Tank's NBA Playoffs Second Round Preview

Eastern Conference 

• (1) Boston Celtics vs. Cavs/Magic
• Celtics in Four

It does not matter who the Boston Celtics face in the second round; this series will be a sweep. The Celtis had one hiccup in their first-round series against the Heat. That was a well-coached Miami team that knows how to win in the postseason. Their next opponent will be the winner of Game 7 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic. That series has been an all-home series, with Game 7 in Cleveland on Sunday. There is no separation between the teams; neither team can hang with Boston. The Celtics will annihilate either team, and it will be a quick and boring four-game sweep. 

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• (2) New York Knicks vs. (6) Indiana Pacers
• Knicks in Five

An old rivalry is renewed as the New York Knicks meet the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks and Pacers were among the NBA's hottest rivals a quarter-century ago. The teams met in the playoffs six times in eight seasons, each winning three memorable series. The Pacers are a young team on the rise, who took advantage of a banged-up Bucks team to advance, while the Knicks, facing a 76ers team that was not a normal 7-seed, won in six grueling games. The Knicks' grit and clutch play is not a fluke. It’s how they’ve played all season, and it’ll be too much for the Pacers to handle. Jalen Brunson showed his elite capacity to close playoff games with four straight games of at least 39 points. In addition, the Knicks have a tough, suffocating defense that is hard to overcome. Tyrese Haliburton will need to be the best player in the series for the Pacers to have a chance. I expect the Knicks to dominate physically and advance to a showdown with Boston.   

Western Conference

• (1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (5) Dallas Mavericks
• Mavericks in Six

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irvinga are starting to figure it out for the Dallas Mavericks, and that is bad news for the young Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder were able to sweep away the Pelicans in the first round, but that team was hobbled after losing Zion Williamson in the play-in tournament. The Mavericks needed six games to sink the Clippers but began to find their grove late in the series. Dallas nearly had a historic comeback in Game 4 before easily winning the last two games. That momentum will continue as their past playoff experience matters. The Mavericks will win the close games to advance to the Conference Finals for the second time in three seasons. 

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• (2) Denver Nuggets vs. (3) Minnesota Timberwolves
• Nuggets in Six

I was wrong. I didn’t realize how good Anthony Edwards was, and now, it’s his team. Edwards played like a man possessed as the Minnesota Timbers Wolves humiliated the Suns in a four-game sweep. The Wolves have a bright future as long as they have Anthony Edwards, but this is where their run ends. The Denver Nuggets are the reigning NBA Champions. While they did not play well in the first round, they still ended LeBron and the Lakers' season in five games. The Nuggets have been here before and know how to close playoff games, especially with Jamal Muray's ability to make clutch shots at the end of the games. Minnesota will play tough, and Edwards will make some big plays, but Nikol Jokic will be too much. However, don't be shocked if this becomes a hot rivalry, with the two meeting in next year's Western Conference Finals.