The first round of the NBA Playoffs came to an exciting end with the Los Angeles Clippers’ last second win over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. NBA fans were treated to some great basketball the last couple weeks that looks to be even better now that there are eight teams left with some great matchups.
NBA 2015 Playoffs: Jack Moon’s 2nd Round Matchups & Predictions
The first round really only had one huge upset with the Washington Wizards sweeping the Toronto Raptors. The Clippers win over the Spurs could also be considered a mild upset. Here is an analysis of the matchups and Jack Moon’s predictions for the second round.
Eastern Conference Second Round:
Atlanta Hawks (1) v. Washington Wizards (5)
The Atlanta Hawks took six games to knock off the pesky Brooklyn Nets who showed more fight than many predicted. The Washington Wizards pose greater difficulty for the Hawks than the Nets in that the Wizards have better young talent at the guard position in John Wall and Bradley Beal. Indeed, Wall will likely be the best player on the court for the series.
Both teams are evenly matched on defense in that the Hawks were rated the seventh best defense to the Wizards’ fifth best rated squad. However, the Hawks, doing their best impression of the San Antonio Spurs by spreading around the ball, have an advantage on offense with their sixth rated offense compared to the nineteenth best offense for the Wizards. It is notable that the Wizards appear to be playing more inspired offense since the end of the regular season.
The key to the series will be if the Wizards can keep Kyle Korver contained and stop Al Horford from having a big game. In the prior series, Hereford was inconsistent and was often the difference in a win or loss for the Hawks.
The Hawks will also need to rebound better to win this series. The Wizards’ Marcin Gortat and Nene may make that an extremely difficult task for the Hawks. In addition, the Wizards had five days to prepare for the Hawks. The Wizards will eventually wear down the Hawks and take the series.
Prediction: Wizards in 7
Cleveland Cavaliers (2) v. Chicago Bulls (3)
The Cleveland Cavaliers are depleted with the loss of Kevin Love for the playoffs and the two-game suspension for J.R. Smith. This may give the Chicago Bulls a chance to take an early game in Cleveland. The Bulls have been inconsistent all year and even in the Milwaukee Bucks series. However, they should be able to put it together for one early win.
After Smith returns, the Cavaliers will rebound and lean on the strengths of the best player in the world in Lebron James. James will likely move to power forward and Tristan Thompson to center. Thompson will likely be able to take advantage of injury-hobbled Joakim Noah and score at will.
The series will likely come down to the two Cavalier stars in James and Kyrie Irving overpowering the Bulls with timely contributions from the other players. The series will be hard-fought and even chippy at time, but the Cavaliers will be able to win home-court back and win the seventh game in Cleveland. If Love had been available, Cavaliers would have won the series in five.
Prediction: Cavaliers in 7
Western Conference Second Round:
Golden State Warriors (1) v. Memphis Grizzlies (5)
The Golden State Warriors looked very good in the first round and are likely to continue their dominance. The Memphis Grizzlies are a tough team, but they may be without point guard Mike Conley who suffered facial fractures in the first round. If Conley returns, he will have to play with a face mask.
The Warriors defeated the Grizzlies twice in three games this year and both wins were near the end of the regular season. Marc Gasol looked good in the first round and completely healed from ankle injury averaging over 20 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
The shooting guard matchup between Klay Thompson and Courtney Lee will be an explosion of scoring without much defense. Harrison Barnes will take advantage of the four-inch height difference to make Tony Allen’s life miserable. In contrast, Zach Randolph may be able to take advantage of his size against Draymond Green. The Warriors may also benefit from the expected return of David Lee.
Despite putting up a good fight, the Splash brothers and company will simply be too much for the injury depleted Grizzlies.
Prediction: Warriors in 6
Houston Rockets (2) v. Los Angeles Clippers (3)
The Los Angeles Clippers just survived an important game seven against the defending champions, the San Antonio Spurs. Point guard Chris Paul gutted out an incredible performance despite being hampered by a ham string injury. The health of Paul will likely be the difference in the series against the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets have lost Patrick Beverly and Donatas Motiejunas to season-ending injuries, but have made up for it by the solid play of James Harden and Dwight Howard. Howard was a monster in the first round and the Rockets will need him to defeat the eight-man deep Clippers.
The Clippers are used to the great play of Paul and Blake Griffin. But it was the clutch play of Jamal Crawford, J.J. Redick, Austin Rivers, Matt Barnes and DeAndre Jordan that helped in the Spurs series.
Assuming Paul recovers from his injury, the now playoff-tested Clippers should pull out a tough series. Otherwise, expect the leading free throw shooting Harden and the old Howard to dominate.
