NBA Playoffs 2011: Second Round Predictions. Can Memphis Pull Another Upset?
The first round of the NBA playoffs have come and gone. The playoffs were full of the usual drama, action, and great plays we come to expect. There were very few upsets this year. Only one if you don't count the fifth seeded Hawks besting the fourth seeded Magic.
Memphis came out and surprised a lot of people with a 4-2 series win over the team with the best regular season record in San Antonio. The rest of the playoffs are interesting, but I think most NBA fans are going to pay special attention to the Memphis and Oklahoma City series.
Chicago vs. Atlanta
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Chicago had a bit of trouble getting past Indiana. Including a near loss in game one of the series. However, the Bulls pulled the series out 4-1, and won by 27 in the final game.
Atlanta pulled off a bit of a shocker beating the Orlando Magic four games to two. The Hawks can win this series if they can overcome their biggest obstacle. Themselves. Atlanta has proven to be very inconsistent in both the regular season and the playoffs. They will have to be consistent if they want to beat Chicago.
I just don't see Atlanta getting past the Bulls. Especially when the Bulls have home court advantage.
Bulls win series 4-2
Miami vs. Boston
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There is not a lot to say here, other than this is going to be a great series. Boston comes in winning 3 of the 4 regular season meetings. However, Miami won the last meeting between these two teams by 26 points.
Boston had a rocky end to the regular season, but were the only team to sweep the first round. They will go into this series a little more rested than Miami, and with the momentum of a sweep. Miami man-handled the 76ers and won their series 4-1. In terms of overall talent, this may be the most even series of the four. This will be a fun one to watch.
Doc Rivers decided to rest his starters at the end of the season against the Wizards. Boston lost this game. Not a big deal right? Wrong, that loss gave Miami home court advantage over Boston. This may be a big deal, especially if Miami can take a 2-0 lead to Boston.
Miami wins series 4-3
Los Angeles vs. Dallas
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Both of these teams had a little bit of trouble in the first round. LA looked terrible at times losing two games to the David West-less Hornets. Yet, in the end both higher seeded teams prevailed.
There is no doubt that LA is the better team. We also know Dallas often has problems in the postseason. One factor will decide this series. How healthy is Kobe Bryant? I don't think anyone can be 100 percent sure if Kobe is truly healthy or not. If he is it's simple; the best closer in the modern era carries this team to the Western Conference finals. If Kobe is not healthy, and can't be effective Dallas will win.
It's hard to predict a winner with Kobe's health in question, but LA will probably win this series.
LA wins 4-2.
Oklahoma City vs. Memphis
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This is the series most NBA fans will be most interested in. The eighth seeded Memphis Grizzles pulled a huge upset and beat the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. The Thunder also had no trouble dismantling the Nuggets.
Memphis goes into this series with nothing to lose. Few people thought they would make it past the first round. They proved people (including myself) wrong before, and they may do it again. I think that Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins should be able to somewhat control Zach Randolph (AKA the most underrated player in the NBA). If the Thunder can stop Randolph they should be able to control this series. That being said the Grizzles still have a good shot at winning it, I'm just not ready to jump on the bandwagon yet.
OKC wins series 4-3
