The first round of the NBA playoffs was heartwarming. The second round and beyond this year will have little room for feel-good stories. Certainly there’s a soft spot for Doug Collins and his resurrection as coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. But the kind of the lapses and errors his team got away with against the short-handed Chicago Bulls made that series feel like a postseason practice round. Boston already punished them accordingly in Game 1.
There’s also San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, the NBA coach of the year, who massaged the condensed and shortened season in perfect fashion. The Spurs’ biggest worry heading into their second-round series? Too much rest.
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They also will get the Los Angeles Clippers, who barely outlasted Memphis to get into the second round for just the second time since they moved to Los Angeles. With seven games to the Spurs’ four, there’s little doubt which team should be better prepared for Games 3 and 4 back-to-back at Staples Center next weekend.
The downtown Los Angeles arena also will be site of what will be the most discussed series of the playoffs so far, the Lakers against Oklahoma City. Metta World Peace’s refusal to give his hand to the same James Harden he bludgeoned with his elbow is just the beginning.
Kobe Bryant doesn’t care who likes him, and the Thunder are no longer here to make everyone smile and fawn over their chemistry. At this stage of the battle for an NBA title, it’s about results, no matter who gets hurt.
– Craig Stouffer
