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10 biggest takeaways from the NBA playoffs thus far
Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas has proven his All-Star season was no fluke in the playoffs. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

10 biggest takeaways from the NBA playoffs thus far

The first round of the 2016 NBA playoffs will come to a close in the coming days, and with that we move one step closer to crowning an NBA champion. We have already seen more surprises and drama than usual from the first round of the NBA postseason, so let’s take a look at the 10 biggest takeaways from the NBA playoffs thus far.

1) Injuries

The dominant story coming out of the first round of the playoffs has been the unusually high number of injuries that have befallen NBA stars. Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Nicolas Batum and Avery Bradley have all suffered injuries that have left them on the sidelines. Even Isaiah Thomas had to leave Game 5 of the Celtics' first-round series against the Hawks with an ankle injury. Those six players have a combined 18 All-Star game appearances.

While Golden State, Charlotte and potentially Boston all appear to have coped with losing key players as well as possible, the one team you have to feel downright awful for is the Los Angeles Clippers. Just when it looked like destiny was finally breaking their way with Steph Curry’s knee injury, the Clips proceeded to lose their best two players in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin for the remainder of the postseason within the span of 24 hours. Now on the verge of being eliminated in the first round by the Trail Blazers, you have to wonder if Clippers management is going to consider making a serious change regarding its big three of Paul, Griffin and DeAndre Jordan in the offseason.

2) Isaiah Thomas is a legit superstar

It was obvious to anyone watching closely enough, but these playoffs have confirmed it: Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas is legitimate NBA superstar. Despite being just five-foot-nine, the diminutive Thomas knows how light it up from the field. Along with being a capable shooter, he knows how to contort his body mid-flight when driving to the basket, avoiding contact and the outstretched arms from much larger defenders. Oh, and of course, as a point guard, Thomas is a superb passer as well.

Whether or not the Celtics are able to come back from their 3-2 series deficit against the Hawks remains to be seen, but there is no questioning that the Celts have a star on their roster in Thomas.

3) The Rockets need to be blown up


We all knew that the Rockets didn’t really stand a chance against the Golden State Warriors, even without Stephen Curry. But few teams in recent memory have exited the playoffs more pitifully than Houston did Wednesday night. In their 114-81 season-ending loss, the Rockets went 6-32 from beyond the arc, were outscored by the Warriors in every quarter and didn’t have a single player with a positive plus-minus ratio. Ouch.

In fact, after Curry exited with his knee injury at the end of the first half in Game 4, the Rockets were outscored by the Warriors by 60 points. As if the team’s poor body language after James Harden's winning shot in Game 3 wasn’t enough of a sign, it became explicitly obvious Wednesday night that Rockets GM Daryl Morey is going to have his work cut out for him this offseason. Dwight Howard, interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and host of others are expected to leave Houston this summer.

4) The Hornets deserve some respect

After winning their first two playoff games by double digits, the three seed Miami Heat has dropped three straight games to the Charlotte Hornets and finds itself on the brink of elimination. While it’s easy to blame the Heat’s woes on the absence of Chris Bosh and the fact that Dwyane Wade is past his prime, give the Hornets some credit.

After dropping the first two games, the largely inexperienced playoff roster of the Hornets could have simply mailed it in and called it a year. Instead, head coach Steve Clifford made adjustments to his defense, and his players responded. Kemba Walker has played like a true star, role players have stepped up and even Jeremy Lin has outplayed Heat max-contract point guard Goran Dragic. This Hornets team is actually pretty darn good.

5) The Spurs aren’t messing around

After another successful and seemingly disinterested regular season, the San Antonio Spurs have stayed true to their form and exploded out of the gate this postseason. Led by Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge, the Spurs swept a gritty, albeit injury-riddled Grizzlies team in dominating fashion, outscoring Memphis by an average of the more 22 points per game. That being said, the Spurs will be tested soon enough, because…

6) The Thunder isn’t messing around


After letting Game 2 of the series slip away, the Oklahoma City Thunder turned up the intensity level and put away the Dallas Mavericks with three straight convincing wins. Russell Westbrook continues to play like a man possessed on the court, and Kevin Durant is looking like the MVP player he was in 2014. If OKC actually had a competent supporting cast of players, it would feel much more dangerous.

7) Kyrie is finally looking like himself

After a miserable regular season, Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving has come to life this postseason. In the four wins over the Pistons, Irving averaged 27.5 points on 47 percent shooting and made four three-pointers per game.

Granted, it’s a small sample size, but if the LeBron James and his Cavs are going to have any chance of bringing Cleveland its first NBA championship, the No. 1 pick of the 2011 NBA Draft must play at his best. Irving’s performance thus far in the postseason bodes well for Cleveland.

8) The Raptors are vulnerable

Despite experiencing their most successful regular season in team history, the Toronto Raptors haven’t looked so hot in the postseason. After a stunning Game 1 loss against the Pacers, the Raptors have come back to take 3-2 series lead on Indiana but have been far from convincing in doing so.

All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry has been downright awful, shooting 31 percent from the field and 18 percent from three-point territory, and prized offseason acquisition DeMarre Carroll doesn’t appear to have fully recovered from his knee injury. The Raptors may escape the first round, but they certainly don’t appear to be a threat to the Cavs out East.

9) The Trail Blazers' regular season wasn’t a fluke

After losing LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez last offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers appeared to be a team primed for the lottery in the Western Conference. Instead, Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum and head coach Terry Stotts exceeded all expectations and finished with the fifth best record in the West.

As of today, the Blazers are just one victory away from winning a playoff series against the heavily favored Clippers. Granted, the Clips are now playing without their two best players, but you can only play the opponent in front of you. Assuming the Blazers advance, it sets up an exciting Western Conference Semifinals matchup against the Warriors, sans Curry.

10) The Warriors will be just fine

What about those Warriors? After posting the greatest regular-season record in NBA history, Golden State’s postseason felt as if it was lost after the aforementioned knee injury to Stephen Curry. However, thus far in the absence of their star point guard, the Warriors have thrived and most certainly have enough firepower to take down the Trail Blazers in the second round.

Given that there are already reports that Curry’s sprained knee is healing quickly and the point guard wants to test it out next week, expect this Warriors team to weather the storm without the MVP. As long as Curry is back on the court in by the third game of the Western Conference Finals, the Dubs will be just fine.

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