Eastern Conference
(1) Pacers over (5) Wizards in 6
The Pacers came together in the last two games to give themselves another week or so without questions of 'how the hell did this team fall apart so quickly'. The Wizards are better than the Hawks, but I saw a different, more confident India in what little of Game 6 and 7 I saw. I like this Washington team, but I don't think they have the consistency to take down Indiana.
(2) Heat over (6) Nets in 7
I think the Nets really give the Heat a run. In a sense, I think the Nets 4-0 record against the Heat is being both overrated and underrated. It is overrated because the Heat have shown they are a different team in the playoffs, and three of those games were either 1-pt games or OT games. Of course, it's being underrated, because even had the Nets lost two of those games, the 2-2 record isn't too bad either. They've shown over 4 games that they can hang with the Heat in both Miami and Brooklyn. This small & big lineup, with Pierce at the 4 and Williams and Livingston starting has been a revelation, where they can switch on everything. Of course, the Heat are the perfect team to play with that defense, as the Heat love playing small and they don't have the size to abuse the Nets small lineup. In the end, the Heat are better, and they have LeBron, but we've seen too many times in teh past that Pierce and Garnett can beat LeBron.
Western Conference
(1) Spurs over (5) Blazers in 5
The Mavericks were a good matchup for the Spurs, and the Spurs struggled with them, but there's a few caveats. First, if Carter doesn't hit that ridiculous buzzer-beater in Game 3, that series might have been over in 5. Also, the Mavericks have Rick Carlisle. I think Terry Stotts is a good coach, but he's not Carlisle good, and doesn't have Carlisle's familiarity with the Spurs. They split the season series, but the Spurs won the last two after they got people healthy. Much like Indiana, I think theyll free up themselves after getting by the 1st round. The Spurs can also take advantage of a more spotty defense than what Dallas showed them last round.
(3) Clippers over (2) Thunder in 6
This really isn't even that much of an upset. The Clippers won just two fewer games than the Thunder, and had a better scoring differential. Now, Westbrook missed part of the season, but so did Chris Paul. To me, it really comes down to can Durant and Westbrook do 120% of what Griffin and Paul will, as the rest of the Clippers team is better than the rest of the Thunder. Who checks Griff? Can Westbrook stop the smarter, wilier, and more skilled Paul? This should be a great series, and it wouldn't shock me one bit if the Thunder win. The only shocking result to me is if there is a lot of blowouts in games. That shouldn't happen given how close these two teams are.
(1) Pacers over (5) Wizards in 6
The Pacers came together in the last two games to give themselves another week or so without questions of 'how the hell did this team fall apart so quickly'. The Wizards are better than the Hawks, but I saw a different, more confident India in what little of Game 6 and 7 I saw. I like this Washington team, but I don't think they have the consistency to take down Indiana.
(2) Heat over (6) Nets in 7
I think the Nets really give the Heat a run. In a sense, I think the Nets 4-0 record against the Heat is being both overrated and underrated. It is overrated because the Heat have shown they are a different team in the playoffs, and three of those games were either 1-pt games or OT games. Of course, it's being underrated, because even had the Nets lost two of those games, the 2-2 record isn't too bad either. They've shown over 4 games that they can hang with the Heat in both Miami and Brooklyn. This small & big lineup, with Pierce at the 4 and Williams and Livingston starting has been a revelation, where they can switch on everything. Of course, the Heat are the perfect team to play with that defense, as the Heat love playing small and they don't have the size to abuse the Nets small lineup. In the end, the Heat are better, and they have LeBron, but we've seen too many times in teh past that Pierce and Garnett can beat LeBron.
Western Conference
(1) Spurs over (5) Blazers in 5
The Mavericks were a good matchup for the Spurs, and the Spurs struggled with them, but there's a few caveats. First, if Carter doesn't hit that ridiculous buzzer-beater in Game 3, that series might have been over in 5. Also, the Mavericks have Rick Carlisle. I think Terry Stotts is a good coach, but he's not Carlisle good, and doesn't have Carlisle's familiarity with the Spurs. They split the season series, but the Spurs won the last two after they got people healthy. Much like Indiana, I think theyll free up themselves after getting by the 1st round. The Spurs can also take advantage of a more spotty defense than what Dallas showed them last round.
(3) Clippers over (2) Thunder in 6
This really isn't even that much of an upset. The Clippers won just two fewer games than the Thunder, and had a better scoring differential. Now, Westbrook missed part of the season, but so did Chris Paul. To me, it really comes down to can Durant and Westbrook do 120% of what Griffin and Paul will, as the rest of the Clippers team is better than the rest of the Thunder. Who checks Griff? Can Westbrook stop the smarter, wilier, and more skilled Paul? This should be a great series, and it wouldn't shock me one bit if the Thunder win. The only shocking result to me is if there is a lot of blowouts in games. That shouldn't happen given how close these two teams are.
