NBA Playoffs: Eastern Conference

             The NBA postseason has officially begun and the NBA playoffs are about a week into play. Both conferences have boasted great bouts between teams all battling for one common goal; that goal being the 2013-2014 NBA Champion. The Eastern Conference of the NBA has showcased games of toughness and defense between teams such as the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards. The first round games have been entertaining so far and are sure to become more entertaining as the weeks go on.

         The #1 seeded team in the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers, start the first round off playing the #8 seeded team, the Atlanta Hawks. The Pacers and the Hawks met four times in the regular season and split the games 2-2. Both teams hit slumps in the final stretch of the regular season, but both managed to get it together when it counted. The Hawks took Game 1, 101-93 behind Jeff Teague’s 28 points and Paul Millsap’s 25. The Hawks lead in the series would not last as the Pacers won Game 2 on Tuesday night, 101-85. Pacers forward Paul George had a double-double in Game 2 by scoring 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds while Pacers center Roy Hibbert continues to struggle shooting 1-7 from the field, scoring only 6 points.

         The Miami Heat, the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference, plays the #7 seeded Charlotte Bobcats. The Bobcats have been irrelevant for the past few seasons. The last time the Bobcats made it to the playoffs was in the 2009-2010 season and the Orlando Magic swept them 4-0. The odds of them knocking off the 2-time defending NBA Champion Miami Heat are slim to none. Heat forward LeBron James has averaged 27 points and 7 rebounds in the series so far. This has been one of the many factors of why the Heat are currently up 2-0 in the series.

         Like the Charlotte Bobcats, the Toronto Raptors are another team that has been irrelevant the past few seasons when it comes to playoff basketball. The last time the Raptors made it to the playoffs was in the 2007-2008 season and they were bounced out in the first round by the Orlando Magic, 4-1. The Raptors made it to the playoffs this year as the #3 seed and are currently playing the #6 seeded Brooklyn Nets in the first round. In the regular season, the Nets were plagued by injury. Nets players such as Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Deron Williams all missed multiple games in the regular season and Nets center Brook Lopez suffered a season-ending broken foot in December. The series is currently tied at 1-1 and is expected to go to at least six or seven games. Can DeMar DeRozan and the Raptors take a series lead over Joe Johnson and the Brooklyn Nets in Game 3 on Friday night? We will see.

         In my opinion, the most intriguing first round playoff bout in the East has been the #4 seeded Chicago Bulls and the #5 seeded Washington Wizards. John Wall and the Wizards have taken a 2-0 lead over the Bulls. Both of the Wizards’ wins have taken place on the Bulls home court and could potentially go for the sweep, as Game 3 and Game 4 will take place in the Nation’s capital on the Wizards’ home floor. Most analysts have the NBA Defensive Player of Year, Joakim Noah, and the Bulls taking the series in seven games, but the Wizards have been playing on another level. The Wizards have been so great that I have predicted them to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals to play against the defending champion, Miami Heat. 

Twitter: @OddKingz