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Finally, after many months of seemingly meaningless regular season games, the playoffs are finally here. From D.J. Augustin's game-winning three-pointer against the Toronto Raptors to both Kevin Durant and Patrick Beverley being ejected out of the Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Clippers game, to even Blake Griffin's bench technical foul, it was an exciting weekend of postseason basketball.
With just one game down and a minimum of three games left to be played in each of the first round series, there are still plenty of time for adjustments to be made and for teams to find a composure that maybe they just did not have during game one.
For the Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Denver Nuggets, dropping the first game of a best-of-seven-game series at home is a recipe for disaster as all three of these teams head into game two of their respected series facing must-win situations already. For the Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, and San Antonio Spurs, game two of their series offers these teams the chance to take a commanding 2-0 lead heading back home to play two games where even one win would put them in an overwhelmingly superior position to advance into the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
From James Harden to Damian Lillard, to D'Angelo Russell, to Stephen Curry, to Jimmy Butler, to Giannis Antetokounmpo, there was no shortage of special playoff basketball performances this weekend between Saturday and Sunday. During the NBA Playoffs, the truly elite basketball stars come out and give nothing short of special performances and this weekend was no different. The chase for the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy is officially underway.
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With eight games taking place this weekend between Saturday and Sunday, here are five things that we learned/observed during the opening weekend of the NBA Postseason.
#1 Paul George's shoulder injury is now a legitimate concern for OKC
I recently wrote an article that featured how Paul George's offensive output against the Trail Blazers this season was going to make it hard for Portland to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder. George averaged 38 points, 10.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.77 steals on 44% shooting against the Trail Blazers in four regular-season matchups.
On Sunday, George shot just 8/24 on field goal attempts including an abysmal 4/15 from three-point range. George, whose shoulder has been giving him issues for weeks now, was a game-time decision for his availability today. The Thunder have no chance of doing any damage this postseason if George's shoulder continues to be a lingering issue.
Russell Westbrook, whose usage percentage this season (30.9%) was the lowest in three seasons since Kevin Durant's last season as a Thunder (31.6%) will probably look to play more hero ball if George continues to struggle shooting, which is the last thing the Thunder need. In the first two seasons in Oklahoma City post-Kevin Durant, the Thunder have won 3 combined playoff games with Westbrook sporting usage percentage numbers of 41.7% and 34.1%. This is nothing but a recipe for disaster for the Thunder.
#2 Ben Simmons' lack of offensive development is a legitimate problem
We are two seasons into his NBA career, and Ben Simmons is still yet to make a three-point shot. Against the Brooklyn Nets Saturday, Simmons finished with 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. 403 out of 443 shots attempted by Simmons this season occurred inside the paint.
If Simmons was simply just not shooting very high percentages from outside of the painted area, that would be one thing. It does not even seem like Simmons is even giving minimal effort towards developing a jump shot that can be trusted and relied upon during an NBA game. It's about time Simmons focuses on learning how to consistently shoot a 15-foot jumper this summer.
#3 The Detroit Pistons are really bad without Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin's knee injury that has kept him in and out of the lineup for the past few weeks has been a tough blow for the Pistons. On Sunday, without the availability of Griffin, the Pistons were slaughtered by the Milwaukee Bucks by a score of 121-86.
Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond each scored 12 points and Luke Kennard led the Pistons in scoring with 21 points off the bench. The Pistons as a team shot just 38% on field goal attempts and 29.6% on three-pointers.
Against the Bucks who are led by MVP candidate Giannis Antentokoumpo, these percentages are simply not good enough to get the job done. With news breaking a few hours ago that Griffin will not play at all this round against the Bucks, the Pistons' bleak chances of beating Milwaukee have now officially gone from slim to none.
#4 Indiana Pacers simply do not have enough consistent scoring threats without Victor Oladipo
Everyone knew that without All-Star guard Victor Oladipo, the Indiana Pacers were going to struggle to score points consistently. The Celtics put that on full display Sunday at the TD Garden. In a barnburner 84-74 win, the Celtics held the Pacers to just 33.3% shooting on field-goal attempts including 22.2% from three-point range. The leading scorers for the Pacers were Cory Joseph with 14 points off the bench and another 12 points from Bojan Bogdanovic.
Midseason acquisition Wesley Matthews finished with eight points but scored just two points after the first quarter. Myles Turner's offensive development continues to be extremely inconsistent as he finished with just five points on 2/6 shooting on field goal attempts. If the Pacers want to have any chance against the Celtics, Bogdanovic, Evans, and Collison need to step up offensively.
#5 Nikola Jokic needs to assert himself more on offense for the Nuggets
Of all the things that Nikola Jokic does well, one of the things that he struggles with sometimes is asserting himself as a scorer. On Saturday night against the Spurs, Jokic finished with 10 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. For someone who has become not only a franchise centerpiece but one of the biggest rising stars in basketball, 10 points are not going to cut it.
For a team like the Denver Nuggets who finished the regular season with the best home record in basketball, Saturday's loss has to feel like a kick in the mouth. For Jokic and the Nuggets, if they want to take the next step as a serious contender to the Golden State Warriors' dynasty, then they have to win home playoff games against mediocre opponents like the 2018-2019 San Antonio Spurs. Jamal Murray and Gary Harris cannot win this series on their own without their big, Serbian center.
