Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs has been somewhat lackadaisical in terms of competitiveness this season, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of storylines to be talking about. Possibly the biggest of all is the injured MVP Stephen Curry, who missed two games this week against the Houston Rockets. We also saw some pre-game dancing drama in Texas, as well as some historically bad performances. Let's jump into the NBA Playoffs Week 1 recap.
1. The Cleveland Big 3
With injuries taking both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving down in last season's playoffs, this is the first year we’ve seen both of them healthy and playing alongside LeBron James, and oh boy, are they killing it. James, Irving, and Love have led the Cavs to a 3-0 lead on the pesky Detroit Pistons. Love, Irving, and James are averaging a combined 70.6 points per game. Irving leads the way with 27.5 points per game this series, also shooting a spectacular 47 percent from three point range, a large improvement over the 32 percent he shot in the regular season. Kevin Love has spent time playing Center in this series, something many people were interested in seeing all season. Love, eager to prove himself in the playoffs and stay healthy, is averaging 18.8 points and 12 rebounds in the series. Game 1 belonged to Love; he helped carry the Cavs to a five point victory with 28 points and 13 rebounds. LeBron James continues to do LeBron James things. Seemingly taking a backseat to his teammates thus far, LeBron is averaging 22.8 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists per contest. Not bad for someone who is supposedly rattled by rookie Stanley Johnson. The Cavs swept Detroit behind a 31 point performance from Irving and look to continue rolling along. If this level of play continues, they will be tough for anyone to beat.
2. Steph Curry injured vs. Houston
After 20 minutes of play time in Game 1 against the Houston Rockets, All-Star Guard Steph Curry sprained his ankle and did not return. Game 1 was already well in hand for the Warriors at this point, as the Rockets did not put up much of a fight in the Warriors 104-78 win. Curry went on to miss Game 2 of the series, but Klay Thompson helped propel the shorthanded Warriors to a victory with his 34 points. In the place of Curry, veteran Shaun Livingston finished 7 of 9 from the field with 16 points. Curry attempted to warm up before the game but opted to sit out after his ankle was bothering him during shoot around. Game 3 back in Houston belonged to the Rockets, as the Warriors did not have enough firepower without Curry to hang with James Harden. Harden came alive with a 35 point performance capped off with a game winning turnaround jumper with 3 seconds remaining. Klay Thompson, who was so instrumental in the previous game, turned from Splash Brother to Trash Brother without Curry, going 0 of 7 from three point range. Curry returned to the lineup for Game 4, but scored only six points before leaving the game after injuring his knee on a fall before halftime.
3. The Raptors struggling
With All-Star guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan struggling for most of the series against the Indiana Pacers thus far, it has been up to the Raptors' role players to get them back into the series. Last season, Toronto was bounced from the playoffs with four straight losses to the Wizards in the first round. This season, after the Pacers stole Game 1 in Toronto, the Raptors looked destined to turn #WeTheNorth into #WeTheFirstRoundExit once again. But in Game 2, led by Jonas Valanciunas, Toronto was able to win Game 2 to level the series. JV put together a breakout playoff performance for himself, finishing with 23 points and 15 rebounds on just over 55 percent shooting. While JV dominated Game 2 early on, Patrick Patterson and Corey Joseph made the difference late in the game. Hometown kid Corey Joseph scored 16 points for Toronto, including 9 points and 3 assists in the second half as the Raptors pulled away. Patrick Patterson added 16 points off the bench including a plus/minus of +21 when on the court. In Game 3, Lowry and DeRozan seemingly got back on track as both of the All-Stars scored 21 points. DeMarre Carroll, who recently returned from injury, added 17 points. In Game 4, Indiana smacked the Raptors, led by Paul George averaging 26.3 points per game, to even the series at 2-2 as it heads back to Toronto. If Toronto is to go anywhere this post season they will need the trio of Lowry, DeRozan, and Carroll to continue putting up numbers similar to Game 3.
4. Kawhi Leonard was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year
For the second straight season, Kawhi Leonard has won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award. This season, Leonard has continued his rise on the offensive side of the ball to become the Spurs' number one option. But that has not affected Leonard on the defensive side of the ball, where Leonard cut his teeth in the league. Even defensive rival Draymond Green conceded to the long-armed Spur, stating that he had nothing to complain about with Leonard winning the award over Green this season. Leonard put together a fantastic Game 3 performance to help propel the Spurs to a 96-87 win. Kawhi finished with 32 points and 7 rebounds, all while shooting 50 percent from the field and making 6 of 9 shots from long range. Leonard also added four steals and five blocks, oh, and didn’t commit a single turnover. Playoff Kawhi is here, and it is awesome. Leonard and the Spurs swept the depleted Grizzlies in four straight games to move on to the second round.
5. Kevin Durant has a historically bad Game 2 but OKC keeps rolling
In Game 1 against the Mavericks, everything seemed to come easy for the OKC Thunder as they dismantled Dallas by a score of 108-70. OKC held Dallas to under 30 percent shooting, while the trio of Westbrook, Durant, and Ibaka scored 64 points, almost outscoring the entire Mavericks team. Game 2 was a different story. Kevin Durant, who we’ve known to have one of the smoothest strokes in the league, tied Michael Jordan with most playoff misses (26) since 1997. Durant shot 7 of 33 from the field. The Mavericks were able to squeak by with an 85-84 victory after the Thunder’s Steven Adams made the game winning shot but only after the buzzer had already sounded. In Game 3, the Thunder bounced back but Durant still only went 11 of 25 from the field, but still finished with a 34 point explosion thanks to 9 free throws. Serge Ibaka continued his hot shooting making 7 of 9 shots for 16 points. Ibaka has been huge for OKC so far in this post-season, shooting 75 percent from the field and grabbing 7.7 rebounds per contest. The Thunder went on to win Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead over Dallas and looks to close the series out in Game 5. Let’s hope OKC can stay healthy this post-season, because when Durant and Westbrook are both firing on all cylinders, it is tough for anyone to beat them in a seven game series. (Warning: video has explicit lyrics)
6. The Boston Celtics set the record for fewest points in a first quarter.
With the loss of Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk, the Boston Celtics put on one of the ugliest displays of basketball in Game 2 against the Atlanta Hawks. Already down 1-0 in the series, Boston shot 13 percent in the first quarter, scoring only seven points. The game finished with the Hawks pounding the reeling Celtics 89-72, including 15 blocks to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Boston bounced back in Game 3, or at least All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas did. Thomas scored 42 points for the Celtics, who were able to hold off the Hawks fourth quarter comeback and win 111-103. Boston was able to overcome a 45 point performance from Paul Millsap in order to tie the series at 2-2. This series looks to be the most likely to go seven games if these two teams keep this up.
7. C.J. McCollum was named NBA Most Improved Player
Portland guard C.J. McCollum capped off his fantastic season by winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player. McCollum, who had a great playoff run last season, continued his success into the 2015-16 regular season. C.J. finished with 21.6 points per contest and shooting almost 45 percent from the field. McCollum has struggled this season in the playoffs, and so have his young Trail Blazers teammates. The Clippers have beaten Portland in the first two games by 20 or more points each contest. The series headed back to Rose City for Game 3 where Portland was able to defeat the Clippers with 32 points from Damian Lillard, 27 points from McCollum and 21 rebounds from Mason Plumlee. If Portland can pull even in Game 4, this series could get interesting.
8. Hornets win their first playoff game in 14 years
After dropping the first two games of the series to the Miami Heat, the Hornets were able to put together a decent performance to win their first playoff game in 14 years. After giving up 123 and 115 points in the first two games, the Hornets battled back despite still not being able to hit their stride from the three point line. With the Heat featuring veterans Dwayne Wade (20.3 ppg) and Luol Deng (22.0 ppg), the Hornets will have to get their shooting on track in order to win Game 4 and even the series. But what a great Game 3 in order to give their fans a playoff victory to cheer about, well done Charlotte.
9. Russell Westbrook and Cam Payne’s dance routine
Making the news this week during the Thunder-Mavericks series was the hilarious dance routine performed by Russell Westbrook and Cam Payne. Mavericks player Charlie Villaneuva casually steps in the way, to which Westbrook shoves Villaneuva out of the way. The best part of this dance, which is being ignored, is Cam Payne. The dude is killing it, and he’s not letting anything stop him.
