May 12, 2014
The first round of the 2014 NBA playoffs was a dog fight as almost every team had to fight for multiple games for a chance for survival. There were 5 series that went to 7 games and the other three series went 4, 5, or 6 games respectively.
Now that 8 teams have been eliminated even harder competition was supposed to begin. Instead we’re seeing the teams that are elite flying over the competition.
Spurs vs Blazers
After seeing the way that the Blazers handled the Rockets I expected the Blazers to give the Spurs a little run for their money, similar to how the Golden State Warriors did last year. Instead all I see is under domination by the Spurs. Tony Parker can’t be stopped by the Blazers guards and LaMarcus Aldridge isn’t doing nearly as well as he did against the Rockets bigs. The Mavericks gave the Spurs a little scare but now nothings standing in their way. They have 1 more game to win in order to get the sweep.
Pacers vs Wizards
I won’t deny it, I called the Wizards beating the Pacers about two or three weeks before the regular season ended, and you know what, I was wrong. After seeing the Pacers struggle with the lowly Hawks in the first round, the Pacers looked like they would be falling out early. Instead they have taken control of a favorable match up and along the way gotten some production from Roy Hibbert and George Hill. Besides Paul George and Lance Stephenson highlights, this Pacers team plays some ugly basketball and that’s exactly how they’ve been beating the Wizards. The Wizards are still a good team their just struggling when it matters the most and simply aren’t ready yet.
Heat vs Nets
Before the series started I had my doubts on how Miami would do in this series. Then the first two games happened and Miami walked away with both of them. Of course Brooklyn came back and took game 3 though and thats why we should have an interesting series. The way the Heat have played (minus game 3) shows how dominant this team really is and the fact that was Miami’s first loss in the playoffs tells you something.
Thunder vs Clippers
If any series reminds you of the first round it is this one. We have the two top tier teams battling in a tied up series. They both have their two super stars and then their here and there type supporting cast. After three games and three quarters the Thunder looked like the team with the upper hand but after the Clippers comeback win in game 4 the series is still up in the air.
While the Pacers, Spurs and Heat have shown they mean business, we still are waiting to see who will take that next step between the Clippers and Thunder. I don’t know about you but I’m ready for the Conference Finals, the second round isn’t doing anything for me.
Everick Davis Jr.
Was good though, it's me Everick Davis Jr. Born and raised in Portsmouth Virginia, I'm currently a senior at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. I watch every sport (not so much golf) but I am huge on the NBA. My favorite players right now are J.R. Smith, Russell Westbrook & Nick Young. Drinking beer and watching sports is my favorite past time and I do it year round! I used to play basketball on the regular until everyone else kept growing and I still stood at 5'6. So that's when I channeled my efforts into becoming the next Stephen A Smith or anything close to that. I currently write for "The Carolinian" newspaper in Greensboro, NC and intern for http://theurbantwist.com/ Random Fact about me, I love anime, my favorite one is One Piece! Second random fact, I got beatz! check me out http://www.reverbnation.com/ielabs
