In what seems like the blink of an eye, four more Eastern Conference teams had their seasons’ end this week. Although most of the games in each series were competitive, none of the teams that were eliminated looked like championship teams. However the teams that did advance all looked poised for a potential run, as no team lost more than two games in their opening series. Before we move on to the conference semifinals let’s look back at how the Bulls, Heat, Celtics and Hawks all got there.
After running through the regular season, the #1 seed Bulls did not come out firing on all cylinders against the Pacers. Indiana seemed ready for a Game 1 upset in Chicago before Derrick Rose put the team on his back to overcome a double-digit fourth quarter deficit. The Pacers could never fully recover from Game 1’s crushing loss. Despite holding leads late in several games and even winning Game 3 in Indiana, the Pacers just didn’t look like a team that was ready to win a playoff series. The difference in the series was the Bulls tough defense, which has been one of the league’s best all season. Chicago won’t win the championship if they continue to rely on Rose’s late game heroics. They need players like Carlos Boozer to step up and help shoulder the offensive load if they want this dream season to end with a parade in the windy city.
Going into the playoffs, the most anticipated match up was between Boston and New York, but this was not the back and forth series that fans had hoped for. The Knicks never could put a full game together, playing well in spurts but not well enough to secure a win. In the trade for Carmelo Anthony the Knicks gave up a lot of their depth as well as team chemistry, and this showed as they were swept by the Celtics. With that said the Knicks did not lose the series, the Celtics won it. Boston looked as good, if not better, than their championship team from 2008. Rajon Rondo has matured into a leader for this squad, and his teammates are reaping the benefits. The “Old Big Three” were productive with business like attitudes in this series, showing that they are not content with just one championship. Baring any catastrophic injuries, the Celtics have the talent and experience around Rondo to return to this year’s title game.
The “New Big Three” had their first playoff series together against the 76ers and they showed the world why they wanted to play together. Miami’s Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh each averaged more than 19 points in the series, dominating on both ends of the court. The Heat would’ve swept their first series together if not for a buzzer-beating three point winner by Lou Williams in Game 4. There is no doubt that Philadelphia has a talented team, but this matchup reminded us that when Miami plays up to their potential they are almost unbeatable. A good sign for Heat fans was that Chris Bosh was their most consistent player. Bosh has not played great since taking his talents to South Beach, but recently he has been on a tear now that he realizes his role with the team. The next round will be a completely different story for the Heat as they try to take down the seasoned Celtics.
In the most evenly matched series, the Atlanta Hawks avenged last season’s embarrassing conference semifinals loss to the O rlando Magic. The Hawks won the series 4-2 with an interesting defensive strategy, letting Dwight Howard score and forcing his teammates to beat them. Despite dropping two games in the series, the strategy worked. Statistically, Dwight Howard had an outstanding series, averaging 27 points and 15.5 rebounds per game, but unfortunately none of his teammates could come close to his production. Most teams double-team Howard when he gets the ball in the paint but the Hawks chose not to, making it near impossible for the Magic to find the open shots they’re accustomed to. The Hawks did have some scoring on their side with Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith putting up solid numbers in their own right. Unfortunately for Atlanta, they will need to employ a new defensive strategy in order to slow down MVP candidate Derrick Rose and his Bulls.
Despite the fact that this year’s first round wasn’t overly competitive in the Eastern Conference, the same won’t be said about the next round. The match ups in the conference semifinals are intriguing and should offer plenty of exciting basketball for NBA fans. It will be interesting to see if the Bulls can return to the conference finals for the first time without MJ, and whether the Heat can take down last year’s finals runner-up in Boston. After one round of the NBA playoffs one thing is for certain, any of the remaining teams are capable of winning the championship.
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