NBA Playoffs 2018: Updated Postseason Standings, Bracket Results and Highlights
The first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs is heating up after yesterday's slate of games, which saw the New Orleans Pelicans cement themselves as a team to watch in the Western Conference bracket.
Not to be outdone, the Philadelphia 76ers showed what's possible when their team, especially Joel Embiid, is healthy on the Eastern side of things.
On Wednesday, LeBron James reminded the world who the most dominant force in the game is with a spectacular Game 2 performance against the Indiana Pacers, scoring 46 points to tie the series up at one apiece. Just when you think James the Cleveland Cavaliers might be out of title contention, they come back and prove their critics wrong.
While no series is done by any means, it's clear in some cases which teams will advance to the second round.
No. 1 Toronto Raptors (59-23) vs. No. 8 Washington Wizards (43-39)
Game 3 in Washington: Friday, April 20, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN 2
Raptors lead 2-0.
No. 2 Boston Celtics (55-27) vs. No. 7 Milwaukee Bucks (44-38)
Game 3 in Milwaukee: Friday, April 20, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Celtics lead 2-0.
No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers (52-30) vs. No. 6 Miami Heat (44-38)
Game 4 in Miami: Saturday, April 21, 2:30 p.m. ET, TNT
76ers lead 2-1.
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers (50-32) vs. No. 5 Indiana Pacers(48-34)
Game 3 in Indianapolis: Friday, April 20, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Series tied at 1-1.
No. 1 Houston Rockets (65-17) vs. No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves (47-35)
Game 3 in Minneapolis: Saturday, April 21, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Rockets lead 2-0.
No. 2 Golden State Warriors (58-24) vs. No. 7 San Antonio Spurs (47-35)
Game 4 in San Antonio: Sunday, April 22, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Warriors lead 3-0.
No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers (49-33) vs. No. 6 New Orleans Pelicans (48-34)
Game 4 in New Orleans: Saturday, April 21, 5 p.m. ET, TNT
Pelicans lead 3-0.
No. 4 Oklahoma City Thunder (48-34) vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz (48-34)
Game 3 in Utah: Saturday, April 21, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN
Series tied at 1-1.
Biggest Surprise in 1st Round
Make sure to tune into Game 4 between the Portland Trail Blazers and the New Orleans Pelicans. Even if they aren't your favorite teams to watch, the excitement that is Playoff Rondo and the physical force that is Anthony Davis will leave you scratching your head.
The Pelicans have been impressive through the first three games of the series and have dominated Portland in past two games, including a Game 3 beatdown that saw the Trailblazers take out their starters with more than seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter in a form of surrender.
Rajon Rondo is playing in All-Star form, as he often does when the playoffs come around. But being surrounded by Jrue Holiday and Davis seems to have revitalized the former Boston Celtic, and it's not hard to understand why.
Holiday's defense and impact guarding Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum cannot go unnoticed, but Davis' sheer ability makes life easier for everyone—but especially for Rondo.
Rondo and Holiday can just toss the ball underhanded somewhere in the vicinity of the rim and have Davis secure the alley-oop slam with relative ease.
It doesn't seem fair that he can do things on the court at that size, but that's why he's so special.
You have to wonder what this would look like in the postseason if DeMarcus Cousins were available, but that's a storyline for another day. For now, the Pelicans are must-see TV and should have little difficulty clinching the series Saturday on their home court.
Biggest Letdown in 1st Round
It's enticing to throw the Washington Wizards under this umbrella, but they have been a dysfunctional team for the better part of the regular season, and the duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal just doesn't seem to be working out. Instead, the biggest letdown of the first round has to be the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Lacking a true identity on either end of the floor, Minnesota just seems like it's trying to figure out everything on the go, which isn't an ideal strategy as a No. 8 seed. While they didn't have much of a chance going into a series with the Houston Rockets, many expected this to be a competitive matchup.
And for the most part, Game 1, a 104-101 Rockets win, was exactly what people had in mind. But Game 2 was embarrassing to watch for Timberwolves and basketball fans alike, as the Rockets dismantled the young Minnesota squad by 20 points.
Karl-Anthony Towns, as talented as he is, has not looked as polished through the first two games of this series and doesn't seem to be getting the touches he needs on offense to unleash his potential. Jimmy Butler is doing what he does best on both ends of the floor, but there is no supporting cast.
Andrew Wiggins clearly has a long way to go for a player who signed a max contract as a building block of the future, and production from the rest of the bench has been missing.
The Timberwolves probably won't steal a game this series, which looks set to be a clean sweep as it moves to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4. Let's just hope the Timberwolves come to play this time around.
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