NBA-Playoff First Round Recap-Day 2 Tuesday, August 18, 2020

This was another crazy day in the bubble. Day two of the NBA playoffs proved to be less straight forward than at first glance. Both 8th seed teams came out swinging and beat out the 1st seed favorites, not a common occurrence.

Milwaukee Bucks V Orlando Magic

On paper, this game was supposed to be a blowout in favor of the Bucks. The Bucks swept the Magic in the regular season 4-0, and every win was by an average of 17 points. But I guess someone forgot to tell the Magic because they dominated the Bucks, the number one overall seed. 

The Bucks looked like they were not ready for game one. Their last four games in the bubble felt more like preseason games. All of their starters were limited to 10-15 minutes of playtime. Over the first half of Tuesday’s game, it was apparent the Bucks were not ready to play competitive basketball. The Magic took advantage and led 62-52 going into halftime. 

The second half started like the Bucks had recomposed themselves to take this game over as expected. At one point, the Bucks tied the game, but after that, it was all Orlando Magic. The biggest upset thus far of the first round had taken its full shape. 

The Bucks could not muster the strength to match Nikola Vucevic (15-24FG 5-8 3PT 35PTS 14REB 4AST 1STL 5TO 37MIN).  Vucevic was the best player on the court today, scoring a playoff career-high in points. Giannis Antetokounmpo, the likely 2nd year MVP, was on the court with him. 

Antetokounmpo’s numbers (12-25 FG 3-7 3PT 4-9FT 31PTS 17REB 7AST 1STL 5TO 34MIN) might still look good, but his field goal percentage is well below his season average of 60%. The Magic also got Antetokounmpo to commit five personal fouls. This was a great win by the Magic, and they need to come out with this kind of play for the rest of the series to take out the number one seed. 

2020 is a year where nothing can be taken for granted; if the Bucks do not have drastic improvements across the board in the next game, they might be staring down the dreaded 0-2. The Magic proved that they are not scared of the mighty Bucks, which makes this more of a 6 or 7 game series instead of the beatdown most predicted. 

Miami Heat V Indiana Pacers

When the playoff matchups were set in the eastern conference, I thought this was going to be the most competitive series to watch. The first game did not disappoint as both teams played their hearts out for all four quarters. 

The first half was a lot of back and forth. The halftime score had Miami with the lead, 56-52, but Indiana had to feel confident with the score because they came out in the third blazing. The Pacers chopped the lead down to one point heading into the fourth quarter. Miami was leading 81-80. It seemed like the game was going to stay close until the end when Jimmy Butler hit back to back triples. The Heat won the game with a final score of 113-101. 

The Heat were paced by Jimmy Butler (8-15FG 2-2 3PT 10-12FT 28PTS 3REB 4AST 4STL 2BLK 4TO 37MIN), who made the big shots and played the lockdown defense he is known for. Goran Dragic also chipped a big game, dropping 24 points. TJ Warren (9-18FG 4-5 3PT 8REB 3AST 4STL 2TO 38MIN) stepped in to match up against his adversary Butler and Malcolm Brogdon chipped in 22. 

This series looks like it may be destined to a 6 or 7 game series with either team being able to win. I give the edge to Miami just on talent and coaching, but the Pacers proved they can take the Heat’s best shot and throw back their own. 

Houston Rockets V Oklahoma City Thunder

I would be more excited about this matchup if Russell Westbrook were healthy, but this still has revenge series written all over it. James Harden was not signed by the Thunder way back when Harden was just getting started. Instead, the Thunder traded him to the Rockets in 2012. Vice versa, for Chris Paul he was in Houston for two years until he got traded to the Thunder in the offseason. Both Harden and Paul have chips on their shoulders, and once Westbrook returns, some drama should unfold. 

The first half of the game had the Rockets blasting the Thunder. At one point, Houston led the game by as much as 20 points. They left the first half with Rockets leading 68-52. The Thunder could not recover from that first-half deficit and fell to the Rockets in what ended up being a snooze-fest of a game. 

Initially, I thought there was no way that the Rockets could handle the Thunder’s depth without Westbrook, but I was wrong. The Rockets played great all-around basketball. James Harden (12-22FG 6-13 3PT 7-8FT 11REB 3AST 3TO 34MIN) did his thing like usual. Harden did not have to play the entire game with the support of two bench players, Jeff Green and Ben McLemore, who combined for 36 points and shot 13-20FG 7-14 3PT. The Rockets knew exactly what they needed to do to supplement the loss of Westbrook. 

The Thunder will need a lot of things to change for game two if they do not want an 0-2 start. They will not win any games if Dennis Schroeder and Shai Gilgeous Alexander shoot for a combined 5-20. Aside from Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams, everybody else who touched the floor for the Thunder were vastly unimpressive. I had the Thunder winning in 7 before this series started, but I might have to switch to the Rockets.

Los Angeles Lakers V Portland Trailblazers

The Lakers/Trailblazers matchup is the most talked-about series in the first round this year. The Trailblazers are everybody’s new favorite team after their huge bubble surge to make it into the 8th spot. The Lakers clinched the top seed early on after missing the playoffs last season. With LeBron James, the Lakers should be the prohibitive favorites, but with what the Blazers have done in the bubble, people are rooting for these underdogs. 

The first half was more of the same, Damian Lilliard was on fire with 20 at the half, and the Blazers frontcourt was able to lockdown Anthony Davis and held him to 9 points. The Blazers had the lead heading into the half, 57-56. 

The third quarter was a defensive quarter with the Blazers only mustering up 21 points but were able to hold the Lakers to 19 points, which gave the Blazers a 78-75 lead heading into a super intense 4th quarter to end this game. 

The Blazers looked absolutely gassed when the 4th quarter started. The Lakers seemed to be able to sneak away with a win. With the Lakers leading, 87-81, the Blazers turned to their leader Lilliard to save the day; he answered the call with back to back three balls to tie the game. This gave all the momentum back to the Blazers, and they never looked back. 

With the score tied at 89-89, Lilliard pulled up and nailed a shot to give the Blazers the lead, 92-89, with two minutes left. Lilliard came back and orchestrated a great play, hit Carmelo Anthony with a pass to pop a three-ball, and grow the lead to six points with about a minute and a half left on the clock. 

That was the last big blow the Blazers to lock in the game; they won with a final score of 100-93. 

Overall, the Blazers should not be over-enthused. This was not one of their best-played games. Lilliard (9-21FG 6-13 3PT 10-10FT 34PTS 5REB 5AST 1BLK 3TO 43MIN) played well and led the team, but immense contributions by Jusuf Nurkic (16PTS 15REB), who also played great defense on Anthony Davis (8-24FG 0-5 3PT), kept the pressure off of the shoulders of the backcourt. 

The Lakers got another great performance from James (23PTS 17REB 16AST), who had another playoff triple-double. Still, everybody else for the Lakers was off and hurt the Lakers’ chances of winning. The Lakers have a lot of work to do going into game two and will need more than Anthony Davis and LeBron James if they are going to win this series. 

The Trailblazers did not play as well as they have in the past few weeks; they can get better going forward. That is something for Lakers’ fans to fear. It was a great win for the Trailblazers, but I think the Lakers will find a way to come back and make this a seven-game series.