NBA Playoffs: Round Two
Now that we are past the first round wizardy of the Celtics/Bulls series and the least competative game 7 series of the Heat/Hawks, we head straight into the grind of the second round, I think we got some pretty good match ups here. Let’s take a look at each match up…
Round II
Western Conference
Dallas vs Denver
I love this match up. This is the first time Denver has gotten past the first round with Carmelo Anthony. We all know why they made it out of the first round alive, two words, Chauncy Billups.
Billups, Denver's team leader
As a Pistons fan since going Back 2 Back in the late 80’s/early 90’s, seeing Billups leave Detroit was a heartbreaker because I knew we were losing our Finals ‘04 MVP and our leader. Billups gets to go back home to Denver, where he has led the Nuggets to the 2nd round against the Dallas Mavericks.
This is certainly not the Mavericks of ‘04 or ‘05 but they do have an aging Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitski. I tell you who the real star is on the Mavericks, J.J. Barea. Yahoo.com has the former Northeastern guard listed at 6 foot but that can’t be. I didn’t catch that many Dallas games this season but everytime I saw Barea on the court he was just running circles around opponents and would find a way to get to the rim.
Denver will have their hands full but I can’t really see them having but so much of a hard time with the Mavericks.
X-Factor: Chris “Birdman” Andersen (and his tattoos)
Denver in 5 games.
Houston vs Lakers
Rockets vs. Lakers Gets bloody
Just as the Portland/Houston series was the marquee match up for the west in the first round, it is undoubtably the best match up in the west for the second round. Ron Artest heated up this series even more with his comments that Brandon Roy is the best player he has defended, less of a compliment for Roy and more of a knock on Kobe Bryant.
After game 1 last night went to the Rockets, at the Staples center in L.A., Kobe and the Lakers have a hard faught series ahead of them. Two key match ups for this series, Kobe and Artest and Yao and Andrew Bynum. Artest is a serious defensive threat and after watching him shoot the lights out last night, Bryant has his hands full. But Kobe is Kobe.
X-Factor: Shane Battier
Lakers in 7 games.
Eastern Conference
Orlando vs Boston
Before game 1 last night between the Magic & the Celtics, I would have guessed that the Celtics may not show up right away. After all, it feels like they just wrapped up all those overtime games with Chicago just yesterday. But let’s look back to last year’s road that led the Celtics the Finals. First round they took it to 7 games against the Atlanta Hawks and after that took the series with Lebron and the Cavs to 7 as well. The difference between last year and this year, the absence of Kevin Garnett.
Can Superman fly high above the Celtics?
Despite what Celtics coach, Doc Rivers says, it feels like the Celtics are still fatigued from the epic battle with the Bulls in Round 1. In true Celtic style, they went on to close the gap on what at one point was a 28 point lead by the Magic but couldn’t manage to finish it off.
This series is in the hands of this years Defensive Player of the Year, Dwight Howard. There is no one that can match Howards physical dominance with Garnett out of the line up. The Magic could use the help of the former Western Kentucky star, Courtney Lee, but he is still out after having sinus surgeory due to a hit in the first series against the 76ers.
X-Factor: Absence of Garnett in the paint
Magic in 6 games.
Cleveland vs Atlanta
Will Lebron hoist a different trophy?
This series tips off tonight but I can’t help but imagine that it is rather insignificant. Lebron and the Lebronettes will handle the Hawks in 4 games and we will all be reminded how the Eastern Conference isn’t totally out of the woods of being the least powerful conference.
Would love to see the Hawks make it interesting but after such a lopsided performance against the Heat in round 1, Lebron should have no problem dealing with the Hawks and their inconsistencies.
X-Factor: Lebron, who else
Cavs in 4 games.
