NBA Playoffs Picture & Brackets: Rockets Near Elimination Against Clippers; Cavaliers, Bulls Deadlocked
Derrick Rose for three and the game, got it!
Paul Pierce at the buzzer, he nailed it!
LeBron James from the baseline . . . game!
What an incredible NBA playoff weekend it was. Friday, Saturday and Sunday NBA fans witnessed a game-winning shot. The third round of the postseason is drawing near, it's time to start separating the contenders from the pretenders.
Let's take a look the NBA playoff brackets.
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Head coach Kevin McHale has been using the Hack-A-Shaq against DeAndre Jordan, but nothing seems to be stopping the Clippers offense. The Clippers have scored at least 109 points in every game so far. With the Clippers up 3-1 in this series, James Harden and the Rockets will need a miracle to win three consecutive games. Dwight Howard isn't involved enough with offense, but Game 5 will be played in Houston. The biggest X factor in this series has been J.J. Redick, who is emerging as a terrific postseason shooter. Let's also not discount Austin Rivers, head coach Doc Rivers' son.
Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Finally, it looked as if the Bulls were going to take a 3-1 series lead over LeBron James and the Cavaliers. Instead, James had a different plan. He sunk the game-winning shot in Game 4 to tie the series, and the Cavaliers have now regained home-court advantage. James is 3-0 against the Bulls in postseason series in his career. By far the most disappointing player in this series has been Joakim Noah, who is struggling to even make layups. Jimmy Butler has done a very good job, but Pau Gasol is struggling with injuries. Former New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith has been making a lot of big shots during this postseason.
Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies just never seem to get the credit they deserve. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph make up an elite front court defensive combination that would give any team problems. Stephen Curry and the Warriors finished the regular season as the No. 1 seed, but they trail in this series, 2-1. The Grizzlies have a tremendous opportunity here to go up 3-1 at home at the FedEx Forum. A Warriors victory would bring home-court advantage back to the west coast. This could be Gasol's last set of games as a member of the Grizzlies, as he is set to become a free agent this offseason.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Washington Wizards
The Wizards lead this Eastern Conference series 2-1. The Hawks, just like the Warriors, may be the No. 1 seed in their conference, but have to play Game 4 on the road. What makes this so bad for the Hawks is the fact that the Wizards have shown they can win without star point guard John Wall. Kyle Korver is an outstanding perimeter shooter, but the Hawks just don't have a superstar player to get the ball to when it matters most. Brazilian born forward Nene had a great game on Saturday scoring 17 points in just 29 minutes.