Day two of the NBA Playoffs saw one of the craziest Game 1 upsets in recent memory, a couple underwhelming 4-seed vs. 5-seed games and Dame Time! Join me won’t you, as I journey around the association to recap the day in NBA Playoffs action.
Orlando Shocks Milwaukee, the NBA Playoffs and the World
Do you believe in Magic?
Well, if you believed in the Orlando Magic before this game, you were one of the extreme few who did.
Yesterday on @nbamorningdeuce podcast, I picked the Magic +12 in Game 1, and I even went as far as to say they would win one game this series, though even as I was saying that I didn’t honestly believe it.
What I said that I do believe is that few coaches in the NBA get their team more prepared for games than Steve Clifford. Clifford prepares his team to such an extent that they go into every game, believing they have the tools to win. And that was evident in Game 1 vs. the Bucks.
Orlando held Milwaukee’s high powered offense to 110 points. They packed into the paint, pressured every ball-handler, and made every driver see multiple bodies. Giannis finished with 31 points, but the rest of the Bucks starters finished with 44, including just 15 from Khris Middleton.
And when it mattered most, the Magic shut down the Greek Freak, holding him to 1 point in the final 10 minutes of the game. Orlando’s defense was suffocating all game.
The Magic didn’t have Aaron Gordon due to injury. Evan Fournier, their second-leading scorer, didn’t score his first points until 4:49 in the 4th quarter. But Nikola Vucevic dominated the Bucks all day, scoring 35 points on 15-24 FG.
Perhaps most concerning for the Bucks is they are now 3-9 in the Bubble. Is it possible that Milwaukee, who has one of the oldest rosters in the league, was affected that much during the layoff? I fully expect them to bounceback and probably win this series 4-1, but this game was a bad look for them all around.
Heat Roll Pacers After Oladipo Leaves With an Eye Injury
The Pacers can’t catch a break this season.
Malcolm Brogdon played in 54 games because of injuries, Jeremy Lamb tore his ACL, and Domantas Sabonis left the bubble because of a foot injury. Then on Tuesday in Game 1 of their series vs. the Heat, Victor Oladipo left early in the first quarter with an eye injury and didn’t return.
That’s not to say they would’ve won if Oladipo was healthy. But without him, Indy not only loses this game, but they lose any chance to compete in the series.
TJ Warren, who seems to have evicted Jimmy Butler from the rent-free living situation he had going on in Warren’s head, dropped 22 points. Malcolm Brogdon added 22 himself, but Indy needs all three of their studs to beat the Heat.
The Pacers continued their stingy defense without Oladipo, but at the end of the day, the Heat’s depth and stars were the difference in Game 1, and the Heat won 113-101.
Jimmy Butler finished with 28 points, 4 steals, 2 blocks, and Bam Adebayo chipped in 17 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 blocks. In the fourth quarter, Goran Dragic put the pacers away with 14 of his 24 points in the final period, his highest-scoring 4th quarter of the season.
Side Note: If you haven’t watched much of Bam Adebayo this season, do yourself a favor and start. He’s a special player that I think will be talked about in the upper echelon of stars in this league, maybe as soon as next year.
We now know that doctors found no immediate damage in Oladipo’s eye, and he’s day-to-day. Hopefully, he gets back quickly because I think this can be a fun series. If he’s not, Miami could make quick work of the Pacers.
No Westbrook, No Problem for the Rockets
Would it surprise you if I told you that the Rockets are ranked 7th in defensive rating and 19th in offensive rating in the Bubble? It surprised me when I saw it as I was prepping for the playoffs. Most would probably assume it would be the opposite.
So losing Russell Westbrook to start their first-round series vs. the Thunder would be a major issue against the team with the 2nd best defensive rating in the bubble, right?
Nope
The Rockets eclipsed 120 points for just the 4th time in nine games since landing in Orlando and knocked down 20 threes for only the third time during their bubble stretch in a convincing 123-108 win over Oklahoma City.
Like most teams, OKC had no answer for James Harden; he finished with 37. And in Russ’s absence, role players stepped up with Eric Gordon and Jeff Green scoring 21 and 22, respectively.
What’s been really impressive to me about the Rockets since the restart is that 7th ranked defense. The common misconception about this team is that because Mike D’Antoni is their coach, they are led by James Harden and play small, they must be bad on defense. That’s false, and they proved it again tonight.
Houston’s zone defense and switching gave OKC fits leading to the Rockets forcing 12 turnovers that they were able to turn into 19 points on the other end. Their defense isn’t elite, but it’s better then you think.
Are the Rockets a better offensive team without Russ? Ultimately probably not, but it looks like in this series, it might not matter either way.
Dame Time continues in the 2020 NBA Playoffs
I don’t know what to think about the Lakers.
On one hand, through many points in Game 1 vs the Blazers, and the restart in general, I’ve felt like they were just coasting. Case in point: When LeBron James and Anthony Davis were on the floor together, and AD was the Center, the Lakers were +9 in 11 minutes through the first three quarters. By the time they went back to the lineup at the end of the 4th quarter, it was Dame Time. Why not more lineups with AD at the 5? Did they coast a little too long?
On the other hand, maybe this Lakers offense is actually as bad as they’ve looked in Orlando. The Blazers have had just one other game before tonight when they gave up LESS than 120 points. The Lakers scored 93 points on Tuesday. That’s the fourth time they’ve been held under 100 points in the bubble. Los Angeles shot 35 percent from the field and 15 percent from three-point range. They also missed 11 free throws.
The Lakers have some stuff to figure out.
Enough about those guys though. Let’s talk about Dame Time!
I think Dwyane Wade put it best tonight:
Dame is Different‼️
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) August 19, 2020
He sure is Dwyane, he sure is.
Dame didn’t score his first points in the second half until 7:41 in the 4th quarter. That bucket was a deep three. He ended up dropping three more long-range bombs to cap of Dame Time and finish with 34 points. The Blazers needed all of them to pull off the 100-93 upset over the Lakers. The second 8-seed to beat a 1-seed of the day.
Lillard has played 420 minutes in the past 19 days. He looked tired in the second half, but it didn’t stop him. Who knows what happens going forward in this series, but let’s just enjoy Dame Time as long as we have it in these NBA Playoffs.
For even more breakdown of the NBA Playoffs, listen to the NBA Morning Deuce, Belly Up Sports’ newest Daily NBA Podcast. The deuce covers everything you need to know from the night and day before in the association by 6 am Monday through Friday.
