After a thrilling opening round of the NBA playoffs that saw the NBA-best Phoenix Suns getting tested by the New Orleans Pelicans and their trio of unheralded rookies, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks sending the Utah Jazz into an uncertain offseason and the Boston Celtics breaking out the brooms against the league's preseason title favorites, here we are in the conference semifinals.
And although the higher seeds advanced in every series in Round 1, something tells us that won't happen again along the road to the NBA Finals.