These NBA Playoffs Have Been Fantastic | Defector

The playoffs are evaluated for both aesthetic appeal and competitive quality at the halfway point. Earlier seasons are described as lacking greatness, with notable poor stretches and limited standout series. This year’s playoffs are characterized by close games, unpredictable series, and frequent game-winning plays. The narrative emphasizes that both high-performing players and underperformers have been shaped by the postseason’s pressure. A detailed example centers on a late fourth-quarter sequence in a Cavaliers–Pistons Game 6, involving missed shots, rebounds, and a foul-seeking attempt that ends with Harden falling into Cade Cunningham. The play-by-play includes a tipped miss, a defensive rebound, and a subsequent inbounds moment where Dean Wade slips on a puddle created by Harden, turning the sequence into a karmic outcome.

"Not anymore. This year's playoffs have been fantastic. We've had close games, wild series, and game-winners. Both legends and frauds have been forged. Here is the evidence, in three parts. Case Study 1: Cavaliers-Pistons, And What Follows Here is a two-play summary of Friday's Game 6."

"With a bit more than 6:30 remaining in the fourth quarter of a tight one, James Harden missed a three-pointer. Dean Wade recovered a bouncing rebound and kicked it back out to Harden, who missed again, this time falling on his butt in an irksome attempt to cheat his way into a foul. The Cavs once again recovered the board and, once again, missed the followup, a sequence Harden spent entirely sitting on the hardwood in search of much-needed rest."

"Jarrett Allen tipped that miss out to a suddenly upright Harden, who ran into a perfectly stationary Cade Cunningham and fell down, finally having secured the one thing he'd been looking for since getting tired earlier in the quarter. On the inbounds play, Wade ran up to receive the pass in from Harden, only to slip on the puddle left for him by his teammate and prove the validity of the concept of karma in the process."

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