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| Kevin Durant scored 23 points in the Thunder's 108-70 thrashing of the Dallas Mavericks. The 38-point win was the largest margin of victory, but the weekend saw 5 of 8 games decided by 20+ points. |
After making a case for the existence of the First Round, it's pretty awkward that the opening weekend of the 2016 NBA Playoffs was so decisive. That was rough, man. Only two games were decided by single digits: Cleveland's five-point win over Detroit and Atlanta's one-point victory over Boston. Both of those games were in the Eastern Conference. The other side was a total bloodbath!
The Western Weekend was decided by an average point differential of 31.5 points. While people aren't surprised the Warriors and Spurs had dominant wins over the Rockets and Grizzlies, respectively, the Thunder and Clippers rocking the Mavericks and Trail Blazers were somewhat jarring. While I assert that every game - even blowouts - has its good moments, I wouldn't blame you for sitting out the Western playoffs until the Semifinals.
The Warriors, Spurs, and Thunder are all going to run away with their series, plain and simple. It sucks, but I'm okay with that; it's the price you pay for greatness. I truly hope that the other five series can pick up their end of the bargain. I'm confident that there will be closer games in the East moving forward, but the Clippers and Blazers is a little more volatile. Portland's lead scorers Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum were contained in Game 1. I'm concerned that will become the tone of this series, but I also hold out hope that this duo will find a way to get their big shots and steal a game or two.
It's the first work week of the playoffs, and it's still a seven-game series. Anything can happen between now and the next weekend. I hope we will see better games moving forward. Enjoy the games, everyone!
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