By Thomas Kelly
The NBA Playoffs have reached the second round of action and it’s been a dramatic week of action. Both the Indiana Pacers and the Minnesota Timberwolves have made it to the conference finals after winning in five games. Each of the other series have had their fair share of action, looking like they could go all the way to seven games.
Pacers reach second sucessive conference final
The biggest shock of the conference semi-finals so far has been the Indiana Pacers beating the number one seed in the Eastern Conference the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1. The Pacers were inspired by impressive performances from the likes of Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton to help them to a shock win. The Pacers reached the conference finals last year and will be hoping to go one better this year.
The Cavs’ defeats have been in big part due to their injury struggles, guard Darius Garland missed games one and two and big man Evan Mobley sat out game two. Cavs’ star guard Donovan Mitchell was trying his best, dropping over 30 points each game, but it wasn’t enough. Enjoy Basketball analyst Kenny Beecham believes no one saw this Pacers performance coming: “No one expected the Pacers to be the team to take out a top seed, especially not this early in the playoffs. But Halliburton is stepping up big time. You can see the confidence in the team—they’re not afraid to take on the moment.”
MVP showdown reaches tipping point
In the Western Conference, the two MVP front-runners in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic are fighting it out, with Gilgeous-Alexander’s Oklahoma City Thunder leading in the series 3-2. The Thunder fell behind early in the series but answered back with an emphatic 43-point win in game two. Jokic’s Denver Nuggets have taken the lead twice in the series with the Serbian big man dropping 20 points and 16 rebounds in a game three win but despite Jokic’s 27 points in game four the Thunder tied the series back up. The Thunder took the lead in game five behind another impressive Shai performance.
Reigning champs on brink of exit
Back out East, the New York Knicks are looking to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2000. The Knicks have a 3-2 lead over the reigning champions Boston Celtics. The Knicks took a commanding lead after winning both games in Boston and put themselves in a prime position to reach the next round as they took game four in New York. Knicks star Jalen Brunson has been averaging 24 points in the series and has helped the Knicks erase two 20-point deficits in comeback wins.
Edwards and Timberwolves send Warriors home
The final of the four series saw Anthony Edwards’ Minnesota Timberwolves beat Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler’s Golden State Warriors 4-1. The Warriors won the first game in a low-scoring 99-88 win, but Edwards and the T-Wolves won four straight behind 30-point and 36-point performances from Edwards. The T-Wolves were beaten by Luka Doncic’s Mavericks in last season’s conference finals and will hope to get beyond that point this season. Numbers on the board analyst Pierre Anderson believes Minnesota are real contenders, “The Timberwolves are really hitting their stride right now. You can see it in how they’re playing defence, they’re closing out hard, making smart switches, and just making it tough for Golden State. What’s really stood out to me is Anthony Edwards’ growth. He’s not just putting up points; he’s making smart plays too. He’s relying on his teammates when the double team comes, and that’s got to be pretty scary for the other team.”
