NBA Playoff Standings 2014: Updated 1st-Round Outlook and Monday Preview
If I was BIll Walton, I'd probably say that the first round of the NBA playoffs has been the greatest nine days in the history of mankind—that this stunningly beautiful display of basketball has been carved by the gods themselves for our enjoyment.
Unfortunately, I'm not Bill Walton, but the start to this year's postseason has still been pretty damn good.
Through the first 27 games (counting the Washington Wizards and Golden State Warriors' wins on Sunday afternoon), there have been an astounding 15 road wins and six overtime games. We've already had a game-winning buzzer-beater, back-and-forth offensive slugfests and a slew of instant classics.
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Even Magic Johnson had to get in on the Waltonion hyperbole:
And the best part? There's still plenty more to come. Let's take a look at where each series stands (as of Sunday at 7 p.m. ET), as well as a preview of Monday's action.
| (1) Indiana Pacers vs. (8) Atlanta Hawks | Tied, 2-2 | 4/28 at 8 p.m. ET | Indiana |
| (2) Miami Heat vs. (7) Charlotte Bobcats | Miami, 3-0 | 4/28 at 7 p.m. ET | Charlotte |
| (3) Toronto Raptors vs. (6) Brooklyn Nets | Brooklyn, 2-1 | 4/27 at 7 p.m. ET | Brooklyn |
| (4) Chicago Bulls vs. (5) Washington Wizards | Washington, 3-1 | 4/29 at 8 p.m. ET | Chicago |
| (1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Dallas Mavericks | Dallas, 2-1 | 4/28 at 9:30 p.m. ET | Dallas |
| (2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (7) Memphis Grizzlies | Tied, 2-2 | 4/29 at 9 p.m. ET | Oklahoma City |
| (3) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (6) Golden State Warriors | Tied, 2-2 | 4/29 at 10:30 p.m. ET | Los Angeles |
| (4) Houston Rockets vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers | Portland, 2-1 | 4/27 at 9:30 p.m. ET | Portland |
Miami Heat at Charlotte Bobcats
Did LeBron James look somewhere in the vicinity of Michael Jordan during a breakaway dunk? That's what we've all stooped to for a talking point this series, as the Heat have reeled off three relatively no-nonsense wins in three games.
"You don't want a series to go longer than it needs to," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told the Associated Press, via ESPN.com, after a 13-point road win Saturday.
While 'Bron (29.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists) has been his typical, efficient self, and Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have made nice contributions, the Heat bench has been surprisingly effective.
In Game 1, it was Chris Andersen bruising his way to eight points, 10 rebounds and a block in 22 minutes off the bench. When he entered late in the third quarter, the game was knotted at 59, and when he left midway through the fourth, the Heat were up by 19.
Game 2 was a balanced effort, while Andersen, Ray Allen and Norris Cole all made significant contributions on Saturday. Bleacher Report's Ethan J. Skolnick noted the impact:
While the team has been a combined minus-eight with Bosh and/or Wade on the floor through three games, Jones (plus-38), Andersen (plus-35) and Cole (plus-27) have been absolutely dominating the second-unit matchups.
Look for that to continue to happen, as Miami completes the sweep.
Atlanta Hawks at Indiana Pacers
No team has been more difficult to figure out over the past several months than the Indiana Pacers, and that has carried over into the postseason.
They've looked like the dominant team of old in the second halves of Games 2 and 4, but they haven't been able to string together consecutive positive performances and put away a sub-.500 team.
Still, Frank Vogel seems to be finally figuring it out.
Roy Hibbert, who has regressed at an unbelievable rate and isn't contributing anything positive at this point, played the first 7:43 of the second half on Saturday and then never got off the bench. The Pacers went plus-six after he left.
Rotoworld's Michael Gallagher had some fun with the struggling big guy:
Moreover, Paul George played the entire second half, scoring 18 points, hitting a clutch late three and providing tremendous defense on Jeff Teague.
As Vogel continues to figure out his lineup against the Hawks, who have given him matchup problems, the Pacers will take the series lead at home.
San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks
Vince Carter's game-winning three on Saturday gave the Mavericks a 2-1 series lead, but Tim Duncan, via the San Antonio Express-News' Jeff McDonald, is using it as motivation:
That's pretty much what everyone says, but if there's a team capable of bouncing back from a crippling loss on the road, it's the veteran Spurs, who have been through pretty much every situation imaginable in the playoffs.
And it starts with defense.
While Monta Ellis leads the Mavericks with 20.3 points per contest this series, it has been a balanced offensive effort from Dallas. Five players are averaging double figures for Rick Carlisle's squad, while another three have tallied at least 6.0 per game.
Throw it all together, and the Mavericks' 109.6 offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) is a far cry from what the Spurs gave up (100.1) during the regular season.
Gregg Popovich, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Dwain Price, and Kawhi Leonard, via the San Antonio Express-News' Jabari Young, both put it simply:
This will be the closest of Monday's games, but expect San Antonio to buckle down defensively and escape with a crucial road win to tie the series.
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.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")
