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Memphis Grizzlies – Zach Randolph Completes Destruction of Blake Griffin
If it wasn’t for Zach Randolph switching gears after the first two games in the series, maybe Blake Griffin wouldn’t be injured right now. But the Memphis Grizzlies forward wasn’t about to find himself out of the playoffs in the first round for a second year in a row, simply steamrolling and bulldozing the competition to make it three wins in a row as his team has taken over the series.
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Denver Nuggets – Beating Up Stephen Curry Is OK in the Playoffs
It was always going to take a return to an ultra physical and athletics style of basketball for the Denver Nuggets to ensure they find themselves back in the series. Facing elimination, at home, they simply went to work on Stephen Curry from the get go, while Andre Iguodala, along with an improving Kenneth Faried, put on their best performance of the postseason so far to live and fight another day.
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Miami Heat Can’t Lose With Chris Andersen Playing
There’s a good chance that Chris Andersen is the most underpaid player in the NBA, solely due to the fact that since signing with the Miami Heat in the middle of the 2012-2013 season, they’ve hardly been losing, especially when the Birdman is getting more than just negligible playing time.
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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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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.