The NBA Playoffs-2021 has started and yes; we are a long way from that dreadful March in 2020, where Rudy Gobert touched everything he could during the interview, when Covid was starting to spread. Yes, he thought it was funny, and he did apologize. Since then we have lost close to 600,000 souls to this pandemic, and maybe more. The vaccinations are going out and they have seemed to give sports a new life, as watching the games over the weekend; we saw Madison Square Garden in New York with plenty of folks in the stands. We also saw other venues opening up and letting folks attend playoff basketball. Last year we had to agonize with the teams in the bubble in Florida, and we saw one team take advantage of it, as playing all of their games damn near at home. That team was the Miami Heat, who went on to the finals but lost to the Lakers.
The matchups this year look pretty intense. The teams to watch for are the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Jersey Nets, and the Milwaukee Bucks in the East. In the West, we are looking at the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, and the Los Angeles Clippers. Vegas odds at the beginning of the season back in 2020 looked like this:
LA Lakers 7/2
LA Clippers 5/1
Milwaukee Bucks 13/2
Golden State Warriors 8/1
Brooklyn Nets 10/1
Boston Celtics 12/1
Miami Heat 14/1
Denver Nuggets 20/1
Toronto Raptors 25/1
Houston Rockets 25/1
Below you will see what the odds are now, that the playoffs have started:
In the West it appears to be a tough road for anyone, as all of the teams are bringing each night from the Grizzles(8) to the Jazz(1). The East has a different scenario, as the 76ers appear to have the easy road to the Conference final, after that last three season of disappointment and despair. The 76ers road starts out with the Wizards, and then advancement to the next round they will either see the Knicks or the Hawks. This road they avoid the powerhouse’s like the Nets, and the Bucks. So if they do meet any of these teams they will meet them in the Conference finals, which would be new territory for the 76ers should they get through the 1st and 2nd round, and they should. They have the talent and and the desire to get there this year especially dealing with their new seasoned coach Doc Rivers.
You say hold up! Is this the same Doc Rivers that has blown 3-1 leads in the past to the Houston Rockets, and lately to the Denver Nuggets? Well we can only see what the future has in store for them.
Coming out of the West, it looks real serious for the Phoenix Suns to be in the finals. Yes this young sprawling team that has the likes of Chris Paul, and Devin Booker, as well as Deandre Ayton, The 1st set of games have already been played, and the Suns took it to the Lakers in game 1. Probably not a big deal, as they are supposed to win at home. Oh yeah, the Lakers who ended up in the play-in, are looking kind of shabby right now. Lebron doesn’t look all there, as well as Anthony Davis who looked bad during game 1. But fear not, this is the Lakers, and we shall see if they can turn it around. Lakers could lose game 2 and still be in the series, as the Lakers are the who they are; a winner. We shall see!
Utah one on the chin with the red hot Memphis Grizzlies, as they gave them all they could handle. It was noted that Don Mitchell was ready to play, but was scratched for the 1st game. Mitchell was ready to play, but the medical folks held him back. Now when he is available, will we see what we seen during the season, where he was dominating the West with his play, or will we see the rust coming off of Mitchell as he hasn’t played since mid April. We shall see. The NBA Playoffs-2021 looks to be a barn burner. Consider the Hawks and the Knicks. Teams that had not seen the playoffs in a while. N.Y. 2013, and the Hawks 2017. That game on Sunday was probably the best game of the playoffs so far, as the Hawks beat the Knicks in MSG. For you folks that don’t keep up the, these games are being televised on either ESPN or TNT. That TNT gang is something else for entertainment. NBA Playoffs-2021
