2024 NBA Playoff Update
2024 NBA Playoff Update
The playoff series that I am most taken with at the time is between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks. Mostly, this is because I loved those old series between these two teams dating back to the 1990's and going up to 2000. They met six times during that span, with each team winning three series each. They also met in the 2013 playoffs, with Indy getting the better of that series.
This series is both a bit reminiscent of those series, while also not feeling familiar at all, somehow. Obviously, these are not the same players, so the names and faces have changed. That's one thing. But the style of basketball has changed, and rather dramatically. Those teams back in the 1990's were both bruising teams, that relied heavily on physical defense. It feels like those days in the NBA generally are over now. So that makes this series feel foreign, where the only thing similar to those playoff series are the names of the teams, and to a lesser extent, the uniforms.
What is similar is that this has been, at least so far, a tight and tough series. The Knicks seemed to be on top of the world, winning both of the first two games, even though they were both close. But as the series shifted back to Indiana, the Pacers seem to have wrestled control away from the Knicks. Each game seems hard fought and relatively close (well, the Pacers won Game 4 quite convincingly, actually), so that feels a bit similar. Should be interesting to watch Game 5 later tonight.
Each of the other series also feels tight, save for Boston and Cleveland. As of right now, it feels like the Celtics are a bit too much for Cleveland. Since Boston was my pick to come out of the East, this really is not shocking. It feels like they are destined for another NBA Finals appearance.
Denver were the defending champions. But you might never know that at around the time that I last gave an update on these playoffs. They had just gotten absolutely hammered in Game 2, and looked like they had no answers for the high-flying T-Wolves. As the series shifted to Minnesota, it was all too easy to picture the Timberwolves winning Game 3, and really placing the defending champs in a very bad situation, with their backs to the wall. Fast forward a few days, and the Nuggets have now handed the T-Wolves not one, but two convincing, and very humbling, home losses, and have tied that series up. Now, it shifts back to Game 5 in Denver. Yet, neither team has managed to achieve a home win. Very interesting to see how this series goes.
For my part, I will predict a win by Denver. They responded like champions, and showed the character that allowed them to rise to the top last year. I expect that happened for a reason, and we shall see the reason help them get past this obviously very dangerous Minnesota team.
Finally, as for Dallas and Oklahoma City, that has been back and forth and tight as could be, almost from the beginning. Hard to tell which team will win the series, but I expect Dallas, ultimately, to emerge and reach the Western Conference Finals.
Should be interesting to see what happens from here on out in the divisional round.
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