The 2015 NBA playoffs are still waiting for a serious injection of drama. Five of the eight first-round series are already 2-0. If the home teams take care of business on Wednesday night, every series will feature that score.
On the surface, it seemed like the opening round would feature some terrific extended battles, especially in the tougher Western Conference. So far, that hasn't been the case. Of course, that can change starting with a couple road victories tonight.
Let's check out the schedule for the day's postseason action, which also features the odds and viewing information for each game. That's followed by some analysis and game predictions.
Wednesday Schedule
Game Predictions
Brooklyn Nets at Atlanta Hawks (1-0 ATL)
In Game 1, the Hawks showed why they went 35-6 at home during the regular season. They built a 12-point lead after the first quarter and never let the Nets complete a comeback bid. Taking care of business at the free-throw line (21-for-22) was key to holding off a fourth-quarter rally.
Moreover, Atlanta once again showed that it is a bad matchup for Brooklyn. The Nets struggle to defend the three (23rd in the NBA), and the Hawks made 10 of them in the series opener.
ESPN Stats & Info notes that the East's top seed extended its run of dominance over its current foes:
The silver lining for the underdogs is that they were able to keep the first game relatively close despite shooting poorly from beyond the arc and the free-throw stripe. Notably, Joe Johnson and Bojan Bogdanovic went a combined 1-for-11 from long distance.
A more efficient shooting night would put them in line to even the series. That won't be easy against the league's fifth-ranked defense, though. Expect the Hawks to continue their strong play at home to grab the 2-0 edge.
Prediction: 101-96 Hawks
Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies (1-0 MEM)
LaMarcus Aldridge had 32 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks in the opener, and Portland still lost by 14. The Grizzlies seemed content to let him dominate the offensive looks. They focused on slowing everybody else down, and it worked to perfection.
That puts the onus on the Blazers' other four starters in Game 2. The group, led by Nicolas Batum and Damian Lillard, went just 11-for-43 (26 percent) from the field. If the Memphis defense can hold them down, it really won't matter what Aldridge is able to do.
The biggest surprise in the first game was the play of Beno Udrih. The Grizzlies' reserve guard chipped in 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 20 minutes off the bench. Ross Wooden, from the team's communications department, highlighted how rare that line is:
That's what it takes to make a deep run in the playoffs: unheralded players stepping up at the right time. The second game should be far more competitive than the first, but look for the Grizzlies to join the large chorus of teams leading 2-0.
Prediction: 95-89 Grizzlies
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers (1-0 LAC)
The Spurs never looked in sync during Game 1. The squad that played picture-perfect team basketball during last year's playoffs and in the homestretch of this regular season was absent on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers isn't getting overly confident, though. He knows a veteran Spurs team is capable of bouncing back quickly, especially after an extra day off between games. Rowan Kavner of the team's official site passed along Rivers' thoughts.
"The (Spurs) can fall back on a lot of years of stuff," he said. "They can run stuff that they ran three years ago that, 'Hey, this may work better in this series.' A lot of teams don't have that luxury."
That said, the most important thing for Los Angeles is that Chris Paul remains in attack mode. San Antonio didn't have an answer for him on Sunday, and once he gets going, it opens up for the floor for everybody else, especially Blake Griffin down low and J.J. Redick on the perimeter.
It's hard to imagine the Spurs putting together two clunkers in a row, so this is really a tossup game. Given the fact it would be highly unusual for all eight series to be 2-0, look for San Antonio to pull out a narrow victory to level the series.
Prediction: 106-103 Spurs
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