The second round of the playoffs is underway. This is how the second round has gone so far: 

Miami V Philadelphia 

At first, it looked like the Miami Heat were primed to beat the Philadelphia 76ers with ease. The first two games were won by Miami. This comes even with their starting point guard Kyle Lowry and star small forward Jimmy Butler injured for the first two games. With those injuries, 76er’s star center was also not able to travel down to Miami to play as well. But once the series came back to Philadelphia, Joel Embiid was cleared to play. There was a shift in Game 3 that resulted in a blowout even with Heat’s starters coming back. That pattern would continue with another win by Philadelphia. In Game 4, star point guard James Harden would have an amazing performance with 31 points and 6 three-pointers made. The question remains: Can the 76ers continue to win? 

Phoenix V Dallas

This series so far has the same outcome as the Miami and Philadelphia series. As both series are the first seed going against the fourth seed and both series are at two games apiece. The first two games were won by Phoenix in convincing fashion. After those first two games in Phoenix, the next two would be played in Dallas. And in Dallas, superstar point guard Luka Doncic would continue his good play and on top of that his teammates stepped up. His teammates started to find success from the 3-point range. On top of that, the Mavericks’ defense was smothering the Suns’ ability to find success on offense. This would become apparent as Suns star point guard Chris Paul has disappeared these last two games. What is Phoenix’s adjustment to the Maverick’s success?

Boston V Milwaukee

The Milwaukee Bucks were the 2021 NBA champions and have the chance to win it again this year. But the Boston Celtics have championship aspirations of their own. While the Bucks have the series with 2-1, the series projects to be a back and forth 7-game series that can result in any team winning. The Bucks are to be without their second star small forward Khris Middleton for the whole series. This injury has allowed the Bucks to run a 3 big starting lineup that forces the Celtics players to shoot more 3-pointers. The Celtics this season have been a streaky team from 3-point range. On top of the Bucks’ excellent interior defense, superstar power forward Giannis Antetkounmpo has been dominant in this series. But overall, it’s anybody’s guess as to who wins this series.

Golden State V Memphis

This series has probably been the most entertaining series to watch. Other than Game 3, the first two games were incredibly competitive. First, Game 1 was won by the Golden State Warriors with a score of 117-116. This is even with star power forward Draymond Green being ejected in the second quarter. Game 2 was won by the Memphis Grizzlies even with their best perimeter defender forward Dillion Brooks being ejected. On top of Brooks’ ejection, he was suspended for Game 3 which might have played a role in the Grizzlies being blown out. Warriors guard Jordan Poole has continued his success in the playoffs with 26 ppg and superstar point guard Steph Curry adds 27 ppg. What could star point guard Ja Morant and Grizzlies do to slow down the Warriors’ offense in order to win the series? It is yet to be seen. 

Closing Statement

Overall, the second round has been close and it really is anybody’s guess what the outcome is.