NBA Playoffs Elite Eight

ANOTHER one (defending champion) bites the dust. Come June, a new National Basketball Association titlist will be crowned.
Last year’s champions, the San Antonio Spurs, were beaten by Los Angeles Clippers, 111-109, in an epic Game Seven of their first-round playoff series – one of the best-played opening-round postseason duels in league history – on a stunning last-second shot by All-Star guard Chris Paul.

The Spurs thus became the fourth defending champion to fall by the wayside in the first round the following year since the NBA went to a 16-team playoff format in 1984.

The previous recipients of the Larry O’Brien Trophy that failed to survive the first-round playoffs a year later are 1999 Spurs, 2006 Miami Heat and 2011 Dallas Mavericks.

Other first-round results in the ongoing NBA playoffs: East – 1-Atlanta over 8-Brooklyn, 4-2; 2-Cleveland over 7-Boston, 4-0; 3-Chicago over 6-Milwaukee, 4-2; and 5-Washington over 4-Toronto, 4-0; and West – 1-Golden State over 8-New Orleans, 4-0; 2-Houston 7-Dallas, 4-1; and 5-Memphis over 4-Portland, 4-1.

The Elite Eight stage of the four-tier postseason features the following matchups: the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks vs. the fifth-seeded Washington Wizards and the second-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers vs. the third-seeded Chicago Bulls in the East and the overall top seed Golden State Warriors vs. the five-seed Memphis Grizzlies and the two-seed Houston Rockets vs. the three-seed Los Angeles Clippers.

During the regular campaign, Atlanta whipped Washington, 3-1; Cleveland shellacked Chicago, 3-1; Golden State topped Memphis, 2-1; and Houston and LAC split their four-game series. Like all other series, the conference semifinals are a best-of-seven.

Entering the conference semis, the Hawks, Cavaliers, Warriors and Rockets owned the homecourt advantage over their respective foes.Note that Houston and the Clippers registered identical 56-26 records during the regular wars but the Rockets gained the homecourt edge since the first tiebreaker (for two teams tied) calls for a division leader, like Southwest winner Houston, to be ranked ahead.

Golden State, which posted a league-leading and all-time franchise-best 67-15 record during the regulars, maintained “home serve” with a 101-86 victory over undermanned Memphis in their series opener behind presumptive NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry, who despite the defense of lock-down defender Tony Allen, collected 22 points and seven assists.

The Warriors, who have secured 21 consecutive victories at Oracle Arena, including the final 18 of the regulars, looked to go up 2-0 against the Grizzlies tomorrow (May 6, Manila time) before another expected sellout crowd of boisterous golden-yellow shirt-wearing fans on their home floor.

Unlike Golden State, Atlanta quickly surrendered its homecourt advantage in its second-round series against upset-conscious Washington, having dropped a 104-98 verdict in the opening game yesterday.

The soon-to-be-sold Hawks, who won an all-time franchise-high 60 regular games, grabbed a 63-53 halftime lead but struggled with their offense and ball movement in the second half to lose for the first time in four home appearances in the playoffs.

Washington’s Bradley Beal shook off a sprained ankle to score 28 points and his backcourt partner John Wall had 18 points and 13 assists in the series opener as the unbeaten Wizards, who are 5-0 in the current postseason and 3-0 on the road (including triumphs in the first two games at Toronto in the first round), seek to take a 2-0 lead against the Hawks tomorrow in Peach City.
Washington is 8-1 on the road in the playoffs over the past two years and is the first team in NBA annals to win four straight Game 1s on the road.

Health remains a major issue in the playoffs. Bulls star and one-time NBA MVP Derrick Rose is still fragile with left knee soreness. He only returned to action only on April 8 after multiple surgeries on both knees in the last three years, including one on his right knee that was operated on last February 27 that sidelined him for 20 consecutive regular assignments.

Forward Taj Gibson is recovering from left shoulder strain and trash-talking frontliner Joakim Noah, who declared that he was excited to go to Cleveland and play the Cavaliers after the Bulls took care of Milwaukee in the first round after making unsavory remarks against the Wine City in his previous trip there in 2010 (LeBron James’ final season during his first tour of duty with Cleveland before defecting to Miami in the summer), underwent knee surgery during the offseason and is bothered by left knee tendinitis.

Be careful what you wish for. The 7-foot Noah, who was born in New York City to a Cameroonian-French father, all-time tennis great Yannick Noah, and a Swedish mother, 1978 Miss Sweden Cecilia Rodhe, now gets another chance to “kick his (LeBron’s) ass as many times as possible” as he had boasted when The King opted to rejoin his hometown club last summer.

The Cavaliers-Bulls series kick off today (Manila time) at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. In the only other game today, the LA Clippers travel to Houston to face James Harden and the Rockets in the series kicker. (Game Two of the twin series will be held on Thursday, Manila time, with Cleveland and Houston playing hosts again.)

Unquestionably, James is the straw that stirs the Cavs’ drink and 2014 FIBA World Cup MVP Kyrie Irving (the Australia-born playmaker helped Team USA to a gold-medal finish) is LeBron’s top sidekick. But a third wheel, power forward Kevin Love, is out of the playoffs and another starter, guard Earl Joseph (J.R.) Smith III, is out for the first two games of the series due to an NBA suspension.

The 6-foot-10 Love, a son of former LA Laker Stan Love and nephew of Mike Love of the 1960s American rock band Beach Boys from California, underwent surgery on his dislocated left shoulder last April 29, an injury he sustained early in the first-round series-clinching Game Four against Boston when he got tangled with 7-foot Celtics bruiser Kelly Olynyk of Toronto. Love, who has the option to become a free agent this summer, is projected to be out from four to six months.

Smith, whom Cleveland acquired along with guard Iman Shumpert from sad-sack New York on January 5 in a three-way trade that also involved Oklahoma City (the Cavs exiled disgruntled guard Dion Waiters to the Thunder in the exchange), was meted a two-game suspension by the NBA for swinging his arm and making contact with the head of Celtics forward Jae Crowder in the first-round series-clincher.

Houston has been without playmaker Patrick Beverley since the start of the playoffs after undergoing season-ending surgery last March 31 to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist.

The pesky 6-foot-1 Beverley, who needs four months of recovery time and will be a restricted free agent this summer, has since been replaced by 6-foot-2, 37-year-old Jason Terry, a member of Dallas’ 2011 NBA championship unit, in the Rockets’ starting lineup.

Another Rocket who’s out of the entire playoffs following spinal surgery (in late march) is 7-foot Lithuanian Donatas Motiejunas, a starter during the regulars.

Two other top-flight point guards may be out for a game or two in the current conference semifinal playoffs. Mike Conley, the Grizzlies’ 6-foot-1 veteran floor general, has missed the last three games, including the series opener against Golden State, after undergoing surgery less than a week ago to repair broken bones in his face, an injury he suffered in Game Three of Memphis’ 4-1 defeat of Portland in the first round. His left eye is swollen until now and he remains doubtful for Game Two against the Warriors.

Without Conley, Memphis faces tough odds against Golden State, which is bidding to advance to the conference finals (third round) for the first time since 1976. Chris Paul, who along with Blake Griffin (a triple-double for the second time in the series in Game Seven) starred in the Clippers’ march to the second-round playoffs for only the fourth time in franchise history, is also questionable for Game One vs. the Rockets after straining his left hamstring early in the Clippers’ series-clinching victory over the Spurs.

No injury excuses please, but ….. like it or not, injuries are a great stabilizer not only during the regular season (read: Oklahoma City Thunder) but most importantly in the playoffs where all the marbles are at stake.