Postseason basketball is now underway in earnest after four Game 1s on Monday. The Nuggets, Raptors, Celtics, and Clippers all jumped out to 1–0 leads over the Jazz, Nets, Sixers, and Mavericks, respectively. It was a fun (and exhausting) day of hoops, with most games coming down to the final few minutes. Even the undermanned Nets briefly put up a spirited comeback in a 24-point loss. Let’s take a look at one key ingredient from each of the first four contests—and what those could mean moving forward.
The Jamal Murray-Nikola Jokic Two-Man Game
Toward the end of the fourth quarter and practically every possession in overtime, the Nuggets used really only one action to eventually topple the Jazz: the Murray-Jokic pick and pop (or roll!