NBA playoffs Apr. 23: Damian Lillard beats the buzzer

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Three NBA playoff series ended on Tuesday. The Toronto Raptors defeated the Orlando Magic 115-96 at the Scotiabank Arena while the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Brooklyn Nets 122-100 at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Raptors and the 76ers will meet in the semi-finals of the Eastern Conference. The Portland Trail Blazers claimed a victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-115 at the Moda Center thanks to a 3-pt buzzer beater by Damian Lillard, making the Western semi-finals. The Denver Nuggets in the essential Game 5 took a big win over the San Antonio Spurs 108-90 at the Pepsi Center, leading 3-2 in the series.

Trail Blazers vs. Thunder, hail 'MVP' for Lillard

Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers makes the 3-pt buzzer beater in the game they win agains the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-115 at the Moda Center, April 23, 2019. /VCG Photo

Oklahoma City should have won Game 5. The team enjoyed a field goal rate of 54.65 percent and a 3-pt rate of 44.44; Paul George made 14 of 20 shots to get 36 points; Even Westbrook buried four three-pointers out of 11 attempts; C.J. McCollum were called three fouls in the first quarter and did not play in Q2; OKC led by 10 points four times in the game and once led by 15 in the fourth quarter.

However, none of these brought victory to the Thunder because the Moda Center on Tuesday only belonged to Damian Lillard who dropped career-high 50 points in the playoffs, including 34 from the first half and a 40-foot 3-pt buzzer beater right in front of DPOY (Defensive Player of the Year Award) candidate George.

Jusuf Nurkic (L), Portland's starting center who misses the playoffs because of injury, meets Lillard in the locker room after the game against the Thunder, April 23, 2019. /VCG Photo

A long team of NBA players expressed how they felt about Lillard's epic performance on Tuesday night. Dwyane Wade wrote "DAME DAMN !!!!" on Twitter. Elfrid Payton posted: "Not like that" with a face with tears of joy. Trae Young tweeted: "DAME FOR GAME" with wary cat face and a watch. Donovan Mitchell wrote: "Disbelief" with a flushed face. Draymond Green posted: "Damn Dame! Wow!"

"When you keep fighting and you keep and you keep working through it and stay together, there's a reward waiting for you. I think this is the beginning of our result," said Lillard in the post-game interview.

Having been swept from the playoffs in the first round for two consecutive seasons before 2019, Portland had waited long enough, especially when there was not much they could do to even change the franchise. Finally, it was Lillard, who was there with the team the whole time, that stood out and led them to breakthrough.

Paul George #13 of the Thunder shoots in the game against the Trail Blazers, April 23, 2019. /VCG Photo

By contrast, OKC are in a very similar situation right now, or worse since it's their third season in a row to be knocked out in the first round. Since the team's total salaries have left them very limited space for adjustment, maybe they can try finding a better head coach?

Who has better chance in semi-finals, Raptors or 76ers?

Joel Embiid #21, Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers and Kawhi Leonard #2, Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors. /VCG Photo

Though both teams suffered a surprising loss at the start of the series, Toronto and Philadelphia managed to find their games back and knocked their opponents out with four straight wins. Before they fight each other, let's take a look at their advantages and disadvantages in offense and defense.

The Raptors and the 76ers share two things in common in offense: First, both attach great importance to transition; second, neither of them have more than one reliable 3-pt shooter-Danny Green for Toronto, J.J. Reddick for Philadelphia. Compared with Philadelphia, Toronto are more predictable in offense, especially when game is on the line. It's no secret that Kawhi Leonard will be their No.1 choice with his league-top isolation attacks.

Kawhi Leonard (R) of the Raptors defends Joel Embiid (L) of the 76ers in the game at the Scotiabank Arena, December 5, 2018. /VCG Photo

The 76ers have more options including isolation play by Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid and screen+off-hand between Embiid and Reddick. Their problem is none of these is as reliable as Leonard's solution. Embiid's lower body is not strong enough to take down Marc Gasol when he posts up; Butler has barely been known for good efficiency; Reddick as a shooter cannot make sure that he makes all three-pointers in one-night.

Philadelphia shall enjoy certain advantage in defense thanks to their size. Butler, Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons are all strong enough to take on either Leonard or Pascal Siakam. The team's only concern is that Embiid can make the biggest contribution to defense by remaining in the paint while both Gasol and Serge Ibaka can shoot from 3-pt line. If the two Spanish big men grow hot with their hands, it will be a test to the defense of the 76ers.

Nuggets vs. Spurs, San Antonio do not have much time left

Jamal Murry #27 of the Denver Nuggets drives towards the rim in the game they win against the San Antonio Spurs 108-90 at the Pepsi Center, April 23, 2019. /VCG Photo

Tuesday's game ended as a total loss for San Antonio. It's should have been acceptable that they only made seven three-pointers but that ceased to be true when LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan each only got 17 points and that was the team's highest score. Actually, the game entered garbage time at the beginning of the fourth quarter and the score at the moment was 94-65.

Simply speaking, the Spurs' offense was a total mess in Tuesday's game.

They did not stop Denver in defense either. Denver used 10 players in rotation and, Juan Hernangomez who only played five minutes aside, five of them enjoyed FG rates higher than 50 percent. Jamal Murray put down the team's highest 23 points and he sank four three-pointers. "When Murray plays well, the Nuggets will win," and this law has been working in the series so far.