This season has been one of the most top-heavy in NBA history. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics all won between 61 and 68 games. No one else won more than 52. All three entered their second-round series heavily favored, and with the fourth series including a Play-In team in the Golden State Warriors coming off of a grueling seven-game series against the ultra-physical Houston Rockets, all four higher seeds had to feel reasonably confident entering the second round.
Well, we’ve now played three days and five games worth of second-round basketball, and the higher seed hasn’t won a game yet. The Cavaliers have lost both of their home games against the Indiana Pacers. The Celtics and Thunder both lost their home games on Monday. And then, finally, on Tuesday, the Minnesota Timberwolves couldn’t defeat the Warriors in Game 1 on their home floor despite Stephen Curry leaving the game with a hamstring injury. Put all of that together and you get NBA history.
Never before had the NBA seen all four road teams win their second-round opener. We are, at least so far, living through the most upset-friendly round in postseason history. Of course, for that title to hold, those lower seeds are going to have quite a bit of work to do. Indiana is well-positioned with a 2-0 lead and three home games left in their series, but everyone else has a ways to go. The Warriors are still trying to figure out how long they’ll be without Curry. The New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets are still sizable underdogs in Las Vegas (New York has +270 odds to win its series at Caesars Sportsbook; the Nuggets’ odds are +240).
But not long ago, the best teams in the league seemed somewhat inevitable. The entire Eastern Conference postseason was supposed to be preamble ahead of the obvious Boston vs. Cleveland showdown. Everyone in the West has been fighting for the right to challenge the young Thunder for a trip to the Finals. Instead, we’ve taken our first steps toward a final four featuring the Knicks, Pacers, Warriors and Nuggets.
Inevitably, some or perhaps all of those favorites will come back to win their series. Some have more hope than others. But given how often the NBA is accused of having predictable postseasons, these few days to kick off the second round has given the NBA a welcome dose of parity. If those favorites are going to have to advance, they’ll have to earn it by beating teams that have already won games on their home floor.
