Can Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell or Jamal Murray stay hot enough to make noise? Will Russell Westbrook come back to change things?
They deserve all the credits they earned by maximizing their time in the bubble, emerging to the eighth seed in the Western Conference and winning the first game against the Lakers, the best, but the fifth game will be the last.
After spraining his ankle during a 13-point triple-double in Game 3, Luka had one of the performances of the bubble with 43 points, 17 rebounds, 13 assists and a buzzer-beating, game-winning stepback three in Game 4.
Like Orlando, Dallas may not play its main guys much either. If things get out of hand quickly (as they did in Game 5), head coach Rick Carlisle might have to think about the risk of injury to Doncic.
With mostly subs in down the stretch, expect some fun moments from Boban Marjanovic, who’s 34th in NBA history in points per 75 possessions (among players with at least as many career minutes).
The magic of a three-guard lineup with Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder was far more potent than anticipated. And it’ll be enough to get one more win against the Houston Rockets. But the extended Cinderella run will end this round.
And that fire, along with the skills he’s cultivated, will help Denver achieve a playoff victory when it’s in a 1-3 hole before winning Game 5.
Championship Odds: +4200
With spacing, the paint is open for Westbrook to attack. It turns many of your possessions into semi-transitional opportunities.
“He’ll go through practice [Friday], and if things are normal, we expect him to be ready to go,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said of the star guard.
If it wasn’t clear already, the first round reaffirmed Tatum is a star (and maybe even a superstar). And in combination with Kemba Walker, Boston should have an ever-so-slight edge in top-end talent in its second-round series against the Toronto Raptors.
Championship odds: $1000
Then, in the playoffs, against the injury-ravaged Brooklyn Nets, he shot 41.7 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three.
Right now, LeBron James is at 25.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists. And if the Lakers are going to win the title, he may have to maintain that stellar production.
Whether it ends in triumph or grief, Bledsoe will oppose that triumph before the end of this playoff series.
Boston’s positionless defenders should be tied up with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. That’ll leave possessions for Bledsoe to attack Walker, who’s never been known for his defense.
The Celtics can hide him on Wesley Matthews for stretches. They also have Marcus Smart to deploy against Bledsoe. But there should be plenty of opportunities for the Bucks guard to break out of his postseason slump.
When George, in spite of everything, received 35 issues in 12 shots in 18, L.A. erased Dallas through 43 issues.