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Washington Wizards – Upset Almost Complete
The Washington Wizards are one of two lower seeds to reach three wins in the 2014 NBA Playoffs so far, beating the Chicago Bulls 98-89 in game 4 behind a very strong game from Trevor Ariza and an impressive performance from John Wall to make everything come together.
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Toronto Raptors – Experience Seems to be Overrated
One of the funniest things about these NBA Playoffs is watching an arrogant bunch of Brooklyn Nets players trying to explain how the young and inexperienced Toronto Raptors, making it an even 2-2 series after a 87-79 road win, are playing better than them in crunch time.
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NBA Playoffs – Houston Rockets Should Worry About James Harden
There are tests for NBA coaches planted all through the season for them to show their merits, and the ability to learn from mistakes. James Harden had some impressive numbers in the game 3 win over the Blazers, although he did more wrong than right for his team. Jeremy Lin? Without the ball, in the wrong role, he still managed to make the best of a crummy situation, and make a few big plays that saves the season for the Houston Rockets.
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NBA Playoffs – Chicago Bulls Can Move Back to Joakim Noah
One of the smartest things the Chicago Bulls managed to do in game 3 as they beat the Washington Wizards for the first time in their playoff series was to move away from having Joakim Noah run their offense from the post. Now that Nene is suspended for game 4, there’s every reason to at least try and going back to that.
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NBA Playoffs – Game 4 Predictions (Clippers vs Warriors, Rockets vs Blazers, Bulls vs Wizards, Raptors vs Nets)
A busy ending to the weekend with four game 4’s in action, with all of them teams leading 2-1 trying to take a step closer to finishing the series: The Los Angeles Clippers hosted by the Golden State Warriors, the Portland Trail Blazers hosting the Houston Rockets, the Washington Wizards entertaining the Chicago Bulls and the Brooklyn Nets at home to the Toronto Raptors.
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Dallas Mavericks – All the Right Moves
The Dallas Mavericks couldn’t get anything going against the San Antonio Spurs in the regular season, but come the playoffs and everything is different. They’ve taken a 2-1 lead with a 109-108 win, closing the victory with a game-winning 3-pointer from Vince Carter right after Manu Ginobili thought he had everything wrapped up for his own team.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – An Unlikely Hero
Maybe Reggie Jackson took a step forward, or it might have been Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook stepping back. Whatever it was, it worked, and saved the series for the Oklahoma City Thunder, coming away with the 92-89 overtime win over the Memphis Grizzlies to tie things at 2-2 and head back home feeling confidence again.
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Miami Heat – According to Plan
There’s only so much the Charlotte Bobcats can do, and it seems that after game 3, which the Miami Heat won 98-85 with another dominant performance from LeBron James, the defending NBA champions will be headed into the conference semifinals with plenty of rest compared to whoever they have to face next.
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Indiana Pacers – Not Feeling Too Good About Themselves
The Indiana Pacers shouldn’t feel too good about themselves. Yes, they found the formula of playing small: Luis Scola on the floor instead of Roy Hibbert, while Paul George and David West had big leadership and clutch moments. However, you couldn’t shake the feeling that the Atlanta Hawks, losing 91-88 as the series is now tied at 2-2, let this one slip away from them.
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NBA Playoffs – Roy Hibbert & Russell Westbrook Get the Blame
When favorites and superior teams lose, someone has to be set aside and blamed for the failure. Some are easier to point a finger at than others, which happens to be the case for Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Roy Hibbert of the Indiana Pacers.