WILKES-BARRE, PA – Game 1 of each of the eight opening round NBA playoff series are in the books.
And to be honest, I think a few things shocked most people.
Who would of thought the Milwaukee Bucks would take Game 1 in Toronto? Not me.
But with that being said, it’s time to do an NBA playoffs edition of Ebs’ Hot Takes.
Enjoy.
The Boston Celtics are overrated. First off, I just want to send all my thoughts and prayers out to Isaiah Thomas and his family. I don’t know how he played Sunday. God forbid I lost my brother, I don’t think I would have been able to play in a game a day later.
However, with that being said, I’m not sure the Boston Celtics make it out of the first round. And if they do, they’re not a sure-fire bet into the Eastern Conference Finals.
As great as Thomas is as a scorer, he can’t play defense and that could prove costly down the stretch.
And aside from Thomas, who can they really go to offensively? Al Horford? Avery Bradley? Jae Crowder? Please, this is a one-man band. The Celtics, like they did Sunday, will struggle against the tougher and more-physical teams.
Chicago is going to be a tough out. And if the Atlanta Hawks can get out of the first round, they have the Celtics number.
Time to panic in LA. So, Chip City, Clip City, we good? (I didn’t come up with the name. Marcellus Wiley did.)
How demoralizing is it to watch one of Utah’s best players go down, in Rudy Gobert, like 20 seconds into the game and then you go on to lose on your own home court.
Don’t get me wrong, the Los Angeles Clippers are really good and have a lot of talent, but boy do they struggle to put it together in the playoffs.
While I believe the Clippers will get past the Jazz, they will struggle against the big boys of the West.
Keep the faith in Believeland. I am not panicking about the Cleveland Cavaliers. Not in the least.
Sure the Cavs struggled down the stretch, but are we sure they were taking it all that seriously? We know LeBron and Co. have a history of putting it into cruise control in the second half of the regular season only to turn on the jets in the playoffs.
This close Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers was cute and all, but I still see the Cavs winning in five. And going on to win the title.
This is LeBron’s world and we’re all just living in it.
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