NBA: A 2K simulation for the remainder of the 2019-20 season
By John Nassif
The first round of the playoffs
Western Conference
(1) Los Angeles Lakers sweep New Orleans Pelicans (8) 4-0
The Pelicans’ late-season run came to an abrupt end when facing the fearsome “Playoff LeBron.”
James led all players in the first round with 30 points and 13 assists per game, throwing six rebounds per contest into the mix. LeBron was a man on a mission this round, not even allowing a single game to be decided by single-digits.
(4) Oklahoma City Thunder beat Utah Jazz (5) 4-1
The absence of Chris Paul was hardly noticed this series. Oklahoma City put the clamps on Utah by only allowing 97 points per game throughout the series. A roller-coaster season for the Jazz finally comes to a tumultuous end.
(6) Dallas Mavericks beat Denver Nuggets (3) 4-2
Our first upset of the playoffs! Luka Doncic went absolutely bonkers this series by scoring over 26
every game with four triple-doubles. We may have a new king of the hill soon.
(2) LA Clippers beat Houston Rockets (7) 4-1
Houston’s extreme small ball experiment met its kryptonite against one of the best defensive teams in the league. Their lone win came in a game where they made 31, I repeat, 31 3-pointers. If that’s what it takes to win one game, they were clearly outmatched in the other four.
Eastern Conference
(1) Milwaukee Bucks beat Brooklyn Nets (8) 4-3
Sorry, this series went to seven games? What if I told you that Brooklyn also jumped out to a 3-0 lead? By far the most fascinating series this round showed a jaw-dropping run by the Nets, only to be bested by the Bucks realizing that this is supposed to be their year of destiny.
(4) Philadelphia 76ers beat Miami Heat (5) 4-3
If there were ever a need to prove the value of homecourt in the playoffs, look no further than this series. Featuring two teams that are terrific at home and horrendous on the road, it should come as no surprise that the home team won every game in this series.
(3) Boston Celtics sweep Indiana Pacers (6) 4-0
An injury-riddled Pacers team simply could not put up a fight against the Celtics this round. But Boston can’t afford to get too complacent as Gordon Hayward pulled a hamstring and is now out for the rest of the season.
(2) Toronto Raptors beat Orlando Magic (7) 4-2
Orlando is a better team than their .500 record shows. In a back-and-forth series, these teams exchanged blows and battled down to the wire in every game. Only one was decided by more than 10 points.