and the Nuggets still played 14 playoff games. Outside of Jamal Murray, Christian Braun (a revelation) and Mr. Nugget Aaron Gordon (somehow playing through a hamstring injury that certainly should have sidelined him), the Nuggets did not have enough firepower to alleviate the pressure surrounding Jokic. The NBA also made it legal for players under 6-6 to foul him 30 times per game, but that is another story for another time.
Golden State: Much like Denver, not enough guys. As soon as Steph Curry was sidelined, the Warriors had no chance. Draymond Green, typically an All-NBA-level defender, had no chance against Julius Randle’s bully-ball tactics. Jimmy Butler at this point in his career is an excellent side dish, but not necessarily a nightly main course. Jonathan Kuminga is, well, auditioning for a role elsewhere. The Warriors perhaps overachieved making it this far, but with Curry closer to 40 than he is to 30, the future is murky at best for this former dynasty by The Bay.
Boston: Jayson Tatum’s brutal Achilles tear is the kind of devastating injury that can alter the course of a franchise for years. That sounds hyperbolic, but given the Celtics’ cap sheet going forward and the diminished play of Jrue Holiday and downright invisibility from Kristaps Porzingis, it’s hard to imagine how this squad returns to last year’s championship form. Jaylen Brown and Derrick White can steady the ship in the weakened Eastern Conference while Tatum heals, but his injury might force this franchise to confront some hard truths a year or two earlier than it might have otherwise.
Cleveland: What the heck happened here? The feel-good story of the regular season is little more than an afterthought after an embarrassing five-game shellacking at the hands of the Indiana Pacers. They had injury problems, sure, but so does everyone in May. Even when their stars played, they had no chance against Indiana. The egalitarian, beautiful brand of basketball that won Kenny Atkinson Coach of the Year and earned Donovan Mitchell a spot on my fake All-NBA ballot was jettisoned the instant the Cavs ran into a little adversity. Mitchell’s usage rate ballooned, and the rest of the Cavs stood around and watched. I still think a Mitchell/Mobley/Garland core can contend in the NBA’s junior varsity, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to shake what I saw against Indy until the Cavs prove they can win games that matter.
For the four teams still competing, the microscope showed much more favorable qualities:
Oklahoma City: This is the best overall team. Much has been said about the Thunder’s defense, but there is one very specific skill this team executes better than perhaps any team in history. I have never seen a team help and recover better than the Thunder. The way the perimeter defenders can crash on the post (either on the block or at the elbow) and then recover to open shooters is nothing short of breathtaking. Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, even Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – each would be the best perimeter defender on almost any team in the league. It seems unfair for them to all be clustered onto one roster. Watch how they fight over screens too. I’m not sure Caruso has ever been effectively screened before. Questions remain about how this team generates offense outside of SGA’s individual brilliance and creativity, but this team’s stifling defense is the most championship-ready attribute any remaining team brings to the table.
Minnesota: The Timberwolves are big, mean, athletic, and scary. They have been here before. They have an identity. And they have one guy who truly believes he is the best player on the planet. There are times when defenses seem to have a handle on Anthony Edwards, and he just gets to the rim anyway. His sheer talent is undeniable. The real revelation this postseason has been Julius Randle. Not typically known as a big-game performer, Randle has elevated his bruising brand of basketball to another level. This is a huge, well-rounded squad that can win the whole thing – as long as they don’t shoot themselves in the foot with costly turnovers and emotional mistakes.
New York: Jalen Brunson lives for this. I’m not sure there is a better match between player and city in all of basketball. This guy thrives on big moments in front of huge crowds full of celebrities. If the game is close, he just seems to find a way to get it done. He is surrounded by a terrific supporting cast who seem to finally have struck the right balance of shot-making and defense – particularly OG Anunoby, playing the best basketball of his career. This is a team that knows who it is and what got them there. Keep it close and let Brunson bring it home. Just stay out of foul trouble, KAT! You don’t need that fourth reach-in foul 60 feet from the basket!
Indiana: The sleeper. It seems like nobody quite knows what to make of this squad, other than it is a total buzzsaw making light work of a 60-win team just a week ago. Perhaps it would be easier to imagine Tyrese Haliburton as the evolutionary Steve Nash. Even while Nash was winning multiple MVPs in seven seconds or less, he left a little bit of meat on the bone. Nash has often commented that it would have helped his team had he looked for his own shot – particularly 3s – more often. It would have opened more passing lanes, more spacing, more room to maneuver. Haliburton is a few ticks below his typical high-30 percentage this postseason, but he’s still hoisting 6.5 per game and averaging more than 9 assists to just two turnovers. He is the brilliant orchestrator of this deep, athletic, impeccably coached team. They have holes defensively, but they have more than enough firepower to overcome them.
What will the microscope expose this week? Only one way to find out. Watch the games.
