Phil89 wrote:Martti. wrote:Did Bargs not qualify for the 6th man award? Cause if he did, he was robbed.
I'm not really sure of the rules for the award, but he did start a few games if that matters?
1. Oklahoma City [68-14] vs 8. Dallas [40-42]
As good as Oklahoma City have played during the regular season in the last three years, the playoffs are where they really seem to excel.
Incredibly they've won 229 of their last 286 games, a staggering 80%. Unsurprisingly they are big favourites to secure an historic three-peat this year.
Led by superstar Kevin Durant. the Thunder managed their third straight 60+ win season and topped the Western Conference for the third straight season.
Amazingly only four players remain from the team that beat Miami in last year's NBA Finals. Being Lopez, Durant Harden and Westbrook.
One major addition to the team for this year's playoff campaign in budding superstar and Oklahoma City local Blake Griffin. A crowd favourite already.
He joined the Thunder midway through the season and has proven to be quite the triple-double machine, if not a bit inconsistent.
Durant had a disappointing season by his standards. He averaged 7 points less than in the previous two seasons and wasn't in MVP contention.
He has however showed himself to be someone who rises to the occasion, having been named Finals MVP in both of the Thunder's championships.
The Thunder's bench this season is looking strong and could play a big part in a successful playoff run. Shaq, Hill and Iverson add experience.
One major motivator for Dallas to cause an upset in this series is to get star player Dirk Nowitzki his first championship ring.
Despite going in as underdogs, the Mavs have some advantages against the Thunder. Both Chandler and Haywood finished top 10 in rebounding this year.
Haywood even famously grabbed a last second rebound and scored the game winner in Oklahoma City earlier in the season.
Another ace up their sleeve is Jose Barea. He has been in career best form this season and could take advantage if Westbrook slacks off defensively.
Tyson Chandler also finished second in the league in blocks and will have to be at his defensive best against the Thunder.
Stats Leaders
Thunder
Points: Kevin Durant - 24.4
Assists: Russell Westbrook - 8.7
Rebounds: Blake Griffin - 10.1
Mavericks
Points: Jose Barea - 24.3
Assists: Jose Barea - 9.7
Rebounds: Tyson Chandler - 13.5
Oklahoma City
Starters
Brook Lopez - Blake Griffin - Kevin Durant - James Harden - Russell Westbrook
Bench
Andrea Bargnani - Ryan Gomes - George Hill - Marvin Williams - Shaquille O'Neal - Grant Hill - Allen Iverson
Inactive
Eric Bledsoe - Al Cunningham
Dallas
Starters
Tyson Chandler - Brendan Haywood - Dirk Nowitzki - Rodrigue Beaubois - Jose Barea
Bench
Mike Bibby - Shawn Marion - Ronald Murray - Craig Smith - Dominique Jones - Theodore Coxon - Noble Flanagan
Inactive
Eddie Keates - Tom Brennan - Alexis Ajinca
4. San Antonio [49-33] vs 5. Los Angeles [46-36]
San Antonio head into this year's playoffs with a gaping hole in their roster. It will be the first post-season without club legend Tim Duncan.
Duncan surprisingly left the Spurs and joined Chicago at the start of the season after they finished 14th in their conference last year.
It's been a spectacular turnaround in the last 12 months for the Spurs, going from 14th to 4th and winning their division. They won 20 more games this season.
Two crucial events in this transformation were the trade of George Hill to the Thunder for Al Horford and the drafting of shooting guard Cameron Hunter.
Horford has filled the void left by Duncan with surprising ease. He finished 4th in the NBA in rebounds and was named on the all-nba first team.
Hunter had a great debut season. He was selected in the rookie-sophomore game and was selected on the rookie first team.
It's not surprising that he is keeping two veteran stars out of the starting line-up. Ray Allen and Manu Ginobili are confined to the bench.
Tony Parker is still going strong for the Spurs and running the show for them. He finished 8th in assists in the league this season.
The biggest story for the Lakers in the lead up to this series is unfortunately a negative one. Superstar Kobe Bryant looks set to miss the entire post-season.
He suffered a hyper-extended knee after attempting a rebound last week and has been told that he could be out for almost three months.
It's just another hurdle to overcome in what has been a disappointing season the the Lakers. Finishing 5th is not what they were aiming for.
After finishing 2nd in their conference last season they were dumped out in the first round by Sacramento in just five games.
With Kobe missing it will be up to Brandon Jennings and Pau Gasol to carry the scoring load. Maynor and Cook will have to step up too.
It should be a highly competitive series between two of the western conference heavyweights.
Stats Leaders
Spurs
Points: Tony Parker - 25.2
Assists: Tony Parker - 10.0
Rebounds: Al Horford - 13.1
Lakers
Points: Kobe Bryant - 25.4
Assists: Brandon Jennings - 7.7
Rebounds: Pau Gasol - 12.5
San Antonio
Starters
Al Horford - Tayshaun Prince - Richard Jefferson - Cameron Hunter - Tony Parker
Bench
Ray Allen - Manu Ginobili - Matt Bonner - Marco Belinelli - DeJuan Blair - Gary Neal - Augustus Eaton
Inactive
James Anderson - Benjamin Morgan - Monty Vick
Los Angeles
Starters
Andrew Bynum - Pau Gasol - Ron Artest - John Salmons - Brandon Jennings
Bench
Eric Maynor - Mardy Collins - Keyon Dooling - Ronnie Price - Daequan Cook - Gabriel Alexander - Horace Regan
Inactive
Rodney Dowel - Ernie Gill - Kobe Bryant
3. Portland [56-26] vs 6. Utah [42-40]
Portland loom as Oklahoma City's main rivals out west. Many are anticipating a re-match of last season's conference finals in which the Thunder prevailed in 6 games.
Even though the Warriors finished above them, the Blazers arguably have a deeper roster and more quality to take on the Thunder.
They boast a formidable starting line-up. Roy, Okafor and Paul were all in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding and assists respectively this season.
Depth is also a key part in their success. They have guys like Oden, Batum, Terry and West who can come off the bench and contribute.
For a third straight season the Blazers managed a top 3 finish in the western conference, confirming their standing as a top team in the league.
Portland will be looking to go one step further then last season and advance to the NBA Finals. They certainly have the squad to do it.
Utah have shown that they can still be competitive even after Deron Williams is gone. They had a solid season and finished a respectable 6th.
They head into this series as the underdogs, but could well spring a few surprises. They did push the Thunder to 6 games in last year's conference semi's.
Al Jefferson was 7th in blocks in the league this year and will hope to inspire his team's defense to suppress Portland's many offensive weapons.
Stats Leaders
Blazers
Points: Brandon Roy - 26.8
Assists: Chris Paul - 10.5
Rebounds: Emeka Okafor - 12.3
Jazz
Points: Randy Foye - 26.6
Assists: Devin Harris - 8.8
Rebounds: Al Jefferson - 12.1
Portland
Starters
LaMarcus Aldridge - Emeka Okafor - Gerald Wallace - Brandon Roy - Chris Paul
Bench
Nicolas Batum - Greg Oden - Keith Bogans - Abram Baxter - Jason Terry - Delonte West - Allen Schulze
Inactive
Elliot Williams - Harvey Dixon - Sherman Homer
Utah
Starters
Al Jefferson - Derrick Favors - Paul Millsap - Randy Foye - Devin Harris
Bench
Goran Dragic - Jonas Jerebko - Chris Wilcox - Mehmet Okur - Raja Bell - Demitri Warren - Leo Hogan
Inactive
Marcus Coutts - Gordon Haywood - Brady Boyle
2. Golden State [58-24] vs 7. Sacramento [41-41]
Golden State are a team on the rise. In the last 3 seasons they've gone from 14th to 2nd in the western conference and are the dark horse this post-season.
The stars of this Warriors team are guards Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis. Ellis has had a great year and was named on the all-nba first team.
Curry finished equal 7th in assists whilst big man Andris Biedrins managed to record the 3rd most shot blocks in the league.
Their lack of depth on their bench could prove a disadvantage for them, but it didn't hinder them on their way to recording 58 wins this season.
Sacramento will be hoping for a repeat of last year's heroics when they sent the Lakers packing in the first round in just 5 games.
A major motivation for them to succeed is getting star center Yao Ming a championship ring to repay the faith he showed by signing with them.
The Chinese giant isn't getting any younger but did manage to finish in 9th place in the rebounding stats this season.
The Kings have the nba's most improved player on their rosterin Omri Casspi. He's really stood up as a starter this season.
Sacramento pushed the more fancied Blazers to 6 games in last season's conference semi's. A feat they hope to replicate this year.
Stats Leaders
Warriors
Points: Stephen Curry - 26.6
Assists: Stephen Curry - 10.1
Rebounds: David Lee - 12.2
Kings
Points: Tyreke Evans - 23.9
Assists: Tyreke Evans - 10.4
Rebounds: Yao Ming - 12.4
Golden State
Starters
Andris Biedrins - David Lee - Caron Butler - Monta Ellis - Stephen Curry
Bench
Mickael Pietrus - Matthew O'Donnell - Chris Hunter - Ekpe Udoh - Dorell Wright - Jasper Curry - Glenn Graham
Inactive
James Ullrich - Kurt Myers - Logan Price
Sacramento
Starters
Yao Ming - Samuel Dalembert - Omri Casspi - Tyreke Evans - Beno Udrih
Bench
Sean Williams - DeMarcus Cousins - Carlos Delfino - Sebastian Telfair - Francisco Garcia - Cam Cameron - Jan King
Inactive
Hassan Whiteside - Jud Peters - Logan Bradshaw
1. Miami [63-19] vs 8. Detroit [40-42]
The goal for Miami this year is the same as it was this time last year, avenge their Finals loss against the Thunder with a championship of their own.
The Heat have an surprisingly amazing record to Oklahoma City over the past three seasons. They've won 211 out of their last 284 games, an impressive 74%.
Basketball fans around the world are lucky to be witnessing such a great rivalry between two brilliant teams. It's the new Celtics vs Lakers.
Like the Thunder, Miami finished top of their conference for the third straight season. The latter two seasons were also 60 win seasons.
In the last 2 Finals series the Heat have pushed the Thunder to 6 games. They will hope to win more than 2 this season if they make it that far.
Bosh was 2nd in scoring, James was 9th. Bosh came 6th in rebounding. Chalmers was 6th in assists and James came in 3rd in blocked shots.
Surprisingly Chris Bosh is outshining Wade and James currently, but he and LeBron both made the all-nba first team this season.
There are so many intriguing stories if the Heat and Thunder manage to face off again. Former Thunder players like Krstic, Law and Outlaw playing in Miami.
The Lopez twins potentially facing off, Brook for Oklahoma City and Robin for Miami. There is a long way to go before such stories are written about though.
Despite the massive hurdle in front of them, Detroit be up for this. They want revenge for the Heat sweeping them in the semis last season.
Their playoff window seems to be closing. In the past three seasons they've finished 3rd, 6th and now 8th. They may have to make changes soon.
They have a lot of veterans on their roster. Hopefully guys like McGrady, Hamilton and Kidd can produce something off the bench for them.
Most of the pressure will be on Ben Gordon though. He finished 7th in scoring this season and will be asked to carry most of the scoring load.
Stats Leaders
Heat
Points: Chris Bosh - 33.2
Assists: Mario Chalmers - 10.2
Rebounds: Chris Bosh - 12.2
Pistons
Points: Ben Gordon - 27.8
Assists: Rodney Stuckey - 8.6
Rebounds: Charlie Villanueva - 10.7
Miami
Starters
Udonis Haslem - Chris Bosh - LeBron James - Dwyane Wade - Mario Chalmers
Bench
Mike Miller - Robin Lopez - Shavlik Randolph - Nenad Krstic - Jannero Pargo - Travis Outlaw - Acie Law
Inactive
Stephen Henry - Martin Moore - Moyo Chrima
Detroit
Starters
Greg Monroe - Charlie Villanueva - Jason Maxiell - Ben Gordon - Rodney Stuckey
Bench
Will Bynum - Austin Daye - Tracy McGrady - Richard Hamilton - Jason Kidd - Victor Carlos - Wayne Reid
Inactive
Keenan Shannon - Theo Jeffries - Brent Bradley
4. Indiana [42-40] vs 5. Orlando [46-36]
Indiana actually finished below Orlando but got bumped up to 4th for winning their division. They will hope to take advantage of home court.
Like Golden State, the Pacers have improved greatly over the last few seasons. Going from 14th last season to 4th this season.
If they are any chance to beat the Magic they will need Roy Hibbert to at least contain Dwight Howard. A key battle to look out for in this series.
Danny Granger will also be a key in this series. If he shows up and plays his best then the Pacers are a real chance at advancing.
They will need Collison and Ford to contribute on the scoreboard though. Their bench isn't the strongest in the league and it could be exposed.
For Orlando this could be their very last chance of keeping star center Dwight Howard. He comes out of contract this season and could look elsewhere.
He was the leading rebounder and shot blocker in the league this season and obviously a focal point of their team. A championship run could convince him to stay.
Ironically defense could be the Magic's weakness. They have plenty of scoring with the likes of Kirilenko, Richardson, Redick and Arenas alongside Howard.
They will hope to go a step further than last season when they were beaten convincingly by Miami in 5 game in the conference finals.
Stats Leaders
Pacers
Points: Danny Granger - 26.1
Assists: TJ Ford - 8.6
Rebounds: Roy Hibbert - 10.5
Magic
Points: JJ Redick - 22.8
Assists: Gilbert Arenas - 8.9
Rebounds: Dwight Howard - 14.0
Indiana
Starters
Roy Hibbert - Mike Dunleavy - Danny Granger - Darren Collison - TJ Ford
Bench
Tyler Hansbrough - AJ Price - Carlos Arroyo - Dahntay Jones - James Singleton - Fredrik Price - Jesus Carlos
Inactive
Rufus Werner - Paul George - Caleb O'Connor
Orlando
Starters
Dwight Howard - Andrei Kirilenko - Jason Richardson - JJ Redick - Gilbert Arenas
Bench
Chris Duhon - Hedo Turkoglu - Tony Allen - Daniel Orton - Earl Clark - Zachary Hartley - Derek Fisher
Inactive
Ryan Anderson - Angel Carlos - Corey Fitzgerald
3. New York [47-35] vs 6. Boston [42-40]
New York definitely go into this series against an aging Boston team that lacks quality as big favourites. They have their own big 3 after all.
Stoudemire, Anthony and Conley have proved themselves an effective combination. Amare was 1st in scoring, 4th in rebounds and Conley was 1st in assists.
After finishing in the top 3 in the eastern conference in the last two seasons the Knicks are establishing themselves as one of the big teams again.
Looking at the starting line-ups of both teams and it seems that Melo and Amare should have little trouble getting the better of Davis and Murphy.
They were swept in the semi's last season by Orlando and will be looking to go a lot further into the playoffs this time around.
Boston seem lost at the moment in terms of what to do with their roster. The big 3 has been broken up but not replaced with any quality.
Allen left for San Antonio and Pierce and Garnett spend their days on the bench now. Rondo has been left to carry the team all by himself.
He finished 3rd in assists this season but will need to take some chances himself if the Celtics are any hope of getting past the Knicks.
Luckily for the Celtics though they may just have the man to stop Stoudemire. Nene finished 7th in blocked shots this season.
They were eliminated in the first round last season in embarrassing circumstances like the Lakers. Losing 4-1 to the Pistons.
Stats Leaders
Knicks
Points: Amare Stoudemire - 34.3
Assists: Michael Conley - 11.1
Rebounds: Amare Stoudemire - 13.1
Celtics
Points: Rajon Rondo - 24.1
Assists: Rajon Rondo - 10.4
Rebounds: Nene - 12.0
New York
Starters
Ronny Turiaf - Amare Stoudemire - Anthony Randolph - Carmelo Anthony - Michael Conley
Bench
Tiago Splitter - Joel Anthony - Aaron Miles - Renaldo Balkman - Bill Walker - Toney Douglas - Nicolaos Abas
Inactive
Bobby Meyer - Tony O'Callaghan - Ike Diogu
Boston
Starters
Nene - Troy Murphy - Glen Davis - Von Wafer - Rajon Rondo
Bench
DeMarcus Nelson - Othello Hunter - Paul Pierce - Nate Robinson - Jamario Moon - Kevin Garnett - Kyle Bradford
Inactive
Avery Bradley - Toby Lynch - Glenn Lloyd
2. New Jersey [52-30] vs 7. Chicago [40-42]
New Jersey surprised a lot of people this year. Led by league MVP they managed 52 wins and secured the 2nd seed in the eastern conference.
It was a good year for Nets' players with Jordan Farmar winning the sixth man award. Williams finished 3rd in scoring and was also named in the all-nba first team.
This is their first playoffs appearance in 5 years and the pressure will be on them to perform. From fans and from billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov.
Thompson, Green and Morrow have formed a good young core around Williams and take a lot of pressure off of him in the scoring department.
Chicago are seemingly on the up. They were poor last season and finished 15th, but this season they managed to scrape into 7th place.
With Derrick Rose gone they needed a new face for their team. Halfway through the season they got their man, trading Joakim Noah for JR Smith.
They arguably picked up an even more important player during the off-season in Tim Duncan. He has playoff experience that this young team lacked.
He will be chasing his 5th championship ring and will be looking for help off the bench from guys like Brewer, Gibson and Korver.
Stats Leaders
Nets
Points: Deron Williams - 30.1
Assists: Deron Williams - 9.4
Rebounds: Jason Thompson - 10.9
Bulls
Points: JR Smith - 23.5
Assists: CJ Watson - 9.9
Rebounds: Carlos Boozer - 12.3
New Jersey
Starters
Kris Humphries - Jason Thompson - Jeff Green - Anthony Morrow - Deron Williams
Bench
Jordan Farmar - Terrence Williams - Chase Budinger - Mahamoud Ateba - Dan Gadzuric - Nick Collison - Joshua O'Callaghan
Inactive
Johan Petro - Damion Jones - Harry O'Callaghan
Chicago
Starters
Tim Duncan - Carlos Boozer - Luol Deng - JR Smith - CJ Watson
Bench
Ronnie Brewer - Omer Asik - Taj Gibson - Rasual Butler - Kyle Korver - Dave Brown - Frank Holding
Inactive
Irwin Currie - Toby Hughes - Rasheed Dunne
Around the league - Game 1 results
Western Conference
115-90
Oklahoma City lead the series 1-0
70-68
San Antonio lead the series 1-0
81-68
Portland lead the series 1-0
77 - 67
Golden State lead the series 1-0
Eastern Conference
85-67
Miami lead the series 1-0
84-92
Orlando lead the series 1-0
82-70
New York lead the series 1-0
86-73
New Jersey lead the series 1-0
Around the league - Game 2 results
Western Conference
120-115
Oklahoma City lead the series 2-0
115-134
Series tied at 1-1
149-153
Series tied at 1-1
164-153
Golden State lead the series 2-0
Eastern Conference
150-109
Miami lead the series 2-0
160-135
Series tied at 1-1
120-150
Series tied at 1-1
140-154
Series tied at 1-1
Around the league - Game 3 results
Western Conference
117-109
Oklahoma City lead the series 3-0
153-139
San Antonio lead the series 2-1
139-113
Portland lead the series 2-1
135-146
Golden State lead the series 2-1
Eastern Conference
144-157
Miami lead the series 2-1
126-131
Orlando lead the series 2-1
123-145
New York lead the series 2-1
112-131
New Jersey lead the series 2-1
1. Oklahoma City [68-14] vs 8. Dallas [40-42]
Results
DAL @ OKC - 90-115
DAL @ OKC - 115-120
OKC @ DAL - 117-109
OKC @ DAL - 115-89
Oklahoma City wins series 4-0
4. San Antonio [49-33] vs 5. Los Angeles [46-36]
Results
LAL @ SAS - 68-70
LAL @ SAS - 134-115
SAS @ LAL - 153-139
SAS @ LAL - 155-161
LAL @ SAS - 145-150
SAS @ LAL - 132-136
LAL @ SAS - 128-141
San Antonio wins series 4-3
3. Portland [56-26] vs 6. Utah [42-40]
Results
UTA @ POR - 68-81
UTA @ POR - 153-149
POR @ UTA - 139-113
POR @ UTA - 148-134
UTA @ POR - 116-149
Portland wins series 4-1
2. Golden State [58-24] vs 7. Sacramento [41-41]
Results
SAC @ GSW - 67-77
SAC @ GSW - 153-164
GSW @ SAC - 135-146
GSW @ SAC - 134-114
SAC @ GSW - 130-116
SAC @ GSW - 130-135
GSW @ SAC - 155-119
Sacramento wins series 4-3
1. Miami [63-19] vs 8. Detroit [40-42]
Results
DET @ MIA - 67-85
DET @ MIA - 109-150
MIA @ DET - 144-157
MIA @ DET - 151-101
DET @ MIA - 153-146
MIA @ DET - 142-128
Miami wins series 4-2
4. Indiana [42-40] vs 5. Orlando [46-36]
Results
ORL @ IND - 92-84
ORL @ IND - 135-160
IND @ ORL - 126-131
IND @ ORL - 111-173
ORL @ IND - 135-150
IND @ ORL - 123-155
Orlando wins series 4-2
3. New York [47-35] vs 6. Boston [42-40]
Results
BOS @ NYK - 70-82
BOS @ NYK - 150-120
NYK @ BOS - 123-145
NYK @ BOS - 134-144
BOS @ NYK - 116-129
NYK @ BOS - 131-113
BOS @ NYK - 120-124
New York wins series 4-3
2. New Jersey [52-30] vs 7. Chicago [40-42]
Results
CHI @ NJN - 73-86
CHI @ NJN - 154-140
NJN @ CHI - 112-131
NJN @ CHI - 164-143
CHI @ NJN - 133-113
NJN @ CHI - 145-136
CHI @ NJN - 127-129
New Jersey wins series 4-3
1. Oklahoma City [68-14] vs 4. San Antonio [49-33]
Everything is going smoothly for Oklahoma City in their quest to achieve a three-peat. They breezed past Dallas without conceding a game.
Recently acquired hometown hero Blake Griffin is thriving in his first ever post-season run. He and Kevin Durant are forming an ominous partnership.
In contrast, San Antonio had to do things the hard way to get here. The Lakers took them to game 7, but they made full use of home-court advantage.
They've relied heavily on Tony Parker and Al Horford to reach this point. Parker in particular is having a renaissance in form in the playoffs.
It seems that if the Thunder can nullify Horford and Parker then they should advance without too much resistance.
Oklahoma City
Starters
Brook Lopez - Blake Griffin - Kevin Durant - James Harden - Russell Westbrook
Bench
Andrea Bargnani - Ryan Gomes - George Hill - Marvin Williams - Shaquille O'Neal - Grant Hill - Allen Iverson
Inactive
Eric Bledsoe - Al Cunningham
San Antonio
Starters
Al Horford - Tayshaun Prince - Richard Jefferson - Cameron Hunter - Tony Parker
Bench
Ray Allen - Manu Ginobili - Matt Bonner - Marco Belinelli - DeJuan Blair - Gary Neal - Augustus Eaton
Inactive
James Anderson - Benjamin Morgan - Monty Vick
3. Portland [56-26] vs 7. Sacramento [41-41]
Portland were impressive in their first round series against Utah. They only dropped 1 game and don't look like slowing down against the Kings.
They have such a talented line-up that if one of their stars has an off night, there are several that can step up and allow them to be really competitive.
Sacramento managed a repeat of last season by upsetting the more fancied Warriors in the first round. It took them 7 games but they made it through.
They have the height to match it with the Blazers but their lack of roster depth may be a decisive factor in this series.
Portland are big favourites to advance to the conference finals and a repeat of last season's match-up against division rivals Oklahoma City.
Portland
Starters
LaMarcus Aldridge - Emeka Okafor - Gerald Wallace - Brandon Roy - Chris Paul
Bench
Nicolas Batum - Greg Oden - Keith Bogans - Abram Baxter - Jason Terry - Delonte West - Allen Schulze
Inactive
Elliot Williams - Harvey Dixon - Sherman Homer
Sacramento
Starters
Yao Ming - Samuel Dalembert - Omri Casspi - Tyreke Evans - Beno Udrih
Bench
Sean Williams - DeMarcus Cousins - Carlos Delfino - Sebastian Telfair - Francisco Garcia - Cam Cameron - Jan King
Inactive
Hassan Whiteside - Jud Peters - Logan Bradshaw
1. Miami [63-19] vs 5. Orlando [46-36]
Miami surprisingly dropped two games to Detroit on their way to this point, but never really looked like losing the series.
Their 'big 3' are leading by example and getting solid help from the likes of Mike Miller. Dwyane Wade is looking comfortable playing point guard.
Orlando also dropped two games in the first round against Indiana. They will need more than just Dwight Howard if they are to contain Miami's offense.
More than just local pride will be on the line here. If Orlando don't at least put up a decent fight in this series, Dwight may walk out in the off-season.
The Heat seemingly have too much fire-power for Dwight to handle on his own. Orlando may have to rely on outscoring Miami rather than stopping them.
Miami
Starters
Udonis Haslem - Chris Bosh - LeBron James - Dwyane Wade - Mario Chalmers
Bench
Mike Miller - Robin Lopez - Shavlik Randolph - Nenad Krstic - Jannero Pargo - Travis Outlaw - Acie Law
Inactive
Stephen Henry - Martin Moore - Moyo Chrima
Orlando
Starters
Dwight Howard - Andrei Kirilenko - Jason Richardson - JJ Redick - Gilbert Arenas
Bench
Chris Duhon - Hedo Turkoglu - Tony Allen - Daniel Orton - Earl Clark - Zachary Hartley - Derek Fisher
Inactive
Ryan Anderson - Angel Carlos - Corey Fitzgerald
2. New Jersey [52-30] vs 3. New York [47-35]
This isn't just a match-up of Northeastern rivals, it also pits the last two league MVP's in Deron Williams and Amare Stoudemire against each other.
The Nets and Knicks should both be switched on for this series after both were pushed to game 7 in the first round against Chicago and Boston respectively.
Whilst people will be watching to see whether Thompson and Green can stop Stoudmire and Anthony, the real duel to watch will be between the point guards.
Michael Conley finished as the top assists man in the league this season and Deron Williams finished just outside the top 10 as well as third in scoring.
It seems like New York's 'big 3' should be too much for the Nets, but Williams has inspired his team to great heights this season and will look to do so again.
New Jersey
Starters
Kris Humphries - Jason Thompson - Jeff Green - Anthony Morrow - Deron Williams
Bench
Jordan Farmar - Terrence Williams - Chase Budinger - Mahamoud Ateba - Dan Gadzuric - Nick Collison - Joshua O'Callaghan
Inactive
Johan Petro - Damion Jones - Harry O'Callaghan
New York
Starters
Ronny Turiaf - Amare Stoudemire - Anthony Randolph - Carmelo Anthony - Michael Conley
Bench
Tiago Splitter - Joel Anthony - Aaron Miles - Renaldo Balkman - Bill Walker - Toney Douglas - Nicolaos Abas
Inactive
Bobby Meyer - Tony O'Callaghan - Ike Diogu
Around the league - Game 1 results
Western Conference
111-85
Oklahoma City lead the series 1-0
81-60
Portland lead the series 1-0
Eastern Conference
74-66
Miami lead the series 1-0
67-59
New Jersey lead the series 1-0
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