Jalen Brunson showed how clutch he is throughout the Knicks’ first-round series against the Pistons.
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One round of these NBA playoffs is in the books and ready for the basketball scholars to study, decipher, and discover: Just what did we see?
A pair of seven-game series was the suspense the NBA wanted and needed. Big moments and big shots delivered. A few sorrowful so-longs to players with Hall of Fame credentials. And other up-and-comers who are laying the foundation for their careers.
Such was the case over the last few weeks and a playoff round that wasn’t officially finished until Sunday when the clock expired on Rockets vs. Warriors. And we’re not even halfway through the playoffs yet.
Here are 10 things we learned in the first round:
1. Physicality is welcome, with limits
Suddenly, elbows are sharper, shoves are harder. Physicality blew through the door and made itself at home on the floor. That, along with the intensity, is what separates the postseason from the regular season.
In almost every series so far, players have required referee intervention. The best part? No punches thrown and especially no suspensions that would impact the outcome of games or entire rounds. Everyone received the memo: You can step to the line, but don’t cross it.
The increased ratings reflect the public’s interest in this degree of spicy basketball. For a league questioned for being too restrictive when it comes to physicality, this is a change of pace, a personality injection.
2. Suddenly, size matters
The complete and total demise of the big man has been long predicted but never delivered. Don’t get it twisted — in this stretch-happy league, the emphasis on low-post play is at its lowest in years.
But in the playoffs, suddenly big is back in style, and maybe necessary to stay alive. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves all arrived at this point when their bigs (Rudy Gobert, Nikola Jokić, Karl-Anthony Towns, etc.) had their moments in the first round. This proves that in the playoffs, the bigger they are, the harder it is for their teams to fall.
Rudy Gobert steps up with 27 points and 24 rebounds in Game 5 against the small-ball Lakers to help send the Wolves to the conference semis.
3. Celtics-Cavaliers collision course ahead?
The paper trail laid during the regular season signaled a Cleveland-Boston showdown in the Eastern Conference Finals. Nothing happened in the first round to scratch those plans. The No. 1 and 2 seeds are destined to meet in the East unless there’s an unlikely development in the semifinals — like, Darius Garland’s sore big toe causing him to miss time vs. Indiana.
The Cavs swept Miami and the Celtics let their guard down once against Orlando. Both teams were impressive. The star power, depth and size were all apparent, just like during the season. They might not be severely tested until and if they see each other.
4. Thompson twins are on track
They are double trouble, or at least will be soon enough. Amen and Ausar Thompson are done for the season, but these 21-year-olds fit right in with the intensity of the playoffs with the Rockets and Pistons, respectively. The lights weren’t too bright, but the future is.
Amen Thompson was impactful on both ends against the Warriors until he was slowed late in Game 7 by a calf strain. The Knicks’ Jalen Brunson victimized Ausar Thompson on the series-winning shot, but afterward Brunson saluted him — “he’s big time” — and Thompson shut Brunson down in Game 5 (4-16 shooting).
5. Edwards is on a mission
His only playoff defeat over the last two summers was to Luka Dončić, and he avenged that setback last week. Since the spring of 2024, Anthony Edwards has dropped Dončić, Jokić, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker from the postseason.
This has the makings of a solo journey similar to Dwyane Wade in 2006 and Dirk Nowitzki in 2011. And no, we’re not getting too far ahead of ourselves. Edwards has to win a title for the Timberwolves. That’s understood. But those two retired greats had to start somewhere … and Edwards’ start looks familiar.
6. Kia Clutch Player of the Year is … clutch
Jalen Brunson didn’t tell us something we didn’t already know. So maybe he doesn’t belong on this list of “what we learned.” Still, that shot … it was nice of him to confirm our vote for him to win the Clutch Player of the Year for 2024-25.
That ankle-breaking 3-pointer, of course, was what sent the Pistons home and the Knicks into the second round. And that shot should keep the Celtics wary as they prepare to game-plan against an unflappable Knicks savior. If the games in this East semis are close, they’d better toss a double team his way.
7. Harden was not-so-clutch (again)
Meanwhile, if we emphasize not a season but a moment of truth, when the Clippers needed his best, James Harden didn’t deliver. More importantly, he came up short next to a healthy Kawhi Leonard.
His shooting in his last four Game 7s: 4-for-15, 5-for-17, 3-for-11 and 2-for-8 against the Nuggets on Friday. His seven points Saturday were two shy of his infamous Sixers flameout two years ago against the Celtics. Look, Harden was an All-Star who elevated Ivica Zubac this season and carried the Clippers through most of it at 36. But once again, a Game 7 spooked him.
8. Curry showing effects of a long season?
He was strong down the stretch of Game 7 against the Rockets, exactly when the Warriors needed him. That said, Stephen Curry had lapses in the first round when he looked ordinary, at least by his standards. In the Houston series, he failed to score more than 20 points in three of the seven games.
Remember, too, that Curry is 37 and played on Team USA last summer. The deeper he goes through the playoffs, the more you wonder whether he can sustain a high level of performance (or even a consistent one). But the Warriors would love to go a few more rounds and find out.
9. Bucks in a tough spot with Antetokounmpo
His team is 11-17 in the postseason since winning the 2021 title. He lost in the first round three straight years. And that’s the good news.
The tougher pill to swallow is this: There’s no roster relief in sight for Giannis Antetokounmpo as long as he stays with the Bucks. They’ll be without Damian Lillard for perhaps until 2026-27 while he recovers from Achilles surgery. Those key championship pieces around him are either gone or old. There’s no rising young talent on the roster and the Bucks don’t control their first-round pick until 2031.
Antetokounmpo can either stick around for rebuilding — but remember, he’s 30 — or ask for a trade, which would surely restock the Bucks. Most superstars would opt for the latter. Antetokounmpo is beloved in Milwaukee and doesn’t appear to be built that way. We’ll see if loyalty has its limits.
The Pacers eliminate the Bucks in 5 games, leaving both the team and its star player with time to reflect on the path forward.
10. Haliburton is back
Here’s what happened to Tyrese Haliburton in the five months following his breakout 2023-24 season and selection to Team USA: He was mainly a cheerleader for that Olympic squad and then had a wildly inconsistent start to this season, which cost him an All-Star spot.
Since then, he averaged 20 points and 11 assists in March, helped the Pacers grab the No. 4 seed and sent the Bucks home in five games, with a filthy layup against Antetokounmpo in the overtime clincher. After being counted out, Haliburton is counting himself back in this postseason.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery.
