It looked like the NBA might be headed for a weekend of drama, with six first-round series having potential Game 7s and three of them needing only the home team to hold serve in Game 6. But close-outs were the theme of Thursday and Friday night, and only Brooklyn-Chicago will reach a decisive seventh game. We’ll run through the six games of the last two nights, starting with Nets-Bulls.
BROOKLYN-CHICAGO: It was the third straight nailbiter in Chicago Stadium on Thursday night and Brooklyn finally got the road win they needed to survive. The Nets showed exceptional balance in the 95-92 final. The Big Three of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez all scored 17 points, while Reggie Evans hit the boards for 15 rebounds and they held the Bulls to 40 percent shooting. That’s the formula that can eventually take Brooklyn a long way in the playoffs, and at the very least it’s taking them to a Game 7.
Chicago is wounded badly, and Kirk Hinrich remains a game-time decision for tonight’s finale (8 PM ET, TNT). Hinrich’s backcourt defense was a big part of Chicago winning Games 2 thru 4 and they’ve lost both games he’s been out. Joakim Noah is a warrior and he keeps hitting the boards, but he’s also dragging along hurt. The NBA system already favors stars and homecourt, which Brooklyn has going for it tonight, and to top it off they’re healthier. If the Bulls win this game it’s one of the truly great Game 7 wins in the league’s lore.
The winner tonight goes to Miami for the second round. The other Eastern semi-final will be Indiana and New York, who won on the road Friday night to clinch.
INDIANA-ATLANTA: It took six games, but we finally saw the Pacers team that impressed during the regular season. It was a team built on defense and rebounding, holding Atlanta to 33 percent shooting and winning the boards battle 53-35. It was a team that pounded it down low, with Roy Hibbert scoring 17 points/11 rebounds and David West going for 21/8. Even though Paul George had an awful night, scoring only four points and being ice-cold from the floor, Indiana controlled the game throughout en route to an 81-73 win.
NEW YORK-BOSTON: The Celtics couldn’t get a shot to fall, trailing 75-49 at one point in the third quarter before ripping off a stunning rally to get to within four points before New York finally averted humiliation with an 88-80 win. It was a big moral victory for Boston, who first won two games after being down 3-0 in the series and then was a tough out in Game 6. But the Knicks played some excellent defense and Paul Pierce just couldn’t buy a shot. The team as a whole shot 6-of-22 from three-point range. Pierce himself was 1-for-9, and he wasn’t much better inside the arc.
Like LeBron James last year, Carmelo Anthony came to Boston for a Game 6 with his reputation hanging in the balance. Like LeBron, Melo walked out of the Garden a winner, but unlike LeBron, Melo can’t take a lot of credit. He scored 21 points, but shot poorly for the third consecutive game.
OKLAHOMA CITY-HOUSTON: The Thunder were in more danger than the Knicks of losing their 3-0 series lead, given that OkC was actually down a star player in Russell Westbrook. They got a clutch 103-94 win, pulling it out in the fourth quarter, because their star was more efficient than Houston’s, Kevin Durant had 27 points and James Harden had 26. But Durant did it on 11-of-23 shooting, while Harden was 7-for-22.
MEMPHIS-LA CLIPPERS: It’s going to be a long offseason in Los Angeles after two opening series wins ended with four straight losses, all by double-digit margins. Blake Griffin was only able to play 14 minutes due to his high ankle sprain, but Matt Barnes more than made up for it with a 30-point night. Chris Paul was fantastic with 28. But the rest of the lineup was non-existent for the third straight game.
Meanwhile, Memphis showed a lot of balance. Mike Conley and Zach Randolph created an outside-inside balance with 23 points apiece and seven players scored in double figures. On a Friday night where the games in Atlanta and Boston were marked by horrific offense, this one kept ESPN’s execs happy, with each team shooting 50 percent or better. It’s of little consolation to Los Angeles who loses a series in spite of having the deeper, more star-oriented team and you have to wonder what this means for head coach Vinny Del Negro. As for the Grizzlies, they now get a crack at the wounded Thunder.
DENVER-GOLDEN STATE: The Warriors showed they could defend their home floor, quite literally on Thursday night. Even without a vintage game from Steph Curry (he still had 21, but didn’t light it up like the first four games), Golden State ground out a tough 92-88 win. They hit the boards with a vengeance, winning 55-44 on the glass and had a plus-10 scoring edge on the free throw line. Golden State swept all three games played on their home floor and on Thursday they established they can do it even when the game isn’t a three-point shooting contest.
Golden State moves on to play San Antonio in the second round. The conference semi-finals will get started on Sunday with an ABC doubleheader of Memphis-Oklahoma City & Indiana-New York that starts at 1 PM ET. Tomorrow morning TheSportsNotebook’s NBA commentary will look back on the Chicago-Brooklyn Game 7 and then preview the four second-round series.
The first round of the NBA playoffs has gotten very interesting, with three teams winning do-or-die situations in Game 5—two of them on the road–and six series still in play as they all head to Game 6 battles on Thursday and Friday night. TheSportsNotebook’s will break each series down as follows…
We’ll start with Boston and Houston, who are making unlikely trips home for Game 6 after falling into 3-0 series holes.
Then we’ll move west, where Denver stayed alive at home and Memphis won a pivotal Game 5 in Los Angeles.
Finally we’ll check in on the hideously played Indiana-Atlanta series, along with Brooklyn-Chicago, who have not played since Tuesday’s NBA commentary.
BOSTON & HOUSTON BATTLE BACK
The immaturity of the New York Knicks is coming in for rightful criticism this morning, after Boston went into MSG and got a 92-86 win that extended this series to Game 6. The combination of the New York media and the recent history between these cities regarding series where the team from the Big Apple wins the first three games (2004 American League Championship Series), was already destined to create additional pressure if the Knicks let this series get back to Boston. But the behavior of New York has added fuel to the fire.
Let’s start with J.R. Smith’s cheap shot elbow to Boston’s Jason Terry during the Knicks’ Game 3 win. Smith then had the audacity to talk how New York would have won Game 4 if he had played. It’s not that it wasn’t a true statement—the Knicks likely would have won on Sunday in Boston with Smith in the lineup. It’s that Smith’s words weren’t said in a tone of regret for having let his team down, it was words of arrogance aimed at celebrating himself. Last night, with the chance to back it up, he missed his first fourteen shots from the floor. He hit a trio of late three-pointers after the game was decided that will pad his stats, but did his team no good.
If you look at this game from a strictly basketball perspective and throw out the noise, there’s not a lot of reason for New York to panic. They shot the ball poorly from the three-point stripe all night and that’s something you have to be prepared to live with when you shoot the trey as often as they do.
Furthermore, the Knicks have shown during the season and in Game 3 that they can win in Boston. There’s no reason they can’t win Friday night, and certainly no reason they shouldn’t be favored to win Game 7 on their homecourt.
The question is going to be how much is the noise from outside going to affect this team. The last two games were the opportunities for New York fans to watch the games with a certain degree of comfort with their lead. Now they know their team has to do something difficult—either clinch on the road or win a Game 7 situation where the entire weight of the media universe will be coming down on them. The Knicks have spent two-plus games showing us immaturity and a lack of playoff-readiness. Head coach Mike Woodson has to get his team to see this as a chance to change perception and toughen themselves up.
Now let’s move on to Houston, which into Oklahoma City and won 107-100, As with the Knicks, the Thunder shot terribly from three-point range. They were 8-of-33 from behind the arc. Unlike the Knicks though, I’m not ready to let Oklahoma City off the hook. What were the Thunder doing jacking up all these threes to begin with? Houston is a perimeter-oriented team that loves to shoot the long ball and Oklahoma City just played right into their hands.
James Harden knocked down 31 points, and the Rockets were hot from outside, hitting 14-of-35, while Kevin Durant was cold, hitting 1-of-8. Even though he got 36 points, it wasn’t the usual high-percentage efficient Durant that we’re used to seeing. With OkC neglecting the interior, Houston’s Omer Asik had 21 points/11 rebounds, his second straight big game.
Oklahoma City is in trouble, but for different reasons than New York. With the Knicks, it’s all about mind games. With the Thunder, the reality is that absent Russell Westbrook, Houston matches up with them pretty well. Not well enough to win four games in a row, but had the injury taken place before the series, I would likely have seen this as a seven-game battle. The 8-seed in the West would be one of the top three seeds in the East, and without Westbrook, Oklahoma City is probably a 3-seed caliber team themselves. Whatever the seeds, records and reputations say, the personnel each team is trotting out right now is comparable. I think the Thunder are going to survive, but by no means will it be easy.
DENVER & MEMPHIS WIN IN THE WEST
Denver stayed alive in its bid to get a second-round date with San Antonio, as the Nuggets defended their home floor in a 107-100 win over Golden State. The Nuggets finally stopped trying to out-finesse the Warriors and got physical. Head coach George Karl inserted Javale McGee into the starting lineup, gave more minutes to his inside people in general and lo and behold it produced a victory.
I’ve harped on this point after the Denver losses in Games 3 & 4, so I want to make sure I clarify something. It’s not that I think Javale McGee is some extraordinary player, or that backup center Kosta Koufus is one of the league’s great bench players. What I do think is that their presence on the floor, especially with Golden State’s David Lee out, engenders a style of play that the Nuggets can execute better than the Warriors. If this becomes a battle of the guards and who can hit the three-ball, I’ll bet on Golden State’s Steph Curry against pretty much anyone. If it gets physical, the smallish Curry and the interior-challenged Warriors have issues.
Denver’s Andre Iguodala stepped up with his best game of the playoffs, scoring 25 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing 7 assists. The media storyline afterward was Golden State head coach Mark Jackson griping about alleged dirty play against Curry. In the clips I saw there wasn’t anything alarming and I’m inclined to agree with the media consensus that Jackson is playing for calls in Game 6. Which is all just as fair as the Nuggets getting physical.
Memphis went to Los Angeles on Tuesday night with that series tied 2-2 and I don’t think anyone could have expected the complete meltdown of anyone on the Clipper roster not named Chris Paul. Blake Griffin has an excuse—a high ankle sprain that took him out of the game in the second half and has him questionable for tonight. But what’s with the rest of the team? While Paul had 35 points, no one else got in single digits and Memphis pulled away to win 105-93.
This Paul-only lineup is even worse for Los Angeles than it would be for a lot of teams. Paul’s great strength is his ability to pass, and the Clips’ great strength is their depth. When Paul has to do all the scoring, both strengths suffer and defeat is predictable. Furthermore, the fact Memphis got big games from Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol inside—a combined 46 points/19 rebounds, leads to more free throws than a perimeter attack. The Grizzlies shot eight more free throws than their opponent and scored seven more free points, an edge that made up more than half the victory margin.
Now it’s the Clippers who have to go on the road and win a survival game. They did it last year in Memphis in Game 7, after coughing up a 3-1 series edge. If it’s going to happen in Game 6 tonight, the Clippers need a whole a lot of players to stand up and give Paul some help.
INDIANA-ATLANTA STAYS UGLY
The series may be competitive with the Pacers and Hawks, but the individual games are absolutely awful. Apparently neither team can function outside its home environment. Indiana had homecourt for Game 5, so naturally they pulled away after halftime and won 106-83. Every game in this series has seen the home team win by double digits and the margin has been 15-plus on four occasions.
Atlanta’s interior combo of Al Horford and Josh Smith might as well have stayed home. Indiana dominated the glass to the tune of 51-28. Horford and Smith have played like stars on their home floor, and stiffs when back in the Midwest. Indiana’s own star, Paul George has been the same. Since he had the home crowd on his side, he went for 21 points and 10 rebounds, while his team shot 50 percent from the floor.
I’d like to stay with my pick of Indiana to make the conference finals, particularly given the problems New York is having on that same side of the draw. But I have to see something that suggests they can win on the road—something like…oh, I don’t know, how about a win on the road? This series resumes Friday.
Chicago and Brooklyn resume their series in the Windy City tonight. The Bulls can either close it out at home or see it go back East for a decisive game on Saturday. The early injury reports suggest the Bulls’ Kirk Hinrich will not play, but those same reports suggest that all is well with Joakim Noah. I felt from the start that this was perhaps the most compelling of the first-round series, with the star-laden Nets against the team-oriented Bulls and it’s been exactly that.
THE VIEW FROM VEGAS
Golden State bettors keep collecting, as the Warriors were a 7.5 point underdog in Denver, meaning they snuck out a half-point cover and have beaten the spread all five games of this series. Memphis is also strong against the number, having covered in all three wins, plus a two-point road loss in Game 2. The Celtics-Knicks is dead even against the number thanks to a Game 1 push, and bettors will watch this 2-2-1 series go to a swing game.
WHAT’S AHEAD
Miami and San Antonio are still kicking up their heels and waiting for second-round opponents. They can watch a lot of basketball, with all six Game 6s going Thursday and Friday night. Here’s the TV lineup…
THURSDAY
Brooklyn-Chicago (8 PM ET, TNT)
Denver-Golden State (10:30 PM ET, TNT)
FRIDAY
New York-Boston (7 PM ET, ESPN)
Indiana-Atlanta (7 PM ET, ESPN2)
Oklahoma City-Houston (9:30 PM ET, ESPN)
LA Clippers-Memphis (9:30 PM ET, ESPN2_
Miami and San Antonio have advanced in the NBA playoffs. New York, Oklahoma City and Chicago have all missed chances for a road clinch. With six first-round series still up for grabs, today’s NBA commentary will run through where we stand on all the matchups. All have completed four games, with Brooklyn-Chicago being five deep. We’ll start with a soundbite summary and then go into more detail.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Defense and LeBron was more than enough for Miami to complete its workmanlike sweep of Milwaukee.
Brooklyn got aggressive on the boards and it’s the reason they’re alive to see a Game 6 in Chicago.
Indiana looks like what now retired team president Larry Bird said about them last year—S-O-F-T—as they let Atlanta tie up the series in decisive fashion.
New York missed its chance to sweep, but there’s every reason for Knicks fans to continue feeling good about the way their team competed in Game 4 at Boston.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Serge Ibaka should now be the focal point for analysis regarding Oklahoma City, and his coming up small is the reason Houston won Game 4.
Memphis and the LA Clippers haven’t played since our last update and resume hostilities in Game 5 tonight.
Is Denver head coach George Karl committed to the idea of letting Golden State run him out of the playoffs? If so, the strategy is working.
I’ll break no new ground in saying this, but the Los Angeles Lakers should be ashamed of the series-long “effort” they put up in losing four straight to San Antonio.
INSIDE THE EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1)Miami vs (8)Milwaukee: There’s not much more to go on here than the soundbite. Milwaukee, to no one’s surprise, could not compete with Miami for four quarters. The Heat were so confident that they rested Dwayne Wade in Game 4, certain that they could win a road game and let their veteran star get some time off for his knee. When you play defense you can do that, and Miami does. They held the Bucks to 37 percent shooting, and LeBron carried the load with a 30 points/8 rebounds/7 assists game that keyed the 88-77 win. Wade will be rested and ready for the second round.
(4)Brooklyn vs. (5)Chicago: After their crushing triple-overtime loss in Game 4 and then seeing the Bulls come out and play feisty for three quarters in Game 5, I half-expected the Nets to roll over in the fourth quarter. They didn’t and it’s because they got on the boards. In a game where both teams executed well on the offensive side, the Nets enjoyed a 44-33 rebounding edge and pulled away late to win 110-91. Brook Lopez was the big hero with a 28 points/10 rebounds night, and don’t discount Reggie Evans, with his 12 boards.
Don’t discount Brooklyn at all. They just need one road win to get this series back to the Barclays Center for a deciding Game 7, a scenario that heavily favors the home team in the NBA more than other sports. Chicago’s Kirk Hinrich did not play in Game 5 and is still questionable for Game 6.
(3)Indiana vs. (6)Atlanta: My disgust level with the Pacers, the team I picked to reach the conference finals out of this half of the bracket, is peaking right now. And peaking is something the Indiana defense is decidedly not doing. Atlanta had its fourth consecutive good game on the offensive end, and their second straight blowout win, this one by a 102-91 count. Defense is supposed to keep you in it on the road, but the Pacers have been non-competitive in the two games in Atlanta.
The Hawks hit 11/24 from three-point range, with Kyle Korver and Anthony Tolliver doing the bulk of the damage of the bench, a combined 8-for-11 from behind the arc. Josh Smith had his best game of the playoffs with a 29 points/11 rebounds showing and Al Horford scored 18. We’re still waiting for Roy Hibbert to step up and assert himself in the low post for Indiana. We were waiting for the same thing last spring. I have a feeling we’ll still be waiting come summertime.
(2)New York vs. (7)Boston—The Celtics dug down and came up with a win to extend their season and ensure that if this is the end for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, their potential last game in the Garden was a win, 97-90 in overtime. But New York rallied for 22 down, and the Knicks owned the glass. In spite of a big day for Garnett (17 rebounds), New York’s balance and consistency created a 58-40 edge on the boards. You won’t lose too many when you rebound like that.
What New York did not do was shoot the ball well, going 34 percent from the floor and 7/30 from behind the arc. Carmelo Anthony was a big culprit here. The 36 points belie the fact he went a stone-cold 10-for-35 from the floor. Yeah, he took 35 shots. The Knicks were also hurt by the loss of J.R. Smith, their fine shooting guard who was suspended for a cheap shot he threw at Boston’s Jason Terry in Game 3.
INSIDE THE WESTERN CONFERENCE MATCHUPS
(1)Oklahoma City vs (8)Houston: With Russell Westbrook out and OkC looking for other contributors, I’ve felt that power forward Serge Ibaka is the one who has to step up. He did in Game 3 and the Thunder won their first game without Westbrook. Ibaka was a non-factor in Game 4 last night, and Houston was able to squeak out a 105-103 win and extend this series to a fifth game.
Ibaka’s non-showing wasn’t limited to the offensive end, nor was he the only inside player to let Oklahoma City down. Houston got a big night from center Omer Asik, with 17 points/14 rebounds and forward Chandler Parsons lit it up for 27/10. The fact Oklahoma City lost one game on the road should not bother them. But the fact they could lose to Houston on a night when James Harden had his worst game of the playoffs—15 points on 4-of-12 shooting—has to disturb the Thunder. And don’t pin it on Kevin Durant, who dropped in 38, and unlike Melo in New York, Durant did it with efficiency, hitting 12 of his 16 shots from the floor.
(4)LA Clippers vs (5)Memphis: This series resumes tonight out west, tied at two games apiece. So far the home team has not only won, but usually done it by controlling the glass. Both teams have their share of quality rebounders, so we’ll see if that continues to hold true.
(3)Denver vs. (6)Golden State: For the second straight game, Denver coach George Karl tried to match up with Golden State by going finesse on finesse and played a startling lineup of Kenneth Faried and four guards. Karl did not give any real minutes to Javale McGee or Kosta Koufus off the bench. Karl did not seek to exploit Golden State’s obvious vulnerability inside without the injured David Lee. Instead, the Nuggets coach played to the strength of the Warriors and unsurprisingly lost, 115-101.
Denver has done what seemed impossible, and lost all three games since Lee went down, giving Golden State three shots to clinch. Like Brooklyn, you don’t want to bury Denver too quickly. The Nuggets only need to win one road game to come from behind in this series. But unlike Brooklyn, Denver shows no signs of being competitive on the road. They can’t stop Steph Curry, who barbequed their defense for 31 points in Game 4 and unless Denver changes strategy I won’t be surprised if they lose it at home.
(2)San Antonio vs. (7)LA Lakers: I know the Lakers were not going to win this series, and that once it was apparent that Steve Nash couldn’t contribute and was eventually sidelined, that even an extended series was not in the cards. But the Lakers flat-out rolled over in both of their home games, culminating with Sunday’s 103-82 loss.
A team with Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol should at least compete and the Lakers did not—and they fact they were an 11.5 point underdog on their home floor shows how little respect Howard has among those who bet these games seriously.
San Antonio is what Los Angeles is not, and that’s a complete team that does everything the right way. They beat the Lakers in transition, with Tony Parker leading the way with 23 points. The Spurs got up by 18 at the half, coasted home and got their veteran legs some rest while they wait for the second round.
THE VIEW FROM VEGAS
San Antonio and Golden State remain the gamblers’ favorites, each having delivered the goods all four times out. The Spurs kept matching beating lines that grew as the series went on and did it easily. The Warriors, after a loss-but-cover in Game 1, have won their next three games as an underdog, including on their home floor where they got between 1-2 points. My podcast colleague, Greg DePalma at Prime Sports Network, with whom I appear each Monday, had taken Golden State at 7-1 to win this series, a number that appeared after their Game 1 loss and Lee’s injury. That’s looking like the best bet of the playoffs already.
WHAT’S AHEAD
We’ve got five games over Tuesday and Wednesday that will complete the Game 5s and bring every series even by the time we get to Thursday morning. Here’s the lineup….
Tuesday
Golden State-Denver (8, TNT)
Memphis-LA Clippers (10:30 PM ET, TNT)
Wednesday
Boston-New York (7 PM ET, TNT)
Atlanta-Indiana (8 PM ET, NBA-TV)
Houston-Oklahoma City (9:30 PM ET, TNT)
TheSportsNotebook’s NBA commentary resumes Thursday morning, with the possibility that Golden State, New York and Oklahoma City could all be in the second round. The latter two have the chance to do it at home. Also, don’t forget to check out TheSportsNotebook’s NHL playoffs preview, as those games begin Tuesday night.
Six favorites in the NBA playoffs stood up and defended their home floor. Somewhat improbably, the two that failed to do so—Denver and Brooklyn who each lost Game 2s—did it in spite of facing wounded adversaries. The sequence of Game 3s starts tonight and goes through Saturday, so today’s NBA commentary will check in on where each series stands. We’ll first summarize each series in a sentence, then go into further detail…
EASTERN CONFERENCE
At least the Milwaukee-Miami series is interesting for gamblers, with the Bucks eking out one cover in the first two games.
Chicago’s Joakim Noah has a ton of heart and that’s the reason Chicago is alive against Brooklyn.
Indiana looks good against Atlanta, but beneath the surface there are some red flag.
New York looks like a team ready to get serious, as they’ve locked Boston down defensively.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Oklahoma City’s defense remains deceptively good against inefficient, but feisty, Houston.
Memphis can compete with the Los Angeles Clippers, but if they couldn’t win Game 2 where exactly does their road win(s) come from?
Denver’s rebounding “effort” was a positive disgrace in letting Golden State back in the series.
If Steve Nash isn’t healthier than he appears any hopes of the Los Angeles Lakers competing with San Antonio back in the Staples Center are a pipe dream.
Now on with more detail…
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Milwaukee-Miami: The Bucks are showing up to compete, and have hung with the Heat in the first half for two straight games now. They also shot 50 percent from the floor in Game 2, a stat that should bother Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra. If Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis hadn’t gone 0-for-10 from three-point range, it could have been tighter than the 98-86 final. At the very least, Milwaukee rewarded its bettors by covering the 14.5 point line.
Ultimately though, I just don’t want to read anything in this series. If Miami looks good…well, they’re facing the worst team in the playoffs, and one that’s worse than at least two non-playoff teams from the West (Utah & Dallas). If they have problems—like some less-than-intense defense in Game 2—it’s just something for Spoelstra to use to keep his team motivated.
Chicago-Brooklyn: You knew the Bulls would come out with a lot of defensive effort in Game 2 after they were embarrassed in the opener. What we didn’t know was that a wounded Joakim Noah would dig deep and join Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer in getting double digits on the boards. Even that might have been overcome, but Brooklyn just did not answer, and the Bulls got a 90-82 win.
Brooklyn is a team with plenty of its rebounders of its own, starting with Brook Lopez and including Reggie Evans and Andray Blatche. The Nets didn’t meet the intensity that the entire world knew the Bulls would bring.
I still believe Brooklyn is going to win this series—for all the talk of road teams stealing homecourt advantage when they get a road win, let’s keep in mind that sweeping a presumably better team in three home games isn’t exactly easy. In all likelihood, Chicago’s going to need one more win the Barclays Center to win the series, and I don’t think they’ll get it. But the pressure is now on the Nets as they head to the Windy City needing to get a road win.
Atlanta-Indiana: Yes, the Pacers have looked fantastic on the offensive end in this series. The 113-98 blowout win Game 2 means they’re averaging 110 ppg and winning by an average margin of 16 points. But for the second straight game I don’t like the defense. The Hawks shot 49 percent from the floor and after Indiana spent the season as the best defensive team I the NBA, that’s something to be concerned about.
Right now it might not matter, with Paul George playing his second straight great game, knocking down 27 points and grabbing eight rebounds. On the Atlanta side, Al Horford and Josh Smith were again pedestrian, combining for 29 points/16 rebounds, almost exactly what they did in the opener. It appears Horford and Smith have embraced their city’s tradition of seeing its sports stars doing sort-of okay in the playoffs, but never really stepping up. If they both come to play in the middle games, the Indiana defensive laxity will become an issue.
Boston-New York: The Knicks are playing some lockdown defense right now, holding the Celtics to 37 percent shooting in a decisive 87-71 win in Game 2. Carmelo Anthony looks like a player who wants to lead his team in these playoffs. His 34-point night on Tuesday gives him 70 for the playoffs, and he’s shooting 24-for-53 from the floor. That might not sound sizzling, but 45 percent on that type of volume is very effective and New York’s not going to be stopped short of the conference finals if they D it up like this and Melo continues to answer the bell.
I picked Boston to win this series because of their ability to defend the three-point line. I expect the Celtics to play well back in Boston and certainly if they win two home games we could have a series again. But, picking up on a point from further up, I don’t know that thinking the Celts are going to sweep Games 3,4 & 6 in the Garden is realistic, even if they do figure out their offensive problems. New York’s played well up in Boston this season, and the ability of the Knicks to defend their home floor early—quite literally in this case—means this one is probably not going further than five games.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Houston-Oklahoma City: The Rockets came out and competed last night in Game 2, and though they lost 105-102, it was an immensely entertaining game to watch. The effort level could be seen in the 57-41 rebounding edge they enjoyed on the Thunder, in spite of Houston not being a particularly big team. But Omer Asik played like the center he is, with 14 rebounds, James Harden grabbed 11 and point guard Patrick Beverley chased down 12. Note to the OkC guards—try boxing out and hustling down long rebounds.
But what the Thunder do is keep playing defense. They held Houston a hair under 40 percent from the floor. Though Harden got 36, he went 9-for-24 from the field. The high score totals are a product of pace, not offensive quality and it’s Oklahoma City that’s doing the superior job on the defensive end.
This series may have an injury factor—both Jeremy Lin and Russell Westbrook are listed as questionable for Game 3 in Houston. “Questionable” almost always means a player is going to play, especially at this time of year, but with Westbrook’s knee being banged up, it’s something to keep an eye on.
Memphis-LA Clippers: The Grizzlies hung in all the way, and like in Game 1, they made some pushes at times when it looked like Los Angeles was going to pull away. The teams were virtually even on the boards. The huge Clips’ edge from Game 1 became the statistically insignificant 40-38 margin in Game 2. All Memphis had to do was convert free throws. They got 34 attempts to LA’s 22, but the Grizzlies only made 23 of their foul shots and gave away their edge. It left the door open for Chris Paul to knock down a game-winner at the buzzer in a 93-91 final.
Monday night’s win at Staples started a great two-day sequence for the Clippers. The following night, on a fresh episode of NCIS Los Angeles, L.L. Cool J’s character is desperate to find a babysitter so he can go to a Clipper’s game. That scriptwriters are choosing the Clips over the Lakers for these shows is a surefire mark that Lob City has taken over the city from Showtime.
Golden State-Denver: When Iwrapped up the Game 1s, I said without hesitation that David Lee’s injury meant Golden State had no shot to win this series. Well, unless that is, Denver decides to make no effort at rebounding the basketball. Maybe that’s harsh, but when I see the Nuggets outrebounded 36-26, with both centers, Kosta Koufous and JaVale McGee as absolute non-factors, what else is there to think?
It gets worse with the fact that Golden State didn’t leave many rebounds to be had. The Warriors shot an astonishing 65 percent from the floor. Steph Curry had 30 points and 13 assists. Klay Thompson had his second game over 20 points and rookie Harrison Barnes was the man who stepped up, scoring 24. I still expect Denver to win one of the middle games in San Francisco, then close this series out in six, but the lack of rebounding intensity was disappointing.
LA Lakers-San Antonio: Tony Parker is owning Steve Nash in the backcourt right now. Parker knocked down 28 points last night, his second straight good game of the series. Nash only has nine assists combined in the first two games. Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol, after looking good in the opener, were more pedestrian in Game 2.
Los Angeles is to the West what Boston is to the East—the proud franchise with veterans that we know can compete, and just wonder if it can click. In that light, I wouldn’t call myself shocked if the Lakers find a way to win two back at home and make this a series. But if they were going to win it, they realistically needed one in the opener. And like Boston, it appears they missed their best chance in Game 1.
THE VIEW FROM VEGAS
Three teams have rewarded bettors with 2-0 starts to their series. Golden State has been golden to gamblers, with easy pointspread covers and one outright win, if anyone took a shot at them on the moneyline. San Antonio and Indiana have also covered both. New York is closer—I’ve officially got Game 1 as a push at (-7) in an 85-78 final, although it dropped to that point fairly late. So my records show the Knicks at 1-0-1 against the line, others may have this series even at the betting window.
Miami and Oklahoma City’s splits aren’t surprising—each are having to deal with big numbers, and the Thunder against a pretty good opponent.
LOOKING AHEAD TO GAME 3
Here’s the TV schedule for the Game 3s…
Thursday: Miami-Milwaukee (7 PM ET, TNT), Brooklyn-Chicago (8:30 PM ET, NBA-TV), LA Clippers-Memphis (9:30 PM ET, TNT)
Friday: New York-Boston (8 PM ET, ESPN), San Antonio-LA Lakers (10:30 PM ET, ESPN), Denver-Golden State (10:30 PM ET, ESPN2).
Saturday:Indiana-Atlanta (7 PM ET, ESPN), Oklahoma City-Houston (9:30 PM ET, ESPN)
In case you’re wondering about Saturday afternoon, the league slipped a pair of Game 4 matchups in that timeslot. TNT will have a doubleheader of Brooklyn-Chicago and LA Clippers-Memphis that tips at 2 PM ET. TheSportsNotebook’s NBA commentary will return Sunday morning to again overview all eight series.
Six favorites in the NBA playoffs stood up and defended their home floor. Somewhat improbably, the two that failed to do so—Denver and Brooklyn who each lost Game 2s—did it in spite of facing wounded adversaries. The sequence of Game 3s starts tonight and goes through Saturday, so today’s NBA commentary will check in on where each series stands. We’ll first summarize each series in a sentence, then go into further detail…
EASTERN CONFERENCE
*At least the Milwaukee-Miami series is interesting for gamblers, with the Bucks eking out one cover in the first two games.
*Chicago’s Joakim Noah has a ton of heart and that’s the reason Chicago is alive against Brooklyn.
*Indiana looks good against Atlanta, but beneath the surface there are some red flag.
*New York looks like a team ready to get serious, as they’ve locked Boston down defensively.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
*Oklahoma City’s defense remains deceptively good against inefficient, but feisty, Houston.
*Memphis can compete with the Los Angeles Clippers, but if they couldn’t win Game 2 where exactly does their road win(s) come from?
*Denver’s rebounding “effort” was a positive disgrace in letting Golden State back in the series.
*If Steve Nash isn’t healthier than he appears any hopes of the Los Angeles Lakers competing with San Antonio back in the Staples Center are a pipe dream.
Now on with more detail…
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Milwaukee-Miami: The Bucks are showing up to compete, and have hung with the Heat in the first half for two straight games now. They also shot 50 percent from the floor in Game 2, a stat that should bother Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra. If Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis hadn’t gone 0-for-10 from three-point range, it could have been tighter than the 98-86 final. At the very least, Milwaukee rewarded its bettors by covering the 14.5 point line.
Ultimately though, I just don’t want to read anything in this series. If Miami looks good…well, they’re facing the worst team in the playoffs, and one that’s worse than at least two non-playoff teams from the West (Utah & Dallas). If they have problems—like some less-than-intense defense in Game 2—it’s just something for Spoelstra to use to keep his team motivated.
Chicago-Brooklyn: You knew the Bulls would come out with a lot of defensive effort in Game 2 after they were embarrassed in the opener. What we didn’t know was that a wounded Joakim Noah would dig deep and join Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer in getting double digits on the boards. Even that might have been overcome, but Brooklyn just did not answer, and the Bulls got a 90-82 win.
Brooklyn is a team with plenty of its rebounders of its own, starting with Brook Lopez and including Reggie Evans and Andray Blatche. The Nets didn’t meet the intensity that the entire world knew the Bulls would bring.
I still believe Brooklyn is going to win this series—for all the talk of road teams stealing homecourt advantage when they get a road win, let’s keep in mind that sweeping a presumably better team in three home games isn’t exactly easy. In all likelihood, Chicago’s going to need one more win the Barclays Center to win the series, and I don’t think they’ll get it. But the pressure is now on the Nets as they head to the Windy City needing to get a road win.
Atlanta-Indiana: Yes, the Pacers have looked fantastic on the offensive end in this series. The 113-98 blowout win Game 2 means they’re averaging 110 ppg and winning by an average margin of 16 points. But for the second straight game I don’t like the defense. The Hawks shot 49 percent from the floor and after Indiana spent the season as the best defensive team I the NBA, that’s something to be concerned about.
Right now it might not matter, with Paul George playing his second straight great game, knocking down 27 points and grabbing eight rebounds. On the Atlanta side, Al Horford and Josh Smith were again pedestrian, combining for 29 points/16 rebounds, almost exactly what they did in the opener. It appears Horford and Smith have embraced their city’s tradition of seeing its sports stars doing sort-of okay in the playoffs, but never really stepping up. If they both come to play in the middle games, the Indiana defensive laxity will become an issue.
Boston-New York: The Knicks are playing some lockdown defense right now, holding the Celtics to 37 percent shooting in a decisive 87-71 win in Game 2. Carmelo Anthony looks like a player who wants to lead his team in these playoffs. His 34-point night on Tuesday gives him 70 for the playoffs, and he’s shooting 24-for-53 from the floor. That might not sound sizzling, but 45 percent on that type of volume is very effective and New York’s not going to be stopped short of the conference finals if they D it up like this and Melo continues to answer the bell.
I picked Boston to win this series because of their ability to defend the three-point line. I expect the Celtics to play well back in Boston and certainly if they win two home games we could have a series again. But, picking up on a point from further up, I don’t know that thinking the Celts are going to sweep Games 3,4 & 6 in the Garden is realistic, even if they do figure out their offensive problems. New York’s played well up in Boston this season, and the ability of the Knicks to defend their home floor early—quite literally in this case—means this one is probably not going further than five games.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Houston-Oklahoma City: The Rockets came out and competed last night in Game 2, and though they lost 105-102, it was an immensely entertaining game to watch. The effort level could be seen in the 57-41 rebounding edge they enjoyed on the Thunder, in spite of Houston not being a particularly big team. But Omer Asik played like the center he is, with 14 rebounds, James Harden grabbed 11 and point guard Patrick Beverley chased down 12. Note to the OkC guards—try boxing out and hustling down long rebounds.
But what the Thunder do is keep playing defense. They held Houston a hair under 40 percent from the floor. Though Harden got 36, he went 9-for-24 from the field. The high score totals are a product of pace, not offensive quality and it’s Oklahoma City that’s doing the superior job on the defensive end.
This series may have an injury factor—both Jeremy Lin and Russell Westbrook are listed as questionable for Game 3 in Houston. “Questionable” almost always means a player is going to play, especially at this time of year, but with Westbrook’s knee being banged up, it’s something to keep an eye on.
Memphis-LA Clippers: The Grizzlies hung in all the way, and like in Game 1, they made some pushes at times when it looked like Los Angeles was going to pull away. The teams were virtually even on the boards. The huge Clips’ edge from Game 1 became the statistically insignificant 40-38 margin in Game 2. All Memphis had to do was convert free throws. They got 34 attempts to LA’s 22, but the Grizzlies only made 23 of their foul shots and gave away their edge. It left the door open for Chris Paul to knock down a game-winner at the buzzer in a 93-91 final.
Monday night’s win at Staples started a great two-day sequence for the Clippers. The following night, on a fresh episode of NCIS Los Angeles, L.L. Cool J’s character is desperate to find a babysitter so he can go to a Clipper’s game. That scriptwriters are choosing the Clips over the Lakers for these shows is a surefire mark that Lob City has taken over the city from Showtime.
Golden State-Denver: When I wrapped up the Game 1s, I said without hesitation that David Lee’s injury meant Golden State had no shot to win this series. Well, unless that is, Denver decides to make no effort at rebounding the basketball. Maybe that’s harsh, but when I see the Nuggets outrebounded 36-26, with both centers, Kosta Koufous and JaVale McGee as absolute non-factors, what else is there to think?
It gets worse with the fact that Golden State didn’t leave many rebounds to be had. The Warriors shot an astonishing 65 percent from the floor. Steph Curry had 30 points and 13 assists. Klay Thompson had his second game over 20 points and rookie Harrison Barnes was the man who stepped up, scoring 24. I still expect Denver to win one of the middle games in San Francisco, then close this series out in six, but the lack of rebounding intensity was disappointing.
LA Lakers-San Antonio: Tony Parker is owning Steve Nash in the backcourt right now. Parker knocked down 28 points last night, his second straight good game of the series. Nash only has nine assists combined in the first two games. Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol, after looking good in the opener, were more pedestrian in Game 2.
Los Angeles is to the West what Boston is to the East—the proud franchise with veterans that we know can compete, and just wonder if it can click. In that light, I wouldn’t call myself shocked if the Lakers find a way to win two back at home and make this a series. But if they were going to win it, they realistically needed one in the opener. And like Boston, it appears they missed their best chance in Game 1.
THE VIEW FROM VEGAS
Three teams have rewarded bettors with 2-0 starts to their series. Golden State has been golden to gamblers, with easy pointspread covers and one outright win, if anyone took a shot at them on the moneyline. San Antonio and Indiana have also covered both. New York is closer—I’ve officially got Game 1 as a push at (-7) in an 85-78 final, although it dropped to that point fairly late. So my records show the Knicks at 1-0-1 against the line, others may have this series even at the betting window.
Miami and Oklahoma City’s splits aren’t surprising—each are having to deal with big numbers, and the Thunder against a pretty good opponent.
LOOKING AHEAD TO GAME 3
Here’s the TV schedule for the Game 3s…
Thursday: Miami-Milwaukee (7 PM ET, TNT), Brooklyn-Chicago (8:30 PM ET, NBA-TV), LA Clippers-Memphis (9:30 PM ET, TNT)
Friday: New York-Boston (8 PM ET, ESPN), San Antonio-LA Lakers (10:30 PM ET, ESPN), Denver-Golden State (10:30 PM ET, ESPN2).
Saturday:Indiana-Atlanta (7 PM ET, ESPN), Oklahoma City-Houston (9:30 PM ET, ESPN)
In case you’re wondering about Saturday afternoon, the league slipped a pair of Game 4 matchups in that timeslot. TNT will have a doubleheader of Brooklyn-Chicago and LA Clippers-Memphis that tips at 2 PM ET. TheSportsNotebook’s NBA commentary will return Sunday morning to again overview all eight series.
INDIANA-ATLANTA: It took six games, but we finally saw the Pacers team that impressed during the regular season. It was a team built on defense and rebounding, holding Atlanta to 33 percent shooting and winning the boards battle 53-35. It was a team that pounded it down low, with Roy Hibbert scoring 17 points/11 rebounds and David West going for 21/8. Even though Paul George had an awful night, scoring only four points and being ice-cold from the floor, Indiana controlled the game throughout en route to an 81-73 win.