Top 20 storylines heading into Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs

Davis averaged 33 points, and a shade under 12 rebounds and 3 blocks per game in the Pelicans' emphatic sweep of Portland. He's as much a matchup nightmare as any player in the league at this point, but as Davis and the Pelicans learned in Game 1, the Warriors are a different animal altogether. Davis labored through his first sub-50 percent shooting performance against Golden State's swarming defense, and wasn't ever able to find a consistent rhythm. New Orleans can't afford Davis to be anything but the best player on the court night-in and night-out if they want to have any chance at pulling a major upset in this series.

In Cleveland's four wins against Indiana, James went off for 46, 32, 44 and 45 points. The Cavs needed every one of them, as they barely hung on to top a very game Pacers team. James finally got some help with the heavy lifting in Game 7, as Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love, J.R. Smith and George Hill combined for 51 points, albeit on less than stellar shooting. While Cleveland has owned the Raptors in recent years, they should enter this series as a clear and deserved underdog. Toronto's second unit has been their ace in the hole all season, and unless Cleveland's role players and reserves step up in a major way, James will find his personal streak of seven straight NBA Finals appearances finally end.

Curry didn't play in Game 1 of the Warriors' series with New Orleans, and they chugged right along without him, steamrolling the Pelicans to the tune of a 123-101 victory. Curry is expected back for Game 2, and it will be interesting to see how much Steve Kerr puts on his plate right off the bat. If Curry hits the court running, New Orleans might simply find themselves overwhelmed, and a series sweep will stand as a very distinct possibility. If Curry is rusty and Golden State still tries to get him his shots, it could make things interesting. Perhaps the most intriguing part of Curry's return is how it will affect Klay Thompson, who has been excellent in his absence.

There is no team generating more buzz than the Sixers, and for good reason. Philly has won 20 of its last 21 games, and handled a physical, chippy Heat team with relative ease, despite not having Joel Embiid for the entirety of the series. Now Philadelphia takes on Boston, a team that needed to go the distance to beat Milwaukee, and one that might be without one of its primary scorers in Jaylen Brown. The 76ers certainly have the look of the league's next "it" team, but what if the future is now? Boston is still vulnerable, despite their gut-check series win, and the Sixers have all the tools to exploit the Celtics' weaknesses. Despite their youth, at this point it would be somewhat surprising if Philly didn't make a run at least to the conference finals, and possibly beyond.

Everything you just read about Philadelphia? The C's are doubtless taking clippings like that and using them as bulletin-board material. Many people picked them to lose to Milwaukee, but the steady play of Al Horford, coupled with explosive and timely scoring from Terry Rozier, carried the day. Now the Celtics and Brad Stevens will have to find a way to slow down one of the most dynamic, versatile teams in the league. Horford's inside presence will be key, and Boston will need a big series from Jayson Tatum, but if they can withstand what should be an early barrage from a rested Sixers squad, this series could go six or seven, and at that point, it's a toss-up.

The Jazz had nothing for Houston in Game 1 of their series, with James Harden going off for 41 points and the Rockets never really being challenged seriously at any point in the second half. Mitchell, despite having his foot stepped on, said he was fine after the game, but unless he's able to score in the high 30s every night, it's hard to imagine Utah giving the Rockets a long series, let alone winning it. Houston seems locked in, and mostly insulated from anything resembling an off-night, at least until they get to an expected tussle with Golden State. The Rockets even had success going right at Rudy Gobert, as they were nearly perfect from the floor when attacking him. If that trend continues, you might as well put Houston in the Western Conference Finals now.

Holiday was a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the floor against the Trail Blazers, helping New Orleans to a surprising sweep. When he's right, the Pelicans have a dynamic secondary scorer to pair with Anthony Davis, and they become very difficult to stop at both ends of the floor. Golden State was able to contain him in Game 1, and if he can't find his shot in a hurry, the Pelicans will be hard-pressed to keep up with the Warriors offensively. As shocking as New Orleans' first-round sweep was, their playoffs could come to a predictably swift close without a consistent 20-25 points per game from Holiday.

Mitchell, who had to hear about Ben Simmons' excellence from what seemed like the entire basketball pundit world, poured it on against Oklahoma City in the first round. He out-dueled Russell Westbrook, and averaged 28.5 points per game in the series, including 38 in a clinching Game 6 win. As good as he was, he'll have to be even better against the Rockets, and certainly better than he was in Game 1, which saw him held to a pedestrian 21 points on the day. Without Ricky Rubio around to ease a little of the scoring burden, the onus is on Mitchell to find a way to produce, even when everything Houston does is predicated on stopping him. If he can even push this series to a sixth or seventh game, his legend will grow.

Horford, more than anyone else, is the reason that the Celtics got by Milwaukee. He doesn't do anything particularly flashy, and certainly doesn't have the name recognition or casual fan cachet that Giannis Antetokounmpo brings to the floor, but Horford just wins. He poured in 26 points in Boston's Game 7 victory, and can be reliably counted on to post nearly a double-double every night. Horford's all-around game, especially his All-NBA caliber defense, will be instrumental in slowing down Joel Embiid and Dario Saric. If Boston is to have any chance in this series, Horford will need to be a major factor every minute he's on the court.

The Warriors might not even be the favorite in the West this year, especially if you listen to pundits who marvel at what Mike D'Antoni has built and seemingly perfected in Houston, but if you ask many casual hoops fans who they think will win the NBA Finals, they'll still respond with Golden State. That's understandable, and dynasties are usually good for sports, but the Warriors have been so overwhelming, especially inside their own conference, that one wonders if hoops fans might rather see Houston represent the conference in the Finals, or even see Anthony Davis and the Pelicans pull off a near-miracle and upset Steve Kerr's bunch. Their brand of basketball is incredibly fun to watch, but a little shakeup in the West, even if only for a year, might not be the worst thing.

We've gotten this far and haven't mentioned the East's top seed once, which seems par for the course where Toronto is concerned. Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and a devastating bench have been the main ingredients in a winning recipe north of the border, and after dispatching Washington, the Raptors will see their nemesis, Cleveland, in the second round. The whole "LeBron James is on the other team" thing aside, Toronto is the better, more balanced team here, and they should be favored to win. The Cavs don't have home court, and barely survived an Indiana team that is inferior to the Raptors in just about every way. If not now for Toronto, with Cleveland unable to rely on anyone but James, then when?

Since returning from injury, Love has topped 20 points precisely four times in 18 games. That's not close to good enough. The Cavs got by Indiana thanks mostly to a herculean effort by LeBron James, but they will go no further unless Love finds his shot and asserts himself as a viable secondary scoring option. Cleveland will have a huge disadvantage against the Raptors' bench, which means their starters will need to make hay. That means that Love must be a big threat from three-point range, and dominate on the glass, especially offensively. It's fair to wonder, though, whether he can or will at this point. Most people are down on the Cavs, but a resurgence from Love could change the landscape in the East.

LeBron James is vying to play in his eighth straight NBA Finals, which would bring him to within two of Bill Russell's all-time record of ten, but this year figures to be his toughest task yet. The Cavs are facing a superior overall team in the form of Toronto, and Cleveland has never really gelled after a mid-season roster makeover. As fascinating as it is to watch James have arguably his best overall season at 33 years old, he has to play almost every minute of every game, and be spectacular all the while, for the Cavs to have a chance. His battle against time, the opposition, and faulty teammates is compelling television, and if he somehow wills Cleveland to at least eight more wins, they should build several statues of him, regardless of what happens in the Finals.

It would, you would assume, be a good thing — having an explosive, number one overall pick stashed on your bench in the playoffs, ready to deploy to create a matchup nightmare whenever necessary. Brett Brown must not think Markelle Fultz is worth that risk, at least so far. Fultz saw very little time against Miami, and didn't play at all in either of the last two games of the series. Yes, there are flaws; his jump shot is still almost non-existent, and his defense leaves something to be desired, but Fultz is an undeniably explosive, dynamic player on offense. It will be very interesting to see if the Sixers even attempt to use him against a stout Boston defense, or if the trust level simply isn't there. Either way, it will be a compelling subplot to track.

Rubio and the Jazz found something in the first round against Oklahoma City. Rubio was more assertive, looked for his shot, and had, in many ways, a breakout series. Certainly he was someone the Jazz were counting on for significant minutes and some scoring. His hamstring injury, one that should keep him out for just over a week, isn't a crippling blow for the Jazz, but it further lessens the chances that they find a way to shock the Rockets. Rubio wouldn't be a game-changer, necessarily, but he would make Utah much better. Problem for the Jazz is, by the time he's healthy enough to go, the series might already be over. 

With no Kyrie and no Hayward, the burden of crunch time scoring for Boston has largely fallen on the shoulders of Terry Rozier. The story against the Bucks was simple — if Rozier played well, the Celtics won. In their three losses, Rozier put up a total of 35 points on 10-36 shooting from the floor. Boston will need Rozier to be great all series long against Philadelphia, because the Sixers can score in bunches, and figure to do so even against Boston's stingy defense. Rozier is the kind of player that makes the playoffs fun for fans and maddening for coaches, both his own, and the opposition. If he's on, even a depleted Celtics team can hang with anyone. If not? Well, in that case, they're in deep trouble.

Youth was served in the first round, and some fresh blood made it to the second. Utah and New Orleans were welcome sights in the West, and Philadelphia livened up the East, as did the Pacers, even in defeat. Now, however, the question looms large; will any of the upstarts be able to take things one step further? If the opening games of both Western Conference series were any indication, it will be business as usual, as Golden State and Houston won convincingly. The East is another story, though. Toronto and Philadelphia seem like good bets to win their series and upset the usual "LeBron versus a feeble challenger" narrative that has dominated the conference for the better part of a decade. It might hurt the television ratings, but a few upsets would likely thrill many fans.

The stars are known commodities, of course, and in the NBA, even the "unsung" players are pretty well-known, especially to their own fans. Still, the sheer number of interesting, if not star level, players remaining allows for the possibility that some less-heralded talents will make their presence known the rest of the way. It could be Fred VanVleet, or Dario Saric, or an older but still captivating player like Rajon Rondo. The West might be a two-horse race, and one dominated by familiar names, but the East certainly seems like a place where any number of players could make a name for themselves with a great series.

Brown was one of Boston's primary scorers in their first round win over the Bucks, but he, like Rubio, was lost to a hamstring injury. He's currently doubtful for Game 1 of Boston's series with the Sixers, and without him in the lineup, the Celtics are without one of their best offensive players, and simply might not have enough scoring to keep pace with Philadelphia. If he can't go, it puts much more strain on Terry Rozier, Al Horford and Jayson Tatum to score, perhaps more than any of them is comfortable or capable of doing. If Brown misses more than just one game, the Celtics' task gets that much more difficult. 

You probably know this by now, but if you don't, here's a not-so-fun fact: In his NBA career, Chris Paul has never made it to a conference final. Not one time. It's a pretty staggering statistic for such an accomplished talent, but it seems like this year might finally be the time. Paul is an integral piece of the Rockets' machine, and with things clicking the way they currently are, this might finally be the year that one of the league's most dynamic point guards of the last decade-plus gets his chance to shine on just about the biggest stage the sport has to offer. NBA fans deserve to see what Paul can do against, say, Stephen Curry.