While the Phoenix Suns found their footing after impressive sweeps from MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, six teams continue to fight for the remaining three spots in the NBA Conference Finals.
No matchup has a more storyline than the Brooklyn Nets versus the Milwaukee Bucks, who go 2-2 in Tuesday's Game 5. Should the Nets still be considered an NBA title contender after Kyrie Irving's ankle sprain added to Brooklyn injury?
The Atlanta Hawks kept Joel Embiid in check to tie their series 2-2 with the Philadelphia 76ers. Can the Hawks continue to limit the Sixers' sick big man for the rest of the series?
The Utah Jazz fell in Game 4 to tie their series 2–2 at the hands of the LA Clippers, but Donovan Mitchell continued to score points. Is he playing the best basketball of any guard remaining in the playoffs?
Our panel of NBA experts is breaking down the biggest trends ever in the conference semifinals.
Real or not: Nets title likely after Kyrie Irving ankle injury
Not Real An essential part of any path to the NBA Championship is luck. Sometimes it comes in the form of a favorable bounce; Other times it simply means that a team avoids suffering an untimely injury while trying to win 16 postseason games.
The Nets, unfortunately, have not been lucky. He spent an entire year dealing with injuries to his Big Three of James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Including the playoffs, they have played only 15 games together.
And Harden suffered a recurring hamstring injury that cost him just 47 seconds in the Eastern Conference semifinal against Milwaukee in nearly all of the final weeks of the regular season, and Irving sprained his right ankle on Sunday -- Both have been kicked out of Game 5 in Brooklyn -- they may not play together again this season.
The beauty of having three stars of this caliber in a team is that an injury to one of them is not enough to sink your team. Brooklyn showed that by beating Milwaukee without Harden in Games 1 and 2, but also for Durant, arguably the highest scorer ever in the game, beating Milwaukee twice out of three without both of his running mates. Trying is a very long task.
It is unlikely that PJ Tucker will be able to remain quite physically guarding Durant in Games 3 and 4, when Durant made an involuntary 20-for-53 shot from the field. But even if it becomes normal to move on, replacing Harden and Irving with some combination of Mike James, Landry Shemet, and Bruce Brown just isn't going to cut it.
Now, if either Harden or Irving — or both — can return before this series ends, the Nets will suddenly become a legitimate title threat once again. But if Durant holds up against the Bucks on his own for the rest of this series, a swift departure from the postseason could instead take what seemed like a clear path to the NBA Finals a few days ago.
Real or not: Sun as favorite to conquer West
Real. at least for now. The Phoenix's biggest advantage is that it has already secured a spot in the Western Conference Finals, while the Clippers and the Jazz battle for second - at least through Game 6 - while the Suns are comfortable at home.
The second lead for the Phoenix is what proved crucial in the Nuggets' second-round sweep: health. No Sun Rotation player has missed a game in the playoffs due to injury, making them outliers in the post-season defined by injuries from major contributors.
Paul was limited by a shoulder injury in the first round, but looked as good as ever against the Nuggets, torching them for 25.5 PPG and 10.3 APG. Paul's 63% shooting was his best in any playoff series and his 8.2 assist-turnover ratio was his best in a series since 2008.
Meanwhile, Utah is still without point guard Mike Connelly due to a hamstring strain and fellow All-Star guard Mitchell is battling an ankle injury. And while the shears are only missing center Serge Ibaka, their stars are entering gigantic minutes; Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have already reached more conference finals than any Phoenix player.
Also, we must be careful not to read too much about the Sun's dominance over Denver. The Nuggets were ill-equipped to deal with the Phoenix's proliferation pick-and-roll strategy detailed by ESPN's Zack Lowe last week, and the absence of guard Jamal Murray made it difficult for Denver to keep up on the offensive. Either the Jazz or the Clippers should be more capable of challenging the elbow jumpers that Paul feasted on against the Nuggets, and both teams are more complete on the offensive.
A matchup with Utah would be interesting, as the Jazz were the strongest team during the regular season and would have a home-court advantage, but the Suns won all three one-on-one meetings. The Phoenix had little success against the Clippers, losing the first two meetings before winning on April 28 and Qi was sidelined.
I'm not yet sure who I'll pick based on the conference final matchup, but before it's even set, Phoenix West is the team most likely to win.
Real or not: Atlanta likely to slow down Joel Embiid for remainder of series
Real. It must be real, as the Hawks were rivals when Embiid had one of the worst stops in recent playoff history. In the defining moment of Monday's Game 4, when a lay-up could have put his team ahead in the final seconds, Embiid admitted he didn't have enough lift. It was obvious if you saw him play the jumpers on the front of the rim over and over again.
Because Embiid hasn't lost a game in this series, it's easy to forget just how serious an injury he's been dealing with. It's not unheard of to play through a minor meniscus injury, but it is truly remarkable for a player with a history of umbilical cord injury and the type of game he plays. The man hits the deck several times in a game, and even if he's to blame for some of the embellishments, he has a natural inclination to wonder if he'll get up every now and then.
During Game 4, Embiid went to the locker room with the trainers before halftime. No one was willing to publicly acknowledge what was happening, but the result in the second half - when Embiid went 0-for-12 off the floor - spoke enough.
With games every other day for the rest of the series, the game-time spring in Embiid's legs is probably more important than any defensive plan the Hawks might deploy. Embiid's activity level during Games 1 and 2 – when he regularly beat double-teams and Clint Capella, even when Atlanta's center was in a very defensive position – made it hard to understand why Embiid suffered such an injury. was detected. Reality seems to bite.
The point is, the 76ers will have a hard time reducing their load. Knowing that Embiid was laboring, and that Seth Curry and Tobias Harris had good offensive games and a recent history of having a good pick-and-roll tandem, Philly coach Doc Rivers was still on his way to the final shot. Went to the centre.
The play worked, the Hawks failed to handle it, but Embiid could not execute. It was a microcosm of Game 4, and it could end just like the rest of this series.
Real or Not: Reggie Jackson as No. 3 for the Clippers
Not Real Jackson saved the Clippers against the Mavericks in the first round. But the team was built with Marcus Morris Sr. as the No. 3 option behind Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and the Clippers are at their best when Morris is playing at that level. Morris is known for his toughness and frontcourt play, but he was fourth in the NBA this year in a 3-point percentage (45.1). When he is rolling, defenders have to respect his shot from behind the arc, and this completely opens up space for the rest of the offense.
Everything Jackson has given to the Clippers in these playoffs has been a bonus. He was one of the last people added to the roster and was not even promised a place in the rotation. But she is now healthy and comfortable in her role, and her interest in the big games after the season is always there. Assistant coach Chauncey Billups has been working with Jackson on his game this season, and Billups said he has "completely transformed himself."
Jackson has always had a talent for running like this. He just isn't healthy enough or good enough in a team like this. It's fun to see such experienced players in such a good fit. But Morris should be the Clippers' No. 3 option if they want to live up to the high expectations set for this team.
Real or not: Donovan Mitchell is best guard in conference semifinals
not real We can stop the debate as to whether Michelle deserves to be considered a superstar. He has put an end to any doubts by proving again that he is capable of capturing playoff games quite often. Mitchell averages a proficient 32.9ppg this post season, leaving the Clippers with a reputation as defensive stoppers to scramble to find a planned solution despite being stocked with guards and wings.
But the best guard still playing — and available — has already wrapped up his Western Conference semifinal series in these playoffs. He's resting his 36-year-old body, waiting for the Jazz-Clippers winner. And Chris Paul reminds the world how great he still is, operating a point guard clinic at the sans sweep of the Nuggets.
Paul, whose arrival in Phoenix transformed the Sons from a bubbly success story to a real contender with a promising young core, controlled that series from start to finish. He averaged 25.5 points on shooting splits (.627/.750/1.000) which is absolutely ridiculous. He made 10.3 assists per game and made only five total turnovers in the series.
According to ESPN Stats and Information Research, the 8.2 assist-turnover ratio is the second-best in a series since turnover became an official figure, only behind Paul's 10.0 ratio from his first playoff series in 2008.
And he's not even the most impressive CP3 stat from the series. Take a look at his numbers from four fourth quarters: 43 points, 10 assists, zero turnover on 84% shooting from the floor.
Paul's 24-year-old co-star Devin Booker also joins the conversation. He certainly shrugged off any talk about his lack of playoff experience, scoring a total of 81 points in his first two closeout games—very solid evidence of killer instinct.
But Booker rode the shotgun in the series, with Paul leading the Sons to the conference finals, a destination Mitchell and the Jazz are still trying to reach.