Fast Break: Damn you, Jimmy Butler

OK, I was wrong. The first round has been worth watching. 

Even the gimmes like the duel between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves have had their fair share of thrills. Denver had it handled, but Anthony Edwards dragged Minnesota to a Game 4 win. Hats off to the Timberwolves, who probably deserve this year’s “feistiest first round exit in a basketball tournament” trophy. They face tough competition from the Purdue Boilermakers.

But unlike me, the NBA’s annual postseason tournament has yet to reach perfection. The thing I hate most about the playoffs, in general, is the fact that it takes two — yes, two — months to complete. It’s been 11 days since the postseason began, and the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies have played four games. There shouldn’t be any back-to-backs in the playoffs. But does it need to take that long to settle the first round of a four-round tournament?

And what’s the deal with all these injuries? If you’ve been watching the playoffs, I’m sure you’ve asked that question yourself. Stars getting hurt in the postseason is nothing new, but the sheer amount at this stage of the playoffs is a bit perplexing. The Grizzlies’ Ja Morant, Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard and Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid have all been sidelined for at least one game. Without that quintet of players, the on-court product is objectively worse. The first round is already tough enough to watch, and injuries make it even harder.

A team that has, surprisingly, faced little injury setbacks is the Phoenix Suns. I say “surprisingly” because at this point in his career, Kevin Durant is what I’d call “fragile” (in both body and mind). Remember, he only played 47 games in the regular season and could only suit up in Phoenix for eight. In addition, he hasn’t played more than 55 since the days were dark and Durant was a member of the Golden State Warriors. So, yeah, the guy is far from an Ironman.

One miracle aside, Durant’s superstar teammate Devin Booker has also remained rather healthy. IF that holds up (and that is one big “if”), I see the Suns winning the Western Conference. The Clippers gave them more trouble than I’d like — largely thanks to Russell Westbrook — but Phoenix looked as dominant as ever in games 2, 3 and 4 of the series. 

By sheer record, yes, the Suns deserved the No. 4 seed, but they’d be a top-two seed if the NBA took power ranking into account when creating the bracket. Disgustingly, the Suns should win in five. Next, they’ll likely be matched against the Lakers unless Anthony Davis gets put on the injury report after a rather violent sneeze. By some miracle, I’ll assume Davis remains healthy and Los Angeles makes it to the Conference Finals. They’ll push it the distance, but I think Phoenix is the better team.

Who will they meet in the Finals? If you asked me last week, I would’ve said the Bucks with absolutely zero doubt. Now that the Miami Heat hold a significant series lead thanks to the demon that is Jimmy Butler, I may have to swallow reality and pick someone else. 

Now it seems everyone’s picking the Boston Celtics to capture the Eastern Conference for the second year in row. Personally, a Suns-Celtics matchup is my nightmare; my detestation for both teams knows no bounds. However, I’m going to go out on a limb and reject the status quo because there’s one factor I think most Boston pickers have failed to recognize: the Process.

Philadelphia looked fantastic against the Brooklyn Nets and was the only team to come away with a sweep in round one. The Nets are far from a powerhouse, but the Sixers still managed to win Game 4 without Embiid, largely thanks to the production of James Harden and Tobias Harris. If Philly really plans on making a run, Embiid’s not the one to worry about; at his worst, he’s probably still good for a 20-point double-double. I think it comes down to the play of former league MVP Harden. He may be slightly past his prime, but I believe has enough All-NBA-level juice to make one final playoff run.

If he wants to advance past Boston in round two, Harden may have to do the one thing he fears most — defend. Robert Williams won’t be enough to stop Embiid inside, but Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown hold enough offensive firepower to overcome that positional disadvantage. If Harden and backcourt mate Tyrese Maxey can manage to slow either player down on the perimeter, Embiid’s dominance gives them a chance. I’m feeling Philly in seven games.

I have no idea who they’d meet in the Conference Finals. But with how things are going, I’m partial to Miami. Playoff Jimmy is inhuman, but the Heat are a No. 8 seed at the end of the day. I think the Tyler Herro injury will hurt them in this series, and veterans Kevin Love and Kyle Lowry may run out of energy by the time they get there. Philadelphia probably wins this in five.

I recognize this pick partially comes from my biases. If you have a problem with that, start your own opinion-based column. This one’s mine and I don’t care what you think. For the first time in forty years, Philadelphia will emerge victorious.

There’s some legitimacy to this prediction. The Suns lack depth, and I think the Sixers will capitalize. Also, if Philadelphians lost in the championship game for the second time this year, I don’t think the country would survive. But at the same time, I hate Phoenix and would rather my Washington Wizards relocate to Vancouver than Durant claims a third ring. Thanks to Philadelphia and soon-to-be regular season MVP Embiid, we won’t need to see that.

With that, the NBA season will come to an end. For some, at least. I’ll look forward to the NBA Draft on June 22, where the Wizards will end up drafting yet another bust. 

Dominic Varela is a sophomore writing about all things NBA as the playoffs draw ever closer. His column “Fast Break” ran every other Thursday.