Courtside

NBA Playoffs Semis Round 2 Rundown

The first round of the NBA playoffs has finally come to an end. Here is a quick rundown of what to watch out for during the four second-round matchups.

The Eastern Conference

Lebron James and the Cavaliers survived a tough test by the upstart Pacers, but do they have enough firepower to defeat the top-seeded Toronto Raptors?  The word here is no, but the road to the NBA Finals still goes through Cleveland until someone proves otherwise.

James will need all the help he can get (attention: Kevin Love) to defeat DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, and the Raptors’ second-ranked defense.  If his supporting cast repeats the performance it gave against Indiana, James might miss the Finals for the first time in what feels like decades.

In the other Eastern Conference matchup, role reversal might well prove to be the dominant theme. The Celtics are the Number Two seed and have home-court advantage, but the 76ers have to be considered the favorites. They finished the regular season on a tear and dispatched with the Heat in five games, while the Celtics were pushed to the limit by a so-so Bucks team.

The Celtics are marvelously well-coached and play stout team defense, but they’ll continue to struggle without the scoring and leadership of Kyrie Irving. On the flip side, Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and JJ Redick seem poised to challenge for a Finals appearance regardless of who they face.

The Western Conference

The Utah Jazz hope to provide the top-seeded Rockets a bit more resistance than the overmatched Timberwolves did, but Houston is so good at both ends of the floor that a showdown with the Warriors almost seems inevitable.

With an offense that features MVP candidate James HardenChris Paul, and Eric Gordon, it’s easy to forget that the Rockets had the league’s top-ranked defense during the regular season.   They might only be down 1-0, but this is a truth the Jazz are likely to remember all too well.

We’re only one game into the New Orleans/Golden State series, but things are already looking a bit grim for Anthony Davis and the rest of the Pelicans. Even without All Universe guard Steph Curry, the Warriors offense was versatile, fluid, and almost unstoppable. Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green combined for almost 70 points, and the Pelicans just didn’t have an answer for the Warriors’ unselfishness.

On defense, The Warriors threw a variety of looks at Anthony Davis and begged the other Pelicans to try and beat them. Davis played well enough considering, but he’ll likely need more help than the rest of the Pelicans’ roster can give.

photo via Instagram: @NBA

Staff

Share
Published by
Staff

Recent Posts

Love, Money, and Fame: Professional Athletes Navigating the Dating World

Love, Money, and Fame: Professional Athletes Navigating the Dating World Dating in the world of…

2 days ago

Netflix Streams NFL Christmas Day Games Featuring Mariah Carey & Beyoncé: A Holiday Spectacle Set to Shake Up Sports & Streaming

Netflix’s Christmas Day NFL Takeover: Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, and Two High-Stakes Games Netflix is dreaming…

2 days ago

Jay-Z Added to Diddy’s Assault Lawsuit; Tyrod Taylor vs. Draya Michele

On the latest episode of RSVP with Jill Munroe, we get into the latest swirl…

2 weeks ago

Drake Goes Full Karen + Kendrick Lamar’s GNX Rules Billboard

The past week has been a whirlwind of drama and dominance in the culture, and…

3 weeks ago

Why the NBA is Flopping in the Ratings Race: Blame the NFL, Beyoncé, and a Tricky Playbook

The NBA's Ratings Woes: Why 2024 is Looking Like a Dunk Gone Wrong The 2024…

4 weeks ago

 Turkey, Touchdowns, and the Tea: Your Ultimate Guide to the 2024 Thanksgiving NFL Games

Thanksgiving is all about family, food, and football—and let’s be honest, the drama that comes…

1 month ago

This website uses cookies.