-
Chicago Bulls, Don’t Need Scoring to Succeed
If the games in this series continue to be like this, the Chicago Bulls don’t really need to worry. Despite only 14 points in the fourth quarter and less than 40% from the field, there was just about enough offense from Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng to give them the edge, while the defense of Joakim Noah, Jimmy Butler and even Nazr Mohammed held things together to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
-
Miami Heat – Ray Allen Superior to LeBron James for Once
While Dwyane Wade was having one of his worst performances ever, and LeBron James was having just an ordinary day, it was Ray Allen who stole the spotlight with more than just setting the NBA career playoff record for 3-pointers, but actually player better than anyone on the Miami Heat as the favorites to retain the NBA title took a 3-0 lead in their first round series.
-
Houston Rockets – James Harden Almost Gets it Done Without Jeremy Lin
All the theories in the world about Jeremy Lin being the one thing that the Houston Rockets need in order to turn their series against the Oklahoma City Thunder into a more even one went out the window as James Harden had another impressive scoring output while shooting terribly, this time actually getting some help from his head coach, who didn’t too bad with his small lineup idea.
-
San Antonio Spurs – Abusing a Helpless Team
The San Antonio Spurs don’t have to be at their best to make this first round series a pretty easy one to get through, with an opposition that’s not really the deepest team around. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili don’t have to give it their all, while Tony Parker is healthy enough once again to shoulder the load, especially in the crucial minutes to create enough separation to get by.
-
Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant Wakes Up When it Matters the Most
After playing soft for most of the game and allowing the underdog opponent to dominate the offensive glass and create a late lead, the Oklahoma City Thunder grabbed a hold of themselves at just the right time, as Kevin Durant, aided by some big shots from Serge Ibaka and Thabo Sefolosha, managed to steer the ship in the right direction and get themselves a 2-0 lead.
-
Indiana Pacers – Paul George Doing a Little Bit of Everything
In a continuing and growing effort to show he’s one of the elite all-around players in the NBA, Paul George continues to lead the Indiana Pacers, this time without needing too much help from the free throw line, in a very successful start to the NBA Playoffs, putting up impressive numbers across the board while shutting down anyone who’s unlucky enough to be guarded by him throughout the game.
-
Roy Hibbert & Gerald Green Dunk on Ivan Johnson & Josh Smith
The Indiana Pacers looked very dominant once again vs the Atlanta Hawks, showcased by some impressive dunking from two of their players – first Roy Hibbert with a vicious posterizing over Ivan Johnson for the And-1, while Gerald Green showed for the millionth time how much hops he has in his legs, coming off the bench to decimate Josh Smith.
-
Houston Rockets – Jeremy Lin Needs to Take the Game From James Harden
A second loss and a fall to 0-2 in the series for the Houston Rockets will mean the end of it. Yes, they can win and draw it out a little longer at home, but the difference between them and the Oklahoma City Thunder seems to be too big, especially when they play the kind of basketball that lets James Harden do whatever he wants, while Jeremy Lin and the rest of his teammates are relegated to mere pawns on the court.
-
Golden State Warriors – Stephen Curry Shows Shooting Works For Underdogs
To get his first playoff victory ever, Stephen Curry simply did what he did best – shoot to the best of his ability, soon followed by the Golden State Warriors, who tied the series at 1-1 while setting a few NBA postseason milestones along the way.
-
New York Knicks – Carmelo Anthony Can’t Stop Scoring
It’s beginning to turn into quite a life-changing season for the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony, as the team are doing things that haven’t been done in over a decade for the franchise while he himself continues to be scoring t a level and pace he hasn’t done before, better than anyone else in the NBA, getting a little bit of help from J.R. Smith while the rest of the working-class bees struggle on defense to make it all worthwhile.