2020 NBA Playoffs: Biggest Takeaways of 2nd Round So Far

The semifinal round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs are in full effect and with the number of teams cut down to only eight, the stakes only continue to rise. In both the Eastern and Western Conference brackets, the top two seeds all advanced with relative ease to the second round. But since the beginning of the semifinals, they each have faced a bit of unprecedented resistance.  

The Raptors have tied their series with the Boston Celtics after going down 2-0, the Denver Nuggets redeemed themselves after being blown out by the LA Clippers in Game 1 and the Houston Rockets stole Game 1 from the Los Angeles Lakers. Of course, we cannot forget the Miami Heat who have continued to shock the NBA world by being the only undefeated team left (7-0) in the playoffs as they hang onto a 3-0 series lead with a chance to close things out against Milwaukee tonight in Game 4. With all these storylines considered, here are my biggest takeaways from each semifinal matchup based on what we have seen so far.

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1.  Butler, Miami Heat are Better Than Advertised

In the era of the “Super Teams” and Dynamic Duos,” I think it is easy to admit that not many believed that the Miami Heat were nearly as good as they look right now in these playoffs. Their best player is Jimmy Butler who is considered one of the best two-way players in the league but has never been regarded as one of the top 10 players in the league or viewed as the best player on the championship team.

They rely on young guys like rookie shooting guard Tyler Herro and undrafted guys in Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn to play significant minutes and produce at a high level offensively. Bam Adebayo is their “Co-Star” to Butler who is an excellent player but still a young guy trying to develop and build off of his All-Star season this year.

Everything about this team screams “Overachievers.” But I think that is what makes them so dangerous. In these unique circumstances regarding the NBA stoppage and the Bubble, I have always felt that the team with the most unity and the most depth would have the best shot at winning this year’s championship.

The Heat have a great mix of veterans like Butler, Goran Dragic, Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder to go with a young, dynamic group of guys like Adebayo, Herro and Robinson. They have an excellent front office led by general manager Pat Riley who has found a way to maintain a competitive roster post-Lebron/Wade era. And then there is the coach in Eric Spoelstra who has really coached these guys up in a way that makes their team play as a unit in a way that can hang with any star-studded team.

This team is built off of toughness, charisma, and togetherness and all those may just be sappy tropes you would hope any sports team embodies, the Heat truly reflect these tropes and have shown through their wins this postseason where every win has been a full team effort. Anybody sleeping on Miami needs to wake up or they will do it for you.

2.  Toronto Raptors Resilience Creates Competitive Series

After going down 2-0 to Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics, belief that the defending champs could reach the Conference Finals slowly began to dwindle in the eyes of NBA fans and analysts. But in Game 3, a game-winning three by Raptors’ forward OG Anunoby with 0.5 second on the clock flipped a well-needed switch that now has Toronto back in the mix.

Following their 104-103 win in Game 3, Raptors’ guard Fred VanVleet made it apparently clear that that win would be the momentum shift of the series by simply telling NBA media, “They f—ed up.” Simple statement, but potentially not a false statement either. Rather than having a 3-0 lead with the Raptors on their heels, the Celtics instead entered Game 4 of the series looking to regain the momentum of the series only to further relinquish control.

On the back 45 combined points from Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry, Toronto has tied things up at two games apiece with a 100-93 victory and with it, the dynamic of this series has begun to swing in their favor. Led by Coach of the Year award winner Nick Nurse, this team is back in this series with momentum while  Boston is in search of a way to regain the series advantage they once had.

The Raptors may not have All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard, but the core of that championship team still remains and their resilience in this series is a representation of the championship pedigree that remains a part of their organization. With the series tied up 2-2, both teams face the pressure of trying to make the next chess move by taking Game 5 and dictating the further trajectory of this series.

3.  Houston Rockets Small Ball Continues to Prevail

With only one day to rest following a “win or go home” situation in Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Rockets came out better than expected in their 112-97 victory over the rested Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1.

Houston’s small ball style of play reached its peak performance as the trio of James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Eric Gordon combined 83 points on the night as the team went on to make 14 threes and shoot 48.1% from the floor. But the most impressive part about this game is the Rockets’ ability to hang with the Lakers’ bigs and remain relatively even in the matchup.

 Despite the significant height advantage that Anthony Davis and Javele Mcgee have on the entire Houston roster, the Rockets were competitive on the board, splitting even with the Lakers as both teams had 41 rebounds on the night. Typically, in situations against Houston, their size leaves them susceptible to being dominated on the glass, but not in Game 1. Los Angeles will need to lean on their bigs in this series to play big minutes and dominate the boards.

Most of all that comes down to Anthony Davis who may have had 25 points and 14 rebounds on the night, but he did not score and turned the ball over twice when guarded by P.J. Tucker. Tucker is Houston’s primary center despite being only 6-foot-5 and should not be able to hold the likes of 6-foot-10 Davis who is universally recognized as one of the top-2 centers/power forwards in the game.

The Lakers are definitely not by any means out of the series, but they are going to need more effective minutes from their big guys and a more aggressive Lebron James in the 4^th quarter of games if they want any chance of advancing to the Western Conference finals.

4.  Nobody on the LA Clippers Can Contain Nikola Jokic

It may have been the Jamal Murray show for Denver in Round 1 against the Utah Jazz, but Nikola Jokic is going to have to be their go-to guy when matching up with the LA Clippers.

After putting up only 15 points in a 120-97 blowout loss in Game 1, Jokic turned up his level of play in Game 2 to lead the Nuggets to a much needed 110-101 bounce back victory. Jokic had 26 points and 18 rebounds on an extremely efficient 10 of 17 shooting from the floor (58.8%) while hitting 4 of 5 threes. Whether it be Ivac Zubac or Montrezl Harrell, neither one of those guys can hang with Jokic on the defensive end and Denver needs to exploit that more if they want any shot at upsetting the Clippers.

LA’s Kawhi Leonard had an uncharacteristic scoring output with only 13 points in Game 1, which we all anticipate will not happen in back-to-back games but if Jokic can continue to dominate inside, this Clippers-Nuggets series will be a shootout that could go the distance. Despite my initial assumption that the Clippers would beat up on a fatigued Denver team, the Nuggets have shown that they could potentially carry the momentum from the first round into this series and make it another dog fight against a Clippers that still seems to be working out some kinks offensively with the return of Patrick Beverley into the starting lineup. Series could go seven games if Jokic puts the Nuggets on his back.