Three series-clinchers are in the books as the first round of the NBA Playoffs limps to a merciful conclusion.
I won't argue that it's been an entertaining first round. Similarly, I can't help but point out how drawn out the whole thing is. This is the result of having every series be the best-of-7. It's really unnecessary after an already overblown 82 game schedule.
That likely won't change, any more than the officiating. Oh, well. A man can dream.
First up, Atlanta vs. Indiana.
I suppose once Game 6 went Indiana's way, it was inevitable that Game 7 would as well. Still, it's disappointing to me because Atlanta had a golden opportunity to knock out the Pacers and send them reeling into the offseason.
Maybe their comeuppance is waiting in Washington. Somehow, I doubt it.
And this is the problem. Now that Indiana has finally pulled themselves together enough to get through the first round, they'll likely only get stronger and stronger. And once they get to the conference finals (well, assuming they get there, since it's no lock), they'll probably be ready to challenge Miami.
That's not so bad, in a vacuum. But in this era of 24/7 news and a bunch of sportswriters and bloggers covering everything obsessively, there's likely to a be a ton of people slurping the Pacers. Not because they're deserving, but because everyone wants to see them play Miami in the conference finals again. They want to see if Indiana can put their money where their mouth is.
Indiana's only taken the first step and it took them seven games to do so, whereas Miami was done in four. I doubt that'll stop people, though.
Indiana wins the series 4-3. They move on to the second round to play Washington.
Next, Memphis vs. Oklahoma City.
The first quarter of this one was more than a little deceiving. Of course, Memphis couldn't keep up that level without Zack Randolph and with Mike Conley being slightly less awesome than usual.
It also didn't help that Westbrook and Durant were far more efficient than they had been the entire series. Westbrook put up a triple-double despite shooting only 16 times. I have to give him credit; he did well and was a big reason they won the game. Durant, of course, was damn near unstoppable.
It was the third quarter that really ended this one. OKC came out of the break with focus, determination, whatever you want to call it. They also just made a ton of shots.
I'm not sure if they'll have a harder time in the second round. After all, if you go all seven in the first, there's really nowhere to go but up.
Oklahoma City wins the series 4-3. They move on to the second round to play Los Angeles.
Finally, Golden State vs. Los Angeles.
Surprise, surprise, another team from LA that causes me to be disappointed.
I didn't really have a horse in this one, but I would have liked it more had Golden State won. They're more fun to watch and slightly less overrated (although all the so-called "contender" nonsense was both insulting and a bit nauseating).
But since the Clippers moved on, I would feel remiss if I didn't point something out: they ought to feel damn lucky that Memphis didn't advance.
It's not like they'll have an easy time with OKC. Far from it. But they can't beat Memphis, so there was no way they were advancing to the conference finals with the Grizzlies in their way. I don't think they advance past the next round anyway.
Los Angeles wins the series 4-3. They move on to the second round to play Oklahoma City.
Later today, Game 7 in Toronto and San Antonio. Yup, two more. Can we stand the drama?
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