The first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs finally came to an end with the Golden State Warriors eliminating the Sacramento Kings to book their place in the second round.
With the six-seed Warriors beating the three-seed Kings, we officially have one team from all playoffs one through eight qualifying for the second round of the playoffs for the first time in NBA history.
One of every seed remains in the playoffs
#1 Nuggets
#2 Celtics
#3 Sixers
#4 Suns
#5 Knicks
#6 Warriors
#7 Lakers
#8 Heat
— 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒆 🌩 (@Three_Cone) April 30, 2023
The Nuggets eliminated the Timberwolves as the one-seed, the Celtics eliminated the Hawks as the two-seed, the 76ers overcame the Nets as the three-seed, and the Suns beat the Clippers as the four-seed.
The trend continues with the five-seed Knicks eliminating the Cavaliers, the six-seed Warriors winning over the Kings, the seven-seed Lakers taking care of the Grizzlies, and the eight-seed Heat shockingly upsetting the Bucks.
Is Parity Alive And Well In The NBA?
This is the first NBA title race where so many teams have been in contention. Nobody is willing to count out even lower-seeded teams like the Lakers and Heat because of the talent on their roster, with the Heat already taking a 1-0 lead over the Knicks in their ongoing matchup. All eight teams could believably make the NBA Finals in a playoff landscape we have never seen before.
Top-end talent is supposed to usually win out in the playoffs, but so many factors are impacting teams this year. Injuries have played a huge role while rotational depth and coaching are proving to be game-changing factors in these playoff matchups. Hopefully, the excellent action continues into the second round as we watch a playoff run where no teams are virtually guaranteed to make at least the Finals.
Who would have thought that competition in the NBA would be so healthy after four years of consecutive Cavaliers-Warriors Finals? At least we get to see LeBron James face Stephen Curry again as the Lakers and Warriors meet up in their second-round matchup.
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