As the NBA season came to an exciting conclusion, the play-in then began, where the 76ers, Magic, Suns, and Trail Blazers all clinched a spot in the playoffs in the one game play in.
The Hornets beat the heat, and now NBA fans claim that the Heat got rigged out of a playoff spot as LaMelo Ball injured Heat superstar Bam Adebayo towards the end of the season. Adeybayo had a season-high 83-point game earlier in the season. The Hornets ended up losing in the play-in game to the Magic, and Ball was fined $35,000 for injuring Adebayo, which was a flagrant foul.
“It was very inspiring to watch Bam score 83 and have a great season. I was really hoping they would have made the playoffs this year,” sophomore Sam Eggert said.
Moving on to the first-round series, in the 1 vs 8 seed matchups, the Thunder dominated the Suns in game one and have a 3-0 lead, but the Magic had a big upset against the Pistons and are currently leading the series 2-1.
In the 4v5 seed matchups, the Lakers face off against the Rockets, where the Lakers are shorthanded since both Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves recently got injured. On the bright side, Dončić is projected to be back as soon as possible but if this series with the Rockets goes quick he might come back in round 2 for more rest. And Lebron had a big performance to secure the win. The Lakers currently lead the series 3-1.
“LeBron’s 23 years in the league will lead the Lakers past the Rockets,” sophomore Eli Paul said. “His experience and leadership are super vital for the Lakers. “King James’s” super slick jump shot will be money all series long. Lebron is by far the best player in the league and will lead the Lakers to the finals!”
In the other 4 vs 5 matchup between the Cavaliers and the Raptors, the Cavaliers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the series with big performances from superstar Donovan Mitchell and James Harden but now the series is tied 2-2.
In the 3 vs 6 seed matchups between the Nuggets and Timberwolves and the Knicks vs Hawks the Timberwolves took an early lead in the series and are up 3-1. In The Knicks vs Hawks matchup, the Hawks have come out hot taking two of the first three games but are now tied 2-2, with one of the Hawks wins come from a game winning shot by CJ McCollum.
“That was a crazy shot, I’m cheering for the Hawks for sure as they are definitely one of the biggest underdogs in the playoffs so far,” freshmen Will Schrieder said.
Finally in one of the 2 vs 7 seed matchups the Spurs take on the Trail Blazers. The Spurs are leading the Trailblazers 3-1 right now. Spurs superstar Victor Wembemyama got hurt in game 1 as he went down and endured a concussion.
“It’s tough to see a great player like that go down with a hard injury. Hopefully he will be back soon and come back even better later this playoffs,” sophomore Bryce Carlson said.
In the other 2 vs 7 seed matchup between Celtics and 76ers the Celtics are leading 3-1. With the first round almost over it seems to be setting up to be an exciting tournament.
