2018 NBA Playoffs, Second Round (Conf. Semis)

[ShelC]

I don't think Toronto could beat Philly or Boston.

[Split T]

East has surprised me. I thought Philly and Toronto would advance, but they might both get swept. LeBron beat Indiana by himself and now his teammates have woken up a bit and they are crushing Toronto. Boston's dismantling of Philly is equally impressive. Boston vs Cleveland for the chance to lose to Golden State should be a good series.

[Mori Chu]

East has surprised me. I thought Philly and Toronto would advance, but they might both get swept. LeBron beat Indiana by himself and now his teammates have woken up a bit and they are crushing Toronto. Boston's dismantling of Philly is equally impressive. Boston vs Cleveland for the chance to lose to Golden State should be a good series.

I agree with most of your post. But you're pretty quick to dismiss Houston. You think Golden State will handle them so easily?

[Split T]

I've been wrong a lot this playoffs so I wouldn't trust anything i say, haha, but I'd be very surprised if Golden State doesn't win. They just coasted through the regular season and are just better than everyone. We'll see what happens.

[Mori Chu]

Speaking of Golden State, they're up big on the Pelicans right now in Game 4 on ABC. Kerr decided to start their "death lineup" this time.

[Mori Chu]

There are a lot of good signs for the Warriors in this game and in the playoffs in general. They typically rise and fall with the play of Draymond Green. And Green has been a monster in these playoffs. His stat lines typically flirt with triple-double territory, and he's hitting his open 3s, which are key to their floor spacing. It's also a good sign for them that Steph seems to be healthy and able to stay on the court so far. Knock on wood. I think if they're healthy they are the best team in the NBA, though that's not exactly a hot take.

[specialsauce]

There are a lot of good signs for the Warriors in this game and in the playoffs in general. They typically rise and fall with the play of Draymond Green. And Green has been a monster in these playoffs. His stat lines typically flirt with triple-double territory, and he's hitting his open 3s, which are key to their floor spacing. It's also a good sign for them that Steph seems to be healthy and able to stay on the court so far. Knock on wood. I think if they're healthy they are the best team in the NBA, though that's not exactly a hot take.

Mori, your boner is showing.

But yes, I agree with you. Unfortunately they look unstoppable again

[Superbone]

Yawn, it will be the Warriors and Rockets in the conference finals just like we knew all along. All the Warriors series have been my least watched in these playoffs. Boring.

[Mori Chu]

Yawn, it will be the Warriors and Rockets in the conference finals just like we knew all along. All the Warriors series have been my least watched in these playoffs. Boring.

I think Warriors/Rockets will be an interesting WCF. I picked Houston to win because I thought they looked healthier and hungrier. Capela is playing great, Harden and Paul seem to have figured things out. A lot of the role players on Houston also seem sharp and motivated this year. Golden State is probably the better team in terms of their top-7 players vs Houston's top-7, but GSW are more banged up and more fatigued and are just generally less close to the top of their game. The last week or so has been pretty promising for GSW but I still think Houston will give them all they can handle.

[jonh]

I was excited for Utah to make it a better series. I am more excited to have Igor lose his Jazz commitments and start focusing on the team that matters.

[O_Gardino]

I was excited for Utah to make it a better series. I am more excited to have Igor lose his Jazz commitments and start focusing on the team that matters.

+1

[O_Gardino]

The 4 best teams all had statement games this weekend. These are the 4 we expected from the start of the season, and I think it's fun to see them get it together and start playing well.

Also, I have a lot more respect for Indiana's defense after watching them in the first round.

[Mori Chu]

Utah, Indiana, New Orleans showed themselves to be better than we thought. But ultimately the final four teams are the ones everybody predicted all year, for the most part. Too bad the semis have been so non-competitive.

[Shabazz]

I don't think anyone would have predicted Boston as a final 4 team had they known there would be no Irving or Hayward.

[Mori Chu]

Looks like Philly wins Game 4 out of pride and pushes their series to 3-1. Great, I guess, since now they can say they didn't get swept. But it'll likely be a gentlemen's sweep in Game 5, no?

[Mori Chu]

Now Cleveland / Toronto is on. This one feels to me like Cleveland will wrap it up tonight. They have broken Toronto's spirit. Cleveland has gotta be thrilled with the more engaged play from Kevin Love lately. It's about time the guy started playing like a star again.

[Cap]

Now Cleveland / Toronto is on. This one feels to me like Cleveland will wrap it up tonight. They have broken Toronto's spirit. Cleveland has gotta be thrilled with the more engaged play from Kevin Love lately. It's about time the guy started playing like a star again.

It’s a bit early in the game to be drawing any conclusions about Toronto's spirit being broken. They certainly haven’t given up.

[Cap]

Then Lowry shoots that incredibly lazy three-pointer to make me look bad.

[Hermen]

I won't put a fork in the Celtics - 76ers series yet. I know nobody comes back from 0-3, but I just feel that Boston needs good games from most of their guys to win, while Philly has enough talent to get by even if some of their players have an off night (not Embiid and Simmons though). Not saying Boston won't win just that I won't be shocked if this series goes on a bit longer.

[Mori Chu]

Now Cleveland / Toronto is on. This one feels to me like Cleveland will wrap it up tonight. They have broken Toronto's spirit. Cleveland has gotta be thrilled with the more engaged play from Kevin Love lately. It's about time the guy started playing like a star again.

It’s a bit early in the game to be drawing any conclusions about Toronto's spirit being broken. They certainly haven’t given up.

Lebron and Cleveland just have their number. They're down 16 at the half and it feels over. This is 24 minutes from being a sweep.