NBA PLAYOFFS – THE OPENING AND CLOSING 4/27/19

4 TEAMS PLAYED LAST NIGHT! WITH THAT THE FIRST ROUND OF THE 2018/2019 NBA PLAYOFFS IS COMPLETE.

WHICH WAS YOUR FIRST ROUND FAVORITE SERIES?

OKC VS POR

FOR ME IT HAS TO BE THIS SERIES ESPECIALLY HOW IT ENDED. JUST WOW!

THE OPENING:

TORONTO OPENED UP THE SECOND ROUND WITH A THRASHING. THEY SHUT DOWN PHILADELPHIA’S BEST PLAYER. THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE GAMES THAT WASN’T CLOSE. DON’T LET THE SCORE FOOL YOU. THE SCORE DOESN’T INDICATE THE WHOLE STORY.

SCORE:

PHILADELPHIA 95

TORONTO 108

RAPTORS LEADS 1-0

THE RAPTORS WERE LEAD BY THEIR SUPERSTAR KAWHI LEONARD WHO AT TIMES LOOKED LIKE A BIGGER COMBINATION OF KOBE AND MJ. HE WAS GREAT AND UNSTOPPABLE! LAST NIGHT PROVED THAT HE IS A TOP 2 PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE. THE BATTLE FOR THE BEST PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE CONTINUES EVERY GAME!

ALSO

PASCAL SIAKAM IS AN ALL STAR PLAYER! AFTER THE RAPTORS PLAYOFF RUN HE WILL BE ON THE VERGE OF BEING A STAR. REMEMBER THEIR LEVELS TO BASKETBALL AND HE IS SHOWING HIS GAME AND HIS POTENTIAL. SPICY P IS A FITTING NICKNAME AS HE ADDED 29P 7R SHOOTING 80% FROM THE FIELD!

TO SAY THE SIXERS WERE OUTCLASS IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT IN MY OPINION. BEN SIMMONS JUMP SHOT WILL ONCE AGAIN BE THE SIXERS WEAKNESS. HE PLAYED GREAT LAST SERIES BUT THE RAPTORS ARE CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDING TEAM! EMBIID GOT BOTTLED UP BY MARC GASOL AND SERGE IBAKA AND JUST HAD A TOUGH NIGHT. HE SCORED 16P SHOOTING 27.8%. I EXPECT EMBIID TO BOUNCE BACK WITH A SOLID PERFORMANCE.

NOW FOR THE SIXERS TRADE ACQUISITIONS:

YALL ARE NOT HAVING ANY IMPACT ON THE GAME. THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE , BECAUSE WHY WOULD THEY ACQUIRE BOTH OF YALL TO BE PASSIVE. YALL NEED TO PLAY A LOT BETTER! PERIOD. COMBINED JIMMY BUTLER AND TOBIAS HARRIS SCORED 24P OFF 10/29 SHOOTING!

TORONTO YOUR BENCH BETTER STEP UP NEXT GAME! 10 POINTS OFF THE BENCH THATS PATHETIC.

CAN THE SIXERS STOP LEONARD AND SAKIEM?

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

KAWHI LEONARD

MP 38:12

P 45

R 11

A 2

S 2

B 1

TO 2

+ 26

16/23 FG

10/11 FT

3/7 3P

THE CLOSE OUT:

SAN ANTONIO STARTED OUT PLAYING TIGHT IT WAS HARD TO WATCH THE FIRST QUARTER.

DENVER DIDNT DO THEM ANY FAVORS EITHER THE ONLY PLAYER WHO WAS LOOSE OUT THEIR WAS JOKIC.

FOR SA DEMAR WAS PASSIVE EARLY AND SCARED . HE DID START TO PLAY BETTER IN THE SECOND HALF. BUT FINISHED THE GAME WITH ONLY 19P. LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE DOESNT GET OFF THE HOOK EITHER HE HAD A BAD SHOOTING NIGHT. HE FINISHED WITH 16P 11R. BOTH VETERANS SEEM LIKE THEY RAN OUT OF GAS. RUDY GAY AND BYRN FORBES HAD THEMELVES GOOD GAMES. ALL AND ALL I JUST BELIEVE THE SPURS WERE OUTMATCHED BY DENVER YOUTH AND TALENT. THEY KEEP THE SERIES CLOSE BECAUSE THEY HAD EXPERIENCE ON THEIR SIDE.

FOR DENVER THEY ALMOST GAVE THIS GAME AWAY. WHEN A YOUNG TEAM NEEDS TO CLOSE THEY SOMETIMES FOLD UNDER PRESSURE. CRAZY TO THINK JOKIC HAD ONE OF HIS WORST SHOOTING NIGHTS AND THEY WON. I BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE JOKIC WAS AGGRESSIVE EARLY AND OFTEN HE AFFECTED THE GAME LATE.

THEY HAVE A GREAT LEADER AND PLAYER WITHIN JOKIC WHO IS 24.

DENVER SURVIVED WITH JAMAL MURRAY COMING ALIVE LATE. HE DROP 23 POINTS. THIS YOUNG DENVER TEAM ADVANCES TO THE SECOND ROUND FOR THE FIRST SINCE 2009.

SPURS 86

NUGGETS 90

PLAYER OF THE GAME: