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The regular season for the NBA is history and now it is time for legends to be made. The seedings have left us with some pretty intense match ups that could instantly turn into NBA classics. The first weekend did not disappoint with some great game ones.
1. Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors
Neither team will ever admit that there is a rivalry, but don’t be surprised if this series gets heated. These two teams have long been battling for respect in the Western Conference. With many focusing on the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, the Clippers and Warriors have been battling for that position to dethrone one of those two teams.
A lot has changed for the Clippers. They added Doc Rivers as their head coach and Blake Griffin has grown into one of the best players in the league. We already knew he was one of the best dunkers of all time, but now he can be called one of the best players. However, the Warriors are also a team coming into their own. The Warriors will, however, be without their veteran center Andrew Bogut. The best matchup will easily be point guard vs. point guard. Chris Paul is an established veteran point guard and leader on his team, but he still has not reached the NBA Finals. This may be the best chance to get there since he entered the league in 2005.
2. Indiana Pacers vs. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks finished their season looking like they wanted no part of the playoffs. However, the Pacers have looked like that for the last three months. With the Hawks winning game one in Indiana, the Pacers have to be in full panic mode. The Pacers were one of the best teams at home and to lose game one on their home court cannot help their damaged psyche. This team just has nothing going right at the moment. The Hawks could knock the Pacers out in the first round, unlikely, but it is definitely possible with how poorly the Pacers have looked on both sides of the ball.
3. Washington Wizards vs. Chicago Bulls
The two teams Michael Jordan played on. That is about all these two teams have in common. The Wizards have made the playoffs for years while when the Bulls are healthy, they have looked like a championship contender. The Bulls are one of the stingiest teams when it comes to points in the paint, however, Washington’s big man Nene finished with 24 points and the Wizards won game one in Chicago. The Bulls were up thirteen at one point in the game, but looked like a team that lost its steam in the fourth quarter only managing to score eighteen points.
4. Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets
This as to be one of the most intriguing match ups of the NBA playoffs. Both of these teams have had great seasons and could easily be in the finals, if they played in the Eastern Conference. Dwight Howard was Houston’s big acquisition this offseason and while he had a very respectable night, LaMarcus Aldridge stole his shine. Aldridge scored 46 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in last night’s overtime thriller.
It was Portland’s young point guard Damian Lillard who got the team the victory after making two clutch free throws in overtime. Lillard finished the game with 31 points; Aldridge and Lillard become the second duo to score 40 and 30 in a playoff game. The first being Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen; that is some great company! It was not that Houston played a bad game with both of their stars James Harden and Dwight Howard scoring 27. Howard did, however, miss four consecutive free throws and you know the old saying, missed free throws will always come back to haunt you. Houston’s Patrick Beverley re-injured his knee after a collision with Aldridge and an MRI will be done to evaluate if he will be forced to miss any time.
