The NBA postseason has been fire, even before Game 7 over the weekend. We now look forward to some interesting and unexpected Conference matchups.
East Conference Finals: Milwaukee Bucks (3) v Atlanta Hawks (5)
West Conference Finals: Phoenix Suns (2) v Los Angeles Clippers (4)
*Phoenix lead the series 1-0 after Devin Booker had his first career triple-double (40-11-13) in Game 1 while also juggling his relationship with Kendall Jenner.
Facts About The Contenders
After years of the usual NBA stars preseason favourites competing for the NBA title, this season has created one of the most unexpected Final Fours in NBA history. For just the second time since the NBA/ABA merger and the first time since 1994, neither No. 1 seed made the conference finals.
Kawhi Leonard is the only starter on the remaining teams with a ring — and he’s injured. The four contenders have won a combined two championships, and they both came decades ago (Bucks: 1971; Hawks: 1958 when they were based in St. Louis).
Also, the Clippers are the first team to erase two 2-0 deficits in one postseason, and this is the first postseason in history with three 2-0 comebacks (Bucks over Nets).
Look Out For
Chris Paul’s 10 All-NBA selections are by far the most of any player that’s never appeared in an NBA Finals.
“Playoff Paul” George is the fourth player over the last 10 seasons to score 20+ points in each of his team’s first 14 playoff games, joining Kevin Durant, LeBron James and James Harden.