The first round of the NBA Playoffs concluded on Saturday, Apr. 27 with the Nuggets outlasting the Spurs 90-86 to win game seven. That series was the only one out of all eight in the first round that reached seven games. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was the star of the series, averaging 23.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 9.1 assists.

The Golden State Warriors were able to take down the Clippers in six games with the help of Kevin Durant’s 51-point performance to end the series. The Clippers, however, exceeded most expectations, taking two games–and an outstanding 31-point comeback win in game two–from the defending champs.

The Houston Rockets’ looked as good as they have all season in a five-game series win over the Houston Jazz. MVP candidate James Harden averaged almost 28 points while dishing out a little more than 8 assists. The Rockets defense was perhaps most impressive as the Rockets held the Jazz to just 98 points per game.

The Portland Trail Blazers took down the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games, the series ending on a Damian Lillard buzzer beater from 37 feet out. The Blazers looked dominant the whole series, as Lillard averaged 33 points per game over the five games.

The Eastern Conference first round was much less competitive than its western counterpart. The most lopsided of all the series was the Milwaukee Bucks’ sweep of the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons were missing star forward Blake Griffin for the first two games and only had him playing limited minutes in the other two games. The Bucks completely outmatched the Pistons, winning each game by double digits.

The Boston Celtics were able to sweep the Indiana Pacers, playing without All-Star guard Victor Oladipo, who suffered a season ending injury during the regular season. The Pacers competed well but could not close out games in the fourth quarter.

The Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets played perhaps the most spirited series in the first round with much conflict on and off the court. The Nets shocked many by winning game one in the City of Brotherly Love, but they could not carry their momentum into the rest of the series. They dropped the next four, including a game-five loss that saw them down by nearly 30 at half time. The Sixers’ bevy of offensive talent proved too much for the Nets as the Sixers scored 127.5 points per game in their four victories.

The Toronto Raptors handled the Orlando Magic in five games, but continued their stretch of losing game ones in the playoffs. The Duo of Pascal Siakam and Kawhi Leonard proved too much for Orlando: the pair averaged nearly 50 points a game during the series.

The second round in the East features the Boston Celtics vs. the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers vs. the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors-76ers series began with the Raptors handling the Sixers with relative ease, in part due to Kawhi Leonard and his 45 points. The Raptors mix of strong defense and dependable scorers will be hard to deal with for the 76ers. The Sixers have many offensive weapons, but players like Siakam, Leonard, and Marc Gasol can cause fits to any offense with their aggressive play. The Raptors getting good performances out of guard Kyle Lowry is key, as his career has been marked by playoff inefficiency. LHS sophomore Josh Santoro thinks that the Raptors can advance all the way to the Finals: “The Raptors are one of the hottest teams in the league and should use that momentum to get to the finals.”

The series between the Bucks and Celtics started off with a dominant 22-point victory for the Celtics. The Celtics pure talent has been on display this playoff as they are yet to lose a game. The Bucks need MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo to play better than his 7/21 shooting performance in game one. If the Bucks play as precise and disciplined as they have all year they should get back into the series.

Out West, the second round features The Golden State Warriors vs The Houston Rockets, and the Denver Nuggets against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Warriors-Rockets series started in thrilling fashion with the Warriors picking up a close win. The Warriors still have tons of firepower without Demarcus Cousins, who they lost to injury. The Rockets need James Harden to be efficient and they need Chris Paul at the top of his game. Junior Jake Mcdonald thinks the Warriors have a good shot to once again come out on top of the West: “The Warriors will make the finals once again because they have the perfect mix of talent and experience.”

The Nuggets and Trail Blazers series pits perhaps the hottest player in the NBA, Damian Lillard, against one of the best young cores in the game with the Nuggets. The Nuggets’ lack of experience could hurt them: the Blazers looked unstoppable while the Nuggets took seven games to take down the seventh seed. For the Nuggets to have a shot, they need their young stars like Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic to show up in a big way. The second round of the playoffs as well as those that follow should be full of great games and long series’.