With the second round nearly wrapped up, there is much to take away from these playoffs. New stars and upcoming young teams are headlining the most impressive parts of the 2nd round, while familiar faces are also coming up huge.
Anthony Edwards is a legit superstar:
The Minnesota Timberwolves series with the Denver Nuggets has been nothing short of a slugfest, with both teams having won three games. The Wolves stole the first two games on the road, with dominant defensive performances. However, after that, the Nuggets took the next three games to put Minnesota on the brink of elimination. The Wolves then responded by dominating game 6 at home and pushing the series to seven. Anthony Edwards has been fantastic this series, and throughout these playoffs, he has proven that he can become the next face of the league.
Luka Doncic is fine in the West: Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks came into the playoffs as the fifth seed in the West, and are now one win away from a Western Conference Finals appearance. The moves made by Dallas to get Kyrie Irving, PJ Washington, and Daniel Gafford have allowed Luka to finally have a competent supporting cast around him. Luka and the Mavs will be one of the top dogs in the West for years, and this team has been on fire as of late.
The Boston Celtics aren’t going anywhere: The Boston Celtics are possibly the most controversial team in the NBA. In the past years, the Celtics have been among the league’s best teams, but have fallen short in the biggest games. This year, the Celtics are the peak of the NBA, winning a league-best 64 games in the regular season. The question is, can the Celtics finally get over the hump and bring the city of Boston an NBA championship? So far, they’ve beaten both the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers in 5 games and now sit in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, both teams dealt with major injuries to star players, making the matchups much easier for the Celtics. They still have not truly been tested this postseason, we’ll see what happens when they do.
New York’s grit makes them a championship contender: The New York Knicks may not be the most satisfying team to watch, but they know how to win games. They took down the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round in six games, with the help of star Jalen Brunson leading the way. Josh Hart, one of the best role players in the league has been a huge reason for New York’s success, his hustle, defense, and clutch plays have led them to be one win away from the Conference Finals. Tom Thibodeax has also done a great job coaching the team to where they are now, and they will give whoever they play a fight.
