Luka Doncic is really, really good.
The Dallas Mavericks were recently eliminated from the playoffs by the Los Angeles Clippers in a 4-2 series but weirdly, this still feels like a win for the Mavs. They now have a bonafide superstar on their hands with Luka Doncic, who was able to take the Clippers – favorites to win the title, to six games.
The Mavs also did not have co-star Kristaps Porzingis for much of the series due to an ejection in game one and a major knee injury that will sit him out for the foreseeable future. Still, Doncic was able to record 31 points per game, nine boards, and eight assists for the series. That’s beyond impressive as a rookie, but what if I told you that no one in the history of the NBA was able to post those numbers in their first playoff run? Not to mention he is the youngest player to hit a buzzer-beater in playoff history. He’s that special.
Valid concerns on whether Porzingis can be a great secondary option for the team are going to become apparent soon. Not because of his play, but his health. Regardless, it’s clear that the Mavs will be contending for a very long time as long as they have Luka Doncic.
Donovan Mitchell vs. Jamal Murray is an all-time matchup
This has pleasantly become the biggest surprise of the bubble. When looking at the matchup prior to it starting, the big headline of the series would be the Jokic vs. Gobert matchup.
Instead, what we got is one of the all-time great offensive battles in recent memory between Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell. Both of these young stars showed promise, but I don’t think anyone could have expected this type of play from those two. Mitchell joined elite company in Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson to record two 50+ point games in a series. The next person to join that exclusive list? Jamal Murray.
It appeared that the Jazz were running away with the series at one point, having a 3-1 lead. Murray however, was not having it. Jokic is still contributing with great numbers as well, but it was Murray’s heroics that brought them back into the series at 3-3. It’s one thing to post the stats and compare but it’s another to watch the game live. The way Murray can dissect the Jazz’s’ defense and create his own shots is special. The best part is that Mitchell is doing the same thing on the other side. It’s a coin flip as to who will win the final game but one thing is for sure; Mitchell and Murray will not fail to entertain.
Are the Raptors all hype?
The defending champion Toronto Raptors appeared to be overlooked entering this season after losing superstar Kawhi Leonard. However, they quietly had an impressive 2020 campaign finishing second in the east behind the Milwaukee Bucks.
Going into the bubble, it seemed like every analyst had the Raptors as borderline favorites to come out of the east aside from the Bucks. Pascal Siakam has progressed into a solid all-star caliber player after his breakout season last year, and the backcourt of Vanvleet and Lowry showed no signs of slowing down. In their first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets, they seemed to not lose a step by comfortably sweeping the Nets to move on to the next round against the Celtics.
The problem I have with the Raptors is that the Nets were basically rolling a G-League lineup led by promising guard Caris Levert. They by far had the easiest matchup in the first round. In this next series, they are already down 1-0 to a much more capable Celtics team led by Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Raptors have a glaring weakness that the Celtics can exploit. Toronto is 16th in the league in half-court points per possession. Following a dead ball, they are 24th in points per 100 possessions. They get their offense going by scoring in transition. Boston has one of the best transition defenses and the bodies to stop guards like Vanvleet and Lowry. Should be something to look at as the series continues.
OKC has already won the trade with Houston
After the Nuggets/Jazz series, this Houston vs. The Oklahoma City matchup has been the most entertaining series in the first round. The story behind this matchup would make soap opera writers rave about it.
Starting with Oklahoma City, they traded their two best players in Paul Goerge and Russell Westbrook. For the PG trade, they got Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and a haul of 1st-round draft picks from the Los Angeles Clippers. For Westbrook, they got Chris Paul and two future 1st rounders from the Houston Rockets. This was supposed to be a complete rebuild year for OKC. And yet, here they are in the playoffs about to head into a game seven against, you guessed it, the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets, with newly acquired Russell Westbrook, decided to go with the small ball route trading away Clint Capela. The idea was for Harden and Westbrook to have space to create shots for everyone else on the court. While they naturally are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league, the game plan actually started to work for them. The Harden vs. Paul angle is hard to ignore, as they were teammates and did not have the best relationship while playing together. Chris Paul now is playing some of the best basketball of his career, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has the potential to become one of the best guards in the league in the future, and they have a library of picks to move around or use for the future.
Despite whether they win or lose game seven, it has to be said that OKC is in a phenomenal spot in terms of their future. The main question for them this offseason is what do they do with CP3s’ enormous contract?
