After the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs, which losers came out looking the worst?
To quote Gloria Clemente in White Men Can’t Jump:
"“Sometimes when you win, you really lose, and sometimes when you lose, you really win, and sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie, and sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose.”"
Eight teams have to lose in the first round, but the way these teams lose can vary greatly. Which of these losers are real winners, and which are still definitely losers, or neither?
Winners (despite losing)
LA Clippers
I wrote before the playoffs about how just making the playoffs was a huge success for the Los Angeles Clippers as they look to poach Lakers fans and potential free agents. Then they completed the greatest comeback in NBA playoff history, against a dynastic team.
Whether they sign a shiny free agent (or two) or miss out but keep their glue guys on team-friendly contracts, they are all but assured to be in the playoffs for the next few years, and will likely use this series as a building block for a bright future.
Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn can claim the same moral victory as the Clippers. Aside from Game 3, every game in this series was competitive. The atmosphere in Game 4 was incredible, and Brooklyn has finally developed a fan base. Three of their four guards (excepting Joe Harris) showed up and balled, often while sharing the court.
They need more beef inside to take the next step, but for a team that has had nothing to celebrate for years, this competitive series is a huge victory.
Orlando Magic
Orlando still needs to figure out their big man rotation, and whether they should overpay Nikola Vucevic this summer. Still, like Brooklyn, ending a playoff drought is a big win, and while their future might not be quite as bright as either of the two above teams, they look more like a playoff lock than Detroit, or near-playoff qualifiers Miami and Charlotte.
Losers squared
OKC Thunder
Lillard is better than Russell Westbrook and better than Paul George. Shoot, C.J. McCollum looked better than both max players for the Thunder (he isn’t, but in this series he was). Enes “Can’t Play” Kanter outrebounded Steven Adams and no one punished him inside for his historically atrocious defense. The Thunder role players didn’t step up, and their team’s game plan was horrible. OKC’s future does not look bright.
Utah Jazz
Utah lost a game (3) in which James Harden shot 3-20. That’s not good. The Rocket’s role players have thoroughly outplayed their Jazz counterparts, and the Jazz clearly doesn’t have a quality second option behind Donovan Mitchell. With their racist fans turning away free agents and most of their rotation players in their late 20’s, it doesn’t appear they have much internal growing left. This might be their ceiling.
Detroit Pistons
Detroit couldn’t make even one game competitive. It’s possible to be swept but retain a little dignity or aspirations of a brighter future, but that wasn’t the case for the Pistons, whose best player under 25 appears to be Luke Kennard (WELP!)
Neutral
Indiana Pacers
As recently as Mid-March, pundits worried about the Celtics’ problematic chemistry to the point where Indy securing homecourt and maybe winning the series was within the realm of possibility. But given the way the Celtics came together, Tatum resembled his 2018 playoff self, and Gordon Hayward resembled an athletic playmaker, the Pacers’ demise was all but assured.
Had they even forced a Game 6, they’d surely have walked away as winners. Despite having a chance in almost every game, they lacked the offense to win a single game. Still, this will be remembered as one of the closer sweeps in recent history. They looked a franchise player away from challenging a deep, proven Celtics team. They’ll get that franchise player back next season.
San Antonio Spurs
After winning Game 1 on the road, and nearly taking Game 2, the Spurs seemed to demonstrate the value of having veteran leadership and the most winning coach in NBA history. Simply put, they lost a series they could have, and maybe should have won.
But they were playing with house money this whole season, without their starting point guard, and managed to develop great rotation players. The Spurs, as always, will be fine.