2019 NBA Playoffs 1st Round

In keeping up with tradition since 2007 of writing commentaries about NBA playoffs (circa Kobe and Lakers versus Big 3's and Celtics days), here is the quite late post about the NBA Playoffs, the 2019 edition. To recap, the first round ended this way:

East:
(1) Milwaukee Bucks obliterating (8) Detroit Pistons at 4-0: Antetokounmpo show why he is a leading MVP favorite. Blake Griffin playing gutsy despite an injury but ended up short.

(2) Toronto Raptors destroying (7) Orlando Magic at 4-1: Kawhi Leonard with the strong help from Pascal Siakam dominated the series. Magic was lucky to get one win with a buzzer beater from DJ Augustin in Game 1

(3) Philadelphia 76ers deflating (6) Brooklyn Nets at 4-1: It was a gutsy performance by D'Angelo Russel and young, up and comer Nets against a star studded Sixers. Talent trumps gutsiness.

(4) Boston Celtics steamrolling (5) at 4-0: Indiana Pacers. Perceived as the closest series pre-playoffs, Celtics have shown what they are built for. With superstar in Pacers line-up, Celtics showed dominance throughout the series.

West: 
(1) Golden State Warriors struggled to beat (8) LA Clippers at 4-2. The mighty Warriors struggled to beat the spirited Clippers in a game of grit of grind. It takes great performances from KD to finally take out the Clippers

(2) Denver Nuggets takes out (7) San Antonio Spurs at 4-7. The traditional power Spurs has been beaten by the young, up and comer Nuggets in a highly entertaining, grueling 7 game series.

(3) Portland Trailblazers knocks out (6) Oklahoma City Thunder at 4-1: In a what was foreseen a very close series as both teams banner 2 all-stars each with a decent support crew. But it's Dame Time! The buzzer beater in Game 5 to close the series is will be played in future playoff video promotions in the years to come.

(4) Houston Rockets passes through (5) Utah Jazz at 4-1: James Harden is simply unstoppable in most of the series except Game 3 where he posted the worst shooting percentage by a starter in playoffs history. A complete Rockets team is scary.

Second Round Match-Ups:
East:
(1) Bucks versus (4) Celtics: A dogfight for a 1st round rematch last year
(2) Raptors versus (3) Sixers: A traditional East power versus a team that completed the process

West:
(1) Warriors versus (4) Rockets: The real Western Conference finals
(2) Nuggets versus (3) Blazers: Two first round whipping teams making progress this year