The second round of the playoffs were a lot less dramatic than the first round as expected and nothing too out of the ordinary as the top 2 seeds in both conferences advance to their respective conference championship. None of the series in the second round went to a final and seventh game and for the most part the better team clearly won each of their series. The Eastern Conference Final opens up tomorrow afternoon, so lets jump right in.
Eastern Conference
1) Indiana Pacers vs 2) Miami Heat
2nd Round Predictions: Wizards in 6, Heat in 7
2nd Round Outcome: Pacers in 6, Heat in 5
Indiana Pacers Analysis: Well this is clearly the series everyone wanted from the beginning for the eastern conference finals match up, even though the way the Pacers got here wasn’t exactly how it was drawn up. The Pacers lost 6 games at home all season, however they have already lost 4 home games in the playoffs by Atlanta and Washington. In fact, even in most of those home losses in the playoffs it has been ugly. Are the Pacers just tripping over their feet because they were looking ahead to this series? Now is the time we will find that out. To me, it’s clear which player on the Pacers has to step up in order for them to win this series and it’s Roy Hibbert. Paul George is going to be an obvious factor as well, but Hibbert is the key to the Pacers success. The Pacers have proven in the past they can keep up with Miami and challenge the big 3, but several doubts have weighed in over the last month. Indiana barely found a way to grab the 1 seed in the East during the regular season for this reason, but their struggles at home in the playoffs may burn them. The Pacers are looking to get back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000 (pictured) where they lost in 6 games to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Pacers are looking for their first NBA championship.
Miami Heat Analysis: There was no question going into the playoffs that Miami would be playing for the eastern conference championship once again and little to no question that they would be playing the Pacers. The Pacers are really the only other competition for the Heat in the underwhelming Eastern Conference. I felt that the Nets could give the Heat some issues last round, but the Heat took care of them in five and they are playing a number 1 seed who struggled to get to this point. I don’t believe home court advantage exists in this series and Miami will be quick to turn that around. It would also be easy to say that the player to watch would be LeBron James or Wade or Bosh, but I’ll go with a supporting role player for who to watch other than the big 3. James Jones. This guy is a three-point specialist and though he won’t play a lot of minutes he may make an impact by grabbing momentum or making a big shot out of a timeout. The Heat have a lot of reliable supporting players like Ray Allen, Birdman, and Chalmers, but I think the Pacers should keep their eye on Jones when he’s on the court. The Miami Heat are looking to get back to the NBA Finals after winning it last year (pictured) and in the year prior. Miami is looking to be back-to-back-to-back champions.
Prediction: Heat in 6
Western Conference
1) San Antonio Spurs vs 2) Oklahoma City Thunder
2nd Round Predictions: Blazers in 6, Clippers in 6
2nd Round Outcome: Spurs in 5, Thunder in 6
San Antonio Spurs Analysis: Well I certainly missed on my predictions in the Western Conference when I went for two upsets. The Blazers may have used up all their energy and adrenaline in their first round series with the Houston Rockets, because they had the potential of getting swept and swept pretty easily. The Spurs look to have had just a tough matchup in their first round series with Dallas, because they rolled through Portland. The Spurs look like a team on a mission to get back the NBA Finals and no team can stand in their way. Well…. the NBA MVP stands in his way for this series. Over the past decade, you know exactly what you are going to get with San Antonio. Solid guard play, Duncan to make play after play in the paint, and role players no one has heard of coming off the bench performing at the highest level. Coach Pop knows how to coach this team during the regular season for moments like this and one of their advantages in this series is their playoff/big game experience. I also trust Coach Pop in a series like this over Coach Brooks, but who wouldn’t? There are loads of players I can pick to keep an eye on for this series and last year it was Danny Green that lit it up, but for this series I’m going with Boris Diaw. Diaw had a fantastic series against Portland and he may not put up 20 points or have countless double-doubles, but he will be a difference maker in at least one game. The San Antonio Spurs are looking to win their first NBA championship since 2007 (pictured) where they swept the Cleveland Cavs. The Spurs fell to the Miami Heat in the Finals last season.
Oklahoma City Thunder Analysis: I also thought this team would fall in the second round, but to the LA Clippers in 6 games. Clippers fans would probably say they had the opportunity to do that where they lost game 5 after leading by 7 points going into the last minute. A few questionable calls got them to lose that game going back home down 3-2 and the rest is history. The two players in the spotlight at all times for this team is this year’s MVP, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Westbrook struggled scoring in game 6, but it’s nice to struggle when you have Durant and other role players that make it a habit of stepping up. In the last series, the Thunder led games by a lot and blew the lead late and they also did the opposite, but I’m not so sure if they fall behind against the Spurs, that they would let up at all. A big note to mention for this series is that Ibaka will miss the remainder of the playoffs after injuring his calf in game 6 versus the Clippers. Ibaka is a huge loss every way you look at it. He is a major presence in the paint with shot blocking, rebounding, and just being disruptive defensively. Can OkC replace that? They may have to get close in replacing that if they stand a chance. Other than the two obvious players to watch in Durant and Westbrook, I think it’s going to be key that Steven Adams and Nick Collison step up to have a good series. If you hear those names consistently, then you may see the Thunder steal this series. The Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to win their first NBA championship since 1979 (as the Seattle Supersonics, pictured) defeating the Washington Bullets in 7 games. The Thunder lost in the NBA Finals in 2012 to the Miami Heat.
Prediction: Spurs in 7
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