The NBA’s Conference Finals are set. In the East we have the Boston Celtics taking on the Miami Heat and in the West we get the Denver Nuggets facing off against the Los Angeles Lakers, read more on The Punters Page. Let’s take a closer at the matchups and break down three keys to each series.
Eastern Conference – Celtics vs. Heat
Miami is here as a surprising 8th seed that defeated the East’s best regular season team, the Milwaukee Bucks, in round one and then took care of the New York Knicks in round two. The Celtics beat the Hawks in round one and the Sixers in round two as they attempt to return to the NBA Finals for the 2nd straight season.
3 Keys to the Series
- Can Jimmy Butler sustain this level of production?
Butler is averaging 31.1 points per game on 51% shooting so far in this year’s playoffs. Miami will need him to match that level of production, if not exceed it if they are going to be able to score enough points against a Boston defense that will be geared towards forcing Butler to give up the ball and make other players on the Heat make shots. Butler has risen to the occasion before, but his supporting cast may not be as strong as previous versions of the Heat.
2. Do the Celtics start Rob Williams or Derrick White?
In the final two games of the series against the Sixers, Celtics Coach Joe Mazulla went back to starting Rob Williams and Al Horford together. That lineup dominated the league over the second half of last season. The Celtics have started Derrick White for the majority of this season and White has rewarded that trust with an outstanding season. Which lineup the Celtics start and how the Heat counter that decision will be critical as each team tries to exploit the advantages that can swing a series.
3. Is Jason Tatum a top tier superstar?
Tatum scored 51 points in the clinching game 7against the Sixers and 16 in the 4th quarter of game 6…after going 1-14 in the first 3 quarters. The very best players, the number one guys on championship teams bring it every night. You always know what you’re getting from them, there is an expected level of production that is almost always met. Tatum comes and goes, he keeps shooting threes even when they aren’t dropping, he avoids contact on drives, and abandons the mid-range. Tatum needs to take that final step and lead this Celtics team to an NBA Championship.
Western Conference – Nuggets vs. Lakers
When LeBron James injured his foot February 26, the Lakers were 29-32 and in 12th place. Since then, the Lakers have put together a new roster that has transformed them into legitimate NBA Championship contenders. The Lakers beat Memphis and the defending champion Golden State Warriors to advance to the Western Conference Finals. The Nuggets were the West’s number one seed and dispatched to Timberwolves and Suns behind Nikola Jokic, who averaged a triple double against the Suns in round two.
3 Keys to the Series
- Who Wins the Nikola Jokic / Anthony Davis Matchup?
These two are going to spend a majority of their minutes on the court guarding each other, although there may be times that each team tries to manipulate the matchups to gain an advantage or minimize a disadvantage. The big question here revolves around whether the physicality of Jokic will wear Davis down over the course of a game or the course of the series. The Lakers have no one else that can guard Jokic and Davis is injury prone. If he can stay healthy and stay out of foul trouble, that will at least make Jokic work for what he gets.
2. Which Team’s Role Players Come Up Big?
Both teams have role players capable of putting up good numbers. The Lakers seem to do it by committee. You can’t count on any one of Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Dennis Schroeder, Jarred Vanderbilt, Lonnie Walker, or Malik Beasley to be consistent, but throughout the playoffs one or more of these guys has stepped up game to game. The Nuggets role players are more consistent. Michael Porter, Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope provide three point shooting, Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown are excellent defenders, and Jamal Murray is the perfect pick and roll partner for Jokic. Which team plays better behind their stars may determine the outcome.
3. Can LeBron Turn Back the Clock?
At 38 years old, LeBron continues to amaze. He can’t bring the effort on both ends of the floor for 40 plus minutes the way he did in his prime, but this is still one of the all-time greats who thinks the game better than almost anyone in the history of the game. Lebron will continue to pick his spots against Denver, but in order to win this series the Lakers my need more from him. Can he summon the past, get to the rim, and play bully ball in the post on switches for extended periods of time? If he can…advantage Lakers, if he can’t…Denver most likely reaches their first NBA Finals in Franchise history.