The First Round Postmortem
April 28th, 2018
By Vonny Lee
The first round is over and so ends the seasons for eight NBA squads.
1. The Kings
Simply couldn't keep up with the veteran experience and star play of the Sonics. Sacramento was closer to winning two games in this series than the final scores indicate, but the young squad's best chance -- a Game 2, 92-88 loss -- slipped through their fingers and so did their chance at a legendary upset. The Kings should consider this year a success, however, based on the outstanding growth of Brandon Ingram (16.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG on 45 percent shooting, 41 percent from deep) and the quiet excellence of their bench (led by Chandler Parsons). The Kings finished with a winning record, got to the playoffs, and showed something -- their year is officially a success. How they build upon this will be crucial moving forward, but for now they should enjoy the offseason.
2. The Pelicans
Have to be disappointed, if not crushed. NOLA had a 2-1 lead on the Rockets and looked ready to finish off Houston before a rematch with the Sonics. And that's part of why the Pelicans lost: they got caught looking ahead, particularly Anthony Davis. Davis was typically brilliant during the regular season, but the Rockets absolutely took him away in Games 4 and 5 -- Davis fouled out in Game 4 (with only 22 minutes of action and only 14 points), which was a narrow 95-91 win for Houston. Then, in Game 5, back in NOLA, Davis fouled out AGAIN -- this time lasting 26 minutes and scoring 17 points, but the damage was done -- the Rockets crushed the Pelicans, 125-104, and now New Orleans heads into the offseason with questions around their star. Anthony Davis, again, seems to have shrunk in the postseason and people are beginning to ask if the problem is less with his teammates and more with him.
3. The Clippers
Were a beat up, hampered bunch throughout much of the season. After losing Jordan early in the year, they got him back only to lose Teague, then got him back only for a few weeks before he went down again just before the playoffs. LAC looked like roadkill going up against the Thunder juggernaut, but scored a shocking Game 1 upset thanks to a career night from Trey Burke. Sadly, that was a one-off event and the Clippers promptly got drummed out of the postseason by a superior squad. Still, LAC has to be proud of the way they came together despite all the injuries and they'll have a little cap room to play with during the summer to maybe improve their squad. The first year post-Paul didn't go as well as many expected, but it didn't end as poorly either and that has to be a victory for the Clippers.
4. The Lakers
This young squad was close. Oh, so close. After going down 2-0 to the Suns, the Lakers stormed back to win Game 3 101-86 (thanks to Jaylen Brown) and then obliterated the Suns in Game 4 with a 113-91 win (thanks to a 31 point, 11 rebound night from Julius Randle). But in Game 5 the young Lakers squad were blown off the Suns home floor, 121-95, in a playoff loss that wills stick in the craw of the Lakers for a long-time. They came out ice cold in the first quarter, scoring only 12 points to the Suns 26, and with that kind of lead, Phoenix let it fly from downtown, burying the Lakers in triples. It wasn't a great playoff series for some of the young Lakers, but they've got experience now and that could be a big difference next season.
Out East ...
1. The Hornets
Have been upset and theirs is the greatest of upsets in NBA history. With a 56-26 record, they were picked to handle the woeful 40-42 Knicks and advance past the 1st round. Instead, they were beaten on back-to-back late shots by Melo, won Game 3, and then were destroyed in Game 4 at MSG, 97-82, thanks to Melo's 21 points, 8 rebound effort. The Hornets -- and their fans -- are stunned. None more so than their players, who might be seeing some changes this offseason. Rumors began flying after the game that Kevin Love was reportedly very angry with his teammates over their performance in the series and, if you're Love, you have every right to feel that way. Love was great in the series, scoring 22.2 PPG, pulling in 9.3 RPG, shooting 49 percent from the field (albeit with only 29 percent from deep) and there could be something brewing there -- no one else on the Hornets stepped up consistently. Where this goes from here is anyone's guess, but suffice it to say Charlotte might be in the midst of some drama.
2. The Bucks
Survived the extended absence of the Greek Freak during the regular season to make the playoffs, only to see him fall again in the last week of that same regular season to injury. The Bucks, predictably, folded against Chicago as the bright lights of the playoffs melted any hopes they had at advancing. Still, Jabari Parker put on quite a show and earned himself a big payday with his performance. He was a scoring machine this season as a full-time four, shooting 48 percent from the field, 47 percent from deep, and scoring 14.4 PPG. He gave the Bucks offense a much needed lift when things got stuck. The more pressing question is whether the Bucks should be worried about the Greek Freak -- two bad injuries, almost back-to-back, crippled him this season and crippled the Bucks. They'll need to monitor him very carefully going forward.
3. The 76ers
Must have an undying hatred of the Wizards after this season. Philly, despite being a higher seed, with a better record, with arguably more talent, met their match in Washington again. Like the year before, the 76ers couldn't solve the outstanding duo of Wall and Beal despite bringing in one of the better defensive guards in the league in Ricky Rubio to cap Wall. Wall got his, Beal got his, and the Wizards bench ran roughshod over the 76ers. They eeked out a close Game 4 win, 83-81, but the score won't matter much to Philly -- after last year's upset of the Bulls, they had higher hopes for this season.
4. The Pistons
Made this series ugly and close at the end. Detroit managed to steal Game 4 thanks to a ridiculous defensive performance from the second-quarter onward, resulting in a final score of 92-60, one of playoff historys ugliest scores ever. But the Cavs answered back with an 82-66 drumming of their own, putting Detroit away and sending the Pistons back to the drawing board. Clearly, something isn't working in Detroit and the fingers all point to Reggie Jackson, one of the worst overpays -- if not the worst overpay -- in recent history. Jackson's paltry numbers (11.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 6.3 APG on 41 percent shooting, 29 percent from the field) show just how harmful he is and SVG is looking to move him -- though where is as good a question as any, as Jackson's inefficient, chucker mentality is a poor-fit on virtually every NBA squad. Detroit will need to evaluate that position and Ryan Anderson's going forward.