With the 2023 NBA playoffs currently underway, I wanted to give my recap on all things playoff related.
The NBA Playoffs are a sight to see as we watch great matchups, players rise to the occasion, unfortunate injuries, and of course the media giving us their breakdown of each team.
Let’s start in the East!
The Milwaukee Bucks being the overall #1 seed is the high favorite. Miami winning the 8th seed in the play-in tournament is giving them a run for their money currently up 2-1 with a game 4 happening tonight. Giannis has been out the last two games due to a bruised tail bone. He is set to make his return. Will Miami go up 3-1 and continue their momentum & potential upset? Or will the bucks get back in the series and tie it up. With another crushing injury to role player Vic Oladipo, will his absence affect Miami’s quest to move on to the second round. I think both teams matchup well but if Miami jumps out to a hot start they have a chance to continue to dominate.
Philadelphia took care of Brooklyn in 4 games and they await their opponents for round 2.
How about the New York Knicks?!! They have the right chemistry and pieces I think to go deep in the playoffs. The addition of Jalen Brunson was a good one. I am keeping my eye on them.
Boston is one game away from securing their second round spot after going up 3-1 on the Hawks. Game 5 is a MUST WIN for them. Trae Young can shoot lights out but has been struggling. I hope he can find his mojo and help his team fight back in this series.
On to the western conference…… 🙂 My favorite conference, It’s really anyone’s game.
Denver is the quiet favorite right now. They aren’t being discussed as much as the Lakers, Warriors, Grizzlies, Suns. Minnesota fought back and now have a chance in this series down 2-1 instead of 3-0. ( no team has come back from 3-0). Stats don’t lie lol. The next game will be fun now that the Timberwolves have some life.
The Suns are looking to wrap up their series with the Clippers. With Kawhi and Paul both being out indefinitely due to injuries, it’s looking like KD and Phoenix are ready to move on and prep for round 2 which will be the winner of the Denver/Minnesota series.
Alright, Drama & Entertainment time lol. I think you know where I’m going.
Boy oh Boy- Tell me you watched game 4 for the Lakers/Grizzlies.
I think Dillon ended up with his foot in his mouth. We all know what he said. The lesson here don’t ever poke the bear or be disrespectful to the point an opponent has to shut you up. The lakers did just that scoring 40+ in the first quarter as a team. Lebron finished the game with 25 points. He played the most aggressive last game than ever before. The Grizzlies have been the talk of the league due to their chatty behavior with no deep playoff run to show for it. Will that continue to hurt them? Ja is going to be Ja every game but I will say this his style of play will continue to cause him harm than good injury wise. I never want to see a player get hurt and it’s okay to adjust your game a tad and still keep your essence. Ja is one of my favorite players but I don’t want to see him get seriously hurt trying to make a statement. I honestly think the Lakers are going to win this series with how everything is going as they have a 2-1 series lead.
Lastly, the defending Golden State Warriors, barely won. They were able to tie up their series with the Kings 2-2. A gutted team win that literally could’ve went any other way. Championship teams with experience know how to pull out gritty wins. No team has beaten the Warriors at home since Boston did in the finals last year and they still pulled it out. No one even has the Warriors winning another championship this year. I lowkey love the underdog route, no matter how they are seeded they always find a way to win and just kick the champion mentality in high gear. The suspension of Draymond for Game 3 fueled them, his unselfishness to come off the bench in Game 4 helped keep the momentum. The Kings who haven’t been in the playoffs in 17 years are fighting, dominating and not backing down from the challenge of playing the champs. It’s honestly a really good series. De’Aaron Fox unfortunately has a fractured finger on his shooting hand and as of right now is doubtful for Wednesday’s game. If he is out, we will have to see how the Kings respond but the offense runs through him. He is dominant and just a pure scorer. I like watching him.
The question now is..does this secure the Warriors a second round spot if Fox can’t play. I honestly say stick to the game plan and take it one game at a time especially with how bad the road games have been for the warriors. Let’s not discuss the refs. LOL If you know you know.
I’m excited for the rest of the playoff games. I love watching and engaging. Each game is different.
Let me know who you are rooting for and who you think will win this year’s championship. Drop a comment or tweet me @bballmypassion
As always thanks for reading 🙂
*Picture courtesy of google images*
