Binge Media Sports: Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs
Welcome back to Binge Media Sports coverage of the NBA Playoffs. Unfortunately, this first round was overshadowed by the Donald Sterling fiasco, but if you could look beyond that, and I hope you did, we were treated to arguably the best first round in history. Never do I remember seeing both one seeds taken to the brink like that, nor remember when I’ve seen so many teams win on the road in the postseason. And we’ve never seen 5, yes 5, Game 7’s in one round before. In total, it took 50 games to complete the first round. That’s an average of 6.25 games per series. Incredible. We saw past stars like Vince Carter turn back the clock and saw future MVP candidates like John Wall and LaMarcus Aldridge give us a look at the future. And of course, we saw guys like LeBron and KD do what they always do. All in all, it made for some great basketball and Round 2 looks to give us more of the same. Let’s take a look at the matchups and then you can tell me who’s going to win. We’ll start in the East.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(5) Washington Wizards v. (1) Indiana Pacers
Previous round: Washington def. Chicago 4-1, Indiana def. Atlanta 4-3
Round 1 poll results: 15% voted for Washington, 100% voted for Indiana
Round 2 preview: Indiana is struggling more than any number one seed in recent memory. Including their last 25 regular season games and round 1, Indiana is 16-16 in their last 32 games, not exactly what I’d call peaking at the right time. They were taken to the edge by Atlanta in a surprising series, and Indiana may not have the guard play to keep up with rising stars John Wall and Bradley Beal. But they do have Paul George, who has the potential to be one of the great players in this league. If he wants to be considered as such, he’s going to have to step up and lead this team in Round 2. The Pacers did win two of the three regular season matchups, but the Wizards have been resting while waiting for the Pacers to get here. We’ll see how it plays out tonight in Indiana.
[yop_poll id=”107″]
(6) Brooklyn Nets v. (2) Miami Heat
Previous round: Brooklyn def. Toronto 4-3, Miami def. Charlotte 4-0
Round 1 poll results: 36% voted for Brooklyn, 92% voted for Miami
Round 2 preview: It seems as if we haven’t seen the Heat in quite a while and well, we haven’t. The defending champs were the only team to sweep their opponent in the first round, easily handling the Charlotte Bobcats in four. Meanwhile, the Nets got themselves involved in a fight against the Toronto Raptors, who will be really good for years to come in they can hang on to everyone. The veteran Nets found a way to win a Game 7 on the road, needing a block in the final seconds from Paul Pierce to clinch. The story here will be the fact that Brooklyn beat Miami all four times they played this year, not an easy task against anyone, let alone the defending NBA champions. But we all know the playoffs are a different story. The veterans from Brooklyn like Garnett and Pierce have been here before, but it’s going to take something special to keep LeBron James and company from moving on in their quest to three-peat. The quest continues on Tuesday night in Miami.
[yop_poll id=”108″]
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(5) Portland Trailblazers v. (1) San Antonio Spurs
Previous round: Portland def. Houston 4-2, San Antonio def. Dallas 4-3
Round 1 poll results: 42% voted for Portland, 92% voted for San Antonio
Round 2 preview: The Spurs were taken to the limit by Dallas in yet another seven game series. Dallas fought hard behind the resurgence of Vince Carter and the always smooth Dirk Nowitzki, but were manhandled in Game 7. For the past fifteen years, Tim Duncan and the Spurs usually seem to find a way to win when they need to. But they will have a battle on their hands in Round 2 against the exciting Portland Trailblazers. Even without a Game 7, Portland was part of perhaps the best series of the first round against the Houston Rockets. With James Harden not shooting his best, Portland took advantage and LaMarcus Aldridge went off in a series that saw multiple overtime games. Even the ones that didn’t go into OT came down to the wire, and that includes Game 6, which saw a game winning three from Damian Lillard that immediately entered into the conversation for one of the greatest Rip City sports moments. This should be a very good matchup. The Spurs are still the most balanced team in the league, but Portland is riding high at the moment. The teams split their four games in the regular season and this could easily go seven, and Game 1 is Tuesday night in San Antonio.
[yop_poll id=”109″]
(3) Los Angeles Clippers v. (2) Oklahoma City Thunder
Previous round: Los Angeles def. Golden State 4-3, Oklahoma City def. Memphis 4-3
Round 1 poll results: 82% voted for Los Angeles, 90% voted for Oklahoma City
Round 2 preview: It’s pretty rare that we get a series in which both teams are coming off of a Game 7 victory, but we’ve got it here. In a matchup full of star power with names like Durant, Westbrook, Paul, and Griffin, this should be quite an entertaining series. Unfortunately, the Donald Sterling situation is going to continue to cloud the Clippers organization, but I’m sure that coach Doc Rivers has got the players focused on basketball. He certainly did in a Game 7 win against the Warriors. The Clippers are finding different ways to win. Sure, the stars are doing their thing, but the role players have been stepping up to help out. Meanwhile, the Thunder found themselves in a battle with the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. Many of the players are saying they’ve never been involved in such a tough series before, and who knows what could have happened if Zack Randolph had been available for Memphis. But Kevin Durant, the likely MVP, and sidekick Russell Westbrook (a sidekick that had two triple-doubles in the series) have gotten the Thunder here as they continue the march to a title. These two teams also split in the regular season. This one is sure to fill up the highlight reel. We’ll find out tonight in Oklahoma City.
[yop_poll id=”110″]
Now that you know the matchups and have made your vote, please feel free to justify it by commenting below or tweet @THElukenorris. I’ll check back in before the conference finals to see how you did. Enjoy the second round.