The Best and Worst of the 2021 NBA Playoffs

The Finals are coming to a close sometime this week, with Game 6 scheduled for Tuesday, so we're reviewing the best and worst of the past two months today, having chosen five thrilling events and five lowlights.We're often watching LeBron James trying to add to his GOAT case, or Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant attempting to establish themselves as inner-circle Hall of Famers, so the 2021 playoffs' comparatively smaller stakes have been undeniably refreshing.Prior to the postseason, questions about the efficacy of players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Devin Booker, Trae Young and Deandre Ayton against more experienced rosters seemed valid. In the first round of the postseason, the team dispatched the Washington Wizards in five games and won the final matchup with Embiid sidelined with a knee injury (a somewhat surprising result, given how the Sixers normally played without him).However, things seemed amiss in the conference semifinals against the upstart Hawks, who took a 26-point lead in the first half of Game 1 and stiff-armed a frantic 76ers comeback in the final moments. Thankfully, though, Durant has reminded us all why he's arguably, finally, the greatest player in the world.Defeating a Jaylen Brown-less, squabbling Boston Celtics team in the first round proved easy. Add in a Kyrie Irving sprained ankle in the second quarter of Game 4, and all of a sudden Durant was his team's lone superstar. With that came troubling behavior.A fan was ejected after pouring popcorn on Russell Westbrook's head while the point guard was leaving Game 2 of Washington's first-round matchup with Philly because of an injury. It's unlikely the Clippers would willingly part with the two-time Finals MVP, and despite his partial ACL tear, Leonard is still expected to opt out of his player option for next season before re-signing with the team.Regardless, this group got further than any other roster in franchise history, and for that, the 2021 playoff run will be fondly remembered. Of course, none of us knew that Julius Randle was about to turn in a Most Improved Player-winning campaign, make an All-Star team, rank third in the NBA in Defensive Real Plus-Minus and become the engine of a competent offense.With RJ Barrett making important strides, rookie Immanuel Quickley turning into a New York folk hero and role players like Derrick Rose, Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel contributing consistently, the Knicks suddenly had home-court advantage and the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference after missing the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons. Trae Young averaged 29.2 points and 9.8 assists per game en route to becoming the Orange and Blue's latest archenemy. He averaged just 11.6 points per game over the final five matchups while shooting just 22.2 percent from three, and he recorded the worst defensive rating among rotation Mavericks.To get as much size on the court as possible, head coach Rick Carlisle started Boban Marjanovic (7'4") alongside Porzingis for the final three games of the series, even though Boban is even less mobile than his All-Star teammate and has a worse shooting touch. With LeBron James, Curry and Kawhi Leonard all on the wrong side of 30 and Devin Booker (age 24) and Deandre Ayton (22) playing major roles in the Phoenix Suns' run to the Finals, a changing of the guard has never seemed closer.