SPURS VERSES BLAZERS SECOND ROUND PREVIEW

Spurs

The Spurs come into this series coming off of seven game series with the Dallas Mavericks. The speed of the Mavs caused the Spurs some trouble as well as their duo of Ellis and Dirk. The Spurs had the best record in all of the NBA and every year everybody thinks that the Spurs will fall apart and every year they keep preforming well and surprising people. They have a older big three that keeps preforming well including on of the most underrated point guards in the NBA. One thing to keep in might with them is how their starting shooting guard and small forward preform throughout the series. These two player will have to play well for them to move on in the playoffs.

Blazers

The Blazers would of had a seven game series of their own if it was not for the heroics of their up and coming point guard Damian Lillard making a game winning three pointer at the buzzer to win game six. The Blazers are led by Lillard and their start power forward Aldridge. Aldridge was on fire in this series especially for the first two games of the series where he averaged 45 points. The other players like their shooting guard for example will have to preform well in this series if they want to win this series and move on.

BACKCOURTS:

Spurs

The Spurs starting backcourt consists of one of the most underrated points guards in the NBA in Tony Parker. Parker is an experienced veteran who knows how to win and is both great at both passing and scoring. Their shooting guard is great at shooting threes but sometimes goes into cold spurts. He could be one of the x-factors in determining who wins this series and moves on.

 Blazers

The Blazers backcourt is one of the up and coming back courts that is good now but could turn into one of the top 5 in the NBA. Lillard is already one of the better point guards in the NBA and could turn out to be top 5 in the NBA. Their shooting guard plays good defense and shoots the ball fairly well. He will be an x-factor for the Blazers. One of the things to look at is which starting shooting guard plays better in this series. 

FRONTCOURT

Spurs

The Spurs front court consist of one two up and coming player which are their small forward and center. The other player in their starting front court is Mr. Fundamental in Timmy Duncan. He has been one of the best players in the league ever since he has drafted a long time ago. You can basically put him down for a 10 points and 10 rebounds every game. His position battle with Aldridge will be a fun one to watch. However it will be important to see how their 3 and 5 do and they will need to do well to win this series.

Blazers

The Blazers are often looked over especially their power forward Aldridge. He played like a superstar in the first round series against the Rockets and if he keeps playing like that it will be hard for the Spurs to guard him and will open it up for the rest of his teammates. Lopez the center was a underrated pick up in the offseason. Also their small forward is a veteran that is good for a mostly young team. They will have to have good play from him as a role player to win this series.

Bench

Spurs

The Spurs have two of the best bench players in all of the NBA in Ginoblli and Mills. Ginoblli is the third part of their big three and is really good at getting to the rim and also has a good jumper. Mills has been stuck on the Spur's bench for a few years but the past couple years has finally been given a chance and is making the most of it. The thing to watch for is do the Spurs have a third and fourth player off of the bench that is contributes consistently throughout the series. 

Blazers

The Blazers do not have a very deep bench at all at will need at least 2 to three player to contribute throughout this series. The best player on their bench is probably Mo Williams and he isn't really that good. They will need him and the rest of their bench to show up if they want to beat the Spurs who made the finals last year.

PREDICTION: The Spurs have better players, a better bench, more veteran leadership, and a better and deeper bench. This is not saying that the Blazers are a bad team they are really good they are just a year or two away from being able to get to the finals. Blazers get a few good players either from the draft or free agency and you will be in contention to make the finals, but right now you just aren't deep enough. Spurs in 6.

HEAT VERSES NETS SECOND ROUND PREVIEW

HEAT
The second seeded Heat made easy work of the Bobcats who posed no threat to the reigning champs. There was really only one player on the Bobcats who semi caused some problems for the Heat but other than that it was easy sailing for the Heat who won their opening series in four games. The Heat and their big three, which consists of Lebron, Wade, and Bosh, carry this team. However when they are at their best is when their supporting cast is playing well. In this series, they will need their role players to play well in order to win this series against a veteran led Nets squad.

NETS
The Nets come into this second round matchup coming off of a tough seven game series with the Toronto Raptors. Joe Johnson was a big reason why they won game seven as he scored 26 points. Another reason they won the series was the veteran leadership of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Both players had at least 10 points and Paul Pierce had the deciding block on the final shot by the Raptors to try to win that game. The Nets will need their veterans as well as Johnson and Williams to play well in this series if they want to upset the Heat and go on to the Eastern Conference Finals.

BACKCOURTS:
HEAT
The Heat's backcourt consists of a decent point guard who is good at making corner three and an aging shooting guard who is one of the better players in the NBA when healthy. When healthy, this is one of the better backcourts in the NBA. Though their point guard does not really have to do much except sit in the corner and wait for one of the big three to pass it to him in the corner for a three. Wade, their shooting guard and one of the Heat's big three, is good at taking it to the rim. You want to Heat to be shooting jump shots if you can. One thing to watch for is what Wade shows up. If he shows up being one of the best players in the NBA the Nets will be in trouble.
NETS
When the Nets backcourt is doing well and on track, they are one of the better ones in the NBA. However sometimes they get off track and tend to slack off. I do not think that they will be doing that because off the veterans on this team and because they are facing the defending champs. Also their shooting guard has a back for preforming well in the forth quarter at the end of games. He usually is the one to make big shots and usually he makes them. He will have to be making shots throughout the game though if the Nets are to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
FRONTCOURT
HEAT

The Heat's front court consists of the other two thirds of the big three as well as a decent player that pays well with the big three. When you have the best all around player on you team it usually means good things for you. How to Heat use him though will be interesting to watch will he mainly be behind the three point arc or will he be in the post and making drives to the basket and getting to the free throw line. Also the other players on the team will have to have some impact for the Heat to move on to the Eastern Conference Finals.

NETS

The Nets front court consists of two very experienced veterans who help this team especially in the playoffs. These are players who have won the championship before and also have beaten the Miami Heat before. They know what it takes to get to the top and win it all which is what they were brought in to do. They play the best when the pressure is at its highest and they will have to show up now that they are playing the reigning NBA champs.

Bench

HEAT

The heat's bench has a lot of veterans who bring a number of different things to the team. Some are really good at shooting threes. Others are really good at playing defense and playing at the rim on the offensive end. The Heat's bench will just have to play decent enough to keep the score differential at what it is at so that the Heat can win and move on to the Eastern Conference Finals.

NETS 

The Nets bench has a number of players that shoot threes at a decent rate as well as a few players that play good defense and do not produce much at this point on the offensive side of the ball. Their bench will have to do better than the Heat's bench if they want to win this series and move on.

PREDICTION: 

Somehow the Heat had trouble with the Nets during the regular season as the Nets were the only team in the NBA to beat them every time that they played them. The Nets somehow found a way to get passed the Heat during the regular season. However, the playoffs are a different story. The Nets will have to prove that the regular season games were not a fluke and that they can beat the Heat in the playoffs. I do not think that they can beat the Heat 4  times out of 7. I think that it will be closer than people think it is though. Heat in 6.

CLIPPER VS THUNDER SECOND ROUND PREVIEW

THUNDER
The 2nd seeded Thunder had a tough seven game series that they barely got through with the Memphis Grizzles. They are led by two of the best players in the NBA including the probable MVP of the league in Kevin Durant. Durant had the second highest average (29.9) during the first round of the playoffs. During the last series against the Grizzles, the pace of the game was a huge factor as well as the time of the game that each team had the lead. During the games that the Thunder had the lead for at least two thirds of the game, the Thunder won. The games that they had the lead for less then 10 minutes they lost. Now they face another team that has a good front court. This time on the other hand they are not as conventional in their approach. However that does not mean that the Thunder's front court can take it easy. They will need their role players to pick up the slack as sometimes Durant and Westbrook do most of the work as the role player stand in a corner and watch. Players like Ibaka and Jackson will have to play well in this series if they want to move on to the Western Conference Finals.

CLIPPERS
The Clippers come into this series coming off of a seven game series of their own. They just had a seven game battle with the Warriors and the "Splash Brothers". Also they Clippers have had to deal with the racist remarks of their owner who was just banned from the all NBA activities by the NBA commissioner. They got by the Warriors by the leadership of their coach and their star point guard Chris Paul. Chris Paul lead the regular season as well as the first round of the playoffs in assists per game. They have many players on their team that are good at shooting especially beyond the three point arc. Also they are known for their high tempo offense that loves to get up and down the court for high flying dunks which got them the nickname "Lob City". The have one of the highest scoring offenses in the NBA if not the highest. Defense will be of the area that will have to be looked at if they want to move on to the Western Conference Finals. 

BACKCOURTS:
THUNDER
The Thunder have one of the best scoring point guards in the NBA in Westbrook. He can light up the scoreboard on any given night. However, he need to be more of a passer and get his other teammates involved if he wants to get better as well as get his team to the Western Conference Finals. When he is starts out the game getting his teammates involved in the Game, the Thunder have a better chance of winning. As much as their point guard is great, their starting shooting guard is average at best. He is good for what the Thunder need him to be, but it would help the Thunder out a ton if they either drafted a good shooting guard or got one in free agency.
CLIPPERS
The Clippers also have one of the best point guards in the NBA, but he is more of the conventional style of point guards. He is a pass first point guard, and statistically he is the best in assists in the NBA both in the regular season and in the playoffs up to this point. This match up feature a battle of the two main different styles of point guard play, pass first verses shoot first. Both are great point guards but Paul is the better passer by a mile. Also the Clippers shooting guard is not the best and they have two or three better shooting guards on their bench that they could have starting which would make their starting lineup better, but I am not their coach so I cannot make that change.

FRONTCOURT
THUNDER
The Thunder's front court is one of their weaknesses with the exception of their MVP in Kevin Durant. Durant is one of the best players in the NBA scores over 30 points per game on most nights and can make almost every shot on the floor. However the rest of the Thunder's front court is less than spectacular. Their power forward is really a back up that is starting and is getting older by the minute. Their Center/power forward Ibaka is improving though and is one of the best shot blockers in the game with and improving medium range jump shot. Ibaka will have to have a great series especially on the defensive end when guarding either Blake Griffin or Deandre Jordan.
CLIPPERS
The Clippers have a great front court with the exception of their small forward. Their starting small forward will have a handful with the probable MVP in Durant. He should not be much of a problem for him. However the rest of their starting front court is one of the best and most exciting. The main parts of "Lob City" in Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan. Blake Griffin needs to be a dominate force in this series if they want to move on. He needs to average at least a double double and stay out of foul trouble if they want to move on.
Bench
THUNDER
The Thunder have an improved bench with experienced veterans. They need to have a good series and average at least 35 points a series if they want to move on. Butler and Fisher will have to have a good series as well as Jackson. 
CLIPPERS
The Clippers have a deep bench that can score 50 points a game if they are on their game. They have a bunch of scorers on their bench with a ton of three point shooting. They have one of the best bench players in the league and the probably 6th man of the year in Jamal Crawford. How their bench does they little things such as rebound and play defense could be the difference in the series.

PREDICTION: 
The Thunder do not have enough bench play even though it has gotten better to win. If Durant and Westbrook help the role player to do better and get involved they have a chance to win this series. The Clippers have a better bench but will have to play defense if they want to win this series. Clippers in 7.

PACERS VS WIZARDS SECOND ROUND PREVIEW

INDIANA 

The top seeded Indiana Pacers struggled with the smaller line up of Atlanta and surprisingly Atlanta pushed the series to seven games before falling in to the Pacers. Atlanta's point guard, Jeff Teague has a big part of this averaging 20 points and 5 assists a game during the series. Indiana overcame their star center playing terribly during the first six games of the series averaging only 4 points per games during the series including zero points in games 5 and 6 before having his best game of the series in game 7, scoring 13 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. Atlanta's smaller faster lineup gave Indiana's larger slower lineup fits during the series until Indiana prevailed in game 7. Moving on Indiana will have to deal with one of the best backcourts in the NBA when they struggle with controlling Atlanta's less powerful backcourt. Their front court will have to come back and have a great series as well especially Hibbert, who had a less then spectacular series against the smaller Hawks, who he should have been able to dominate. The front court matchup will be tougher for the Pacers, and their fans will have to hope that the tougher matchup helps them to play better in this series.

WIZARDS

The 5th seeded Wizards made quick work of the Chicago Bulls, winning the series in five games. I thought that this series would be a closer one than this, but the Wizards proved me wrong. The Wizards and their offense proved to be to much for the Bulls great defense as the Bulls offense just could not keep up to the superior Wizards offense. In the first four games of the series, the Wizards scored around 100 points per game against one of the best defenses in the NBA. Their front court  players will have to show that they truly can play well against one of the better front courts in the NBA when they are playing good in the Pacers.

BACKCOURTS

INDIANA 

Indiana's backcourt is not the best in the NBA but is improving. Their point guard is a serviceable point guard that runs the game and keeps the offense moving and running the correct plays. He passes the ball decently for a starting point guard but still is not the greatest at it. Their shooting guard is improving every year and getting better in many areas of the game. Lance Stephenson is very athletic and likes to attack the basket for rebounds, layups, and dunks. His shooting has been an improving part of his game as well as his defense. Their backcourt will have to show up especially on the defensing end of the court because they are facing one of the better backcourts in all of the NBA in the Wizards.

WIZARDS

Their back court is one of their strengths and as the Pacers struggled in their last series against a lesser back court, unless the Pacers change how they defended and improve all of a sudden. The Wizards starting point guard, John Wall, is once of the up and coming point guards in the league and in a year or two he will be one of the best in the league if he is not already. What is scary is that the Wizards backcourt is already good and they will just continue to get better over the next few years. Their shooting guard Beal has a good jump shot especially from deep shooting 45% in the series with the Bulls.
ADVANTAGE: Wizards

FRONTCOURTS:
INDIANA 
Indiana has one of the best front courts when they are playing at their best. When their small forward, Paul George, is playing at the top of his game he is one of the best players in the NBA. Though the Pacers had a bad series collectively against the Pacers, George still averaged 24 points per game on 46% shooting so it was not much of his fault. He should be able to dominate his matchup because the Wizards starting small forward is not that good of a player. The Pacers power forward as a lot of NBA experience and is one of the glue pieces that brings the Pacers together. When he is doing well the Pacers usually do well. Though he did not have a great series against the Hawks, he will have to come up big against the Wizards who have a taller, stronger, and better front court. Another player that will have to preform considerably better than he did the last series is Roy Hibbert, their starting center. He basically did not show up in the last series against the Hawks only averaging 4 points in games 1-6 and scoring 0 points in games 5 and 6. Hibbert will have to show that he is one of the best centers in the NBA against the Wizards if the Pacers want to win this series. He has to opportunity to prove that the last series was a fluke and show that he is a great center in this league. 

ADVANTAGE: Pacers

BENCH:
INDIANA 
The Pacers bench has improved over last year where there was a great difference between the quality of their starters and their reserves. This year they got better players on their bench and it helped them get the top seed in the East. They have an underrated back up center in Mahinmi. They have four to five quality players off of their bench who can come in and contribute at any time.
WIZARDS
The Wizards do not have as deep of a bench as Indiana. The Wizards has basically three players that their bench is consisted of that play. Their backup guard, Andre Miller, has a ton of experience which is extremely beneficially with the inexperienced Wizards. Overall the Wizards next year should improve their bench if they want to go farther on in the playoffs then they already are right now.
ADVANTAGE: Pacers

PREDICTION:
This depends on which Pacers team shows up. If the team that showed up in the beginning of the regular season shows up, then this could be a series that they win in 5 or 6 games. However, If the Pacers that showed up in the Hawks series shows up, then they could lose this series in 6 games and have an unwanted early exit from these playoffs. I think that the Pacers will have more of the team that they were in the beginning of the year instead of the team that we saw in the Hawks series with the Pacers winning in 6 or 7 games. Pacers in 7.

UPCOMING POSTS

Once the second round match-ups for the NBA playoffs are known, I will be posting my previews for the upcoming series so you all can look forward to that. Also if you have any ideas for upcoming posts leave a comment below. I want to hear from my readers so that I can make this blog better and better.

Rockets vs Blazers preview

ROCKETS

The Rockets (54-38) come into the playoffs as the 4th seed in the Western Conference. Last year they lost to the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs in 6 games. The Rockets are led by their two all stars James Harden and Dwight Howard. The have an up tempo offense that love to score. They were 2nd in the NBA in points per games in 107.7. Also they are a good rebounding team, grabbing 45 a game which was good for 4th in the NBA this year. Their defense is one area of their team that they have to improve on. 

BLAZERS

The Blazers (54-28) come into the playoffs as the 5th seed in the Western Conference. The Blazers are on of the surprise teams in the Western Conference side of the playoff bracket. They have a great back court and their front court players are not bad either. They also like to get up and down the court average the 4th most points per game in the NBA.  They also were the best team at rebounding at 46.4 a game.

STARTERS

PG ROCKETS PATRICK BEVERLY BLAZERS DAMIAN LILLARD 

Beverly is an excellent ball handler but needs to work on his shooting as he is only shooting 41% on the year. He also need to work on passing the ball as he only averages 4 assists per game. Lillard is an up and coming point guard who in a few years could become one of the better ones in the NBA. He can score the ball well as he averages over 20 points a game. His shooting percentage needs to improve a bit as he is shooting just over 42%. 

ADVANTAGE: BLAZERS

SG ROCKETS JAMES HARDEN BLAZERS WESLEY MATTHEWS 

James Harden is turning into one of the best players in the NBA. He can shoot lights out as well as get to the rim. He also leads his team in assists in addition to being their top scorer. He is great at the transition three. Matthews went from being undrafted to become a above average NBA player in almost no time. He shoots the ball well at 44 %. 

ADVANTAGE: ROCKETS

SF ROCKETS CHANDLER PARSONS BLAZERS NICOLAS BATUM 

Parsons is an efficient shooter at 47%. He is an average rebounder averaging about 5 a game. Batum is a veteran player that brings leadership to this team as well as being a good player. He is a good rebounder as well averaging 7.5 a game. 

ADVANTAGE: BLAZERS

PF ROCKETS TERRENCE JONES BLAZERS LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE 

Jones is turning into a good player now that he is actually playing games. His field goal percentage is really high at 54% which means that he is really efficient. Aldridge is a noter one of the blazers players that give them experience and leadership. He has a good mid range game as well as a good post game.

ADVANTAGE: BLAZERS

C ROCKETS DWIGHT HOWARD BLAZERS ROBIN LOPEZ

Howard is the best center in the NBA when he wants to be and is playing his best. His post moves have really improved from the time he entered the league and is always among the leaders in rebounding and blocked shots. Lopez is a sleeper player that is good but goes under the radar most times. He has a good post game as well but is he still isn't the quality of Howard.

ADVANTAGE: ROCKETS

PREDICTION: I expect this to be a close matchup between these two teams. The Rockets were looking to go deep in the playoffs when the signed Howard. The Blazers no one expected them to be this good. I think that Harden will go off and the Rockets will win the series. Rockets in 7.

Bulls vs Wizards preview

BULLS
The Bull (48-34) come into the playoffs as the Eastern conference's 4 seed. Last year they made it to the second round of the playoffs before losing to the Miami Heat. Again they have to deal with Derrick Rose being injured. He is one of the best players in the NBA when healthy but he is almost never healthy. They have a great defense and everyone on their team buys in to playing defense as shown by them being number 1 in the NBA is opponents points per game at 91.8. One the offensive side of the ball they are the worst in the NBA in points per game at 93.7. With Rose being hurt they have to search for offense in other ways and they usually struggle with that. Whether or no they can score enough points to move on will be the main issue for them.

WIZARDS
The Wizards (44-38) come into the playoffs as the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference. The last time the Wizards made it to the playoffs was in 2008 when they lost to the Cavs. The Wizards are led by the up and coming point guard John Wall who is quickly becoming one of the better point guards in the NBA. The offense is average getting just over 100 points per game. They play above average defense at 99.4 points per game. Also they shoot three pointers at a good percentage at 38%. 

PG BULLS KIRK HINRICH WIZARDS JOHN WALL
Hinrich is a good defender with a decent jumper and plays the game well. He is more of a back up guard which we sort of was when Rose was healthy. Wall is an up and coming point guard and has the potential to be one of the better point guards in the NBA. He averaged 19 ppg and 8.8 apg.

ADVANTAGE: WIZARDS

SG BULLS JIMMY BUTLER WIZARDS BRADLEY BEAL
Butler is improving and getting better every season. He was a good jump shot and hustles to everything. Also he is a good rebounder and is a good defender. Bradley Beal is becoming one of the better 2 guards in the Eastern Conference. He can shoot the ball extremely well as well as get to the rim. 

ADVANTAGE: WIZARDS

SF BULLS  MIKE DUNLEAVEY WIZARDS TREVER ARIZA
This matchup is two veterans that both shoot threes. Dunleavey like to come off of screen and get a shot up. Ariza isn't as good at spot up shooting but if he has room he can score. 

ADVANTAGE: EVEN

PW BULLS CARLOS BOOZER WIZARDS TREVER BOOKER
Boozer is an all-star caliber player with an good medium range jumper and a good post game and good rebounding. He should be able to do what he wants with Booker. He doesn't average that much of anything but is a bigger body. He should not cause many problems for Boozer though.

ADVANTAGE: BULLS

C BULLS JOAKIM NOAH WIZARDS MARCIN GORTAT
This is a matchup between possibly the defensive player of the year verses a long time veteran in the league. Noah is brings a ton of energy to the game as well as rebounding and defense. Gortat is decent near the basket and has a good medium range jumper.

ADVANTAGE: BULLS

PREDICTION: This will be a tight contested series that will probably go six or seven games. The Wizards have an lot better offense than the Bulls so it will be interesting to see if the Bulls defense can prevail or not. Wizards in 7. 

Heat vs Bobcats preview

HEAT
The 2 time reigning NBA champion Miami Heat (54-28) come into the playoffs as the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference. They are led  by their big three of Lebron, Wade, and Bosh. They score over 100 points per game and hold their opponents to 97 points per game and can basically shut you down if they want to. The health of some of their players has been a question mark this entire year as well as last year and will continue to be an issue this postseason. Still they have the best shot at winning the title and have the best player in the league in Lebron.

BOBCATS
The Bobcats (43-39) come into the playoffs as the Easts 7th seed. The Bobcats are in the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history and are in search of their first franchise playoff victory. This will be a tough task against the defending champs. They are known for their famous owner Michael Jordan who most consider the best basketball player of all time. The Bobcats need to work on their offense as they only score 97 points a game. However they are good on defense as they hold their opponents to 97 points per game. They are in the middle of the pack in rebounds and assists per game. 

PG    HEAT MARIO CHALMERS  BOBCATS KEMBA WALKER
Mario Chalmers runs the point well in an offense where you doesn't have to do that much except pass the ball to superstars and shoot corner threes. Such a hard job... not. Kemba Walker got known for his run in the NCAA tournament when UCONN won the NCAA championship. In the NBA however he has struggled to kept up the same effectiveness but is starting to turn into a solid player in the NBA. 

ADVANTAGE: BOBCATS
SG   HEAT  DWYANE WADE   BOBCATS GERELD HENDERSON
Dwyane Wade is a part of the Heat's big three star players. He is very good when healthy, but he has been battling injuries the past few years in the league. His health will be a huge factor in whether the Heat can three peat. Henderson is an ok player at best. He averages 14 points a game and has a decent drive to the basket.

ADVANTAGE: HEAT

SF   HEAT LEBRON JAMES  BOBCATS MICHAEL KIDD-GILCHRIST 
James is the best player in the NBA with excellent vision and passing abilities as well as scoring and rebounding. He is an overall well rounded player who can do basically everything from shooting threes to posting up to making amazing dunks. Basically he doesn't have that many weaknesses if any at all. Kidd-Gilchrist is an underachieving player that got too much hype in college and hasn't lived up to the hype and performed to his ability. Lebron will make him look like a college player.

ADVANTAGE: HEAT

PW  HEAT UDONIS HASLEM BOBCATS JOSH MCROBERTS 
Both of these players should be bench players but are starting for different reasons. Haslem starts because he plays well with the other Heat starters. He has a decent mid range jumper and is really physical and plays good defense. McRobberts need to find a bench and stay there and only play like 10 minutes a game instead of the 30 that the Bobcats give him.

ADVANTAGE: HEAT 

C   HEAT CHRIS BOSH BOBCATS AL JEFFERSON
This should be the best matchup at least in with the starters. Chris Bosh was a star for the Raptors before joining the Heat. He is more of a power forward playing center but it does not really effect the Heat that much except for a handful of teams with big front courts. He can post up and shoot the medium and long range jumper. He also rebounds well. Al Jefferson was signed in the offseason by the Bobcats to bring a actually good player to them. He is really good in the post and could use his body to give Bosh some trouble and get him into foul trouble.

ADVANTAGE: HEAT

PREDICTION: The reigning champs verses a team that has never won a playoff game before in franchise history? The team with 3 superstars verses a team that has only two to three good players on its roster? I choose the Heat. Heat in 4.

Spurs vs. Mavericks

SPURS
The Spurs (62-20) come into the playoffs as the number 1 seed in the Western conference and had the best record in the entire NBA this season. Last year the Spurs came within one game of winning the championship. Even though the Spurs are old the just keep winning. They have one of the best coaches in the NBA. With all of their experience and leadership, they make very few errors. Their big three of Duncan, Parker, and Ginobilli just keep producing again and again along with their supporting cast of talented players. Most likely, they are the favorites to make the finals from the Western Conference.

MAVERICKS
The Mavericks (49-33) come into the playoffs as the 8th seed in the Western Conference. Last season this team failed to make it to the postseason. Led by Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs snuck into the playoffs at the last minute to grab the last spot in the west. The Mavs have a good offense scoring 104.8 points per game and share the ball well at 23.6 assists per game. Two things that the Mavs will have to find an answer for are the defense and their rebounding. Their defenses gives up over 102 ppg and they only grab about 40 rebounds a game which is 26th is the NBA.

STARTERS
PG MAVERICKS JOSE CALDERON SPURS TONY PARKER
Jose Calderon is an offense only kind of player. He is a good offensive player with a good three point shot and good passing abilities. Tony Parker will run circles around him, literally. During the 3 games against the Mavs this season, he averaged 23.3 points on over 50 % shooting. Tony Parker has been one of the best point guards in the league in the past decade and in this series he will show why he is great.

ADVANTAGE: SPURS

SG MAVERICKS MONTA ELLIS SPURS DANNY GREEN
Monta Ellis is a shooting guard that lots to drive to the whole and shoot long 2 point jumpers. He is a bad three point shooter and has sometimes during his career had a bad field goal percentage. Danny Green is a shoot threes and give me some defense kind of player. This is probably the only matchup on paper that the Mavs actually have an advantage.

ADVANTAGE: MAVS

SF MAVERICKS SHAWN MARION SPURS KAWHI LEONARD
Both of these players are/were really athletic with Leonard being the better player who is a good defender and an efficient offensive player. Marion likes to shoot threes and has a very awkward delivery on his shoot, but somehow it goes in... sometimes.

ADVANTAGE: SPURS

PF MAVERICKS DIRK NOWITZKI SPURS TIM DUNCAN
This matchup has two future hall of famers battling it out. Dirk has a great jumpshot and seems to have no limit on his range. His step back one legged jumper over the top of the defender is insane. Duncan is a great player with great fundamentals and a good medium range jumper that he likes to bank in off of the glass. He is good in the post also. This individual matchup should be fun to watch.

ADVANTAGE: EVEN

C MAVERICKS SAMUEL DALEMBERT SPURS TIAGO SPLITTER
Dalembert is and older player who doesn't like to get up and down the court and would rather bang with the opponent. His offensive game is not that great but is serviceable. And his defense is not much better either. Splitter is and up and coming player with good defense and a increasingly improving offense. He defensive rating per 100 possessions is 94.5 best on the team and 10 points lower than Dalembert.

ADVANTAGE: SPURS

PREDICTION: The spurs swept the season series with the Mavs this year and I do not see the Mavs posing much of a threat to the reigning Western Conference Champions. The big three of Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan prove to be too much for the Mavs. Spurs in 5.

Thunder vs. Grizzlies preview

THUNDER
The Thunder (59-23) come in as the second seed in the Western Conference and the second best record in the entire NBA. Last year ended in disappointment with an injury to their starting point guard Russell Westbrook and the got beat by the Grizzles in the 2nd round. This year Westbrook is back and ready to get a shot at the Grizzles. The tandom of Westbrook and Kevin Durant, who might get the MVP this year, lead this team into the playoffs in search of their first title. The Thunder like to run and get up and down the court as they score the 5th most points per game in the NBA. They also rebound the ball well as they are 7th in the NBA at 44.7 a game. Anything less than a championship would be a disappointment for this team. 

GRIZZLIES
The Grizzlies (50-32) come into the playoffs as the 7th seed in the Western Conference. They got the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Spurs. They beat the Thunder thanks to the Westbrook injury. The have one of the best frontcourts in Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Surprisingly, they are not a good rebounding team at least statistically. The like to play in the half court and play at a slow pace. Also they play excellent defense and hold opponents to under 95 points a game. If the Grizzles are going to win this series they are going to have to take advantage of the big bodies in the front court. 

STARTERS
PG THUNDER RUSSELL WESTBROOK GRIZZLIES MIKE CONLEY 
Russel Westbrook is one of the best point guards in the league when healthy. He can get to the rim very effectively and has a good jump shot. He averaged 21.8 ppg and 6.9 apg during the season. Mike Conley is one of the most underrated point guard in the NBA. He is really a good player that goes unnoticed sometimes because of all the attention that their bigs get. 

ADVANTAGE: THUNDER

SG THUNDER THABO SEFOLSHA GRIZZLIES COURTNEY LEE
This is the worst match skill use both of these players are not that good of players. Neither really does much and don't average that many points. Sefolsha is a decent defensive player well Lee is more of a shooter that just can't shot that well.

ADVANTAGE: NEITHER

SF THUNDER KEVIN DURANT GRIZZLIES TAYSHAUN PRINCE
Kevin Durant is most likely going to get the MVP award this year. He has a streak of 41 consecutive games of more than 25 points. He is one of the best players in the NBA. He can score in most ways either by getting to the rim of by his jumper. He is really long and can get his shot up over anyone. Prince is a long player also with a good post game for his size. He also plays good defense but is no contest for Durant.

ADVANTAGE: THUNDER
PF THUNDER SERGE IBAKA GRIZZLIES ZACH RANDOLPH
Ibaka or should I say Iblocka as some people call him is really good at blocking shots and was 2nd in the league in blocks at 2.7 a game. his jump shot has really improve in the last couple years.
Zach Randolph is a post player that usually only one hand a lot of the time. He averages a double double in points and rebounds (17.4 and 10.1)

ADVANTAGE: GRIZZLIES

C THUNDER KENDRIC PERKINS GRIZZLIES MARC GASOL
Perkins is an energy kind of player that gives you 6 fouls a game and likes to get in your face. He is short for his position and can get beat by a lot of the bigger centers in the league just like the one he will be going against in this series. Marc Gasol is the other half of the Grizzlies great front court. He like to pound you and score with with back to the basket. He averages 14.6 ppg and 7.2 rpg.

ADVANTAGE: GRIZZLIES

PREDICTION: One thing to watch for in this series is the pace of the game. If it is really fast and uptempo the Thunder are probably doing well. If it is slower the Grizzles are usually doing well. Having Westbrook for this series I think will be the difference as compared to last year when he was hurt. Thunder in 7.