EAST WEST
5. Washington Wizards Wizards win 4-2 5. Portland Trail Blazers Spurs win 4-2
1. Indiana Pacers 1. San Antonio Spurs
6. Brooklyn Nets Heat win 4-1 3. LA Clippers Thunder win 4-2
2. Miami Heat 2. Oklahoma City Thunder
I did a pretty good job with my predictions in the 1st round. I had a lot of fun watching and
breaking down the games and results with analyzation on my facebook page throughout that incredible 1st round. What a 1st round it was too. Just amazing basketball across the league. Hopefully, the rest of these playoffs can live up to the competitiveness we saw. There are a couple of nice matchups in this 2nd round and here is my breakdown of those. Refer to my 1st round preview for some extended information on these teams, as I spoke about them more in depth there.
5-1 EAST: Honestly, I originally had the Pacers winning in 6 games in a fun series, but after what I've seen from them since January, and what they showed in that first round, I'm going to pick the Washington Wizards to win it in 6 and get to the Eastern Conference Finals. I didnt give up on the Pacers until the 2nd quarter of Game 5 against the Hawks. I just kept thinking they would fix the things I've said are wrong with them for these playoffs. They havent, and it doesnt look like they will. They got incredibly lucky to win that Atlanta series. I really have never seen anything like this Pacers situation before. They're the antithesis of what they've been over the last 3 years. It really is unbelievable...I see the Wizards using their athleticism in this series to put up big scoring numbers and win it. I spoke about their defense in my 1st round preview, and I think the Pacers will have a bit of a struggle scoring. Also, Indiana's turnover issue may be evident in this series. The Wizards do a good ob of using their speed to close out, get in the passing lanes, and just disrupt. This will allow them to get out and run. They can also play in the half court with their bigs being as skilled as they are. Nene and Gortat really can give David West and Roy Hibbert some trouble on both ends. I also think that if the Wizards can compete on the boards, they should be able to win this series pretty easily. I spoke about John Wall announcing his presence. I think he will do that in this series as well. I think it could be a 4-1 series, but I'm going to give the Pacers credit enough to somehow come away with 2 wins in this one. Indiana can only hope that they can overturn the things I mentioned previously. I talked about what they need to do in my 1st round breakdown. If they can do those things, they'll have a chance. If not, this will probably be a short series and a serious disappointment to that team with their expectations.
6-2 EAST: Brooklyn is incredibly lucky to have advanced past the Toronto Raptors. They had fortunate officiating in their favor in the 1st 3 games of that series, and still barely came away with a series win. I honestly thought Toronto was winning that series and never wavered from that sentiment until it was over...As I said, if the Nets really want the Heat, then they made a mistake in that thought process. If the Heat make shots, this will be aquick series. If not, it could be closer than it should be, but the Heat should still pull it out. The Nets are going to have to hope for Marcus Thornton to do what he did in Game 7 if they're going to have a chance to win. Joe Johnson has been great for them, but he is going to need to keep up his efficiency. Brooklyn did a good job of slowing the game down against the Heat in the regular season, but the Heat can play that pace when they are at their best. In the half court, they can go into the post with Wade or Lebron to get some easy baskets. If they can hold onto the ball, they should be fine, while at the other end, I expect them to be disruptive and get out and run. Heat in 5 or 6 at the most.
5-1 WEST: This series should be incredibly interesting. That Portland-Houston 1st round series was amazing. I still think Portland's lack of a bench is going to hurt them, but you never had to question their starters, and they showed that in the 1st round. They have the star power in LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard leading them, and with 2 guys of that caliber, anything can happen in the playoffs. Wesley Matthews was very good on both ends in that 1st round, and as I mentioned in my 1st round preview, Nicholas Batum can be an X factor with his well rounded skill on both ends. I said that you cant overlook Dallas in that 1st round. I knew they were a good team, but I didnt see what we saw from them in that series coming. It could be argued that they should have won it. I still see the Spurs as the best team in the league though, so I'm going to have to stick with them here. Even so, I think this has a chance to be a great series, and its going to be the Spurs depth that edges them over Portland. The outside shot is going tobe a big determining factor in this series. The Spurs are going to have to keep Portland off the offensive boards and move the ball the way they are capable of. Will the Spurs long series effect them in this series and moving forward? That will be a question, but San Antonio has been too good to lose this early.
3-2 WEST: This is easily the most exciting series of this round. I honestly cant wait for this. I think that anything can happen in this series. It could be a long one or a short one. I know that it will be high scoring though. The reason I went with the Thunder in this one is the Clippers dont have anyone that can guard Kevin Durant or Russel Westbrook. Meanwhile, I think the Clippers will have trouble scoring in the half court. Blake Griffin has been better in the post, but he still reverts back to his usual issues at times. I think the Thunder have bigs that can guard him down low and make it difficult for him to get things done in the half court. That means a lot is going to be on Chris Paul...again. Both teams obviously want to get out and run in this series. I think the Thunder will use their length and athleticism to be really disruptive, get in passing lanes, and cause turnovers. The Thunder have their own turnover issues, but if they can hold onto the ball well enough, and play their style of defense, they should be able to win this. They are going to have to really focus on closing out to shooters in this series though. That is one area where the Clippers may be able to take advantage. OKC needs to also do a better job moving the ball. In the half court, they have to get Durant catching the ball in better spots. I said it throughout their 1st round series, and I've said it over the last few years. Durant needs to get on the elbow and down in the post so he can catch the ball closer to the basket and get easier baskets. That will take his game to the next level, as its really the only whole in his game. He cant keep letting little dudes guard him. If the Thunder cant score in the half court more efficiently, they're going to have to rely on their jumpshots. Both of these teams are very good. I do question whether Scott Brooks may be overmatched by Doc Rivers in this series, but I just keep going back to the fact that the Thunder have Kevin Durant and Russel Westbrook and the Clippers dont. That being said, as I mentioned previously, the Thunder have to move the ball better and get others involved like they did during the regular season. They cant put so much reliance on Durant and Westbrook to go 1-5 every time down. This series really could go either way. I just know that its going to be a ton of fun to watch.
I'll continue to post my analysis of these games on my facebook page. I'll be breaking down the Eastern and Western Conference Finals when the time comes
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