Second Round

A 5-3 record in the first round is about as bad as it gets for me and I need to go undefeated the rest of the way to salvage an acceptable playoff record.  Blake Griffin’s high right ankle sprain definitely did the Clippers in and Joe Johnson’s left foot plantar fasciitis certainly didn’t help Brooklyn as JJ shot 2-14 (1-9 from 3) in Game 7.  Kudos to Joakim Noah (plantar fasciitis right foot) and rest of the healthy Bulls for gutting it out and to the Warriors for overcoming David Lee’s torn right hip flexor to win their respective series’, which I didn’t think either could.  

EAST 

Indiana at New York – For the Knicks the major concern has to be Carmelo Anthony’s left shoulder which he felt popping in and out over the last two games of the first round.  Then there is the possibility of Amar’e Stoudemire (right knee) playing in Game 3; given that Amar’e hasn’t played since 3/7 his return might hurt more than it helps.  Sharpshooter Steve Novak (back) is also out for Game 1 (at least) and Tyson Chandler (neck) didn’t look quite right in round one either.  As far as individual matchups go the Pacers have George Hill, Lance Stephenson and Paul George to defend NY’s three best players in Raymond Felton. J.R. Smith and Anthony respectively.  Indy is bigger down low so you can expect Coach Mike Woodson to have the Knicks playing small a lot and relying on their 3-point shooting to carry them.  The Pacers play better defense and are the superior rebounding side and I’d feel very confident about my pick if they weren’t so darn awful on the road.  As is NY will probably have one off night from deep at the Garden and that will decide the series.  Indiana in 6. 

Chicago at Miami – In addition to Noah’s right foot, Kirk Hinrich has a bad left calf; Luol Deng needed a blood patch to fix complications from a spinal tap and now comes word from Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Derrick Rose (left ACL surgery on 5/12/12) has ruled himself out for the playoffs.  Other than that things are looking peachy for the Bulls.  For example the Heat will have had a full seven days off by Monday’s tip where Chicago had to fly directly from Brooklyn to Miami after their Game 7 so they could get one day off.  Wait, what?  When it comes to the Heat Dwyane Wade’s right knee issue bears monitoring but other than that I don’t see them having much trouble even though the Bulls always play them tough.  Miami in 4. 

WEST 

Memphis at Oklahoma City – Not having Russell Westbrook (lateral meniscus tear right knee) changes everything for the Thunder.  Kevin Durant is forced to do way too much on offense (scoring & creating), Kevin Martin can’t have nights where he disappears and Derek Fisher has to play regular minutes at backup PG.  The good news for OKC is that Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins and Nick Collison should be able to defend Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol about as well as can be expected.  For the Grizzlies I like the bodies they can rotate on Durant in Tayshaun Prince, Tony Allen and Quincy Pondexter.  I also expect Allen to completely shut down and frustrate Martin whenever Kevin checks in.  Assuming they can keep the Memphis front court in check the key for the Thunder will be Thabo Sefolosha and Reggie Jackson slowing down Mike Conley’s penetration.  Other than Z-Bo’s left ankle the Griz have no health issues to speak of and I also trust Lionel Hollins more than Scott Brooks when it comes to coaching at this point.  Memphis in 6.    

Golden State at San Antonio – Lee is going to try and play with his torn right hip flexor but I doubt he’ll be effective on any level.  Everyone is raving about Andrew Bogut’s Game 6 performance (14 points, 21 rebounds, 4 blocks & 3 assists) but no one mentioned that he needed a painkilling injection in his left ankle just to be able to play.  Likewise for Stephen Curry who took two separate painkilling injections in his left ankle during the last series.  For the Spurs Tiago Splitter (left ankle) should be available early in the series and Boris Diaw (back) is ready to play again for the first time since 4/6.  SA will have had seven full days as opposed to three for the Warriors.  With Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili rounding into form I’m not sure what GS can really do here since Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich can match any small lineup that Mark Jackson sends out there.  This will definitely be a fun one to watch but in the end I’ll take SA’s experience and health.  Spurs in 5.