The second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs is underway, and the action has been fantastic. The playoffs have been highly competitive with several close series. The only sweep was the seemingly unstoppable Thunder sweeping the Suns.
Fans were treated to two series going the distance with the Raptors losing to the Cavs and the Sixers getting past the Celtics.
In addition, lower seeds held their own in several series with the Magic looking good against eventual winners Detroit Pistons, the Timberwolves winning vs the Nuggets, and the Hawks eventually losing out to the Knicks.
Perhaps even more surprising is that homecourt hasn’t been too advantageous for those bettors looking to see current sportsbook promotions. While the money spent in online betting is up substantially, we will reflect on three things we’ve learned early in the playoffs.
What We’ve Learned Early in the 2026 NBA Playoffs
The Old Man, LeBron James, Can Still Ball At A High Level
The Los Angeles Lakers looked to be in the driver’s seat to sweep their quarterfinal matchup. The Western Conference’s No. 4 Lakers were surprisingly up 3-0 in their series against the No.5 Houston Rockets, and a big reason is the superb and clutch play of LeBron James. The Lakers needed two extra games to win, as they advanced to the Conference semifinals for the first time in three playoff appearances despite being without their two leading scorers—Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Without Doncic and Reaves, James has had to step up his game, and he certainly has done so. The 41-year-old opened the playoffs with 19 points and 13 assists, including a career-high eight dimes in the first quarter, in Game 1, as the Lakers handily won 107-98.
The rest of the 2026 NBA Playoffs series was much of the same as James tallied a game-high 28 points on 8 of 20 shooting while also going 10 of 14 from the charity stripe in the next one. He added eight rebounds and seven assists.
Then on Friday night, James scored nine of his team-high 29 points in the fourth quarter, with his most important points coming after a steal late in the stanza as he knocked down a game-tying three-pointer with 13 seconds left. James went scoreless in overtime. But he finished the game 10 of 22 from the field and 4 of 9 from deep, along with his 146th double-double in 45 minutes.
He closed out the series in game 6 with 28 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds.
James is averaging more than 26 points, almost 10 rebounds, a playoff-best 8.7 assists, and 2.0 steals with shooting splits. He is making 2.3 threes with shooting splits of 47.4/43.8/68.3. Additionally, he has a +5.3 plus/minus rating in nearly 41 minutes a game.
Several Youngsters Making A Name In The Playoffs
The NBA is typically a young person’s game, though it is generally believed that players have to go through the growing pains of playoff losses before becoming a star. While that may still be true, several youngsters are demonstrating they have truly arrived.
Cade Cunningham led the way as the Pistons surprisingly had the best record in the East. While Detroit needed to go deep against the Magic, Cunningham has been absolutely terrific as a scorer and playmaker. The 24-year-old produced at least 27 points and five rebounds in each of the first three games with one double-double. He averages 31.0 points on 46.4% shooting, 8.6 assists, and 5.3 rebounds.
While Victor Wembanyama gets all the attention in San Antonio—rightfully so—Stephen Castle and Dylan Harper are quietly having a solid first playoff. With Wembanyama sitting out Game 3 with a concussion, Castle and Harper combined for 60 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists as the Spurs took a 2-1 lead over the Trail Blazers. The duo is averaging around 37 points, 3.5 threes, eight assists, and nine rebounds in the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
Meanwhile, Toronto’s three youngsters—Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Collin Murray-Boyles—were highly efficient against Cleveland despite the game 7 loss. 76ers’ rookie VJ Edgecombe has produced a double-double in Games 2 and 3 of their series against the Celtics, including a remarkable 30–point and 10-rebound performance in Game 3, becoming the first rookie since Tim Duncan in 1998 to reach those marks in a playoff game.
Defense Intensity and Physicality are Vital
Scoring and high-scoring games are exciting, but the early going in this year’s playoffs is showing that if teams don’t bring effort on the defensive end, then they aren’t a championship-caliber team. Moreover, teams that can switch, scramble, and rotate while deploying multiple schemes and still rebound are controlling the games.
Seven of the top-rated defenses in the 2026 NBA Playoffs hold a lead in their series, with the lone exceptions being No. 3 Detroit and No.7 New York, which tied its series with Atlanta 2-2 on Saturday night.
