Most teams had actually played pretty well in their playoff debuts. Aside from a rare few that looked to have no chance of advancing, almost every series still retained some suspense.
For the fans, that was undoubtedly a good thing.
For the players, though, not necessarily.
The longer the first round dragged on, the more likely they were to run into all kinds of problems later.
It meant having to keep revealing their trump cards in the first round and burning through enormous reserves of energy.
And all of that could very well become ammunition for their opponents to use against them in the second round.
So, given the chance, most teams would surely prefer to finish off their first-round opponents as quickly as possible, advance to the second round, and wait for their next opponents to wear themselves out, studying them carefully while continuing their own preparations.
That was exactly what the New York Knicks had in mind.
After Game 1, the footage the Knicks' coaching staff studied most wasn't even from the Heat. It was from the series between the Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers.
They hadn't publicly made any bold declarations, but their actions made it clear that they were already studying their next opponent.
Then again, a powerhouse that had won 76 games in a single season certainly had the right to be that arrogant~~
The calendar moved on to April 23.
The tense, thrilling playoffs continued.
Three series resumed that day with their G2 matchups.
First up, once again, were the Brooklyn Nets and the Atlanta Hawks.
The game played out smoothly from start to finish, ending with a score of 135-108.
The Nets demolished the Hawks by 27 points, cruising to another effortless win.
Kevin Durant piled up 38 points, 11 rebounds, and 5