The Spurs In: Taking over early in the season, the Spurs were able to practically seal home court advantage in all of their Wester Conference matchups as early as January, thanks largely to Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili in their domination mode. But despite these, this will not be an easy win for them. The bench, led by young guns George Hill and DeJuan Blair has to learn to keep up and fill in the holes when worse comes to worst, especially with Ginobili sidelined for the first playoff games.
The Grizzlies In: Without Rudy Gay, will things be okay for Memphis? Hopefully, returnee Shane Battier can fill in that gap, playing alongside OJ Mayo, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol. The Grizzlies have been inconsistent during this season, but they did have their own shining moments, largely due to Randolph's ability to slide in and out to score as well as Conley's skill in setting plays that would lead to a Gasol or Mayo basket. The challenge for the Griz in this stretch is to easily build up a momentum during games and give their shooters open and unchallenged shots to distract the Spurs defense.
What Could Be: It will be a hard-fought battle for the boards, coupled with increased scoring aggressiveness, but San Antonio will have the last laugh. Spurs in 6.
Oklahoma City Thunder (4) vs. Denver Nuggets (5)
The Grizzlies In: Without Rudy Gay, will things be okay for Memphis? Hopefully, returnee Shane Battier can fill in that gap, playing alongside OJ Mayo, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol. The Grizzlies have been inconsistent during this season, but they did have their own shining moments, largely due to Randolph's ability to slide in and out to score as well as Conley's skill in setting plays that would lead to a Gasol or Mayo basket. The challenge for the Griz in this stretch is to easily build up a momentum during games and give their shooters open and unchallenged shots to distract the Spurs defense.
What Could Be: It will be a hard-fought battle for the boards, coupled with increased scoring aggressiveness, but San Antonio will have the last laugh. Spurs in 6.
Oklahoma City Thunder (4) vs. Denver Nuggets (5)
The Thunder In: Kevin Durant is just one phenomenon that largely improved as time progresses, but it is not only him who would bring the bacon home for OKC. But we also have to give credit to their "upgrade players," just like Russell Westbrook who now learns to consistently hit treys when free, as well as their front court who had dominant big man Kendrick Perkins and flashy guard Nate Robinson as their back up. Now that the Thunder have been extremely better, they might pull an early victory.
The Nuggets In: In their regular season games after the Carmelo Anthony trade, the Nuggets became a hero team led by guards Ty Lawson, Arron Afflalo, with back-ups Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler. What they just need to do is to put their head in the game andscore from open shots and easy lay-ups. However, despite the individual abilities, the question remains: would they be able to finally play as a real playoff team without Carmelo Anthony?
What Could Be: The Thunder have become dominant in the last stretch of the regular season, and they might just continue and ram their strength against this equally dominant Nuggets team. Thunder in 7.
Los Angeles Lakers (2) vs. New Orleans Hornets (7)
The Nuggets In: In their regular season games after the Carmelo Anthony trade, the Nuggets became a hero team led by guards Ty Lawson, Arron Afflalo, with back-ups Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler. What they just need to do is to put their head in the game andscore from open shots and easy lay-ups. However, despite the individual abilities, the question remains: would they be able to finally play as a real playoff team without Carmelo Anthony?
What Could Be: The Thunder have become dominant in the last stretch of the regular season, and they might just continue and ram their strength against this equally dominant Nuggets team. Thunder in 7.
Los Angeles Lakers (2) vs. New Orleans Hornets (7)
The Lakers In: It's going to be back to business for Kobe and the gang, and with the third championship on the line, it's going to be more serious than over. This first round of the playoffs will be the first part of their playoff recovery phase, making up for the mistakes they have made during their last games in the regular season. Expect everyone from the Purple and Gold to be more dominant as they were during their 17-1 post-All Star break run.
The Hornets In: If there's anything wise to say, it's the fact that Chris Paul will have serious difficulties in his return to the playoffs. With David West out, his team will have to undergo several offensive and defensive adjustments to survive in this series against the Lakers. The big question will be: Can Carl Landry and Emeka Okafor fill the paint in for the absent West?
What Could Be: Everyone thinks that this will be a quick battle, but Paul and the Hornets might be able to snatch a victory here. Lakers in 5.
Dallas Mavericks (3) vs. Portland Trailblazers (6)
The Hornets In: If there's anything wise to say, it's the fact that Chris Paul will have serious difficulties in his return to the playoffs. With David West out, his team will have to undergo several offensive and defensive adjustments to survive in this series against the Lakers. The big question will be: Can Carl Landry and Emeka Okafor fill the paint in for the absent West?
What Could Be: Everyone thinks that this will be a quick battle, but Paul and the Hornets might be able to snatch a victory here. Lakers in 5.
Dallas Mavericks (3) vs. Portland Trailblazers (6)
The Blazers In: Portland's late surge into the playoffs became possible due to the arrival of Gerald Wallace, who served as LaMarcus Aldridge's number two in the paint. They're even more powerful outside when Wes Matthews and Brandon Roy are able to shoot well from the outside. But against a team that can actually defend, can they do things the way they planned everything to be?
What could be: In terms of running the offense and the defense, both teams seem to lie on the same ground, but the difference will lie on how they will close out their games. It's all up to Roy and Aldridge on this one, that is, if they can check Dallas' scorers. Blazers in 7.
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