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Five incredible notes from the NBA playoffs so far
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Five incredible notes from the NBA playoffs so far

By Adam Taylor  |  Last updated May 8, 2025 8:46 AM ET

The 2025 NBA playoffs are barely at the midway point, yet they've already been highly entertaining. Subplots are emerging in every series, and it would seem that Adam Silver's quest for competitive parity has finally been achieved. 

Here are five incredible notes from the opening weeks of the playoffs. 

No. 1: Four road teams won Game 1 in the second round

For the first time in NBA history, a traveling team secured a victory in the first game of the conference semifinals. The New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors all drew first blood in their respective matchups. 

Interestingly, none of those four teams were considered favorites coming into their series. The NBA has found a level of parity many had been calling for in recent years. 

No. 2: Pacers beat the odds ... twice 

Throughout the play-by-play tracking era, only one team has come back from a seven-point-or-more deficit in the final minute of a playoff game. That means that teams down by 7+ points in the final 60 seconds were 1-of-1,640. That is, until the Pacers decided to make history.

Rick Carlisle's team has achieved the feat not once but twice during its current playoff run. Interestingly, the feat was achieved in each of its first- and second-round series. Now, NBA teams are 3-1,642 all-time. 

No. 3: Celtics set an unwanted NBA record

The Boston Celtics went down in the history books for all the wrong reasons on Monday. Joe Mazzulla's team missed an NBA record 45 three-point attempts. Boston's "live by the three" or "die by the three" approach opens it up to these kinds of unwanted records.

Unfortunately for the Celtics, their shot continues to evade them, as they were ice cold in Game 2 of their series against the Knicks on Wednesday. 

No. 4: Timberwolves go ice cold from deep

It would appear the Minnesota Timberwolves are trying to give the Celtics some competition when it comes to unwanted records. According to Law Murray of The Athletic, heading into Wednesday, the Timberwolves had missed 55 of their last 62 three-point attempts.

While Chris Finch's team isn't nearly as trigger-happy as the Celtics, it will certainly need to improve from deep. Otherwise, the second round is as far as Minnesota will go in the 2025 playoffs. 

The Minnesota Timberwolves have missed 55 of their last 62 3-point attempts.

— Law Murray (@lawmurraythenu.bsky.social) 2025-05-07T02:45:29.645Z

No. 5: Thunder set three records in one night

On Wednesday, the Oklahoma City Thunder set three new records. First, they dropped 45 points to set a franchise record for most points in a single quarter. They followed that up by scoring 87 points to set an NBA record for most points scored in a half. Finally, the Thunder set a franchise record for most points scored in a game. 

Despite losing Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals matchup, the Thunder reminded everyone of their contender status. Setting three records in one game is almost unheard of. Doing it in the playoffs is even more impressive.  

Adam Taylor
Twitter/X Muck Rack YouTube

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

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