King Chuddy's Second Round Playoff Preview
May 1, 2022
The first round is in the books and this afternoon the conference semifinals will get underway with a doubleheader. Despite having zero game 7’s, the first round was packed with drama, storyline, and most importantly, great basketball. There was only one sweep, that of course being your very own Boston Celtics dismantling of the Brooklyn Nets. Unfortunately however, we did see a number of injuries to significant players, some that will even affect the playoffs dramatically going forward, like Joel Embiid and Khris Middleton, who may be out for this entire round. But regardless, we are faced with four great second round series’, largely thanks to the higher seed advancing in every single first round matchup. That means more great basketball to come. Let’s take a look at each second round matchup.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
#1 Phoenix Suns vs. #4 Dallas Mavericks
Both of these teams faced a major setback in round 1, as Luka Doncic and Devin Booker each missed games with hamstring injuries. But those players were able to return and help their respective teams close out their series’ in 6 games. Now the MVP candidates will lead their teams against each other in the second round. The Mavericks have found success playing small-ball with four shooters surrounding Doncic. It will be fascinating to see if they can keep that up with DeAndre Ayton on the floor for the Suns. Ayton will be able to punish the lack of size in a way that Utah was not, plus he has the ability to defend well (for a big) on the perimeter. The Suns also have a number of long athletic defenders who will attempt to give Doncic some trouble, in DPOY candidate Mikal Bridges, plus Jae Crowder, and Cam Johnson. For the Suns it’s all about the guards on offense. Chris Paul and Devin Booker will look to find the weakness in the Mavs D and exploit it again and again. I think the Mavs can challenge Phoenix and make this a series, but ultimately the Suns have more talent, more experience, and fewer weaknesses. I think they solve Luka and the Mavs.
Suns in 6
#2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. #3 Golden State Warriors
This series is going to be fun as hell, but frankly I just don’t think the Grizzlies are ready for this. They are still so young and inexperienced. A lot of that was on display during their first round series against the Timberwolves, but they cannot afford those types of lapses in this series. The Warriors are back to firing on all cylinders with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and newest splash brother Jordan Poole are finding their rhythm around Draymond Green. These guys are locked in on both ends and appear poised to make a deep run. The Grizzlies have the talent to make them work, and their home court is a scene (Whoop that trick anyone?), but the Warriors have as much championship mettle as any team in the league. This will likely be a great measuring stick and learning experience for the Grizzlies, but I’d be surprised to see them win.
Warriors in 5
EASTERN CONFERENCE
#1 Miami Heat vs. #4 Philadelphia 76ers
This series looked a lot more interesting before Joel Embiid got a concussion and fractured an orbital bone in his face down the stretch in the close out game against the Raptors. Now the 6ers are staring at an uphill battle as they’ll play at least games 1 & 2 in Miami without their MVP candidate. This will be a great test for James Harden to see how much he has declined, and how much he can ramp it up and take on a larger role in this series. It will also be a great test for Tyrese Maxey, who has impressed at every stop along the way, to see if he can carry the load as a go-to option in a playoff series against one of the league’s best defenses. The Heat are dealing with injuries of their own as Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler are both banged up and missed games in round one. So far there has been no indication that Butler will miss any more time, and if so he should be able to give the 6ers issues on both ends, possibly locking down Harden, while seeking out weak defenders in Maxey/Harden. Without Embiid, Philly will be hurting to combat Bam Adebayo on both ends, and throwing extra attention towards him and Butler will create open looks for all of the Heat sharp-shooters. Philly will have to show another level of perimeter defense than we have seen to stay connected to the shooters. This would be a good series with Embiid, but his loss is just insurmountable in my opinions. He’s the focal point of their offense and defense, and they don’t have anybody who can come close to replacing that.
Heat in 6
#2 Boston Celtics vs. #3 Milwaukee Bucks
I already wrote an entire preview blog on this series, so check that out on the main page. But to sum things up, the Celtics have excellent mismatches with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum going up against the Bucks wings - especially without Khris Middleton. The Bucks love to force three point looks and if the Celtics can hit these shots they’ll score a lot of points. The key on defense, of course, will be slowing down Giannis Antetokounmpo. There’s nobody in the league who can completely stop Giannis, but the Celtics will look to smother him, tire him out, and make sure that he can’t get into a good rhythm - a similar approach as what they did to Kevin Durant. I think the Celtics will be able to slow him enough with the combo of Al Horford, Grant Williams, and everybody else pitching in to help out. Without Middleton I just don’t think the Bucks have enough offense and creation, especially on the perimeter. I’ll echo my sentiments from the Celtics round one matchup against the Nets and roll them over to this matchup: if the Celtics execute and play at a high level, there is nothing the Bucks can do to stop them. I have faith in Boston to do just that and I think they will be eager to make Milwaukee pay for so willingly ceding home court advantage.
Celtics in 5
Ben Handler