Two sweeps. One six-game closeout. One series that just got very uncomfortable.
The NBA Conference Semifinals delivered the full range. Dominant sweeps, one emphatic closeout, and an upset bid that forced a Game 7. Here is where the second round stood as of Friday, May 15.
New York Knicks def. Philadelphia 76ers, 4-0
The Knicks did not just win this series. They pushed Philadelphia into a full-blown crisis.
New York swept the 76ers by an average margin of more than 22 points per game, closing it out in Game 4 on the road in Philadelphia. The series was not competitive in any meaningful big-picture sense. From the first game to the last, the 76ers never looked like a team capable of matching New York's physicality, execution, or defensive intensity.
That does not mean every game was easy. Game 2 was still a 108-102 fight with 25 lead changes. But even when the Knicks were forced to grind, they still looked like the sturdier team.
The Knicks are not just advancing. They are a legitimate threat to win the championship. They are physical, deep, and locked in defensively, and they have done nothing in these playoffs to suggest they are going to slow down.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, is in full crisis. The sweep triggered an immediate front-office shakeup. Daryl Morey was fired as president of basketball operations, ending a six-year tenure that never got the 76ers past the second round. Bob Myers is overseeing the search for a replacement before the draft in June. The direction of the franchise, built around a core that has never delivered a deep playoff run, is now a legitimate question that goes beyond personnel.
My pick was the Knicks. I did not see a sweep coming, but I also did not see the 76ers doing much to change my mind about their ceiling.
Oklahoma City Thunder def. Los Angeles Lakers, 4-0
I gave the Lakers two wins in this series. I was being too generous.
OKC made this look easy in a way that should terrify every other team remaining. The Thunder did not grind this out. They controlled it. The Lakers had no answer for Oklahoma City's pace, depth, or defensive intensity, and by the time the series was over it felt less like a second-round matchup and more like a demonstration.
The closeout said plenty. Oklahoma City finished the sweep with a 115-110 road win in Game 4, getting the balance it always seems to have when it matters. The guards pushed the offense, the defense kept forcing the Lakers into difficult possessions, and OKC again looked like a team that can beat you in multiple ways.
The Thunder are built differently: young, relentless, and increasingly comfortable in high-pressure situations. They now wait for the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, and they will be rested. That is not a small advantage.
San Antonio Spurs def. Minnesota Timberwolves, 4-2
This was a fun series, until it was not.
Through the first five games, the young stars on both sides had their moments, and the series felt genuinely competitive. Then Game 6 happened. The Spurs went into Minnesota and won 139-109, closing out the series in the most definitive way possible. It was not just the final score that stood out. It was the manner. San Antonio was in command from the opening minutes. Minnesota never got in the game.
To their credit, the Timberwolves did not quit. They ran into a team that was simply better, deeper, and more together, and there is no shame in that. The Spurs, as a unit, were too much.
The one disappointment that deserves to be named is Julius Randle. He was a non-factor in a series where Minnesota needed a real second force. The Timberwolves needed more from him, and they did not get it. That is a real offseason question if this group wants to make a deeper run next year.
My pick was San Antonio. I liked the way this team was constructed, and they backed it up.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons - Game 7, in Detroit
This is the one that got complicated, for Cleveland.
Detroit is the one seed. It was supposed to handle this. Instead, Cleveland pushed the Pistons to the brink, and with a chance to close the series on its own floor in Game 6, the Cavaliers let it slip. Detroit walked into Cleveland and won 115-94. In the biggest moment of the series, the Cavs were flat and the Pistons were sharper from the opening tip.
Now Cleveland has to go to Detroit for Game 7 on Sunday, May 17, against the one seed, after blowing a chance to close it at home. That is a tough spot for a team that just could not deliver when it mattered most.
I am not saying the Cavaliers cannot win. Stranger things have happened in Game 7s. But I do not fully trust this group to go into Detroit and get it done after what we just saw. If Cleveland's stars look completely different than they did in Game 6, the upset is still there for them. If not, Detroit advances the way everyone expected from the start.
Game 7 is the only unresolved business left in this round.
What Comes Next
The Knicks are through. The Thunder are through. The Spurs are through. The only remaining spot in the conference finals belongs to whoever survives Cavaliers-Pistons.
That means Game 7 in Detroit is the only thing that matters in the NBA right now. Cleveland has the underdog puncher's chance. Detroit has home court, momentum, and the pressure of finishing the job. We will find out which one matters more on Sunday night.
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