NBA Playoffs 2015 Day One: All you need for Saturday's games, The NBA playoffs finally are upon us! After six months of the regular season, we've reached the point of win-four-or-go-home.Where: United Center, Chicago.
Spread: Bulls by 7.5. Over/under: 186.5 points.
Need-to-know: This series may be ugly. The Bulls are a much more tested team and won the regular-season series 3-1. The Bucks also likely will be surrounded by enemy fans even at home. If you’re looking for a game to skip Saturday, then, this may be the one. But if you do watch, you get a chance to see an up-and-coming Bucks team try to build off of a surprise regular season after being the worst team in the NBA last year.
Matchup to watch: Bulls F Nikola Mirotic vs. Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo. Mirotic had a jaw-dropping March and was one of the three best rookies in the NBA, without question. He’s better off at power forward but has been playing a lot of small forward because of the Bulls’ size. Antetokounmpo plays both forward spots and, nicknamed “The Greek Freak,” has no issue matching up height-wise. But Mirotic is an aggressive penetrator who picks up fouls and shoots well enough to keep opponents honest. He’s also more experienced than 20-year-old Antetokounmpo despite being the rookie, the 24-year-old having played in Spain for years.
Need-to-know: These franchises don’t like each other. Mavs owner Mark Cuban and Rockets general manager Daryl Morey are constantly trading barbs. Beyond that, Chandler Parsons left Houston to go to Dallas, and Rockets center Dwight Howard since has called his former small forward and friend “the enemy.” The Rockets had a great regular season, but the Mavericks were built for the playoffs. James Harden will have to step his game up because Houston doesn’t have ideal other options.
Key matchup: Rockets PF Terrence Jones vs. Mavericks PF Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki has not looked like himself at all this season, but he may very well be saving it for the playoffs. We’ve all seen what he can do when he puts his best foot forward and feels good: take over games. Jones doesn’t have ideal height to even try to challenge Nowitzki’s high release points, but he’s more athletic and should push Nowitzki to work on the defensive end. When he’s on, Jones is the Rockets’ third-best player behind Harden and Howard.Need-to-know: The Raptors swept the three-game regular-season series and closed with a 7-3 record. Both teams spent time in the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference but had really rough stretches in March.
Toronto has an athletic frontcourt that gives the Wizards trouble because Washington prefers to play Nene and Marcin Gortat together.Need-to-know: The Pelicans had an exhilarating but possibly exhausting victory Wednesday against the Spurs to lock their playoff spot. Now they get the best team in the NBA as a prize. The Warriors won 67 games and led the NBA in offensive and defensive efficiency, a rarified duo. But the Pelicans beat them once this season.Matchup to watch: Pelicans PF Anthony Davis vs.
Warriors PF Draymond Green. The reputation for Green is that he’s capable of guarding anyone. Davis plays his natural position yet still will be a test, as he’s at least three inches taller. He’s also amazing, capable of scoring 30 yet having everyone talk about his defense anyway. Green will try to bully him to get in his head, but he’s so good away from the basket that it may not work.
Need-to-know: This series may be ugly. The Bulls are a much more tested team and won the regular-season series 3-1. The Bucks also likely will be surrounded by enemy fans even at home. If you’re looking for a game to skip Saturday, then, this may be the one. But if you do watch, you get a chance to see an up-and-coming Bucks team try to build off of a surprise regular season after being the worst team in the NBA last year.
Matchup to watch: Bulls F Nikola Mirotic vs. Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo. Mirotic had a jaw-dropping March and was one of the three best rookies in the NBA, without question. He’s better off at power forward but has been playing a lot of small forward because of the Bulls’ size. Antetokounmpo plays both forward spots and, nicknamed “The Greek Freak,” has no issue matching up height-wise. But Mirotic is an aggressive penetrator who picks up fouls and shoots well enough to keep opponents honest. He’s also more experienced than 20-year-old Antetokounmpo despite being the rookie, the 24-year-old having played in Spain for years.
Need-to-know: These franchises don’t like each other. Mavs owner Mark Cuban and Rockets general manager Daryl Morey are constantly trading barbs. Beyond that, Chandler Parsons left Houston to go to Dallas, and Rockets center Dwight Howard since has called his former small forward and friend “the enemy.” The Rockets had a great regular season, but the Mavericks were built for the playoffs. James Harden will have to step his game up because Houston doesn’t have ideal other options.
Key matchup: Rockets PF Terrence Jones vs. Mavericks PF Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki has not looked like himself at all this season, but he may very well be saving it for the playoffs. We’ve all seen what he can do when he puts his best foot forward and feels good: take over games. Jones doesn’t have ideal height to even try to challenge Nowitzki’s high release points, but he’s more athletic and should push Nowitzki to work on the defensive end. When he’s on, Jones is the Rockets’ third-best player behind Harden and Howard.Need-to-know: The Raptors swept the three-game regular-season series and closed with a 7-3 record. Both teams spent time in the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference but had really rough stretches in March.
Toronto has an athletic frontcourt that gives the Wizards trouble because Washington prefers to play Nene and Marcin Gortat together.Need-to-know: The Pelicans had an exhilarating but possibly exhausting victory Wednesday against the Spurs to lock their playoff spot. Now they get the best team in the NBA as a prize. The Warriors won 67 games and led the NBA in offensive and defensive efficiency, a rarified duo. But the Pelicans beat them once this season.Matchup to watch: Pelicans PF Anthony Davis vs.
Warriors PF Draymond Green. The reputation for Green is that he’s capable of guarding anyone. Davis plays his natural position yet still will be a test, as he’s at least three inches taller. He’s also amazing, capable of scoring 30 yet having everyone talk about his defense anyway. Green will try to bully him to get in his head, but he’s so good away from the basket that it may not work.
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