Throughout the NBA play-offs, The National's resident NBA dudes Jonathan Raymond and Kevin Jeffers will be breaking down the key talking points of the night before, plus looking around the scope of the league. Here are our NBA Play-off takeaways.
Last night’s results
• Cleveland 104, Atlanta 93, Cavaliers lead 1-0
• Oklahoma City 98, San Antonio 97, Series even 1-1
Just not enough
For Atlanta to have a shot this round against Cleveland, they’d have to hit on all cylinders while hoping the Cavaliers sputter a bit.
The second part of that equation happened Monday in Game 1, and the Hawks were hitting enough shots and playing well enough defensively to be in it until late in the fourth. But they weren’t hitting on all cylinders, and silly as that sounds, it probablycost them. If even one thing goes wrong, their small hope fades. The Cavs escaped with the Game 1 win.
It goes to show just how unlikely an Atlanta upset is this round, even if they miraculously out-rebound Cleveland again the way they did Monday. Maybe if Kyle Korver had managed to get off more than one attempt, and maybe if Al Horford and Paul Millsap played as well in the first half as they did in the second, and maybe if Jeff Teague decided to show up to the state of Ohio, the Hawks could’ve or would’ve won. That’s just too many “if’s”.
• Related: This might be OKC's final chance | Full play-offs coverage
The Cavs need no such caveats. They’re just the better team, even when they sputter. When Atlanta had stormed back to take a brief lead in the fourth quarter, the outcome wasn’t in doubt for long. LeBron James asserted his dominance on both ends, Kyrie Irving hit huge shots to answer for any Atlanta points, and the Cavs pulled away fairly easily.
The Hawks can take solace in the fact that they were more competitive here than they were in last year’s conference finals sweep to Cleveland. They’re fully healthy, pretty talented, and should be able to get a win or two. But the Cavaliers winning the East is a foregone conclusion.
The team with LeBron, Irving, Kevin Love and a very versatile supporting cast is going to win. Sometimes it’s as simple as that.
OKC might be OK
It took some shenanigans, a bit of voodoo and a typically dominant offensive showing by Russell Westbrook (29 points) and Kevin Durant (28), but the Oklahoma City Thunder managed to escape Game 2 in San Antonio with a series-tying win.
So much for OKC not having a chance, as one stupid bro put it.
Lamarcus Aldridge was huge, with 41 points (including 8 in crunch time that brought San Antonio back to within 1), but was one of four Spurs starters who were a minus on defence. Naturally Kawhi Leonard was the exception, but he managed only 14 points on 18 attempts on offence, good enough for second on the team. The rest of the Spurs either just didn’t show up or were outclassed on both ends.
But let’s talk about those late shenanigans. It’s getting a lot of publication today, but I think it’s a bit overblown. Dion Waiters definitely should’ve been called for an offensive foul on Manu Ginobli on an in-bounds play with less than 14 seconds left. But the referees also didn’t catch Ginobli apparently stepping on the line while defending. One negates the other, really. Plus, the Spurs still had the chance they would’ve had on an offensive foul when Waiters’ errant pass was stolen, but failed to convert on a last-second attempt.
All in all, the refs missed it both ways, the Thunder deserved the win, and the Thunder got the win.
This was the type of weird game that needed to go OKC’s way if they were going to have a shot this series. I still don’t think they do, but if nothing else the gap isn’t as wide as the 32 points the Spurs won by in Game 1. Any team with Durant and Westbrook shouldn’t go out with a fight, and the Thunder aren’t.
Tonight’s matches
• Miami at Toronto, Game 1, 4am
• Portland at Golden State, Game 2, 6.30am | Warriors lead 1-0
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