Celtics untroubled; goodbye Nuggets: The NBA Conference semi-finals serve up a feast

The four series of the NBA Conference semi-finals have come to their conclusion in what was a captivating fortnight of playoff basketball. The elimination of the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets, in a thrilling Game 7 at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves capped off a frenetic weekend which saw three surprises according to regular season seedings.

A footnote in this is that the Boston Celtics swiftly dealt with their matchup as they continue their dominance over the Eastern Conference. It was not so much the quality of performance that allowed them to best the Cleveland Cavaliers, losing a game at home which has become synonymous with their playoff narrative, but rather the clear margin in talent and squad depth which proved too strong for the Cavaliers, particularly with superstar Donovan Mitchell missing the back half of the series through injury. The concern for Celtics fans will be whether or not they can adapt to their first significant challenge which may not arrive until the NBA Finals as their pathway there seems somewhat innocuous thanks to the crumbling of key Eastern Conference rivals such as the Bucks and the Knicks.

A far more compelling series was the 1 vs 5 matchup out West where the role players of the Dallas Mavericks provided back-to-back stellar performances to close out the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, whose roster inexperience could not be redeemed by the remarkable consistency of MVP runner-up, Shai Gilgeous Alexander, who averaged 32.2 points per game. The trio of Derrick Jones Jr., P.J Washington, and rookie Derrick Lively II were instrumental in aiding the efforts of their elite backcourt pairing. The Thunder’s impressive rebuild should not go understated however, and their young core should see this season as a valuable experience rather than a failure as a first seed to go all the way.

The incredible statistic around returning champions continues, with no team since 2020 able to reach the Conference Finals or beyond after winning the previous year’s championship

The Indiana Pacers took down the New York Knicks in a seven-game series and put up a historic shooting display to put the nail in the coffin of an exhausted Knicks team riddled with injuries. Facing a 25-point deficit at half-time of Game 7, the Knicks lost their offensive hub, Jalen Brunson, to a hand fracture killing any hope of a heroic surge to the Conference Finals. The best-rated offence in the league could make for an exciting matchup with the Celtics, but questions will linger over their
ability to defend each position against such a versatile opposition.

By far the closest series was between the Nuggets and the Timberwolves, who both had periods of dominance until the decider which saw the Timberwolves fight back after an early Jamal Murray run. Fatigue kicked in for the three-time MVP, Nikola Jokić, which allowed for a strong fourth-quarter showing from the Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert, and Sixth Man of the Year, Naz Reid. The incredible statistic around returning champions continues, with no team since 2020 able to reach the Conference Finals or beyond after winning the previous year’s championship.