Photo Courtesy: Erik Drost
By DaVince “Dino” Wright
NBA Conference Finals – Thoughts on the Initial Games
Ever since the conference finals started, the Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks and basically switched places with their opponents. The Thunder took the Timberwolves to the woodshed and lead the series 2 games to 1 in the West. In the Eastern Conference, the Pacers are leading 2-1 making things look as if no 20-point lead is safe. Both series are going to 7 games and if the favorites won’t take the lead, well the other team will make history making it to the NBA finals this season. Players to watch: Western Conference: Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, center Rudy Gobert, guard Mike Conley and forward Julius Randle. Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (League MVP), center Isiah Hartenstein, guard Alex Caruso and guard Jalen Williams. These players will be huge in the conference finals. In the Eastern Conference finals, the players to watch will be Pacers forward Pascal Siakam, guard Tyrese Haliburton, guard T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin. The New York Knicks will have their best players playing heavy minutes, so look for guard Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and center Karl-Anthony Towns.
Eastern Conference Finals
The Indiana Pacers have been on a tear since the conference finals started in New York. They stole the first two games with two large comebacks on the road. The Pacers ball movement have been a huge concern for the Knicks in the first 3 games. Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton has played lights out while the Knicks back court has struggled with foul trouble. In Game 3, the Knicks came back and won it on the road after being down by 20+ points. Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 points in the 4th quarter and finished the game with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Game 4 is in Indiana Tuesday night.
New York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers
5/27 – Tuesday – 7:00 p.m. – TV: TNT/Max
Game 4 – The Pacers lead the series 2-1 and would love to get a much-needed win at home against the Knicks. Last game, New York stormed back from 20+ points to win by 6. This game will be huge as far as guard play from the Knicks back court. Players to watch: Knicks guard Jalen Brunson vs Pacers forward Pascal Siakam. I’m taking the Knicks by 3 points.
Finals Score: Knicks 104 – Pacers 98
Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks
5/29 – Thursday – 7:00 p.m. – TV: TNT/Max
Game 5 – This will be my swing game of the series. The Knicks will fight back and get into a winning position applying pressure to the Pacers. Keep in mind one of the best unknown players in this series is Aaron Nesmith. He has lifted the Pacers offense coming off the bench hitting key 3-pointers in this series. Players to watch: Pacers Aaron Nesmith vs Knicks forward Josh Hart. I’m taking the Knicks by 10! They will find a way to pull it off!
Final Score: Pacers 122 – Knicks 132
Western Conference Finals
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the best teams in basketball all season long. They have the best player (by NBA votes) MVP Shai Alexander-Gilgeous. He’s explosive on both ends of the court and he’s averaging 32.7 points per game. The Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is averaging 27.6 points per game and have led the comeback being down 2-games to Oklahoma City. This series will come down to the team that can create turnovers and score in the half-court set. The winner of the series will win the NBA championship this season. It’s a coin toss in this series from Games 3 to 7.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Oklahoma City Thunder
5/26 – Monday – 7:30 p.m. – TV: ESPN
Game 4 – In game 3 the Timberwolves came out and hit the Thunder right in the mouth and all the Thunder could do was stand there and bleed! The Timberwolves hung 143-points on the Thunder at home. This will be a huge game for both teams, but the Timberwolves need this one really bad. This game will come down to how well the Timberwolves rebounds and get Anthony Edwards in a groove. Players to watch: Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards vs Thunder guard Shai Alexander-Gilgeous. I’m taking the Timberwolves by 12.
Final Score: Timberwolves 120 – Thunder 108
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves
5/28 – Wednesday – 7:30 p.m. – TV: ESPN
Game 5 – The loser of this game will need to make huge adjustments. The Thunder is a team that can score buckets in boat loads. This game will boil down to how well the Thunder big men play in the paint. The Timberwolves have fallen in love with launching 3-pointers and have no board coverage for rebounds. Keep an eye on both team benches. The team that can utilize the game clock and get minutes for their superstars will take a commanding lead in this series. I’m taking OKC by 17!
Final Score: Thunder 124 – Timberwolves 112
