Round two of the NBA playoffs has begun with the Denver Nuggets defeating the Dallas Mavericks in game one of their series. The other three conference semi-finals tip off with their first games in the next few days.
The Mavericks looked strong in their 4-1 series win over the Spurs in round one, but they will need to dig deeper if they have any hopes of beating the red-hot Nuggets in round two. The Nuggets won all 4 of their meetings with the Mavericks during the regular season.
Also in the western conference, the Houston Rockets will be battling the Los Angeles Lakers. The Rockets are pumped up by getting past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in a long time, but the Lakers are still favored to win this series and move on to the conference finals.
With little time to rest from their grueling 7 game series with the Bulls, the Boston Celtics will be taking on the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference semifinals. These teams split their regular season meetings and look to be evenly matched, which could mean another long series for the Celtics.
Also in the east, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be coming off a nine day rest to take on the Atlanta Hawks who are celebrating their first playoff series win since 1999. The Hawks have a tough road ahead against the team boasting this season’s best record and league MVP.
Will we see any surprises in round 2, or are we destined for #1 vs. #2 match-ups in both conference finals? Let us know what you think this second round holds by leaving a comment below.
Now is the time to shop at the NBA Store to stock up on NBA merchandise for your favorite playoff team, or order an NBA watch for your favorite NBA-loving dad for Father’s Day!
Photo by Keith Allison, available under a Creative Commons Attribution license.
