Chicago Bulls over Indiana Pacers in 5
Three of the Pacers’ four losses in this series came by 5, 6, and 4 points respectively, in other words, three defeats by 15 total points. Indiana was the better team for long stretches of this series, but Derrick Rose took over at the end of every game, and he was the difference. Going forward, if you’re a Bulls fan, you worry that Rose needs more help on the offensive end. At times during this past series, he looked like the only Bull with confidence shooting the ball. Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng must produce more consistently. The Pacers can take a lot of positives from this experience. They really could have sent this series to 7 games, Darren Collison and Roy Hibbert looked like good NBA starters, Danny Granger played like he’s capable of being a leader on a playoff team, and Tyler Hansbrough had some terrific stretches. In the end, Rose was the best player in the series, and he was the narrow difference in nearly every game.
Miami Heat over Philadelphia 76ers in 5
There really wasn’t much to this series. Most games were relatively close, save for one Heat blowout in Game 2, and Philly stole one game while they were at home. In the end though, the Sixers didn’t have a single player as good as any of the Heat’s top-3 guys. Now we’ll see if Boston’s decline—precipitated by trading Kendrick Perkins—has brought them down enough to the Heat’s level.
Boston Celtics sweep New York Knicks in 4
The Knicks should have won Game 1, and if they could’ve figured out how to foul, could have won Game 2. After those two back-breaking loses the series was pretty much over, especially with various injuries suffered by Chauncey Billups and Amare Stoudemire. Carmelo Anthony was great, averaging 26, 10, and 5. He did everything he could, but against a superior opponent, it wasn’t enough. Still, you see why New York gave up so much for Anthony: he can dominate the 4th quarter of playoff games and is always a clutch shot maker. The Knicks will retool around their big three with a better supporting cast and could be a championship contender next year.
Atlanta Hawks over Orlando Magic in 6
I’m shocked by this result only because I thought the Hawks had mentally checked out earlier in the season. Certainly Atlanta has talent to play with nearly any team; Jamal Crawford, Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, and Al Horford is about as good a foursome as exists in the league. In the past however, Atlanta has been consistently inconsistent and just hasn’t played smart basketball. I thought that Dwight Howard would be enough for the Magic to win this series, but I didn’t expect his teammates to absolutely disappear. Even averaging 27 points and 16 rebounds a game wasn’t enough from Howard to overcome the suddenly streaking Hawks.
Los Angeles Lakers over New Orleans Hornets in 6
It was harder than anyone predicted, but the champs survive and advance. We’ve seen LA struggle against scrappy, quick, and feisty teams before like the 2009 Rockets and last year’s Thunder. Generally a quick, talented point guard spells trouble for the Lakers, which is what the Hornets have in Chris Paul. What was different about this matchup was that the smaller post players of New Orleans gave LA fits, Carl Landry was able to drive around Pau Gasol anytime he wanted, Aaron Gray’s big body was vital to the Hornets’ success, and Emeka Okafor was solid. Gasol and Lamar Odom were terrible for much of this series, but Derek Fisher and Ron Artest stepped up their scoring big-time. Kobe Bryant produced well enough, but just like last year’s first round against the Thunder, he looked to be playing his way into a playoff rhythm. The Hornets have to be pleased with their level of play, considering that they have one star and a collection of role players. Besides Paul, New Orleans may not have a player who would start on any of the elite teams in the league. Trevor Ariza proved he could be a reliable scoring option, maybe a third scorer on a championship level team. Chris Paul was flat-out unbelievable, single-handedly winning games in this series, getting in the lane at will, and seemingly always making the correct decisions. The Lakers tried to guard him with Bryant, Steve Blake, Fisher, Shannon Brown, and even Artest; nothing worked. Paul’s stats for the series were immaculate–22 points, 11 assists, and 7 rebounds.
Dallas Mavericks over Portland Trail Blazers in 6
Looks like all those (including myself) who thought Portland would be too tough for Dallas were dead wrong. Even when the series was tied at two games apiece, the Mavs always seemed in control. Tyson Chandler proved to be enough of a force in the lane to allow Dirk Nowitzki to do his thing—27 points and 8 rebounds per game. Dallas shared the ball, shot well, and played solid defense. They were just the more seasoned, ready team in this series. Next comes a huge challenge against the Lakers.
Oklahoma City Thunder over Denver Nuggets in 5
Is it possible to lose a series in 5 games and prove that you are a really good team? If so, both the Pacers and the Nuggets did just that. Three of Denver’s losses came by a combined 10 points, but in the end, their downfall was what many thought it would be. Denver did not have a single player that could close down a game, a guy that can create something out of nothing, and everyone on the team knows, “this is our guy.” The Thunder has two of those types of guys in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and that was the slim difference in the series.
The Memphis Grizzlies lead the San Antonio Spurs 3-2; look for a recap after the series wraps.
--from Adam
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