Very similar to the NHL first round playoff games where it was thrilling and a lot of games played down to wire, into OT, stars breaking out with huge games, a lot of series that went the full 7 games, and one that ended as a sweep. The first round games in the Western Conference lived up to the expectations and plus some. Honestly, I didn’t watch many of the Eastern Conference games and from the looks of it, that is pretty okay. Lets jump into the predictions for this next round and hope it’s as good as the first!
Eastern Conference
1) Indiana Pacers vs. 5) Washington Wizards
1st Round Prediction: Pacers in 4, Wizards in 7
1st Round Outcome: Pacers in 7, Wizards in 5
Analysis: So I had my prediction for both of these teams swapped for the most part. I thought the Pacers would handle the Hawks in the first round and go for the sweep, however it turns out they may have overlooked a sub-40 team and almost fell out of the playoffs. They were down 3-2 in the series and came back to take it in game 7. Hibbert looked weak for most of the series, but seemed to gain some confidence in game 7. On the other side, the Wizards handled the Bulls and showed they have a stacked, young talented team. The Wizards in fact match up quite well with Indiana and they are led by John Wall and Bradley Beal. If the Pacers had trouble with Teague in the first round, they are going to have fits with Wall. Hibbert and West will match up with Gortat and Nene and I believe that’s another match up Washington is going to win. I may be determining my prediction off the disappointment I had in Indiana after the first round, but I’m sticking with my gut.
Prediction: Wizards in 6
2) Miami Heat vs 6) Brooklyn Nets
1st Round Prediction: Heat in 4, Nets in 6
1st Round Outcome: Heat in 4, Nets in 7
Analysis: For these two previous series’, I basically saw the outcome to perfection. Predicting the Heat would man-handle the Bobcats didn’t take a genius, especially after years past knowing the Heat rests their big 3 going into the playoffs, they are ready for the playoff competition, especially when they have a greatly favored match up. The Nets battled with Toronto and finished them off on the road in game 7, by 1 point. I figured the Nets would win the deciding game at home and didn’t think they could go into Toronto for a game 7 and take it, so color me impressed. This series interests me and it should interest most NBA fans. Brooklyn swept the Heat during the regular season going 4-0. If memory serves, the biggest win they had was 9 points, but was an overtime played game. The other 3 wins were all decided by 1 point. Saying the Heat got swept should be said lightly, since it could have easily gone the other way. LeBron, Wade, and Bosh will all come to play when its the playoffs, especially when they meet their old friends, Pierce and Garnett. There’s a lot of back story and history with these players and I hope the passion and aggression reflects in this series. I for one hopes this series goes the distance, but not sure if the age of the Nets will catch up to them.
Prediction: Heat in 7
Western Conference
1) San Antonio Spurs vs 5) Portland Trailblazers
1st Round Prediction: Spurs in 5, Rockets in 7
1st Round Outcome: Spurs in 7, Blazers in 6
Analysis: The Spurs had a much tougher series in the first round than I anticipated and maybe it was just that classic Texas rivalry type of match up that spurred the Mavericks. The Mavs played a tight series with them, aside from game 7 where they may have ran out of gas, but those same San Antonio veterans led them to a victory like every year. The Blazers on the other end played a doozy of a series with the Rockets and it was a shame it was a first round match up. The game was filled with last second shots, big points by big stars, buzzer beaters, and overtime games. I picked the Rockets to win in 7, and whose to say it wouldn’t have happened if Lillard didn’t drain a buzzer beater 3 pointer to win the game and series in game 6. The Rockets were 0.9 seconds away from playing a game 7 in front of their home crowd. The Blazers youth should be their advantage in this series and to remain dominant with Aldridge and Lillard. They have a ton of role-players and should make for another exciting series.
Prediction: Blazers in 6
2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs 3) Los Angeles Clippers
1st Round Predictions: Thunder in 5, Clippers in 7
1st Round Outcome: Thunder in 7, Clippers in 7
Analysis: OkC struggled with Memphis once again in the playoffs and game 7 was a lot easier for them if Memphis didn’t lose Randolph to a suspension and if Conley wasn’t shaken up. Memphis had them on the ropes, but couldn’t close the deal. During the series, someone named Durant as Mr. Unreliable. Yikes. Not a good thing to come out during the playoff series. He looked very reliable in the last two games of that series. The Thunder has struggled with the style of play Memphis brings to the table, but this next round fits more of their style. The Clippers fought through a tough 7 games as I predicted. Game 7 was evident that the Clippers had a major advantage in the paint when Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan completely took over and there is no way any team should be giving up easy dunks late in the 4th quarter. The Clippers also went through a lot during this series with the whole Donald Sterling thing and I’ll keep this post to the minimum about that. The Doc Rivers led team allowed his team to put that in the back of their minds and advance to the next round. This series should be fun and if the Clippers advance they will need CP3 to be the old CP3. In my opinion, he’s the main point in this series in whether the Clippers advance or fall short for another season.
Prediction: Clippers in 6
therubbergame 