Step Back, 5 notes from NBA Week: Episode 7
Seventh episode of the new Dunkest column: this time we’ll talk about Nikola Jokic, Cavs, Embiid, Nurkic, Clippers, and Brunson
In Episode 07 of StepBack dedicated to the NBA Playoffs, the column by Dunkest:
For Jokic, triple-doubles are the norm, even in the playoffs
The Serbian center has collected a triple-double in 25% of his career playoff games, 18 out of 72 overall – eight of which with at least 30 points scored, second only to LeBron James in NBA history (who has played 286 postseason games). The Lakers are warned: a comeback against the MVP seems impossible.
Did the Cavaliers get themselves into trouble with their own hands?
Cleveland has lost the last two games against Orlando by a total margin of 61 points, with the Magic being the first team in the last 5 years to hold opponents under 100 points for 4 consecutive playoff games. And to think that in the final stretch of the regular season, the Cavs lost (intentionally?) to Charlotte just to face them…
Embiid’s late-game performances against the Knicks are disastrous
Embiid’s fourth quarter in game-4 against the Knicks confirmed the trend: only one point scored and 0/5 shooting in 12 minutes played. In the series, his box score in the last quarter reads: 3/18 overall from the field, without ever making an impact. Perhaps it’s because of the knee, but for the 76ers, his mistakes make the difference (in a negative way).
Suns disaster, and Nurkic never wins in the postseason
It’s difficult to narrate the complete failure of the Suns experiment – they sank in the first round against the T’Wolves. Beal was detrimental, Kevin Durant no longer makes the difference, Booker tries but it’s not enough. Meanwhile, Nurkic can’t seem to win in the playoffs: his record is 3-17 in his career, the worst all-time (15%) among those who have played at least 20 postseason games.
Eyes on Clippers-Mavs, the real first-round series
Two minutes before the end of game-4, Dallas was ahead by 1 after being down by 31: it would have been the greatest playoff comeback of all time, but the Clippers won – tying the series 2-2 and confirming the beauty of a head-to-head full of future Hall of Famers (and Kawhi Leonard is still missing).
Jaylen Brunson made New York history
In the history of the Knicks, no one had ever scored 47 points in an NBA Playoff game: doing so while adding 10 assists in a game won with less than 100 team points, gives a good idea of the decisive impact of Jalen Brunson.