Mid-Week Mix-Tape: Keepin' it Old School
Mid-Week Mix-Tape: Keepin' it old school
The playoffs are about the superstars. Or at least, the playoffs should be about the superstars. Ant is out for revenge on an MVP finalist snub. Jaylen and Jason are the best J's since the Jackson 5. You know, the classic April-May-June basketball storylines.
But two games into Round 1, and I'd like to keep it old school. Boom-box on the shoulder, Walkman on your hip, Sugar Hill style old school. So in my opinion, the loudest story so far isn't the superstars. It's the guys who were supposed to be cooked, but are now doing the cooking.
The Lakers Are Running on Vintage
Luke Kennard
Back-to-back 20+ point nights
8-of-11 from three
Marcus Smart
40 points, 15 assists
9 stocks in 2 games
LeBron James
Playoff LeBron mode
LeBronto vibes
Combined Impact
Luke Kennard. Marcus Smart. LeBron James. Through two games, they've combined for 137 points, 40 assists, 30 rebounds, 12 steals, 4 blocks, and 101 years of age.
They appear to be the three most impactful Lakers of this postseason. I repeat, Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart, and 41-year-old LeBron James are running this series.
Kennard had back-to-back 20+ point nights and is shooting 8-of-11 from three (5-of-5, then 3-of-6). Marcus Smart, one-time Celtic fan favorite, Wizards warm body, and now Lakers locker-room presence, has put together maybe the two most important games of the entire postseason so far. He's given the Lakers 40 points, 15 assists, and a postseason-leading 9 stocks across two games. Five steals in Game 2 alone. Nine stocks. Nine of 'em.
And then there is LeBron. Seemingly playoff LeBron. Looking like Lance Stephenson just blew in his ear, LeBron. LeBronto Raptors LeBron.
To eat some humble pie, Monday's Value-Meal prediction wasn't perfect. Ayton was quiet in Game 2 and has some Vanilla Ice one-hit-wonder risk for this round. But Austin Reaves appears to be returning soon. Luka should be coming back for Round 2.
I'm not saying Houston should pack it up yet. They have Şengün and Amen Thompson, two of the best young stars in basketball. They also just got a solid performance in the return of Kevin Durant. But somehow, this series is decidedly 2-0 Lakers on the backs of two role players who weren't supposed to matter anymore and a guy that most basketball journalists wrote a career eulogy to last year.
The East's Answer: CJ on Fire
What, you thought we were gonna talk old-school mix-tapes and not talk about Atlanta?
CJ McCollum
That's it. That's the story.
He has entered full NHL Hitz: On Fire mode. 26 points in Game 1. Another 32 in Game 2 to tie the series. His regular-season average? Under 19. Through two playoff games: just under 30.
The one-time counterpunch to Klay Thompson in the Splash Brothers era to journeyman sharpshooter everyone assumed was winding down has instead rewound the clock in a way you can actually feel. It's a little ironic, I suppose, since Damian Lillard was always the one pointing at his watch.
Atlanta probably still doesn't get out of Round 1, but there are few things more fun to watch in basketball right now than watching CJ McCollum remember he's CJ McCollum.
Why does any of this even matter
Every year, the playoffs are sold as a superstar stage. And the rest of this postseason probably will be. Ant vs. Jokić-Murray is ferocious. Wemby's concussion is the scariest headline on the board. SGA and OKC look ready to dismantle anything that runs in transition.
But Round 1's real signal is elsewhere. Before we get to the superstar coronations, we get a minute to throw on the nostalgia glasses and cheer for dudes drafted nine-plus years ago.
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