NBA ‘Offs Update

While the NBA East semis/NBA quarters are set as the 76ers, Nets, Bucks, and lower seed Hawks (ESPN.com “experts” almost all picked the Knicks, the higher seed/series underdog–what else is new. Also of course ’twas not me cashing, in fact the “anti”/opposite) all won their prelims in 5 games or less, only the Utah Jazz did that in the NBA West.

A night after the series underdog/higher seed, Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets won home 5th’s to lead (3-2), the Dallas Mavericks made the road team 5 for 5 as they won in L.A. vs the Clippers to lead (3-2). (A note is that stories associated with the Mavs/Clippers game 5 tilt probably correctly informs that this is the third time the road team has won the first 5 of a playoff series. Most cite the last time it happened was in ’95 when eventually the Houston Rockets, en route to a second straight crown broke the “home disadvantage” and took that “semi” with a game 6 win at Houston. Now I know the then New Jersey Nets won an all road 5 game series vs the defending champion 76ers, making that team’s Julius Erving who said “mail in the stats” look foolish). Now is that the other such series or is there another? The point is none of the game stories have indicated which was the third such “road team in the first 5” series. I knew about Nets/76ers and then the Nets played the Bucks in a quarter next and these 37 years later there is another Bucks/Nets “quarter,” with the former these 50 years after their lone title, seeking a repeat of the “quarter” win in ’84. The likely opponent in the semis for the Bucks/Nets “qtr” winner is/are the Philadelphia 76ers. What goes around…. ).

Fifty years ago, the defending champion Knicks 5’d the Atlanta Hawks and now the Hawks led by Trae Young “5” the Knicks, to face the 76ers, who also reversed a “qtr” loss 50 years ago, (then the Bullets/Wizards 7’d Philly, this was Philly in 5).