The NBA playoffs were off the charts in round one, with nonstop action and drama in a majority of eight series. The second round is entirely different, but things are just getting started. On Thursday, Brooklyn and Portland, after being bull-rushed, bloodied and bullied in Game 1 blowouts, have a chance to create some real tension in the conference semifinals. Can they pick themselves up and change the way in which they play?
Game 2: Brooklyn Nets @ Miami Heat
Thursday, 7:05 PM ET
Odds: Miami -8
This is a game the Nets desperately need to win. Brooklyn had hoped that it would catch Miami a bit flat-footed in Game 1, since the Heat had not played a game since April 28 against Charlotte. However, Miami, which lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals a year ago to the Chicago Bulls after sitting around for a long while, really seemed to learn from that experience. The Heat didn’t calcify during their week off. They kept themselves fresh and attentive, and they burst out of the gates in the second half, using a 24-9 run to take control and pull away from Brooklyn. The Heat played one of their best games of the season, and they did a lot to destroy the idea that the Nets’ 4-0 regular season record against Miami was going to point to a long series. Brooklyn can still create a long series, but it has to win this game in order to do so. What’s going to be hard for the Nets to deal with is that Miami is healthy. Dwyane Wade isn’t 100 percent, but he’s a lot better than he has been during the season, and the weeklong break before Game 1 enabled his body to recover. The Nets have to beat a full-strength Miami team, which they didn’t face in the previous few meetings between the teams. Miami will win this game, but Brooklyn will cover the overly large spread.
Pick: Brooklyn +8
Game 2: Portland Trail Blazers @ San Antonio Spurs
Thursday, 9:35 PM ET
Odds: San Antonio -7
The situation in this series is different from Brooklyn-Miami in some ways, but not in others. What’s different here is that the series favorite just played a seven-game series in the first round and figured to be tired, unlike the well-rested Heat, in Game 1. Portland hoped to beat San Antonio not by catching the Spurs at a time when they might be rusty, but when they might be worn down by too much basketball. However, San Antonio didn’t seem to be tired or sluggish at all in a convincing Game 1 wipeout. What’s the same as Brooklyn-Miami is that Portland needs a split on the road to create the likely prospect of a long series. If the Trail Blazers come up short in Game 2, they could get eliminated in five games by the Spurs, who got the added production from other players that had been missing against Dallas. Marco Belinelli was a big reason San Antonio had the best record in the NBA, and he did nothing against Dallas. In Game 1 against Portland, though, he popped in 19 points. If Belinelli is here to stay, San Antonio’s going to continue to win. Expect the Spurs to win Game 2, but expect the Blazers to cover.
Pick: Portland +7
