We\u2019re 10 days into the First Round of the NBA Playoffs and already the Oklahoma Thunder have made light work of the Suns with a series sweep. Yes, they are that good. Who can catch them?<\/p>\n
Out of the eight matchups, three hang in the balance. In the Western Conference, Denver<\/a>\u2019s 12-point win over Minnesota<\/a> last night gets them back to 3-2. The Nuggets are now $1.66 favourites to win the series largely thanks to the twin Wolves injuries to star player Anthony Edwards<\/a> and key role player Donte DiVincenzo<\/a>. Lots happening in that series too with post-match brawls<\/a>, a spectator fight in the stands<\/a> and someone stole<\/a> Jokic\u2019s underwear.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n In the Eastern Conference the underdog Raptors are tied with Cleveland at 2-2 which would have Cavs fans nervous heading into Game 5 tomorrow. The Raptors \u2013 who are listed as $4o1 to win the NBA title \u2013 almost blew it on Sunday shooting 13 percent from outside the arc. Thank God for Scottie Barnes<\/a> and those free throws he nailed at the death. In the other arm wrestle, the fancied Knicks<\/a> are in a dogfight with Atlanta<\/a> at 2-2 and while the series has been tight, it looks like they finally figured out the Hawks<\/a> in Game 4 when they blew it open with a 16-point win.<\/p>\n By next week we\u2019ll be down to the final eight teams. But for now, we\u2019ve still got some cracking games ahead of us. There\u2019s a lot that has happened. Here are eight early observations and takes in the NBA Playoffs on the teams still in the hunt and chasing an NBA title.<\/p>\n 1. Oklahoma, The Great<\/p>\n How do you stop a team that bats deep and a team where everyone can do everything on a basketball court on any given night? They used 14 players in Game 1 which was their biggest win of the series by 35 points. That night, bench rotation player Jaylin Williams<\/a> was a +24 on the court \u2013 equal team highest \u2013 along with MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a>. Their scoring has such an even spread, so much that Chet Holmgren<\/a> is their second best scorer across the league in the playoffs ranked 51 for total points. It\u2019s the Thunder \u2013 maybe Spurs? \u2013 then daylight. How do you stop Oklahoma? You can\u2019t.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n At 41, LeBron is the reason the Lakers<\/a> are leading 3-1 against the youthful and Durant-less Rockets. We didn\u2019t think we\u2019d be saying that, hey? He\u2019s obviously lost a step. So we\u2019re not seeing him go proper Hulk, driving down the lane at speed and ripping buckets at will. It\u2019s been more methodical. A far more patient approach. He\u2019s picking off plays before they happen. In Game 3<\/a>, in Houston<\/a>, the overtime game, LeBron played a monster 45 minutes. That steal and three-point bucket he made in the dying seconds to get the Lakers to overtime is what high performance looks like in the playoffs. And he\u2019s doing all of it without Luka Doncic<\/a> and Austin Reaves<\/a> which is even more impressive.<\/p>\n 3. Ayo Dosunmu<\/a> Is Elite And You Can\u2019t Tell Me Otherwise<\/p>\n The Game 4 hero for Minnesota popped off for 43 points in 42 minutes shooting five triples and going at 76.5 percent from the field. He helped propel the Wolves to a 62 point second half; Dosunmu accounted for 27 of those points and went into takeover <\/a>mode. It\u2019s his precision under pressure that has stood out the most. So far in the playoffs he\u2019s ranked no.2 overall in shooting percentage from the field at 64 and ranked fifth for three-ball shooting (52.9 percent). He has also scored the fifth most points in five playoff games with 109 sitting behind Cade Cunningham<\/a> and Nikola Jokic<\/a>. The Wolves will need the Ayo Show to continue as they look to clinch the series against the Nuggets.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a good look when your bluechip player puts the referees on full blast in a post-match presser after losing badly to the reigning champions. That player \u2013 Devin Booker<\/a> in case you missed it \u2013 also got fined<\/a> $35,000 for it. The 4-0 series drubbing exposed a flawed Suns roster that has stagnated. The Suns will head into the Summer with more questions than answers. They have no identity. They are stuck with a high payroll and no depth. Booker\u2019s impact vanished when the pressure went up. And tactically they\u2019re too predictable and lack defensive cohesion. Watch this space.<\/p>\n Without Victor Wembanyama<\/a> who could have imagined that the likes of Dylan Harper would rise to help fill the void? In Game 3, the Spurs were down six against Portland<\/a> at the half. Enter Harper who scored 22 second half points as the Spurs outscored Portland 61-43 to win by 12 on the road. Yes, Harper\u2019s shooting was elite \u2013 27 game points<\/a> going 9-from-12 from the field \u2013 but it was his blistering moves that had everyone talking: the stutter step, the drive into the lane, step-back threes, precision passing. So much youthful confidence. And no Wemby to mop up on the floor either. Harper looks noticeably more advanced than some of his rookie class and we very well could be watching one of the best rookie guards in recent years.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n 6. Colin Murray-Boyles Is A Brute On The Floor<\/p>\n Murray-Boyles is just 20-years-old and is already one of the key storylines of the playoffs so far. In the regular season across 57 games, he was averaging 8.5 points with five rebounds; in the playoffs those numbers have doubled to 17 points per game, 7.3 rebounds on 65.9 percent shooting. The Raptors have found something here. The 6-foot-7 forward can play small. He\u2019s eaten into Poeltl<\/a>\u2019s minutes. On a limited Raptors team Murray-Boyles\u2019 compete level has elevated his game. Although he\u2019s still raw and can lack composure in certain high-pressure schemes \u2013 especially when shooting or protecting the ball \u2013 the fight in him has made him the perfect playoff player that the Raptors have needed.<\/p>\n 7. Boston Celtics<\/a> Really Love Shooting Threes<\/p>\n The Celtics set a franchise<\/a> record 24 threes against the 76ers<\/a> in Game 4. In four games they have hit 73-from-194, the most out of any team in the playoffs. Their main three-point contributions have come from Tatum<\/a> (13), Pritchard<\/a> (13) and Jaylen Brown<\/a> (11). They\u2019re also the no.1 scoring team so far with 456 total points. All of it is boring, vanilla, basketball. But it\u2019s working. Will it hold up as the pressure becomes greater?<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n 8. Desmond Bane<\/a> Is The Magic\u2019s MVP Right Now<\/p>\n When Bane catches fire from the wing, the Pistons have had to think twice about doubling Paolo Banchero<\/a> and or Franz Wagner<\/a>. Bane has also been able to move and find the right gaps inside the Pistons zones, which has forced them into a man-on-man situation at times. In Game 3, he exploded for seven triples and the Pistons had no answers for him. Once he landed his fourth triple, it forced the Pistons to guard him from deep which opened up Banchero and Wagner. Bane has the equal-most threes in the playoffs with 15 \u2013 tied with Maxey<\/a> \u2013 and is hitting them at 44.1 percent. This mid series dominance from Bane has put the Magic on the brink of winning the series.<\/p>\n This article was originally published on Forbes.com<\/a><\/p>\n