Besides Spurs vs. Clippers, the outcomes of the other seven NBA series are pretty much decided. One team, the Pelicans, has already fallen. Three of the four matchups on Sunday are elimination games for the lower seeds. At this point, we're not watching for paradigm-shifting upsets, but simply for the joy that is playoff basketball.
NBA playoff scores 2015: Playoff basketball continues to deliver and 3 other things we learned
The Bucks beat the Bulls at the buzzer, and although the series may be over Monday, it was still a fantastic game.
That was Game 4 of Bulls vs. Bucks. The Bucks skated over thin ice that immediately cracked behind them, but they just barely made it. Tied at 90, Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd had the instincts -- probably the same instincts that served him so well as an NBA Hall of Fame point guard -- to call a timeout after a Bulls turnover. With 1.3 on the clock, he drew up this beauty of a play that took advantage of the overly aggressive Derrick Rose and set up this stone-cold Jerryd Bayless buzzer-beating layup.
The final score of the game, 92-90, misleads how much fun it was. Low scoring games can be ugly but this one was thrilling. The teams traded quick-paced defensive possessions on either side with blocks and shots that just barely lipped out.
How can you not love a game in which Jimmy Butler scores 33 points on 12-of-17 shooting (and did this and this) and O.J. Mayo is the hottest player on the floor? Mayo had eight points in the final frame and was a fraction of a second away from 11, throwing up a prayer from 30 feet that swished in until the referees realized it came a tick after the shot clock buzzer.
The wildest possession came with just less than two minutes to play. A short jumper was missed and Jared Dudley tried to put it back, only to be rejected by Pau Gasol. John Henson came up with it for the Bucks and tried again, but Rose scrambled underneath the basket for the second block of the possession. It squirted back to Henson, who found the red hot Mayo. That triple gave Milwaukee a six-point lead, of which they needed every point.
For the most part, the NBA’s first-round series is playing out like expected. The games themselves may be losing their meaning, but the play on the court is doing anything but that.
3 other things we learned
Who broke the Hawks? No, seriously, someone broke the Hawks. Atlanta's unexpected rise to East powerhouse is only trumped by its bizarre fall to an offensively challenged squad that is in an absolute dogfight against the Brooklyn Nets -- who finished the season six games under .500.
Good, quality looks aren’t coming like they normally do. When the Hawks do stumble across them -- and they did have more than a few open three-point tries -- it’s a clank off the rim. They were 6-of-30 shooting (20 percent) behind the line and 36 percent overall. Still a No. 1 seed, Atlanta will likely find a way to advance past the Nets despite this trend, but the Hawks’ play is concerning. How much time can the Hawks afford to meander around in a daze offensively before snapping out of it? There’s not a lot of leeway here, that’s for sure.
Grizzlies vs. Trail Blazers turns into a shootout and Memphis STILL wins. Who expected the Grizzlies to score the most points of the night? With 47 percent shooting and a 39-of-43 night at the free-throw line, Memphis bullied its way past, through and/or around Portland. Portland tried to make up ground several times and was within three in the fourth quarter, but Memphis turned it on again and that was that. One bad thing that happened: Mike Conley was elbowed in the face and had to leave the game.
Long live the Warriors -- but first, let's appreciate the Brow. Anthony Davis was the unanimous No. 1 prospect in 2012, it's true, but his development is still nothing short of spectacular. He has risen from a young star with potential to a dominant force with an unpolished offensive game to a true superstar legitimately arguing his case for MVP. He just got his first taste of playoff action on a team that was injured all year -- not only his recurring shoulder problems, but basically every member of the starting lineup.
Davis will be back next year and there’s no telling where he can go. He’s a 24-points-per-game scorer who doesn’t even really know what he’s doing on offense. With the leaps he has already taken, a couple go-to post moves or a corner three-pointer seems like a natural next step. And, oh boy, is that terrifying.
Play of the Night
I kept coming back to this play just to watch a few more loops of it throughout the night. It's beautiful ball movement. The ball touches the floor only twice, once for a dribble and once for a bounce pass. It happens because Stephen Curry was hitting everything, drew the double and made the pass. Draymond Green passed up an OK shot, Andre Iguodala didn't force anything even though he was under the basket and Harrison Barnes made the final pass to one of the very best shooters in ...
Oh, sorry, did I trail off? I was busy watching it three more times.
5 fun things
LeBron casually throws in a FULL COURTER during practice. Dwight Howard matches.
Stephen Curry has eyes in the back of his head, yo.
Wes Matthews comes to game in an Iron Man helmet because his nickname is Iron Man. Matthews unfortunately tore his Achilles’ earlier this year and this is apparently his first appearance at a Trail Blazers game since undergoing surgery. Cool moment for Portland and Portland fans.
Final scores
Nets 91, Hawks 83 (Nets Daily recap | Peachtree Hoops recap | SB Nation recap)
Bucks 92, Bulls 90 (Brew Hoop recap | Blog a Bull recap | SB Nation recap)
Warriors 109, Pelicans 98 (Golden State of Mind recap | The Bird Writes recap | SB Nation recap)
Grizzlies 115, Trail Blazers 109 (Grizzly Bear Blues recap | Blazer’s Edge recap | SB Nation recap)
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