Picture via Loud Voices Within
The NBA playoffs kicked off over the weekend, starting the long trek to the NBA Finals. With one game in the books in each series, we’ll examine the early returns and see how they might shape the rest of the series.
Miami Heat 110, Milwaukee Bucks 87
For the first half, Milwaukee kept things close, proving that they are, in fact, still a professional basketball team filled with some of the world’s best players. In the second half, Miami just took over, outscoring the Bucks 58-42. When LeBron James posts a 27-10-8, the Heat are virtually impossible to beat. LeBron’s been the best in the world for some time now, and, at the height of his powers, don’t expect the inexperienced Bucks to be able to contain him or the Heat. Expect Miami to sweep the series.
Indiana Pacers 107, Atlanta Hawks 90
Sometimes things aren’t that complex. Despite their late season struggles, the Pacers are simply a better team. They displayed balanced scoring in Game 1, with six players in double figures and Tyler Hansbrough just short with nine points. It won’t be the prettiest basketball to watch, but expect the Pacers to win in five.
Brooklyn Nets, 106, Chicago Bulls 89
A series that will test everyone one who is watching it. Without Derrick Rose, the Bulls can’t score like they need to to seriously compete. Joakim Noah not being 100 percent is not helping things either, as a fully healthy Noah would no doubt have some success shutting down Brook Lopez. Luckily for the Bulls, Tom Thibodeau is one of the best coaches in the league and with their team defense, they can steal some games. Expect this one to go the distance, but ultimately Brooklyn’s offensive stars and home-court advantage will send the Nets to the conference semis.
New York Knicks 85, Boston Celtics 78
Carmelo Anthony continued his torrid scoring stretch, dropping 36 points in Game 1. The real story though is Boston’s lack of a bench. The Celtics managed all of four bench points, while the Knicks, with Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith, got 33 points from their bench. New York’s scoring depth and ability to shoot the three should give them the edge, but the Celtics are too resilient to go down without a fight. Expect this series to go six or seven games.
Oklahoma City Thunder 120, Houston Rockets 91
The Thunder have been one of the best teams in the league for the last several seasons. Playing an inexperienced Rockets team that is prone to inconsistency should give them the edge. Houston is tied with the Knicks with a staggering 28.9 3-point attempts per game. If they hit those, they could potentially steal a game, or maybe two. But with both teams averaging about the same amount of points per game it often comes down to stars and Oklahoma City simply has more of them and is more experienced.
Spurs 91, Lakers 79
For whatever reason, most people seem to forget that this Lakers team was pretty bad even before Kobe Bryant went down. The Lakers gave up 101 ppg in the regular season, while the Spurs averaged 103 ppg. The Spurs also only gave up 96.6 ppg during the season. San Antonio is the better team this season and they have a better coach. People seem to forget that the Spurs won their first 12 playoff games last year with almost an identical roster. Expect the Spurs to move past the Lakers in five on their way to another deep playoff run.
Denver Nuggets 97, Golden State Warriors 95
Disaster hit Golden State as they lost not only the game in the last second, but also double-double machine David Lee. Without Lee, who provided 18. 5 ppg and 11. 2 rpg, Golden State can’t match the NBA’s deepest team. Denver won without playing Kenneth Farried. Scary. The highest scoring team will take advantage of Lee’s absence as well as their now 39-3 home record to win in five.
Los Angeles Clippers 112, Memphis Grizzlies 91
Sadly, much like their NHL friends in Nashville, the Predators, the Grizzlies simply can’t score enough to make deep playoff runs. While they give up the least points in the league at 89.3 ppg, they also only average 93.4. It’s hard to contain an explosive team like the Clippers to only 89 points. With the losses of O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay, Memphis lost 195 points of production that they got in last year’s seven-game series with these same Clippers. The pick: Clippers in six.
