Since winning 58 games two seasons ago, it’s been a downward trajectory for the Milwaukee Bucks. They managed just 49 victories in 2023-24 and had one fewer last season while being sent packing in the first round for the third straight time. That championship season in 2020-21 seems like a distant memory.

Randle bounced back from a brutal showing in Game Two (six points on 2-of-11 shooting – really his first off game of the postseason) to pour in 24 points (9-of-15) while adding a pair of treys. He really regressed in rebounding this season, and it’s been even worse in the playoffs, but with nearly 23 PPG he’s come up way bigger this spring after averaging under 19 during the regular season (his worst scoring effort since he was a Laker, just before his breakout in 2018-19).

After being held to 16 points by the Knicks in the fourth quarter in the opener, Boston didn’t exactly light it up down the stretch in Game Two, managing just 17 points in the last stanza. And now, thanks to blowing 20-point leads in both games, the Celtics find themselves down 2-0 and heading to New York. Uh oh.

Their reward? A date with the East’s top team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In 2020-21, the Houston Rockets bottomed out with a .236 winning percentage and have been steadily building since. At first, there were some baby steps (.244 in 2021-22 before .268 the following season). But last season, Houston finished .500 and then took it to the next level in 2024-25, posting a .634 winning percentage to punch its first playoff ticket since 2019-20.

Since bottoming out in 2021-22, the Orlando Magic has been a team on the rise, improving to 34 wins the following season before taking the leap to 47 last season, when it snapped a three-year playoff drought.