Nba playoffs, conference semifinals: here’s what will decide them

A night of … reflection. The conference semifinals restart today, after having archived the first two games of each challenge. Series by series, here are the three sentences on what we have seen so far, to understand what can happen from here on out.

Embiid makes all the difference in the world – Philadelphia needs the Cameroonian to be competitive in this series. There are no certainties about his presence tonight in game-3, but Miami is preparing for the mvp candidate to be there and the Sixers to do at least him again. Phila only has a chance if he recovers, possibly in the third game.

Miami is titled – Defense, excellent team organization, selfless stars ready to make a difference. Miami has confirmed in these first two games that they have what it takes to aim high. Butler is the leader that everyone would like to have, the one who puts the team in first place but he is happier if he is a teammate to make a decisive basket. So you can go far.

Harden is no longer a phenomenon – The Barba in these playoffs is confirming the suspicion already had in the regular season: he is no longer a top player. In the two games in Miami, Phila needed him to level up, instead he failed, updating his streak to 25 games without exceeding 25 points in a playoff game, the longest of his career. Series closed if he doesn’t level up.

It will be a long series – Milwaukee was almost perfect in Game-1, Boston responded great in Game-2: this is likely to be the best series of the first round, between the reigning champions hosting the next two games and the Celtics, best team in Est from January onwards, which they confirmed to be up to par.

Boston passes by Tatum – The Game-2 win was a splendid collective effort, but the Celtics need Jayson Tatum to be as special as he was against Brooklyn to take out the champions. The duel with Kevin Durant projected the 24-year-old into the NBA top 10: now against Giannis Antetokounmpo he must confirm that he belongs to that club. In the first two games he wasn’t at that level, he has to be in the rest of the series.

Need the other Bucks – Milwaukee doesn’t win this series without its supporting cast. Giannis travels almost triple-double on average, Holiday exceeds 22 points per game, managing to compensate for the absence of Middleton. He needs teamwork though, because the Celtics are a great collective and all of Milwaukee must be up to par. For now only Portis is playing at a high level. Coach Bud needs to catch up with the others.

The real Suns are back – Phoenix is ​​back in its dominant version, the one that had traveled to a parallel universe during the regular season. He is superior in everything from defense to star power, with Chris Paul giving a style lesson even to the extraordinary Luka Doncic in Race 2. After the difficulties against New Orleans, in the first two with Dallas coach Williams he found him again.

Paul is decisive – They don’t call him Point God by accident: when a game has to be decided, Chris Paul doesn’t hold back. Not even if he has Luka Doncic in front of him. The 14 points to split Game-2 were a splendid confirmation of what CP3 had done against New Orleans. He may be close to 37, but Paul still controls games like no one. And he knows when he has to make a difference for himself.

Doncic is too alone – Luka is playing a sensational series, with 40 points per game. But he alone he can’t do it, as Jason Kidd reminded alarmed after race-2. Among other Mavs is sensationally missing Jalen Brunson, held just 11 points per game with 32.1% from the field after the show against Utah. Dallas needs him back to being elite if he is to have a chance to reopen this series. Otherwise Doncic, while extraordinary, cannot let the Mavs win the challenge alone.

Morant is worth this level – The Memphis star is proving to be elite even in the playoffs, when it matters most. After failing to shine in the series with Minnesota, Morant has been brilliant in his two games with Golden State, with the pearl of 47 points in Game-2, the best performance of the season in the Playoffs. Ja leads the Playoff stats by overall points and assists: doubts that he was worth this level have been swept away with spectacular plays.

Golden State remains the favorite – The Warriors always have the series in hand, even if the two games in Memphis were spectacular head-to-head. Kerr will have to recalibrate the squad following Gary Payton II’s injury, but Golden State has the talent, experience and depth to keep up with the Grizzlies’ newfound enthusiasm. The two games in San Francisco will have to be the turning point.

Poole the real needle of the scales – Jordan Poole will make the difference for Golden State. It will also be the first playoffs of his career, but the 22-year-old who is traveling 25.5 points off the bench in the series is also showing how phenomenal he is in the second round. Draymond Green remains the soul of the Warriors, but with Klay Thompson and Steph Curry still running in and public peril # 1 for defending Memphis, Poole has class and potential to break the game. And it is ready to repeat itself.