NBA Conference Semifinals Game 1: Monday May 2nd at 1:00 pm ET

Another solid series kicks off on Monday as the 76ers visit the Miami Heat after knocking off the Raptors rather easily in Game 6. The Heat managed to eliminate Atlanta as well in five games, even without Jimmy Butler in the lineup. The four teams left in the East are all solid defensively, and the matchup to watch here is going to be Joel Embiid against Bam Adebayo. Bam has historically guarded Embiid well, and is one of the few big men in the East who can keep up with his athleticism. Another interesting matchup will be Jimmy Butler guarding James Harden. The Beard struggled for the most part in the opening series, and will find difficulty again against a Miami team that ......

NBA Conference Semifinals Game 1: Sunday May 1st at 1:00 pm ET

What a colossal series this is going to be between the defending NBA Champions and the league’s best defensive team in the regular season. The Bucks start the series at a disadvantage without star shooting guard Khris Middleton who is out with a Grade 2 MCL sprain and will miss the entire second round. Boston’s Jaylen Brown is also a game time decision for Game 1 with a hamstring strain, but given that it is the playoffs expect Brown to lean towards playing. The main matchup will be between Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Two of, if not the two best power forwards in the league right now, Tatum showed his defensive ability against Kevin Durant in Round 1.

NBA Playoffs Game Six:  Friday April 29, 2022

In what has arguably been the most exciting series so far in the NBA playoffs, the Minnesota Timberwolves find themselves one loss away from a first round exit. Memphis has been a difficult team to beat all year and has some of the best depth in the NBA. The Twolves find themselves top-heavy on offense with the young trio of Karl Anthony-Towns, Anthony Edwards, and D’Angelo Russell, and lack the bench depth to compete with the second unit of the Grizzlies. Memphis centers Steven Adams and Jaren Jackson Jr. have done a great job keeping Towns in check, and on the other side, Patrick Bevereley has not been able to keep up with the high flying Ja Morant.

The Timberwolves stated that .........

NBA Playoffs Game Six:  7:00 pm ET Thursday April 28, 2022

On Thursday, the Sixers and the Raptors will play a crucial game six at the Air Canada Center. Philly had a 3-0 lead in the series but have now lost two straight games as the momentum has shifted back to Toronto. The Raptors have played well at home, winning Game 4 and were a Joel Embiid three-pointer at the buzzer away from winning Game 3. It remains to be seen if guard Fred Van Vleet will be in the lineup, but the Raps played just as well without him in Game 5. The Sixers need to reset here, as Toronto has changed their approach on defense. The Raptors seem to be double teaming Embiid now without fouling him, and daring the rest of the team to make their shots.

It’s.........

NBA Playoffs Game Four: 3:00 pm ET on Sunday April 24, 2022

The Nuggets find themselves on the brink of elimination as they failed to emerge victorious in Game 3 at home. Even if the Nuggets can pull this one off, it seems unlikely they will win back in San Francisco where the Warriors absolutely punished Denver. The fact of the matter is, Denver has no depth in its lineup behind Nikola Jokic. He might be the MVP of the league, but he can only do so much, especially when he is off the floor. The Nuggets really miss Michael Porter Jr and Jamal Murray, and for a team that used to have nothing but depth, the bench has certainly been lacking in the playoffs. Golden State has exposed Denver’s guard play as Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, .........

NBA Playoffs Game Four: 7:00 pm ET on Sunday April 24, 2022

To everyone’s surprise, Atlanta pulled off the upset in Game 3 at home. Trae Young’s floater with 4.4 seconds left in the game dropped in as the Hawks topped the Heat 111-110. Young played better in Game 3, especially compared to the first two games of the series, although it was a group effort from Atlanta on Friday. Six players on the Hawks scored in double digits including 17 from Deandre Hunter and 18 from Bogdan Bogdanovic off the bench. With Clint Capela out, John Collins filled in for 23 minutes as he continued to work his way back from an injury. Miami is going to need more from Bam Adebayo if they want to win this series.

The big man was fine on Friday, .........

NBA Playoffs Game Three: 7:00 pm ET on Friday April 22, 2022

One of the more lopsided series in the NBA playoffs so far heads to Atlanta for Game 3 on Friday night. Star point guard Trae Young has been mostly kept in check from the smothering defense of Jimmy Butler. Atlanta also missed its center Clint Capela, who left Game 1 with a knee injury. If Capela is unable to suit up in Game 3, it will be another group effort for Atlanta with undersized John Collins playing the five, with youngster Onyeka Okongwu backing him up. Neither player is capable of handling Bam Adebayo down low, and even though Bam struggled in Game 2, he should be able to feast against this duo in Game 3.

Butler led the way with 45 points in Game 2, as the .........

NBA Playoffs Game Three: 9:30 pm ET on Friday April 22, 2022

The line on this game tells us that there is a good chance Devin Booker might not be able to suit up. Even if he does, he likely won’t be at 100%. The Suns will need to figure out a way of stopping Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum, who have turned into one of the more dynamic scoring duos in the league. Ingram went off for 37 points last game, while McCollum nearly hit a triple double. Mikal Bridges and Jae Crowder are great defenders, but neither has the length to put up much of a challenge to Ingram’s shots. Jonas Valanciunas hasn’t been as effective in this series from a scoring perspective, but he’s been great on the glass and has outdueled Deandre ......

NBA Round One Game Two: 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday April 20, 2022

Coming off a last second win in Game 1, the Celtics will certainly want to put up a better effort, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. It doesn’t look like they will be getting center Robert Williams back just yet, although he has been spotted practicing with the team. Boston uncharacteristically blew a couple of big leads in Game 1 and the top ranked defensive unit from the regula reason will certainly like to avenge that. Most notably, Marcus Smart who was just named NBA Defensive Player of the Year, will want to prove he deserves the award after Kyrie Irving scored 39 points on him. Expect a much tighter game from Boston, who are lucky to be up 1-0 on ......

NBA Round One Game Two: 9:30 pm ET on Wednesday April 20, 2022

I think everyone was surprised at how close the Bulls were able to keep Game 1 even though they still lost by seven points. The Bulls offense was dreadful, with Demar Derozan shooting 6 for 25 from the field and Zach LaVine shooting 6 for 19. Center Nikola Vucevic had a good stat line, but finished 9 for 27 from the field. The thing is, I’m not even attributing this to a struggling offense. That is just how good the Milwaukee Bucks are on defense when they turn their game up to another level. Giannis wasn’t all-world but he finished with 27 points and 16 rebounds, and finished 10 for 19 from the field.

The same question still applies after Game 1: who can stop .........