NBA Playoffs 2015: Examining Best Highlights and Postseason Storylines
The first round of the NBA playoffs is all but wrapped up, and it has provided us with a handful of memorable plays and close finishes.
Unlike last postseason, which featured an unprecedented number of close series, these playoffs saw a few old-fashioned blowouts, with five series ending in four or five games. But even the shorter sets were packed with theatrics and jaw-dropping performances.
With the second round nearly upon us, let's look back on the moments that excited us the most and look ahead at some stories to keep an eye on moving forward.
Top Highlights
Blake Griffin Lighting up San Antonio
The Los Angeles Clippers are deadlocked at three games apiece with the San Antonio Spurs, but without Blake Griffin, this series would've been over a long time ago.
Griffin has posted monster numbers over the six games, averaging 24.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and seven assists. He's been responsible for too many highlight-reel plays to keep track of, including ludicrous alley-oops—both on the giving and receiving end.
The Spurs are a tough opponent for any team to face in a first round, but for the most part, Griffin has made it look easy.
Deron Williams' Unexpected 35 Points
There used to be a time when Deron Williams dropping 35 points in a playoff game was simply a very good performance. He did it once with Utah and eclipsed the 30-point mark five other times with the Jazz from 2007 to 2010.
Today, Williams is a shell of himself. He averaged 13 points this season—his lowest since his rookie year—and shot a career-worst 38.7 percent from the field. Ending three games in single-digit scoring and shooting 37.3 percent, the $19.8 million man hasn't produced in the playoffs either—with the exception of Game 4 against the Atlanta Hawks.
For a brief, four-quarter spurt, the D-Will of old had returned. He beat the Hawks at their own game, drilling seven threes en route to a 35-point, seven-assist night and a Nets win. He followed it up with a five-point outing in a Brooklyn loss, but for a game, Nets fans breathed easy about that $98.8 million contract.
Jerryd Bayless Gives Milwaukee Hope
Winless in the playoffs since 2010, the Milwaukee Bucks have been searching for any sort of tangible result out of this year's young, fun-to-watch squad. They're now eliminated from the postseason, but on the brink of being swept in Game 4, the Bucks gave their fans that long-awaited playoff victory—in dramatic fashion.
Knotted at 90 with just a second to play, Jason Kidd drew up a beautiful inbounds look to Jerryd Bayless near the rim. Thanks to some lackadaisical Derrick Rose defending, Bayless was the hero in the Bradley Center, giving those fans something to remember after an encouraging season.
Stephen Curry's Ridiculous Three for the Tie
The New Orleans Pelicans gave the 67-win Golden State Warriors a serious threat in Game 3. The Pellies led by three with just seconds remaining, setting up a chance to either narrow their series deficit to one game or be devastated by one of the Warriors' several three-point assassins.
As we now know, the most likely assassin was responsible for devastation.
After misfiring on a drawn-up three attempt, Stephen Curry found his own board and chucked up a prayer from the corner as he fell to the ground. The shot fell, the Warriors went on to win in overtime, and they're still awaiting their first loss of this postseason.
Key Storylines
How will Cleveland fare without Love?
After a turbulent regular season, Kevin Love seemed to be filling his role well for the Cleveland Cavaliers through their four-game series with the Boston Celtics. In his first-ever postseason, the Cavs were 11.4 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor, according to Basketball-Reference. He was averaging 14.3 points in 26.8 minutes per game, knocking down more than two three-pointers a night.
Now, after the team's announcement that he'll be missing for the entire postseason after dislocating his shoulder in Game 4, Cleveland faces the issue of replacing him.
Shooter James Jones started two games in the regular season and was a semi-regular finisher for Cleveland at the 4 spot. There's also the possibility of LeBron James bumping up to the power forward. He spent 27 percent of his minutes there this season, a year after lining up as the power forward 82 percent of the time with the Miami Heat in 2013-14, per Basketball-Reference. As a starter, he could provide spacing similar to Love, but he is obviously far less capable offensively.
Tristan Thompson, who has averaged 7.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in 25.5 minutes over four games, is another candidate to start. Shawn Marion has logged precisely one minute this postseason, but he will likely see an increase in burn considering the Cavs' thin bench situation. J.R. Smith will also be absent the first two games after being suspended for his cheap shot on Jae Crowder in Game 4.
Against the Chicago Bulls, Love was expected to play a key role. His prowess from the outside would've pulled Joakim Noah away from the rim on defense, opening endless opportunities for James and Kyrie Irving to finish inside.
Without Smith and Love, Iman Shumpert is a prime candidate to get the first two starts at the 2. How David Blatt manages the forward positions over the course of this epic series will be interesting to monitor.
Who will escape Game 7 in L.A.?
In a first round filled with short series, the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs have given us the seven-game bout that NBA followers have been desperate for. Arguments can be made that these are two top-three Western Conference teams, and they're both giving each other a serious threat in the first round.
It's a shame that one of these teams will be making an exit after just one round considering the memorable performances we've already seen on both sides. Blake Griffin is playing the best basketball of his career, averaging team-highs in points and rebounds while putting up a career-high seven assists nightly.
DeAndre Jordan is averaging double digits for the first time ever in a postseason with 13.5 a game while grabbing 13.2 rebounds and shooting 70 percent from the field. Chris Paul has carried over his MVP-candidate regular-season play into the postseason, averaging 22 points and 8.2 assists on 49 percent shooting, also coming away with two steals.
Kawhi Leonard has put up 32- and 26-point performances, leading San Antonio with 21.5 points per game. Tim Duncan has averaged 16.3 points and 11.2 boards, while three other Spurs have scored in double figures on a nightly basis.
Hobbled by several injuries, Tony Parker has uncharacteristically struggled in this series, shooting 32.9 percent and scoring only 9.3 points. Patty Mills has helped make up some lost production, posting 10.6 points over his 16.2 minutes—though he scored only five in the team's Game 6 loss at home.
Each team has taken a pair of road games to go along with one home win, and now the series travels back to Staples Center for a winner-take-all Game 7. The third-seeded Houston Rockets, who went a combined 3-4 against these two teams in the regular season, loom in the conference semifinals.
This may be the best series we see until the Western Conference Finals stage, but it must come to an end on Saturday. ending the first round on a thrilling note. The last defending champion to fall in the first round was the Dallas Mavericks in 2012, and they were the first to do so since the 2007 Miami Heat.
San Antonio will try to avoid succumbing to that grim fate, but on their home floor, the Clippers certainly have eyes on a trip to Houston next week.
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