Spherical 1 of the NBA Playoffs has ended on the East facet of the bracket, and up to now, issues have been fairly mundane.
All 4 of the upper seeds within the Japanese Convention superior — a relative rarity because it’s simply the second time since 2020 that is occurred — and outdoors of the plucky Detroit Pistons giving the New York Knicks some bother, the remainder of the collection had been largely one-sided.
What that hopefully means for these of us eagerly awaiting some post-season intrigue is that we’re in retailer for a pair of extremely aggressive second-round matchups. The playoffs could also be a marathon and never a dash, but it surely’s time for the remaining groups to choose up the tempo after being afforded the luxurious of sauntering by means of the primary spherical.
All 4 squads not noted East are in kind and should be champing on the bit for a step up in competitors.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers will face off for simply the fourth time within the playoffs, whereas the Knicks and Boston Celtics look to rekindle one of many league’s hottest post-season rivalries.
With that being mentioned, till the Japanese Convention semifinals formally get underway on Sunday, this is what it is advisable know heading into every collection.
Season collection: Pacers lead 3-1
Sequence schedule (all instances in ET):
Sport 1: Sunday, Could 4 at 6 p.m. (on Sportsnet One and Sportsnet+)
Sport 2: Tuesday, Could 6 at 7 p.m.
Sport 3: Friday, Could 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Sport 4: Sunday, Could 11 at 8 p.m.
*Sport 5: Tuesday, Could 13 at TBD
*Sport 6: Thursday, Could 15 at TBD
*Sport 7: Sunday, Could 18 at TBD
* if vital
Burning Query: Which crew wins within the clutch?
After Cleveland had certainly one of its greatest regular-season showings in franchise historical past, amassing 60 wins for simply the third time, Spherical 1 was arrange for them to show if that success may translate to the playoffs.
Not solely did the Cavs show it, dispatching the Miami Warmth in sweeping trend, they asserted dominance as they received by a mean of 30.5 factors, even whereas lacking all-star Darius Garland for Video games 3 and 4 (who’s listed as questionable forward of Sport 1 in opposition to the Pacers).
Cleveland was far and away the higher crew within the first-round collection, making Miami seem like the tenth seed it really was, shredding what was a top-10 defence for the most important level differential (plus-122) in NBA playoff historical past.
However now the problem will undoubtedly be more durable as they will should outduel an Indiana squad that performs a lot sooner (high 5 in tempo), shares the ball extra successfully (leads the NBA in playoff assists proportion) and has some severe depth (seven double-digit scorers).
The Pacers made taking down the Milwaukee Bucks seem like a relative stroll within the park, sending Giannis Antetokounmpo and firm packing after simply 5 video games. Indiana received by a mean of 13.5 factors, punctuating the opening spherical matchup by overcoming a 20-point second-half deficit to steal Sport 5 in additional time and finish the collection.
Coming into Spherical 2, each Cleveland and Indiana supply pace, dimension and athleticism up and down their rosters, whereas being fronted by dynamic backcourts and anchored by versatile bigs. Which begs the query: With a lot in frequent, what may be the distinction of their collection? We could have to attend till the top of every sport to seek out out.
The Cavaliers and Pacers had been two of the league’s greatest performers in closing time this season. Cleveland led the NBA with the most effective fourth-quarter internet score (plus-10.0) whereas Indiana ranked an in depth second. Filter all the way down to clutch time (closing 5 minutes when the rating is inside 5 factors) and the 2 groups had been flipped, with the Pacers topping the charts (plus-20.9) and the Cavaliers proper behind. Quick ahead to the post-season, and each have continued that pattern as Indiana and Cleveland have been the league’s most productive clutch offences all through Spherical 1.
It is also value noting there is not numerous playoff historical past to lean on between the Central Division rivals — this will likely be their first post-season matchup since 2018 — and this yr’s regular-season collection was primarily moot. Two of these video games got here on the finish of April with starters resting on either side, and the pair of video games Indiana and Cleveland break up in January had been earlier than the Cavs traded for De’Andre Hunter.
When second-round motion suggestions off, it’s going to primarily be a clean slate between two actually good ball golf equipment on the high of their respective video games, one thing we must always all be enthusiastic about.
Season collection: Celtics lead 4-0
Sequence schedule (all instances in ET):
Sport 1: Monday, Could 5 at 7 p.m.
Sport 2: Wednesday, Could 7 at 7 p.m.
Sport 3: Saturday, Could 10 at TBD
Sport 4: Monday, Could 12 at TBD
*Sport 5: Wednesday, Could 14 at TBD
*Sport 6: Friday, Could 16 at TBD
*Sport 7: Monday, Could 19 at 8 p.m.
* if vital
Burning Query: Will the Knicks’ strikes lastly repay?
As a pair of status franchises get set to face off within the post-season for the seventeenth time — the second most frequent playoff matchup in NBA historical past, and first since 2013 — the Knicks should show they’ll persist with the defending champs to really rekindle the rivalry.
New York’s roster overhaul — going again to final yr’s mid-season acquisition of OG Anunoby — was at all times about attempting to maintain up with Boston. Including the lockdown wing after which buying and selling for Mikal Bridges was an try at countering the dimensions and star energy of the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on the perimeter.
The Knicks then made the transfer for Karl-Anthony Cities because the supposed closing piece of the puzzle, trying to herald a facsimile of what Kristaps Porzingis presents on the opposite facet, a minimum of, offensively.
Sadly for New York, issues have not precisely gone to plan.
It was just about a Beantown beatdown all through the common season, because the Knicks received swept fairly handily, the Celtics successful all 4 video games by a mean of 16.3 factors. New York did not do itself any favours both by dropping the mathematics battle as emphatically because it did, making 39 fewer triples than Boston in that span. Not precisely a recipe for achievement in opposition to the NBA’s greatest three-point taking pictures crew.
All of the whereas, Tatum was in a position to routinely evade or just outwork the Knicks’ plethora of wing defenders as he torched them to the tune of 33.5 factors, 6.8 rebounds and seven.0 assists on 69.1 per cent true taking pictures all through the common season.
So, how precisely would possibly New York flip that script within the playoffs? For starters, Cities and Jalen Brunson must get on the identical web page. Neither are defensive stalwarts individually, however are even much less in order a duo. The Knicks’ defensive score was worse all through the common season when each shared the ground versus one or the opposite stepping off — a pattern that is solely been exacerbated all through the post-season.
Stats all through playoffs.
Of all of the groups to make the most of that truth, Boston could have been on the high of the checklist. In response to NBA.com, the Celtics put Cities into 134 pick-and-rolls all through their 4 lop-sided matchups, probably the most of any defender in opposition to them within the common season.
In the meantime, the Pistons additional proved how fruitful attacking the small-big pairing will be, going after it routinely en path to taking two video games off the Knicks in Spherical 1. Of Detroit’s 10 most productive matchups versus New York, six had been in opposition to both Cities or Brunson as the first defenders.
Now, if these two cannot get on the identical wavelength, perhaps it’s going to merely take some extra heroics from the lately topped Clutch Participant of the Yr. Regardless of dropping a bunch, Brunson did discover particular person success in opposition to the Celtics this yr — his 26.8 factors on 66.9 per cent true taking pictures ranked second amongst opponents who performed a minimum of 4 video games in opposition to Boston. In the meantime, he is held true to the clutch moniker as the best fourth-quarter scorer all through the playoffs, averaging 11.0 factors on 50 per cent taking pictures within the closing 12 minutes of ball video games.
New York’s star guard has confirmed time and time once more, as lately as Sport 6 in opposition to the Pistons, that if the Knicks can hold issues shut, he’ll be able to placed on his cape and are available to their rescue. He isn’t solely the hero Gotham Metropolis deserves, however the one it’s going to most definitely want with the intention to pull off an upset.
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