Boston Celtics V Philadelphia 76ers (Celtics lead 3-0)
The Celtics came into Sunday’s big game looking to send the 76ers packing, but the 76ers, much like in game three, were not ready to just give up and quit.
For the first time in the whole series, the 76ers had contributions from other than star center, Joel Embiid. The 76ers had five different players, aside from Embiid, score in double digits: Al Horford, Tobias Harris, Josh Richardson, Shake Melton, and Alec Burks. Unfortunately, it proved to be too late for the 76ers. They fell to the Celtics 110-106, and their season is officially over.
It would have been fun to see what the 76ers could have done if they were at full strength. Even though they were swept, they played hard with the players they had. If G/F Ben Simmons were there, this series would have been a more evenly matched, seven-game series.
Embiid (8-18FG 1-5 3PT 13-18FT 30PTS 10REB 3STL 2BLK 4TO 37MIN) played his heart out for the 76ers. Despite dealing with injuries, Embiid owned every game of this series and should be commended for his play.
The Celtics were in a dogfight until a massive run in the 3rd quarter helped seal this game. Kemba Walker (8-15FG 4-9 3PT 12-13FT 32PTS 4REB 4AST 1STL 2BLK 2TO 36MIN) finally had a big playoff game with the Celtics. With Walker playing at this level, the Celtics have one the most dynamic big threes (Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown) in the league. This trio is why many people give the Celtics an excellent chance to win the Eastern Conference this season.
The Celtics will move on to the second round of the NBA playoffs and more than likely take on the Toronto Raptors (Lead Nets 3-0) in what should be one of the best playoff series of the second round.
Los Angeles Clippers V Dallas Mavericks (Clippers lead 2-1)
This was the best game of the first round of the NBA playoffs so far.
This game had a huge comeback, an amazing back and forth last quarter, a nerve-wracking OT, and one of the best playoff performances of all time. The Mavericks came into this game unsure if either of their two superstars, F Kristaps Porzingas and G Luka Doncic, were going to play.
Doncic had injured his ankle in the last game. Doncic later said in the post-game interview that the injury was not as bad as it seemed. Porzingas, on the other hand, did not seem to get hurt in the last game, but it did look like he was having some knee flare-ups.
Porzingas was presumed to play but was a late scratch before the game started, and Doncic decided to play in the must-win game for the Mavericks. This turned out to be a crucial decision that would be tied to the fate of the Mavericks.
At one point in this game, the Mavericks were down by a whopping 21 points. They got some much needed support from their role players: Tim Hardaway (21PTS), Trey Burke (25PTS), Seth Curry (15PTS). Which was huge with the late scratch of Porzingas and helped take some of the pressure off of Doncic.
By the fourth quarter, the Mavericks were able to erase their deficit and were up 93-85. The fourth quarter went back and forth until the Clippers were able to capitalize in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to force an overtime period.
The OT period was just as intense and hard-fought as the fourth quarter was. Luka Doncic and Kawhi Leonard were doing everything in their power to win for their respective squads. Leonard was able to get, what looked like, the game-winning assist when he dished into the corner to find F Marcus Morris for a 3 point field goal.
The Clippers were up 133-132, with 9.6 seconds left on the clock. But that did not stop Doncic’s will and determination. That was too much time to leave on the table for Doncic.
Doncic took the ball up the court. The Clippers had a foul to give, and they made it, leaving the Mavericks with 3.7 seconds to come up with a play. The Mavericks inbounded the ball to Doncic, and he loaded up his patented stepback three. It swished through the net as the buzzer went off.
Time ran out to give the second-year superstar his first buzzer-beating, game-winning shot of his career. At 21, he is also the youngest player to hit a game-winning shot in the playoffs. Doncic (18-31FG 4-10 3PT 3-5FT 43PTS 17REB 13AST 2ST 1BLK 7TO 46MINS) is only the third person ever to record a 40-15-10 triple-double. Doncic has put his imprint on these playoffs.
Luka Doncic is the future of this league.
Heading into game five the Clippers have to fix Paul George (3-14FG) and fix him fast, or the Mavericks might pull off this huge upset. Lou Williams (13-20FG 2-4 3PT 8-9FT 36PTS 4REB 5AST 1STL 2TO 34MIN) finally looked like himself in this game. He was a spark off the bench and he was the best player for the Clippers tonight. Leonard (10-22FG 3-9 3PT 9-10FT 32PTS 9REB 4AST 2STL 1BLK 2TO 47MIN) was solid but took too long to become a significant factor in this game. He would need to play more defense. Leonard was the player who made the most significant stops on Doncic.
Both of these teams exuded major energy for this game, and it will be interesting to see how both teams and star players look after this energy-draining game. The series is tied at 2-2 and game five has often been the biggest game of a series. Whoever wins game five usually has the home court advantage, but it will be interesting to see if the homecourt momentum still applies in the bubble.
Toronto Raptors V Brooklyn Nets (Raptors lead 3-0)
The Raptors capped off their sweep of the Brooklyn Nets in historic fashion by scoring 150 points, which is now the new playoff-high for regulation in a playoff game. The Nets never had a chance in this series, and the Raptors did not let them gain any confidence to think otherwise.
Nick Nurse, the Raptors head coach, just won the NBA coach of the year on Saturday. It was well deserved with what he did with this Raptors team. Everybody thought the Raptors could not be competitive without Kawhi Leonard, but they are playing even better than they were last year when they won the title.
The Raptors had six players score in the double digits, three of which scored 20+points: Pascal Siakam, Serge Ibaka, Norman Powell. They shot 55% from the field and made 22 three-point shots to lead to this historic offensive day.
The funny thing is the Raptors calling card is the defensive end of the ball. Teams better be ready for a well-balanced and well-coached team when they play the Raptors. The Raptors are a team with a chip on their shoulder and are prepared to prove that last year was not a fluke.
The Nets tried their best with what they had in personnel in the bubble. Next year, with the return of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and some good free agents, the Nets are a team to keep an eye heading into next season.
The Raptors are now locked in to take on the Boston Celtics for a tremendous second-round matchup and a lot of fun for fans.
Denver Nuggets V Utah Jazz (Jazz lead 2-1)
The Denver Nuggets have been the biggest disappointment of the 2020 playoffs so far. The talent level is off the charts, but they have abandoned the play that got them to the number 3 seed in the west. After game three, it does not look like they would ever come back to it.
The Nuggets offense came out storming and gained the lead for the Nuggets 36-33. They looked a lot more fluid with good ball movement like they did in the regular season.
The Jazz made a little bit of a push in the second quarter and cut the three-point deficit to one point, 64-65. They kept their momentum going into the third quarter, and the Nuggets had no answer. The Jazz were down 97-89, heading into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter ended up an epic showdown between G Jamal Murray and G Donavan Mitchell, who became the first opposing players to both have 50+points in a playoff game in NBA history. The game came all the way down to the final minute, but in the end, the Jazz prevailed 129-127 to take a 3-1 lead in this series; one win away from knocking off the number 3 seed, Denver Nuggets.
The Jazz were, once again, led by Donavan Mitchell (15-27FG 4-7 3PT 17-18FT 51PTS 4REB 7AST 4TO 38MIN), who put up another historic effort. Mitchell has scored the most points so far in the 2020 playoffs, and the jazz needed it tonight.
Jamal Murray played well and kept the Nuggets nipping at the heels of the Jazz. Murray (18-31FG 9-15 3PT 5-5FT 50PTS 11REB 7AST 1BLK 2TO 43MIN) tried his hardest to will the Nuggets to a game four win but came up just short.
The Nuggets need the whole team to match the effort that Murray shows to keep from being eliminated on Tuesday. I thought the Nuggets had this series easy, but Donovan Mitchell has taken his play to another level. I did not think Mitchell could improve the Jazz the way he did.