Milwaukee has been a disappointment so far this season; the Bucks come into tonight

Indiana has played a tough schedule, but the Pacers have held their own and they should hold some value going forward. And that certainly appears to be the case tonight as they are getting a handful of points from a team that they are better than. The Pacers have had their injury issues that have hampered their progression, but they are fully healthy now and they are playing up to their potential. The same cannot be said of the Hawks who are now going through their own issues.

Atlanta is 15-9, but the Hawks are not as good as their record indicates. And it looks like they are going to struggle for some time now that they lost their best player, Joe Johnson, who is out after undergoing elbow surgery. Johnson leads the Hawks in scoring (17.1 points), assists (5.2), and minutes (35.5), and he is also the leading rebounder among the team's guards (4.1). Johnson is also versatile on defense as he defends point guards, shooting guards, and small forwards.

Johnson

Portland has finally broken out of their offensive slump. The Blazers have scored 97 points or more in their last three games which is much improved from the 86 points they averaged in their previous seven games. The Blazers made some lineup changes and they have revitalized their offense as they are now getting production with their second unit. And we expect more improvement tonight against Phoenix because the Suns will speed-up the game and make Portland play at a faster pace.

The Suns come into tonight

The Knicks have played some good basketball over the last month. They

The Celtics beat the Nuggets last night 105-89 as they caught Denver without Carmelo Anthony who was a late scratch from the game. Boston played an outstanding offensive game as they shot 55.9% (38-68) from the field. The Celtics were also pretty aggressive in pushing the pace and that led to many whistles as they attempted 36 free throws. But off the highly efficient and fast-paced game, we expect Boston to play a totally different game tonight in Philadelphia.

Boston has a history of playing low-scoring games on the second night of a back-to-back set. The Celtics would rather play a solid half-court, defensive game in this setting as it helps them conserve their energy for future games. The Celtics have played in 5 such games this year and all five had 194 points or less scored in regulation time with an average of 186.8 points scored per game. And that includes a 207-point game that went into overtime.

Both defenses come into this game in terrific form. Over their last five games, the Celtics are allowing only 88 points per game on 41.3% shooting while the Sixers are allowing only 89 points per game on 42.4% shooting. Philadelphia is also off back-to-back high-scoring offensive games in which they scored 109 and 117 points. But they cannot expect the same type of offensive production tonight against the stingy Celtics

We played against Cleveland last night and the Sixers came through for us with a 20-point win (117-97). And we

Cleveland just coasted through the first month of the season, waiting for their big showdown game with LeBron and the Heat. That was supposed to be Cleveland

Memphis is in a terrible scheduling spot for this game tonight. The Grizzlies just played in Denver last night and now they must play in a back-to-back to set in Utah which is another game in thin air and altitude. It

The Clippers are playing some good basketball right now; they are 3-3 SU and 5-1 ATS over their last six games. Prior to this mini streak, the Clippers were just 1-13 and 5-9 ATS which shows just how improved their play has been over the last two weeks. This young team has gelled nicely recently as their offense is averaging 100 points on 47.8% shooting over their last five games. And their defense is also playing better as they

Philadelphia has been a scrappy team this year. The Sixers are a young bunch that has been playing hard for their new head coach Doug Collins. Philadelphia is just 5-13 on the season, but they are covering pointspreads as they are 10-7-1 ATS including 9-5 ATS as an underdog. Five of their games have come against the elite teams in the league so their overall win/loss record isn

This has been the most anticipated game since the summer when LeBron James decided to sign with the Heat. Tonight was circled on every calendar in Cleveland, and this is the Cavs chance to get back at LeBron for leaving. There will be a ton of emotion and energy for this game, and most of it points towards the Cleveland side. This is

San Antonio is getting a lot of media attention now that they are 15-2 and 8-0 on the road this season. The Spurs have been playing a much different style of basketball this year as they are more willing to play at a faster pace. And that has shown on the scoreboard as the Spurs are averaging 108 points per game which is way above their previous averages. But along with playing fast, tired legs are soon to come. And since San Antonio is one of the oldest teams in the NBA, there will be spots to play-against this team.

Tonight

Dallas has played some good basketball so far this season, and the Mavericks have been on a nice little run recently. They

New Orleans started this season on fire as they were a perfect 8-0 SU/ATS after the first two weeks of play. But since then, the Hornets are just 3-3 SU and 0-5-1 ATS. Their fast start was attributed to their strong defensive play in which they held all eight of those opponents to less than 100 points. However, their defense is non-existent right now as they

The Lakers are 13-2 on the season, but they

Dallas is one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, so getting the Mavericks plus a handful of points is something that cannot be passed up. Dallas is 9-4 on the season and three of their four losses have come by 5 points or less. The Mavericks are not allowing many teams to extend leads or winning margins on them because of their defense and we certainly expect another tight game that comes right down to the wire tonight in Oklahoma City.

The Thunder struggled early on as they opened the season at just 3-3. They are currently on a 5-game winning streak; they

After opening the season at just 1-6, the Bobcats have turned things around recently. Charlotte is 4-2 over their last six games with their two losses coming against Utah by a single point and against Miami by 8 points. Two of their four wins have also come on the road so it

Orlando has been the forgotten team in the NBA so far this season. With their in-state rival Heat getting all of the attention, and the hot starts of New Orleans, San Antonio, and Boston, the Magic have become a second-tier commodity. The Magic are just going about their business quietly as they are currently 9-3 on the season. One of their losses was by 26 points to Miami in the second game of the season so maybe that game alone soured the thoughts of this Orlando team some. Whatever the reason, the Magic are undervalued right now, especially in tonight

Dallas may find it tough to get up for tonight

Denver is catching Portland at the right time. The Blazers will be without Brandon Roy once again tonight as his knee still isn

These two teams just played on Monday night with the Mavericks coming back in the fourth quarter for a 98-95 win. New Orleans and Dallas have played some of the best basketball in the league so far this season; the Hornets are 8-1 while the Mavericks are 7-2. Both teams are playing ferocious defense with New Orleans holding opponents to just 91 points per game on 43% shooting while Dallas is holding opponents to 92 points per game on 42.2% shooting. And we expect more of the same tonight in what should be a half-court, low-scoring, defensive battle.

The pace in Monday night

The Lakers come into tonight

The total on tonight

Philadelphia has been very competitive all year; all six of their losses have been by 10 points or less which would make them 7-1 ATS to tonight

This is the second meeting of the season between the Celtics and Heat; the first game was an 88-80 win by Boston on opening night. That was a low-scoring, half-court game and we expect this game to play out in a similar way. Both teams have terrific defensive units that have already proven that they can shutdown each team

There

On the surface, neither team appears to be any good; Houston is just 1-5 and Washington is just 1-4. However, when you dig a bit deeper, the Rockets record is excusable because they

Both teams come into tonight

Boston played last night in Oklahoma City so the Celtics will be on some tired legs tonight. The Celtics also look to slow the pace way down on the second night of a back-to-back set so there

The two coaching staffs are quite familiar with each other. The Celtics became a defensive juggernaut when Doc Rivers hired Tom Thibodeau to run Boston

Both of these teams played some pretty strong defense last season. However, the Thunder and Blazers have been terrible on the defensive end of the court this season and the linesmakers have yet to adjust the totals on their games. But that will allow us to take advantage of that tonight as this total is priced right around the same range as they were for last year

These two teams have been a world apart so far this season. New Orleans comes into tonight

Portland comes into tonight

The total on tonight

Both of these teams looked horrible in their season openers. Phoenix got rocked at Portland by 14 points (106-92) while the Jazz were embarrassed in Denver last night by 22 points (110-88). However, we see only one of those results as legitimate while we

Charlotte and Dallas may prove to be two of the best defensive teams in the NBA at season

Houston will be a much improved team this season. The Rockets went just 42-40 last year, but they played without their big man, Yao Ming. However, he

The anticipation for this game has been huge ever since the NBA schedule was announced. It

Boston was completely embarrassed in Game 6 on Tuesday night. The Celtics lost that game by 22 points (89-67), and they actually trailed by as many as 27 points. Boston was in a terrible situational spot after winning the previous two games; they knew the Lakers would fire their

After two high-scoring games to open up the NBA Finals, we

After two high-scoring games to open up the NBA Finals, we

Los Angeles played good enough to win Game 4, but they came up a bit short in the fourth quarter after taking a 62-60 lead over the first 36 minutes of play. The Lakers out-shot the Celtics 45.1% (32-71) to 44.6% (37-83) from the field and they also made 4 more three

We finally saw Game 3 officiated like normal on Tuesday night. The first two games of this series were heavily influenced by the way those games were called. Boston

Boston won Game 2 because their defense was able to play their game. The Celtics were much more aggressive on the defensive end as they forced the Lakers into doing things they didn

Boston had little chance in Game 1 on Thursday night because of the way the game was officiated. The Celtics rely a ton on their defense to win games, but they were unable to play their style of defense because the refs were not allowing much physical play. In the first quarter alone, there were 18 personal fouls called, and the majority of those were on the Celtics away from the ball. Boston was unable to establish any type of defensive rhythm which really prevented them from playing their game. Because of the way the game was called, the Celtics allowed Los Angeles to score 102 points on 48.7% (37-76) shooting from the field and 40% (4-10) from three-point land.

Prior to allowing those 102 points to the Lakers, the Celtics had allowed more than 100 points in just 4 of their 17 previous playoff games, and in fact, the Celtics held their opponents to less than 90 points in 10 of those 17 playoff games. The Lakers were also rewarded by the multitude of foul calls as they got to the free-throw line 31 times. They made 24 of those attempts which certainly aided their point total a bit. In the two regular season games, Boston held the Lakers offense to just 90 and 86 points so they are more than capable of shutting down Kobe Bryant and company.

Off their disappointing loss in Game 1, Boston will bounce back in a big way tonight. They were one of the best road teams in the NBA all season long going 26-15 on opponent

Boston comes into the Finals after beating the two teams who had the best regular season record in the NBA. The Celtics took care of Cleveland in six games in their second playoff series. The Celtics were terrific on offense in that series as they averaged over 100 points per game against the Cavaliers. Boston then man-handled Orlando and also won that series in six games. The Celtics have been constant in one area throughout the Playoffs; their defense has played fantastic basketball. They

We finally saw the scoring drop-off in Game 5 on Thursday night after the first four games in this series were high-scoring with point totals of 235 in Game 1, 236 in Game 2, 227 in Game 3, and 221 in Game 4. Los Angeles won by a bucket (103-101), but even the 204 points scored were more than the game should have had. The Lakers held an 18-point lead in the third quarter, and when up big, they usually take the air out of the ball and work the clock. But they couldn

Orlando got themselves back into this series after winning the last two games. The Magic were able to escape with an overtime win in Boston in Game 4, and they carried that momentum over to Game 5 which allowed them to win by 21 points (113-92). That was Orlando

Phoenix showed a lot of fight as they got back into this series after winning the last two games on their home court. The Suns used big fourth quarters to get both wins as they out-scored Los Angeles 62-47 in those two games. Both of those games were tight heading into the final 12 minutes of play, but the Lakers shot the ball dreadfully which allowed Phoenix to pull away to comfortable wins. Before those two wins, the Suns had all kinds of trouble playing against the Lakers, especially in games played in the Staples Center.

Los Angeles dominated the Suns in all four home meetings this season. The Lakers won the four homes games by 19 (121-102), 20 (108-88), 21 (128-107), and 12 (124-112) points. They controlled all of those games as they led by 27, 23, 28, and 16 points and they only trailed three times in those games combined. They also held 21-point and 14-point leads heading into the fourth quarter in those games. That

The first four games in this series have all been high-scoring with point totals of 235 in Game 1, 236 in Game 2, 227 in Game 3, and 221 in Game 4. Los Angeles won Game 1 by 21 points (128-107) after both teams shot the lights-out. The Lakers shot an incredible 58% (51-88) from the field and 47.1% (8-17) from three-point land. The Suns also shot the ball well, hitting 49.4% (39-79) from the field. In Game 2, we once again saw some hot shooting from both teams. Los Angeles shot 57.7% (45-78) from the field and 56.2% (9-16) from three-point land while Phoenix shot 49.4% (41-83) from the field and 41.7% (10-24) from three-point land. In Game 3, the shooting cooled off, but the teams shot a total of 62 free-throws with the Suns connecting on 37 of their 42 attempts. And in Game 4 on Tuesday night, both teams shot the ball well from the field and they also combined to hit 20 three

Orlando finally put together a competent offensive effort in Game 4 on Monday night. The Magic scored 96 points after shooting 44.6% (33-74) from the field and 35.7% (10-28) from three-point land, although they were once again terrible from the free-throw line hitting just 60.6% (20-33). Orlando was very aggressive in the first half and it was their best 24 minutes of this series as they had 51 points at the break. But the game really slowed down in the second half as only 74 points were scored (not counting overtime) by both teams. The lack of scoring was due to many missed layups and wide-open shots as well as the ugly free-throw line performance.

Boston

Los Angeles played good enough to win Game 3, but they came up a bit short because they were on the short end of the ref

The first three games in this series have been extremely high-scoring with point totals of 235 in Game 1, 236 in Game 2, and 227 in Game 3. Los Angeles won Game 1 by 21 points (128-107) after both teams shot the lights-out. The Lakers shot an incredible 58% (51-88) from the field and 47.1% (8-17) from three-point land. The Suns also shot the ball well, hitting 49.4% (39-79) from the field. In Game 2, we once again saw some hot shooting from both teams. Los Angeles shot 57.7% (45-78) from the field and 56.2% (9-16) from three-point land while Phoenix shot 49.4% (41-83) from the field and 41.7% (10-24) from three-point land. In Game 3 on Sunday night, the shooting cooled off, but there was another out of the ordinary occurrence in that game.

The teams shot a total of 62 free-throws with the Suns connecting on 37 of their 42 attempts. In fact, the teams have combined for a whopping 176 free-throw attempts in the first three games. They combined to hit 140 of those freebies, which is an amazing 140 points scored while the clock was not running. Despite all of the good shooting and the generous points from the free-throw line, none of the games were played at a fast enough pace to warrant the high scores. After re-scoring all three games based on my pace and percentage models, the games should have averaged only about 213 points scored, not the 232 points they are averaging.

And because of the extremely high-scoring three games, the oddsmakers have had to adjust their posted total once again for tonight. This total is 10.5 points higher than the series opener, 5 points higher than the second game, and 2 points higher than the last game. That

After losing the first two games of this series on their home court, Orlando was in a terrific situation to get back into the series in Game 3 on Saturday night. However, that never happened as the Magic were embarrassed in Game 3 by Boston in a 23-point loss (94-71). The Celtics won the first quarter 27-12 and they never trailed in the entire game while holding a 32-point at one point in the game. Orlando

Orlando

The first two games in this series have been extremely high-scoring with point totals of 235 in Game 1 and 236 in Game 2. Now with the offensive firepower possessed by Los Angeles and Phoenix, those numbers are not really much of a surprise, if those games came during the regular season. Playoff basketball isn

Orlando was completely embarrassed on their home court in the first two games of this series. Boston had their way with the Magic on both ends of the floor as the Celtics offense couldn

Phoenix was blasted in Game 1 by the Lakers 128-107. The Suns actually did not play as bad as the 21-point loss would indicate; they scored 107 points after shooting 49.4% (39-79) from the field. And they got to the free-throw line often, connecting on 75% (24-32) of their attempts. Their shooting troubles came from three-point land where they shot just 22.7% (5-22) which is well below their seasonal average of 41.1% from beyond the arc. With a return to normal long-range shooting by the Suns tonight, there

Orlando

Phoenix was highly impressive in their last series against San Antonio. The Suns swept the Spurs winning every game by at least 6 points after scoring 107 points or more in every one of those games as well. But the Suns are taking a big step-up in class here as the Lakers are a much better team than San Antonio and also a better all around team than Phoenix. The Suns have always had trouble playing against Los Angeles, and we expect more of the same here, especially in the opening game of this series.

Los Angeles dominated the Suns in three of the four meetings this season. The Lakers won the two homes games by 19 (121-102) and 20 (108-88) points. They controlled both of those games as they led by 27 and 23 points and they only trailed once in both games combined. They also held 21-point leads heading into the fourth quarter in both games. That

Boston comes into today

These two teams had alternated wins and losses in this series before Boston won Games 4 and 5. The Celtics were on the winning end of Tuesday night

The Celtics were embarrassed in Game 3 when they allowed Cleveland to score 124 points and shoot 59.5% from the field. Boston responded with a better defensive effort in Game 4 and held the Cavaliers to just 87 points and 40.3% FG. The series now returns to Cleveland and the Cavs should respond with a much better offensive performance this season as they average 102.7 points per game at home this season where they shoot 49.4% from the field.

Boston is also an efficient offensive team as the Celtics average 48.1% FG this season (versus opponents that allow just 45.9%) and the Over is 6-2 in the eight head-to-head meetings this season. Despite totaling just 184 points in Game 4, the pace was still fast with my re-scoring pace and percentage models totaling 199 and 204.5.

Overall, the past six head-to-head meetings have averaged 202.5 points per game with my mathematical re-scoring pace and percentage models averaging 200 and 206 points per game.

Play OVER the total.

Atlanta was embarrassed in Game 3 by Orlando for the second time in this series. The Hawks lost Game 1 by a whopping 43 points (114-71) in a performance that may go down as the worst loss in NBA Playoffs history. Atlanta lost Game 3 by 30 points (105-75) in a similarly dismal performance. However, Atlanta

This series is all but over with Phoenix holding a 3-0 lead coming into tonight

We

After opening the Playoffs at just 2-2, the Lakers have now won four straight games. But of their four wins, only one came easily. And that was their 111-87 win over Oklahoma City in Game 5 of that series. Their other three wins came by just 1, 5, and 8 points. Los Angeles held home court by winning the first two games over Utah, but again, neither win was easy. And, in fact, the Jazz were in position to steal either game and quite easily could

Phoenix played two tremendous basketball games to open up this series. The Suns were fantastic on the offensive end of the court scoring 111 and 110 points in those two games. They shot 47% (77-164) from the field and 41% (16-39) from three-point land in those games, and they also connected on 77% (51-66) of their free-throw attempts. Phoenix got back-to-back out of character offensive games from Steve Nash who scored 52 points on 62.5% (20-32) shooting from the field and 40% (2-5) from three-point land. Nash is not a consistent big-time scorer these days; he

Atlanta was embarrassed by Orlando in Game 1. The Hawks lost by a whopping 43 points (114-71) in a performance that may go down as the worst loss in NBA Playoffs history. However, Atlanta

San Antonio has one of the deepest rosters in the NBA. The Spurs played 9 different guys at least 10 minutes or more in their 111-102 Game 1 loss to Phoenix on Monday night. Nine of those ten guys scored points, and despite the big three of San Antonio (Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker) doing the bulk of the scoring with 20 points or more apiece, the Spurs are more than capable of getting other guys to contribute. San Antonio

Atlanta comes into tonight

Boston gave away a golden opportunity to steal Game 1 after they blew an 11-point third quarter lead. The Celtics controlled that game for three and a half quarters, especially on the defensive end of the court. Boston

The first two games in this series were extremely high-scoring with point totals of 239 in Game 1 and 225 in Game 2.  Denver won Game 1 by 13-points (126-113) after both teams shot the lights-out.  The Nuggets shot an incredible 57.1% (48-84) from the field and 42.3% (11-26) from three-point land.  The Jazz shot the ball just as well, hitting 54.7% (41-75) from the field and 41.2% (7-17) from three-point land.  In Game 2, we once again saw some hot shooting from the Jazz.  Utah shot 52.9% (36-68) from the field and 46.2% (6-13) from three-point land.  However, there was another out of the ordinary part of that game.  

The teams combined to shoot a whopping 91 free-throw attempts.  They combined to hit 73 of those freebies, which is an amazing 73 points scored while the clock was not running.  Despite that, Game 2 totaled ‘only’ 225 points.  That was a major misleading final score, and the second consecutive one of this series.  But in Game 3, the shooting cooled off and we saw just 198 points scored in a 103-95 Utah win.  Then, Games 4 and 5 reverted back to the first two games of the series with 223 and 218 points scored.  The Nuggets and Jazz combined to shoot 48% from the field in those two games and they also combined to attempt 144 free-throws while connecting on 75% (108-144).  But we’re expecting tonight’s game to play-out exactly the same as Game 3 did after both teams played much better defense and the shooting was back to normal percentages.   

And like Game 3, the oddsmakers had to adjust their posted total for tonight 4 points higher than Game 4.  That’s over-adjusted, but it creates a lot of value to play the Under tonight.  Denver’s season is on the line tonight and the Nuggets need to step-up their defensive intensity in order to have a shot at extending this series to Game 7.  Off the back-to-back high-scoring games and with Denver on the brink of elimination, we expect an offensive regression from Games 4 and 5 resulting in a low-scoring Game 6.

Play UNDER the total.

Milwaukee has taken control of this series by winning the last three games after losing the first two games in Atlanta.  The Bucks can closeout the series tonight with a win, and they’ll do that if they play like they have in the last three ballgames.  Milwaukee’s defense has been spectacular in those games; the Bucks have held Atlanta to 93 points per game which is a bit misleading since the hawks have scored just 89 and 87 in two of the three games.  Atlanta scored 104 points in a wild Game 4, but other than that game, the Hawks offense has been held in check by Milwaukee.  And if the Bucks want to win tonight, they once again need their defense to get it done for them.  

Game 5 was played at a slow pace as it was just 59-51 after three quarters of play.  After Milwaukee unexpectedly exploded offensively in Games 3 and 4, the last game was back to normal.  The Bucks offense scored just 92 and 86 points in the first two games of this series.  But they woke up on their home court as they scored 107 and 111 points in the next two games.  Milwaukee definitely played way above their offensive capabilities in those games since they averaged just 97 points per game on 43.8% shooting over the course of the regular season.  And with Milwaukee on the verge of winning the series tonight, the Bucks will go back their strength, defense, in order to give themselves the best chance of avoiding a Game 7 in Atlanta.  

Atlanta’s season is on the line, and because of that, they’ll come with a ton of intensity tonight, especially on the defensive end of the court.  Atlanta has held Milwaukee down in the past; the Bucks averaged just 93 points per game (not including abnormal Games 3 and 4) against Atlanta in the five previous games played.  The Hawks will need to win this game with their defense, and being down 3-2 in the series, tonight is when they’ll be focused on shutting down Milwaukee’s offense.  Despite some high-scoring games in this series, they are misleading as my pace and percentage models say the games should have averaged only 183 points per game.  So there’s some tremendous value in tonight’s total since it is still inflated.  And with the importance of this game to both teams, we expect more defensive intensity from both resulting in a low-scoring Game 6.

Play UNDER the total.

Dallas finally broke out of their offensive slump in Game 5 as the Mavericks scored 103 points in their 22-point win (103-81) over San Antonio on Tuesday night. The Mavericks didn

Utah once again showed a huge home/road dichotomy this season. At home, the Jazz went a fantastic 32-9 during the regular season. And they showed that dominance in the last two games as they beat Denver by 11 and 12 points. But on the road, they once again played mediocre basketball and went just 21-20. Their road weakness was evident in Game 1 when the Nuggets handed the Jazz a 13-point loss (126-113). That double-digit loss was no fluke because Utah hasn

Milwaukee got back into this series after winning both of their home games. The Bucks lost the first two games in Atlanta by 10 points each after their offense scored just 92 and 86 points in those games. But they woke up on their home court as they scored 107 and 111 points in the next two games. Milwaukee definitely played way above their offensive capabilities in those games since they averaged just 97 points per game on 43.8% shooting over the course of the regular season. Off back-to-back spectacular offensive games, there

Aside from their 23-point loss (121-98) in Game 4, Chicago hasn

Miami saved face in Game 4 as they avoided getting swept by Boston. The Heat came with a terrific offensive effort in that game, but after such a big performance, it

Atlanta played one of their worst games of the season in Game 3 on Saturday night. The Hawks scored just 89 points, but they actually needed a 32-point fourth quarter just to reach that mark. They only scored a total of 57 points over the first three quarters while scoring 21 points or less in all three of those quarters. Atlanta was ice cold from the floor; the Hawks shot just 39.1% (34-87) from the field and a dismal 20% (3-15) from three-point land. Atlanta

Utah played another inspired game on Friday night in their 105-93 win over Denver in Game 3. The Jazz did it once again without two starters (Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur) on the court which is certainly a credit to the team. In the series opener in Denver, Okur left after tearing his Achilles and that allowed the Nuggets to pull away to 126-113 win. In Game 2, Utah really stepped-up their performance and pulled off the upset as a 7-point underdog. Now we often see that in sports when a key guy goes out, the team rallies in the first game without him and more often than not win the game which happened in this case with the Jazz. The following game is where the team regresses, and most often lose because they can

Of all the NBA Playoffs series

The last two games in this series have been extremely high-scoring for these two teams with point totals of 214 in Game 2 and 214 in Game 3. But those scores were manufactured after both teams did some out of the ordinary things on the offensive end of the court. In Game 2, Chicago had five players score in double digits, and three of those five scored 20 points or more. In Game 3, the Bulls repeated that feat as once again five players scored in double digits with three of those five scoring 20 points or more. It was also just the third time in NBA Playoffs history that a starting backcourt (Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich) scored that many points combined in the same game.

Chicago

Los Angeles had this series in-hand after winning the first two games at home. And they looked liked they were going to have a strangle hold on it when they were leading by 9 points mid-way through the third quarter in Game 3. But the Thunder made an in-game defensive adjustment that took the Lakers by surprise and turned the whole game around. Oklahoma City put Kevin Durant on Kobe Bryant, and Durant did one heck of job forcing Kobe into a ton of bad, off-balance, forced shots. The Lakers weren

Charlotte is a young team that lacks much playoff experience together. In fact, the Bobcats are making their first appearance in the playoffs as a franchise. The Bobcats season took a positive turn when they traded for Stephen Jackson. Prior to his arrival, Charlotte

The first two games in this series have been extremely high-scoring with point totals of 239 in Game 1 and 225 in Game 2. Now with the offensive firepower possessed by Denver and Utah, those numbers are not really much of a surprise, if those games came during the regular season. Playoff basketball isn

The loss by Dallas in Game 2 was of no surprise to us as we played San Antonio in that game. The Spurs were in a terrific bounce back spot after out-playing Dallas in the series opener despite losing the game on the scoreboard. Game 1 was played with a very quick whistle that favored Dallas greatly as the Mavericks shot 20 more free-throws (34-14) than San Antonio. However, the last game was officiated fair and square with the Mavs attempting 22 free-throws and the Spurs attempting 20.

San Antonio

Cleveland

Of all the NBA Playoffs series

Charlotte is a young team that lacks much playoff experience together. In fact, the Bobcats are making their first appearance in the playoffs as a franchise. The Bobcats season took a positive turn when they traded for Stephen Jackson. Prior to his arrival, Charlotte

Oklahoma City is not your typical 8 seed. The Thunder won 50 games this season, and they should really be more of a 4 or 5 seed. However, the West was extremely strong this season and because of that, Oklahoma City was relegated to the bottom seed. This team has played fantastic basketball all season long, and there

Miami