2018 NBA Playoffs Round One 4/17/18

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The NBA playoffs have gotten underway and there have been a few surprises on the way. Of course, fans are probably looking at Round 3 of the Warriors and Cavs, but other teams may have something to say about that. Whatever makes it all the way into June, the NBA playoffs are always something to behold cause you never know who might get hot at the right time. Let’s take a look at the current situation and what things are looking like.

Indiana Pacers vs Cleveland Cavaliers

I bet you were all thinking that this one would be done in four, maybe five games. It still might, but of Game 1 was any indication of what may transpire, the basketball world could be in for a shocker. For Lebron James, it has been one the greatest careers we have witnessed, but nothing should shock him. It has been a rough year for his Cavs that saw them lose out on the third seed to the upstart Philadelphia 76ers.

In Game 1, it was Victor Oladipo who showed out scoring 32 points as the Pacers outplayed Cleveland from the opening tip. They jumped out to a 21-point lead in the first quarter and never let up. Oh yeah, the Cavs did come within seven points in the fourth, but Oladipo was just too good on this night.

In the meantime, James did get a triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists, but he also had three turnovers and a +/- of -13. The Cavs were also a woeful 8-34 from three-point range and that just will not get it done. Game 2 is Wednesday night.

Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers

Philly has been one of the laughing stocks of the league for quite some time now. They have stockpiled number picks only to see the team lose and lose. This year, with a roster that includes Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Markelle Futz, and a veteran three-point specialist JJ Reddick, the Sixers managed to go 52-30. It was good enough for the third-seed and homecourt advantage for this series.

Game 1 saw Simmons tally 17 points, nine rebounds and 14 assists in what has been a spectacular year for the young man out of LSU. The same kid that people were talking bad about when he basically took his only year in college off. In this one, they played without Embiid, but they still had a team playoff record 18 three’s and crushed the Heat 130-103.

Game 2 was a classic in the sense that it saw Father Time take a night off as Dwayne Wade played less than 20 minutes, but tallied 28 points. His team would take the game ending the 76ers 17-game win streak to tie the series at 1-1. He made 11-17 shots that included 15 points in the second quarter. It was vintage D-Wade but will that repeat itself? The Sizers appear to have too much talent even though Embiid is still out with a broken orbital bone.

Wade did pass Larry Bird for 10th on the NBA’s postseason scoring list.

In other series, the Warriors are taking care of business as they now have a 2-0 edge on an aging team without Kawhi Leonard, in the Spurs. The Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics did play a thriller in Game 1 in Boston that went to overtime. The Celtics won 133-107 without their All-Star guard, Kyrie Irving, who is out for the season. The also overcame 35 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists from Giannis Antetokounmpo and 31 from Khris Middleton.