Coast to Coast: Playoffs and Play-ins in the NBA


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What a year it’s been for basketball. Joel Embiid became the first center to lead the league in scoring since Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Paul helped yet another franchise set their win record and the Los Angeles Lakers set a new low for preseason betting favorites. I’ve had a lot of fun covering it all, and I’m happy to sign off with my last column of the semester. Let’s get to it.

The Mavericks and Jazz throw a couple of haymakers

When the Dallas Mavericks announced the absence of superstar guard Luka Doncic in the first three games of their first-round series against the Utah Jazz, expectations were grim. The Mavs had gone 2-2 in their last four regular season games against the Jazz, but both wins were won with the strength of sterling Doncic performances. An opening game loss seemed to confirm these fears, but the Mavs appeared far from finished.

Spearheaded by fourth-year guard Jalen Brunson, the Mavs swept by the Jazz in games two and three by 6 and 8 points, respectively. With Doncic cleared for game four, the Mavs seemed poised to take a commanding 3-1 lead. The Jazz had other ideas. A game-winning alley-oop orchestrated by Utah’s two stars locked the series at 2-2 as it shifts back to Dallas.

DeRozan’s playoff struggles

What happens to Chicago Bulls guard Demar DeRozan when the calendar hits April and the NBA playoffs begin? For much of the former Trojan’s career, we’ve seen his stats take a hit when the going gets tough. He’s never had a season shooting a higher percentage in the playoffs than the regular season. 

As the leading star for teams in Toronto, San Antonio and Chicago, DeRozan is yet to reach the Finals. On the brink of elimination from the playoffs again, the Bulls guard has struggled to produce in the teams’ losses. He’s gone 18-54 from the field in those games, including an uninspiring 0-7 line on threes. If Chicago wants any chance of making their series competitive after back-to-back blowouts, they’ll need DeRozan back at his best.

The Warriors’ Death Lineup 3.0

Watch out, West Coast. The Golden State Warriors have unlocked the third iteration of their iconic “death lineup” thanks to the scorching shooting of young guard Jordan Poole. The first death lineup included Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala. Despite not having a player taller than 6’10”, this lineup blitzed the league’s best from its first appearance in the 2015 Finals. 

The second death lineup was the so-called “Hamptons Five.” This group substituted former MVP small forward Kevin Durant for Harrison Barnes to devastating effect. Back-to-back championships followed as the team went 32-6 in postseason play in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.

With Durant’s departure, the death lineups seemed lost forever. Former Michigan guard Jordan Poole has resurrected the death lineup, forming a potent five that has a 3-1 lead against the Denver Nuggets in their first round series. An official name is still forthcoming, but my personal favorite is calling this the “Poole Party” lineup.

Boston’s D is not here to mess around

The Brooklyn Nets came out of the play-in tourney riding high, sweeping past the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-108. Unfortunately for the team, they ran straight into the buzzsaw known as the Boston Celtics defense. Through games one and two, the Celtics held the Nets to the lowest shot quality mark in the playoffs, a paltry 46.8%. That would be, by far, the worst percentage in the league during the regular season.

Kevin Durant looks as if he’s starring in “Thunderstruck” (2012) again, shooting at a 39.4% clip on the series. Point guard Kyrie Irving hasn’t fared much better, posting a 43% mark on the series. Even a return from missing point guard Ben Simmons wouldn’t have saved these Nets, unless Simmons had taken a page or two out of Steph Curry’s book over the last year. 

It’s too early to call this era of Brooklyn basketball a flop but lose a few more playoff series, and it wouldn’t be the worst adjective for it. 

With that, I’ll sign off for the semester. Keep hooping, stay froody and have a great summer.

Yoav Gillath is a freshman writing about NBA and NCAA basketball. His column, “Coast to Coast,” runs every other Tuesday.