The NBA playoffs have officially begun with all teams playing their first game. There were some surprises, while others were predictable. Here are my biggest takeaways from the weekend.
The first game between the Phoenix Suns and the Oklahoma City Thunder was sore sight for Suns fans. The Thunder annihilated them 119-84, and it was never close at any point in the game. The most impressive aspect of their game, once again, was the defense.
The Suns averaged 112.59 points and 24.65 assists per regular-season game. Those numbers were compressed to 84 points and 16 assists in the first playoff contest. Oklahoma City turned a top-10 regular-season offense into a display of incompetence.
Phoenix also turned the ball over 17 times. 13 of them were live-ball turnovers, leading to easy Thunder points. In addition to the struggles holding onto the ball, the paint area was on full lockdown as Oklahoma City had seven blocks.
The Thunder were also able to win a game where Shai Gilgeous Alexander was nowhere near his standard. During the regular season, the MVP front-runner was second in the NBA in scoring with 31.13 points per game on 55.34% shooting. In this opening playoff game, he had just 25 points on 27.78% shooting, and the team didn’t miss a beat offensively.
Can Phoenix avoid the sweep?
The Orlando Magic shocked the NBA world as they beat the top-seeded Detroit Pistons 112-101. It was the Magic’s defense that got it done. They limited the Pistons to just 40.26% shooting from the field and only 19 assists.
The game plan was simple. Let Cade Cunningham get his and don’t allow the role players to flourish. While Cunningham was sensational with 39 points, he only had four assists. He averaged 9.91 assists in the regular season. For Detroit to win this series, a balanced scoring effort will be required.
For Orlando, this is a huge confidence boost. Coming off a messy season, a win on the road to kick off the series could help stabilize things. It’s a new season for them now.
The San Antonio Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers 111 to 98 in their first playoff game since 2019. Like it has been all season, the story of the game was Victor Wembanyama. In his first-ever NBA playoff game, he scored 35 points on 61.9 % shooting and 83.33% from three.
That was the most points scored by a Spur ever in their first playoff game. Tim Duncan previously held the record with 32. He was in attendance for Sunday Night’s game. David Robinson, Manu Ginobili, and Gregg Popovich were also in the building to cheer on their former team.
With so many legends watching, Wemby put on an all-time performance. The moment is clearly not too big for him, and San Antonio has to be thrilled for not only what can happen this year, but for this next decade.
The icing on the cake was seeing Wembanyama shoot a three-pointer falling to his left. A 7’5 human with average shooting guard skills cannot be taken for granted.
The short-handed Los Angeles Lakers kicked off their NBA playoffs with a 107-98 victory over the Houston Rockets. Before the game, Kevin Durant was surprisingly ruled out, which aided the Lakers. With that said, however, it is still a shocking result.
Any team that loses its best player and arguably its second-best player is normally in trouble. Los Angeles, though, made no excuses and put on a tremendous performance. Luke Kennard led the way with 27 points and perfection from beyond the arc, with 41-year-old LeBron James facilitating.
The ageless wonder scored 19 points with 13 assists, making a conscious effort to get the whole team involved. All the Lakers starters ended up scoring 14+ points. They also got it done, holding Houston to 98 points on 37.63% shooting.
The longer this series goes, the more in trouble the Rockets are. The last thing they want is a Luka Doncic return.
The NBA playoffs’ opening weekend was not the epitome of competitive. Six of the eight games wrestled were decided by 10+ points. That, however, doesn’t mean that there weren’t some intriguing story lines.
The predictable stories were the Thunder’s dominance and Wembanyama continuing to show the NBA world that he’s one of a kind. The surprising stories were seeing the Pistons and Rockets dropping their first game.
What has been the biggest story for you?
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