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Round 2 Preview

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer

Chicago Bulls (5) vs. Detroit Pistons (1)

Notes: The Bulls made me look bad by easily handling a depleted Heat team but now have to face the best squad in the Eastern Conference. Expect the series to be more competitive than Game 1 suggested, but Detroit ultimately moves on. Pistons 4-2.

San Antonio Spurs (3) vs. Phoenix Suns (2)

Notes: You might as well consider this the NBA Finals, because the winner of this series is almost certainly going to win the whole thing. A Suns vs. Warriors matchup in the Western Conference Finals would be a fans dream, conjuring up thoughts of 152-148 type games. Unfortunately, the Spurs match up pretty well against Phoenix, and although they’ll have to win a game on the road, they still look like the best team in basketball. Spurs 4-3.

New Jersey Nets (6) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (2)

Notes: The Cavs won the regular season series 2-1 by virtue of taking both games played in Cleveland, so homecourt advantage does figure to matter here. Still, the Cavs just aren’t that good, and they probably don’t even realize the postseason has started yet after getting the injury-ravaged Wizards in Round 1. The Nets, meanwhile, have picked the right time to play their best basketball of the season. Their roll continues. Nets 4-2.

Golden State Warriors (8) vs. Utah Jazz (4)

Notes: The Warriors shocked the world, and the Jazz prevented Tracy McGrady from winning his first postseason series. While the Warriors enter more rested, one wonders if the crowd surfing, extended celebration after the Dallas win in Game 6 means the team is already satisfied with their postseason performance. Baron Davis’ hamstring injury is huge, as he’ll be the most important player on the court during this series. Both teams are very tough at home and split the season series 2-2. Golden State defended the pick and roll extremely well against Dallas, since they have so many interchangeable parts on defense, which should come in handy against Utah’s similar offense. Assuming they realize they haven’t won the NBA Finals yet, Golden State will remain the hottest team in the game. Warriors 4-2.

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2 responses to “Round 2 Preview”

  1. maddendude Avatar
    maddendude

    How do you think GS will matchup with the Jazz? I’m a GS fan, so I say GS in 4. But I’m wondering about specifics, I hear the Jazz don’t defend the 3 too well, which will really hurt them, but Boozer can take anyone in the low post, Dallas never really had anyone that could do that. Williams is much better fit to take on Davis than anyone Dallas threw at him. George was strong but not fast enough, Williams matches up better. Obviously we’ll see Harrington much more.

  2. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Well, like I said, G. State defends the pick and roll well and that’s Utah’s bread and butter, but I agree, not sure how the Warriors are going to defend Boozer in the low post. Biedrins will probably foul out in 10 minutes. D. Williams is definitely a tougher matchup than anyone Dallas had, and Harrington will have to wake up, because they are going to need him on the perimeter against Okur.

    Golden State is actually underrated defensively, the numbers just don’t show it b/c they give up a lot of points since they shoot more often than any team in basketball, even the Suns, meaning they have to defend more possessions than any team in the league. I’m also rooting for the Warriors, and I honestly wanted to face the Rockets, who I think G. State probably matched up better against.

    Not sure how Utah defends the 3-pointer, but I hope you’re right, b/c that would certainly help if they are poor in that area. Also, let’s hope Kirilenko doesn’t become AK-47, or that team can be dangerous. But Stephen Jackson is a man possessed right now, and I think this should be a competitive, good series either way.

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