Step Back, 8 Notes on the Eliminated Teams in the NBA Playoffs: Episode 8
The eighth episode of the new Dunkest segment: this time we’ll be talking about the Heat, Bucks, 76ers, Lakers, Clippers, Suns, Pelicans, and Magic
A special episode of Step Back all about the teams eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs:
Miami couldn’t have done much more against Boston.
Entering through the back door of the last play-in game forces you to play against the best in the class: Miami also lacked key pieces, in a season where the trio Adebayo-Butler-Herro shared the court for only 27 games and 499 total minutes. The regret is not knowing how it would have gone with them on the court.
Giannis’s absence is an excuse, but not the only reason for the Bucks’ defeat.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the first player of all time to finish a season averaging 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists while shooting over 60% from the field: without him, the Bucks’ loss comes with an asterisk – even though Milwaukee never had consistency in results, even after the coaching change and rotation adjustments.
It may not seem like it, but the 76ers lost by a hair against the Knicks.
Philadelphia returns home in the first round, outclassed by the physicality and aggression of the Knicks: the series ended 4-2 in favor of New York, the question marks over the Sixers continue to loom, but in the end – summing it up – the difference in points scored in 6 games is only +1; it’s been since 2006 that there was so little distance.
The Lakers always started off strong, but 4 times they ended up like…
The numbers of a LeBron James in his 21st season and an Anthony Davis finally healthy weren’t enough to beat Denver more than once: what was missing was mainly the energy in the second half, for a team that always closed ahead at halftime. A two-faced series, lost despite the excellent start.
The Clippers’ problems, like Leonard’s injuries, are chronic.
From the injury in 2021 until now, Kawhi Leonard has played only four of the 19 games played by the Clippers in the last three post-seasons. The second most expensive roster ever in terms of contracts has floundered without its technical leader and faces a not-so-simple future: to rebuild by spending more or to raise the white flag?
Zero wins and zero picks until the 2030 Draft: Phoenix is a disaster.
If we’re talking about a number to associate with the teams eliminated in the first round, the figure for the Suns is zero: zero playoff wins despite zero injuries to the big names in the group, zero calls in the NBA Draft between the first and second rounds in the next 6 years, zero ideas (at the moment) on how to reverse the trend in the medium to long term.
The Pelicans’ playoffs didn’t live up to expectations.
49 wins are the 2nd best result all-time for the franchise, Zion had never played 70 games in the regular season, yet there was a dry 4-0 against OKC and Zion Williamson didn’t set foot on the court in the playoffs: how to judge the season? The shake-up comes from the renunciation of Ingram (who wants 200+ million), but it might not be enough.
The future is on the side of the Magic, not (yet) the present.
Orlando against the Cavs enters history but on the wrong side, suffering the biggest comeback of all time in game 7 – wasting the 18-point margin collected in the 2nd quarter. Paolo Banchero enchanted and answered the call, while Franz Wagner’s 1/15 shooting night is a clear warning: we are inexperienced, but things will get better in the future.