NBA Playoffs Update

The first round of the NBA Playoffs is generally pretty predictable. There’s often a large gap between the first and eight-seeded teams in both conferences and it often seems more like a formality than anything else. This year was not much different, but there was one huge surprise — and that was the ousting of the number one Chicago Bulls by the eighth-ranked team in the Eat, the Philadelphia 76ers. Now what will this team, and the others, do in Round Two?

Losing Derrick Rose in the first game of the first round was devastating for the Bulls, but it was what propelled the 76ers to Round Two. When facing the Boston Celtics this round though, they may not be as lucky. Then again, you never really know — especially after watching the first game between the two. On Saturday night the 76ers had a lead of 28-18 and, in full control, it looked as though they had the game wrapped up and that maybe it wasn’t just injuries on the part of the opposing team that brought them this far. But they quickly fell apart in the last few minutes and the Celtics took it 25-20. If Philly wants to get any of their momentum back, they’ll need to practice their stamina.

Next up in the East are the Miami Heat facing the Indiana Pacers and after yesterday’s game, they’re going to be doing it without Chris Bosch, at least for a little while. Even after suffering what’s being called an abdominal injury, the Heat were able to still rely on the other two of their Big Three and win the game with a 95-86 victory. The question is, how long can that last? With currently no word on Bosch’s condition, this could be another devastating blow for yet another team that was expected to go far in the post-season.

The Los Angeles Clippers are undoubtedly still counting their lucky stars that they’ve gotten it this far, after narrowly beating the Memphis Grizzlies out in the first round. But in Game 7 they pulled it out for an incredible finish and have now moved on to face the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have a much better lineup than the Clippers, and when Clipper Chris Paul is compared with the San Antonio’s Tony Parker, he simply can’t compete.

And then there are the Los Angeles Lakers facing the Oklahoma City Thunder. This is a matchup that everyone’s waiting for — even if it’s only to see if there will be any repercussions on the court from the brutal elbow Metta World Peace’s delivered to James Harden’s head. But the Lakers won’t have time for any more distractions like that. The Thunder were a favorite to take the entire thing this year before the playoffs even started, or it was even known who they would face. After sweeping last year’s reigning champs, the Dallas Mavericks, there certainly seems to be some truth to that.

Categorized in: NBA