The 2021 NBA playoffs have been very exciting and produced some thrilling matches. The Finals will be played between the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks starting from Tuesday.
Let’s have a look at who has been the winners and losers from this year’s NBA playoffs
Winner – Chris Paul
Chris Paul’s journey is one of the biggest stories of the postseason. After 16 years of bad luck, One of the best point guards in NBA history will finally make the first NBA Finals appearance. He suffered a shoulder injury in the first round then make a heroic return and help his side to reach the finals.
Paul became the fourth player in NBA playoffs history to record a Conference Finals game of 40 points and zero turnovers. He averaged 18.1 points, 8.7 assists, and 1.4 steals in the 14 games he has played.
Paul has won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, an NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, two Olympic gold medals. He had also led the NBA in assists four times and steals a record six times. No doubt Paul has a great career given his numbers and accomplishments but an NBA championship will surely add one more feather under his belt.
Loser – Ben Simmons
The Philadelphia 76ers, Ben Simmons struggled at the free-throw line during the playoffs and faced criticism for his performance. He became the worst free-throw shooter in postseason history. He averaged 9.9 points and shooting at just 33% from the free-throw line.
Simmons finished the season averaging 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game. Simmon’s game as an offense had been great throughout the season, dishing out 8.6 dimes per game in the series. He was also named NBA All-Star in the consecutive three seasons – 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Winner – Paul George
Paul George has faced a lot of criticism in the past for his postseason for his performance, both warranted and unwarranted. But he went to another level knocking out the Jazz and entering into the conference finals against the Suns.
A seven-time NBA All-Star has scored more than 20 points in each match he has played this season. He averaged 26.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists while shooting at 44%. His performance peaked in game five of the Conference Finals against the Phoenix Suns, in which he scored career-high 41 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists.
“I do. And it’s the truth. It’s a fact.” George said after the Game 5 win over Phoenix.
“But I can’t worry about that. It comes with the job, I guess. But it is what it is”, George on whether he feels he faces unfair scrutiny during the playoffs.
Loser – J.J. Watt
JJ Watt has supported the Suns in this season. He has also been a fan of his home team, the Milwaukee Bucks. So, now with both the teams playing against each other, which team will JJ choose will be a big question.
So, whichever side he supports, he’ll get the hate for not choosing the other one. Also, there is the possibility of him getting hate on social media platforms too.