NBA Playoffs 2014: The 10 most intriguing storylines of the first round

The Dallas Mavericks' Vince Carter and teammate Dirk Nowitzki, right, celebrate following Carter's game-winning three-point shot against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of of a Western Conference quarterfinal at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Saturday, April 26, 2014. Carter's jumper as time expired lifted the Mavs to a 109-108 win and a 2-1 series lead.

The Dallas Mavericks’ Vince Carter has had the moment of the Playoffs so far as his 3-pointer with time expiring lifted his team over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 and give them a 2-1 series lead

With the NBA playoffs developing a full head of steam in the first round itself, getting hands on good story lines has been easy. In fact it is so easy that we have multiple situations developing all over the Western and Eastern Conferences. Stagnant offenses, lack of chemistry, lack of defense, buzzer beaters, overtimes, trash talking, fighting, flagrant fouls and wrong calls – you name it, it is all there. We look at the 10 most intriguing storylines developing in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Honorary Mention

Nene

The Washington Wizards are 3-1 up in this first round match-up against the Chicago Bulls thanks to All-Star level performances from their starting center Nene. That’s right NENE!

The mildly frustrating, extremely streaky Nene, who for some reason has decided to take his match-up with Joakim Noah a little too personally, and lit up the Defensive Player Of the Year for the first three games before being suspended for Game 4 after being ejected in Game 3. In the two games that the Wizards won in Chicago, Nene scored 24 and 17 respectively, while doing it with admirable efficiency and dishing out assists whenever he could.

Now we start with the real list:

10. Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard is a legitimate superstar. His contributions to the matches might be overshadowed by the brutality with which LaMarcus Aldridge is destroying the Houston defense, but watching Lillard play, no guy with even rudimentary hoops knowledge can deny that he doesn’t look anything like what a player only one year removed from his rookie season should. Being heckled constantly by perhaps the most irritating player in the league a.k.a Patrick Beverley, he has contributed in pretty much everything for the Blazers and hit amazing clutch shots. All hail Dame!

9. Overtimes, Overtimes and more Overtimes

Playoffs are more competitive than the regular season in which many of the top teams generally sleep-walk through half of their match-ups. Even so, a first seed being pitted against an eighth seed is still not an even encounter. Tell that to the Western Conference and you are likely to have punches thrown your way. It is nothing short of a blood-bath in the West right now.

Every team has dropped a game and most of them have dropped one at home. Even the San Antonio Spurs, who are generally infallible in the first round, have lost two and are down by one against the Dallas Mavericks. Six out of the first 24 matches in the first round have gone to overtime. That is an amazing number for a first round match-up. And among the other matches, there have been more nail-biting finishes than ever.

In fact, the only series bereft of any level of competitiveness is perhaps the Heat-Bobcats match-up. And even that has had it’s moments, whether it be the hard fouls, or the Heat failing to turn it on and getting it done, or James staring directly at Michael Jordan while going for a fast break dunk without looking at the rim. Choose your pick.

It is a good time to be an NBA fan right now.

8. Chris Paul and the playoff bashing

How many times have you heard this sentence, “Chris Paul is an amazing point-guard but he has never won anything.” or, “Chris Paul is the best PG in the league but he cannot win a playoff series.” If you have been an NBA fan long enough, you have come across these sentences and you have stopped and wondered whether they are actually true. Paul is one of the most clutch players in the NBA and has one of the most visible and jaw-dropping ON/OFF fourth quarter switches, but he dropped the ball in Game 1 of their series against Golden State.

He is solely responsible for the Chris Paul and playoff mediocrity storyline taking over the internet. Although the Clippers redeemed themselves in Game 2 and 3, a 3-0 score would have looked much better than a 2-1 score. You never know when Stephen Curry decides to go on one of his 3-point scoring binges do you? And just like that, that’s precisely what happened last night in Game 4, as the Warriors drew level 2-2.

Wesley Matthews #2 of the Portland Trail Blazers pokes the ball away from James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets in the fourth quarter of Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2014 NBA Playoffs at the Moda Center on April 27, 2014 in Portland, Oregon. The Blazers won the game 123-120.

James Harden has been scoring the points, but has been very inefficient and has not helped on defense

7. James Harden

James Harden has always been more frustrating than awe-inspiring. If there was ever a player who could give DeMarcus Cousins a run for his money in the “lack-of-commitment” department it is Harden. Agreed that the Blazers took away his bread and butter by their lack of fouls, something that Harden thrives at when it comes to scoring, but Harden has been downright ugly from the 3-point range. Also, his lack of defense must be giving Dwight Howard nightmares in his sleep.

It was an open secret that the Blazers were going to exploit Harden’s defensive inefficiency by using Wesley Matthews post the living crap out of him, but getting posted up is one thing and giving close to three back door cuts, jumping for steals and literally losing your man on defense is entirely another matter. He better rectify the mistakes before, “FEAR THE BEARD” takes an altogether different meaning for Houston fans.