The first round of the NBA Playoffs ended with a thrilling game seven between the Clippers and Jazz on Monday. The Jazz progressed and will go on to face the Warriors in Round 2 of the Playoffs. We preview the two Round 2 games this Tuesday, the 2nd of May below.
Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers (9am AEST)
The Cavs will host the Raptors in game one of their second round matchup as the Raptors try to go one step further than last year’s playoffs and defeat the LeBron James and his Cleveland teammates. Toronto overcame Milwaukee in six games to advance to the second round, marking the first time they have ever won a playoffs series that hasn’t gone the distance.
Raptors head coach Dwayne Casey can be credited for the victory, after trailing the series 2-1, he made the key move to bring sophomore Norman Powell into the lineup at the expense of big man Jonas Valunciunas. The move helped to combat the length and quickness of the young Bucks side but it’s unknown whether Casey will stick with this lineup against the bigger frontcourt unit of Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love. The Raptors also brought in Serge Ibaka through the regular season to add a much needed defensive presence around the rim.
Cleveland looked shaky at times throughout their series against the Pacers but still managed to win it in four games, which makes for a daunting prospect for the Raptors. The offensive side of things has always been there for the Cavs, but if thye can retain some of the defensive form that saw them win last years Championship they’ll be extremely tough to beat. However, the Cavs allowed the Pacers to hang in the majority of their games and with the opening game line drifting out to 7 points we like the Raptors to keep this one close enough to cover.
TIP: Toronto Raptors +7 - $1.95 at Sportsbet
Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs (11.30am AEST)
It’s the story of the unstoppable force vs the immovable object here as the offensive juggernaut that is the Rockets face the defensive minded Spurs. James Harden and the Rockets combined for one of the best offensive season’s by a team in recent history this year as they secured the 3rd seed in the West. During their 55-27 season, they failed to reach 100 points on just five occasions and their bench scoring unit which consists of sixth man of the year candidates in Eric Gordon and Lou Williams is one of the most efficient in NBA history.
They’ll need to be at their best if they aim to knock out the Spurs, who on the other end of the spectrum, have one of the best defences in the league led by two-time defensive player of the year in Kawhi Leonard. Spurs opponents reached 100 in less than half of the teams games this year as they went on to finish 2nd in the West with an impressive 61-21 record, marking the 18th year in a row they have finished with at least 50 wins.
One thing San Antonio does particularly well is defend the 3pt shot, which is something that Houston live and die by. While we did pick Houston to upset the Spurs this series, we think it might take them a while to settle into their offence and find their feet against the Spurs, we think San Antonio should win this one.
TIP: San Antonio -5.5 - $1.95 at William Hill
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