Upset Tuesday, Day 2 of NBA playoffs

 

Day 2 of the NBA playoffs was a perfect encore to Day 1. We saw both number one seeds get exposed by their conference’s 8^th seed. We saw the small ball Rockets shoot the Thunder out the gym without Westbrook as he nurses his quad injury; and we saw round one of the Jimmy Butler against TJ Warren series. So let’s talk

 

(1) Milwaukee Bucks vs (8) Orlando Magic

            

Going into this game and series I was looking to see if the Magic would make the Bucks work. No one is expecting them to beat the Bucks four times, but will they make things difficult for reigning MVP and this year’s MVP candidate, Giannis Antetokounmpo? On Tuesday things got shockingly difficult for Milwaukee as they found themselves in an uphill battle since early in the second quarter. Throughout the game I did not feel any dominance in Giannis’ play, yes, he had 31 points 17 rebounds and 7 assists, but I felt I was looking for him more than him coming off the screen.

If you look deeper into his stat line his plus/minus for the game was minus 9 which is not good for your superstar and he went scoreless in the last eleven minutes of the game. One thing that stood out was that he went three for seven from the three-point line. My take on Giannis is that he lacks the ability to consistently shoot the basketball from the three-point line and the mid range. If you can force Giannis to settle for 7 three-point attempts that is something anyone can live with at this point in his career.

The reigning MVP also did not have much help as his all-star teammate Khris Middleton was a complete non-factor with a measly 14 points to add. Along with all these things for the Bucks they had one major problem all night and that was the play of Magic center Nikola Vucevic who went off for a playoff career high 35 points and 14 rebounds. Vucevic has been a constant double machine with the magic since his second year in the league as he averages 18 points and 10 rebounds for his career. He isn’t a household big man by name, but he should be by his skillset. He gave Milwaukee a steady diet of low post mid-range action mixed in with stepping out to the three-point line as he went five for eight from the three-point line.

Magic also got key contributions from Markell Fultz, 15, and three big threes from Evan Fournier in the final minutes from the game to put the Bucks away. With no Aaron Gordon the Magic was able to stun the best team in the league record wise 122-110 and possibly make this a series. Look for Middleton to be more aggressive in his shot attempts and Giannis to focus on possibly working out of the low post to kick to his shooters once the double comes.  

My Prediction-Bucks in 5

 

 

(4) Indiana Pacers vs (5) Miami Heat

Well we all know the headline of this series and this series may be one of the more interesting series out of the entire 1st round. Since Jimmy Butler called TJ Warren soft earlier in the regular season, we as a fan base have been waiting for this matchup and now we are getting a whole playoff series. As most 4 v 5 seeded matchups it was a back and forth game throughout. Indiana’s star guard Victor Oladipo left the game early in the game as he was scratched in the eye and was unable to return.

The heat won the first game 113-101 as their star player Jimmy Butler was just orchestrating the show. As I expected from the day he signed with the Heat, Butler seemed to be the perfect leader that Miami needed. Someone that does not care about scoring the bulk of the points but not afraid to do so as he ended with 28 points on the night. The heat also got timely production out of Dragic who ended with 24 points. Indiana on the other hand was very balanced in their scoring until Warren and Brogdon started to heat up late as they both ended with 22 points. This game started to get heated as Jimmy Butler started talking to someone as he walked down the court after big buckets.

Maybe it was TJ Warren, the virtual pacer fans, or a pacer assistant coach according to Butler. Whatever flipped the switch for butler worked as Butler turned into the closer that he is with 2 huge three pointers off the dribble down the stretch of the game. I do not want this particular game to dictate my pick as Oladipo wasn’t on the floor, but the pacers at times can look offensively challenged. Even with TJ Warren averaging 30ppg in the bubble since the restart it seems he may have different energy for Jimmy Butler now.

My prediction- Heat in 6

 

(4) Houston Rockets vs (5) Oklahoma City Thunder 

                                              

Game 1 between these two got out of hand fast as James Harden showed us once again why he leads the league in scoring for a third time in the 123-108 win over the Thunder. Dropping 37 points and 11 rebounds all without his running mate Russell Westbrook as he nurses an apparent quad injury. I would not get too excited about the Rockets right now as they are expected to get the job done even without their second-best player.

Will we get 22points from Jeff Green again? Will Eric Gordon add 21 consistently? I am more concerned about what those players numbers look like when Westbrook gets back on the floor. The “Small ball” lineup had trouble against Danilo Gallinari as 6’10 forward had a mismatch everywhere; he ended the night with 29 points which was a playoff career high for him.

            On the Thunder side Chris Paul was a no show to put it bluntly. He ended the night with 20 points and 10 rebounds with most of those points coming while the game was out of hand. The Rockets made 20 three pointers while shooting 48% from the field. Do not be surprised if Russell Westbrook continues sit and rest up if the rockets continue to dominate the Rockets like they just did.

My Prediction- Rockets in 6

 

(1) Los Angeles Lakers v (8) Portland Trailblazers

              

The Portland Trailblazers showed the world that they are not your typical 8^th seed as Lebron James said in an interview with Chris Haynes prior to the series as they beat the Lakers 100-93. Highlighted by 3 bombs of three pointers from about 30 plus feet respectively to cap of his 34-point 5 assist night. This is honestly a bad matchup for the Lakers because of the elite guard play especially when there is no Avery Bradley and no Rajon Rondo, and because the blazers can also go with a “big” lineup with Hassan Whiteside and Jusuf Nurkic which proved pivotal in this game.

Hassan Whiteside came alive defensively in the second half as Terry Stotts realized that playing rookie Wenyen Gabriel was not working as the Laker big men were beating up on him and Nurkic for most of the 1^st half. Whiteside ended the game with 5 blocks and 2 of them came on Lebron James while the Lakers made their many runs in the second half.

Both teams did not shoot well as they both were under 40% from the field. Lakers fans probably sat there during the game scratching their heads as to why Kentavious Caldwell Pope and Alex Caruso continue to get minutes as the two guards combined to score 3 points total while shooting 1 for 15 at 29 minutes each. I believe those minutes can be split with Dion Waiters and JR smith. Why? Well the Lakers need scoring and what those two gentlemen know how to do is put the ball in bucket, especially Dion creating off the dribble and JR doing JR things spotting up anywhere behind the three-point line.

In game 2 I expect to see more efficiency from Anthony Davis as 8 for 24 from the field just does not cut it. Lebron James had a historic night with 23 points 17 rebounds and 16assists, first player with such a stat line in a playoff game, but it did not feel like he had a strong enough impact on the game. The Lakers have a lot of work to do because it is Dame Time in the bubble.

My prediction- Lakers in 6

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