The first round of the NBA playoffs are almost at an end, and they’ve been more than a little odd. From blowouts to the lack of Steph Curry, these playoffs are proving that every team has both strengths and weaknesses that make every game life-or-death. Although the Spurs and the Cavaliers are both one game from sweeping their series, it’s clear that in the early stages, these playoffs are anyone’s game.
There’s for more games tomorrow, and every team has at least one more chance to prove their worth. So what are each of these teams afraid of going into the end of the opening series?
One word — Steph Curry. Obviously, the Warriors are doing well, sitting on top of their series with the Rockets 3-1 with the No. 1 seed overall. But the loss of their show-stopping MVP guard is enough to cause even the casual fan some alarm as the series winds on. Curry will undergo an MRI on Monday to see the extent of the damage done to his knee. But until he has a ball back in his hands, the Warriors will be holding their breath.
The Rockets showed up strong against the Warriors in Game 3, with James Harden hitting a turnaround buzzer beater to win the game 97-96. But they opened the series with a humiliating 78-104 loss. Now down three games to one, even the Rockets best may not be enough to hold on.
“I think we're all committed,” center Dwight Howard told ESPN. “We have to do it on a consistent basis and do it for the whole game — that's the only way you can beat a team like this. As you can see, they don't stop playing; no matter who is out there, they continue to play throughout the game.”
Although the Spurs have had the easiest playoff run so far — they cruised through their first round series over the Grizzlies — but that isn’t keeping head coach Gregg Popovich from worrying. His main fear? That his team will slack off, cocky after a strong start.
“Absolutely, it's always scary when somebody else [has to] step up, you always worry about your team thinking the job might be a little bit easier; just subconsciously,” Popovich said. “Everybody says the right things, but subconsciously, I think people don't have the same focus when a team is in a hole. So far, we've been able to do that. Let's see if we can keep it up.”
The third seed Thunder team have handled the Mavericks pretty easily this series, going 3-1 and clinching a 131-102 blowout in Game 3. But they’ve had some problems clinching, losing the most games after leading for three quarters out of any other team in the league. They’ll need to secure a lead early and keep it strong throughout the game, because when it comes to clutch time, they have yet to prove themselves. Dominating the Mavs is probably a guarantee, but what about when games become tighter down the road?
The Mavs are trailing 3-1 and the 77-point differential in those games illustrates the massive difference in talent and finishing abilities between the two teams. It’s do-or-die at this point for the Mavs, and they’re well aware.
Dallas only trails 2-1 in the series, but the 66-point differential is proof that there is a rather alarming talent disparity between the teams. “Look, their talent is a significant problem,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “We know that. The way you mitigate it is to be really tied together and play extremely hard.”
They’re up 2-1 on Portland, but that doesn’t mean that they’ve clinched their series. The Clippers were in the same place in 2013 and last year, and ended both series losing four games straight. Slacking off at this point is a very real concern for the team as a whole.
“You can't underestimate a team or think you're already done with the series before you are,” forward Blake Griffin told ESPN. “Just look at what happened last year, [up] 3-1, [now up] 2-0 — it's pretty much the same thing. I think that's in our minds, and I think the way we practiced yesterday will be big for setting the tone for Game 3 and 4.”
They’re two behind, but for the youngest team still in the running, that’s not necessarily a bad place to be. Portland’s inexperience showed in the opening of the series, with two back-to-back blowouts, but they shouldn’t be underestimated. Each game is giving this team hands-on experience that will massively affect their ability to adapt.
“People always give the more experienced team the edge because you don't get that experience until you get that experience,” starting forward Al-Farouq Aminu said on Friday. “It's one of those things you can't teach. You just have to go through it … It's a different game. The refs are allowing us to be a little more physical, and things like that. It's the game within the game that you also have to remember to do as well.
Lebron James isn’t one to get worried, but he does have some things to watch out for as his Cavaliers finish out the series. They’ve kept their 3-0 series lead, but after blowing a lead on Friday, the team has had their wake-up call.
“It's a team that's not going to quit,” James told ESPN of the Pistons. “A Stan Van Gundy team never quits, and they got some guys with high character and are determined to try to get a win on their home floor, so now that's my focus right now. How we can be better.”
The Raptors need to close out, and in order to do that they have to keep up their intensity. Defensively, they’ve been solid and scrappy. But if that pace slows, they could see themselves overtaken.
“It's super difficult to [close out a series] because teams with their backs against the wall come out extra aggressive, extra hungry,” Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry told ESPN. “We know how hard they are going to come out and play, and we have to match that intensity.”
On the flip side, the Pacers need to up their intensity — and fast. It’s not that they don’t have the talent or the experience, but a lack of hustle, particularly in scrapping for 50-50 balls, has been evident throughout this series. The Raptors have snatched 33 more rebounds and scored 24 more points in the paint this series, and that’s the most essential set of statistics in understanding where the gap in the losses comes from.
There’s a lot of pressure on the Heat. They really shouldn’t have much to worry about. They blew out Charlotte with ease and scored 238 points in their first two games alone. But star Dwyane Wade is still on edge.
“Because however you break it down, we haven't done anything yet that we weren't really supposed to do,” Wade said. “For two games at home, we've played about as perfect as we could play. But this is a new team when it comes to going through the playoffs. We haven't done this before. I don't want us to think this is how it's always going to be.”
So what do the Hornets need to worry about? Mostly, they need to focus on replacing Nicolas Batum, whose sprained ankle will keep him out of at least Game 3. He was the solid base to a four-out starting group, and helped the team turnaround leading into the playoffs. Now, the Hornets need to decide if they need to go big or small to take back the series against the Heat.
“NBA players are used to it because you have to play so many games with a guy out,” coach Steve Clifford told ESPN. “You play to the strengths of the guys that you have.”
Atlanta’s main concern is keeping the Celtics on their heels. Boston found some success with Isaiah Thomas, who turned out a career performance in the Game 3 win. Marcus Smart and Evan Turner both started heating up as well, and head coach Brad Stevens has found success in switching up his starters. The Hawks will have to find a way to slow that momentum if they want to come out of this series on top.
“[Thomas] had a little pep in his step,” Hawks swingman Kent Bazemore said. “Coach Stevens is a great coach with X's and O's and he can get any of his players a shot. They had us spread out a lot tonight and they run a lot of secondary action that kind of occupies us off the ball, and by the time you turn around and look where the ball was, Isaiah Thomas was letting it go. Great adjustment on their behalf but we can be so much better.”
The Celtics, meanwhile, need to worry what happens if Thomas isn’t hot. He scored 42 points in Game 3, and that kind of performance means that the Hawks will be locked into their defensive strategy to lock him down. What the team does if Thomas can’t finish will decide their ability to continue in the series.
“I feel like I gotta play at a high level for us to win,” Thomas told ESPN. “But other guys have to play at a high level for us to beat [the Hawks] because they're so well-rounded and talented.”
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