Garbage Time: Playoffs Edition

Welcome back, as theScore's often-ignored NBA roundtable series, aptly titled "Garbage Time," continues. In this, the Playoffs Edition, editors weigh in on the first round and Stephen Curry being named MVP.

Of note: The roundtable was conducted before it was announced John Wall has five fractures in his left hand and wrist. We are, collectively, despondent.

Biggest Surprise of the Playoffs

William Lou: Who foresaw this from the suddenly dominant Washington Wizards? After butting heads with pace-and-space contention for much of the season, the Wizards have suddenly stumbled into new-found success as a lethal smallball attack. With key contributors like Ramon Sessions, Drew Gooden and Otto Porter stepping up off the bench, the Wizards have reinvented themselves as a deep playoff squad with the potential to match a number of play styles.

Joseph Casciaro: Let's go off the board somewhat with Blake Griffin and the Clippers. That Griffin is playing out of his mind and a 56-win Clips team is in the second round isn't shocking - Blake's a superstar and the Clippers entered the year a legit title contender. But anyone who says they saw the Clippers winning an elimination game in San Antonio and then edging the Spurs with a one-legged Chris Paul burying the champs in Game 7 is lying to you, just as anyone who foresaw Griffin eventually becoming a devastating point-forward would be. Through Thursday, Griffin leads the league in postseason minutes, points, rebounds and assists, with L.A. performing 30 points per 100 possessions better when Griffin is on the court. Thirty.

John Chick: The Wizards, but it's more the fact that as of Wednesday, Randy Wittman is 5-1 as a head coach in this year's playoffs and 11-6 in his career. Last year, the Wiz were first in the NBA playoffs overall in defensive rating. That's not stunning, but this spring they are third in offensive rating. Granted, four of those games came against a wet paper bag Toronto Raptors defense, but who knew. It's a scene, man.

Blake Murphy: An alternate answer would be the Wizards clicking at the right time, somewhat unexpectedly, but Porter's a major factor in that and his play has been both surprising and terrific. His role and subsequent playing time fluctuated wildly all season, but the former No. 3 pick figured it out late in the year, earning head coach Wittman's trust. Porter's now knocking down open shots, hitting the offensive glass with abandon and, most importantly, defending well on the wing. This team's upside - this year and long term - is appreciably higher if this is the real Porter moving forward.

Joe Wolfond: The Wizards. We knew their backcourt was awesome, but the way the rest of the roster has come together is almost unfathomable. Seemingly overnight, Porter has transformed from a lost soul at the end of the bench to a versatile wing shooting 50 percent from deep, hauling in eight rebounds a night and capably guarding multiple positions. Marcin Gortat is leading all centers in postseason PER (22.7). Paul Pierce leads the league in true shooting (74.8 percent!). Drew Gooden has hit nine 3-pointers, after hitting exactly none in his first 54 career playoff games. And Wittman still can’t figure out which side of the playboard is up!

Biggest Disappointment of the Playoffs

Murphy: The Toronto Raptors. Losing in the first round when a series win was the clear goal is one thing - being swept is another. Being embarrassed in the final game of the series, offering little fight, and then wrapping the season with a bunch of vague, passive-aggressive jabs at each other is quite another. As crazy, unlikely and rapid as their rise was, their fall since the calendar turned to 2015 is as remarkable.

Wolfond: The Atlanta Hawks. Maybe it's strange to pick a team that’s still alive in the playoffs and could still win the East, but Atlanta has looked punchless and uninspiring for eight games now. A lot of that has to do with simply missing open shots, but they also aren't scrambling defenses the way they were during their regular-season peak, their own defense has slipped, and they've consistently struggled to hold onto leads. The Hawks were mediocre down the stretch, but it seemed plain that they were coasting, having locked up the No. 1 seed sometime around Christmas. It's disheartening that the playoffs have brought more of the same.

Lou: The Raptors are the easy choice, but don't overlook the steaming mess that remains in Dallas, which starts with the inevitable exit of Rajon Rondo. Despite a mediocre showing in the regular season, fans held out hope for "playoff Rajon Rondo," which only seems like a cruel joke in retrospect. Instead of stepping up, Rondo literally checked out, leaving his team to be roasted in a gentleman's sweep. Now the Mavericks have nothing to show for their midseason gamble and will have to make tough decisions about free agents Monta Ellis and Tyson Chandler.

Casciaro: Kyle Lowry and the Raptors. Toronto's ferverous home-court advantage was once again wasted as a clearly unhealthy Lowry and the Raptors crashed out in embarrassing fashion. Lowry finished with as many fouls (18) as made field goals en route to a True Shooting Percentage of 39.6 in the four-game sweep. Rajon "Playoff" Rondo definitely made a case for himself, too.

Why is John Wall the Greatest?

Casciaro: Because he's learned how to harness his unfathomable speed and how to master the great point guard art of controlling a game in every facet. His defense at the point of attack is criminally underrated.

Wolfond: Outside of Russell Westbrook and maybe LeBron James, there really isn't anyone as dangerous or as thrilling in the open court. And unlike Westbrook, who caroms around the court with reckless, unchecked aggression, Wall blends blinding speed with a remarkable sense of calm and control. As often as not, the outcome of his fast breaks is one you don't even have time to consider as the play unfolds, but still ends up looking like the most obvious. It's breathtaking to watch.

Lou: Because his coach finally wised up and instilled an offense that maximizes Wall's skillset. There's better spacing on the floor when Wall plays with shooters along the perimeter, making it even harder for opponents to protect the paint against Wall's relentless drives. Wait until the 3-point shot comes around. The man is a beast.

Chick: Wall is the greatest because he's been a huge part of Wittman getting to that aforementioned record. Also, he's very fast. And you saw what happened to the Wizards without him in Game 2 against the Hawks.

Murphy: Because Wall makes the party shine bright when it starts glooming, and the beat was bubble gum, so he had to chew it.

Was Spurs-Clippers Game 7 the Peak of the Playoffs?

Chick: I hope we'll get some more moments in the next few weeks, but that Spurs-Clippers Game 7 was the peak so far. It's too bad it came in the first round, the consensus being it's probably the greatest first-round seven-game series ever, alongside Bulls-Celtics in 2009. But the whole subplot of Chris Paul playing on one leg and hitting the game-winner to possibly end a dynasty, you can't write that stuff.

Murphy: No way. It may have been the best first-round series and the best game of the first round, but there's a ton of good basketball left to be played. Don't let a somewhat tepid first round and the disappointing ouster of one very good team get this twisted: The Warriors, Clippers, Rockets and Grizzlies are still in the West, the Cavs and Bulls are squaring off, and the Western Conference finals and NBA Finals are sure to be terrific series. There's a lot of great ball left to be played.

Casciaro: Most likely. And not because there won't be more great games and great moments on the way to crowning a 2015 champion, but because it doesn't get better than a Game 7 between two teams who combined for 111 wins - and who feature a collection of absolute legends - coming down to the final play of the game.

Lou: Yes, but not for the on-court performance. The peak of the playoffs was seeing Clippers owner Steve Ballmer lose his mind and openly weep.

Wolfond: I'm struggling to remember a first-round series that had the kind of stakes this one did for both sides, from Paul's playoff demons to Blake Griffin's alleged lack of clutchness to DeAndre Jordan's impending free agency to the legacy and murky future of the Spurs' dynastic' core. Between the stakes and the overall quality of play, Game 7 was easily the best game I've seen since Game 6 of the 2013 finals, and it had enough drama for an entire postseason: the pace, the swings, the Ballmer reaction shots, the end-of-game clock controversy, another (one last?) vintage Tim Duncan performance, Paul's hamstring, The Shot. Yes, this game was the pinnacle. Of the playoffs and the whole 2014-15 season thus far.

Thoughts on Curry as MVP

Murphy: It's awesome. He had NBA pedigree thanks to his father Dell, sure, but this is a guy who was doubted at pretty much every step in his development. His work ethic, consistent belief in himself and, yes, his preternatural shooting ability made this incredibly unlikely MVP a possibility. Curry's a blast to watch, he's a great ambassador for the game, and stands as a fitting avatar for the current NBA product. Others had strong cases, of course, but Curry's singular brilliance defined the season and may well define the playoffs.

Wolfond: He might not be anything Tony Allen hasn't seen before, but I personally can't recall seeing anyone capable of bending a defense the way Steph Curry does. He might be shooting 1-of-20 and he'd still set off alarm bells anytime he dribbled past halfcourt. On top of his ridiculous handle, wizardly passing skills, and unprecedented ability to knock down shots - off the bounce, from just about anywhere - the joy and showmanship with which he plays the game have infected the whole Warriors team, making them the most magnetic juggernaut in memory. He's a deserving MVP.

Lou: It was extremely close between Curry and James Harden, but the edge rightfully went to Curry. Two reasons. One, Curry is more fun to watch. The handles, the crazy shots, the flashy passes - give me that over Harden's unparalleled ability to attack off pick-and-rolls. Two, a vote for Curry was a vote for the historically dominant Warriors squad, one of only 11 teams in NBA history to win 67 games.

Casciaro: Well deserved. This was probably the best MVP race in about 25 years, and you can certainly make a case for Harden, LeBron, Russ, Brow and CP3, but Curry's presence made a good team historically great.

Chick: Down the stretch of the regular season, I began to warm to the idea of Harden as MVP based on the team he had around him. But whether we like it or not, that award also has a "most outstanding player" factor as well, and that's Curry. I think when the Warriors win the title in June, we'll tie this all nicely together as The Year of Steph.