8 Early Observations From The NBA Playoffs

In the Eastern Conference the underdog Raptors are tied with Cleveland at 2-2 which would have Cavs fans nervous heading into Game 5 tomorrow. The Raptors – who are listed as $4o1 to win the NBA title – almost blew it on Sunday shooting 13 percent from outside the arc. Thank God for Scottie Barnes and those free throws he nailed at the death. In the other arm wrestle, the fancied Knicks are in a dogfight with Atlanta at 2-2 and while the series has been tight, it looks like they finally figured out the Hawks in Game 4 when they blew it open with a 16-point win.

By next week we’ll be down to the final eight teams. But for now, we’ve still got some cracking games ahead of us. There’s a lot that has happened. Here are eight early observations and takes in the NBA Playoffs on the teams still in the hunt and chasing an NBA title.

1. Oklahoma, The Great

How do you stop a team that bats deep and a team where everyone can do everything on a basketball court on any given night? They used 14 players in Game 1 which was their biggest win of the series by 35 points. That night, bench rotation player Jaylin Williams was a +24 on the court – equal team highest – along with MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Their scoring has such an even spread, so much that Chet Holmgren is their second best scorer across the league in the playoffs ranked 51 for total points. It’s the Thunder – maybe Spurs? – then daylight. How do you stop Oklahoma? You can’t.

2. LeBron’s Aura

At 41, LeBron is the reason the Lakers are leading 3-1 against the youthful and Durant-less Rockets. We didn’t think we’d be saying that, hey? He’s obviously lost a step. So we’re not seeing him go proper Hulk, driving down the lane at speed and ripping buckets at will. It’s been more methodical. A far more patient approach. He’s picking off plays before they happen. In Game 3, in Houston, the overtime game, LeBron played a monster 45 minutes. That steal and three-point bucket he made in the dying seconds to get the Lakers to overtime is what high performance looks like in the playoffs. And he’s doing all of it without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves which is even more impressive.

3. Ayo Dosunmu Is Elite And You Can’t Tell Me Otherwise

The Game 4 hero for Minnesota popped off for 43 points in 42 minutes shooting five triples and going at 76.5 percent from the field. He helped propel the Wolves to a 62 point second half; Dosunmu accounted for 27 of those points and went into takeover mode. It’s his precision under pressure that has stood out the most. So far in the playoffs he’s ranked no.2 overall in shooting percentage from the field at 64 and ranked fifth for three-ball shooting (52.9 percent). He has also scored the fifth most points in five playoff games with 109 sitting behind Cade Cunningham and Nikola Jokic. The Wolves will need the Ayo Show to continue as they look to clinch the series against the Nuggets.

4. The Phoenix Suns Are A Mess

It’s not a good look when your bluechip player puts the referees on full blast in a post-match presser after losing badly to the reigning champions. That player – Devin Booker in case you missed it – also got fined $35,000 for it. The 4-0 series drubbing exposed a flawed Suns roster that has stagnated. The Suns will head into the Summer with more questions than answers. They have no identity. They are stuck with a high payroll and no depth. Booker’s impact vanished when the pressure went up. And tactically they’re too predictable and lack defensive cohesion. Watch this space.

5. Dylan Harper Is Insanely Good

Without Victor Wembanyama who could have imagined that the likes of Dylan Harper would rise to help fill the void? In Game 3, the Spurs were down six against Portland at the half. Enter Harper who scored 22 second half points as the Spurs outscored Portland 61-43 to win by 12 on the road. Yes, Harper’s shooting was elite – 27 game points going 9-from-12 from the field – but it was his blistering moves that had everyone talking: the stutter step, the drive into the lane, step-back threes, precision passing. So much youthful confidence. And no Wemby to mop up on the floor either. Harper looks noticeably more advanced than some of his rookie class and we very well could be watching one of the best rookie guards in recent years.

6. Colin Murray-Boyles Is A Brute On The Floor

Murray-Boyles is just 20-years-old and is already one of the key storylines of the playoffs so far. In the regular season across 57 games, he was averaging 8.5 points with five rebounds; in the playoffs those numbers have doubled to 17 points per game, 7.3 rebounds on 65.9 percent shooting. The Raptors have found something here. The 6-foot-7 forward can play small. He’s eaten into Poeltl’s minutes. On a limited Raptors team Murray-Boyles’ compete level has elevated his game. Although he’s still raw and can lack composure in certain high-pressure schemes – especially when shooting or protecting the ball – the fight in him has made him the perfect playoff player that the Raptors have needed.

7. Boston Celtics Really Love Shooting Threes

The Celtics set a franchise record 24 threes against the 76ers in Game 4. In four games they have hit 73-from-194, the most out of any team in the playoffs. Their main three-point contributions have come from Tatum (13), Pritchard (13) and Jaylen Brown (11). They’re also the no.1 scoring team so far with 456 total points. All of it is boring, vanilla, basketball. But it’s working. Will it hold up as the pressure becomes greater?

8. Desmond Bane Is The Magic’s MVP Right Now

When Bane catches fire from the wing, the Pistons have had to think twice about doubling Paolo Banchero and or Franz Wagner. Bane has also been able to move and find the right gaps inside the Pistons zones, which has forced them into a man-on-man situation at times. In Game 3, he exploded for seven triples and the Pistons had no answers for him. Once he landed his fourth triple, it forced the Pistons to guard him from deep which opened up Banchero and Wagner. Bane has the equal-most threes in the playoffs with 15 – tied with Maxey – and is hitting them at 44.1 percent. This mid series dominance from Bane has put the Magic on the brink of winning the series.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com