NBA Eastern Conference Round Two Preview

NBA Eastern Conference Round Two Preview

The first round of the NBA Playoffs is now complete, and with the bulk of the second-round games starting tonight, I will outline my predictions for who will reach the conference finals and make it one step closer to the NBA finals. 

1. Celtics vs 4. Cavaliers

In the first round, the Celtics defeated the Heat in five games, showing true dominance against a well-coached, physical Heat team. They made it out of the series but made it without one of their starting big man, Kristaps Porzingis. He sustained a calf injury in game four in Miami. He will most likely miss all of this next series. Sixth man Al Horford must step up for the Celtics to advance. Boston ran into trouble in the first round when they became complacent on both ends of the floor and when they shot the three poorly. Luckily they are matched up with a Cavs team who was 21st in three-point percentage allowed. The Cavs narrowly squeaked out the Magic in a seven-game series, where the home team won every game. Donovan Mitchell was excellent in this series, scoring 50 and 39 points in games six and seven, respectively. With how great Mitchell there was no supporting cast around him; he scored all 18 of the Cavs' fourth-quarter points in game 6. This is a recipe for disaster against the second-best defense in the league with the best defensive backcourt. If the a combination of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday can somewhat lockdown Donovan Mitchell, the Celtics will dominate. There has not been a consistent second option for the Cavs this playoffs. I believe the C’s will handle the Cavs well and win in five games.

2. Knicks vs. 6. Pacers

The Knicks handled the Sixers in six games, with Jalen Brunson leading the way. He currently leads the league in playoff points this year with 35.5. In an earlier article, I said that the Sixers would win because of their dynamic duo and the fact that Joel Embiid, a top-five player in the league was well-rested. In reality Embiid was not 100 percent and in the games I watched he struggled to make it up and down the court. This Knicks plays hard, thanks to the tenacity of coach Tom Thibodeau. Josh Hart leads the way in terms on tenacity and grit he played 46.3 minutes per game in this round. The Pacers also won their series in six games, it was a shocking upset over the three seeded Bucks, who were without stars and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard for most of the series. It was a well balanced attack for the Pacers, with Pascal Siakam leading the way with 22.3 points per game. Surpisingly the Pacers best player, Tyrese Haliburton was third in points per game for the Pacers, a trend I do not think will continue in round two. This matchup will be one of elite guard play, Jalen Brunson vs Tyrese Haliburton, both of these guys have burst on to the scene have the past two seasons and lead their teams, whichever teams guard plays better will win. This series has the potential to go the distance, and I believe it will, and it will be the Knicks coming out on top.