CMan's second round recap.

The NBA Playoff second round ended last night in Indianapolis and round three starts today in San Antonio. For many, the second round went the way they thought it would. For fans in OKC, the season ended a little too early. Lets take a look back at the second round games  and see how we did.

The Eastern Conference:

Miami vs Chicago ( Heat 4-1)

Chicago won the first game of this series  in Miami, in rather convincing fashion. The Bulls had just come off a game 7 in round 1. The Heat had been off for over a week. For a brief moment the Heat looked almost human. In reality, the Bulls woke a sleeping giant and reminded them that they still have to play the games. The Bulls lost the next four in a row and never got close to the Heat again.
CMan's pick: Heat 4-2.

Indiana vs New York (Pacers 4-2)

Indiana continues to methodically roll through the playoffs playing their game. No flash, no sparkle, just basketball. The Knicks tried to make a series out of it early but the end result was never in doubt. The Pacers are not shaken by any opponent or any single game. They seem to expect to win every game and when they lose, they just put the game away and prepare for the next. It's not pretty, but it wins.
CMan's pick: Pacers 4-2

The Western Conference:

Oklahoma City vs Memphis (Grizzlies 4-1)

Ugh.The loss of Russell Westbrook exposed a serious weakness in the Thunder lineup. Without number "0" the Grizzlies focused on Durant and begged the rest of the team to score. KD couldn't get off a decent shot all series and the rest of the starters never showed up at the same time. The bench was ineffective and no one could guard the Grizzlies back court. Gasol and Randolph were contained to an extent but the Memphis guards were explosive and hard to contain. The Thunder simply couldn't replace Westbrook's points consistently and never found an offensive rhythm. I picked the Thunder in this series but frankly, I was afraid of this Memphis team with Westbrook.

One final note, Leave Scott Brooks alone. As a Head Coach you spend 82 regular season games defining a rotation and team unity. You can't take away your floor general and expect to win multiple series. After all, I am confident that Phil Jackson would have won 8 straight titles in Chicago if  Michael Jordan had not decided to play baseball for two years. Ugh!
CMan's pick: Thunder 4-3

San Antonio vs Golden State (Spurs 4-2)

This series shocked the basketball world...for a little while. The Warriors were fresh off the dismantling of the Denver Nuggets and brimming with confidence. The Spurs, like the Heat enjoyed an extended break after the first round. I personally don't think that Denver would have lost the first round series to the Warriors had Gallinari not gone down (See Westbrook) and while they are young and exciting, they weren't going to beat the Spurs. Watch out nest season though. The Warriors and Head Coach Mark Jackson will be back and they will be better. The Spurs will be a year older.
CMan's pick: Spurs 4-2

I should have been undefeated in this round. My Thunder pick was a homer pick and wishful thinking. In reality, OKC went 3-6 without Westbrook. I was concerned about Memphis before the injury to Westbrook and the Houston series was a win either way.