NBA Playoffs: Sixers & Bucks Out, Jalen Brunson’s Epic Series, Game 6 Previews, More

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Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs is wrapping up, and it’s been a really fun postseason thus far. We have new stars emerging, current stars making early exits, and some really fun series to look forward to in Round 2. Let’s get to all of that!

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Around the NBA Playoffs

  • Last night’s Knicks vs Sixers Game 6 was absolutely awesome. It ended with a New York 118-115 win to close out the series, but Philly didn’t go down without a fight. Well … at least some of the Sixers didn’t. Joel Embiid had 39 points. Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr hit huge shots down the stretch. Buddy Hield and Nic Batum combined for 36 off the bench. But the problem was that this was kind of it. Tobias Harris didn’t score and neither did Kyle Lowry. It’s kind of hard to win a playoff game when two starters don’t score. Oh, and Jalen Brunson was just that dude again!
  • If the Knicks are going to make a deep playoff run, they’ll probably need a little more from their bench. But, for now, Jalen Brunson is doing the job just fine. All five Knicks starters scored in double figures last night, including 41 points from Brunson. The Chicagoland native averaged 35 points per game in the series against Philly and basically dragged New York by the Sixers in six. The Brunson vs Tyrese Haliburton matchup in Round 2 should be so much fun!
  • The problem with the Knicks, however, ist that they’re getting almost nothing from their bench. Four of their five starters played 40+ minutes. They only had a combined five points off the bench and 27 minutes from two players – Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride. And that’s kind of been the trend for Thibs and New York since the Bojan Bogdanovic injury. I don’t know if using just seven players is going to be enough to win three more series without Brunson and company running out of gas. Injuries have certainly hurt the Knicks, but at some point, Thibs might have to extend the bench a little bit and see if there are any others he can rely on. Otherwise, as we saw so many times with his Bulls teams, those starters might not have enough left in the tank to make an NBA Finals run.
  • Can the Knicks make an NBA Playoffs run with such a short bench?
    (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

  • Now it’s onto the offseason for Philly which should be fun to watch. They’ll have close to a projected $55 million in cap space to work with this summer as a ton of money comes off the books. Will they get aggressive in going after someone like Paul George or even LeBron if he opts for free agency? They could also absorb big money in a trade if they’d like. Embiid is around, Maxey is around, and they go out and get to play with those two will be one of the top storylines of the summer.
  • Sticking in the East, the Pacers eliminated the Bucks last night. Milwaukee did their best to overcome injury, but Giannis not playing at all and Lillard not being 100 percent was never going to be enough to get by Indiana. I’m really interested to see where Milwaukee goes this summer. They most certainly fell short of their NBA title aspirations this season, but injuries struck them at the worst possible time. It didn’t seem like the Giannis/Damian Lillard experiment was working with the lack of consistency during the regular seasons, but their highs were HIGH. Will they pull the plug on that experiment after just one year? Do they think a full offseason with Doc Rivers and that veteran group will be enough to establish that consistency? How they approach Lillard this offseason will be interesting.
  • In case you missed the Patrick Beverley antics …
  • We have a pair of fun Game 6s tonight! The Mavericks look to close out the Clippers at home, while the Cavs look to win the first road game of that series and eliminate the Magic in Orlando. After essentially a “no show” performance from James Harden and Paul George in Game 5, it kind of feels like the same story and a different chapter for the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard can’t stay on the floor, and it’s leading to another early playoff exit. I hope they can figure out a way to force Game 7 because it’s a fun series when these two teams are playing well. Unfortunately, though, part of me feels like we’ll get the Clippers laying an egg on the road.
  • As for the other Game 6, I’m excited to watch this young Orlando team with their backs up against the wall. I’m also eager to watch this Cavaliers team have a chance to put a stamp on a playoff series. Orlando’s young core is so fun. They probably need to find themselves another star, but they feel like they’ll be hanging around in the East for the next several years. Cleveland, on the other hand, seems like they would be destined for a breakup and a Donovan Mitchell move if they can’t finish the job in this series. A lot of pressure on both teams tonight, so I’m fascinated to see how they handle it.
  • NBA Playoffs Odds - Mavs vs. Clippers 1st Round
    Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

    written by

    Matt is from the Chicagoland area and has been working in Chicago sports since 2015 with stops at WGN Radio, the Chicago Blackhawks, Stadium, and NBC Sports Chicago prior to landing at Betsperts. Matt covers just about everything for Betsperts and Bleacher Nation but focuses on the NHL and college football.

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