NBA Playoffs 2020: Who's hot in the first round

The NBA playoffs are in full swing and the early round is already producing some standouts.

After what turned out to be a rough season with the deaths of former NBA commissioner David Stern, superstar Kobe Bryant and a long hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NBA is finally back on track with the first round of the playoffs.

Here are some of the highlights for the first round.

Boston Celtics - The young Celtics started the series in third place and were set against sixth-placed Philadelphia 76ers. They brought in Kemba Walker from the Charlotte Hornets at the start of the season to lead the way with veteran Gordon Hayward. To their surprise, neither veteran stood out. Instead, young Jayson Tatum was dominant in the entire series giving the Boston Celtics a 3-0 lead over the young Philadelphia 76ers led by Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

In the first two games, Tatum scored over 30 points and even grabbed 13 rebounds in the first game.

Kawhi Leonard - Reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard is really showing why he is an NBA superstar during the 2019-2020 playoffs. According to FR24 news, he set a franchise record by scoring over 100 points in the first three games, giving them a 2-1 lead over the Mavericks.

In the first game, Leonard scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds with 6 assists. In the second, he scored a mind-blowing 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists. In the third, he scored 36 points, 9 rebounds, and dished out 8 assists. Leonard was almost perfect from the free throw line making 28 of 30 in all three games.

Portland Trail Blazers - The Trail Blazers started the season without high expectations. After signing veteran superstar Carmelo Anthony in November, the Trail Blazers started to breathe new life. Portland won enough games to qualify for the NBA-Disney Bubble in the restart as a 9th placer in the Western Conference.

During the round-robin games, they smashed through the competition, ending the seeding round at 8th place, forcing a play-in tournament against the former 8th placer, Memphis Grizzlies. The Trail Blazers put the Grizzlies away in just one game.

After securing the coveted eight seed in the Western Conference over five other teams, they won against top seed Los Angeles Lakers in the first game of the playoffs. The Lakers won the second game, and the series is now tied 1-1.