3 things we learned Sunday from the 2017 NBA playoffs

We had a full slate of playoff basketball on Easter Sunday. The Wizards and Warriors took care of business as expected, the eighth-seeded Bulls got a Game 1 win in Boston, and James Harden and the Rockets sent a message with their 31-point win over the Thunder.

Here are three things we learned from Sunday's postseason action.

The Blazers hung with the Warriors for three quarters, before Draymond Green's incredible defensive performance helped swing the game in Golden State's favor. And the most critical run for the Warriors came when both Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant were sitting on the bench. 

Golden State started the fourth quarter with a lineup featuring a reclamation project in JaVale McGee and a reserve in Ian Clark, who was 10th on the team in minutes per game in the regular season. While neither played more than 12 minutes, each contributed enough to where the stars could comfortably rest.

McGee finished with six points, five rebounds and two blocked shots in just 10 minutes of action, while Clark finished with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting in his 12 minutes on the floor.

The stars can play heavy minutes during the postseason because of the extra days off and the far less taxing travel schedule. If the loaded Warriors can get these kinds of contributions from guys at the end of their bench, they're going to be tougher to beat than imagined.

The 22-year-old sister of Isaiah Thomas was killed in a car accident Saturday morning, and though the Celtics star point guard was clearly hurting after the tragedy, he decided to play in Boston's opener against the Bulls.

Thomas didn't just go through the motions. Once he was out there, he looked every bit like the All-Star player we've gotten used to seeing. Thomas scored 13 first-quarter points, on the way to 33 for the game on 10-of-18 shooting, to go along with five rebounds and six assists.

The Bulls came away with the win in this one, and it's unclear how Thomas will deal with his emotions as the series wears on. But by playing, Thomas was an inspiration to his teammates, and showed an incredible amount of individual strength.

Russell Westbrook may end up with an MVP award for the way his individual performances dominated the storyline of the 2016-17 regular season. But by doing everything himself all year long, he's left his teammates unprepared for the postseason.

Westbrook finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in Game 1 against the Rockets. A closer look reveals his 6-of-23 shooting and nine turnovers in a game lost by 31 points. 

Part of the argument against Westbrook winning the MVP was that he didn't make those around him better, and that was proven to be the case on Sunday -- when the Rockets were able to keep Westbrook in check, his teammates had no idea of what they should do next.