After seeing five series go to seven games, many are calling the first round of the 2014 NBA playoffs one of the best rounds of basketball ever. After the way the regular season went, people really shouldn’t be surprised of just how close and intense each series was.
The Western Conference was full of top teams. Not necessarily championship caliber teams, but teams that knew how to win games. Dallas was the only team to make the playoffs in the West without 50 wins. They won 49. Only 13 games separated the eight playoff teams in the standings, and only five games separated the four through eight seeds.
Portland and Houston finished with identical record at 54-28, and they played like it. Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge played spectacularly, but it’s not like James Harden and Dwight Howard didn’t. There wasn’t much defense — the lowest point total in the series was 98 — but there was very little to separate the two sides. Despite winning just two games in the series, the Rockets outscored their opponent. But after an entire regular season and six playoff games, a handful of possessions and one dramatic buzzer beater sent Portland on to the second round and Houston to the golf course.
The Thunder and Clippers were extremely fortunate to have escaped their respective seven-game series. Both teams, which are being hailed as title challengers, nearly were victims of early round upsets. Both teams’ stars were the difference makers. Kevin Durant flipped a switch after being labeled “unreliable”, while Blake Griffin proved he can do much more as a big man than just dunking. Superstars win games and championships — just ask the Heat. Every team that advanced out of the West had its best players come through when they were needed most.
Back East, things were even stranger. The regular season was odd to say the least. Teams everywhere were struggling, and at the end of the day, 48 wins got you a No. 3 seed (poor Mavericks). The West might have better matchups in terms of star power, but it gives some under-the-radar players national attention they rightfully deserve.
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One guy in particular who has made the most of the national spotlight is Bradley Beal. John Wall has finally shown how good he can be and Beal has shown he has what it takes to be a scorer for years to come. The former Florida Gators guard is shooting just shy of 50 percent from beyond the arc and averaging nearly 21 points per game while leading the Wizards to a 5-1 record in the playoffs.
Had the Toronto Raptors managed to complete their improbable comeback against the Nets in Game 7, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan could be looked at in the same light. But the veteran Nets escaped by the skin of their teeth. It just shows how close things can get in determining who keeps playing and who goes home. DeRozan and Lowrey are currently eighth and 14th respectively in playoff scoring, but came up just short of a second round matchup with Miami.
There was so much to talk about from the first round. But despite all the ups and downs, only a handful of possessions and performances narrowed the playoff field in half. With so much basketball yet to be played, it tough to say what will happen next. I’ll forgo trying to make predictions, I’m content with just watching.