Can Baron Davis Carry the Warriors into the West Finals?

May 7, 2007 10:26 am - Author: Kyle Cooper

Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs provides us with some truly interesting matchups.  The Golden State Warriors first round upset win over the Dallas Mavericks was without a doubt the most entertaining series thusfar.  However, the Warriors will now have to find a way to bring that same level of intensity and high energy basketball as they prepare to take on the the Utah Jazz.  The Jazz are a team that plays a more controlled style of basketball.  The contrast in styles between these two teams should make for an exciting series.  In my opinion, the Jazz will find a way to eek out another game 7 win to advance to the conference finals.  The other series in the West between the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns is believed by many to be a battle of the league's two best teams.  It's a shame that these two have to meet this early in the playoffs, but we'd most likely see it eventually anyways.   Again, we're faced with a matchup of contrasting styles as the Spurs love to slow it down, while the Suns love to speed it up.  I'm sticking with my original pick of the Spurs making it all the way to the finals.  Either way, you can expect this series to go at least 6 or 7 games. 

 

In the East, I like the Detroit Pistons to take the Chicago Bulls out in 6 or 7 games.  The Bulls won 3 out of 4 against the Pistons during the regular season.  However, you can expect the playoffs to provide a different story.  The Bulls are definitely a more mature team this season, but the experience of the Pistons is unmatched in the East.  The winner of the Detroit-Chicago series will take on the winner of the Cleveland-New Jersey series.  LeBron James looks to reach the conference semi-finals for the first time in his young career.  Unfortunately, James will have to get past the trio of Kidd, Carter, and Jefferson.  I think this series is going to be more interesting than people think.  In fact, I like the Nets to pull off the upset and win this series in 7 games. 

 

Second Round Results 

 

The top half of the West bracket saw the Warriors continue their hot streak as they disposed of the Jazz in just four games.  The Warriors will now take on another favorite as they get ready for the Spurs in the conference finals.  The East bracket has both Cleveland and Detroit winning handly in five games.  I think you can expect to see much more competitiveness in these series than what's shown above.  However, if these series actually do turn out this way, then we're going to have a lot to look forward to in the conference finals.