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San Antonio Spurs – Tim Duncan & Tony Parker Too Good for the Most Overrated NBA Team
The 2013 NBA Playoffs are split into two kinds of series – those that will be ending in sweeps, and the tight ones. The San Antonio Spurs are too good of a team this season, with Tim Duncan playing like a much younger man, and Tony Parker doing much better in terms of his health, to be the kind that gets itself mixed up in a troubling series.
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New York Knicks – Carmelo Anthony Humiliating Rivals En Route to a Sweep
The New York Knicks don’t remember what it’s like to be in a postseason series and have their way with a much weaker rival, as Carmelo Anthony can’t seem to stop scoring while Raymond Felton makes the most of not having a single point guard on the other side of the ball to oppose him and challenge him.
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Memphis Grizzlies – Zach Randolph Finally Shows Up
For the Memphis Grizzlies, this season has been about turning away from offensive individual strengths and basing their entire philosophy on one of the best defenses in the NBA. In order to get out of the hole they’re in right now, they needed someone to finally step up, and Zach Randolph, who is capable of putting up big numbers when given the chance and the balls, stepped up in what might a defining moment in this series.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.