The NBA playoffs bracket is starting to get set for the 2014 second round, as the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards are already through in the East and now teams like the Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers and Toronto Raptors are all just one win away from doing the same in the postseason.
The Miami Heat were the only team to sweep in the first round, as they took care of the Charlotte Bobcats in four games, while the Wizards advanced after beating the Chicago Bulls. John Wall and Bradley Beal led the way against the Bulls and the team advanced to the second round for the first time in years and now they will be waiting the winner of the Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers series. The NBA doesn't re-seed, so if the Hawks win, they will play against the Wiz, while the Miami Heat will play the Toronto Raptors or the Brooklyn Nets even with the Hawks being the eighth seed.
The Pacers were looked at as an easy lock for the eastern conference finals and now the number one seed in the east may not even get out of the first round. The Hawks are a great matchup team for the Pacers and on top of that, they took advantage of the fact that Indiana slumped in the second half of the season and now Miami is getting some very good rest as they wait for the rest of the playoffs to fill out. Even if the Pacers win this series, they will have tons of questions going forward and that could keep them from advancing in the next round.
The Miami Heat will be challenged by either the Raptors or the Nets, but most people realize that they will be favored and should advance. Miami has won three straight east title and two straight championships and the rest they have from sweeping the Bobcats could be one of the main reasons why they end up in the finals again. The team could potentially play the Pacers, Wizards or the Hawks, but it's likely that they will face the Wizards if Atlanta wins the series. The Hawks definitely can make another run, but the way the Wiz played against the Bulls gives the team some nice momentum.
The NBA schedule on Wednesday had the Brooklyn Nets lose to the Raptors and now they are down 3-2, while the Mavericks lost to the Spurs and they are in the same boat as well. The Houston Rockets won over the Portland Trail Blazers and now Portland is up 3-2 and on Thursday all three series can end, as the Hawks, Grizzlies and Clippers are all up. The Clippers visit the Warriors for Game 6, while the Thunder head to play the Grizzlies after losing Game 5 and the Hawks are looking to end their series at home, which has a sellout crowd for Game 6.
