The NBA playoffs are ongoing and fans are getting entertained with each passing game. Everyone loves an underdog victory once in a while and this season’s playoffs have not disappointed on that front. Players can Bet with William Hill where all the top NBA playoffs markets and competitive odds have been provided.
While the NBA pulls a huge following, a bet in the US market will provide a host of other top professional and collegiate options in different sports. In the wake of the NBA playoffs, there was no clear favourite and this made it even more interesting. From the games played, the main stars have elevated their games while twist and turns have also clouded the game of basketball. So who are these underdog teams that have staged an upset to the bigger boys? Who are these bigger boys that have lacked the footing to keep up with their standards? And who are these players that have overperformed?
Here are the biggest NBA playoffs surprises so far:
- The collapse of the Philly
While it was written in the stars that they would lose to Boston Celtics after the absence of Ben Simmons, it is how they lost the game that made it shocking.
Boston put on a shift and dominated the game from the start to the end with Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum having a field day in scoring. Philly was outplayed and struggled greatly to create any offense. Looking at how other underdogs stole some win especially Orlando Magic over Milwaukee Bucks, then Philly was at least tipped to win one of their games against the Celtics.
This is the third consecutive time the team has not gone past the second round and the ‘team-building process’ seems to be not working. The coach, Brett Brown, was fired and with Elton Brand, the general manager, seemingly ready to make hard decisions, the trade market might see them acting.
- Donovan Mitchell put on a show
Donovan Mitchel has over and again proved to be one of the top NBA young players but the past two straight playoff exits haven’t done him a favour just yet. However, this season’s playoffs saw him put on a show through the first games. Game 1 saw him drop 51 points and gained comparisons to Dwayne Wade for his rims and dunks. The next game came even better with Mitchell controlling the action and dropping 30 points coupled up with 8 assists. His playmaking prowess seems to be one of the traits to look out for from the young Utah man.
- Lu Dort and James Harden switch
The Rockets vs. Thunder game 7 provided us with an insane display. James Harden couldn’t buy a bucket while, on the other hand, Dort was not missing. Dort put on a performance that saw him drop six long-range bombs and finish with a game-high 30 points. James’ stats for the night were not so impressive with the Rockets man shooting 4-15 from the field and 1-9 from behind the arc. For anyone who backed Lu Dort to score anywhere near 30 points, a vacation would be in the waiting. What a rich man he is!