#NBAPlayoffs2018 Storylines To Watch As Round 1 Tips Off - Page 3

Source: Joe Robbins / Getty

NBA fans are rejoicing more than just the start of the playoffs this weekend.

As fate (or an Adam Silver-backed conspiracy) would have it, the first round matchups are particularly entertaining this year, both on the court and off.

As @world_wide_wob pointed out on Twitter, the opening round is packed with social media-fueled drama.

https://twitter.com/world_wide_wob/status/984263461906649088

From Lance Stephenson and LeBron James’ legendary meme moment, to @JoelEmbiid and @YoungWhiteside’s war of words, here’s the threads to track after the statline.

Some people think that the Greek Freak has a case for MVP this year, but Celtics big man Aron Baynes probably wouldn’t cast a vote if he had one.

Nuff respect for Baynes’ comments on Giannis heading into their first round match-up, but he will probably never forget any of the many times he almost lost his life at he other end of these Greek Freak throwdowns.

Giannis only complete two of his four attempts on Baynes this year, but the trend was not lost on NBA Twitter, or either player.

Watch Baynes address the trend below:

Baynes has spoken about the dangerous nature of his job with the media several times.

In game one, Giannis Antetokounmpo put up 29 points, 11 revounds and 6 assists while Celtics big shot Jaylen Brown (24 PTS, 4 REB) did his best to steal a win in Milwaukee.

Watch the highlights below.

LeBron and Lance are both OG’s at this point, but neither is above the level of pettiness that the playoffs often bring out.

If you remember the ear-blowing and trash talk they engaged in back in the 2014 playoffs, you know this match-up will be entertaining no matter what the score is.

Joel Embiid vs. Hassan Whiteside is a battle of the big men that will definitely spill into the tweets and comment sections at some point.

In the pre-season, Embiid trolled Whiteside into making social media promises he couldn’t deliver. Then when hey met on the court, The Phantom Of The Process taunted Whiteside into fouling out early.

Embiid already posted his roadmap to the NBA Finals on Instagram, and Whiteside’s Heat happen to be the first obstacle in their path.