Weekend Playoff Reax: Laying the Smacketh Down

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!

A Case for the First Round

The NBA Playoffs kick off tomorrow with a best-of-seven First Round. There are fans and media members than tend to find this round to be pointless. Statistically, it is. There have only been three instances ever where a team lower than the fourth seed has made the NBA Finals. It is fair to ask if the Playoffs should be shortened by a round. However, I think the playoff structure is mostly fine as-is.

While I would shorten the First Round back to the best-of-five format it carried from 1983 through 2002, I think that its existence is justified. It gives eight fanbases a week or two more of exciting basketball to care about. If the First Round didn't exist, then a fair amount of those eight markets would probably stop caring just after the trade deadline, deading any excitement for the playoffs in over 2/3 of the league. The NBA isn't as regional as Major League Baseball, but in most markets people only care about the team in town. Leaving them out kills the excitement in a lot of places.

Keeping the field at 16 teams also allows a fair amount of markets to stay engaged in the NBA through the end of April but also keeps things competitive as nearly half of the league is left out each year.

For the league, the excitement converts into revenue for member teams and the hive mind itself. You get to sell a captivating experience for two more weeks through packed arenas and [team's secondary color]-outs. The First Round feels more like a party for teams in the middle, instead of just being an exclusive club for the über-best if the round didn't exist.

It also serves as a training ground for rising teams. For rising teams, such as the Pistons and Celtics, they get their first cracks at playoff experience. These experiences could pay dividends down the line, as these teams will be better situated if they return to the playoffs in the future.

I personally enjoy the extra basketball that the First Round provides without being too overwhelming. Nights with three or four games are much easier to keep track of as opposed to nights where there's as many as 13 games. At it's the better half of the league playing for the same goal, so the energy and level of play is top notch.

Tomorrow is the beginning of a two-month journey that - while it may be a foregone conclusion - will most likely still be compelling on a game-to-game basis. Enjoy the games, everyone!

2016 NBA Playoff Teams Versus the Field

The 82-game gauntlet that is the NBA season has sadly come to an end. On the bright side, the 16-team playoff field has been set, with the second season commencing on Saturday. While every series has its favorites - and the Warriors seem poised to win back-to-back titles - there are numerous matchup combinations that could possibly occur between now and the final buzzer in June. Here's a look at how each playoff team stacks up against their own conference as well as the rest of the field. 

The fact that the west holds form from 1st to 4th seed is no surprise. The Grizzlies have been wracked by injuries and it shows in their conference record. It's going to be a bad time for them against the Spurs. The fact that Toronto leads the conference over Cleveland is not lost on me either. The Raptors went 2-1 against the Passiveliers this season. Is that an omen, or will this go down like LeBron's Heat against the Bulls: threatening in the season, but housed in the playoffs? 

I am surprised that only five teams are above .500 in their conference, but it sort of evens out once you factor in overall records.

See anything interesting about these standings? Point it out in the comments below.