> Chicago Bulls vs Indiana Pacers (3 - 1)
Indiana was playing too hard not to pull out a win. Even the Bulls fans out there might have to reward them and say that the undermanned Pacers deserved at least a win on their home floor. Either way, the Bulls will have to fly back to Chicago anyway, so they'll just have to play one more game before they get to the second round.
Who knows, it might actually be good for them to play another game. The Orlando and Atlanta series poses to drag on until game 6 or 7.
> Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers (3 - 0)
The 76ers are overmatched - plain and simple. Wade, LeBron and yes, even Bosh, have been excellent in the series. They've outplayed all 6 or 7 players that the Sixers have been depending on. I expect Miami to clean this out pretty quick since Boston is also going for a sweep.
Perhaps, if anything Miami should take this opportunity to stretch out their bench and see what they can get from those guys. After all, they're going to need the support in the second round.
> Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks (3 - 0)
The New York roller coaster for the 2010-11 season will probably end in 1 or 2 games. They got the guys they wanted, but the Knicks haven't been solid long enough to really make a run at the standard-bearers of the East. The road to the finals goes through Boston and Melo's crew hasn't proven themselves to be good enough.. Not yet.
The injuries have definitely not helped. Hopefully, the Knicks can rile up enough energy to win one in the Garden, but the Rondo-Allen-Pierce-Garnett combo is too much for this year.
> Orlando Magic vs Atlanta Hawks (1 - 2)
Here's where it gets interesting. Game 4 will miss the presence of Orlando's Jason Richardson and Atlanta's Zaza Pachulia. In spite of the disparity in salary and career accomplishments, I think Atlanta might have actually gotten the short end of this. Zaza was defending Dwight best among the Hawk bigs, and without him Collins, Horford and Etan Thomas might have to deal with the Beast. Orlando, on the other hand, will miss J-Rich's shooting. But since SVG runs only one offensive scheme (Post Dwight / Kick for the 3 /Pick n Roll with Nelson), J-Rich's spot can actually be replaced with any shooter - in this case, probably JJ Redick.
I think Orlando will actually tie it 2-2 after the next game. It might need another monstrous effort from the 3-time DPOY, but he'll have to carry the load on his broad shoulders. If somehow, Horford and J-Smoove can match his production, then maybe Atlanta can pull it out. I'm still inclined towards the tie though.
West
> San Antonio Spurs vs Memphis Grizzlies (1 - 2)
The Grizz leading 2 to 1 was something I definitely didn't expect. Experts have been writing off the Spurs, but basketball wisdom would suggest otherwise. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker will find a way to get things back on track. Their only problem as of the moment is that their 3-point shooting hasn't been as consistent as before.
Randolph and Gasol are doing their jobs, and will probably do their jobs consistently for the rest of the series. The young perimeter players will probably crack once the Spurs put them under tremendous stress, as can be expected in the remaining games. I think the Spurs will still pull this out in 7.
> Los Angeles Lakers vs New Orleans Hornets (2 - 1)
In game 1, CP3 needed 33 points and 15 assists to carve out a win against LA. Unfortunately for all Paul fans, he will be needing more efforts such as that to have more than 2 games left. Game 3 showed LA flexing their strength underneath and their adjustments on covering Paul. Carl Landry has been a gem for the Hornets but they're really missing David West and his reliable production because outside of those three, points are hard to come by for the bees.
The Lakers will wrap this up in LA after the fifth game. Kobe and company will just execute their defense against the Hornets, and sit back and wait for their opponents. It might be a while before the second round starts in LA.
> Dallas Mavericks vs Portland Trailblazers (2 - 2)
This series is finally shaping up to be all it's hyped up to be. Dirk, Aldridge and all those expected to produce have done their jobs. So far, it's been the team with the guy stepping up who has won the game. Kidd and Peja took care of games 1 and 2 respectively. Brandon Roy took over games 3 and 4. So we're probably looking at a seven-game series. Very good for the NBA, very bad for these 2 teams as the Lakers are resting and healing.
Game five will be nuts, simply put. Both teams will go out at all costs and I think the bench guards will determine the outcome. Terry-Barea-Beaubois vs Roy-Fernandez-Mills will determine who takes the lead. I still think the Mavs will pull this series out in 7.
> Oklahoma City Thunder vs Denver Nuggets (3 - 0)
This series has been all about closers - the Thunder's ownership of one of the best and Denver's absence of one. The Nuggets are a great team and that's the main reason why they weathered the whole storm built around trading Melo, but they're in a playoff series and they need that to close out games. We've seen the Nuggets offense struggle in the fourth quarter, and until they can get Nene to go up to that role (since's crushing dunks on the frontcourt of every team), Denver will fall short.
Similar to the Bulls-Pacers series, I think Denver will get hot enough to pull out the next game a home. But knowing OKC and how the organization is shaping up to be, they will not let the series go beyond 5 games. Then, they'll rest and heal up until they visit the Spurs probably after another week.
