NBA Playoffs: 2nd Round Preview & Predictions

Here is a preview and prediction of the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs, along with a recap of my 1st round picks.

My 1st round picks and the results

• Thunder in 5 – Thunder over Rockets in 6
• Clippers in 7 – Grizzlies over Clippers in 6
• Nuggets in 6 – Warriors over Nuggets in 6
• Spurs in 5 – Spurs over Lakers in 4
• Heat in 4 – Heat over Bucks in 4
• Bulls in 7 – Bulls over Nets in 7
• Pacers in 5 – Pacers over Hawks in 6
• Knicks in 6 – Knicks over Celtics in 6

Western Conference

Oklahoma City escaped the upstart Houston Rockets after Russell Westbrook went down with that season ending injury, but it wasn’t easy. James Harden and the Rockets extended the series to 6 games but couldn’t bring it back to OKC for game 7. As for the Grizzlies, they won four straight over the Clippers, convincingly, after being down 2-0 in the series. Sure the Clippers are extremely overrated and are pretty much nothing without Chris Paul being a dominant force at point guard, but what the Grizzlies did to them was impressive. Constantly frustrating the Clippers on the defensive side of the ball with a grind it out style. Randolph and Gasol make scoring in the post difficult for opposing teams due to their size and physicality. With Tony Allen being one of the best defenders in the league combined with Tayshaun Prince’s length, the Thunder with have a tough time scoring. Besides Kevin Durant, guys like Kevin Martin, Serge Ibaka and Reggie Jackson will have to do their part and score with consistency to help the Thunder get by Memphis. Before the Grizzlies and Clippers series, I originally chose Memphis in 6, but changed my mind last second because I thought maybe, just maybe the Clippers wouldn’t disappoint, having home court advantage. Mistake by me not going with my original thought. The Grizzlies are a good, tough team. Unfortunately I’m going to go against them again. Memphis will be going up against better defensive big men in Ibaka and Perkins, but this series is a toss up to me since Westbrook won’t be playing. Conley should have an easier time against Reggie Jackson, but I’ll stand by OKC. Memphis took the regular season series 2-1.

• 1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 5. Memphis Grizzlies, Thunder in 7

Well the Golden State Warriors definitely proved me wrong, I had little faith in them beating even a depleted Nuggets team and they did in 6 games. The Warriors scored at will and the Nuggets were constantly trying to keep up. According to bleacherreport.com, Steph Curry averaged 24.3 points per game, while shooting just over 43% from the three point line. Curry certainly excelled Golden State to a series win over Denver and he will have to continue to put up excellent numbers against a veteran Spurs team. Golden State fans are excited about this Warriors team, and they should be. It’s a fast paced bunch that gets up and down the floor in a hurry, having the drive to win, even against expectations. Andrew Bogut provided the energy and defensive post presence that helped Golden State get past Denver. This Spurs team is a different animal though, and will be a tough test for them. San Antonio is rolling right now, peaking at the right time, while being healthy. They are a take care of business team and did just that against the Lakers. Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli and Tim Duncan are all clicking and it should be interesting watching this group go against the young, upstart Warriors. The Spurs will shoot better against the Warriors than the Nuggets did, so I’m going with San Antonio.

• 2. San Antonio Spurs vs. 6. Golden State Warriors, Spurs in 6

Eastern Conference

Watching the Chicago Bulls win game 7 was pretty awesome, considering the circumstances (No Derrick Rose, Kirk Heinrich, Luol Deng, Rip Hamilton) of being an injury scattered squad. Lucky for Chicago, they are a deep team that plays with heart and toughness. The Bulls certainly want to win bad and all series long, guys like Joakim Noah and Nate Robinson proved it. Both players putting in career performances along the way. But if they want to stand a chance against the defending, world champion, Miami Heat, they’ll at least need a somewhat healthy Luol Deng. I really like this Chicago team a lot and think they can hang with Miami, already proving that by splitting the season series, but the Heat are pretty much completely healthy (besides Dwyane Wade) and have won something like 43 out of their last 45 games. I know, ridiculous. LeBron James is the catalyst to this Heat dominance and appears on a mission for another run at the NBA finals. According to multiple reports, LeBron James will win his 4th MVP. If the Bulls want to win this series, they’ll have to shoot lights out from three and try to somewhat contain LeBron. But Chicago has to do what they did in the last meeting between the two, be physical and go at LeBron when he gets to the rim. Playoff basketball at it’s finest has to be displayed by both teams in order to win this series. I expect plenty of physical play and free throws. Hey, who knows, maybe Derrick Rose will be back for game one?

• 1. Miami Heat vs. 5. Chicago Bulls, Heat in 6

Old rivals go at it again, Knicks vs. Pacers. New York took a 3-0 series lead over Boston, then ended up taking the series in 6 games. Defensive minded teams like the Celtics and Pacers give New York a difficult time, and the Pacers will do just that against the Knicks. Fortunately for New York, the Pacers looked completely terrible for two games in Atlanta, even though winning game 6 on the road. Carmelo needs to put up better numbers if they expect a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals and the Pacers will need big scoring from Paul George and David West. Indiana doesn’t have a very good bench and New York has the 6th man of the year in J.R. Smith, so it’s interesting seeing how the benches will play out. Considering how bad Indiana looked for games 3 and 4 in Atlanta, I really like the Knicks in this series. Not sure if either team will lose at home, so I’m taking the Knicks barely getting by the Pacers. I’m sure it will be fun to watch and if either team can somehow steal a victory on the road, you’ll have to like their chances.

• 2. New York Knicks vs. 3. Indiana Pacers, Knicks in 7

* I do not own any of these images

NBA Playoffs: 1st Round Preview and Prediction

Here is a 1st round preview and prediction of the NBA Playoffs

Western Conference

The NBA couldn’t have asked for better seeding out West, starting from the top with Oklahoma City and Houston being paired together. James Harden was traded to the Rockets by Oklahoma City at the beginning of the season in a massive deal that shocked the NBA. Houston is a team with tremendous upside and surprised everyone by making the playoffs, but an upset over the Thunder seems unlikely. The Rockets will have a tough time stopping Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook enough to defeat them in a seven game series. The last time James Harden played against the Thunder, he dropped 46 points in a home victory.

• 1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 8. Houston Rockets, Thunder in 5

Next up the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies run into each other again, a rematch of last season’s epic first round battle. The Clippers won in 7 games as the 5 seed, this time they’ll get home court and be the 4 seed. The Grizzlies failed miserably in taking advantage of “Lob City” last season in the playoffs after a crazy game one comeback by Los Angeles. According to ESPN.com the rally from being down 21 points and winning, was the largest in playoff history. I think this will go seven games, the Grizzlies have the big men to slow down Blake Griffin, but stopping Chris Paul is another story.

• 4. Los Angeles Clippers vs. 5. Memphis Grizzlies, Clippers in 7

Another fantastic series should unfold here, as the high scoring Nuggets and Warriors face off in an interesting match-up. According to NBA.com, Denver and Golden State were in the top 7 of scoring. The Nuggets posted an astonishing 38-3 home record, doing so with a fast paced offense and multiple scoring threats. On the other side, Golden State has a record breaking three point shooter in Steph Curry. Defensively the Warriors will have a very difficult time stopping the Nuggets. Unfortunately for Denver they will be missing their Italian sharp shooter Danilo Gallinari due to a torn ACL and possibly Kenneth Farried, because of an ankle injury. Even with these injuries, this seems like a series win for Denver, Golden State struggled at the end of the season while Denver did not.

• 3. Denver Nuggets vs. 6. Golden State Warriors, Nuggets in 6

No Kobe Bryant for this one, but the Spurs and Lakers go at it yet again. The Lakers surprisingly made the playoffs as a 7 seed after Kobe Bryant went down with a torn Achilles. Los Angeles seemed to play better as a team without him, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol stepped up and showed why they make big money. Some people have the Spurs being upset by Los Angeles, as San Antonio didn’t seem to be in sync at the end of their season. Even with that being said, not having Kobe Bryant means bad news for Lakers fans.

• 2. San Antonio Spurs vs. 7. Los Angeles Lakers, Spurs in 5

Eastern Conference

The Miami Heat cruised to a 66-16 record, leading the NBA and looking nearly unstoppable down the stretch. LeBron James is poised for another MVP award after putting up monster numbers of nearly 27 points per game, along with 8 rebounds and just over 7 assists. The other part of the “Big 3” Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will prove to be too much for a Milwaukee Bucks team that crashed into the 8 seed. Having the lowest record of all playoff teams at 38-44. This is a nightmare match-up for Milwaukee having to deal with a playoff ready Miami. I think the Bucks will be lucky to win one game, but anything could happen.

• 1. Miami Heat vs. 8 Milwaukee Bucks, Heat in 4

According to ESPN.com, Chicago Bulls head coach, Tom Thibodeau said Derrick Rose will “most likely be out” for the entire postseason. Rose suffered a torn ACL last season in the playoffs and hasn’t played since. The Brooklyn Nets have home court over Chicago but the Bulls defense might be too much in the end. Every game in this series should be a good one and if the Nets want to win, they’ll need outstanding play from their star point guard, Deron Williams. Joakim Noah is a game time decision for Chicago in game one, which would be a crushing loss for them. The Bulls need all the help they can get not having Derrick Rose for the playoffs. This might end up being the best Eastern Conference battle, the winner probably get a date with Miami.

• 4. Brooklyn Nets vs. 5. Chicago Bulls, Bulls in 7

The Pacers lost control of the 2 seed, so they’ll have their eyes set on the Atlanta Hawks. A defensive minded Pacers team will pose problems for a Hawks team that seemed disinterested at times of looking like a playoff squad. Josh Smith will need to be an all-star player if they want to upset Indiana. Indiana is dealing with some minor injuries and obviously won’t have Danny Granger for this series, but the Hawks don’t look like to much of a playoff team right now. The Pacers are tough and the Hawks might not have enough scoring options.

• 3. Indiana Pacers vs. 6. Atlanta Hawks, Pacers in 5

Here’s an old school, grind it out, kind of series between Boston and New York. Of course the Celtics will be without Rajon Rondo, but their confidence will still be present. Scoring champ, Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks, averaging 28.7 points per game and earning New York a 2 seed. Which also means if they have to meet up with Miami, it won’t be until the Eastern Conference Finals and that would be fun to watch. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett always play tough in the Playoffs, they’ve been doing this with Boston for some years now. The Celtics were just one game away from the NBA Finals last season, before losing to Miami in game seven. This should be an exciting series, watching these two rivals go at it. But not having Rondo in a seven game series might be too much for Boston. The Knicks looked like one of the best teams down the stretch and Carmelo was on a tear.

• 2. New York Knicks vs. 7. Boston Celtics, Knicks in 6

* I do not own any of these images

Schedule, weekend games.

Saturday, April 20th

• Celtics at Knicks, 3:00 PM ET on ABC
• Warriors at Nuggets, 5:30 PM ET on ESPN
• Bulls at Nets, 8:00 PM ET on ESPN
• Grizzlies at Clippers, 10:30 PM ET on ESPN

Sunday, April 21st

• Hawks at Pacers, 1:00 PM ET on TNT
• Lakers at Spurs, 3:30 PM ET on ABC
• Bucks at Heat, 7:00 PM ET on TNT
• Rockets at Thunder, 9:30 PM ET on TNT