It was supposed to be the perfect weekend for NBA fans. A weekend full of game 7s, the best and most exciting situation for sports fans. The first round had exceeded all expectations and turned into a series full of different story lines and amazing finishes. So amazing that people (myself included) were naming it the best opening round that the NBA had ever seen. All one needs to do is check out the stats to realize the truth. So why not expect one of the best weekends in NBA history? The truth was, that while the weekend was filled with game 7s and plenty of promise, none of the games lived up to what we’d seen in the first round and except for Brooklyn-Toronto, the rest of the NBA weekend was more bark than bite. It’s a shame really. A part of me had a feeling that the weekend might be heading in the direction that it did but I wasn’t going to predict that. As fans of the game, all we want to see is competitive basketball. That and some amazing plays here and there. All we can hope is that the second round is as exciting and intriguing as the first. The match ups look really nice early but first it’s important to look back at what happened this weekend.
We’ll go chronologically. The weekend got going with the Pacers and Hawks, squaring off in Indiana for the chance to take on the Wizards, who clinched their series the previous week. The Pacers did as most of the higher seeds did this weekend and defended their home court, winning in a comfortable fashion over the Hawks to move on in the playoffs. It wasn’t that hard to see that Atlanta has missed their best opportunity, in game 6, because while the first half was a bit for a contest, the second half belonged to the Pacers and thus did the series. Paul George played really well (30pts, 11 reb) for the first time in what seems like forever and the Pacers, sort of, looked more like the team they had been during the regular season. For the hundredth time, we’re all wondering if this is when Indiana finally turns the corner and once against becomes a conference favorite like we’d expected of them. Next up were the Thunder and Grizzlies. This was the series finale that should’ve been the most competitive but once the Zach Randolph suspension came, I knew it was too much for Memphis to overcome and the Thunder responded well to the situation. Marc Gasol and Mike Conley did all that they could to keep the Grizzlies going but when either of them weren’t on the floor it was very difficult for them to be effective on offense. Oklahoma City played very well on offense, Durant had his 33 and Russell Westbrook (27 pts, 10 reb, 16 ast) played his best game of the series, putting up an impressive triple-double. People are throwing out the word “rigged” or “fixed” when talking about Randolph’s suspension. As much as I love to watch Z-Bo play, the penalty was justified but it’s still a shame that we couldn’t see Memphis at full strength. Can’t begin to stress how excited I am to see OKC go up against the Clippers, mostly because of the PG battle. So while we’re on the subject of the LA Clippers, let’s get a bit into what they did to win a big 7th game against the Warriors. The Clippers used a strong second half to jump past the Warriors and move on to the next round the playoffs. I know the final score indicated a close game but the Clippers controlled the second half. When you control the second half at home, chances are that you’re going to take home to victory. Golden State showed plenty of fight all the way to the end of the game but their lack of balance killed them at the end. LA didn’t have much trouble getting clutch basket after clutch basket. Also, i’m watching Mark Jackson, wondering if his facial expressions mean that he’s completely calm or doesn’t know what the hell is going on. The Clippers move on and they’ll continue to get praise for their ability to “overcome obstacles despite their situation” but i’m more interested in what they do on the court when their next round begins on Wednesday.
Sunday featured only two games but it did feature the most competitive game of the series. Brooklyn was the only road team to win over the weekend, overcoming the Raptors in Toronto and setting up a date with the defending champions. Paul Pierce was once again in the headlines, blocking Kyle Lowry’s attempt and the end of the game to win the series for the Nets. But i’ll point to Joe Johnson and the hero of the game for Brooklyn. The man played 45 minutes (45!) during yesterday’s game and scored an impressive 13 points in the 4th quarter on the road in the middle of a hostile Drake-led Toronto crowd. Johnson continues to be the most clutch player in the NBA, I don’t care what stat anyone pulls out. I know it was heartbreaking for Raptors’ fans around the world but they have a tough, young team that I expect to continue to be in the playoffs for much of the future. I’m really looking forward the Nets-Heat series and see if Brooklyn (4-0 against Miami) can continue their regular season success against LeBron and co. Unfortunately for Mavericks fans like myself, the most lopsided game of the weekend came at their expense. San Antonio dominated the Mavs early and often, winning game 7 in front of their fans and moving on. I attended the official Mavs watch part at the AAC here in downtown Dallas. There were plenty of fans and lots of hope early on but as the game went on, and the Spurs’ lead increased, the fans started leaving and the hopes dwindled to nothing. It wasn’t a complicated game: Dallas didn’t have an answer for Tony Parker. #9 on the Spurs did everything he wanted early. He finished with 34 points but the 24 that he scored in the first half really set the tempo and established a lead (as high as 31) that the Mavericks could not recover from. My Mavs exceeded expectations and fought well but i’m looking forward to a busy summer from them. The Spurs move on, as they always do, but they’re going to have a very interesting series against a Blazers team that is beaming with confidence.
Quick predictions without too much thought: I like both the Wizards and Heat in 6 while the Spurs and Clippers win 7-game battles.
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you were at the AA Bowser? It was painful to watch game 7, from a Maverick fan point of view, but getting to the play offs and forcing game 7 with that team was not an easy task