Breaking Down The NBA Playoffs So far
The NBA playoffs are underway and have been nothing short of fireworks and surprises. With a few games already played, some things have been made clear.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are clear favorites to repeat as NBA Champions this year.
The Los Angeles Lakers have surprised the NBA with how well they’ve played without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves
The San Antonio Spurs need to take Victor Wembanyama off of the ball when he comes back from suffering a concussion in game 2.
The Thunder have been playing phenomenal all season; nothing short of spectacular, amazing and threatening. Scarily threatening!
Oklahoma City Thunder Guard Shai Gilgeous - Alexander scoring on multiple suns defenders in the Suns vs Thunder game 2.
They have been beating opponents easily mostly every game, they led the NBA all year in the standings at number one and have never let go of that spot and they have shown their willingness to defend their champion crown they earned last year and the ability to repeat this year barring any serious injuries to their main core of starters.
Not only have the Thunder shown the ability to repeat, but they are starting to show signs of the NBA’s next dynasty since the Golden Warriors last run from 2015 - 2022 where they won 4 championships in 8 years and Stephen Curry displayed some of the greatest NBA play ever seen in NBA history.
Shai Gilgeous - Alexander is also displaying the greatness Curry did, but he may be doing it better. Gilgeous - Alexander has averaged more than 30 points in his last 4 seasons in the NBA and he’s also elevated his play in the playoffs as well, averaging 30 in his last 3 seasons in the playoffs, while winning one title and positioning his team to look like strong repeat candidates this year as well.
The only team that can stop the Thunder is the Thunder. They will definitely get every team’s best punch in the playoffs, but they seem more than ready to take on all challengers.
LeBron James takes the ball to the rim strong on Kevin Durant and finishes with a monster windmill side winding slam.
The Lakers have been a surprise to many in these playoffs so far, beating the Houston Rockets twice in back-to-back home games to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best of seven series without two of their players (Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves) in the lineup.
Lebron seems to be turning back the clock again and just when everyone assumed he was getting old and ready to retire, he goes and turns in 2 impressive performances against his longtime rival Kevin Durant while elevating the Lakers back into possible contender conversations.
Some writers and analysts like Skip Bayless of The Gridlock Podcast, former NBA superstar Gilber Arenas’s popular YouTube show, has stated that he believes the Lakers are better without Luka and that LeBron by himself gives the Lakers the best chance to win moving forward.
LeBron has the Lakers looking confident again and playing their best basketball, and with the Thunder more than likely awaiting them in the second round, their going to have to be at their best to even consider having a shot.
The San Antonio Spurs have to figure out if they want to be contenders or not. If they do want to win a championship, they need to serious change up the way they are using Victor Wembanyama in NBA games moving forward.
Yes, he is talented and yes, he is a freak of nature. Yes, he does play the NBA game with more skill and fineness than any 7-foot big man ever has, but that does not mean they need him on the floor every play handling the ball like he’s Kyrie Irving, dunking like Michael Jordan and trying to shoot the ball the way Curry does.
The Spurs need to find a way to get their guards handling the ball more and using Wemby like true 7-foot center is used. If they don’t change up the way they use him, they could be going home early in the playoffs and may damage him for the foreseeable future.
The Knicks have not shown to be the championship team they were promising to be in the regular season, and so far, no other team has really shown any flashes of dethroning the champions realistically. We’ll have to wait and see what more develops as the NBA playoffs continue to unfold.
Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below and let us know who your favorite team to watch has been so far in these NBA playoffs and what your predictions for the NBA playoffs are.
Follow us for more on Instagram @officialstreetgossip and at facebook.com/streetgossipnews.