NBA Playoffs 2025: Star Power, Semifinal Drama & Must-See Matchups
The 2025 NBA Playoffs are heating up, and the Conference Semifinals have delivered non-stop action. Despite the Chicago Bulls missing out again, stars like LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, and Jayson Tatum are lighting up the court. From dominant sweeps to gritty Game 7 battles, this postseason is must-see TV.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 10: Julius Randle (30), Anthony Edwards (5) of Timberwolves and Jimmy Butler III (10) of Warriors react during NBA Playoffs game 3 between Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on May 10, 2025 in San Francisco, California, United States. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
These are the best times of the year: Easter, the beginning of Summer, and the start of the NBA playoffs. The NBA playoffs are here, and I can say they have not disappointed. Although my beloved Chicago Bulls didn’t make it for the second year in a row, many of these games have been on must-see TV.
The Conference Semifinals started Sunday, May 4th, and a few big names are involved, such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic.
However, you still have Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Jayson Tatum. With the Battle of the Larry O’Bryant Trophy, aka the NBA Finals, starting June 5th, let’s see how we got to these matchups in the semifinals.
Western Conference Playoffs:
The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Lakers in 5 games with Anthony Edwards averaging 26 pts, eight rebounds, and six assists. Edwards had this to say after closing the Lakers out in five games:
“We shot 7-of-47 from three and we still beat Luka [Doncic] and LeBron,” Edwards said. “I think they the best closers in the game, so who the (expletive) we worried about?”
The Oklahoma City Thunder clinched a 4-0 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
After their All-Star Ja Morant suffered a hip contusion in game three and couldn’t play in game four, Memphis tried their best.
The Denver Nuggets were victorious in a challenging seven-game series against the Los Angeles Clippers. Nikola Jokic did his job and averaged a triple-double for the series.
The Golden State Warriors beat the two-seed Houston Rockets in a tough seven-game series. During his post-game press conference, Warriors Coach Kerr stated they were fortunate to overcome the Rockets.
Eastern Conference Playoffs:
The Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the Miami Heat all series long with a 4-0 sweep. The defending Champs, the Boston Celtics, got the Magic of Orlando out of there in five games, but Orlando didn’t have any answers for Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum.
Tatum averaged just over 31 pts, 11 rebounds in the four out of five games he played. The fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers handled the fifth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.
Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo did his best, but after co-star Damian Lillard went down with a Torn Achilles Tendon in game four after coming back from being diagnosed with a type of blood clot in March.
Milwaukee had no answer for the Pacers. Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle had this to say about the closeout game versus Milwaukee.
“What they threw at us to begin the game and really throughout the game, that’s what champions do,” Carlisle said. “We didn’t respond well early, but we stayed with it and showed resilience, which we’ve been demonstrating all year.”
In my opinion, the Knicks vs. Detroit series was the best one on the Eastern Conference side. The Detroit Pistons lost six games at home. Tom Thibodeau, the head coach for the Knicks, described every game except for game one as a nail-biter regarding Jalen Brunson, their star player in these playoffs.
“That’s Jalen,” Thibodeau said. “It doesn’t matter what’s going on in the game, he’s going to be at his best when his best is needed.”
Conference Semifinals:
The Semifinals are only two games in, but it’s not looking good for Cleveland or Boston. Both teams are going into the enemy’s territory down 3-1.
Both top seeds lost game two, being up late in the fourth quarter, so we will see how both teams bounce back in game three. In the Western Conference Bracket, one series is 1-1 after both away teams won game one.
Oklahoma City bounced back to tie the series with the Denver Nuggets. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves have commanded a 3-1 lead against the Golden State Warriors. As a game fan, I’m excited to see how this plays out and who gets to the NBA Finals.
