**This story is being written on the afternoon of May 8 and will not reflect any games that occurred afterwards**
After an eventful first round that saw historic games and upsets, the second round of the NBA Playoffs started earlier this week.
The matchups are filled with superstars and elite coaches and should produce some of the best basketball we’ll see this year. Let’s take a look at where each series stands so far.
Eastern Conference:
No. 1 Detroit Pistons vs. No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers
Both of these teams come into the second round after winning two hard-fought, seven-game series. The Pistons had a historic comeback, defeating the No. 8 Orlando Magic after being down three games to one.
The Cavaliers won Game 7 over the No. 5 Toronto Raptors by 12 points at home. Cleveland’s center, Jarrett Allen, led the way with 22 points and 19 rebounds.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, Allen was unable to continue this production in Game 1 against Detroit. The Pistons’ defense held Allen to only 2 points and smothered the Cavaliers all game en route to a 111-101 victory.
Pistons’ guard Cade Cunningham showed why he is one of the best young players in the league with a 22-point, 7-assist performance. Forward Tobias Harris also had 20 points and 8 rebounds.
Harris has been stepping up big in the playoffs. In nine games so far in the postseason, Harris is averaging 21.3 points and 8 rebounds. That is an increase from his 13.3 points and 5.1 rebounds from the regular season. He has also increased his steals per game from 0.9 to 1.7 in the playoffs.
Game 2 of this series was a little bit closer, but still controlled by Detroit as it won 107-97. Cunningham started for the Pistons again and had 25 points and 10 assists.
Despite Detroit’s second All-Star, center Jalen Duren, continuing to struggle on the offensive end, Harris, forward Duncan Robinson and guard Daniss Jenkis are picking up the slack, all scoring 14 or more points in Game 2.
The Pistons also completely shut down Cavaliers’ guard James Harden, holding him to only 10 points and 3 for 13 shooting.
Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points in Game 1 and 31 points in Game 2, but that production simply isn’t enough. If Cleveland wants to come back in this series, it needs Harden to step up his offensive production and for Allen and forward Evan Mobley to start scoring more as well.
Where it stands: Detroit leads the series two games to zero, with Game 3 scheduled for May 9.
No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers
New York comes into this series after absolutely destroying the No. 6 Atlanta Hawks in a historically large Game 6 victory to advance to round two.
The 76ers come into this series after becoming just the eighth seven seed to ever advance past the first round, and the 14th team to ever come back from a three-one deficit. So, Philadelphia was feeling good coming into Madison Square Garden for Game 1.
However, that feeling faded very fast. The Knicks controlled the 76ers the entire game and dominated Game 1, winning 137-98.
New York guard Jalen Brunson led the way with 35 points. Guard Mikal Bridges and center Karl-Anthony Towns added 17 points each, while forward OG Anunoby added 18 points.
Even with Philadelphia’s superstar center Joel Embiid healthy again, he only scored 14 points. Despite being cleared to play for the second half of the Boston series and Game 1 against New York, Philadelphia management ruled Embiid out of Game 2 with hip and ankle injuries.
Without Embiid, the 76ers actually put up a better performance than they did in Game 1, but ultimately their efforts weren’t enough down the stretch, and they lost 108-102. Philadelphia guard Tyrese Maxey scored 26, and forward Paul George scored 19.
Brunson and Anunoby led the way for New York again, scoring 26 and 24, respectively.
Anunoby has been the Knicks’ second-best player this postseason, but unfortunately for them, he went down with a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter of Game 2. While the injury does not appear to be serious, Anunoby is listed as day-to-day and is questionable for Game 3.
If Anunoby misses time, this could be the 76ers’ time to strike and begin their comeback, something they’ve already proven they are capable of doing.
Where it stands: New York leads the series two games to zero, with Game 3 scheduled for May 8.
Western Conference:
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 4 Los Angeles Lakers
The Thunder have been cruising so far this postseason. After winning a championship last June, the Thunder routed the No. 8 Phoenix Suns in four games during round one.
Los Angeles started this postseason without two of their best players, guards Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. That wasn’t an issue, however, as 41-year-old forward LeBron James helped carry the Lakers past the No. 5 Houston Rockets.
Oklahoma City came out in Game 1 as dominant as ever, winning 108-90. Forward Chet Holmgren led the way with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Reigning MVP and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also added 18 points in the win.
Even with 27 points from James and 18 points on an efficient 3 for 6 shooting from beyond the arc for forward Rui Hachimura, the Lakers still couldn’t come close.
While Game 2 was closer, Oklahoma City completely pulled away in the fourth quarter and won 125-107.
Holmgren continued to dominate in the paint for the Thunder, with 22 points and 9 rebounds. The Lakers had no defensive answer for Holmgren, and as a team, they had no blocks all game. The Thunder, on the other hand, had 5.
Reaves had 31 points for Los Angeles, and James put up 23, but they couldn’t get to the free-throw line down the stretch. Scoring with the clock stopped is essential if you’re trying to come back, and they just couldn’t make it happen.
In a similar discourse to the Thunder’s first-round series, Lakers head coach JJ Reddick and many players on the Lakers’ roster are complaining about officiating and foul calls, or lack thereof, in this series.
While the free-throw gap wasn’t actually very large in Game 2 (26-21 in favor of Oklahoma City), there were multiple instances where players like James were clearly fouled, and they weren’t called.
Where it stands: Oklahoma City leads the series two games to zero, with Game 3 scheduled for May 9.
No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves
The Spurs defeated the No. 7 Portland Trail Blazers in five games to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals. Despite a scare for star center Victor Wembanyama after going down with a concussion early in that series, he returned and is now back to full strength.
As for the Timberwolves, they upset the No. 3 Denver Nuggets in six games. Much of this was due to center Rudy Gobert’s exceptional defense on Nuggets’ former MVP center Nikola Jokić.
Despite losing starting guards Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVencenzo to injury in the first round, Edwards made a surprising comeback and was ready to play in Game 1 against the Spurs.
Gobert’s excellent defense continued, and Edward’s play was key in the Timberwolves taking Game 1 from the Spurs 104-102 in San Antonio.
Gobert helped hold Wembanyama to just 11 points in 40 minutes of play. Forward Julius Randle led the way for Minnesota, scoring 21 points and 10 rebounds. He seemed as though he could get to his shot at any point.
Due to all of Minnesota’s injuries, former Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. continued his stellar play in a starting role. In Game 1, Shannon was the Timberwolves’ third leading scorer with 16 points.
The Spurs came out in Game 2 looking for revenge. They shut down Randle fast and took a big lead early, winning 133-95.
Seven different Spurs scored double-figures, led by guard Stephen Castle with 21 points and Wembanyama with 19.
No Timberwolves scored more than 12 points, with Randle, Edwards, Shannon and forward Jaden McDaniels all scoring that exact amount. If Minnesota wants any chance to make it to a third straight conference finals, it needs its players to step up and have a bigger scoring game.
The Spurs have their confidence back and will look to keep up this level of play as they go north.
Where it stands: The series is tied one game to one, with Game 3 scheduled for May 8.