CSL March Madness: Round 1, Part 2

Game 1, #18 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #15 Minnesota Timberwolves
RESULT: Minnesota Timberwolves WIN, 118-114
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Analysis: The Wolves barely squeaked this one out. The twin towers of Marc Gasol and Kevin Love both had double doubles, combining for 30+ rebounds, not to mention Jeremy Lin being 2 rebounds away from a double double. But the star of the game was clearly Chandler Parsons, who scored a game high 37 points, a season high. Irving and Gordon did their best to match it with 59 points, but it simply wasn’t enough to beat the all-around effort from the Wolves. The Wolves now get the unpleasant task of playing the Trailblazers next round.

Game 1, #26 Phoenix Suns vs. #8 Golden State Warriors
RESULT: Phoenix Suns WIN, 114-104
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Analysis: In the biggest upset of the entire tournament so far, the 26th ranked Suns SHOCK the Golden State Warriors in a close one. Mitch McGary was phenomenal, shooting 11 of 18 for 27 points. Otto Porter and JJ Redick were both shut down, shooting 1 of 6 and 7 of 18 respectively. But on the other side of the ball, the normally red hot Klay Thompson shot 30% from the field. But what it came down to was simply rebounds. The Suns had a 30 rebound advantage - 64 to 34, which gave them 21 2nd chance points. They’ll be moving on to the 2nd round to play either OKC or San Antonio.

Game 1, #23 San Antonio Spurs vs. #10 Oklahoma City Thunder
RESULT: Oklahoma City Thunder WIN, 107-82
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Analysis: In the biggest blowout of the tournament so far, the Thunder mopped the floor with the Spurs. Tim Duncan was the leading scorer for the Spurs with 15 points and a double double, but when you consider the fact that OKC’s top 3 scorers all outscored Tim Duncan, that’s not gonna cut it. Dwight Howard could not be stopped, who was 1 rebound away from a double double with a 30 point, 9 rebound game. The Spurs just didn’t have enough firepower.

Game 1, #30 Toronto Raptors vs. #3 Utah Jazz
RESULT: Utah Jazz WIN, 99-74
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Analysis: This game was over before it even started, really. In the biggest discrepancy between the 2 seeds in the entire tournament, the Raptors really had no chance of winning. The Raps are already a pretty poor offensive team, but when going up against the best defensive team in the league who likes to slug it out and beat you down, it’s just not gonna happen. Brandon Jennings did his best with 31 points, but outside of him, only one other player scored in double figures. Batum had 29 points, and Favors had 22 points and 8 rebounds, a fairly pedestrian stat line for him. The Jazz will be facing either the Lakers or the Nets in the 2nd round.

Game 1, #19 Brooklyn Nets vs. #14 Los Angeles Lakers
RESULT: Los Angeles Lakers WIN, 107-97
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Analysis: In a game that was tied going into the 4th quarter and when Brooklyn even lead at halftime, a 28 point performance by CJ Watson (of all people… CJ Watson?!?) got the Lakers the win. Russell Westbrook remains injured, but the Lakers played phenomenally all around to make up for his absence. Stephen Curry was invisible, only scoring 10 points, and there was no played on the Nets that scored over 18, which was Thomas Robinson. Al Horford dominated the paint with a 10 point, 16 rebound game. The Lakers will now advance to play one of the toughest teams possible - the Utah Jazz.

Game 1, #27 Memphis Grizzlies vs. #6 New York Knicks
RESULT: New York Knicks, 124-93
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Analysis: This one wasn’t even close. Rubio had 23 points and 15 assists, Bosh had 21 points, and McGee had 12 points. Rodrigue Beabois had 10 assists and Thaddeus Young had 30 points, but as you might have expected, the Memphis Grizzlies didn’t have even close to enough to beat the Knicks. There’s not much to say - one team is elite, one is a bottom feeder. The Knicks move on to play either the Hornets or Heat.

Game 1, #22 Charlotte Hornets vs. #11 Miami Heat
RESULT: Miami Heat WIN, 125-113
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Analysis: Well, the Hornets tried, but like so many others, failed to beat Kevin Durant. Goran Dragic did everything he could, shooting over 50% for 21 points, and Varejao had an 18/11 double double, but that’s NOTHING compared to Kevin Durant’s 54 point performance, the highest point value of the entire tournament. He was 3 assists and 1 rebound away from a triple double, and Isaiah Thomas had an 11 point, 10 assist double double, not to mention Monta Ellis’ 21 points. Both Monta Ellis and Kevin Durant played a crazy 48 minutes, and it’s shocking they haven’t gotten hurt already. The Heat will be moving on to face the Knicks - can Rubio and co. slow down KD?