After a thrilling round of the NBA Play In, the excitement only escalated in the first and second rounds of the playoffs. Young players have left their marks, veterans were sent home early, and there may just be a new favorite out west.
To begin, two sweeps occurred in the opening round. Unsurprisingly, the Zion Williamson-less Pelicans were no match for the west’s top seed, Oklahoma City. More shocking to many was the Timberwolves defeating the Suns in four. While the Suns went all in this past offseason, the trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Duyrant, and Bradley Beal certainly concluded a disappointing season in the worst way possible. Even though the Heat pulled out a miraculous game two victory in Boston, the reigning Eastern Conference champs flew through the opening series.
Injuries plagued the Bucks, who went down in six games to a rising Pacers squad. Indiana advanced to play the Knicks, who were without Julius Randle for the opening round. Nevertheless, Jalen Brunson proved his worth in the first round, leading his team to an impressive win in six games. Knicks fan Evan Schwartz ‘26 says “I think that the Knicks have it in them to win the whole thing. They showed what they can do under injury struggles and I don’t see a team that can stop their momentum.” The final matchup in the East was the only one to go seven games. The Cavaliers defeated the Magic in this series, but a young Orlando team surprised many during the regular season and postseason. To wrap up out West, the defending-champion Nuggets escaped in the clutch several times to send home Lebron and the Lakers in five. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving proved to be too much for the Clippers, who were without Kawhi Leonard for most of the series. The Mavs took the win in six.
As of May 15th, the second round has only improved upon the opening series. In the East, the Celtics ran through the Cavaliers easily, winning 4-1. They look to get back to the Finals for the second time in three seasons. The most controversial series so far has been the Knicks vs. Pacers. After a plethora of questionable calls in the first two games, New York took a 2-0 lead. Indiana, though, rallied in game three after Andrew Nembhard hit the shot of his lifetime with time expiring. New York bounced back behind Jalen Brunson’s 40 points to take a 3-2 lead. The Mavericks and Timberwolves have been surprising many fans in their respective series so far. After a disappointing game one, Dallas bounced back to take a 2-1 lead over the top-seeded Thunder. Oklahoma City, though, evened the series after a clutch fourth quarter. Dallas is now on the brink of advancing, as they stole game five in Oklahoma City. Minnesota came out the gate hot, winning both matchups in Denver. However, the defending champs have picked it up recently, and now have a 3-2 advantage heading into game six.
While all of these series are far from over, it is safe to say that the Conference Finals, and eventually the NBA Finals, will be one for the history books. Countless players have made a superstar leap this postseason, and fans can’t wait to see what happens next.
