Plays & Predictions. #NBAPlayoffs2014

The first round was epic to say the least. Most game 7's ever. Most road wins ever. Most Overtimes ever, and this is just the FIRST ROUND. Imagine what's to come next round. Here are the Top 3 plays from the 1st round.

#3) MVP Kevin Durant



#2) Vince Carter wins game 3



#1) Damien Lillard. The Next Great



Predictions: I had 6/8 of the series right, but only 1/6 I predicted correctly in games that will be played (Thanks LA) Next round:

Pacers in 7. I initially had the Wizards in 6, because the Pacers barely survived against the Hawks. Yes the Wiz have a better back court and overall line up to play against these Pacers, but they don't space the floor as well as the Hawks did. The Pacers stumbled mightily through the first round but during Game 7, they actually may have found their identity. The Key match up here will be Bradley vs Stephenson. Here are 2 teams now on the upswing, and that's why I'll take the Pacers in 7. If the Wizards pull the upset, trust me I'm happy with that as well. 

Heat in 6. Don't tell me about the Nets going 4-0 against the Heat in the regular season because everyone knows the Playoffs are a different beast. I'm not trying to be the cocky Heat fan by saying Heat in 5, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Heat win once they adjust to the Nets style after 1 loss. Playing every other day may take a toll on the knees of D Wade, and the Nets will give the Heat a physical battle, but as long as you have Lebron and one of the top coaches/ systems in the league, I don't see this going past 6 games.

Spurs in 6. Yes the Blazers are the Cinderella team of these Playoffs, but they'll be facing a well oiled machine in San Antonio, along with the best Coach in the NBA. Damian Lillard and Lamarcus Aldridge have been the most entertaining duo thus far, but I expect this next round to be a learning experience for Portland. 

Thunder in 7. This should be the most entertaining round of the playoffs due to the lack of defense that will be played. I expect a lot of ally-oops and even more uncontested three's and jump shots. If the Clippers win this round, it will be based off of Doc Rivers and how he contains Kevin Durant. Blake Griffin and Chris Paul will push the Thunder to the limit but Durant will rise to the occasion, as long as Westbrook gets out of the way. 

So the NBA Final Four should be the Spurs vs Thunder and the Pacers vs Heat. No surprises. just the 2 top seeds from each conference going at it and setting up for what everyone wants to see. MVP vs MVP Part 2.