Breaking down the NBA’s second round of playoffs, starting today in Atlanta and Golden State:
Eastern Conference:
No. 1 Atlanta vs. No. 5 Washington
In advancing to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2011, the Hawks struggled with the 38-win Nets and hardly looked like a 60-win team. Now they have to make a quick turnaround with one day of rest to play the Wizards. Hawks G Jeff Teague did not get untracked until the clinching win vs. Brooklyn in Game 6, while Al Horford had problems with a dislocated finger injury that impacted his lethal mid-range jumper. DeMarre Carroll is the hottest Hawk entering the second round, with four straight 20-point games. The Hawks pounded the Wizards in the regular-season, winning three of the four games as the Wizards averaged 18 turnovers and Atlanta won by an average of nine points per game. But this is a different Washington team. After losing 21 of their final 36 regular-season games, the Wizards found their offensive groove and found a real leader in veteran Paul Pierce to shred the Raptors in their first-round sweep.
Prediction: Wizards in 6.
No. 2 Cleveland vs. No. 3 Chicago
Starting tomorrow night in Cleveland, this is the heavyweight matchup we’ve waited all season for, but no one expected to see it until the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavs swept out the Celtics in the first round, but it came at a costly price. Kevin Love, the Cavs’ third option and one of their top board men, is out for the season with a shoulder injury suffered in Cleveland’s Game 4 win. They’ll miss Love’s 17 points and 10 rebounds a game and his ability to stretch the floor with his three-point shooting, but they still have the league’s best player, LeBron James, and Kyrie Irving, who starred in his playoff debut against the Celtics. Ex-Knick J.R. Smith is out the first two games, serving a suspension and further weakening the Cavs. The Bulls have never beaten James in a playoff series in three previous tries, losing 12 of 15 games. There’s a lot of bad blood between these two teams. In Round One the Bulls needed six games to close out the inexperienced Bucks after going up 3-0. Chicago’s top concern is Derrick Rose’s inconsistent play. Against Milwaukee he set off alarms by failing to assert himself during some stretches, shooting too many three’s and committing too many turnovers. The Cavs won the season series, 3-1.
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Prediction: Cavaliers in 7.
Western Conference:
No. 1 Golden State vs. No. 5 Memphis
The Warriors hit the court in Oakland today looking like the top team among the final eight after rolling through the first round and sweeping the inexperienced Pelicans. After winning a league-high 67 games, Golden State pulled off a miracle comeback win in Game 3 against Anthony Davis and Co. after trailing by 20 points entering the fourth quarter. Stephen Curry, the favorite to win the MVP award, averaged 34 ppg and put himself in the franchise scoring record books with immortals Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry. Counting the regular-season, the Warriors are now 41-2 at home and 71-15 overall. They’ve struggled with big, physical teams like Memphis in the past, but the Warriors get a major break as Grizzlies’ playmaker Mike Conley Jr. likely will miss the opener, if not the first two games, after having to undergo facial surgery to repair several broken bones suffered vs. Portland in the first round. Except for the Conley injury, which is a huge blow, the Griz easily handled the Trail Blazers in five games, with Marc Gasol averaging 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists. The Warriors and Grizzlies are two of the NBA’s top defensive teams, with Golden State taking two of the three games in the regular-season.
Prediction: Warriors in 5.
No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 L.A. Clippers
The series starts in Houston tomorrow night with the Clippers coming in with only one day of rest off their epic Game 7 win over the defending champion Spurs on Saturday night in L.A. With James Harden looking like an MVP candidate and Dwight Howard overcoming foul trouble, the Rockets took out the Mavs in the first round in five games. Houston advanced out of the first round for the first time since 2009 and for only the second time in the last 18 years. Harden averaged 28 points on 65% shooting and eight assists per game against the Mavs. Capping off arguably the greatest first round series in NBA history, the Clips advanced to the second round on Chris Paul’s last-second shot in Game 7 against San Antonio. Paul’s heroics came after he suffered a left hamstring injury and his status for Game 1 against the Rockets is questionable. Blake Griffin capped off the Spurs series with a triple-double and will be a tough match-up for the Rockets. The two teams split their four games in the regular-season.
Prediction: Rockets in 7.
Longtime New York columnist Mitch Lawrence continues to write about pro basketball, as he’s done for the last 22 years. His columns for NBCNewYork.com on the Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and the NBA, along with other major sports, will appear twice weekly. Follow him on Twitter @Mitch _ Lawrence
