Momentum Can Change Fast: The NBA Playoffs’ Unpredictable Second Round

This year's NBA Playoffs second round has been unpredictable. Even though almost every series in the first round for the Eastern Conference went to game seven, the second round has been a totally different story. The Western Conference currently has one blowout series, and one neck-and-neck matchup. The question is: will these games keep going in the same direction? I doubt it.

In the Eastern Conference, the 76ers have not been competing with New York; they have simply been sharing the court with them. The Knicks have proven that they are a scary, championship-caliber team. One game in particular that sticks out is game two. The Knicks shot 27% from three, which is more than 10% lower than their average. In addition to that awful statistic, Josh Hart scored seven points below his season average. Despite the evidence illustrating how poorly the Knicks played, they still came out on top. Although the 76ers have a decent squad, they are not yet strong enough to compete with a powerful team like the Knicks. Pistons and Cavs, watch out!

Despite struggling to beat an 8-seed in round one, the Pistons have indeed been playing great basketball. In the first two games of the series Duncan Robinson scored 17 and 19 points, which makes a huge difference, considering he only averages 12 points per game. In game two, Tobias Harris kept James Harden at ten points, and at 23% shooting. This extraordinary defense allowed the Pistons to come out on top. Even though the Pistons took game one and two, the Cavaliers may now have the momentum. In Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points to lead his team to victory. Unfortunately for Detroit fans, their team was exposed once again. Even though Cade Cunningham had twenty-five points, as well as a triple-double, they could not get the win. In order for the Pistons to even have a chance at the NBA Finals this year, the rest of their team needs to consistently step up. If Cleveland takes game four, this series will fall in the Cavs' favor.

The Thunder vs. Lakers series has not been the competitive matchup everyone was hoping for. On average, throughout this series, OKC has come out on top by 19 points. Translation: every game has been a blowout. The biggest difference between these two teams is their benches. The Thunder's bench in game three combined for 44 points, while the Lakers' bench only had 31 points. In addition to this huge gap, Luke Kennard — who gets starter minutes — had more than half of those points. The Los Angeles Lakers cannot win a game in this series without their star player, Luka Dončić. Another concerning statistic is that Deandre Ayton has averaged only 7 points throughout this series, which is far below his average. This series has been nothing short of a disappointment.

The Timberwolves vs. Spurs matchup has been the exact type of entertainment NBA fans look for. In game one, the Timberwolves barely came out on top with Julius Randle scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. This was not the case in games two and three. One big change that the Spurs made from game one to game two was their rebounding. The Spurs had nine more rebounds, which allowed them to score more fast-break points. In addition to that important statistic, Victor Wembanyama shot 0% from the three-point line. This underwhelming percentage is 34.9% lower than his average. Victor's awful performance raises the question: Did the Wolves just get lucky in game one? For the sake of Wolves fans — hopefully not.

The playoffs this year have been incredibly exciting, and I cannot wait to see what happens next. If the second round has proven anything so far, it is that momentum can change faster than anyone expects.