NBA: Week 2 Playoff Takeaways
1) Milwaukee made the right call by boycotting: The Bucks decided to boycott Game 5 of their first round series versus the Orlando Magic in protest of the shooting of Jacob Blake by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin. This is the first time the NBA has ever postponed playoff games. Milwaukee released a statement on Wednesday calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demanding the officers involved be held accountable.
2) The NBA needs to do all they can: While the games were on hold for a few days during the boycott, the league was attempting to come together to figure out the best course of action. According to Vanity Fair, the NBA will convert their arenas to polling stations for the upcoming election, as part of a new social justice agreement. Adam Silver and Michelle Roberts also said the league would advocate "for meaningful police and criminal justice reform."
3) The Lakers are still the best team in the West: After struggling in the seeding games and the playoff opener against Portland, some people were predicting a first round loss for Los Angeles. A lot can change in four games, though, and it looks like the Lakers are still the best team in the Western Conference, despite serious threats in the Clippers, Rockets, and Jazz. LA outscored the Blazers 493-433 in their four wins, by an average of 15.0 points per game.
4) Houston should be able to advance on Monday: The Rockets looked like they were in a bit of trouble after losing two straight games to the Thunder, before trailing by three points in the second quarter of Game 5 on Saturday afternoon. But Houston turned it on after halftime, outscoring Oklahoma City 37-18 in the third quarter to pull away. With Russell Westbrook back and James Harden locked in (31 points in Game 5), Houston should advance on Monday.
5) Carmelo Anthony will re-sign with the Trail Blazers: We weren't quite sure what to expect when the Trail Blazers signed the 10-time All-Star earlier in the season, but it turned out to be nearly a perfect fit. Anthony was looking to find a home after being out of the league for about a year and a half and it seems like he did just that. The 36-year-old forward averaged 15.4 points and 6.3 rebounds in 58 games with Portland, and should look to re-sign this offseason.
Photo Credit: Forbes.
