First, Let's recap round one.
I pick Memphis in 7: They won in 6
Boston in 5: They lost in 6
Miami in 5: They won in 4
Denver in 6: They lost in 6
Oklahoma City in 5: They won in 6
Pacers and Chicago were suggested but not definitive. Both teams won.
The second round has the Spurs vs the Warriors. The experience of the
Spurs should overwhelm the Warriors. Warriors will have Curry and
Jack but little else. Spurs in 5.
OKC will be tested by Memphis. Durant will have his way. Gasol and
Randolph will make this series go to 6 before falling.
Miami will defeat Chicago and head to the Eastern Conference Finals. Lebron James is MVP and proves it. Rose may attempt to play. Will not
matter. The series will be physical but Miami will end it in 5.
Indiana will face the New York Knicks. Pacers will be a tougher opponent
than the Celtics. They play better defense and can match up with Chandler.
Melo injured his shoulder and that will be a factor. If Anthony is 80% ,the
series goes 6. If not it goes five. Pacers win regardless.
The co-host of #GTLivechat, Nkeshi Free, has submitted her picks for the
second round of the playoffs. They are below.
NBA Conference Semi-Finals:
Nkeshi Free’s Picks
Eastern Conference
Miami-Chicago
I predict Miami in six games but if Dwayne Wade isn’t healthy the Bulls could force a game seven. The Heat are rested so in theory they should have fresh legs and plenty of energy. The other side to that coin is all that rest could make them slow to get back into their rhythm. The Heat are a well-oiled machine when LeBron James, Wade and Chris Bosh are on the court. If Wade is unable to play throughout the semis due to the injury to his right knee, it will be up to shooting guard Ray Allen, Chris “Birdman” Anderson, point guard Mario Chalmers and small forward Shane Battier to step up and fill the gap.
The Bulls are limping into the semis after a hard fought contest with the Brooklyn Nets. After a seven game series, numerous injuries and illnesses, the Bulls face an up-hill battle against the Heat. The reason this series will be a contest is the fact that the Bulls have a will to win. Joakim Noah willed this team to life with an impressive win over the Nets to advance to the semis. The bench stepped up with starters Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich both out due to illness and injury respectively. Noah also faced injury early in the series, but he put this team on his back. I expect that though they are beaten and tired the Bulls will not go out without a fight.
Indiana-New York
I predict New York in six games but it won’t be a pretty contest. While, the Knicks have a more star filled roster they have a habit of not playing to their potential and getting content. This fact was extremely evident in the humbling game four loss to Celtics. Anticipating a sweep of the former NBA champs, the Knicks players arrived dressed in all black, to symbolize the end of the Celtics. Only they didn’t die and beat the Knicks by 7 points in New York. In game six, the Knicks almost blew a 26-point lead in the fourth quarter before clinching their spot in the semi-finals.
Indiana also had a tough time closing out against the Atlanta Hawks to advance to the semi-final round. The challenge for this Pacers team is youth and inexperience. Former Georgetown big man Roy Hibbert, is going to be critical to stopping the Kicks offense. That means rebounding especially on defense to not allow Knicks any second chance points. With time and a few more pieces ,the Pacers will be a major force in the upcoming seasons.
NBA Conference Semi-Finals:
Nkeshi Free’s Picks
Western Conference
Oklahoma City-Memphis
This is the series to watch. It’s going to be tough, gritty and go down to the wire. I wanted this match-up, but hoped they would meet in the Conference Finals. I’ve said all along the West goes through Memphis or OKC. That said I pick OKC in seven games. This is one of the more evenly matched games of the NBA Playoffs. Both teams will match up in terms of talent and intensity, but the edge goes to OKC. Durant said he’s “tired of being second!”
San Antonio-Golden State
Despite their age, I’m going with Spurs in five games for this series. I think Tim Duncan has one more series in him and we’ll see a return of the giant. Parker is once again going to shine as the leader of this Spurs team. The veteran leadership and chemistry is what is going to give the Spurs the edge over the Warriors.
Curry is going to come out swinging and his teammates are going to give him support, but Curry isn’t Parker (yet) and he doesn’t have a Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili. Richard Jefferson is going to help with the veteran leadership but he can’t do it all.
The other and important piece to this match-up that I didn’t use as a factor for the other games are the teams coaches. Mark Jackson, while passionate with heart and leadership isn’t Gregg Popovich. Pop truly knows his players and is part of the chemistry that has made the Spurs a force in the NBA and four time champions. Coaching and the ability to know when, how and what adjustments to make throughout the game are going to be as important as who is on the court.
LeBron James won his fourth MVP award Sunday, finishing just one vote shy of winning the honor unanimously. Carmelo Anthony was the only other player to receive a first-place vote.
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| LeBron James | 1,207 |
| Kevin Durant | 765 |
| Carmelo Anthony | 475 |
| Chris Paul | 289 |
| Kobe Bryant | 184 |
| Others receiving votes: Tony Parker (86 points); Tim Duncan (65); James Harden (33); Russell Westbrook (9); Dwyane Wade (5); Stephen Curry (3); Kevin Garnett (1); David Lee (1); Ty Lawson (1); Marc Gasol (1); Joakim Noah (1). | |
The following is a video of Lebron James and his acceptance of the MVP
award for 2012-2013.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:9241461
Follow Keshi on Twitter at @KeshisCuties
Follow me on Twitter at @GamingGuyM
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