The Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks have their Championship dreams still alive but only two will move on to next round. Here is a preview of the Western Conference Semifinals.
4 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 8 Memphis Grizzlies
Season Series - Memphis leads 3-1
The Thunder are coming off a relatively routine series victory over the Denver Nuggets while the Grizzlies are on a huge high having upset the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs. That leaves us with this matchup pitting two of the best young teams in the NBA. During the season Memphis took three out of four against Oklahoma City, but most of the games were close.
OK City boasts perhaps the best pure scorer in the NBA in Kevin Durant. For Memphis, Tony Allen, a very good defender, will likely draw the assignment. The problem with that is Allen doesn't have the height to bother Durant on his shot and neither does Shane Battier, who should also see time on Durant. So Durant should have a lot of success in this series in terms of his scoring.
For OK City, though, Russell Westbrook must play better than he did in the last round. He must understand that Durant is the top option and defer to him. He must also do a better job of getting the role players involved offensively. He is an immensely talented point guard and should respond well to the criticism he took in the previous series.
For Memphis, its strength is its size inside with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, who both gave the Spurs fits in the first round. The problem for them here is that OK City has the size to deal with them in Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka, both strong defenders. They won't allow Randolph and Gasol to go off like they did in the last round.
One edge the Grizzlies have is that they have a little more depth in terms of scoring options, while OK City mostly relies on two guys and if one has an off day, it will be tough for them to win.
One thing that works against the Grizzlies is the quick turnaround. They only get a day and a half before jumping into the next series which puts them behind the eight ball right off the bat. Memphis should have its moments in this series eventually, but in the end OK City is the more complete team and should pull it out.
Prediction: Thunder in 7
2 Los Angeles Lakers vs. 3 Dallas Mavericks
Season Series - Los Angeles leads 2-1
Ironically, despite being perennial playoff teams, this is the first time in this era that these two teams meet in the playoffs. The Lakers won two of three in the regular season and that proved to be the difference for them getting the home court advantage.
The Lakers boast an immortal player in Kobe Bryant who will be a handful for the Mavericks. Desean Stephenson will likely draw the assignment initially but the Mavericks will often play with two and sometimes even three point guards on the floor at the same time, and while it gives them an advantage offensively, it will really hurt them defensively in this series.
The biggest difference in the Mavericks' season this year is their improved defense led by center Tyson Chandler who has anchored it. His tough defense has made it difficult for opposing bigs to get off and he has made up for some mistakes by his teammates defensively. He is active and a strong rebounder and will need to be at his best against the large Laker frontline.
One huge edge for the Mavericks in this series is Dirk Nowitzki. The Lakers don't have anyone who can guard him, not that anyone else does. But the Laker bigs are not adept at guarding people on the perimeter so he should have a field day. Even if the Lakers go small and put Artest on him, Artest doesn't have the quickness at this stage to be able to keep up with him.
Another advantage for the Mavericks is their bench. Jason Terry, J.J. Barea, Brendon Haywood, and Peja Stojokavic all are strong contributors, while the Lakers are not quite as deep coming off the bench. The Mavs should be able to make runs when the teams' second units are out there.
This is perhaps the Mavs strongest team in this era and if they are ever to get over the hump this is the year. They are the deeper team and perhaps the hungrier team and the feeling here is that they are primed for the upset.
Prediction: Mavericks in 6
Frank Leal - I have a B.A. from Rutgers University. I always enjoyed writing papers and articles, especially about sports. I took a sports writing ...
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