Basketball On The Internet.

From BOB CRAVEN in the USA

THE NBA Playoffs are well-and-truly out of the first round and into the Conference semi finals, perhaps the biggest surprise the unexpected demise of one of the championship contenders Milwaukee Bucks, with Australia's own Joe Ingles, eliminated in five games by Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.

Round one results:

Eastern Conference
No. 8 Miami Heat defeated No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks, 4-1
On the surface of this, this should be a huge surprise upset, but former MVP and perennial All Star, Giannis Antetokounmpo was out with a lower back injury for all of Games 2 and 3, and all but six minutes of Game 1. With Miami's Jimmy Butler doing a very credible imitation of Michael Jordan in scoring 56 and 42 points in back-to-back Miami wins, the Heat took the series.

Butler's 56-point game pulled Miami out of a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter for their third win, and his 42-point game again brought Miami back from a deficit to win the clincher in OT. 

His 56 points in the game is tied for the fourth highest game in NBA playoff history.  Only Michael Jordan with 63 in 1986, Elgin Baylor with 61 in 1962, and Donovan Mitchell with 57 in 2020 have scored more.

No. 2 Boston Celtics defeated No. 7 Atlanta Hawks 4-2
The Celtics felt they had unfinished business left over from last season's playoffs and had this series in hand most of the way, especially after going up 3-1 with a win in Atlanta.  Atlanta did not help itself when starting guard Dejounte Murray was suspended for Game 5 after making "illegal contact" with a referee.

No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers defeated No. 6 Brooklyn Nets, 4-0.  Not much to say here. The Nets were never in it and completely outmanned. For Aussie NBA fans, it will be interesting to see what happens now for Patty Mills.

No. 5 New York Knicks defeated No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1.  The Knicks jumped out with a win in Game 1 in Cleveland and were never headed. Jaded New York fans had something to cheer for at last.

Western Conference
No. 1 Denver Nuggets defeated No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves 4-1.  Denver was never in trouble in this series, and closed it out in Game 5 in Denver with 38 points from star guard Jamal Murray and yet another triple double from "point centre" Nikola Jocic.

No. 7 LA Lakers defeated No.2 Memphis Grizzlies, 4-2.  One could tell that Lebron James wanted this one badly and he managed to take the team with him.  The Lakers won Game 1 in Memphis to take away the home court advantage.  They took games 3 and 4 by double digits, and then embarrassed Memphis in clinching Game 6 by 40 points. 
James was especially big in Game 4, putting the Lakers up 3-1 with the first 20-point and 20-rebound game of his career.

No. 4 Phoenix Suns defeated No. 5 the LA Clippers, 4-1.  Surprisingly, the Clips took Game 1 in Phoenix, but the Suns would not be denied and won the next four games in a row.  The Suns now with a healthy Kevin Durant in the lineup after a late-season trade would not be denied.

No. 6 Golden State Warriors defeated the No. 3 Sacramento Kings, 4-3.  This was my pick for the best matchup in Round 1 - the defending champs against a strong team in the playoffs for the first time in 17 years.  And it went back and forth all the way to a Game 7, the only first round series to go the distance. 

In the end, it took an historic effort by the game's best ever shooter to bring GSW to the next round. Steph Curry went off for a record 50 points, the most ever scored in a Game 7 in NBA history, and the Warriors clinched it with a 20-point win.

The Conference Semifinals have already started.

Eastern Conference Semifinals
No. 8 Miami Heat defeated No. 5 NY Knicks 108-101 in New York to take away the home court advantage from NY.

Western Conference Semifinals
No. 1 Denver Nuggets defeated the Phoenix Suns 121-107 in Denver.  This surprised me a bit as the Suns are my danger team for the playoffs this year.  Denver was led by Jamal Murray ... again.  As Nikola Jocic said after the game: "We are following him."