With eight teams remaining in the playoffs until the Finals on June 2nd, the NBA playoffs are starting to get even more exciting.

The playoffs are currently in the conference semi-finals, the East and West with four teams left. On the Westside, the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors are facing off in a very entertaining series. In-game one, the Grizzlies lost off of a missed layup by Ja Morant, the final score being 117 – 116. Although, in game two, Ja Morant regained his computer and scored 47 points and got eight assists, and eight rebounds. This led to a Grizzlies win of 106 – 101. Wayne Hills Freshman, Paul Kouletas, said, “Ja Morant is going to be a huge help to this Grizzlies squad. He is the X factor and they need him to contribute. I think that the Grizzlies end up winning this round of the playoffs through Ja.”

In the second game, Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks was ejected for a flagrant two foul on Warriors guard Gary Payton II. As Payton was going up for a layup, Brooks came up from behind him and attempted to block the ball, but ended up hitting Payton in the side of the head with his arm and left him on the ground in pain. This also caused Payton to land abnormally on his elbow and leaving it broken.

On the Golden State Warriors side, Stephen Curry who returned to the team for the playoffs has been leading the Warriors and putting up consistent points that get them these wins. One Wayne Hills student, Christian Soreal said, “Steph Curry has proven why he is the best point guard ever.”

The two other west teams, the Pheonix Suns and Dallas Mavericks have been having a pretty much one-sided series. Both games have been easy wins for the Suns. Luka Dončić, the face of the Mavericks teams, put up 45 and 35 points but has not been receiving sufficient help from his teammates. That is one of the most important things that Dončić needs especially against the Suns who have stars Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Ayton. When Dončić was heading to the locker room in game two, a suns fan yelled something at him and Dončić had to be held back by trainers

The West is looking to be very eventful in the upcoming games. The East is also very anticipating with the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, and Milwaukee Bucks.

In the Sixers and Heat series, superstar James Harden has been trying to lead the team due to the loss of their other star player, Joel Embiid. Harden has been struggling and that has been showing since the Sixers are losing 2 – 0 in the series. The Miami Heat, on the other hand, have been playing great basketball and each player has been doing what they should.

At the moment, it is unclear when Embiid will return, so fans have to put their faith in Harden to keep them alive in this playoff series.

The Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics series is starting off very exciting. Both teams have won one game making the series 1 – 1. The recent Celtics win is thanks to forward Grant Williams. Williams has been making a large name for himself recently and doing and spectacular job defending NBA superstars like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant.  Along with him, Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum have put up lots of points to help with the win in game two.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has been one of the league’s top scorers in recent years and is undoubtedly the back of the Bucks team.  His size and ability to move on the court quickly have allowed being one of the most dominant players in the league. Last year, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks won against the Phoenix Suns 4 – 2 in the NBA Finals. They are definitely looking to win the finals again, and if Antetokounmpo can continue to put up points and lead his team, he might just be able to.

Needless to say, this year’s NBA playoffs are very entertaining. Fans are dying to see which of these eight teams can be crowned “NBA Champions.” The first game of the NBA Finals will begin on Thursday, June 2nd.