- Paris Olympics takeaways: What did Team USA’s crunch-time lineup say about NBA’s hierarchy?Posted 4 months ago
- Zach Edey posted an easy double-double in Summer League debut. Here’s why he’ll succeed in NBAPosted 5 months ago
- What will we most remember these champion Boston Celtics for?Posted 6 months ago
- After long, seven-year road filled with excruciating losses, Celtics’ coast to NBA title felt ‘surreal’Posted 6 months ago
- South Florida men’s basketball is on an unbelievable heater– but also still on the bubblePosted 10 months ago
- Kobe Bufkin is balling out for Atlanta Hawks’ G League team. When will he be called up to NBA?Posted 11 months ago
- Former Knicks guards Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett may yet prove Raptors won the OG Anunoby tradePosted 12 months ago
- Rebounding savant Oscar Tshiebwe finally gets NBA chance he’s deserved for yearsPosted 1 year ago
- Is Tyrese Maxey vs. Tyrese Haliburton the next great NBA guard rivalry?Posted 1 year ago
- The Detroit Pistons are going to be a problem in a few yearsPosted 1 year ago
The NBA playoffs have finally begun
- Updated: May 3, 2019
The first round of the NBA playoffs is like 98 percent of life.
It’s dull, procedural, bureaucratic. They’re played because they have to be, for economic reasons, just like you have to slog your way through work this week.
There’s never any mystery in the outcome. Just like your day at work. It’s as predictable as your timesheet, which of course, you still have to manually fill out on Fridays.
Sure, there are some moments of excitement– it was pretty cool when they brought cupcakes in for Carol’s birthday last week, just like it was fun when Dame hit that 50-foot shot to stun the Thunder.
But those moments weren’t paradigm-altering. Neither the Thunder or Blazers have a prayer of taking home Larry O’Brien this year. Those cupcakes are only going to add to your diminishing fitness (sorry, I feel like I’m piling on here).
But now? All that’s over.
The second round has begun, and like that vacation you went on, or that softball league you played in, or that one night out at that cool bar when girls were actually talking to you, this is the 2 percent of life that’s actually meaningful, that actually matters.
Bucks-Celtics. Sixers-Raptors. Rockets-Warriors. Blazers-Nuggets.
These series are legit. These teams can actually make a run, and it’s actually fun to watch these games, unlike ones that involve the Nets and Magic.
And one of the things that makes them fun to watch? One win can change a series.
As we’ve seen in the first two games of Bucks-Celtics, or in Game 3 of Sixers-Raptors, the narrative changes after one result. These series can swing on a dime, and it’s fun to watch. Of course as a fan, it helps to be ready for these playoff swings, and you can stay on top of the playoff games on the daily with odds via SBD.
It’s fun to roll the dice on these games because they’re not as predictable. Will Kyrie Irving show up for the C’s in Game 3 in Boston? Will the Raptors be able to dig deep and even things up in Philly? Can the Rockets get back into their series in Houston? Even that one has some drama to it.
We’ll find out, but first, we can enjoy the ride– sit back and watch as unpredictability becomes part of the playoffs.
It’s time to have some fun.
You know, after you get out of work.
