The Warriors Are the Superior Team

Warriors Lead Series 2-0

I hate to say it, but sorry Cavs fans, the Warriors are just superior to your team. Now, I'm not saying the series is over at all. I'm just saying that the Warriors are the better team and the Cavs are going to have a really tough time trying to win against them. Game 2 was a prime example of it. The Warriors wore down the Cavs and the Cavs really just gave up.

The biggest thing I took from game 2 was the Warriors heart and will to win. And what I saw was the Warriors team rebounding. They out-rebounded the Cavs 46 to 34. The Warriors hit the offensive glass hard. The Cavs just didn't seem to want to board and the Warriors did. You could tell what team wanted to win that game.

Something I want to really point out is how underrated of a defender Andrew Bogut is. The guy had 5 blocks last night. Cool, right? But there is a lot more to defense than blocking shots. Bogut's positioning and timing defensively is amazing. He reads the defense so well. You can't forget that this guy also had 2 steals in the game. I also want to point out that Bogut is a great passer. While his own offensive game is lacking. Bogut plays the high post position exceptionally well and sees the floor better than most big men.

Richard Jefferson is honestly probably the best player on the Cavs right now. Now before I get a bunch of hate mail from you Cavs fans, let me explain this. Let this soak into your brains... This guy on defense was really good. Just like Bogut, Jefferson's defense was amazing as far as positioning. He was stopping his guy. He also did an amazing job on help defense and double-teaming. Offensively, Jefferson was just as good. The veteran made great cuts to the basket as he drew the defense towards him in the game. In fact, Rich might have to start from now on. And you might say LeBron James is the best player on the Cavs; well, he's been pretty brutal when he's been on the floor. LBJ had 7 turnovers and gave up a lot of points defensively. I was very impressed by Jefferson's play and I think he should start instead of J.R. Smith. This is for a few reasons. I think J.R. will be much more productive off the bench and he will provide a ton of bench offense. Also, I think that when he comes in to guard Thompson, the Warriors will have more limited options offensively. Richard Jefferson will be a big spark for the starting lineup too. His veteran presence would hopefully start the Cavs off the right way next game.

And let's not overlook just what the Warriors did defensively. They held the Cavs to under 80 points and under 36% shooting. This defensive effort was held out by almost every player on the floor. Draymond, Bogut, Curry, Thompson, and especially Iguodala were just amazing defensively. If they keep this level of defensive play, they are going to be really tough to beat since the Cavs aren't going to be able to rely on their offense to get them to the finish line.

Raptors VS Heat (Game 2)

Series Tied 1-1

The Heat were in a great position to win game 2. They had the lead late in the 4th quarter. The Raptors came back to send the game into overtime where the Raptors beat the Heat. How did this happen. How could a team as good as the Heat manage to lose a lead like that?

I blame this loss on Hassan Whiteside. I have made up my mind that this guy is the most overrated player in the NBA, especially as a defender. In this game, Whiteside kept trying to go for blocks towards the end of the game, but he kept forgetting to cover Valanciunas and box him out. As a result, the Raptors had 7 second chance points in the 4th quarter. Whiteside also did a horrible job guarding the pick and roll. Instead of Whiteside hedging or helping on the ball handler, he let guys like Lowry get wide open mid-range shots. He really did a poor job defensively towards the end of the game. He was never in position to make the right play.

I was also upset by the offensive decisions that the Heat made in overtime. The fact that Joe Johnson put up 4 shots and didn't make 1 of them while the rest of the team combined put up 5 in overtime really lead to the Heat's loss. Johnson was forcing up shots. What I thought was weird was the fact that Wade or Dragic didn't go into pick and roll with Whiteside. That is where the Heat excel, but for some reason, they just gave the ball to Joe Johnson to try and make a play. I didn't like that at all.

As for the Raptors, they played great defense. They contested a total of 51 shots and only 28 shots were uncontested. They also forced 21 turnovers on a Heat team that isn't prone to turn it over. This really lead to a tough game for the Heat, who somehow managed to put the game into overtime.

As you can see, the Heat still managed to almost win with the Raptors playing great defense. The Raptors just need their stars to play much more efficiently. The Raptors just need offense. If they don't get it, they are going to have a long hard road ahead against a talented Heat team.

Warriors VS Trailblazers (Game 2)

Warriors Lead Series 2-0

Portland was winning. They were doing great. That was until the 4th quarter came. The Warriors executed just as Steve Kerr wanted them to.

The first point I'm going to make is that Portland was kept off the boards. Mason Plumlee was limited to 11 rebounds. The team had only 39 boards on the game while the Warriors had 48. It was sheer hustle from Draymond Green who ended the game with 14 rebounds himself.

What really had the Trailblazers going was the defense from Al-Farouq Aminu. He contested a total of 15 shots. His defense was amazing and his offense wasn't bad either as he hit a few threes and ended with 14 points. He was the second best player to have on the floor according the plus/minus advantage.

The Warriors took the lead and pulled away from the Blazers in the 4th quarter. If we take a look at just what happened in that quarter, there is a big difference between the teams. That difference is the free throws. The Blazers shot and made just 2 free throws in that quarter while the Warriors shot 11 and made 10 free throws in that quarter. In the other 3 quarters, Golden State shot just 9 free throws while Portland shot 19. The Blazers were in great position defending and they were aggressive themselves until that 4th quarter. This was what really stood out to me. The Blazers just lost their aggression and they bailed out the Warriors with fouls.

As you can see, the Warriors and Blazers flip-flopped in that 4th quarter and that seemed to decide the game. For game 3, the Blazers just need to get to the line and play great defense like they did in the first 3 quarters. 

Spurs VS Thunder (Game 2)

Series Tied 1-1

You could say this game came down to the last play. Maybe Popovich should have called time out. Maybe there should have been a foul called on the inbounds. Maybe Patty Mills shouldn't of shot that 3. Anything could have happened. But more importantly, it was too close of a game for either game to like.

Let's start by saying that the Thunder played great defense. They looked like they actually wanted to win. Durant did a great job of rotating and guarding Kawhi. Tim Duncan was brutal in this game because of the great defense from Serge Ibaka and Steven Adams. The Thunder had the effort that they didn't have in game 1. They were defensively sound.

The Thunder's offense was really fluid. Kevin Durant is my player of the game. Not only was he great defensively, but he scored on Kawhi Leonard at will, and he did it efficiently. He had 28 points in the game. Russell Westbrook was finding players and rebounding as usual as he had 29 points in the game. The Thunder were just hard to beat.

Even though the Thunder had a good game, the Spurs lost by 1 points. A basket would have won the game. Let's face it, the Spurs just had a bad game, yet they still were so close to winning. The Thunder had 18 turnovers in the game. This hurt them as the Spurs had 24 points off turnovers. The Thunder need to cut that down. They also can't let LaMarcus Aldridge get 41 points. He is too talented of a player and he has carried a team before. You can't let this guy be that efficient.

I really enjoyed this game despite the controversy about some of the no-call towards the end of the game. The Thunder need to make some adjustments because the Spurs won't continue to shoot like this. That just isn't them.

Clipper VS Trailblazers (Game 2)

Clippers Lead Series 2-0

This was Portland's game to win. In fact, they might not get a better shot to beat this Los Angeles Clippers team. You have to take advantage of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan having poor nights.

The blame really falls on to Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. I though both of them played really poor defense on Redick and Chris Paul. They both shot really well from the floor but that is because they were both defended poorly. Both of them also didn't play that great on offense. Both of them scored under 20 points in 38 minutes of play. Not to mention that Mason Plumlee was having a great game with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists and Harkless had a good game as well. It was Portland's chance to win and their stars let them down.

While the stars of the Trailblazers shot horribly from 3 and played poor defense, the rest of the team played very well. They tied the Clippers in rebounds with 52. They also capitalized on points off turnovers and also had 18 fastbreak points. The bench wasn't that great for the Trailblazers but that was mainly because they played with McCollum and Lillard on the floor who weren't able to take over at all.

Meanwhile, the Clippers bench play was amazing. They had 43 bench points as they were very productive and they picked up for Griffin's poor shooting night. They shot well and produced at a great rate. The guards were also great for the Clippers. Chris Paul and J.J. Redick were amazing. They both carried their team offensively.

This was a game that Portland could have very well. If they are going to win, they need Lillard and McCollum to produce on offense but also play much better against these talented guards in Redick and Paul. 

Cavaliers VS Pistons (Game 2)

Cavaliers Lead Series 2-0

The Detroit Pistons fought through the game, but there were some big reasons why they lost. The Cavs on the other hand have some concerns too. Let's dive into this game.

The Cavaliers decided to intentionally foul Drummond... a lot. This was a great idea. Andre Drummond shot just 4-16 from the free-throw line. He was ice cold from the free throw line and didn't even shoot close to what he usually averages from the stripe. This somewhat contained Drummond and Jackson from getting into their classic pick and poll action. It also seemed to keep Drummond frustrated. The great rebounder only had 2 defensive rebounds. Drummond didn't even get a double-double but he did finish the game with 20 points.

The bench for the Pistons was brutal. Their starters had done so well, and when the bench went in, everything the Pistons starters had worked for was gone. Stanley Johnson and Steve Blake had the opposite effect they had in game one as both of them were a -20 for their plus/minus advantage. And the Cavs bench played great. They passed the ball well as they also rebounded and played great defense. You could tell everyone was working to get good looks at the basket.

For the Cavs defense, if they an defend the pick and roll a little better and keep players out of the paint, I think they would be in an even better position to win. I think that what they are doing is great. They are getting great looks and shots are falling. The Pistons on the other hand need to step up their defense. J.R. Smith was left open which lead to J.R. feeling confident. He shot 7-11 from 3. You can't just let him go off. You need to contest his shots and then if he is missing you can lay off him a little bit. Most of the blame had to go on Caldwell-Pope for this.

I am excited to see how Detroit respondes in this series and I can't wait to see this game in Detroit. I think it will be very exciting to watch.

Heat VS Hornets (Game 2)

Heat Lead Series 2-0

The Hornets did a much better job on offense in this game, but they are still in no position to win. Changes need to be made, and we're going to take a look at what those changes should be.

The Hornets defense is in dire need of a change. Only 1 player shot under 50% for the Heat, and that was Amar'e Stoudemire who only attempted 3 shots and made 1. Everybody else shot at least 50% from the field. That is concerning. Hassan Whiteside made all of his shots and everytime he shot it seemed like a Hornets guard was on him. The Hornets had some really poor defensive rotations. However, Miami did a great job of finding the open player and swinging the ball around the court.

Miami shot 57.9% from the field, but Charlotte did have a good offense going. Kemba Walker picked his game up since game 1 as he had 29 points in the game. However, despite Kemba's performance, many of the other players failed to produce. Marvin Williams shot 0-10 in the game. Nicolas Batum was 3-11. Jeremy Lin was only 2-7 from the field. The whole team shot just 1-16 from 3-point range. Al Jefferson had a great game though. He finished the night with 25 points as he shot 12-17 from the field. However, he played horrible defense when he was on the floor. He couldn't guard the paint against this Heat team and it was actually better to have Cody Zeller out on the floor. Al Jefferson had a defensive rating of 131.9, which is really poor.

The Hornets are also not taking advantage of their youth. They did not run the floor. They had just 1 fastbreak point which was off a Courtney Lee free throw. If you are playing against a verteran Heat team, you need to get off and running to score, which they didn't do.

One thing that kept the Hornet from being blown out was their offensive rebounding. They had 15 offensive rebounds in the game. However, they only had 11 2nd chance points. The 2nd chance points are something that they must take advantage of in this series.

The Heat are obviously the more experience team and their players are playing great defense while being very unselfish with the basketball. They are moving it along the perimeter well, but their passes were few because guy were just left open. The hustle isn't there for the Hornets and hopefully we see a better effort from them on their home court.

Spurs VS Grizzlies (Game 2)

Spurs lead series 2-0

There really isn't anything that the Grizzlies can do. The Spurs are getting great shots. The Grizzlies aren't. The Grizzlies can't win without Zach Randolph having a 20+ game. They need him to produce and even then they really don't stand a chance.

As for the Spurs, they are perfect defensively. Everybody on the team got involved in the game, all 13 players scored, and not one of them had a negative +/- advantage. That is really all I have to say. There isn't much you can say about that game or the series itself. I hate to say it but the Grizzlies don't stand a chance.

Hawks VS Celtics (Game 2)

Hawks Lead Series 2-0

The Boston Celtics dropped game 2. They had a lot of mistake, but they still can come back in the series. Let's take a look at what needs to happen for this team to win though.

The loss of Avery Bradley is a very devastating one. He is a knock down shooter, a very great perimeter defender, a great team player, and a guy who delivers at the end of games. If you remember last years match up in the Eastern Semi-conference finals between the Hawks and the Wizards, Bradley Beal had pressured Kyle Korver a lot. He forced Korver to put up tough shots and shoot uncharacteristically low from 3. That was Avery Bradley in this series. Kyle Korver shot very, very bad in game 1. In game 2 without Bradley, Kyle Korver shot 5-7 from 3-point range. Without Bradley, Korver is a big threat. They have to change that and have Marcus Smart chase him around the whole game unfortunately. Marcus Smart just needs to get up on him.

That leads me to my next point. Marcus Smart shot horribly from the field. He was 1-11 from the field and 1-6 from 3. He finished the game with 3 points. That is not filling the role of Avery Bradley at all. Without his production, they need someone to fill that in.

Speaking of bad shooting. The whole Celtics team shot poorly. Jae Crowder has not looked good at all since his knee injury. Game 1 he shot bad, and game 2 he shot 1-9 from the field and 0-4 from deep. He was wonderful defensively but was very rough offensively. Isaiah Thomas was just 4-15 from the field. They couldn't hit open shots. They shot just 28.6% on uncontested field goals. They got great looks, they just couldn't make them. You can have great defense, but you won't win if you're shooting 31.8% from the field as a team.

Boston Celtics - Shot Chart - www.nba.com/stats

One thing that was clear was that Amir Johnson deserves to start for this Celtics team. Johnson held Paul Millsap to just 1-12 shooting. Johnson also had 14 points and forced Millsap to turn the ball over 5 times. However, despite Johnson's defensive play, the Celtics can't put him on both Millsap and Horford at the same time. Horford ended the game with 17 points. The Celtics just don't stand much of a chance in the post.

The Celtics need to play much better on offense if they are to win this series. You need your top 2 players to perform, which they didn't do in game 2.

Warriors VS Rockets (Game 2)

Warriors lead series 2-0

The Rockets had their best chance to win against the Golden State Warriors last night, and they failed. With Stephen Curry out, this was a game that the Rockets needed to win. But the Warriors executed where the Rockets fail.

Houston shot 44.3% from the field and 40% from the 3-point line. That wasn't their problem though. Their problem was turnovers. It's really as simple as that. Houston had 19 turnovers and Golden State 23 points off turnovers. If you turn it over against Golden State, they are going to convert.

The other problem was that Houston played very poor defense, especially their interior defense. The Warriors had 56 points in the paint. They shot well above average in close as well, just take a look at this shot chart.

Warriors Team - Shot Chart - www.nba.com/stats

 So the Rockets obviously need to step up their defense. Let's give the Warriors some credit though. Their guys stepped up, because they are capable of doing that. Shaun Livingston had 16 points, Andre Iguodala had 18 points, Andrew Bogut had 10 points, and Klay Thompson had 34 points. It was a great overall team game. When Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green couldn't get anything going, they found the open man instead. They did a great job moving the ball and the Rockets just sat there and watched.

We don't know if Curry will play next game, but if he doesn't, the Rockets need a win. They need a win either way, but they must take advantage of Curry being out from injury.

Thunder VS Mavericks (Game 2)

Series Tied 1-1

The Mavericks went against all odd and now they hold the home court advantage going into the rest of the series. But how did the Mavs even pull this off? How were they able to win against the Oklahoma City Thunder?

The Mavericks played really great defense. Something that they have not done much this season. I really have to credit Mavs head coach, Rick Carlisle, for making the defensive changes needed in game 2. First, he had Wesley Matthews really push Durant out of the paint. Durant didn't get any open lanes. Nest, almost every shot was contested. Durant and Westbrook alone shot 44 contested shots. They made just 11 of them. The Mavs made sure that there weren't any open shots. And third, the big made sure that the post catches were farther away from the basket. They got positioning and held it making the posts force up tough shots. They also made sure Dirk didn't play at the center position because they were destroyed in the paint last game. You can take a look at OKC's shot chart below to see just how bad their shooting was.

Thunder - Shot Chart - www.nba.com/stats

The Mavs also changed a lot on offense. As I had pointed out from game 1, the Mavericks were really lacking in guard play. While J.J. Barea was out of this game, Deron Williams and Raymond Felton combined for a total of 34 points. This was a big improvement from game 1. Not only that, but Felton was amazing. The short guard had 11 rebounds and 21 points himself. He hit some big baskets down the stretch to put his team in the spot to win.

While Wesley Matthews struggled from the floor, he was very effective on defense. His overall hustle really set a great tone as he had a big steal towards the end of the game. While he shot 0-7 from 3, his impact couldn't have been greater.

Durant and Westbrook had a combined 11 turnovers. They had a rough time and the other players are going to have to help them out. It would really help if the team had D.J. Augustine right now.         

Raptors VS Pacers (Game 2)

Series Tied 1-1

The Raptors fans actually got to see their team win tonight. It was a relief to see them pull it off. There were many reasons for the Raptors victory and the Pacers loss, let's take a look at them.

Unlike last game, Jonas Valanciunas stayed out of foul trouble for the whole game. He ended the game with 4 personals and he played 31 minutes in the game. He contributed largely with 23 points and 15 rebounds which really destroyed the Pacers. The Pacers really have to find a way to stop Valaciunas.

Kyle Lowry has had another poor game. He shot just 30.8% from the field and he was 0-5 from 3-point range. It really hasn't been the Pacers that have stopped him from scoring either. They have actually left Lowry open as he shot 2-10 on uncontested field goals. Unlike last game though, Lowry did a great job of reacting differently. He got into the play in different ways than trying to score. He had 9 assists and 7 rebounds in the game along with only 2 turnovers. So while Lowry didn't shoot well at all, he was a big factor in the win for the Raptors.

A thing that really determined the game was the bench. The Raptors bench played really well while the Pacers bench played pretty poorly. The Pacers bench shot just 1-12 from 3 while the Raptors bench shot 5-10 from 3. The Raptors bench was much more efficient than the Pacers bench.

Both teams didn't play the best tonight, but it was obvious that the Raptors had the edge. One thing that the Raptors have to do is win 1 game in Indiana. If the Pacers win all of their home game, they are going to advance to the next round of the playoffs.

Cavaliers VS Bulls (game 2)

Final Score: Cavaliers win 106-91



Series tied 1-1

Is this a rewind. Deja vu? I think it could be. The Bulls always seem to win game 1 then lose the next 4 when they play LeBron in the playoffs. Well, it could be a coincidence. And here how the Bulls can make it so the rewind doesn't happen.

The Bulls need everybody to perform much better. Let's take a look at the individual performances of all these players.

• Pau Gasol: 11 points, 3 turnovers, 4 rebounds, and 3-8 from the field
• Joakim Noah: 4 points, 4 shot attempts, 0-2 from the free-throw line
• Jimmy Butler: 18 points, 2-7 from 3pt range, 1 assist, -26 plus/minus advantage
• Derrick Rose: 14 points, 6-20 from the field, -13 plus/minus advantage
• Aaron Brooks: 4 points, 1-8 from the field, 0-4 from 3pt range

And those were the worst. They can't have that. They can't afford it. Kirk Hinrich played great shooting 3-3 from the field and 2-2 from three point range. He was only played for 12:18 minutes though. That is just disappointing. You obviously need to play him more. Some things need to change for this Bulls team.

This Cavs team was amazing. Yes, LeBron and Kyrie had a combined 54 points but I want to focus on Iman Shumpert and James Jones. Shumpert had 15 points while he shot 4-7 from deep. James Jones had17 points off the bench as he shot a surprising 5-9 from 3-point range. However, James Jones didn't win them the game, he just kept them in it. The team had a plus/minus advantage of -1 when he was on the floor. So he obviously just helped them stay in the game. If he wasn't there though, the Cavs would have lost the lead because their bench would have played so bad. Again, I'm still waiting for this Cavs team to play Marion more. He is very skilled and they need to use him. Other than that, this team is playing great. If they win their next 3, I will start thinking that it is impossible for the Bulls to win a playoff series against LeBron.

Warriors VS Grizzlies (game 2)

Final Score: Grizzlies win 97-90



Series tied 1-1

Grizzlies grab home-court advantage. They played great defense and got the win. Let's take a look at what the Grizzlies did right to win this game.

The Grizzlies had a great lift from Mike Conley as he came back. While he did great on the offensive side, the whole team could really focus on defense. Tony Allen was great on defense with 4 steals. The Grizzlies themselves had a total of 13 steals. The Grizzlies made the Warriors forced up 50 contested jumpers and the Warriors couldn't even hit their uncontested jumpers. Not to mention that they were contesting and not fouling and blocking. The Grizzlies only had 2 blocks in the game. They also made their free throws. They were 18-20 from the free throw line. One thing that they could use is for Vince Carter and Jeff Green to play a little better on the floor. They could use a little more from them. They both didn't play that well and didn't bring a great offensive game which you would have imagined them to bring. Other than that this team is looking great.

The Warriors just couldn't hit shots. They were 26.1% from 3pt range. Klay Thompson was 1-6 and Curry was 2-11 from 3pt range. It wasn't that they couldn't just hit defended shots. They were 41.9% on contested jumpers. The problem was, they weren't used to taking open jumpers in the game and shot 7-24 on open shots. That can't happen. Obviously this Warriors team just had a bad shooting night. One thing I really wish they did was play David Lee a little bit more. He had only played 5:10 minutes and you have to remember this guy was a starter last year. The main problem for this Warriors team is just shooting. If they bring that up, I don't see why they can't take this series.

Hawks VS Wizards (game 2)

Final Score: Hawks win 106-90



Series tied 1-1

John Wall was out. There was really no leader for the Wizards. The Hawks really did take control of the game. Let's take a look at what the Wizards need to improve on as they go back home.

The Wizards need John Wall. Simple as that. This guy averages over 10 assists per game. He runs the offense. He is like a Ricky Rubio that can score better. When he is on the floor, everyone plays so much better. Take a look at this, the Wizards took more contested shots than uncontested shots. That is a sign of lack of ball movement. Next, Nene and Gortat only had a combined 12 points. Wall's ability to get it low to the posts is better than anyone else in the league. Wall is like Chris Paul dishing to DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin or Rubio dishing to Kevin Love or Pekovic (throwback to last year). When you take away Chris Paul and Ricky Rubio, what do you have, 2 bigs having to try really hard just to touch the ball. What did they do great of? Ramon Sessions played great. He had a great second half. Paul Pierce shot great from the three point line. In fact the whole team shot 54.5% from deep, which is very impressive for a team like the Wizards. Last, they contained Jeff Teague to only 9 points.

The Hawks played a great overall game. They had 10 turnovers but made them all up with 10 steals. Everybody went for every loose ball and played their hardest. They had great ball movement and wanted to get everyone involved. One thing they could do better is get Kyle Korver some more touches. This guy only had 14 points off of only 40 touches. He needs the ball more. His usage was the lowest on his team at 13.2%! That is unacceptable. Other than that they look like they are in great shape for the next game as long as they play the same in game 3.

Clippers VS Spurs (game 2)

Final Score: Spurs win 111-107



Series Tied 1-1

An Overtime win for the Spurs is a win. Duncan had a great game and so did Leonard. They just played a great game. They got some stops and won it. Why? Patty Mills was part of it. He had a great game with 18 points. He always seems to come out around playoff time. They played Spurs basketball. Tony Parker needs to step it up though. He only had 1 point in the game and 5 assists. He needs to step it up if this team is to keep winning.

The Clippers on the other hand could use Jordan to make more Free Throws. He only shot 35% from free throw and shot 6-17 from the line. Next they need to be able to finish the game. They missed two crucial possessions to put the game away, but instead it went into overtime where they lost. The last thing, they need more from the bench. The Spurs have a large bench while the Clippers bench has Jamal Crawford. Besides Crawford, the bench for the Clippers scored 6 points. That is not enough and I fear that the Clippers will run out of gas and loose this series.

With the series tied, who will take the advantage in San Antonio?

Grizzlies VS Trailblazers (game 2)

Final Score: Grizzlies win 97-82



Grizzlies lead series 2-0

The Trailblazers are having a tough time in this series. Let's take a look at their problems. First off, Damien Lillard was shooting horribly. He shot 30% from the floor and 20% from three point range. Next off, they didn't do too great on offense on passing and getting open shots as Coach Nick described. They shot 71 contested shots and only 41 open shots. They only made 19 of 31 shots at the rim. They are simply not getting open shots and not running through the offense. If they are to win at home now, they have to run their offense.

The Grizzlies were great. One thing that they did well of was getting Marc Gasol touches. Marc Gasol had 5 assists in the game and 86 touches in all. The next thing was their defense. It was great, and their bench was even better. Green, Koufos, Udrih, and Carter all had a defensive rating under 90. That is great. Everyone on the Grizzlies had a positive net rating as all of their offensive ratings were better than their defensive, while all of the Trailblazers were a negative net rating. The next thing is that they limited their turnovers to only 5. That is great as the Traiblazers will feed off of transition points. If they keep this up, they will be moving on.

Hawks VS Nets (game 2)

Final Score: Hawks win 96-91



Hawks lead series 2-0

"Deron Williams for the tie! No Good! He Missed the Wide Open Jumper!" This was the most disappointing game for Deron Williams yet and the Hawks took the win. I will break down this win here. Let's start with the Nets.

The Nets kept it close the whole game. Jarrett Jack had a great overall game as he played a big part in that game. And guess what! Teletovic is back. He only played about 4 minutes, but still, it's nice to see him on the floor. Deron Williams really has to step up in this series though. He only had 2 points and missed a game tying shot. Also, point guards Jarrett Jack and Deron Williams had a combined 7 turnovers. You can't have that happen, especially against a great transition team like the Hawks. Thaddeus Young only had 2 points as well. The Nets need some more players to step up in this series if they are to get a win.

The Hawks had another great team win. Carroll Had an off game but the rest of the team stepped it up. One thing that they need to bring up though, is their Field Goal %. They shot under 40% from the field. Al Horford had a great game and a near triple-double. He 14 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 blocks. Great game. If they keep this up, I expect them to sweep this series if they can bring their Field goal % up.

Rockets VS Mavericks (game 2)

Final Score: Rockets Win 111-99



Rockets lead series 2-0

Lets start this game off with the Mavericks.

The Mavs will not have Parsons for the rest of the playoffs. Rondo will be benched. Coach Nick told you why in the video. He is not helping the team. He only played 9:55 minutes in the game. What do the Mavs do. Let's take a look at the good. The bench played great, especially Barea and Felton as they played wonderful together. I was actually how great these two smaller guard player alongside each other. But them again, Felton was a decent player, and Barea is just a really physical guard. They are going to be crucial in games to come. The thing they need to cut down is threes. They only hit about 27% of them and shot a total of 20. Houston only shot 20 threes. It's not a good sign if you shoot more than them.

The Rockets are doing great. Dwight Howard really got into this game. Not to mention that Corey Brewer and Josh Smith are doing really great off the bench. They are staying aggressive and they have to if they are to win their next two games. The other thing I was impressed with was Dwight Howard at the line. He got to the line, and he shot well from the free throw line, shooting 8-11 from free throw. It was just a good overall team game. I they can have their next two games like this one, they will move on to the next round.

Raptors VS Wizards (game 2)

Final Score: Wizards win 117-106



Wizards lead series 2-0

This was a great game for the Wizards as they have a chance to put the series home with them leading the series 2-0. Let's take a look at the Wizards first.

The Wizards played great. They found out a way to get DeRozan contain a little bit. One player taht had a great game was John Wall. After having a tough offense game, he came back with 26 points and 17 assists! Just a wonderful performance from him. Bradly Beal was hitting a bunch of shots on the floor and was well spaced through-out the game. They just played great overall basketball as they out scored Toronto in the 2nd and 3rd quarter by 27 points.

Toronto has a lot of work to do. They must play Wall really good and force the ball out of his hands. They can't let him even touch the ball. Wall is a play-maker not only for himself, but for his teammates especially. He had 17 assists in the game but also 111 passes in the game. The was the most for any player, and he was the only player with over 100 passes in the game. Lowry and Vasquez combined had only had 93 passes and they were the leading players for passing for their team. They need to take Wall out of the game. The second thing they need to do if they are to stay in this series is to stay out of foul trouble. DeRozan had 5 fouls and Vasquez, Williams, and Amir Johnson all had 4. However, out of those 27 fouls from the Raptors, the Wizards only shot 34 free throws meaning that alot of the Raptors fould were floor fouls which they need to cut down.

It could come down to 2 games at Verizon center. The Wizards could put this one away, but you know the Raptors want at least 1 more game at Air Canada Centre.