Round 1 of the NBA playoffs officially ended on May 3, 2026. It was a great first round and the first round began on May 4, 2026. There are only eight teams alive and everybody is fighting to advance to the NBA Finals. The first matchup is between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder are heavily favored and are expected to win this series. They are led by their superstar Shai Gilgeous Alexander. Alexander has been playing amazing recently and is expected to win back-to-back MVPs.
The Lakers are led by Lebron James, but for the Lakers, their best player Luka Doncic, isn’t expected to return from injury in this series which sucks for them. The next matchup in the West is the San Antonio Spurs against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Spurs are favored in the series to win. The Spurs are led by their superstar Victor Wembeyama and the Spurs have been looking great. The Wolves are led by their superstar, Anthony Edwards. The thing is, Ant is coming off an injured knee and isn’t one-hundred percent yet, but is trying to be there for his team which is great.
Now, we bring our attention to the Eastern Conference. The next matchup is the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons. This series is actually in favor of the Cavaliers who are led by their big three: Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, and Evan Mobley. The Cavaliers are coming off a hard-fought seven games with the Toronto Raptors. The Pistons are led by their star, Cade Cunningham. Experts are saying the Cavaliers will win because of their offensive production, and they are saying the Pistons don’t have enough offensive firepower, which was apparent in their narrow series victory over the eight-seeded Orlando Magic. The last and final series is the Philadelphia 76ers playing the New York Knicks. This series could be considered like a coin flip. The Sixers have been playing great basketball recently as they just beat the Boston Celtics in seven games including game seven on their homecourt.
The 76ers are led by their big three of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe, who have been performing well on the court. The Knicks also have a big three, led by Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, and Karl Anthony Towns. With such evenly matched teams, this series should be really interesting. Freshman Kayden Jones said, “Round one of the playoffs was great, but I think Round two will be even better and more enjoyable to watch.” Round two of the NBA playoffs has a good enough plot to be a movie, so make sure to get your popcorn ready.
