Five storylines from third weekend of the 2021 NBA Playoffs

The opening round of the NBA Playoffs came to a conclusion this past weekend and the second round has already begun. Here are five storylines from the third weekend of the 2021 NBA Playoffs.

5) Orlando Magic part ways with head coach Steve Clifford. The Orlando Magic will have a new head coach next season as they “parted ways” with Steve Clifford of Island Falls, Maine. Expectations were high for the Magic heading into the season as they made the playoffs in the Orlando bubble a year before. But it was a disastrous 2020-21 regular season, as they only won 21 games, and traded their core talent at the trade deadline.

4) Portland Trail Blazers part ways with head coach Terry Stotts.  After nine seasons in Portland, Terry Stotts of Cedar Falls, Iowa is no longer the head coach of the Trail Blazers. There is no doubt that Stotts was an excellent regular season coach in Portland. In 720 games, Portland had a record of 402 wins and 318 losses. However, despite making the playoffs in eight of nine years, Stotts only had a playoff record of 22 wins and 40 losses.

3) James Harden injures his hamstring. In game one of the Eastern Conference semifinal, James Harden injured his hamstring. The Nets still were able to come away with a 115-107 win even though he only played one minute of action. Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin each had double-doubles. When game two tips off tonight in New York state, Harden will not be in the lineup according to ESPN. 

2) Hawks dominate first half in Philadelphia. In game one of the Eastern Conference semifinal, Atlanta dominated the first half, outscoring Philly 74-54. Trae Young made Hawks history by becoming the first Atlanta player to have 35 points and 10 assists in a postseason game. Atlanta hung on to win 128-124.

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1) Clippers come back to beat the Mavericks. Down three games to two heading into Friday night, the Clippers beat the Mavericks 104-97 in game six and 126-111 in game seven. In both games, Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers in scoring. His 45 points in game six set the Clippers franchise record for most points by a player in a single playoff game. Leonard then had 28 points in game seven.

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