Saturday and Sunday featured the first game in each of the eight playoff series and the home team won five of eight. Surprisingly, two of the best teams in the West – San Antonio and Dallas – lost to Denver and Golden State, respectively.
Denver is a tough team to get a read on. They weren’t especially good after the Allen Iverson trade, but the fact that they have two superstars (AI and ‘Melo) along with a pretty solid frontcourt (Marcus Camby and Nene) makes them a dangerous team. Based on yesterday’s game, it looks like Tim Duncan might have some problems scoring on Nene, while Camby was very active defensively. If it gets to be six minutes left and the game is close, it’s tough to bet against the cold-blooded
shooting of Iverson and Anthony.
The Warriors proved that their recent success over the Mavs was no fluke. Golden State has now won seven of their last eight games against Dallas, and it looks like the Mavs are in for a tough test in the first round. The undersized Warriors used gimmick defenses (zones, box and one, etc.), which is a favorite tactic of Don Nelson when his team doesn’t have a matchup advantage against its opponent. The Mavs were never able to settle into their set offense and it showed in the final score. Since the league went to a seven-game series in the first round, no #8 seed has ever beat a #1 seed. As good as Dallas has been this season, they have to be a little worried after yesterday’s game.
In the East, the Nets’ win in Toronto isn’t a shocker at all. New Jersey has the talent and experience to beat the Raptors (and maybe the Cavs as well).
Two games on tap for tonight: Magic/Pistons at 7 PM ET and Jazz/Rockets at 9:30 PM ET. Both games are on TNT.
