What We Learned from the NBA Playoffs' First Weekend

The NBA playoffs' opening weekend may seem like a small step in a two-month journey, but the way teams and players start the postseason is often a good indication of how things will unfold into June.

Part of the fun of the NBA playoffs is watching how teams adapt and evolve as each series progresses. With one game in the books across the board, the Toronto Raptors are facing the most pressure to adjust their game plan. Of the eight series, Toronto was the only team holding home-court advantage to lose in Game 1. 

On the other end of the spectrum, the Cleveland Cavaliers have the least amount of work to do before Game 2. The Cavs cruised to a 113-100 win over the Boston Celtics despite a pedestrian performance from LeBron James.

Elsewhere, Atlanta and Golden State, the two No. 1 seeds, each held on for victories, while San Antonio started its title defense with a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. 

Plenty of statements remain to be made in the first round, but here are the biggest takeaways from the NBA playoffs' opening weekend.

Anthony Davis exposed Golden State’s biggest weakness

In a game that was not as close as the scoreline indicated—but still closer than it should’ve been—the Golden State Warriors opened their championship quest with a 106-99 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Pelicans star forward Anthony Davis can take credit for all of the game’s suspense.

After a quiet start, Davis dropped 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting in the second half, including one stretch in the fourth quarter when he scored 16 of 19 Pelicans points to trim the Warriors’ lead to six. On the night, Davis finished with 35 points, seven rebounds and four blocks in his first career playoff game.

Golden State had success against Davis when both Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut were in the game. With Bogut on the sideline, however, Davis was able to exploit his matchup with the smaller Green.

According to CBS Sports’ Zach Harper, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr wasn’t concerned after the game:

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I thought we were good on Davis. He got to the line a little bit more than I would've liked but great players are going to do that. We made him take some tough shots and he scored a lot down the stretch when the game was in kind of a frantic mode. We're not worried about Davis scoring a lot of points. We're worried about making sure we cover other areas: the 3-point line, not fouling, not reaching -- that kind of stuff.

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This is an approach Golden State has taken all season. Its defensive flexibility allows it to switch on every screen, and the team prefers to limit the number of times it will double-team an opponent’s best player.

While the Warriors' personnel propelled them to the league’s second-most efficient defense, according to John Hollinger’s defensive ratings, the scheme has been abused on occasion. In a January loss to Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka went off for 63 points on a combined 26-of-36 shooting from the floor.

New Orleans doesn’t have the depth to leverage Davis’ singular ability to keep the game close. Other teams, however, do have enough talent to exploit the Warriors’ habit of giving up big numbers to one player.

Golden State doesn’t have many weaknesses, but allowing an opponent's best player to keep a game close is one of them.

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Derrick Rose is going to have something to say about the Eastern Conference

Derrick Rose played in his first playoff game in three years Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks and in doing so reminded us of the player he was the last time he suited up in the postseason.

The point guard’s numbers on the night—23 points and seven assists—were impressive, but it’s how he put up those numbers that bodes well for Chicago’s chances. Seth Partnow documented Rose’s aggressiveness for The Washington Post, and the rest of the East would be wise to take note:

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During the regular season, Rose drove to the basket 7.2 times per game, shooting 52.7 percent on those forays. According to SportVU, he had 11 drives in Game 1 against the Bucks, shooting 5 for 7 on those attempts. While that level of finishing is probably not sustainable under any circumstance (Tony Parker led all players with at least five drives per game by shooting 56 percent in those scenarios), the level of aggression and success might be.

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It’s been a difficult three years for Rose, and nowhere is that more evident than in his play. He doesn’t have the same explosive ability that made him the 2012 NBA MVP. Still, against a Milwaukee team that finished second in the league in Hollinger’s defensive-efficiency ratings, Rose was less apt to settle for jumpers and more interested in probing and carving up the Bucks defense.

Should Chicago advance in the playoffs, a matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers likely awaits. The Bulls will need Rose’s penetration to fully capitalize on what’s proved to be an average Cavs defensive unit.

Chris Paul and the Clippers are ready for the Spurs, but the starters need help

If you’re a veteran player trying to prove you can make a deep run in the playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs are the last team you want to face in the first round. That was the lot handed to Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers, but if Sunday’s Game 1 was any indication, they’re ready to make a statement.

Even a cursory look at the box score reveals that the Clippers made their mark in the first and third quarters, outscoring the Spurs by 21 over those two periods. Los Angeles' struggles in the second and fourth quarters should not come as a surprise to anyone who watched the Clippers bench in action.

While Paul’s 32 points and Blake Griffin’s 26 led the way, the reserves floundered, managing 22 points as a unit. Of those, Jamal Crawford alone accounted for 17.

According to ESPN.com’s Arash Markazi, head coach Doc Rivers is confident that the bench will play a big part in the Clippers’ playoff run:

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It's going to happen. That's what I keep saying. I told them that after the game. 'Baby and Austin, defensively you were great but the next game you may have to do something else.' Or someone else will have to do something. That's why they're out there working today because someone is going to help you. You know they will.

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The Clippers starters will be hoping that Rivers’ comments turn prophetic. Paul logged 38 minutes, while Griffin topped the group with 43. Those numbers are sure to go up as the games get tighter.

Paul’s already battling the weight of having never advanced to the conference finals; he doesn’t need to carry the Clippers bench, too.