With the first round of the playoffs drawing to a close and more end of the season awards being handed out, here is a look around the NBA to determine who has been great (tops) and not so great (flops) in the last seven days as the postseason rumbles on.
Tops
Memphis Grizzlies– The 7th seeded Grizzlies are on the verge of an impressive victory against OKC. With a tied 3-3 series, Marc Gasol’s side will try to advance to the semi-finals in the crucial game 7. But even if Memphis were to lose in game 7, there would be no denying that they have done extremely well against Kevin Durant and the Thunder.
Jamal Crawford- The Clippers’ guard won Sixth Man of the Year award after his great contributions off the bench for L.A, leading them to the third seed in the West. Now it’s a question off advancing in their series against the Warriors, in which they are also headed to game 7.
Miami Heat- Unlike all their other rivals in the league (Pacers, Spurs, Thunder etc), Miami concluded a convincing sweep against Charlotte, despite the Bobcats putting up an honourable fight. With the only sweep of this first round, the Heat look ready to play deep into the postseason. Threepeat?
Flops
Donald Sterling- His racist comments that were leaked by TMZ have led him to being banned for life of any NBA ownership or involvement. In addition to this, a $2.5 million dollar fine was inflicted. Good to see that Adam Silver has set the benchmark for a zero tolerance of racism in the NBA.
Los Angeles Lakers- Whilst over teams are in the news because of the playoffs, the Lakers are making the headlines because coach Marc D’Antoni has resigned. The Lakers will have to enter a difficult search for a replacement, considering the job is a high pressure one, despite a fairly weak roster.
Chicago Bulls- Despite a great end to the regular season, the Bulls are already out of the playoffs due to a surprising 4-1 defeat to the Wizards. What looked a contender has turned out to be a real flop in this postseason.
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