By: Rory Zeman

Culture Editor

On Apr. 20, the NBA playoffs officially began. This playoffs is shaping up to be one of the most competitive postseasons ever, so here is a recap of what has happened as teams get closer to the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. 

In the Play-In, the Sacramento Kings eliminated the Golden State Warriors in a blowout match, owing their success partially to Klay Thompson’s shooting splits (0 for 10 from the field). The Miami Heat also ended the season of the Chicago Bulls with their win, a team that has been battling injuries and has suffered without the consistent presence of Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball. In the end, the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Miami Heat secured their spots in the playoffs.

The first round of the postseason saw numerous huge upsets of title-favorite teams and close matchups. For instance, the Indiana Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks in six games, mainly due to the absence of the Bucks’ star player Giannis Antetokounmpo. In addition, arguably the hottest team in the league at the time, the New York Knicks took down the 76ers who just got their star player Joel Embiid back from injuries. Knicks Guard Jalen Brunson established himself as a league superstar in this series, averaging 36 points and eight assists per game. Furthermore, the Cleveland Cavaliers barely outlasted the Orlando Magic, with Cavs Guard Donovan Mitchell being the difference maker in game seven, scoring 39 points and grabbing nine rebounds. The Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers also saw an intense matchup, despite disappointing injuries to Clippers’ star Kawhi Leonard. Ultimately, the series went to six games, where the Mavericks eliminated the Clippers despite great performances from Clippers Guard James Harden. 

Although the first round saw some exciting series, it also had some rough matchups for some of the lower-seeded teams. To start, the young, first-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Pelicans, despite almost zero playoff experience. The title favorite Celtics also took down the Miami Heat — the team that eliminated the Celtics last year — in just five games. Anthony Edwards led the Minnesota Timberwolves to a sweep of the Phoenix Suns, which is the first playoff series victory for the team in 20 years. Finally, unsurprisingly, the reigning champion Denver Nuggets defeated the Lakers in five games.

In the second round, the Celtics flew past the Cavaliers, taking only five games to advance to the conference finals. The Thunder, despite a historic run, fell to the Mavericks, who came back to win after being down as much as 17 points. In two game sevens, the Pacers faced the Knicks and the Timberwolves faced the Nuggets. In a devastating loss for Knicks fans who hoped for a championship run, the Pacers eliminated the Knicks, a loss that owes a lot to Brunson’s left-hand fracture in the second half. Finally, the Minnesota Timberwolves, against all odds as they went to Denver to face the reigning champions, won their game, despite being down 20 points in the third quarter.

The NBA playoffs still has a lot in store for fans, so make sure to tune in for both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference finals, which are having a new game every night.

(Sources: CNN, NBA)