NBA Playoffs, Round 2

Well, my predictions for the first round of the NBA playoffs did not go that well.  Sure, I went 5 for 8, but both 1 vs 8 matchups were pretty obvious as far as I was concerned.  If you take those out of the equation I went just 3 for 6, missing both 4 vs 5 matchups and the Spurs-Mavericks series.  I'm a littel bit disappointed.  Now I suppose I'll give my predictions for round 2, although now I'm more interested in some of the matchups and storylines that are coming up in Round 2.

First, I would predict that both 1 seeds will be winning their respective series and moving on.  The Cavs will beat the Hawks and the Lakers will beat the Rockets.  I would guess that the Nuggets will beat the Mavericks, because they are absolutely on fire right now.  The Mavericks are happy to be in the second round of the playoffs, and they will go no farther.  Chauncey Billups, Carmelo Anthony and the rest of Denver are playing very well right now.  I do think that could be a very entertaining series though as far as scoring is concerned.  These playoffs have been very low-scoring for the high-scoring reputation that the NBA has.  There have not been very many games where 100 points have been scored, and there have been several games in which the losing team only scored in the 60s.  It is always interesting to see these NBA guys start to care a lot more once the playoffs begin.  They play harder defense, they seem more decisive about their shooting, and their percentages go up from the free throw line.  That is why the NBA playoffs are so much fun to watch.  You finally get to see these ridiculous athletes play so hard.

Now, for the final series:  Celtics vs. Magic.  I think that the Magic will win the series in six games.  I have heard so much being made of whether or not the Celtics will be tired for this series because they put so much into the great series against the Bulls.  Here is my answer--no. Sure, they have played a long season and just went through a great NBA series that was exhausting even to watch, let alone play.  These guys are professional athletes though.  They are the most conditioned people on the planet.  The Celtics had over 24 hours to rest after beating the Bulls.  That is plenty of time to get ready to play a game at full strength.  When you consider all the treatment these athletes are getting--massages, ice baths, nutrition--all of that is done so they can be more than ready in whatever amount of time.  The Celtics will be just fine for this entire series in my opinion.

Finally, I am excited about this second round because it is giving two of my favorite former Dukies a chance to do something great.  Neither Shane Battier or JJ Redick is the key player on their respective teams.  Both, however are always playing hard and will give positive contributions to their teams.  Battier figures to be the primary defender on Kobe Bryant, splitting time with Ron Artest on that assignment.  Redick is now the starting 2 guard on the Magic with the injury to Courtney Lee.  I'll be rooting for some of my favorite college players to do well in the playoffs