Day 1 of NBA Playoffs Reactions/Predictions

                                                                    

 

            First and foremost, I want to thank you for supporting my craft and my dream by tuning in to what I have to say on the “SwayReportingLive” platform. But for this specific platform “Sway” takes a backseat as you are now taking a step deeper into the mind of Ryan Richards the aspiring sports journalist.

Now onto the NBA playoffs, what a day it was for NBA as the first of four playoff games lined up on ESPN’s schedule was probably the best one.

 (3) Denver Nuggets v Utah Jazz

The three seeded Denver Nuggets are matched up against the sixth seeded Utah Jazz and two things were noticeably clear to me after the first game. First thing is that the Nuggets look ready for playoff basketball. Why? Well after losing a grueling seven game series in the second round to the Portland Trailblazers in 2019 and just missing the playoffs by one game in 2018, they now have an edge to them. Their young nucleus has been relatively the same over the past three seasons and it appears the “nervs” that would come with a young team in crucial moments are a thing of the past.

  The combination of versatile big man Nikola Jokic and point guard Jamal Murray ran the show as Jokic ended with 29 points and 10 rebounds and Murray ended with 36 points and 9 assists in the 135-125 win over the Jazz. Down the stretch of the game Murray found Jokic consecutive times for baskets that led to Denver taking the lead in the fourth quarter 103-102. Twenty of Murray's points came in fourth quarter and overtime as he was trading tough shot for tough shot with Donovan Mitchell which brings me to my next point.

Donovan Mitchell will win this series by himself if he must. Why? Well without the presence of veteran all-star point guard Mike Conley in the lineup, who left the bubble for the birth of his child, all the attention was on third year star Donovan Mitchell. With all this attention, facing traps, double teams, and multiple guys defending him Mitchell scored the third most points in playoff history. 57 points on 57% shooting, six for fifteen from the three-point line, perfect from the free throw line with thirteen free throws and finally he added 9 rebounds and 7 assists.

Donovan may not have another 50-point night again these playoffs, but this game showed me that he is willing to do anything it takes to lead his team to victory. Being the primary ball handler running the offense creating for others seem to be a roll that Mitchell thrives in. Most in part because the acquisition of Mike Conley has been a disappointment, only averaging 14ppg on 40% shooting compared to his 21ppg on 43% shooting the year before. Conley due to Covid-19 protocol by the NBA will have to quarantine for 4 days and will miss Game 2 of this series. With some help from “the others” I believe Mitchell has a chance to steal game 2 and possibly the series.

My Prediction- Den in 6

 

(2) Toronto Raptors v (7) Brooklyn Nets

Going into this series the I feel both teams are using this series as a tune up. Raptors clearly the better team and defending champions are featuring their new number one option, fourth year player Pascal Siakam seeing how he responds to playoff basketball without Kawhi Leonard on the court with him. He had a subpar game with 18 points 11 rebounds shooting 4-13 from the field, but we do not know the raptors as a team that is a one man show. Fred VanVleet had a great sowing with 30 points and 11 assists while going 8 for 10 from three point territory, accompanied with Serge Ibaka’s 22 points and 7 rebounds. The Raptors were dominating by near 30 points but the Nets even undermanned is no slouch we have discovered.

On the Nets side they are going to be competitive of course because that is the culture that has been instilled. They have found some good production out of fourth year guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot who dropped 26 points and 7 rebounds and third year big man Jarrett Allen who added 15 points and 12 rebounds. Both players since the NBA restart has been consistent bright spot in the Nets 2020 NBA restart campaign. I believe the Nets are using this series to see who can make their roster going into next year when they are fully healthy. The emergence of Caris LeVert as a possible third superstar to the return of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant from injury is huge. These playoff moments are easy experience for the young player that will be thrusted into similar situations in the future.
My Prediction- Tor in 5

 

(3) Boston Celtics v (6) Philadelphia 76ers

                First things first I have this series going 7 games even with all star point forward Ben Simmons having season ending surgery. I have that much faith in Joel Embiid’s ability to dominate the Celtics simply because of his size combined with his skills. The Celtics won the game 109-101 as they got balanced efficient scoring from wing players Jayson Tatum with 32 and Jaylen Brown with 29 who scored 15 of those in the fourth quarter. It was a close game down the stretch as both teams made runs to take the lead in the fourth but it was the Celtics that held on down the stretch going 6 for 6 from the free throw line in the final minute of the game.

            Even with the Celtics being balanced and so well coached by Brad Stevens, the story is clearly the lack of dominance by Joel Embiid. Yes, you do not have your co-star to properly get you the ball but there is something called making your presence felt and I believe he started Game 1 with that mindset. After the first quarter he had 11 points on 5-5 shooting. Over the next three quarters he only shot the ball 10 more times and made only 3 of them. He ended the game with 26 points and 16 rebounds respectively, but in my humble opinion he needed more shot attempts since he is now THE GUY that can lead the 76ers to victory. “ Lastly Embiid must take care of the basketball, he led the team with 5 turnovers, and they ended the game with 18 compared to Boston’s 7.

These problems are spread out between the best player and coach Brett Brown to properly get his best player the ball in pivotal moments. Period point Blank. I believe Joel Embiid can be the best player on the floor every night in this series if he is there mentally along with the right coaching and possibly win the series. The Celtics also have a new problem with Gordon Hayward going down with an ankle injury which will sideline him for 4 weeks we shall see how they respond to that.

My Prediction: Bos in 7

(2) Los Angeles Clippers v Dallas Mavericks

            This may be the quickest first round series in the western conference as we see a team in the clippers filled with well coached talent with depth against a young team finding their playoff wings. The clippers came out the gate early as they got out to a quick 10-0 lead after the first couple minutes as it was turnover city in Dallas.  But it was Luka Doncic who kept his team within striking distance for most of this game as he scored the most points by a player in their NBA playoff debut with 42 points along with 9 assists and 7 rebounds. He could’ve used some more help from his costar Kristaps Porzingis but he got ejected in the third quarter after receiving his second technical and ended the game with 14 points on 3-9 shooting. Both technical fouls were questionable, but I will not let the refs take over the story. Seth Curry added 14 while Tim Hardaway Jr. gave them 18. 

Ultimately the Clippers defensive prowess against everyone but Luka and superstar firepower were on display in Game 1. They forced the Mavericks to turn the ball over 21 times compared to their 11. Kawhi Leonard dropped 29 points and 12 rebounds, Paul George matching the scoring output with 27, and a nice contribution from Morris Sr. with 19 points. For the clippers they are finally completely healthy and are looking to find their groove as Game 1 was only the 13^th time that the full roster has played together. You can tell they need more reps as they were settling for iso basketball more times than not. Dallas is no slouch as they showed they can hang with the clippers when they are hot but Kawhi and PG will prove too much for the young superstar.  Look for the clippers to spread the ball more as the series goes on.

My Prediction- LAC in 5

*all stats and facts from NBA.com and basketballreference.com