Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 4

Houston Rockets 119 Minnesota Timberwolves 100

The Minnesota Timberwolves played some inspired ball in game 3, and they were hoping to use that momentum to subdue the Houston Rockets. Part of that came from the poor shooting of the Rockets from behind the 3-point line, which allowed the Wolves to take advantage.

This game would start out tight, with Houston and Minnesota going back and forth. James Harden would struggle in the first half, missing his first seven shots, yet they would take a one point lead into the half. It appeared this would be a barnburner down the stretch.

But then the Rockets lifted off. They opened the second half with an 11-0 run, and they would outscore the Wolves by 30 points in the third quarter, putting up a playoff high 50 points in the quarter en route to an easy victory. James Harden finished with 36 points while Chris Paul scored 25 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out six assists, and made five steals. Eric Gordon added 18 points off the bench while Trevor Ariza and Clint Capela added 15 and 14 points respectively, with Capela also grabbing 17 rebounds.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the Wolves with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Jimmy Butler added 19 points, nine rebounds, and five assists while Derrick Rose added 17 points and Andrew Wiggins added 14 points.

Houston leads series 3-1.

It's getting bad for OKC. I heard even Mitt Romney was trash talking Westbrook last night.

Furious Styles may need to do some soul searching after this series.

namepeace said:

It's getting bad for OKC. I heard even Mitt Romney was trash talking Westbrook last night.

Furious Styles may need to do some soul searching after this series.

Their coach Donovan is sucking @$$... poor substitutions helped the lead plummet in game 3 (from 12 up, to down by 20)... playing Felton for 15 minutes across two consecutive quarters...


Their offense doesn't vary... they plan man to man, 5 spread, two to the side, same Adams Pick n roll, same predictable lack of movement each time. I could see the frustration growing after the last game, but this one was an actual ass beating, not a "we blew it" game.

I hope they can fix this mess up. Melo ain't that bad, neither is PG, they're just getting horrible shot selections on pressure passes. Elfman Rubio is hardly an elite player, but RW singled him out, much to the detriment of the team. I don't know what's to come... I just hope its a win. If it aint... anything is better than this Billy Donovan bullshit. He had an entire YEAR to mess with tryouts and substitutions.... hell he doesn't even know his squad.. I'm shocked by how poorly he handled yesterdays game... it was embarrassing

2045RadicalMattZ said:

namepeace said:

It's getting bad for OKC. I heard even Mitt Romney was trash talking Westbrook last night.

Furious Styles may need to do some soul searching after this series.

Their coach Donovan is sucking @$$... poor substitutions helped the lead plummet in game 3 (from 12 up, to down by 20)... playing Felton for 15 minutes across two consecutive quarters...


Their offense doesn't vary... they plan man to man, 5 spread, two to the side, same Adams Pick n roll, same predictable lack of movement each time. I could see the frustration growing after the last game, but this one was an actual ass beating, not a "we blew it" game.

I hope they can fix this mess up. Melo ain't that bad, neither is PG, they're just getting horrible shot selections on pressure passes. Elfman Rubio is hardly an elite player, but RW singled him out, much to the detriment of the team. I don't know what's to come... I just hope its a win. If it aint... anything is better than this Billy Donovan bullshit. He had an entire YEAR to mess with tryouts and substitutions.... hell he doesn't even know his squad.. I'm shocked by how poorly he handled yesterdays game... it was embarrassing

When they couldn't win with Scott Brooks, the media pointed the finger at Scott Brooks, then OKC fired Scott Brooks.

When they couldn't win with KD after blowing an highly winnable series against the winningest regular season team of all time, fingers were pointed at KD, and KD eventually left.

When Harden flamed out in his first NBA Finals appearance, he caught a lot of the blame and apparently rendered himself expendable, and OKC traded Harden.

When it was determined Furious Styles needed more help, they sent Oladipo and Sabonis packing for PG13 and Melo. Three All-Stars, one past his prime, and 1 or 2 decent pieces beyond that. Now I see blame is shifting to Donovan, who got them to the brink with GS 2 years ago. Did he just forget to coach? Is it all his fault the offense is out of sync?

Sensing a trend here?

Sad but true:

Westbrook. Is. Getting. A. Pass.

Just like Kobe got for years.

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 4

Oklahoma City Thunder 96 Utah Jazz 113

The Utah Jazz were able to dominate game 3 by firing up their offense and by shutting down the big three of Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony. OKC knew if they were going to even up this series, they would have to play much better defense than they had in the last two games. Early on, they did just that, building up an eight point lead midway through the second quarter.

But then the defense began to crack, and what started as a trickle quickly turned into a flood of Utah offense. The Jazz went on a 20-3 run spanning the end of the second quarter and the start of the third quarter to break the game open. The run by the Jazz caused some players to get testy, with both teams drawing technical fouls and even had former GOP presidential candidate and wealthy spectator Mitt Romney talking trash at Russell Westbrook. Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 33 points while also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out four assists while Joe Ingles added 20 points and Rudy Gobert added 16 points and 10 rebounds for Utah. Ricky Rubio once again had a solid game, scoring 13 points, dishing out eight assists, and grabbing six rebounds.

Paul George led the Thunder with 32 points while Russell Westbrook scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. However, Carmelo Anthony was held to just 11 points on 5 for 18 shooting from the floor. The big three that was supposed to steer OKC back to NBA Finals contention now find themselves on the brink of elimination.

Utah leads series 3-1.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 5

Milwaukee Bucks 87 Boston Celtics 92

So far in this series it's been a home sweet home affair, with the home team winning every game. The Boston Celtics have won their games with a mostly balanced attack from their teammates while the Milwaukee Bucks have relied on their stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton to carry the load. Guard Marcus Smart had not played for the Celtics for several weeks due to a thumb injury, but he would return to the lineup tonight and figure massively in this game.

This would be a defensive battle for the most part, and it got physical at times. Nevertheless, the Celtics outhustled the Bucks early on, leading by as much as 16 points midway through the third quarter. Yet Milwaukee would claw its way back, cutting the Celtics lead to four points with about seven and a half minutes remaining in the game. The Cetics would make a few buckets while the Bucks would keep inching forward, but Boston would stay ahead thanks to Marcus Smart, who came off the bench and finished with nine points, five rebounds, four assists and three blocks including a block on an attemped slam dunk from Giannis Antetokounmpo. The biggest play of the game came in the final minute when Smart was driving towards the bucket and fell to the floor with three Bucks players swarming around him as he was down, yet he somehow managed to get the ball to Al Horford under the basket for a layup which put the Celtics up for good. Al Horford led the Celtics with 22 points and 14 rebounds while Terry Rozier added 16 points and Jaylen Brown added 14 points.

Khris Middleton led Milwaukee with 23 points while Jabari Parker scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Eric Bledsoe added 16 points. However, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a playoff low 16 points, though he did fall just short of a triple double, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out nine assists.

Boston leads series 3-2.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 5

Miami Heat 91 Philadelphia 76ers 104

The Philadelphia 76ers have talked about and practiced what has become "the process." They last made the playoffs and won a playoff series in 2012, but since then they have had the worst record in the NBA, with one season in which they won just 10 games, just one game above the all-time worst record in a full NBA regular season that they had in 1957, when they were the Syracuse Nationals. Nevertheless, management asked fans to be patient, as they stockpiled lottery picks that landed them Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Markelle Fultz. This season they finally broke out, eventually landing the third best record in the Eastern Conference. But the question was whether their relative youth would get the best of them in the playoffs.

So far in this series, youth and inexperience was no hindrance, as the Sixers were up for the challenge of the Miami Heat and their veteran Dwyane Wade. Tonight they had a chance to close out this series and advance to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2012. Miami would not make it easy for the Sixers, as they hung tough in the first half and went into halftime tied at 46.

But the Sixers would break the game open in the third quarter, thanks to J.J. Redick and Dario Saric. They hit some key shots during that run, and the Sixers would lead by as much as 18 points. The Heat did make one final run to cut the Sixers' lead to eight with with just under three minutes remaining, but they would get no closer. J.J. Redick led the Sixers with 27 points including five 3-pointers. Joel Embiid scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Ben Simmons scored 14 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out six assists. Dario Saric added eight points while also grabbing five rebounds and dished out five assists. Kelly Olynyk led Miami with 18 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Tyler Johnson added 16 points while Goran Dragic added 15 points. However, Dwyane Wade was held to just 11 points on 4 for 15 shooting from the floor, which posits the question about whether this will be his last game in the NBA.

Meanwhile, the Sixers now await the winner of the Boston Celtics/Milwaukee Bucks series.

Philadelphia wins series 4-1.

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 5

San Antonio Spurs 91 Golden State Warriors 99

The Golden State Warriors had an opportunity to sweep the San Antonio Spurs in game 4, but their uncharacteristically sloppy play in that game plus the inspired play of the Spurs forced an extra game. The Warriors turned the ball over 16 times and only had 19 assists in that game, so coach Steve Kerr stressed to his players to make simpler passes and keep hitting singles instead of trying to go for the home run each time out.

The players would respond well. Golden State would slowly yet steadily outplay the Spurs, and they built up a 16 point lead late in the third quarter. But San Antonio would make one final run in the fourth quarter to pull within two points with 57 seconds remaining in the game. But Draymond Green would pace the Warriors in the final minute to seal the victory and the series. Green finished with 17 points, 19 rebounds, and seven assists. Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 25 points while Klay Thompson scored 24 points. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 30 points and 12 rebounds while Patty Mills added 18 points and Manu Ginobili added 10 points off the bench in what may have been his final NBA game.

The Golden State Warriors now await the New Orleans Pelicans this weekend in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Golden State wins series 4-1.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 5

Washington Wizards 98 Toronto Raptors 108

This series has been another home sweet home series with the home team winning each game, so the question coming into this game was whether Toronto would hold serve or would Washington finally break through and pull a road victory.

This game would go back and forth with neither team being able to establish a huge lead in the first three and a half quarters. Neverthless, the Wizards would stay in check due to the backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal, but in the foruth quarter their scoring went dry, and the Raptors took advantage, erasing a five point deficit with 6:48 remaining in the game. After Markieff Morris hit a thundering slam dunk to pull the Wizards within one, the Raptors went on a 14-5 run to close out the game. DeMar DeRozan scored a game high 32 points while Delon Wright scored 18 points, 11 of which came in the decisive fourth quarter. Kyle Lowry added 17 points and 10 assists while Jonas Valanciunas scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. John Wall led the Wizards with 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists while Bradley Beal scored 20 points yet they only scored three points between them in the final five minutes. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 14 points while Marcin Gortat added 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Toronto leads series 3-2.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 5

Indiana Pacers 95 Cleveland Cavaliers 98

Lebron James has been showered with the title of "King James" ever since he was in high school in Akron, Ohio. And for nearly his entire NBA career he has lived up to that title with his legendary basketball play. Tonight would be no different.

However, the Cavs once again found themselves behind the 8-ball in the first half, trailing by seven going into halftime. But this time Lebron James would will his team into the lead, outscoring the Paces 32-17 in the third quarter and putting up more stifling defense against Victor Oladipo, who once again struggled from the floor, shooting just 2 for 15 from the field, and getting Myles Turner into foul trouble.

But Indiana would come all the way back thanks to Domantas Sabonis, who led the Pacers with 22 points including a game-tying jumper with 33 seconds remaining in the game. After Lebron James had an attempted pass deflected off his leg out of bounds underneath his own basket, the Pacers held for what they hoped would be the final shot to go ahead. Victor Oladipo would drive to the basket for a quick layup, but it was blocked by Lebron James and rebounded by the Cavs with just three seconds remaining. After a timeout, Lebron caught the inbounds pass, took two dribbles and dropped the game-winning 3-pointer as time expired, adding to his amazing legacy. Lebron finished with 44 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Kyle Korver scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds while Kevin Love added 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Thaddeus Young scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds while Lance Stephenson added 12 points and Bojan Bogdanovic added 11 points. Victor Oladipo finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists but as noted earlier struggled from the floor including the blocked shot by Lebron James.

Cleveland leads series 3-2.

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Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 5

Washington Wizards 98 Toronto Raptors 108

This series has been another home sweet home series with the home team winning each game, so the question coming into this game was whether Toronto would hold serve or would Washington finally break through and pull a road victory.

This game would go back and forth with neither team being able to establish a huge lead in the first three and a half quarters. Neverthless, the Wizards would stay in check due to the backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal, but in the foruth quarter their scoring went dry, and the Raptors took advantage, erasing a five point deficit with 6:48 remaining in the game. After Markieff Morris hit a thundering slam dunk to pull the Wizards within one, the Raptors went on a 14-5 run to close out the game. DeMar DeRozan scored a game high 32 points while Delon Wright scored 18 points, 11 of which came in the decisive fourth quarter. Kyle Lowry added 17 points and 10 assists while Jonas Valanciunas scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. John Wall led the Wizards with 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists while Bradley Beal scored 20 points yet they only scored three points between them in the final five minutes. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 14 points while Marcin Gortat added 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Toronto leads series 3-2.

1 more to go!

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 5

Utah Jazz 99 Oklahoma City Thunder 107

The Oklahoma City Thunder found themselves on the brink of elimination after a rough game 4 in which Russell Westbrook found himself in a testy matchup with Ricky Rubio that resulted in foul trouble, a technical foul after an altercation, and a $10,000 fine. If OKC were going to extend this series, Westbrook had to keep control of himnself and the Utah Jazz.

Early on, however, it appeared the Jazz were about to steamroll their way to the end of this series and the next round. They held the Thunder to just 12 points in the second quarter, and they began the third quarter with an 8-1 run and led by 25 points midway through that quarter. But then Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors got into foul trouble.

OKC would take advantage of their absence and went on a run for ther lives. Russell Westbrook went on a rampage, scoring 33 of his 45 points in the second half to overcome the deficit and tie the game at the end of the third quarter, and he got help from Paul George to take control in the fourth quarter and secure the victory. Westbrook also grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out seven assists. Paul George scored 34 points and grabbed eight rebounds for OKC. Jae Crowder led the Jazz with 27 points and eight rebounds while Donovan Mitchell added 23 points and Joe Ingles added 16 points. Ricky Rubio had a subpar game, scoring only 10 points on 4 for 14 shooting from the floor though he did grab 12 rebounds and dish out seven assists. Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors were limited to 11 and 10 points respectively due to their foul troubles.

Utah leads series 3-2.

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 5

Minnesota Timberwolves 104 Houston Rockets 122

The Houston Rockets were able to dispatch the Minnesota Timberwolves in game 4 with an absolutely explosive third quarter from James Harden, and they were looking for a similar effort to close out this series. However, the Wolves were not willing to just roll over, playing tough in the first half and taking a four point lead into halftime.

But once again James Harden and the Rockets would blast off in the third quarter. Harden scored 15 of his 24 points in the quarter en route to victory in this game and the series. Clint Capela led Houston with 26 points and 15 rebounds while Eric Gordon added 19 points off the bench, Trevor Ariza added 16 points, and P.J. Tucker added 15 points. Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 23 points and 14 rebounds while Jamal Crawford added 20 points off the bench. Jeff Teague scored 17 points for the Wolves while Andrew Wiggins added 14 points. Jimmy Butler was a non-factor in this game, scoring just eight points.

Houston now awaits the winner of the Utah/OKC series.

Houston wins series 4-1.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 6

Boston Celtics 86 Milwaukee Bucks 97

The Boston Celtics had a opportunity to close out this series against the Milwaukee Bucks tonight, yet no road team has won a game in this series. If the Bucks had their way, they would make sure to hold serve. And they also needed a great performance from their star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

And they would get that and then some. After a back and forth struggle in the first quarter, Milwaukee would surge in the second, and they would hold off a few comeback attempts by the Celtics to win the game and force a decisive game 7. Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 31 points, 14 rebounds and four assists while Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon each added 16 points. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 22 points while Terry Rozier scored 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists. Marcus Morris and Jaylen Brown each added 14 points.

Series tied at 3-3.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 6

Toronto Raptors 102 Washington Wizards 92

The Toronto Raptors had a golden opportunity to close out this series, yet their history stated otherwise. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, they were 0-23 when trailing at the half in road playoff games. Tonight would be another unauspicious start, as the Wizards jumped out to an early lead from the get go and led by as much as 12 in the first half before taking a 3 point lead into halftime. DeMar DeRozan struggled in tthis game, scoring just 16 points on 6 for 18 shooting from the floor.

But the Raptors would make a huge comeback thanks to their reserves. Fred VanVleet, who sat out all but three minutes of this series with a shoulder injury, sparked Toronto's resurgence, hitting a huge 3-pointer with Marcin Gortat in his face to tie the game at 79. He would finish with five points, four rebounds, and four assists. Pascal Siakam scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds off the bench, including a couple of key buckets in the fourth quarter, while C.J. Miles and Jacob Poetl each came up huge down the stretch, each finishing with seven points. Kyle Lowry completed the comeback and pushed the Raptors to the game and series victory, thus snapping their streak of winless road games at the half. Lowry finished with 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists while Jonas Valanciunas finshed with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 32 points while John Wall finished with 23 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. However, they struggled down the stretch, as Toronto outscored Washington 29-14 in the fourth quarter. Markieff Morris finsihed with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

The Raptors now await the winner of the Cleveland Cavaliers/Indiana Pacers series.

Toronto wins series 4-2.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 6

Cleveland Cavaliers 87 Indiana Pacers 121

The Cleveland Cavaliers had an opportunity to close out this series against the Indiana Pacers with Lebron James leading the way. However, the Pacers knew if they would extend this game to a game 7, they would have to come out with drive and instensity on both sides of the court.

And they did just that. After hanging with the Cavs in the first quarter, Indiana exploded. Victor Oladipo led the way with his first playoff triple double, scoring 28 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, and dishing out 10 assists while also making four steals. He would get the Pacers to surge ahead in the second quarter, and it was never close after that. In fact, six other Pacers finished in double digits, with Domantas Sabonis scoring 19 points and grabbing six rebounds, Darren Collison scoring 15 points and dishing out five assists, Myles Turner and Lance Stephenson each adding 12 points, and Thaddeus Young and Bojan Bogdanovic each adding 10 points.

Lebron James finished with 22 points, seven assists, and five rebounds but was hounded by physical play, as he suffered a cut above his eye after being scratched by a Pacers defender while underneath the basket. Kevin Love also took a beating, getting accidentally elbowed in the face going for a rebound and falling on his wrist which he previously injured earlier in this series. Jeff Green scored 13 points for the Cavs while Rodney Hood scored 12 points, mostly in garbage time. The Cavs once again find themselves having to play a game 7, but this time just to stay alive.

Series tied at 3-3.

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 6

Oklahoma City Thunder 91 Utah Jazz 96

The Utah Jazz had an opportunity to close out this series in game 5 but lapsed on defense towards the end of that game, allowing Oklahoma City to extend this series. Hoiwever, they relished the chance of closing out this series in front of their home fans, and coach Quin Snyder told Donovan Mitchell that he was going to go off in this game.

And he would go off. But the game itself would go back and forth, with each team's superstars leading the way. Donovan Mitchell would score 38 points while Derrick Favors scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Rudy Gobert added 12 points and 13 rebounds and Joe Ingles added 12 points, seven rebounds, and five asissts. The Jazz would take a 13 point lead with seven minutes remaining in the game.

But OKC wouls come storming back thanks to Russell Westbrook, who scored a game high 46 points while also grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out five assists including a hige bucket to Steven Adams in the last two minutes. Adams finshed with 19 points and 16 rebounds. Westbrook would pull the Thunder within one at 92-91 with 1:28 remaining.

But that final 1:28 will haunt the Thunder for the entire summer and into the beginning of next season. OKC made six field goal attempts in that time but missed on all of them, including a controversial attempt by Paul George behind the three point line as George did a head fake on Rudy Gobert who jumped up to block the attempted shot but fell and bumped into him instead, yet no foul was called on that. Utah would close out this game and this series on free throws. Paul George had a miserable game, scoring just five points on 2 for 16 shooting from the floor while Carmelo Anthony was not much better, scoring just seven points. What was supposed to be the next big three ended in tatters and in frustration, as Westbrook swiped at a couple fans on his way off the court and into the locker room.

Utah now heads to Houston to begin the Western Conference semifinals.

Utah wins series 4-2.

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Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 6

Toronto Raptors 102 Washington Wizards 92

The Toronto Raptors had a golden opportunity to close out this series, yet their history stated otherwise. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, they were 0-23 when trailing at the half in road playoff games. Tonight would be another unauspicious start, as the Wizards jumped out to an early lead from the get go and led by as much as 12 in the first half before taking a 3 point lead into halftime. DeMar DeRozan struggled in tthis game, scoring just 16 points on 6 for 18 shooting from the floor.

But the Raptors would make a huge comeback thanks to their reserves. Fred VanVleet, who sat out all but three minutes of this series with a shoulder injury, sparked Toronto's resurgence, hitting a huge 3-pointer with Marcin Gortat in his face to tie the game at 79. He would finish with five points, four rebounds, and four assists. Pascal Siakam scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds off the bench, including a couple of key buckets in the fourth quarter, while C.J. Miles and Jacob Poetl each came up huge down the stretch, each finishing with seven points. Kyle Lowry completed the comeback and pushed the Raptors to the game and series victory, thus snapping their streak of winless road games at the half. Lowry finished with 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists while Jonas Valanciunas finshed with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 32 points while John Wall finished with 23 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. However, they struggled down the stretch, as Toronto outscored Washington 29-14 in the fourth quarter. Markieff Morris finsihed with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

The Raptors now await the winner of the Cleveland Cavaliers/Indiana Pacers series.

Toronto wins series 4-2.

That game symbolized the Wizards entire season. In that 4th quarter, they were out-worked, committed turnovers, threw up bad shots and just didn't have any fire - inexcusable in an elimination playoff game AT HOME. Raptors bench bitch-slapped them all over the court. Expect big changes in Washington this off-season.

Abdul said:

Any chance of Westbrook winning a chip in OKC left with KD IMO, the one player he worked well with didn't want to play with him anymore.

Like Miami's "Big Three", it might take a while for OKC's three to gell. But I think PG13 has already packed his bags for LA.

Cavs are up by 11 at the half of Game 7. LeBron has 26, but the bench hasn't done shit. Clarkson, Nance Jr., & Hood are just a waste. They're not ready for prime time players. Even if Cleveland holds on to win, they won't get past Toronto.

Fucking punk ass Pacers.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 7

Milwaukee Bucks 96 Boston Celtics 112

There's an old saying circulating around the NBA that a playoff series doesn't really begin until someone wins a game on the road. Well, this series may have never begun, but it most certainly came to an end. in a series where the home team held serve in each game and where the home team wins game 7 about 85% of the time, this game proved to be no different.

After a pretty tight start for most of the first quarter, the Boston Celtics exploded, going on a 15-0 run to close out the first quarter, of which one of those buckets was an "own goal" tip-in by Giannis Antetokounmpo who tried to get a rebound off the rim. The Bucks would try to come back a couple of times, coming within four points in the second quarter and within three points early in the third, but in the end the backcourt of the Celtics would help them pull away to a double digit lead which Milwaukee could not erase. Terry Rozier scored 26 points while dishing out nine assists and grabbing six rebounds. Al Horford also scored 26 points for the Celtics while also grabbing eight rebounds. Jayson Tatum added 20 points, six rebounds and five asissts.

Khris Middleton led Milwaukee with 32 points while Eric Bledsoe added 23 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 22 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out five assists. However, it wasn't enough to overome Boston's game 7 dominance.

The Celtics now go on to meet the Philadelphia 76ers, but they may be beginning the Eastern Conference semifinals without Jaylen Brown, who left this game early with a hamstring injury. While it was previously reported that Brown may have been well enough to return to the game if needed, coach Brad Stevens emphatically put that to rest later on when he said he was not only looking out for his welfare in this game and later playoff games but long term career-wise as well.

Boston wins series 4-3.

Western Conference Playoffs, Conference Semifinals

Game 1

New Orleans Pelicans 101 Golden State Warriors 123

The big question for the Golden State Warriors was whether guard Stephen Curry would be ready to play in this game. However, coach Steve Kerr indicated he would not appear in this series until game 2. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans came into this series with an eight game winning streak going back into the end of the regular season. But having wrapped up their series early and not having played for a week, would they come out rusty?

As it turned out, the Pelicans didn't have any issues with rust, but they did have issues with the Warrirors' defense, as they began shutting down their explosive offense in the second quarter while getting their own transition game going, leading by 21 points at the half and by as much as 31 points towards the end of the third quarter before cruising to victory. Klay Thompson led all scorers with 27 points while Kevin Durant added 26 points and 13 rebounds and Draymond Green had a triple double scoring 16 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, and dishing out 11 assists.

Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 21 points and 10 rebounds while E'Twaun Moore added 15 points and Jordan Crawford added 14 points off the bench. However, Jrue Holiday and Nikola Mirotic, who were so effective in the first round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, were shut down in this game, scoring just 11 and nine reports respectively.

Golden State leads series 1-0.

[Edited 4/29/18 15:58pm]

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 7

Indiana Pacers 101 Cleveland Cavaliers 105

Lebron James has never lost a 1st round playoff series in his career, but he also has never been pushed to a game 7 so early in the playoffs. So it was no surprise that he would put the Cavs on his back. But this time he also got help down the stretch, even as he was being hindered by leg cramps.

The Cavs would jump out to a big lead early on, but the Pacers would refuse to go away. Lebron pretty much led the Cavs in the first half, but in the third quarter he got some much needed help from his supporting cast. Tristan Thompson, who had played sparingly in this series, started this game and finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Kevin Love scored 14 points including a couple of key 3-pointers in the third quarter while George Hill added 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.

But Indiana would hang tough and attempt to make a comeback, led by Victor Oladipo who scored 30 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and dished out six assists. Darren Collison had his best game of this series, scoring 23 points while Thaddeus Young added 14 points and 10 rebounds. However, Myles Turner and Bojan Bogdanovic each got into foul trouble, with Turner fouling out with just eight points. Nevertheless. the Pacers pulled within four points with just 50 seconds remaining in the game, but Lebron James would refuse to give in, finishing with 45 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and four steals. J.R. Smith added 11 points for the victorious Cavs.

The Cleveland Cavaliers now go on to face the number one-seeded Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Cleveland wins series 4-3.

Western Conference Playoffs, Conference Semifinals

Game 1

Utah Jazz 96 Houston Rockets 110

The Houston Rockets came into this series having mostly played games where they jumped out to a huge double digit lead in the second quarter and cruised to victory. This game would be no different, as they faced a Utah Jazz squad that had little rest from their last game and looked sluggish from the start. The Rockets would jump out to a double digit lead late in the first quarter and never looked back. They were once again led by James Harden, who scored 41 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out seven assists. Chris Paul scored 17 points, dished out seven assists, grabbed four rebounds, and made four steals. Clint Capela added 16 points while P.J. Tucker added 15 points.

Donovan Mitchell and Jae Crowder each scored 21 points for Utah while Joe Ingles added 15 points, six rebounds, and five asissts. Rudy Gobert added 11 points and nine rebounds. Ricky Rubio sat out this game due to an injured hamstring.

Houston leads series 1-0.

Houston & Golden State will wrap up their series in four, maybe five games.

The Rockets are on a mission. They have been incredibly motivated by the Astros' World Series victory, and the pride, respect and all-around awesomeness the Astros have received. They want that too, and they have the team to get it.

What about Philly?