Marks has two bets for the first game of the Eastern Conference semifinals. There is a time and a place. After a thrilling opening round of the NBA playoffs that saw the NBA-best Phoenix Suns getting tested by the New Orleans Pelicans and their trio of unheralded rookies, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks sending the Utah Jazz into an uncertain offseason and the Boston Celtics breaking out the broom The higher seeds advanced in every series in the first round, but something tells us that won't happen again. The Golden State Warriors, who just eliminated the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, could pose a problem for the Memphis Grizzlies. Since the start of the second half of the season, the Celtics have been the hottest team in the league. Their reward? The defending champion is the Milwaukee Bucks. What will happen in the second round? NBA experts break down each series. Series odds and statistics. The basketball power index of Miami is 75%. Miami is at a price of 3:20 and Philadelphia is at a price of 3:20. The MIA had an offensive rating of 113.0 on the 12th. MIA (108.4, 4th) and PHI (110.2, 12th) had defensive ratings. The Miami HEAT. How did the Heat get here? The regular season was a battle of attrition for the Miami team that had to use 23 different starting lineups because of various injuries but still managed to win the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. In the first round, the Heat were able to overcome the absence of Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler, who were out for Game 5 and Games 4 and 5, respectively. "I just think that we have each other's back", said Martin after eliminating Atlanta. P.J. Tucker was the first-round most valuable player. Tucker had an impact on the team, ranking sixth in points per game, third in rebound, and seventh in assists. On Sunday, May 1
Bucks at Celtics, Game 1 (1 p.m., ABC)
Warriors at Grizzlies, Game 1 (3:30 p.m., ABC)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Friday, May 6
Heat at 76ers, Game 3 (7 p.m.)
All times Eastern.
He is the key to our defense. He doesn't get as much credit as he should, in my opinion, because Miami's defense completely flummoxed Atlanta in the series finale.
He only gets two shots on certain nights. I think he is the real reason our defense is the way it is, because he is a teammate like that.
Tucker will be called upon to bring that same intensity into the second-round game against Philadelphia and James Harden.
Dave McMenamin.
The Philadelphia 76ers lost.
The 76ers got here.
Philadelphia finished fourth in the East after escaping the Ben Simmons saga and acquiring Harden. The Raptors pushed the 76ers to six games after falling behind in the series. The good news is that the Game 6 performance in Toronto got Philly back on track. The good news is that he is out indefinitely with a facial injury.
Danny Green was the sneakiest first-round winner.
Green has been through a lot of NBA playoff battles. The veteran showed his worth with his performance against Toronto. Green's minutes went from 22 per game to over 31 because of the absence of Matisse Thybulle.
Green made the most triples of anyone on the 76ers in the six games against the Raptors. He should be in a large role against Miami because of his experience and shooting skills.
Tim Bontemps.
Stephen A. Smith discusses how the 76ers series will be affected by the injury of Embiid.
What to watch is the injury status of Embiid.
How long it will take for Embiid to recover from his injuries will determine whether this series is a battle or a mismatch.
Philadelphia has lost its franchise centerpiece at both ends of the court with the news that center Joel Embiid is out indefinitely with an elbow injury.
It is a devastating stroke of bad luck for Embiid, who said on many occasions this season how much pride he took in missing just four games due to injury and shed his injury-prone label. He had a torn thumb on his shooting hand in the span of a week.
The 76ers will try to figure out where to go from here, but none of the options are appealing. The team is built to be powered by Embiid.
Bontemps
Series odds and statistics.
Boston has a basketball power index of 62%.
Boston is -200 and Milwaukee is +170.
The offensive ratings were: BOS (113.6, 9th) and MIL (114.3, 3rd).
The defensive ratings are: BOS (106.2, 1st) and MIL (111.1, 14th).
Boston Celtics
The Celtics got here.
After a rocky start to the season, the Celtics found their rhythm after Christmas. They did a great job defensively against Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets in the first round. The Celtics come into this series with a lot of confidence after dominating the preseason NBA title favorite.
Marcus Smart was the sneakiest first-round winner.
During the Nets series, the type of consistent superstar performances that defined his team's wins was provided by a different player, but in the shadow of his greatness was the steady play, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
The Celtics had a lot of success against the Warriors because of Smart's ability to be a difference-maker defensively.
Nick Friedell.
The Milwaukee Buck's have three.
The Bucks got here.
The first true test of their title defense has been building for a while. Milwaukee and Boston both finished with identical records, but the Celtics rested their starters on the last day of the season, setting up a first-round series with the Bulls.
Jrue Holiday was the sneakiest first-round winner.
Holiday put up modest scoring totals during the first round against the Bulls, even with Khris Middleton missing most of the series, but Holiday turned up the intensity on Chicago's All-Star duo for the entire series. When guarded by Holiday, LaVine and DeMar DeRozan combined to shoot 30% from the field. When Holiday was the closest defender, the Bulls shot 29% in the series. Holiday shot a career-high 41% from 3-point range during the regular season, which could be important considering the Bucks are almost certain to need more offense from Holiday in this series.
The man is named Jamal Collier.
Monica McNutt talked about the upcoming Eastern Conference semifinals between the Celtics and the Bucks.
What to watch is Boston vs. Giannis.
The winner of this series is likely to be determined by a clash between two objects.
One of the league's best rim attackers, Antetokounmpo, is up against Boston's interior defense, one of the stingiest in the league.
During the Bulls' first-round series, Antetokounmpo averaged 18 points per game in the paint. During the season, Antetokounmpo led the NBA in made layups and dunks, averaged the most points per game in the restricted area, and scored the most points in the league on direct drives.
Milwaukee is missing one of its best perimeter scorers in Middleton.
| Giannis | NBA rank | BOS defense | NBA rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paint PPG | 15.9 | 3rd | 42.5 allowed | 2nd |
| Points/direct drive | 1.20 | 1st | 0.93 allowed | 1st |
In the NBA, Boston allowed the lowest points on direct drives and the lowest paint field goal percentage. They have been the best team in the league since the beginning of the year in field goal percentage allowed at the rim.
The Celtics have multiple defenders who can match up with Antetokounmpo, including Robert Williams III, Grant Williams and Al Horford.
The person said that it was Collier.
Series odds and statistics.
The basketball power index is Dallas.
Phoenix is -300 and Dallas is +200.
DAL (112.50, 14th) had an offensive rating of 114.2.
DAL (109.1, 7th) has a defensive rating of 106.8.
The Phoenix Suns.
The Suns got here.
The Suns had a franchise-record 64 wins in the regular season, but were dealt a blow in the first round when Booker went down with a injury. They won the first two games of the series to close out the Pels.
The sneakiest first-round winner: Mikal Bridges.
Compete for $40,000 in the NBA playoffs. Pick your favorites.
The Game 5 performance was an all-time record. Bridges played all but 66 seconds and had 31 points and four steals. He became the seventh player in playoffs history to have at least 30 points, four 3s and four steals in a game, joining Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter.
Bridges was always a defensive force. According to the research, Bridges held the Pelicans to a 37% shooting percentage as the primary defender. He held New Orleans to 0.82 points per play as the primary defender and forced 14 turnovers.
Andrew Lopez.
The Dallas Mavericks won four games.
How did the Mavericks get here?
The Dallas Mavericks won their first playoff series since their title run in 2011. The guard, who averaged 27.8 points and committed only four total turnovers, had a great series.
The first-round Most Valuable Player was Dorian Finney-Smith.
Let's go with Finney-Smith, because Brunson was too spectacular to be a sneaky person. The small forward was the primary defender on the Jazz star, who said that the biggest factor in his inefficiency was Finney-Smith.
The offensive contributor was Finney-Smith, who averaged 13.2 points and 2.8 assists while going 17-of-43 on 3s. The Mavs had success with their small lineups because of his 6.3 rebound per game. He played 260 minutes in the series. The four-year extension signed in February looks like a bargain.
Tim MacMahon.
Chris Paul went 14-for-14 from the field as the Suns defeated the Pelicans 115-109 to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.
Luka will be looking at Phoenix's perimeter defense.
Monty Williams will want his Defensive Player of the Year candidate on the other side. Bridges will guard Doncic when the shots are going up, but how the Mavericks organize their defense will determine how much of a guard Bridges will be.
Dallas and Phoenix met three times this season, but Doncic did not play in two of them. In the one game Doncic did play, Bridges had 31 half-court battles against him, double any other Suns player.
NBA.com shows that Doncic was just 1-for-2 against Bridges. Dallas wanted to get Bridges off of Doncic. Booker or Chris Paul became the primary defenders on six of the nine times Bridges switched to guarding Doncic.
Whatever the Suns did worked. In 38 minutes, Doncic was 9-of-23 overall and 2-of-9 from distance. The outcome of the series could be determined by how Phoenix defends Doncic.
Lopez
Series odds and statistics.
The basketball power index of Memphis is 67%.
The Golden State is at Golden State is at Golden State is at Golden State is at Golden State is at Golden State is at Golden State is at Golden State is at Golden State is at Golden State is at Golden State is at Golden State is at Golden State is at Golden State is at Golden
GS (112.1, 16th) has an offensive rating of 114.3.
GS (106.6, 2nd) had a defensive rating of108.9.
The Memphis GriZZLIES.
How did the team get here?
The second-best record in the NBA was posted by Memphis despite not having Ja Morant. They played their best in the clutch and are in the second round. They trailed by 68.5% of the time against the Wolves but came back to win the series. It will be a lot harder against a team like the Warriors.
The sneakiest first-round winner was Desmond Bane.
The big-time player for the Grizzlies is Bane. He was the leader of Memphis in the first round with 23.5 points, 4.3 rebound, 1.2 blocks and 48.2% shooting from 3. He will be needed to help Memphis keep pace from long range with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole, but he will also have to bring the energy on both ends of the floor. In the first round of the playoffs, the Warriors were able to stop Bane from getting off to a good start, as he buried a total of 15 3s in the first two games.
Ohm Youngmisuk.
The Warriors are from the Golden State.
How did the Warriors get here?
The regular season of the Warriors was ruined by injuries to their star players. The Warriors showed how good they can be in the playoffs. Their new-look small-ball lineup led to two wins over the Nuggets, while Golden State's other two wins proved they can close out tight games.
Gary Payton II was the sneakiest first-round winner.
It is easy to give this honor to Poole, who enjoyed his official coming out party as a rising star in the NBA. But Golden State had a hidden secret that was the true most valuable player of the series. The Warriors went on a little run when Payton checked into a game against the Nuggets. For most of the series, the Warriors' defense was given a grade-A by Payton, who went up against rookies such as Bones Hyland and Will Barton, as well as defending reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. The Warriors got an offensive boost from the wide-open shots that Payton knocked down. The dagger over Jeff Green was his most important bucket.
There is a person named "Kendra Andrews."
The similarities between the Warriors and the Memphis team that Curry was on early in his career were described by him.
What to watch is Morant vs. Payton II.
The clash with Morant will be a good one to watch because of the assignment that Payton has taken in guarding the best guard in the game.
The New York Knicks and the Minnesota Timberwolves had the most half-court opponents of any player in the regular season. The second-lowest field goal percentage allowed against Morant this season was held to 2-for-12 shooting by Payton.
If he can make things difficult on Morant, it could provide a huge boost for the Warriors in the second round.
The person said, "Andrews."
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