The first round of the NBA playoffs didn’t deliver much in the way of drama (the Clippers-Spurs series aside), with five of the eight series ending in five games or fewer. Thankfully, Round 2 is shaping up to feature more exciting and competitive matchups, particularly in the Eastern Conference, where the top two seeds are dealing with some significant issues.
Let’s do a quick breakdown of all four second round series to see how each team shapes up, and make a bold prediction for how each series eventually shakes out.
Round 2 is underway! Check out some of the upcoming Game 2’s in the Grizzlies vs. Warriors and Wizards vs. Hawks series.
[sc:NBAArticles ]2015 NBA Playoffs Round 2 Preview and Predictions
Eastern Conference
(1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Washington Wizards
The Hawks had their share of issues in their first round series against Brooklyn, particularly on the offensive end. They shot just 41 percent through the first four games of the series. They eventually picked it up in Games 5 and 6, but apart from DeMarre Carroll, the rest of the Hawks’ injury-ravaged starting five has been pretty inconsistent.
[sc:NBA240banner ]On the flipside, the Wizards were remarkably consistent as they swept Toronto away with some ease. The switch to make Paul Pierce a small-ball power forward has energized an offense that was mediocre in the regular season, while John Wall and Bradley Beal have stepped up their game in the postseason.
It’s tempting to think the Wizards’ small sample size eruption is here to last. But the Hawks have a longer track record of success with their style, and should have enough to outlast the Wizards.
Prediction: Hawks in 7
(2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
The Kevin Love injury transforms what would’ve been a manageable series win for the Cavs into more of a toss-up. With LeBron James and Kyrie Irving playing well, the Cavs should still be favored to go through, but they’ll likely be in a war without their floor-spreading big man. And they’ll be going into said war with JR Smith suspended for the first two games and washed-up wings like James Jones, Mike Miller and Shawn Marion playing at least some part, which is far from ideal.
But the Bulls, Jimmy Butler aside, aren’t looking too great themselves. They needed six games to get past the inexperienced Bucks; Derrick Rose has been frustratingly hit or miss; and three-fourths of their stacked frontline (Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic) has been banged up and/or ineffective.
In a series this close, it often comes down to which team has the best player. So LeBron James and the Cavs it is.
Prediction: Cavs in 7
Western Conference
(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (5) Memphis Grizzlies
This series is expected to be a highly physical affair, especially with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol battling Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green down low. But it won’t be much of a contest without Mike Conley. The Grizzlies point guard is still recovering from a fractured face, and his presence will be crucial to Memphis’ chances.
With all due respect to Nick Calathes and Beno Udrih, the Grizzlies won’t have nearly enough on both ends of the floor to hang with MVP Stephen Curry and the juggernaut Warriors without Conley. And even with Conley, who’s also battling through a foot injury, the Warriors have more than enough weapons to blow even a full-strength Grizzlies team away.
Unless the Warriors suffer a crippling injury to Curry or Green, they’ll do just that.
Prediction: Warriors in 5
(2) Houston Rockets vs. (3) Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers fought tooth and nail in a grueling seven-game first round series against the Spurs just to reach Round 2, and it came with a price. Chris Paul tweaked his hamstring early in Game 7, and while he still played the game of his life, his effectiveness going forward could face a significant drop. If that means more Austin Rivers and Lester Hudson (who?), then that spells bad news for the Clips.
Meanwhile, the Rockets are well-rested after a quick five-game rout of Dallas. James Harden was great, Dwight Howard looked like Superman at times, and even Josh Smith is giving terrific, efficient minutes off a surprisingly productive Rockets bench.
Harden and Howard are more than capable of outplaying Blake Griffin and a hobbled Paul, which should allow the Rockets to edge what will likely be a very tight series.
Prediction: Rockets in 7
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