Eastern Conference
No. 1 Bulls (62-20) vs.
No. 8 Pacers (37-45)
Season series: Bulls, 3-1. Chicago limited Indiana to an average of 82.7 points while winning the first three meetings before the Pacers earned a 115-108 overtime victory on March 18. Derrick Rose scored 42 points in that game for the Bulls, who had the pairing of Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah together for only their 92-73 rout on Dec. 13.
Key Matchup: Luol Deng vs. Danny Granger. Deng, whose fine season was overshadowed by Rose, scored at least 15 points in all four meetings. Granger had a pair of 19-point outings and scored 22 in another.
Prediction: Bulls in 5
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No. 2 Heat (58-24) vs.
No. 7 76ers (41-41)
Season series: Heat, 3-0. Miami’s Big Three earned its first victory together with a 97-87 win at Philadelphia on Oct. 27, then beat the 76ers twice at home. Dwyane Wade averaged 30.7 points and the Heat held the 76ers to 92 per game.
Key matchup: LeBron James vs. Andre Iguodala. Iguodala’s defensive skills earned him a starting spot on the U.S. world championship team last summer. He’ll have to be at his best against James, who scored only 16 and 20 points in the first two games before going for 32 in Miami’s 111-99 victory on March 25.
Prediction: Heat in 4
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No. 3 Celtics (56-26) vs.
No. 6 Knicks (42-40)
Season series: Celtics, 4-0. Boston completed the sweep on the final night of the season. The Celtics won by four and then two in the first two meetings, then pulled away in the final three minutes of a 96-86 victory on March 21, the only one Carmelo Anthony played in.
Key matchup: Paul Pierce vs. Anthony. The Celtics have long had one of the NBA’s best closers in Pierce, who made the tiebreaking jumper with 0.4 seconds left in their 118-116 victory at New York on Dec. 15. Anthony has an NBA-high 16 go-ahead field goals in the last 10 seconds since 2003.
Prediction: Celtics in 6
Western Conference
No. 1 Spurs (61-21) vs.
No. 8 Grizzlies (46-36)
Season series: Tied, 2-2. San Antonio won the first two at home, and the Grizzlies won a pair in Memphis in March, averaging 110 points and shooting better than 52 percent in both. Tim Duncan missed one of those losses and was largely outplayed by Zach Randolph in the other three.
Key matchup I: Duncan vs. Randolph. Randolph had four 20-point, 10-rebound games, including a 24-21 game in the Spurs’ Dec. 18 victory. Duncan’s stats have been down in recent years and he didn’t score more than 13 against Memphis, but remains one of the top defenders at his position and should be more of a factor offensively playing more minutes in the postseason.
Prediction: Spurs in 6
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No. 2 Lakers (57-25) vs.
No. 7 Hornets (46-36)
Season series: Lakers, 4-0. Los Angeles posted three double-digit victories, the Hornets never cracked 100 points, and Chris Paul admitted “this is not a team we match up with good this year” after the most lopsided meeting, the Lakers’ 102-84 victory on March 27. Kobe Bryant had a pair of 30-point games and averaged 26.8.
Key matchup I: Pau Gasol vs. Carl Landry. Landry’s solid play helped the Hornets hold on to a playoff spot after West went down, and he scored 24 points against the Lakers in the most recent meeting. But Gasol was dominant this season against New Orleans, averaging 22.3 points and 12.8 rebounds, and shooting 70.5 percent from the field.
Prediction: Lakers in 4
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No. 3 Mavericks (57-25) vs.
No. 6 Trail Blazers (48-34)
Season series: Tied, 2-2. Dallas won the first two meetings, and Portland took the last two at home later in the season after acquiring Gerald Wallace. Dallas guard Jason Kidd had a combined one point in the Mavs’ losses.
Key matchup: Dirk Nowitzki vs. LaMarcus Aldridge. The Mavs won on Jan. 4 at home against Portland without their All-Star forward, who faces an opponent who also enjoys popularity in Dallas. Aldridge is a native of the city who played at Texas and had a pair of 30-point outings against his hometown team.
Prediction: Blazers in 6
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No. 4 Thunder (55-27) vs.
No. 5 Nuggets (50-32)
Season series: Thunder, 3-1. Oklahoma City won the season series with a pair of victories in April, including a 101-94 win on April 5 that was Kevin Durant’s first in Denver. The NBA’s leading scorer averaged 31.5 points in the series.
Key matchup: Russell Westbrook vs. Ty Lawson and Raymond Felton. The Nuggets have a solid duo to play against Oklahoma’s All-Star point guard, but Lawson, perhaps a better option because of his speed, sprained his left ankle in the season finale.
Prediction: Thunder in 7
