NBA Playoffs: The 6 X factors that will determine the second round
From the players to the tactics of the coaches and the game rhythm, these are six key factors that will be crucial in the second round.
It is well known that The intensity increases in the POSTEmporrada of the NBAbut there are also many nuances, small details that make the difference between a long race and an early vacation. The competition is greater, there are more at stake and the margins are narrower.
The stars game usually scores the series, but the nuances can frequently define them: from an unknown player, the tactics of a coach or an appearance of the game that inclines the balance in a crucial match.
Here are six possible X factors in the second round of the NBA playoffs:
The Celtics They have barely sweat in the playoffs in their last five series. But His rotary list of players in the injured report could be vital in the next six weeksif they get so far.
The past spring, Kristaps Porzingis played only in seven of the 19 Playoffs matches of the Celtics, but its 20 points in the first game of the NBA finals were crucial. This season, the valuable defender Jrue Holiday He played his least number of matches in four campaigns and three playoff games were lost in the first round against Orlando Magic for an injury to the Corva tendon. Jaylen Brown (knee) and Jayson Tatum (Doll) They are dealing with problems that have recently cost them matches in this postseason.
The extension of the Celtics injured list could be the only factor that can stop the defenders.
Rick Carlisle’s experience
The coach of the Indiana Pacers He was expelled during the defeat in the Playoffs of 2024 before the New York Knicks And then he was awake until dawn working with the staff to send 78 videos to the League office questioning arbitration decisions.
It may seem a typical complaint, but it was part of a greater strategy to wear out the opponent, whether they were the referees or the other team.
The arbitration decisions were matched in that series, and some deeper and healthier paers beat the Knicks in seven games to advance to the first Eastern Conference of the franchise since 2014. Carlisle has directed more than 150 playoff gamesand last year’s surprise victory over the Knicks was not the first; Remember the 2011 NBA finals with their Dallas Mavericks, which swept the playoffs of the West Conference before beating Miami Heat in the first season of LeBron James at South Beach. And Carlisle has constantly demonstrated a cunning capacity to make adjustments and refine the strategy.
The PACERS will be disadvantaged in all future series, but Carlisle knows that role well.
Jimmy Butler’s game as a visitor
“Playoff Jimmy” is a real player who makes a differenceand should not have surprised anyone when he scored 20 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in the victory of the Golden State Warriors In game 7 against the Houston Rockets, given their history in decisive matches.
Butler He scored 28 points for the Heat in the victory at home in game 7 of the conference finals against Boston in 2023. He recorded 42 points to liquidate the Milwaukee Bucks as visitors that same postseason. In 2022, its 47 -point performance, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 robberies in game 6 in Boston was one of the best moments of those playoffs; He scored 32 points to liquidate the 76ers a round before.
When there is a crucial playoff match outside the home, Butler’s value increases even more.
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“We were lucky to get out of this series”: Kerr, after Warriors’ victory over Rockets
The Warriors coach praised his team’s defensive work to keep game 7 against the Houston Rockets.
The star of the Cleveland Cavaliers It has the seventh average of the highest annotation in the history of the NBA playoffs (minimum of 50 games) with 27.9.
He has scored 30 or more points in eight consecutive games, breaking a record he held with Michael Jordan.
Mitchell You can write down in key moments. But there is a thin line between that and mass production. When Cavs They lost game 1 against the Pacers on Sunday, Mitchell He scored his usual 33 points, but needed 30 shots to reach that figure.
Cleveland He was behind on the scoreboard all the game, and Mitchell He struggled to the fullest to rescue his team, a trend that has been repeated throughout his career. When Mitchell throws 30 or more shots in a playoff match, his team has a 1-5 record. Last season, for example, he scored 50 points during a playoff match in Orlando and released 36 shots in a defeat.
1 of 11 triples also right on Sunday. When he launches 11 or more triple in the playoffs, their teams have a 2-7 record. He did it twice against the Celtics last season, which ended in two losses.
McDaniels Perhaps the two best weeks of his career in the first round with the Minnesota Timberwolvesaveraging the impressive figure of 17.4 points with 57% success in field shots in the first -round victory over Los Angeles Lakers.
But the reason he has a $ 130 million contract is his defense, and he is the defensive plan to Stephen Curry of the Warriors In the second round. McDaniels defended Curry in 161 possessions during the regular season. Not only is the greatest amount of this season, nor the greatest amount of any defender against any player this season; is The third largest amount that Curry has been defended by an opponent in the last decadeaccording to AM850 Research.
Curry launched 53 shots against McDaniels this season and had a percentage of 53% effective field shotswell below its lowest average of the season, 57%.
Lateral speed and size McDanielswith its 1.95 meters (6-9), they are a factor to consider. But the challenge with Curry It resides in its constant movement. The two -time MVP ran 3.19 kilometers (1.99 miles) in the victory of the Warriors in game 7 in Houston. McDaniels will have a lot of work chasing Curry Throughout the series.
The offensive speed of denver nuggets
No one considers Nuggets A “fast” team, probably because its star Nikola Jokic He is known for his clumsy style and looks heavy. But they are misleading.
In fact, They led the league at points per game in counterattack this season with 20.1. Jokic It does not lead, frankly, it ends many counterattacks. But he knows that the ball can move faster than man, and his precise passes to every court are a fundamental weapon in the Nuggets attack.
This is especially important against the Oklahoma City Thunderwhich is a brilliant defensive team on half court, but vulnerable in transition. The Thunder led the NBA at allowed points in transition this season with 12.3 per game.
