Binge Media Sports: The NBA Playoffs-The Conference Finals
Well, round two of the 2014 NBA Playoffs didn’t quite pack the punch that round one did, but it’s led us to conference finals time and the teams I thought would be here are here. The top four seeds have all done what they were supposed to do, albeit in different ways, and we’re ready for a pair of 1-2 showdowns. Binge Media Sports coverage of the NBA playoffs continues with a look at the matchups and as always, we start in the East.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
MIAMI HEAT v. INDIANA PACERS
Previous round: Miami def. Brooklyn 4-1, Indiana def. Washington 4-2
Round 2 poll results: 83% voted for Miami, 33% voted for Indiana
Conference final preview: For the second straight season, the Indiana Pacers will meet the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. For much of the season, this seemed like the year that Indiana could dethrone the two-time defending champions, but Indiana’s inconsistency as of late is a major concern for Pacers fans. Sure, they’ve gotten through the first two rounds, but let’s be honest. The Hawks and Wizards are not the Miami Heat. And the questions leading to this series are big ones. Which Roy Hibbert will show up? Will it be the guy who throws up 28 and 9 or the guy who puts goose eggs into the stat sheet? Can Paul George take his game to the next level and be the leader Indiana needs him to be? Sometimes, you can see them knocking on the door like the Bulls did with the Pistons in the early 90’s, but are they ready to be a championship team? I’m sure Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and the best player in the world, LeBron James, will have something to say. The Heat have looked nearly unbeatable this postseason as James led Miami to an 8-1 record thus far in the playoffs. These two teams split their four regular season meetings and their conflicting styles should make for some good basketball, but I’m just not sure Indiana is ready to take the next step yet. I look for Miami to win this series in five or six games as they continue their quest for a three-peat. This series gets underway on Sunday.
[yop_poll id=”114″]
WESTERN CONFERENCE
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER v. SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Previous round: Oklahoma City def. Los Angeles 4-2, San Antonio def. Portland 4-1
Round 2 poll results: 60% voted for Oklahoma City, 80% voted for San Antonio
Conference final preview: Oklahoma City took all four meetings with San Antonio this year, but this series will look dramatically different after the news broke that OKC big man Serge Ibaka will miss the rest of the playoffs with a calf injury. It will be interesting to see how the Thunder lineup changes and how much the bench can contribute. They’re already in a hole as the Spurs have the best bench in the league. Assuming Tony Parker comes back healthy from his hamstring injury from Game 5 of the Portland series, he and Manu Ginobli are going to be attacking a now wide open lane. The Thunder are going to have to drastically change their style of play and rely even more on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. And maybe that’s okay. In my opinion, Westbrook is the most dynamic player in the NBA right now and the MVP can put up 40 in a hurry. But the Spurs looked really good on both ends of the court against Portland. I certainly didn’t think they would dominate the Blazers the way they did, but Tim Duncan and company just keep getting it done. There’s a lot of nice storylines here and we’ll see how they play out starting Monday night.
[yop_poll id=”115″]
Check back in before the start of the NBA Finals to see if you voted the right way. As always, feel free to justify your vote in the comments section below or tweet your predictions and thoughts @THElukenorris.