A sweep without suspense, sights set on the Conference Finals! On paper, the two teams seemed evenly matched enough to force a Game 7.
In reality, the Celtics had already fallen apart.
In the first game of the series, Su Yan and Curry of the Knicks rained down threes, combining for a full 15 Three-pointers as they slaughtered the Celtics by 27 points.
Knowledgeable fans knew there was a gap between the two teams, but no one expected it to be this wide.
The Celtics also knew it would not be easy to defeat the two-time champion Knicks.
But they never imagined they would be massacred by such a huge margin in the very first game of the series.
How were they supposed to keep playing?
Their mentality instantly collapsed.
Whether their mentality collapsed or not, they had no advantage whatsoever against the Knicks.
The second game was another crushing defeat.
For the third game of the series, they returned to the Celtics' home court at TD Garden, hoping to mount a fierce comeback.
But that was only what they hoped for...
The Knicks still overwhelmed the Celtics, building a lead from the very beginning and holding it until the final buzzer.
They led 3-0.
The Celtics had no chance at all.
The Knicks gave them no time to catch their breath, sweeping the Celtics 4-0 and advancing once again.
The Heat and Bulls matchup was also completely one-sided.
Windy City Rose Derrick Rose had indeed played brilliantly.
But how could he alone stand against the Big Three?
With prime Gortat anchoring the paint as well, the Heat could go toe-to-toe with the Bulls' three towering big men, further weakening the Bulls' overall competitiveness.
4-1.
The Bulls managed to win one game against the Heat Big Three, but were still