NBA Playoffs 2015: Takeaways from Monday's Scores and Bracket Results
With news of Kevin Love’s injury, J.R. Smith’s suspension and the overtime win by the Brooklyn Nets Monday, the remaining teams in the Eastern Conference have something that seemed lost for most of the season: hope.
Since the January run by the Atlanta Hawks and the famous bowling trip the Cleveland Cavaliers took in November, it has felt like a foregone conclusion that the top two seeds would be duking it out for a spot in the NBA Finals.
Yet the Hawks' recent struggles and the loss of some key pieces for the Cavs have opened things up once again for the remainder of the East, with Monday night providing new insight into a more entertaining-than-expected conference.
Here are three lessons from Monday’s NBA Eastern Conference action.
The Atlanta Hawks have lost their mojo
The signs have been there for the past few weeks that the Atlanta Hawks were coming apart at the seams, but it wasn’t something anyone wanted to accept.
Whether it be the loss of Thabo Sefolosha after the April incident at a Manhattan night club or the 20-14 record after the 19-game winning streak, there was some doubt in the once indestructible Hawks.
After back-to-back playoff losses to the Nets, though—not to mention closer-than-expected home wins in Games 1 and 2—things have officially hit a breaking point. In Game 4 Monday night, a 120-115 overtime win for Brooklyn, the Hawks had a chance to win with Paul Millsap at the buzzer but didn't execute well and saw the shot fall flat, which left Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Brandon Boykin wondering about the play call:
Atlanta should no longer be considered the favorites to emerge from the East. Atlanta might not even be the favorites against the Washington Wizards—who dismantled the Toronto Raptors in the first round—if it survives against the Nets.
Even with all of the momentum on the side of Brooklyn, odds are the Hawks will still get out of the first round. Despite not playing well at the moment, Atlanta is still the superior team, and until Deron Williams can put up 35 consistently—like he did in Game 4, highlights of which can be seen below—that should be enough to secure the series win.
But in the next round, things get a little dicier, especially if the Wizards can continue to build on what they did against Toronto.
Even without Love and Smith, Cleveland should be alright
Whether the Chicago Bulls or the Milwaukee Bucks make it through to the second round to take on the Cavs, that will be covered later, but one thing remains the same: Cleveland should be the heavy favorites to advance to the conference finals despite significant losses.
It was announced Monday that Kevin Love is going to miss the second round after injuring his shoulder against the Celtics, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, and that J.R. Smith, who was ejected from the same game for a hard foul on Jae Crowder, would be suspended for two games, according to Yahoo’s Dan Devine.
Those are both serious blows that would have an impact on any team’s chances at reaching their ultimate goal of winning a title. But one fact that can’t be ignored is that the two best players in any series the Cavs play before the NBA Finals will be the ones with "Cleveland" sprawled across their chests.
LeBron James is still the best player in the game, and Kyrie Irving could make a pretty solid case for second-best player in the Eastern Conference on any given night, despite being a point guard who doesn’t pass.
These are two players who can carry a team through a series on their own and will likely have to in the second round without Love and Smith.
Perhaps the biggest storyline from the Love injury is what it means for his free agency, with the power forward already rumored to be considering a departure from Cleveland at the end of the year, according to ESPN's Chris Broussard (h/t The Big Lead). Although ESPN's Mike Greenberg is intrigued by what the injury could mean, Brian Windhorst is confident he will stick around:
The Bulls could make the series interesting, especially if they were to manage a win or two in Cleveland, but at the end of the day, it seems unlikely that there is any team capable of stopping the Cavs from making it to the Finals.
The Bucks refuse to go quietly into the night
The Chicago-LeBron rivalry of the past few seasons has been one of the more entertaining in the game of basketball, whether it be with him in Miami or Cleveland.
Projected as the two teams most likely to take home the title from the East before the season, the Bulls and Cavs looked to be on a collision course in the second round after the emergence of the Hawks as the No. 1 seed.
Apparently, somebody forgot to tell the Milwaukee Bucks.
After falling into a disappointing, albeit not surprising, 3-0 hole against Chicago, the Bucks have eked out back-to-back close wins and have pushed the series to a sixth game, earning a return to the BMO Harris Bradley Center in the process.
Game 5 belonged to Michael Carter-Williams, who nearly had a triple-double to help the Bucks claim a surprising 94-88 road victory and extend the series longer than most expected.
The display from Carter-Williams left some to poke fun at the Philadelphia 76ers for their quick dismissal of the young point guard in a trade this season:
It's not L.A.Clippers-San Antonio Spurs in terms of entertainment, but with the number of storylines on display, you would be hard-pressed to find a more intriguing playoff series in the first round over the past few seasons.
In the end, the Bulls are probably going to get their act together and seal the series to set up a second-round bloodbath with Cleveland, but if Milwaukee can take Game 6 at home, there will be no lack of pressure in Chicago for Game 7.
It hasn’t always been the prettiest basketball, but as long as the series keeps going on, we all should be watching.
Damian Lillard can still dominate a game
You have to feel for the Portland Trail Blazers after the season they've had. One of the prospective favorites to push the Golden State Warriors in the West, and one of the more entertaining teams to watch on a nightly basis, Portland's dreams took a serious hit with the injury to Wesley Matthews.
Since then, things haven't been the same, as Portland limped into the playoffs and were beaten by the Memphis Grizzlies by an average of 11.7 points per game while falling behind 3-0 in the series.
But in a surprising twist, things didn't end in Game 4 as most expected.
Despite trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter, Portland roared back to claim a 99-92 victory and extend the first-round series to at least a Game 5 on the back of a big night from star Damian Lillard.
The point guard, who received a decent amount of criticism after poor shooting performances in Games 1 and 2, turned things around with 32 points and seven assists in the win.
Portland isn't going to win this series, and this year can be another one chalked up to the injury curse that seemingly derails the Trail Blazers year after year, but it gave us a chance to watch Lillard at his best once again in a playoff series.
He is young, and in a league full of talented young point guards, he sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. But in Game 4, Lillard proved he belongs in the conversation with the game's elite and should stay there for years to come.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
