Enjoy Basketball: No Playoff Games Edition

I'm not gonna lie, the lack of playoff games last night almost did me in. No Giannis dunks to watch, no Curry bombs to witness, not even a single Chris Paul rip-through to complain about. But at least it's a good excuse to highlight some fun role players in lieu of game summaries. And a special thanks to those of y'all in our twitter community for the suggestions.

Victor Oladipo: The Comeback King

It's sort of poetic that the last time Victor Oladipo was in the playoffs, his Pacers were swept by the Miami Heat. And it's with the Heat that he's been given the opportunity to shine on the biggest stage once again.

Few players have struggled with injuries more than Oladipo over the past few seasons, and it's cost him dearly. The Indiana grads potential ascension to superstardom was cut short before it even really got going. And now in Miami on a minimum contract, he was playing to show he still belonged in the league more than anything.

And that's why it evokes such a warm fuzzy feeling to see him find success in the playoffs. After playing just eight regular season games, and seeing zero minutes through the Heats first playoff games, it seemed like Oladipo would do nothing more than ride the bench. But one Kyle Lowry hamstring injury later, and he got his shot to prove himself. He's only played in four games so far, but in two of them Oladipo came up huge for Miami, scoring 23 points in game five against the Hawks, and 19 points in game two versus the 76ers.

I think I speak for all of us when saying, I hope he keeps it going.

Brandon Clarke: Mr. Reliable

If the Trail Blazers front office listened to my hypothetical trades on fan blogs from a couple years ago, Brandon Clarke would be in Portland right now. Instead, he's playing the best basketball of his career on an exciting high-octane Grizzlies team who just made the second round for the first time in seven years.

Outside of Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, there's a serious argument to be made that Clarke was the most important factor to the Grizzlies success in the first round. With Steven Adams practically a non-factor thanks to his postseason defensive struggles, and Jaren Jackson Jr. mired in foul trouble, Memphis desperately needed another forward to step up.

And step up Clarke did. He shot 55% or better in all six games against the Timberwolves, never scored less than 13 points, and finished the series with a +/- of +35. Not only was Clarke consistent, but he saved his best for last. In back-to-back Grizzlies wins in game five and the series-clinching game six, he put up a combined 38 points, 26 rebounds, eight assists and four blocks. Not bad for a guy who started one game all season.

Jose Alvarado: A Loveable Pest

Jose Alvarado cemented himself as a master of the dark arts this postseason. The pesky defense, the tasteful flops, the sneaky steals, he showed it all off in what was a surprisingly exciting first round series between the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns. Better yet, he did it against Chris Paul in a real 'student surpasses the teacher' moment. And let's be honest, it was pretty entertaining to watch Paul finally get a taste of his own antics after all these years.

Yeah he might be the epitome of a "love him if he's on your team hate him if he isn't" player, but I think we can all respect Alvarado's tenacious hustle, great defensive IQ, and willingness to get physical despite his small stature.

And it wasn't just on defense where the Georgia Tech grad made his mark. The biggest knock against him in the regular season was his poor shooting, but he showed tons of improvement in these playoffs, with his true shooting percentage jumping from 52 to 62%. Even more impressive considering he did it against the leagues best defense.

New Orleans, you got yourselves a good one. I'm excited to watch him and Herb Jones terrorize opposing offenses for years to come.

Grant Williams: The Superstar Stopper

Ladies and gentleman, you're looking at the all-time leader in playoff three point percentage. No I'm not kidding.

Grant Williams was immense for the Celtics all season off the bench, playing his role as a three-and-d forward as good as anybody. But these playoffs he's stepped his game up to another level and has been absolutely integral to Boston's early postseason success.

On the offensive end, Williams rapid growth as a shooter gives the Celtics another valuable floor spacer. His lights out shooting not only puts points on the board, but it forces teams to keep a close eye on him, giving more room for Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to operate.

But it's on defense where the Tennessee grad has truly shined. Not only has he spent ample time guarding both Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo this postseason, he's more than holding his own. Williams has held the two superstars to just 11 of 38 shooting and seven turnovers when serving as their primary defender.

And shout out to my fellow writer Jack for the perfect timing. He just wrote up an insightful thread on the Enjoy Basketball twitter about Williams so make sure to check it out.

Brooks suspended, Payton II out multiple weeks after dangerous hit

Bad news for the Warriors, and bad look for Dillon Brooks, guard Gary Payton II is set to miss multiple weeks after fracturing his elbow following a dangerous fast break foul by Brooks.

The incident occurred early in the first quarter, and lead to the second ejection in as many games in this high-strung series. But that ejection for Brooks was upgraded to a suspension after the fact. That's bad news for Memphis, as the Oregon guard was +16 in 32 minutes of action over the first two games.

The Warriors will certainly be happy to see Brooks getting a harsher punishment, especially coach Steve Kerr, who didn't mince words when asked about the play.

Simmons undergoes back surgery, on track for return next season

Wow what a ride the Ben Simmons saga has been this season. Just when you think it's all over, there's one more twist to pull you back in.

After announcing a planned comeback for game four of the Brooklyn Nets first round playoff series against the Celtics, Simmons complained of returning back soreness and was shut down once again. He caught a lot of flak from fans and the media, with theories ranging from him having a mental block, to plain laziness.

But as it turned out, he actually had a serious back injury the entire time, who would have thought! Simmons' back soreness ended up being a herniated disk, and the former LSU Tiger went under the knife on Thursday to fix the issue. The team says he's on track to return for next season, as Brooklyn hope to drastically improve on a tumultuous 2021-22 campaign.

NBA teams play differently in the playoffs. What have we noticed with the Bucks, Grizzlies and other squads? -- Seth Partnow (The Athletic)

NBA Stats Notebook: The Celtics and Bucks' three-point standoff -- Ethan Fuller (Basketball News)

The Toughest Offseason Decision for Every NBA Team -- Zach Buckley (Bleacher Report)

Kevon Looney becomes model of durability, consistency for Warriors -- Janie McCauley (NBA.com)

Miami Heat @ Philadelphia 76ers - 7:00 p.m. EST.

The Sixers are really stuck between a rock and a hard place. Joel Embiid is confirmed to be out for game three, and the team has shown barely any signs of life without him in the first two games.

For Philly to have a chance at winning two things will need to happen. James Harden needs to be more aggressive and take over the Sixers scoring load, and DeAndre Jordan will either need to step up defensively or move to the bench in favor of a smaller lineup. But even with those changes, the Heat might just be too good of a defensive team for the Sixers to do much against without their star player. I think it'll be closer this time, but Miami will take a commanding 3-0 lead.

Phoenix Suns @ Dallas Mavericks - 9:30 p.m. EST.

The Luka Magic has been kicking in, but it doesn't seem to have spread to any of his teammates. Doncic is averaging an even 40 points per game through the first two games of the series and the Mavericks offense has looked overall pretty solid. The defense though has been another story.

And here's the thing, as great as Luka has been on offense, his defense has been nearly as costly, especially in game two. The Suns sought out Doncic on switches like a fish seeks out water, and it paid off in spades down the stretch. But I think sooner or later the Mavericks offense will have a game too great to ignore, and what better time than now? My prediction, Dallas wins a close shootout.

Thank you all for making it through another round of the Enjoy Basketball Newsletter. We're rapidly approaching the 25,000 subscriber mark, so if you have some friends who want to stay up to date on all things basketball, why not let them know about us?

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That's all for this week, see you all next Friday :)

-Spencer Poole

Last Trivia Answer: The answer to Wednesdays trivia question was David Robinson and Dwight Howard! The Admiral had the fifth highest-scoring DPOY season in 1993 at 23.2 PPG with Dwight's 2011 season coming in right behind at 22.9 PPG.

Trivia Question: In total, 137 players have scored 40 points or more in a playoff game in NBA history, including some names you might not expect. This player was the least likely of them all, averaging just 5.6 points per game throughout his NBA career, the lowest by anyone with a 40+ point playoff game. Who was he? (Hint: His 40 point game happened in 2006)