Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. NBA Playoff Basketball is afoot!
For the second straight postseason, the Orlando Magic scored a Game 1 upset in the first round.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Kim Klement/AP.)
In a pandemic, nothing is normal. And the NBA Playoffs is no exception.
First off, it was the Orlando Magic surprising everyone (that probably includes even their most die-hard fans) as they handled the Milwaukee Bucks. I had mentioned that the Bucks played uneven in the bubble but it’s not like the Magic had played very well going into this, either. And they’re also ravaged with injuries as Jonathan Isaac tore his ACL a couple of weeks ago, Aaron Gordon and Michael Carter-Williams weren’t available for Game 1, and Mo Bamba has a scary bout with the Coronavirus.
All of that didn’t seem to matter. Nikola Vucevic was on from start to finish as he had 35 points and 14 boards. Terrence Ross was great off the bench with 18. Ex-Rocket Gary Clark surprised everybody early and scored 15 points. Markelle Fultz was steady with 15 as well. D.J. Augustin once again showed veteran presence and had 11 points and 11 assists. It was all hands on deck with the Magic as James Ennis (11 points, 8 rebounds), Khem Birch, and Wesley Iwundu all provided solid defensive minutes. Evan Fournier was held scoreless in the first half but made three big threes late (his only scoring that game). If you really want to know what makes him tick, you should google Fournier.
The Bucks‘ defense is all about packing the paint and letting their opponents shoot outside. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, Orlando made them; they went 16 for 41 (.390).
It’s pretty impressive that Orlando defended the way they did. Yes, they’re a good defensive team but most of their best defensive players were out. The way they came together against the Bucks shocked fans, I’m sure. While Giannis Antetokounmpo still got his (31-17-7), he had to work hard for the most part. The Magic also packed the paint and seemingly was quick to challenge shots. They also made the Bucks turn it over 16 times. Milwaukee’s supporting cast didn’t have the greatest of games. George Hill did have 16 points and Eric Bledsoe had 15 but Khris Middleton had a quiet 14. And what were the Lopez twins even doing?
The Lopez twins might as well be shopping at Disney.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Orange County Register.)
But what was great was that Orlando withstood every run the Bucks had. When Milwaukee tried to come back, the Magic always seemed to have an answer. This isn’t the Bucks that we had seen pre-pandemic; this is more of the Milwaukee Bucks that we had been seeing recently in the bubble. More on this later but what a win for the Magic.
In the other 1-8 game, the Lakers lost it late against Portland. The Lakers are not known for their great three-point shooting but it went another level of awful against the Blazers (5 for 32, .156!). While LeBron James had a sparking all-around game (23-17-16!, my gosh), the rest of the Lakers couldn’t come through. Anthony Davis had 28 points but shot 8 for 24. Kyle Kuzma didn’t stand out with his 14 points. Danny Green had 10 points but went 2 for 8 from three. And Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made none of his 9 attempts from the field.
Portland didn’t shoot well, either, but they made all the plays that they needed. You knew at some point that Damian Lillard was going to get his. Dame made three important threes and the last one was his signature logo shot that was a backbreaker. Portland never relinquished their lead again after that. Carmelo Anthony and Gary Trent, Jr. made clutch threes to keep the Lakers at bay and a baffled Lakers defense let Jusuf Nurkic dunk for the final margin.
This was something that I discussed with in the past: what if the teams pre-pandemic become all out of sorts in the bubble? And I also asked what if a team just catches on fire and rides it all the way? Granted, it’s still early. But the Bucks and Lakers have not looked great at all in the bubble sessions. What if they never pick it up? What if Portland DOES ride this hot streak all the way to a possible Finals appearance?
This is not unprecedented. The New York Knicks ended up as the 8th seed in the 1999 lockout-shortened season but we knew that they could catch fire because they were not a bad team and were not a “typical 8th seed.” They caught the blaze (pun intended) and went all the way to the NBA Finals.
Of course, this could also be just weird Game 1 vibes. But we’ll see what happens in both of their Game 2s. And this time around, none of these teams can lean on home court cooking.
Bullet Passes
This was the first time both 8th seeds won Game 1 since 2003.
We kind of forgot about Goran Dragic. He scored 14 of his 24 points in that all-important 4th period. But it was Jimmy Butler, who made back-to-back threes that broke the Pacers.
Victor Oladipo can’t get a break, though. Getting poked in the eye is not great! (It’s funny in pro wrestling but not in real life.)
The Houston Rockets handled the Oklahoma City Thunder rather easily. It’s one thing for James Harden to have 37 points but our favorite uncle, Jeff Green, went for 22 points. We all know about Green’s inconsistency so it was a great time for the Rockets to have the good version of him show up.
Meanwhile, the Thunder absolutely can’t have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder combine for an icy 5 for 20 (.250) shooting.
NBA Playoff Scoreboard
Game 1: #1 MIL 110 vs #8 ORL 122 (ORL leads, 1-0)
Game 1: #4 IND 101 vs #5 MIA 113 (MIA leads, 1-0)
Game 1: #4 HOU 123 vs #5 OKC 108 (HOU leads, 1-0)
Game 1: #1 LAL 93 vs #8 POR 100 (POR leads, 1-0)
Watch This Play
It wasn’t all bad for the Bucks. Look at this pretty spin that ends with a destructive dunk by Giannis.
OH MY GOODNESS. pic.twitter.com/F0ufrCibvJ
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) August 18, 2020
Be safe, bubble occupants!
Rey-Rey is on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
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