I guess it's just a quirk of the schedule that tonight's games were all in the Eastern Conference. In any case, the Eastern is definitely the weaker of the two conferences in the NBA and the two-time defending champs weren't playing...so it wasn't what one might call the most scintillating display of playoff basketball.
Still, it may yet turn out to be a memorable night.
First up, Atlanta vs. Indiana.
Game 2 started off a lot like the first. Atlanta was basically dominating through the first half, yet they didn't build a huge lead. That probably came back to bite them in the second half.
The shot of the night from where I'm sitting is Paul George's buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter. It pretty much ended the game right then and there. It capped off a 31-13 third; Indiana then outscored Atlanta 22-20 in the fourth. So yeah, once that shot went in the outcome was not in doubt.
Does this mean that Indiana is "back"? Not likely. Discussion will revolve around Roy Hibbert's 24 ineffective minutes.
Let's face it, a dude that big ought to be playing 35-38 minutes and dominating the paint for most of that time. Hibbert went 1-7 from the field (4-4 from the free throw line, at least), with six points, four rebounds, and one assist. That stat line combined with the time he was on the floor basically amounts to a long, sustained fart.
Luis Scola gets maybe 1/10th of the pub that Hibbert gets, and he was spectacular last night. Oh well.
The series is tied 1-1. Game 3 is Thursday.
Next, Brooklyn vs. Toronto.
Already up 1-0, Brooklyn still managed to play hard (unlike, say, Golden State), but lost a close one 100-95.
I guess Toronto showed how good they can be. Who knows? I actually didn't watch any of this game when it was on. I know they had leads which they then proceeded to blow. That never looks good.
And really, they ought to have beaten Brooklyn handily in both of these games. Are they really that much better? Well, I know for a fact that Kyle Lowry is better than anything Brooklyn has. That alone ought to mean something. Maybe it will as the series progresses.
Or maybe Brooklyn's old man duo of Pierce and Garnett will strangle the Raptors with experience.
In the end, I doubt it matters much.
The series is tied 1-1. Game 3 is Friday.
Finally, Washington vs. Chicago.
The result was less surprising than the route taken to get there.
This game really shouldn't have gone to OT, but Bradley Beal couldn't knock down the game-winner in regulation. As it turns out, he couldn't knock down the game-winner in OT, either.
But thankfully for Washington, Chicago botched the opportunities they got. This should surprise no one, since the Bulls' offense is putrid.
Noah might have won Defensive Player of the Year, but so far he's been worked over by Nene and Marcin Gortat (whoever he happens to be guarding at the time). It doesn't help that the Wizards have Beal and John Wall just in case the inside game takes a nosedive, much like what happened last night.
Washington leads 2-0. Game 3 is Friday.
Later today, Game 2 in Houston, Miami, and San Antonio. Or to put it another way: at least two of these three actually matter. I'll leave it to the viewers to decide that.
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