LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama and the stars who have defined the first round of the NBA playoffs

The first round of the NBA playoffs is an adventure. All of the preparation to diagnose what a team is, what its tendencies are, and what schemes could work to turn the opponent into something else. It’s a constant battle with one team trying to figure out how to get one side to stop being great, and the other working to put it back on the table.

A lot of times these efforts can be intense in the moment, then lost to a bracket historically. I wanted to salute the things that have stuck out in this opening round as we enter its closing weekend. Matchups make battles, stars make fights and moments should live on — even as building blocks toward the rest of the playoffs. So let’s talk about some of the players who have defined the first round so far.

One of the best parts of the playoffs is a good, old-fashioned scoring duel. Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins, Paul Pierce and LeBron James, Vince Carter and Allen Iverson. The list could go on and on.

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Yes, after that insane Game 5 duel, I am putting Cunningham and Banchero here together. It’s one thing to go toe-to-toe, it’s another to do so in a way we just don’t see all the time. Paolo and Cade both scoring 45 was only the second time in NBA playoff history that opposing players have scored 45+ in the same game (Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray did it in 2020).

Cunningham scored the most points in Pistons playoff history, while Banchero was one bucket shy of passing Dwight Howard and Tracy McGrady for first in Magic playoff history (46 vs. 45). And we were witnessing two players going for it at the same time, making play after play to give their team a shot, and making whatever the defense wanted to execute not matter.

These were not easy buckets. Stepbacks, post-ups, fadeaways, pull-ups, you name it. The willingness to take and make tough shots in high-leverage moments. Driving into the paint as multiple bodies collapsed to contest. Making enough plays to where the defense no longer felt comfortable with the shots they were willing to live with.

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It was key in particular to watch these two players have that moment. Part of the joy…

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Author : Steve Jones

Publish date : 2026-05-01 16:02:00

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