NBA Playoffs 2013: 5 Things We’ve Been Wrong About So Far

Blake Griffin was a complete disappointment for the Clippers in the playoffs. (Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com)

The 2013 NBA playoffs have been an event for the ages and, as often happens, twists and turns have led to a slew of wrong predictions so far.

I’m not saying that these five things were my predictions that went wrong (admittedly, a couple of them were), but trust me, there were plenty of NBA fans out there who thought these five things were more than possible during the postseason.

Thought this was the Los Angeles Clippers’ year or that the San Antonio Spurs were too old to contend?

Guess again.

The Dubs Are the Cinderella Team

The Warriors looked like the Cinderella team early, but the Spurs proved otherwise. (Flickr.com photo by Matthew Addie)

Every year during this time of the playoffs, fans are looking for that Cinderella-like team that takes the postseason by surprise after a mediocre regular-season campaign.

For many fans, the Golden State Warriors fit the bill. They had a courageous and exciting shooter in Stephen Curry and were up against one of the NBA’s best teams in the second round after ousting the Denver Nuggets in the first.

Sorry guys, but the Dubs aren’t the Cinderella team of 2013. As much as I loved watching Curry rain 3s and help Golden State contend for an NBA title, those dreams came crashing down when the Warriors lost to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6, thus knocking them out of playoff contention.

As much as I’m going to miss watching the Warriors play this season, it’s safe to say we were wrong about them being the Cinderella team.

Kevin Durant Can Do It All Himself

Kevin Durant couldn’t do it all without his buddy

. (Photo by Justin Smith/Wikimedia Commons)

While I was never one of them, there were many out there who believed the Oklahoma City Thunder could still contend for an NBA championship without Russell Westbrook and that’s because of Kevin Durant.

Playing without much help from his teammates, Durant gave it all he could, averaging 30.8 points, nine rebounds and 6.3 assists per game throughout the playoffs, but his Thunder were handled fairly easily by the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round, losing the series 4-1.

While Durant’s scoring averages were high, ESPN’s Numbers Never Lie highlights K.D.’s struggles in clutch moments.

Durant clearly can’t do it all himself and the 2013 NBA playoffs certainly proved that.

Brooklyn Can Get Past Injury-Plagued Bulls

The Nets couldn’t get past the injury-riddled Bulls in the first round. (Photo by Shinya Suzuki/Flickr.com)

It was never going to be an easy matchup for the Brooklyn Nets, but with Derrick Rose sitting out and both Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich missing games because of injury and sickness, Brooklyn had a clear shot to beat the Chicago Bulls and make it to the second round of the playoffs.

Unfortunately for the Nets, Brook Lopez was the only consistent player and Nate Robinson served as a spark plug for the Bulls, as Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer provided the emotional edge to advance Chicago past Brooklyn.

With all of the talent and big contracts the Nets have, they should have had enough to muster up a series win against an ailing Bulls team.

But that, like many other things, were aspects of the playoffs we were wrong about.

This Was the Clippers’ Year to Shine

Another year, another failed season for the Los Angeles Clippers. (Photo Credit: Chrishmt0423 (Flickr.com)

With the Los Angeles Clippers finally emerging as the better team in L.A., it looked as if 2013 was the year that the Clips took the next step and made a deep run at an NBA title.

A Blake Griffin ankle injury combined with an interior presence of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol proved to be too much for Los Angeles, as the Clippers were bounced in six games and watched from home as Memphis handled OKC to advance to the Western Conference finals.

Perhaps the biggest reason for L.A.’s shortcomings in the playoffs was the play of Griffin, who averaged just 13.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game during the postseason.

One player can’t do it all himself, as we saw with both Kevin Durant and Chris Paul during the playoffs.

The Spurs Are Too Old to Make a Run at Another Title

Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs are proving that age doesn’t matter. (Photo: Flickr user Killbucky).

Tony Parker, 31; Tim Duncan, 37; Manu Ginobili, 35.

It’s one thing for the San Antonio Spurs to cruise through the regular season and finish first in the division, but it’s another thing to endure the grueling playoff schedule and continue to play at a high level in the playoffs.

That’s exactly what San Antonio is doing.

The Spurs are proving that experience and fundamentals outweigh youth and speed. If you don’t believe me, look no further than the series against Golden State.

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