Cavaliers among eight second-round teams
- New York and Minnesota opened the NBA’s second round with road-to-home upsets Monday, as the Knicks crushed Philadelphia and the Timberwolves edged San Antonio. - Jalen Brunson scored 35 in a 137-98 rout, while Minnesota survived Victor Wembanyama’s 12-block playoff record to steal Game 1, 104-102. - That leaves Cavaliers-Pistons and Thunder-Lakers starting Tuesday, with the East looking tighter and the West still tilted toward Oklahoma City.
The NBA’s second round is no longer just a bracket on paper. It started Monday night, and it started loud. The Knicks blew out the 76ers 137-98 at Madison Square Garden, and the Timberwolves walked into San Antonio and stole Game 1 from the Spurs, 104-102. That matters because the field looked top-heavy a day ago — now two series already feel less predictable. (nba.com) ### Which teams are actually left? The conference semifinals are set around four matchups: Pistons-Cavaliers and Knicks-76ers in the East, Thunder-Lakers and Spurs-Timberwolves in the West. Two of those series have already tipped. New York leads Philadelphia 1-0, and Minnesota leads San Antonio 1-0. Cleveland at Detroit and Los Angeles at Oklahoma City both begin Tuesday, May 5. (nba.com)Monday night? New York landed the bigger punch. Jalen Brunson scored 35, with 27 in the first half, and the Knicks kept rolling after closing the first round with three straight blowout wins over Atlanta. The final was 137-98, which is the kind of score that changes the tone of a series fast. (espn.com) ### Why was Wolves-Spurs (nba.com) put up 11 points, 15 rebounds and a playoff-record 12 blocks, but the Timberwolves still escaped 104-102 in San Antonio. Anthony Edwards returned from injury and scored 18, and Julian Champagnie missed a potential game-winning 3 at the buzzer. Basically, the Spurs got a historic Wembanyama game and still lost home court for now. (espn.com) ### So who looks strongest right now? Oklahoma City still sits at the top of most second-round pecking orders. Sports Illustrated’s staff had the Thunder first and the Spurs second entering the round, with the Knicks third. The logic is simple — OKC swept Phoenix, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looked like the same engine that drove last year’s title run, and the roster still looks deeper than everyone else’s. (si.com) ### Is the East really the softer side? Not exactly. The East was messier in round one, but that also made it more volatile. Detroit came back from a 3-1 hole to beat Orlando in seven. Philadelphia erased a 3-1 deficit against Boston and won Game 7 on the road. Cleveland also needed seven to get past Toronto. So the East doesn’t have the same clear favorite energy as the West — but it may have more series that can swing on one hot shooting night. (nba.com) ### What should people watch Tuesday? Start with health. NBA.com listed Luka Dončić out for Game 1 against Oklahoma City with a hamstring injury, and Jalen Williams is also out for the Thunder with his own hamstring issue. That strips some star power from the marquee West matchup and makes the opener more about LeBron James, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the supporting casts. In the East, Pistons-Cava(nba.com)land’s offense. (nba.com) ### Why do the Knicks suddenly feel dangerous? Rest and rhythm. New York finished its first-round series early enough to come in fresher than Philadelphia, and it looked that way immediately. The Knicks have now stacked multiple lopsided playoff wins in a row, which is not how people were talking about them a week ago when they were still trying to finish off Atlanta. (nba.com)icks)) ### Bottom line? The bracket said eight teams were left. Monday made that feel real. New York grabbed control of one series, Minnesota cracked open another, and Tuesday brings the two matchups that will tell us whether the favorites still own this round — or whether this postseason is staying weird. (nba.com)
