A Wild Week As Upsets Rock NBA Playoffs!!!

Holy Molly!!! What a weird week this has been in the playoffs! The underdogs are leading the way, as the playoff picture goes totally haywire. 

In the east, the Indian Pacers surprised the cage world with a masterful 4-1 take-down of the conference top -seed Cleveland Cavaliers. They were followed shortly by the New York Knicks, who created similar shock waves by booting out the defending champs Boston Celtics 4-2 to set a date with the Pacers for the Eastern Conference crown. 

In the western conference, as of this writing, the top-seed Oklahoma City Thunder and the former champs Denver Nuggets will need a Game 7  to determine who moves forward to the Conference Finals. Eagerly awaiting them there are the menacing Minnesota Timberwolves, who bundled out another former champ, the Golden State Warriors. 

It was certainly not a good week for the favored teams; as the Eastern conference finals pits the 3rd seed New York Knicks against the 4th seed Indiana Pacers; while it’s the 6th seed Minnesota Timberwolves against either the top-seed OKC Thunder or the 4th-seed Denver Nuggets. Only the Thunder remains among the 1st or second seeds still in contention.  

Very few cage pundits foresaw the Pacers’ resurgence in the second half of the season. Coached by the cerebral Rick Carlisle, the Pacers had quietly built a defining 34-14 run in the second half of the season, to go from the middle of the pack to occupy the 4th place in the east, pacing themselves and positioning themselves well for the playoffs. The Cavs, on the other hand, sputtered in the playoffs, with injuries to 2 key starters, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. Credit to the Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell for a herculean effort to try to lift the team, but the combined efforts from Tyrese Haliburton, Paskal Siakam, Miles Turner and the rest of the crew could not be denied. 

When it mattered most, the Pacers were simply solid. This is a team that doesn’t rely on flashy scoring performances, but on a tenacious effort on both ends of the court. It is the Pacers dogged defense and a balanced scoring that relies on great distribution that has carried them through. 

The New York Knicks were also not expected to beat their 2nd round dance partners, the dreaded defending champs, Boston Celtics. The seasoned Celts had also ho-hummed their way to the playoffs, content with an intact line-up from last year’s fabulous run leading to the coveted crown. But in the end, it was the Knicks’ ability to keep within range that would totally unsettle the Celts. 

The Knicks were confident that they could rip the Celtic defense apart, they knew they could control the tempo, if they could bring the game to the last 2 minutes. They knew that they had exorcised the Celts enough to make them feel that the Knicks would own those last 2 minutes. Hence, the Celtics tried to put as much distance between them in the first 3 quarters, lest they lose control of the game. Which they did. 

Of course, the fact that the Celts lost their main man, Jayson Tatum, in Game 4 also has to be factored in. But Jalen Brunson, Karl Anthony Towns and the rest of the Knicks’ never-say-die dawgs deserve credit for their amazing success in instilling the fear in the hearts of this supposed champion team. It is their intense mental tenacity that sets them apart from the rest.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have slowly, but surely gained the maturity that will make them a perennial picture in the western playoffs. This will be their second consecutive trip to the Western conference finals, having lost to the Luka Doncic-led Dallas Mavs last year. This year, they demolished Luka and his new team, the LA Lakers, in the 1st round; and the Warriors in this 2nd round. That said, Timberwolves, starring Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, have timberred 2 grizzled former champs. And if the Denver Nuggets pull through, the Wolves will be facing their 3rd consecutive former champ this postseason. 

Of course, luck also played a part in this surge as the Warriors played game 2 onward without their injured main man, Steph Curry. Without Steph, the scoring load became the Warriors’ biggest issue. Not to mention the lack of a credible center to clog the lanes. Newly-acquired Jimmy Butler tried to lift the team, but the loss of Steph’s sweet- shooting, plus lack of a big man to bang bodies with Rudy Gobert, were simply too much. It’s on to the Western conference finals for the Wolves. The Wolves’ maturity will be tested in the next round.

Finally, it’s going to be a dogfight as the top-seed OKC Thunder lock horns with the veterans from the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 scheduled on Sunday. The Thunder, with Shai Gilgeous Alexander leading, will have homecourt advantage, but the Nuggets will have the championship experience. Okc will use their youth, their speed, their agility. Denver will use their veteran moves, their proven mental toughness to counter that. 

If OKC wins, this will be their first time to reach the western conference finals in a long time. If Denver wins, it will be their 2nd consecutive Game 7 winner-take-all triumph in a row. Plus, this is a showdown between SGA and the Nikola Jokic, the last 2 gladiators standing in the race for the league’s prestigious MVP award. Who will it be?

Tomorrow, we shall know which team emerges triumphant. Two teams with contrasting skills and philosophies. It’s youth against experience, talent versus cage IQ. Just recently, 2nd seeded Houston Rockets lost Game 7 in their homecourt against the Warriors. It was experience trumping youth and talent at that time. Which will it be this time? 

Two things come to mind in this year’s playoffs. First, there is parity in the league. The top teams are more or less evenly matched. The top seeds in the regular season could be kicked out the door by lower seeded teams if they come unprepared.  And second, injuries could derail a team  if it hits at the crucial tail-end of the season. Injuries spelled the big difference for the Cavs, the Celtics and the Warriors this post-season. 

This year’s playoffs have been as unpredictable as it could be. Except for Denver, none of the 5 surviving teams have reached the finals in the last few years. We’ve got new sheriffs in town. With the likes of Lebron James, Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo checking out early. 

This has been a season of change. With new teams, new names, new styles of play in full display in the arena. A wild, weird week indeed, but a truly exciting one for all the cage fans out there. 

Cover photo courtesy of USA Today.