Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily. Hey! We’re in the playoffs now!
The Dallas Mavericks now have a commanding 2-0 lead against the L.A. Clippers.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Smiley N. Pool/Dallas Morning News.)
The slander was louder for the L.A. Clippers on Tuesday night as they are suddenly down, 2-0, against the Dallas Mavericks. How the heck did we get here?
First off, Luka Doncic (39-7-7). He just matched Kawhi Leonard bucket-for-bucket. When the Clippers dared to go single coverage on him, he ate him up. When Doncic was double-teamed, he found the open man. And he made some tough shots that Dirk Nowitzki would appreciate.
THIS BUCKET IS DIRK APPROVED 🐐🐐🐐#ALLIN pic.twitter.com/Cg5HqzcP3w
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) May 26, 2021
Ridiculous.
Also, can someone stop Tim Hardaway, Jr? He followed up his 21-point Game 1 performance with 28 big points in Game 2. He also made a three that put the Mavs up 7 in the waning minutes of the game. Simply put, he’s been fantastic thus far.
And, really, this game was a track meet. Fewer stops were had and bigger buckets were aplenty. Kawhi Leonard had 41 points while Paul George had 28-12-6. And those weren’t enough because the Clippers’ vaunted defense couldn’t stop anybody.
You wonder how Serge Ibaka barely played more than 5 minutes. You wonder how Luke Kennard got paid handsomely and hasn’t sniffed a second in this series. You wonder how Rajon Rondo is supposed to be the glue guy that puts this team together yet here he was having an intense conversation with Ibaka.
Meanwhile, I underestimated what Luka and his supporting cast could do. I knew that they weren’t as prolific as an offense with Seth Curry dealt to Philadelphia. Yet they made 35 total threes in two games against the Clippers.
And I think my friend, Dragonflyjonez, said it best:
Luka had a 43, a 42, and a 38 point game when the Mavs and Clippers met last postseason AND a game winner and the Clippers were like “yeah…..we want that guy again. Line it up”
— America is musty 2021 (@DragonflyJonez) May 26, 2021
Add a 31-point triple-double and a 39-7-7 to that list. Oops.
Bullet Passes
I hate that Chris Paul has had bad luck in the postseason. He was clearly limited against the Lakers in Game 2. Anthony Davis came up big with 34-10-7 while Dennis Schröder came up big with 24 points.
I admire Devin Booker scoring 31 and Deandre Ayton going for 22 points and 10 boards. Heck, you’ve got to give it to Cameron Payne getting 19 points and 7 assists in Paul’s stead. But once again, LeBron James came up big with a three when the Lakers needed it the most.
Let’s see what these Suns are made of. Especially with a clearly hurt Chris Paul.
What did people expect when the healthy Brooklyn Nets are going up against a Celtics team that has struggled all season with chemistry and injuries? Joe Harris ran them over in the first quarter and then Blake Griffin was dunking all over them. And I didn’t even mention the three other stars that make the Nets such a super team.
I’m not saying it would take a miracle for the Celtics to win A game but…
I can’t emphasize how happy I am that season awards are being handed throughout the playoffs instead of some contrived hokey award show. With that said…
Julius Randle’s son, Kyden, surprised him with his #KiaMIP award 👏 @nyknicks pic.twitter.com/uk1rx9EOnR
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 25, 2021
Congrats to Julius Randle for winning the award. And, really, I don’t think it was particularly close. Randle got 98 of the 100 first place votes (the other two went to Jerami Grant). But Randle is one of the main reasons why the Knicks have been so good this season.
NBA Playoff Scoreboard
May 25, 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, 2-0.
#3 Bucks lead #6 Heat, 2-0.
WEST
#8 Grizzlies lead #1 Jazz, 1-0.
#5 Mavericks lead #4 Clippers, 2-0.
#2 Suns tied with #7 Lakers, 1-1.
#3 Nuggets tied with #6 Blazers, 1-1.
Watch This Play
This was a pretty sweet move by Paul George to cut Kristaps Porzingis (yeah, yeah) down.
Paul George crossed Kristaps Porzingis into ACL surgery pic.twitter.com/C6OCwTsQFf
— CJ Fogler #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) May 26, 2021
But George might just want to keep quiet and concentrate on winning Game 3.
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.