MENU
Tuesday night’s NBA Playoff action was controversial, to be sure, but at least NBA fans got an exciting finish. The Oklahoma City Thunder beat all odds to storm back and take a 3-2 series lead over the Clippers. The next time the two teams face off, OKC could finish L.A. off.
Tonight offers more series-ending potential, as both the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs have a chance at moving on to round three of the playoffs. Their respective opponents, the Nets and Blazers, showed terrific life in game four, but could be ready to submit in game five.
Let’s break down both matchups and see if either team facing elimination has a chance to keep their series alive:
Brooklyn Nets (5) @ Miami Heat (2) – 7:00 PM ET
Brooklyn has played spirited basketball at home the last two games, which is worth noting considering they didn’t bother to show up in the first two meetings of this series in Miami. Unfortunately, a very close, hard fought game four ended with the Heat taking a 3-1 series lead. With their backs against the wall in Miami, it’s unlikely the Nets prolong this series.
Pick: Heat 95, Nets 90
Portland Trail Blazers (5) @ San Antonio Spurs (1) – 9:30 PM ET
Portland was supposed to lie down and take a sweep like men, but instead they fought back and beat the Spurs in an elimination game. It was nice to see some fight in the Blazers, but it took a fantastic effort to get the job done, while the Spurs came out looking uninterested.
Consider San Antonio awoken after slipping up in game four. They’ll bounce back and make the necessary adjustments to close out this series.
Pick: Spurs 105, Blazers 94
