Category: NBA Playoffs Blog

NBA playoffs blog

Hawks preparing for Game 7 on road vs. Sixers

Winning an NBA playoffs Game 7 on the road, and as an underdog, is a tough task, but that’s the Atlanta Hawks’ intended agenda Sunday night. Via the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

It comes down to one game, with the teams on even footing, aside from the No. 1-seed 76ers having home-court advantage over the No. 5-seed Hawks.

“To be honest, I don’t think any of it matters,” Hawks guard Trae Young said about the previous games in the Eastern Conference semifinal series, after the Hawks’ 104-99 loss Friday at State Farm Arena. “It’s one game. They came in and took care of business to try to force a Game 7, and all the other games don’t mean anything. This is one game. Both teams are in a win-or-go-home situation.” …

Several key players on the team, including Young, [Kevin] Huerter, John Collins, and Bogdan Bogdanovic (who exited Game 6 with right knee soreness) hadn’t been in the NBA playoffs, so this obviously will be their first time in a high-intensity elimination game on the road. On Saturday, McMillan said Bogdanovic’s knee was sore and he was receiving treatment, but it was too soon to know his status for Game 7.

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard will miss Game 5 against Jazz

The Clippers, who are already without the services of center Serge Ibaka, now have a major injury problem at the forward spot. Via the LA Times:

When Kawhi Leonard was asked about his right knee Monday night following Game 4 of the Clippers’ second-round playoff series against Utah, he replied quickly, “I’m good.”

Because the answer was hard to hear through the videoconference’s feed, he was asked again.

“Yeah,” Leonard said. “Next question.”

Less than 48 hours later, with Game 5 of a deadlocked series looming Wednesday night in Salt Lake City, Leonard is not good. The forward, who has averaged more than 30 points, seven rebounds and four assists while shooting 57% in the postseason, is out for Game 5 because of a strained right knee suffered in the final five minutes of Game 4, when he was bumped by Utah’s Joe Ingles.

And from the OC Register:

Leonard – who was named to the All-NBA first team on Tuesday, his third such honor – reportedly could miss the rest of the best-of-seven series, which is tied, 2-2. He was not listed on the Clippers’ official injury report Tuesday, but according to ESPN, the 29-year-old forward told teammates Tuesday night to prepare for him to be out. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Clippers are fearful Leonard has suffered an ACL injury.

The five-time All-Star from Moreno Valley planted awkwardly on a drive to the basket in the fourth quarter of the Clippers’ 118-104 victory on Monday night at Staples. He grimaced following the play but remained in the game, missing both free throws he was awarded on the drive after a foul was assessed to Bojan Bogdanovic. Leonard remained in the game briefly after that, too, drawing another foul and making both of those free throws.

The Jazz remain without the services of point guard Mike Conley. But Leonard being out is a bigger problem for L.A. than Conley being out is for Utah.

Nets’ James Harden upgraded to Doubtful for Game 5 against Bucks

Will the Nets have James Harden available tonight? The answer could change between now and tipoff. But here’s the latest, via the New York Post:

With Brooklyn facing a desperate Eastern Conference semifinal Game 5, injured James Harden has been upgraded from out to doubtful Tuesday vs. Milwaukee.

“I don’t know if (he’s out) or not. I might have to wait,” Nets coach Steve Nash had said Monday. “He’s working out, so I have no idea if that means he has a chance for (Game 5) or not. I think there’s a plan behind the scenes that I don’t totally know what the deal is and then they’ll give us an update. But he’s working out.”

Harden went down just 43 seconds into this second-round series with what has been deemed right hamstring tightness. The Nets won the first two games without him at Barclays Center, but proceeded to drop the next two in Milwaukee to see the Bucks level the series and steal the momentum.

Jazz guard Mike Conley remains out, will miss Game 3 vs. Clippers

The Jazz remain without the services of their starting point guard. Via the Deseret News:

Mike Conley will miss a third straight game on Saturday.

The Utah Jazz’s All-Star guard was ruled out of playing Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Clippers because of the right hamstring strain he sustained in Game 5 of the Jazz’s first-round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Clippers lead the series 2-0. Game 3 is tonight in Los Angeles at 8:30PM ET, televised on ABC.

Mavericks star Luka Doncic dealing with nerve problem in neck

Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is dealing with a nerve problem in his neck, and it’s a huge issue for the squad. Via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

American Airlines Center has seen quite a turn. The unbridled joy and sheer hilarity of the first quarter of Friday night’s game has been replaced by a quiet and somber crowd following Sunday night’s Game 4 loss. The Mavs went from from being up 2-0 to being tied 2-2, and it’s not wrong to wonder when — and how — they might win another game in this series.

Sunday’s 106-81 loss provided the exclamation point but it was simply a continuation of a merciless onslaught that began in a 118-108 setback on Friday night when the Clippers rallied from an early 30-11 deficit to run away from Mavs.

The Mavs simply have no answers for Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as the series heads back to Los Angeles for the critical Game 5 on Wednesday…

And with the Mavs’ all-star guard Luka Donic now playing in obvious pain with an injured neck, albeit valiantly, the Mavs don’t stand a chance.

Doncic led the Mavs with 19 points on Sunday but it was on 9-of-24 shooting. He also missed all five of his free throws.

The series is taking a few days off, with Game 5 not until Wednesday.

Nets know they must step up vs. Celtics in Game 4

The Nets’ Game 3 loss to the Celtics suggests they better take Boston even more seriously than ever in Game 4. Via the New York Post:

The Nets weren’t physical enough Friday against the Celtics. They were not gritty enough or aggressive enough in getting roughed up at TD Garden in Game 3 of this first-round playoff series.

They know it’s only going to get tougher in Game 4 on Sunday. And they’ll have to get tougher, too.

“We have to play better as a unit, and we will [in] Game 4,” James Harden said. “This thing isn’t going to get easier for us. It’s going to be difficult. We expect that. Next game, it’s going to be a lot more fans, so we’ve got to take upon the challenge.

“So, learning experience for us. We’ll take [Game 3] on the chin and get better and ready to go for Sunday.”

They had better be. They took it on the chin, in the face and everywhere else in a 125-119 loss.

Game 4 is Sunday at 7PM ET on TNT.

Heat must step up in a big way vs. Bucks in Game 3

The Heat are in some trouble. Against a Bucks team that so far looks fully able to raise their game to a playoff level. Via the Miami Herald:

Toward the end of the second-most lopsided playoff loss in Miami Heat history, the crowd of about 9,000 in attendance at Fiserv Forum made its prediction for the outcome of the first-round series between the Heat and Milwaukee Bucks.

“Bucks in four,” the fans chanted in the final minutes of Game 2.

That seemed like an obvious prediction to make at the time, with third-seeded Milwaukee on its way to a 34-point win on Monday to take a 2-0 series lead over six-seeded Miami. But the Heat will look to change the narrative and bounce back as the series moves to AmericanAirlines Arena for Games 3 and 4.

Game 3 is Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (Bally Sports Sun and TNT).

Lakers vs. Suns Game 2 is tonight at 10PM ET

Lakers vs. Suns Game 2 is tonight at 10PM ET. Here’s the OC Register on the Lakers:

There’s an assumption that the Lakers have the proverbial “on” switch that they can flip at any time. The driver of this assumption is LeBron James, who has played 15 first-round series before this one and has not lost any of them. He’s looked wobbly before, most memorably going to seven first-round games against Indiana in 2018 with a Cavaliers team that was on shaky ground for much of the back half of the season. But if you’re betting on someone to advance in the playoffs, there’s nobody historically who is a better bet than James, who has made nine of the last 10 Finals.

There are other reasons to think the Lakers know how to respond, too. Anthony Davis tied his lowest-ever scoring output in a playoff game in the opener against the Suns, with just 13 points. The only other time he’s done that was in the Game 5 Lakers’ blowout of Houston – he came back with a 37-point outing against Denver to open the Western Conference Finals. Even coach Monty Williams didn’t want to take too much credit for slowing Davis down, because as his former coach, he knows how dangerous Davis can be when a handful of those jumpers actually are on target.

Will the No. 1 NBA defense give up 34 points to Devin Booker again? They don’t think so. A fully intact coaching staff from last season that didn’t lose two playoff games in a row last postseason? It’s a good bet there are some adjustments. There’s a ton of playoff experience up and down the Lakers roster that the Suns do not possess – that has to matter, right?

Heat and Bucks to face off in first round of playoffs

The Heat and Bucks faced each other in the playoffs last year, and will do so again this year. Via the Miami Herald:

This year, the sixth-seeded Heat (40-32) will take on the third-seeded Bucks (46-26) in the first round of the playoffs. The best-of-7 series will begin either Saturday or Sunday at Fiserv Forum, with the schedule yet to be released.

“They’re a really good team, obviously. They’re much different than last year,” Heat second-year guard Tyler Herro said of the Bucks. “They added a bunch of guys with Jrue [Holiday] and Bobby Portis and some guys off the bench. So it’s going to be a great series. I feel like two great teams in the Eastern Conference going at it.”

At the surface, the Bucks don’t seem as dominant as they were last season when they entered the playoffs with the NBA’s top record and net rating.

The Bucks enter the playoffs this season with the league’s seventh-best record and fourth-best net rating.

While the numbers might not be as overwhelming as last season’s, the Bucks’ roster seems better suited for the playoffs this season after adding Holiday, Portis and reserve guard Bryn Forbes in free agency last offseason and trading for veteran three-and-D specialist P.J. Tucker in March.

And the Sun Sentinel:

Familiar competition, with the Heat having defeated the Bucks 4-1 in last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals.

But also dissimilar circumstances. Unlike like last year’s playoffs, there will not be the cocoon of the Disney World quarantine bubble, with Milwaukee this time receiving true homecourt advantage at Fiserv Forum. It also is a Bucks team bolstered by the offseason addition of Jrue Holiday. And this time, after a march to the 2020 NBA Finals, it is not a Heat team that will be taking anybody by surprise.

No Lakers NBA championship celebration planned yet

This will come as no surprise, with the global coronavirus pandemic still affecting the world. Here’s the LA Times reporting:

The Lakers captured the franchise’s 17th NBA championship on Sunday night with a Game 6 victory over the Miami Heat, but plans for the team to celebrate the title in Los Angeles have not materialized.

The coronavirus pandemic, which has led state and county health officials to ban large gatherings of people, has seen to that.

No victory parade is planned through the streets of L.A., and no public team celebration in downtown will be held anytime soon.

There had been rumors of a possible virtual parade and party, but the Lakers have not released any information on the likelihood of that taking place.

An Internet-based celebration is obviously what makes sense for today’s times. The team could get together, but if they’re going to do that then logically it should be done immediately, while the team is still safe and all together in the Disney NBA bubble. But chances are, after spending months in the bubble, Lakers players probably just want to head home.

We’ll just assume that a virtual celebration will materialize sometime soon.