Memphis and the LA Clippers will meet in the first round of the NBA’s Western Conference playoffs, slotted in the 4-5 bracket, with the Grizzlies holding homecourt advantage. TheSportsNotebook previews what looks like the best matchup of the opening round…
San Antonio and Utah are on the opposite ends of the NBA’s Western Conference bracket, but each come into the playoffs on a roll. The Spurs have won nine straight coming into Thursday night’s meaningless game against Golden State and passed Oklahoma City for the top seed in the West. Utah, after falling three games below .500 at the end of February, found their footing and delivered a four-game win streak as a finishing spurt, including an overtime win over Dallas and a clutch win over Phoenix this week that nailed down the last playoff spot. Now the Spurs and Jazz are dance partners in the 1-8 spot of the West playoffs, and TheSportsNotebook previews the matchup…
The Indiana Pacers hold homecourt advantage in their matchup with the Orlando Magic in the 3-6 spot on the NBA’s Eastern Conference bracket. This is the “What Could Have Been” series, in that we could have had the best two centers in the East face off with Dwight Howard and Roy Hibbert. Instead, the enigmatic Howard is out for the year, Orlando is reeling and this has the feel of a rout waiting to happen. TheSportsNotebook previews the Indiana-Orlando series to see if there’s any hope of an upset…
The Boston Celtics started the season slow, but closed on an up note and won their fifth straight Atlantic Division title. The Celts were 17-17 at the end of February before getting into rhythm, winning 21 of their last 31 going into Thursday’s meaningless finale against Milwaukee and securing homecourt advantage for the first round of the NBA playoffs. The Atlanta Hawks, on the other hand, were 16-6 at the end of January, but wasn’t able to elevate themselves into the top four with a 23-17 finish to the schedule. The Celtics and Hawks meet in the 4-5 bracket spot in the Eastern Conference. Are they two ships passing in the night or will the start of the postseason disrupt the trends of the last couple months? The SportsNotebook previews the Boston-Atlanta series…