He’s out of the Playoffs, but he’s back.

2021 NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals

And then there were four. It’s probably recency bias but this has felt like one of the best NBA playoffs in a long long time. One weekend with three Game 7's?? Are you kidding me? Fans are back in the stands and the players did not disappoint.

Eastern Conference Finals:

(3) Milwaukee vs. (5) Atlanta.

• I’m sure some better somewhere won thousands of dollars by picking these two teams but the majority of us did not. So how’d we get here? Well, *read this quickly*, first Kyrie Irving sprained his ankle, then James Harden rushed back from a hamstring injury, then Kevin Durant reminded the world that he is the greatest scorer in the history of the game, but then Jrue Holiday woke up like Han Solo out of a freezer chamber and helped the Bucks stun the favorites to win the NBA Championship, even though if Durant had a slightly smaller foot, the ECF would be being played at Barclays Center. *breathe* Then, Trae Young and his band of mercenaries went into Philadelphia and showed once again, they truly don’t give a flying Phuk. Ben Simmons appeared on Milk Cartons across Pennsylvania, Joel Embiid averaged 30 and 13 on a shredded knee and the Sixers blew massive leads to end up in a Game 7. Kevin Huerter put on for red heads around the world, turning into an NBA Twitter celebrity for one of the gutsiest performances this playoffs. *caught up?*
• So here we are. Two teams that clawed to the Eastern Conference Finals, about to face off. The obvious starting point is Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the most dominant forces the NBA has ever seen — and also one of the most frustrating. He tries to play like Kevin Durant, while possessing the long range shooting touch of Brendan Haywood. When he’s in attack mode, (and being used correctly) he is nearly unstoppable. He’s big, he’s quick and he’s a freak. Not sure how John Collins and Capela will stop him, they probably won’t.
• Then there’s Trae Young. A bonafide star who is never afraid of the moment. Young vs. Holiday will be a fascinating matchup because Jrue is one of the best on-ball defenders and Young is…well you have TNT.
• I think this series comes down to the role players and still, it’s pretty even. The Hawks have gotten great contributions from Huerter, Galo and Bogdan but the Bucks lineup is more experienced and should get the upper hand. I said I wasn’t picking against the Hawks again, but I’m going to have to this time. If I fudge this up again — I’m an idiot.
• Bucks in 6

Western Conference Finals:

(2) Phoenix vs. (4) Los Angeles Clippers. (Suns lead 1–0 as of this writing).

• The only dud of the 2nd round was the Suns vs. Nuggets. Chris Paul and Phoenix beat the breaks off of Denver and swept into the Western Conference Finals. A sweep is always good but it was especially important as the Basketball Gods once again rained hell fire on Chris Paul, sending him into the leagues health and safety protocol. The Point God missed Game 1 but Devin Booker put on a show. Not in the cliche way, in the “what Booker does with a basketball is art” way. He’s one of the purest scorers we’ve seen, in the conversation with Kobe and Durant as a guy who really has no flaws to his offensive game.
• On the flip side, the Clippers lost Kawhi Leonard to a knee injury but were still able to hand Utah one of the most embarrassing losses in Playoff History. “Momma there goes that Mann!” Mann and Paul George led LA into the Conference Finals, where they quickly got a taste of Mr. Booker.
• This Phoenix team is the real deal. The Suns have depth, scoring, experience and phenomenal leadership. It’s not clear when CP3 will return but winning that first game was massive and gave Phoenix the confidence it needs to make the NBA Finals.
• Suns in 5 (could be 6 lol)