The Second Round of the NBA Playoffs

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Image credited to Flickr

The NBA Playoffs comes closer and closer by each round. Who will win this year?

Dylan R., Sartaj D., and Andrew C.

After an eventful first round, the second round of the NBA Playoffs is upon us. In the second round, the Milwaukee Bucks played the Boston Celtics, the Golden State Warriors faced the Houston Rockets, the Toronto Raptors met the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Portland Trail Blazers went against the Denver Nuggets.

The first series was the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics. The Celtics blew the Bucks out in game one, but it was all downhill from there. The Bucks won the next four games, to send the Celtics home. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks stepped up and led his team to a win, while Kyrie Irving of the Celtics was shooting bricks.

The next matchup was the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors. The series dragged out seven games, with each team trading blows. In game seven however, they were tied at 90 with 4.2 seconds left, when superstar Kawhi Leonard hit a contested corner fadeaway buzzer-beater to send the 76ers home. During the entire series, Kawhi pretty much carried his team while averaging 34.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.3 steals.

Now in the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets played the Golden State Warriors. This is arguably the most anticipated matchup so far, and it was kind of disappointing. The Rockets were beat in six games by the Warriors, and it was a dreadful end for James Harden and Chris Paul. Although the Warriors won, their best player, and arguably the best player in the world, Kevin Durant went down in Game 5. He suffered a right calf strain and will miss a bit of the Western Conference Finals.

The other Western Conference matchup, and the last series, was the Portland Trail Blazers and the Denver Nuggets. This series was one of the most intense matchups of the second round. They both went undefeated at home in the first six games, and Game 7 was to be played in Denver. Even with the home court advantage, the Nuggets lost 100-96. Players like C.J. McCollum, Damian Lillard, and Rodney Hood balled for the Blazers throughout the entire series.

As we get deeper into these playoffs, the games keep on getting better. From round to round there have been many special moments, like Damian Lillard’s and Kawhi Leonard’s series winning buzzer-beaters. In the end, there is still more action to be seen in the Eastern and Western Conference Finals.