NBA playoffs 2011: A picture of the first round match-ups in the Eastern Conference
As the regular season wraps up this week, the Eastern Conference playoff spots are already locked up, which gives a clear picture of the match-ups in the postseason. The strugglers are no longer a part of the schedule and it comes
down to the best of the best in the business end of the season. The upcoming showdowns will be filled with sheer excitement and immense anticipation as the big teams carry the action against each other.
Let us take a look at the match-ups that the Eastern Conference has to offer this post-season.
Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers
After acquiring the top seed in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls will take on the Indiana Pacers in the postseason. The Bulls are left with two games in the regular season against New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets whereas
the Pacers will face off Orlando Magic on Wednesday night for the last meeting.
The playoff contest will be quite tough for the Pacers as Derrick Rose continues to provide fireworks and is showing no signs of retreat. Danny Granger will be the key player for the Indiana, but they apparently don’t have enough
resources to topple the mighty Bulls.
Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Miami’s big three trio LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are all geared up to turn on the heat in their first round series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Miami Heat managed to sweep the season series 3-0 with impressive
margins. However this is playoff, history doesn’t matter here and everybody is at 0-0.
The Sixers will be spearheaded by Elton Brand. However it is not going to be easy for him to outshine the mighty big 3 single-handedly.
Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks
Although the Boston Celtics swept the season series 3-0, it would not be wise to visualize the same result in the first round of the playoffs. After a poor starting stretch, Carmelo Anthony has finally returned to his groove and
is spearheading the Knicks. Carmelo has been the major reason that the Knicks are on a red hot seven game winning streak. On the other hand, the Celtics are performing well below their calibre and have dropped two straight against Miami Heat and the lowly
Washington Wizards in the last week.
The interesting thing is that both the teams will have an opportunity to play a practice game against each other on Wednesday night at TD Garden. Amare Stoudemire will be another key player for the Knicks where as Rajon Rondo needs
to bounce back from his meagre performance in the recent games and should support Paul Pierce in order to outshine the spirited New York Knicks.
Orlando Magic vs. Atlanta Hawks
The battle between the fourth and the fifth seed in a conference is always the most interesting one and more often than not it goes all the distance. This post-season, this slot has been filled by Orlando Magic and the Atlanta
Hawks.
The Hawks leads the season series 3-1, however the Big man Dwight Howard won’t be haunted by the Atlanta’s previous dominance. Howards has been in his prime form in the second half of the season and his game will only rise in the
playoffs. The problem with the Magic though is that they are over reliant on Howard and don’t seem to click when the big man misfires.
The Hawks don’t have any problem of that sort. They have the likes of Al Horford, Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford who combine well to propel the team. So as far as the series is concerned, they definitely hold an edge.
The Hawks will be playing the last game of the regular season against the Charlotte Bobcats.
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