Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily. Hey! We’re in the playoffs now!
Trae Young let everyone know that he’s in the playoffs.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Seth Wenig/Getty Images.)
We had two young and up-and-coming teams going against each other in the postseason. Julius Randle and the surprising New York Knicks went against Trae Young and the blossoming Atlanta Hawks. Boy, did this have an ending.
Randle struggled to get it going but Alec Burks (27 points) and Derrick Rose (yeah, I know; he had 17 points) carried New York offensively. Burks made 5 straight points to give the Knicks a three-point lead. Bogdan Bogdanovic (18 points) was able to counter with a three-pointer with under a minute left. After Trae Young free throws, Rose was able to tie the game with a push shot with 10 seconds left.
It set the stage for the Hawks.
Young came down the court and was able to escape to get a floater up. It settled into the basket with 0.9 seconds left. Randle couldn’t get a good shot up in the last possession and the Hawks stole Game 1.
There’s been a lot said about Trae Young (32-7-10 in this game). I’m not saying he’s the anti-Luka Doncic but they’ll be connected for their entire careers since they were traded for each other. Trae didn’t make the all-star team so he’s got a chip on his shoulder. He doesn’t play pretty with the way he baits fouls. And that he puts up empty stats.
Well, the Hawks are in the playoffs now. And Trae came through at the biggest stage. Bright lights. Big City. The Mecca of basketball. Madison Square Garden. WITH fans. And he shut them up after the biggest shot of his short NBA career.
What was it that Harvey Dent said? “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” Trae might have become the latter.
At the very least, he was in New York.
Bullet Passes
For Game 1, at least, the Suns showed why they were the #2 seed. They were certainly not afraid of the Lakers. Even when Chris Paul hurt his right shoulder, the Suns weren’t affected by it.
And when you have a Devin Booker ready for prime time (34-7-8) and a more confident Deandre Ayton (21 points, 16 rebounds), Phoenix can rest easy when Paul is not on the floor.
The Lakers looked terrible for most of the game. The good news is that this is only one game.
Tobias Harris couldn’t be stopped. Doc Rivers coached him when he was on the Clippers so he knew what to do with him. Harris got to his spots and dropped 37 on Washington.
The Wizards should get credit for staying with the Sixers to the end. But the did blow some golden opportunities to cut it to a one-possession game. This series might be closer than we think.
Donovan Mitchell was a late scratch from Jazz/Grizzlies. Either way, the Grizzlies didn’t know any better and took it to the Jazz. With Memphis clinging to a one-point lead, Dillon Brooks was able to get away for a lay-up with 4.3 seconds left.
Utah had one chance left to tie but Bojan Bogdanovic‘s three didn’t hit rim. The unflappable Grizz stole Game 1 from the Jazz.
Speaking of Mitchell, I really don’t know why there’s this disconnect between star player and team. It’s a playoff game. Did they underestimate the Grizzlies so much that they thought they could steal rest for Mitchell, who said in that article that he had no pain? What a weird situation.
After Rudy Gobert fouled out, he even did a flop while he was walking off the court.
lol pic.twitter.com/Vc06UlUlzj
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) May 24, 2021
To be fair, I would do the same thing because I’m kind of an idiot. I would even do a back roll after that.
NBA Playoff Scoreboard
May 23, 2021
NBA Playoff Series Count
EAST
#1 Sixers lead #8 Wizards, 1-0.
#5 Hawks lead #4 Knicks, 1-0.
#2 Nets lead #7 Celtics, 1-0.
#3 Bucks lead #6 Heat, 1-0.
WEST
#8 Grizzlies lead #1 Jazz, 1-0.
#5 Mavericks lead #4 Clippers, 1-0.
#2 Suns lead #7 Lakers, 1-0.
#6 Blazers lead #3 Nuggets, 1-0.
Watch This Play
Let’s see that game-winner by Trae Young.
TRAE YOUNG 🔥
32 PTS
10 AST
7 REB
GAME WINNER pic.twitter.com/cpFFHUoj48— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 24, 2021
Welcome to the playoffs, Trae.
Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the NBA as well.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.
R.I.P. Nala.