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2013 NBA Playoffs Game of the Day: Memphis Grizzlies at Oklahoma City Thunder

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May 15, 2013

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Today’s Games (All times are Eastern):

 

Time (ET) Visitor Home Prediction
7:00 PM Chicago Bulls Miami Heat Heat
9:30 PM Memphis Grizzlies Oklahoma City Thunder Thunder

The reigning Western Conference Champion Oklahoma City Thunder will try to avoid elimination when they host the Memphis Grizzlies in today’s NBA Playoff Game of the Day. The Thunder, who trail the Grizzlies 3-1 heading into Game 5, have to protect their home court if they hope to keep their postseason run—and hopes of another conference championship—alive.

Oklahoma City, who has participated in the last two Western Conference finals, has to find a way to win three in a row against the Grizzlies if it hopes to reach the conference finals for a third straight season. The first four games of this series have been decided by a total of 20 points and the Thunder have been in each of them until the final moments. Each game has been a one-possession game in the final 90 seconds. If a few late-game possessions had gone in Oklahoma City’s favor, it is quite possible that it could be the Thunder, instead of the Grizzlies, holding a 3-1 series lead.

But more often than not in this series, it has been the Grizzlies making plays in the closing moments. To put it simply, Memphis has found a way to win three games to Oklahoma City’s one. The Grizzlies have battled and fought the Thunder until the final buzzer and have earned their 3-1 series lead. If Memphis wants to end this series tonight, and advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history, the Grizzlies will have to show the same fight and resolve that has put them in this position.

A series is not over until a team wins four games, and with tonight’s game being played in Oklahoma City, where the crowd will be raucous from start to finish and the Thunder will literally be fighting for their playoff lives, Memphis will have a battle on its hands. If the Grizzlies want to get that fourth win and close out this series, they will have to survive a battle that will likely be like no other they have ever faced before.

Yesterday’s Results:

 

Visitor Home Prediction Result
New York Knicks 82 Indiana Pacers 93 Pacers Pacers
Golden State Warriors 91 San Antonio Spurs 109 Spurs Spurs

Random NBA Fan’s Record in Yesterday’s Games: 2-0
Random NBA Fan’s Record for the Playoffs: 43-19

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2013 NBA Playoffs Game of the Day: Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls

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May 13, 2013

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Today’s Games (All times are Eastern):

 

Time (ET) Visitor Home Prediction
7:00 PM Miami Heat Chicago Bulls Heat
9:30 PM Oklahoma City Thunder Memphis Grizzlies Grizzlies

The Miami Heat will try to take a commanding 3-1 lead over the Chicago Bulls in today’s NBA Playoff Game of the Day. The Heat, who surrendered home-court advantage when they lost Game 1, 93-86, last Monday, regained that advantage with a 104-94 Game 3 victory in Chicago on Friday night. If the Heat can get another win in Chicago tonight, they would head home to Miami with an opportunity to close the series out in Wednesday night’s Game 5.

The Heat are the only team that has not suffered a loss on the road this postseason. Given the fact that they have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, the Heat will be a very difficult team to beat in a seven-game series if they continue to pick up wins on the road. Miami, who has not lost a road game during the playoffs since Game 1 of last season’s NBA Finals in Oklahoma City, will try to extend its postseason road winning streak to an impressive five games.

The Bulls have put together a couple of streaks of their own. Which, unfortunately for them, are likely to be extended tonight.

According to Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, forward Luol Deng and guard Kirk Hinrich, who have missed five and six consecutive games, respectively, are “most likely out” again tonight. Even without these two starters, the Bulls—like they have all season long—will continue to compete and find a way to give themselves a chance to win this game. But with the minutes piling up on the other Bulls, Miami’s ability to score the ball—and Chicago’s relative lack thereof—it will be difficult, though not impossible, for the Bulls to avoid dropping their third consecutive game at home this postseason.

Yesterday’s Results:

 

Visitor Home Prediction Result
San Antonio Spurs 87 Golden State Warriors 97 Spurs Warriors

Random NBA Fan’s Record in Yesterday’s Games: 0-1
Random NBA Fan’s Record for the Playoffs: 39-19

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2013 NBA Playoffs Game of the Day: New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers

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May 11, 2013

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Today’s Games (All times are Eastern):

 

Time (ET) Visitor Home Prediction
5:00 PM Oklahoma City Thunder Memphis Grizzlies Grizzlies
8:00 PM New York Knicks Indiana Pacers Knicks

The New York Knicks will have Amar’e Stoudemire at their disposal when they face the Indiana Pacers in today’s NBA Playoff Game of the Day. Stoudemire, who is expected to come off the bench and play between 10 and 15 minutes in Game 3 of this Eastern Conference semifinal, will give the Knicks another big to help them compete with the size of the Pacers. Stoudemire will also provide New York with a low-post scoring threat which may help the Knicks find easier ways to score against Indiana’s stingy defense. The series is tied at one game apiece and New York will try to regain home-court advantage with a victory tonight.

Through the first two games of this series, the Knicks have scored easily enough and are averaging 100 points per game. But those games were played in New York. This game will be played in Indiana where the Knicks scored just 76 and 91 points in two losses to the Pacers.

The Knicks, who are allowing just 93.2 points per 100 possessions, have been the most efficient team on the defensive side of the ball so far this postseason. Much of this can be attributed to the fact that New York opened the playoffs against the offensively inept Boston Celtics. Another factor is the defensive performance that the Knicks exhibited in a 105-79 victory over the Pacers in Game 2. In that contest, New York forced Indiana into 21 turnovers (which the Knicks converted into 32 points) and held the Pacers scoreless for over eight minutes (from the 0:55 mark in the third until the 4:48 mark of the fourth).

If the Knicks can continue to display solid defensive efficiency and can get close to the century mark again, New York will have a great chance at winning Game 3 and reclaiming home-court advantage in this series.

Yesterday’s Results:

 

Visitor Home Prediction Result
Miami Heat 104 Chicago Bulls 94 Heat Heat
San Antonio Spurs 102 Golden State Warriors 92 Warriors Spurs

Random NBA Fan’s Record in Yesterday’s Games: 1-1
Random NBA Fan’s Record for the Playoffs: 38-17

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2013 NBA Playoffs Game of the Day: Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks

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May 7, 2013

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Today’s Games (All times are Eastern):

 

Time (ET) Visitor Home Prediction
7:00 PM Indiana Pacers New York Knicks Knicks
9:30 PM Memphis Grizzlies Oklahoma City Thunder Grizzlies

After getting pounded on the boards and dropping home-court advantage in Game 1, the New York Knicks will try to tie their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Indiana Pacers in today’s NBA Playoff Game of the Day. New York was outrebounded (44-30), outshot (48.7 percent to 43.2 percent), and generally outplayed in Sunday’s 102-95 loss to the Pacers. If the Knicks want to avoid falling behind 2-0 in this series, they must play with much more energy and effort than they displayed on Sunday.

New York will also have to get better shooting performances from their offensive catalysts, Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith. In Game 1, Anthony and Smith combined to shoot an abysmal 14 of 43 from the field and just three of 10 from behind the three-point arc. Anthony and Smith didn’t shoot the ball well, but it was not because they were simply standing around chucking up jumpers. They aggressively attacked the basket—some might say a little too aggressively at times–and shot 16 of New York’s 23 free-throw attempts.

Roy Hibbert’s 7-foot-2-inch frame clogged the paint for Indiana and made it difficult for Anthony and Smith to convert when they attacked the rim. Hibbert, who finished with five blocks—one more than the entire Knicks team, did a great job of protecting the rim on Sunday and thoroughly outplayed his Knicks counterpart, Tyson Chandler.

For the Knicks to head to Indiana with the series tied at one game apiece, New York will have to get more than four points, three rebounds and 28 foul-plagued minutes from the former Defensive Player of the Year. Chandler doesn’t necessarily have to outplay Hibbert for the Knicks to win tonight, but he will have to compete much harder.

If Anthony and Smith can shoot the ball a bit more efficiently, or if Chandler can make an impact on the game, New York may be able to get a much-needed win tonight. But if they can get better shooting from Anthony and Smith and a better performance from Chandler, the Knicks will likely head to Indiana with the series tied 1-1 and an opportunity to regain home-court advantage when the series resumes on Saturday, May 11, for Game 3.

Yesterday’s Results:

 

Visitor Home Prediction Result
Chicago Bulls 93 Miami Heat 86 Heat Bulls
Golden State Warriors 127 San Antonio Spurs 129 Spurs Spurs

Random NBA Fan’s Record in Yesterday’s Games: 1-1
Random NBA Fan’s Record for the Playoffs: 34-15

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2013 NBA Playoffs Game of the Day: Memphis Grizzlies at Oklahoma City Thunder

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May 5, 2013

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Today’s Games (All times are Eastern):

 

Time (ET) Visitor Home Prediction
1:00 PM Memphis Grizzlies Oklahoma City Thunder Grizzlies
3:30 PM Indiana Pacers New York Knicks Knicks

The second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs will open with the Memphis Grizzlies visiting the Oklahoma City Thunder. Today’s NBA Playoff Game of the day features two teams who, two seasons ago, met in a second-round series that went the full seven games. The Thunder closed that series with a 105-90 Game 7 victory at home and they hope that the benefit of having home-court advantage again this year will help them earn their third straight appearance in the Western Conference finals.

The Grizzlies, who will be trying to advance to the conference finals for the first time in franchise history, opened the 2013 NBA Playoffs with two road losses to the Los Angeles Clippers. Memphis has not lost since. The Grizzlies, who won the last four games of their first-round series against the Clippers by double digits, will try to extend their postseason winning streak to five when they visit Oklahoma City this afternoon.

Oklahoma City won Game 1 of its first-round series with the Houston Rockets by 29 points, 120-91. But the following five games, two of them Thunder losses, were decided by a total of 24 points. After taking a 3-0 series lead, Oklahoma City suffered two-point and seven-point losses in Games 4 and 5, respectively. The Thunder closed the series with a 104-93 victory in Game 6 on the road.

The Thunder might have swept Rockets had it not been for a season-ending injury to their All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook. Westbrook was injured in Game 2 of the series and, although he finished that game and helped Oklahoma City to a 105-102 victory, had season-ending surgery on his right knee three days later.

Memphis won Game 1 of the second round series between these two teams two years ago in Oklahoma City. The Grizzlies will once again try to wrestle home-court advantage from the Thunder and this time—if they can get it—they hope to keep it.

Yesterday’s Results:

 

Visitor Home Prediction Result
Chicago Bulls 99 Brooklyn Nets 93 Nets Bulls

Random NBA Fan’s Record in Yesterday’s Games: 0-1
Random NBA Fan’s Record for the Playoffs: 33-12

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