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Houston Rockets – Jeremy Lin & James Harden Forgotten by Chandler Parsons
With no Jeremy Lin, the stage was set for James Harden to do whatever he wants, only to be thwarted again and again by a prepared Oklahoma City Thunder defense. Luckily for the Houston Rockets, there’s a bit more to them, especially coming from Chandler Parsons in a huge performance, and some big plays from less involved players like Carlos Delfino, including one huge and shocking dunk over Kevin Durant.
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Atlanta Hawks – Josh Smith All Over the Place
It could have been the final home game that Josh Smith played in Atlanta Hawks uniform, but despite the bleak chances of staying with his current NBA teams, he wasn’t going to let it get in the way of keeping their playoff chances alive and putting up his best game of the series so far, hoping he and his teammates can duplicate this ability on the road.
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Brooklyn Nets – Brook Lopez Keeps the Season Alive
Unlike the rest of his teammates, Brook Lopez has been a symbol of offensive consistency for the Brooklyn Nets, looking better and more dangerous with each game that passes in the first round series. His best game so far kept his team in the playoffs, although they’ll need more than just him to make it into the semifinals.
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Tracy McGrady Breaks His Playoffs Curse With the San Antonio Spurs
After eight failed attempts, Tracy McGrady is finally going to be a part of a team that’s going to play in the conference semifinals of the NBA playoffs, making the right choice by signing with the San Antonio Spurs, although it’s more than likely he won’t have much to do with any success they find along the way.
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Los Angeles Lakers – Dwight Howard Might Prefer Free Agency
After serving one season as the second in command to Kobe Bryant, there’s a good chance Dwight Howard will prefer seeking a different status somewhere else around the NBA and test the free agency waters instead of re-signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, even though staying put means more money than anywhere else.
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The NBA Has Been Without Derrick Rose For Exactly One Year
It’s been one year exactly without basketball for Derrick Rose, or at least NBA basketball. The Chicago Bulls? They’ve been surviving without him, and they’ll have to continue and do that according to all the rumors and reports, at least until the 2013 playoffs are over.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant Better Off Without Russell Westbrook
When a player wants to improve his own individual statistics, having a co-star like Russell Westbrook, who takes more than his fair share of shots away from Kevin Durant, get injured, isn’t such a bad thing. But the Oklahoma City Thunder want the NBA title, not for Durant to score at will. And yet, certain numbers from the regular season suggest it isn’t the end of the world.
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Golden State Warriors – Stephen Curry, NBA Playoffs MVP (So Far)
Hurting ankle isn’t going to stop the Golden State Warriors from doing a little bit of upsetting and continue to be the most pleasant surprise in the NBA playoffs up to this point. He’s getting quite a lot of help from Jarrett Jack (on offense) and Andrew Bogut (on defense,), not to mention the fans inside the ORACLE Arena, but so far, there isn’t a single player in the postseason playing better than him.
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San Antonio Spurs – The Final Nail in the Lakers Coffin
It seems like the San Antonio Spurs kept improving as the series went on, while their rivals sank into great despair with their chances slowly being eliminated off the board. Tony Parker and Tim Duncan didn’t need to play for most of the second half as the Los Angeles Lakers failed to show up for the two home games in the series, getting swept in the most humiliating fashion, barely putting up a fight.
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Miami Heat – LeBron James Sweeps Without Dwyane Wade
Maybe he was envious of how dominant Kevin Durant was without his #2, so LeBron James went out without Dwyane Wade and didn’t let that really hurt him, leading the Miami Heat to another double digit win and earn their first playoff sweep in the Big Three era.