In the playoffs, ‘it’s win or go home.’ The mantra is true in a literal or figurative sense because players push themselves to their limits in pursuit of a championship. The 2022-2023 postseason is considered one of the most wide-open races for the title because there is no clear dominant team in the league. The Bucks, Celtics, Nuggets, and Sixers finished with the four best records, but most analysts consider at least ten teams with an opportunity to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy. In this article, we discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly from the first three days of the playoffs.
The Good
1. Stars shining brightly- the first three days of the playoffs is a reminder that teams need their All-stars to step up, especially when they are the underdog. There have been upset wins for the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, and the Sacramento Kings, who have surged to a 2-0 lead over the defending champion Golden State Warriors. In all four instances for these teams, the star players have delivered. Jimmy Butler flipped the switch to playoff Jimmy by scoring 35 points, and 11 assists to dominate the Bucks from start to finish. Jaylen Brunson battled foul trouble in the first half but poured in 21 points to upstage the Cavaliers at home. Kawhi Leonard dropped 38 points and five assists in outdueling Kevin Durant. The Sacramento Kings have held on to home court thanks to De’Aaron Fox, who scored 38 and 24 in games 1 and 2 of the series. The playoffs will be decided by which superstar delivers consistently for his team.
2. Stepping out of the shadows-an important cog in winning in the playoffs is the contribution of role players. In the 1st three days of the playoffs, we have seen unheralded contributions from unexpected players. In the Los Angeles Lakers win over Memphis in game 1, the victory was achieved based on incredible performances from Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves. Hachimura scored a playoff career-best 29 points, 11 of 14 from the field, 5 of 6 from three-pointers, and six rebounds. Austin Reaves was brilliant for the Lakers scoring 23 points, and it includes nine straight points in the fourth quarter to clinch the game and scream “I’m him.” Other unheralded contributions include Davion Mitchell, who played incredible defense and scored 14 points in game 2. Finally, Josh Hart came off the bench to record 17 points and ten rebounds in a close victory over the Cavaliers.
`The Bad
1. Injuries to All-Stars-one of the biggest concerns as a basketball fan is whether the stars will remain healthy for the tournament to have the best competing against the best. Unfortunately, after Game 1 of Round one, the injuries are already piling up. The Memphis Grizzlies suffered a major setback when Ja Morant had a terrible fall injuring his fingers after Anthony Davis took the hit outside of the restriction circle. Also, Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a contusion after landing on his back while driving hard to the basket. Finally, in the same game, Tyler Herro suffered a broken right hand near the end of the first half of the Heat’s win over the Bucks. Herro will be out for the remainder of the season, and it is a blow to the Heat’s chances of beating Milwaukee. It is sad to see key players get injured at this time of the year, and we hope no other major injuries happen.
2. Schedule-makers- the Denver Nuggets playing the Minnesota Timberwolves at 10:30 pm was a bad look for the NBA. After scheduling a 1:00 pm game between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, the league inexplicable started their Sunday slate at 3:30 pm. It meant that Denver had played a home game with a local start time of 8:30 pm. Also, if you are an east coast basketball fan, I cannot imagine staying up to watch this game, and it is a real shame since the game featured the current two-time MVP in Nikola Jokic. The NBA needs to show consideration to fans in scheduling these games.
The Ugly
1. Removing the offensive charge- the injuries to Giannis and Ja was a bad look for the league, and it goes against the spirit of competition. However, some fans have linked the situation to the league needing to remove the offensive charge from basketball. I do not like this proposal because the move will limit the defenders’ ability to stop players from making easy layups. The NBA will become like the NFL, where players get run over. It was unfortunate that these players got injured, but the charge call requires guts and is a legitimate basketball that the best defenders have long utilized.
2. Draymond Green stomp-Green has a history of controversy in the league. In 2016, Green was assessed a Flagrant one foul for kicking Thunder center Steven Adams in the groin and was fined $25,000. In the same year, during Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Green and LeBron James got tangled up at halfcourt, and as James tried to step over Green, Green extended his arm and made contact with James’ groin area. At the end of this past regular season, Green made a kicking motion that hit Herb Jones’ in the back after he tangled on the floor with the young Pelican’s forward. During Game 2 of the current Kings series, Draymond stomped on Damonte Sabonis’ chest leading to an ejection. Sabonis instigated the altercation by holding onto the Green’s leg. However, Green took a violent action to resolve the matter, and based on his history a costly 1-game suspension is on the table.