First, it was Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, unable to claim what was one of the best defenses in the league.
Then came LeBron James and the Lakers, who sounded 3-pointers from the edge to deliver a constant sound in a mostly empty gym.
These NBA playoffs have already promised to be the most challenging yet. They got a little smarter for the league’s top teams on Tuesday.
Milwaukee and Los Angeles lost their playoff openers, the first time both conference no. 1 seed has been beaten by the No. 8s to begin their postseasons since 2003.
So good for most of the season, the top seeders are having problems in the bubble.
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There is no advantage to losing court in this postseason at Walt Disney World, making it easier not to panic in what would normally be a tougher predicate.
‘No frustration, because the game is the game and we came up with a thought to win. We did not take care of anything, but on Thursday we got another chance to make the series ourselves and that is my only thought, “said James.
The Lakers knew they were up against a smarter-than-normal Noah 8 seed in the Portland Trail Blazers, who returned from the coronavirus-induced suspension of the season healthy and then played their way into the postseason through a play -in a winning series.
Los Angeles did not help themselves to beat a hot opponent by shooting just 15.6% (5 for 32) from 3-point range and losing 100-93.
Milwaukee’s problem was on the other end. The Bucks surrendered three quarters of 30 points – and 29 in his best period – to the short-handed Orlando Magic in a 122-110 loss. That was a particularly poor performance by a team that led the league in a number of defensive categories and held opponents to a league loss with 41.4 shooting percentage. Orlando made up 49.4%.
‘They play well. You have to give that to Orlando and we just have to keep doing what we do and hopefully we can turn things around in Game 2, ”said Antetokounmpo. ‘But just keep playing hard, keep playing together. That’s all you can do. ”
Neither team can blame the MVP candidate. Antetokounmpo had 31 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists. James had 23 points, 17 rebounds and 16 assists, the first 20-15-15 game in NBA playoff history.
But neither team has looked particularly sharp in Florida. They had arrived at the throughput well ahead of their competitors for the no. 1-seeded and were more focused on staying healthy than winning in the eight-seeded games leading up to the playoffs.
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They could not turn things around when things got serious and by the time the day was done, it was the first time that both no. 1s have been lost since Orlando beat Detroit in the East and Phoenix beat San Antonio in the West in 2003.
The Spurs came back to win that NBA title, just like the Toronto Raptors did last year after falling into the opener at the Magic. The Lakers’ Danny Green was on that team, so he was not worried about what one of the top-seeded squads is up against now.
“It’s the same kind of scenario,” Green said. “Down 0-1, they are 0-1 down. They are the top-seeded team for a reason, we are the top-seeded team for a reason. We just have to dig deeper and find, figure it out. I believe we will. ‘
