Game 4: Celtics 116, Nets 112 | The Celtics cleared a 4-0 series
Who was the man? Marcus Smart. He played a great game in Game 4, along with Jason Tatum and Jaylan Brown, when the Boston Celtics blew up the brooms. Tatum was really good, but he fouled. Brown was really good, but he had less variety than Smart on Monday. They all played very good defense, but Smart managed to knock down shots and move the ball. He scored 20 points and made 10 assists. In addition, his attempt to steal the ball from Brooklyn was canceled by three, which led to a foul, prevented the Nets from having a chance to equalize it with a three. Good gambling.
What was the key here? Just a general weathering of the storm. The Celtics knew Kevin Durant was coming, and he was pretty good for the most part in Game 4. They had to strangle some other players and keep Kyrie Irving from disappearing. This happened. Just take that final blow from a team that is about to be swept away, stick to what you do best, and rest extra.
Key statistics: 17-of-29. Although the Nets received a generous whistle towards the end, they actually had a few boys in trouble with the disruption at the beginning. And thanks to a fight on the Nicholas Claxton line, the Nets missed 12 free throws in a game they lost by four points. Claxton came out with 1 in 11 of the free throw line, which is 10 of the Nets’ 12 missed free throws in the game.
The moment it was all over: Durant was on the free throw line, three less than 22.2 seconds to go. He made the first one. He missed the second. Smart found himself with the ball and pushed it into the transition while the Nets fought for a foul. But then he went to look at the layup / runner look on the left side of the rim and missed it. If the Nets bounce the ball, they have a chance to equalize or take the lead. Instead, Al Horford ended his great series by striking from the top and increasing the lead to four points with 13.7 seconds left.
The moment of the match: Ben Simmons was not sitting on the bench for the match he was heading to for his debut. Simmons, even if he doesn’t show up for the game, or at least not show up on the bench, is a bad thing to start this marriage with.
What’s next for the Nets in their off-season? Release Simmons to work with a four-on-four contact. Just to see how my back feels.
Who do they want to play the Celtics with in the next round? They want to play Chicago, but they will get Milwaukee. They probably want Milwaukee to finish as soon as possible against Chicago so they can get the Bucks before Chris Middleton is ready to return to the court – if that’s possible in this series.
Game 5: Raptors 103, 76ers 88 | The Sixers lead 3-2
Who was the man? Pascal Siakam. He led this Toronto Raptors team without Fred VanVleit being available for a hip sprain. And without more traditional points, he continued to initiate the violation. The beauty of the Raptors is that many guys do it throughout the game and Siakam is no stranger to that. But it’s a little different when you don’t have that stable dribble to rely on. He finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists with just two turns. The Philadelphia 76ers know that Siakam will be the man and that the Raptors lack traditional playmakers. They still couldn’t get him out of his comfort zone.
What was the key here? Precious Achiuva was great from the bench. Apparently the Raptors don’t have anyone who can physically deal with Joel Embiid. He’s just too massive for the great men of Toronto. But Achiuva makes everyone work and he is incredibly active at both ends. It’s not easy for Embiid to orbit around with it unless he can completely seal it from an entrance pass. Achiuwa had 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocks outside the bench. He was great.
Key statistics: 29-11. This is the Raptors’ bench (29) compared to what the Sixers bench (11) did during that game. We already knew that the Sixers didn’t have much depth, and that was emphasized even more as Embiid dealt with this thumb injury. He has not been so dominant in the last two games, which means that someone needs to strengthen. It wasn’t James Harden who just had an OK game. And no one on the Sixers bench has scored more than one basket.
The moment it ended: After the Sixers reduced the double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to nine with a remaining 6:11, they did not score again for almost three minutes of playing time. The Raptors regained the lead to 15, and when Harden scored 3:13 left, there really wasn’t much hope of a comeback. The Sixers had just disappeared for the most part in the fourth period.
The Moment of the Game: Sixers fans booed their own team at one point because they were so mediocre against the struggling Raptors. There was still a lot of time in the game and a lot of time to fix things. But Sixers fans may have begun to wonder if the impossible could happen to a team that gives it a 3-0 lead. They don’t want to see this Raptors team again in Game 7; otherwise the birds may never disappear.
What can the Sixers do to win game 6? Two players need to get stronger and be amazing. I don’t know if you can count on Embiid to do it because of this thumb injury. He can still be very good, but asking him to wear this team when he trembles every time his right hand catches a basketball is probably too much. That’s why you’re attracted to Harden, but we’re here. For the second year in a row, striker Tyrese Maxi will probably be asked to have some moments in Game 6. Tobias Harris has to play like in Game 1. They can’t put that kind of pressure to allow Game 7.
What can the Raptors do to win Game 6? They do, but even winning another victory in these situations usually doesn’t happen. They didn’t turn the ball around much in Game 5. They crushed the Sixers 56-36. And they still didn’t have a good game shooting the ball from outside. Everything on this team is resilient, but they can’t beat themselves. The defense should remain stable and they should start whispering to the Sixers players what happens when the Doc Rivers teams lead 3-1.
Sixers Wire Meter: 🙅♂️🙅♂️🙅♂️🙅♂️
Raptors anxiety measurement: 🙏🙏🙏🙏
Game 5: Mavericks 102, Jazz 77 | The Mavs lead 3-2
Who was the man? Luka Doncic. Jalen Brunson was also fantastic, but it was Doncic who led the show. Brunson played really well from him and was a good secondary initiator. Doncic was simply destructive of what Utah was trying to do to keep him. He finished with 33 points in 22 shots in 33 minutes of action. He added 13 rebounds and 5 assists. The Mavs were a plus-32 when he was on the floor. Luca looked much more comfortable in this game than in Game 4, and the result was dominance.
What was the key here? The violation of jazz was completely powerless. Part of that was moments of suffocating defense from Dallas. Part of that was that Jazz couldn’t make shots. They barely scored 70 points. They passed approximately seven minutes without making a hit in the fourth quarter, when everything was decided. They made 3 out of 30 of the 3-point range. They had more turnovers (13) than assists (12).
Key statistics: 7-0f-36. It was the shooting of jazz starters who were not named Rudy Gober in this game. Bojan Bogdanovic was minus 37 at night and did not make a shot from nine attempts. Donovan Mitchell was minus 38 and he left the field 4 out of 15 before leaving with a leg injury.
The moment it ended: sometime in the second quarter. Maybe the initial council. Maybe the winner of Game 4 was just a flash in the space-time continuum. It was a complete kick, almost from start to finish.
The moment of the match: Luca and Hassan Whiteside got into something weird in the fourth quarter. Whiteside fouled Doncic with a little more aggression than should have happened at 30 in a game. Whiteside then tried to help him get up, but Doncic didn’t. Then Dorian Feeney-Smith came in to push him. Reggie Bullock intervened, and Whiteside didn’t want to be touched, so he started pushing people away. We have some technical fouls and maybe a little emotion is transferred to game 6.
What can the Mavs do to win game 6? Keep doing what they do. The Mavs have Jazz numbers, but they can’t be sucked into what happened last year in the playoffs. Against the Clippers last year, the Mavs led 3-2 in the series. They ruined the bed offensively in game 6 and then soiled the bed in defense in game 7. This jazz team has no fight with this Clippers team. But Mavs must be sharks in the water nonetheless. This shows a step forward for them, especially with a new coach.
What can Jazz do to win Game 6? We’ll have to see how severe Mitchell’s injury is and whether it limits him in Game 6 or keeps him out of it. But jazz has to strike. It sounds so simple and simple, but they still struggle to make punches that they usually knock down. Part of that is that the Mavs take them out of their rhythm, but that’s also what jazz tends to do.
Measuring Mavs Anxiety: 🐎🐎
Measuring Jazz Concerns: 🎷🎷🎷🎷🎷
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(Photo: Jerome Miron / USA Today)
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