2024 NBA PLAYOFFS: BEST PERFORMERS OF THE EAST'S FIRST ROUND

It is often said that in sports, the lights shine brighter in the postseason. In the case of the NBA, certain players will take the spotlight with their brilliant playoff play, while others will take steps backward. The first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs certainly showcased that.

The first round has come and gone, and with that has come a rise in play from certain players. The NBA is a sport built around the marketing of superstars, and like the Western Conference, the Eastern Conference features no shortage of stars.

The following are the East’s best performers of Round One in the 2024 NBA playoffs.

Jalen Brunson

The offense of Jalen Brunson led the Knicks past the 76ers

When it comes to offensive production, there are few players who matched Jalen Brunson in that category this year. In the case of the postseason, that was still the case. Although Brunson started the series against the Philadelphia 76ers quite slow, he would turn it on in the middle and never let go of the gas.

The Sixers found a way to limit Brunson’s production, more or less, in the first two games of the series. In those, he put up just 22 and 24 points, respectively, a far cry from his season average of 28.7 this season. However, he broke out in Game 3 and returned to his usual form, putting up 39 points and 13 assists.

The rest of the way, Brunson shone as the offensive benefactor of the series. He would go on to score 47, 40, and 41 buckets in the remaining games against the Sixers, respectively, finishing the series with an average of 35.5 points per game.

It was Brunson's offense that led the New York Knicks past Philadelphia. For that reason he was the best performer in the Eastern Conference for the first round.

Tyrese Maxey

Maxey stepped up when it mattered for the 76ers, despite the series loss

The man on the other side of the court to Brunson who led the Sixers for the majority of the series was Tyrese Maxey. While a case can be made that Joel Embiid was the better performer at the beginning of the series, he was effectively shut down by the Knicks, allowing Maxey to step up and singlehandedly save the Sixers’ season, at least for one game.

Game 5 was Maxey’s moment. He put up 46 points in that game, including the crucial four-point play at the very end of regulation which allowed the Sixers to eventually tie and win the game in overtime. But that game was not Maxey’s only productive outing, as he scored 33, 35, 25, and 23 points in the first four games of the series.

Maxey served as the 1-2 punch along with Embiid who was the Knicks’ primary threat. However, like Embiid, the Knicks adjusted their game plan and found ways to shut Maxey down in Game 6, limiting his production.

Maxey scored only 17 points in Philadelphia’s crucial Game 6, which led to his team's downfall in 2024. Despite the series loss, Maxey was easily one of the best performers of round one.

Donovan Mitchell

Mitchells motivation and clutch play pushed the Cavs past the Magic

Two offseasons ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for Donovan Mitchell in the hopes that he would be a playoff hero for them, guiding them to success. In the first round of this year’s playoffs, that finally happened, as his clutch performance throughout the series pushed the Cavs past the Orlando Magic.

Despite slow performances in Games 3 and 4, when he scored less than 20 points in each, Mitchell scored 30 in Game 1 and turned it on towards the end of the series when his team needed it most.

He would score 50 points in Game 5, being the almost-hero as the Cavaliers would lose that game. But in Game 7, it was his critical buckets that gave the Cavs the momentum to outlast Orlando.

The Cavaliers found themselves in an 18-point hole at one point but managed the comeback, which was led by Mitchell. His critical three-pointer in the fourth quarter cut Cleveland’s deficit to just four and gave his team the momentum to pull off the comeback that everyone knew was coming.

The win marked Cleveland’s first time since 2018 that they had won a round of the playoffs, and their first time doing so without LeBron James since 1993. Mitchell used motivation to aid his clutch performance, which is often said to be the best benefactor.

Mitchell would finish the game with 39 points, and his 89 combined points in Games 6 and 7 was the second-most in NBA history, trailing only Allen Iverson, who had 90 in Games 6 and 7 in 2001. That, combined with his average of 28.7 points per game this series, proved Mitchell’s outstanding performance in the first round.

Paolo Banchero

Banchero stepped up when it mattered for the Magic, despite the series loss

Once again, a first-round series saw two clutch performers go up against each other. Unfortunately, however, only one can win in that circumstance, and it would be Paolo Banchero who would come out at the bottom. He put up quite the effort for his Orlando Magic despite their Game 7 and series loss to the Cavaliers.

When the Cavs had Donovan Mitchell, the Magic had Paolo Banchero. The All-Star power forward averaged 27 points per game in this series, including a clutch 38-point performance in Game 7, which ultimately was not enough to earn the team the win.

On a defensive-oriented team that is the Magic, Banchero provides a breath of fresh air. He is the primary offense, and superstar, of the team, and his performance in Round 1 was definitely worthy of recognition.

Jayson Tatum

Tatum averaged a double-double per game in the Celtics series against the Heat

Being the superstar on a team as stacked as the Boston Celtics are is not easy. But Jayson Tatum made his role look easy against the Miami Heat, in a series which his team took in five. Tatum averaged a double-double of 21.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game in the series.

Even though his high for the series was 28 points (which he put up in Game 2), his effort all around the court was enough to get the Celtics past the Heat. That alone made him one of the first-round’s best performers.

2024-05-07T07:09:58Z dg43tfdfdgfd