NBA: Week 4 Playoff Takeaways

Below are my takeaways from the fourth week of the playoffs.

1) The Clippers are the deepest, yet most lethargic team remaining: Coming into the bubble, the Clippers had the best rotation in the league. Doc Rivers has 9-10 players that he can play confidently and somehow they are on the brink of elimination against the Denver Nuggets in the second round. After getting up 3-1, LA has lost two games by an average 9.5 points after leading at the beginning of both fourth quarters. The Clippers are now in a must-win situation a lot earlier than we anticipated.

2) The Lakers will win it all if the supporting cast keeps playing at a high level: LA defeated Houston 119-96 in Game 5 as LeBron James totaled 29 points and 11 rebounds. But it was actually the Lakers supporting cast that made the difference. The "other" three LA starters scored an impressive 40 points (Houston's starters besides Harden finished with 28), while Kyle Kuzma added 17 off the bench. Rajon Rondo also played well against the Rockets, averaging 12.5 points and 7.5 assists.

3) Miami can't play drop defense against Boston: The Heat were able to play more drop defense than usual in their series against the Bucks because Giannis Antetokounmpo and Eric Bledsoe aren't deadly pull-up shooters. Bam Adebayo was able to drop when put in the screen-and-roll, but he won't be able to versus Kemba Walker. Walker is hitting 51.9% of his two-point field goals and if Miami wants to advance, they'll have to make sure he doesn't get going from mid-range and beyond.

4) The Celtics can't defend Bam Adebayo straight up: Adebayo has averaged 16.2 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game on 54.1% shooting so far during the playoffs and he might be the biggest problem for Brad Stevens and the Celtics. He is too athletic for Daniel Theis; too quick for Robert Williams, and too tall for Marcus Smart. Boston should look to double Adebayo when he puts it on the floor as long as they can scramble back to chase Miami's shooters off the 3-point line.

5) Houston needs to sign a center that can stretch the floor: Since the Rockets have been eliminated, it's only a matter of time for the rumors to start back up regarding Mike D'Antoni's head coaching status and James Harden's willingness to stay with the team. With that said, I don't think they were that far off from competing for a championship. The small ball lineup was effective but just not enough in the postseason. Signing a guy like Serge Ibaka, Enes Kanter, or Christian Wood could go a long way.

Photo Credit: Bleacher Report.