NBA Playoffs

The most magical time of the year for professional basketball fans is from April through mid-June, where the NBA Playoffs take place. Or as the NBA’s slogan states: Where Amazing Happens. Killer dunks, big blocks, smooth 3-pointers, beautiful passes and total teamwork take place on the court.

The 2015 NBA playoffs are under way, with the Eastern and Western Semi-Conference Finals. Each series is determined by the best of seven games. In the East, the Chicago Bulls are battling the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks are taking on the Washington Wizards. Even with their star John Wall out due to a hand injury, the Wizards have taken a 2-1 lead over the Atlanta Hawks in the series, most recently beating the Hawks on Saturday night. The Atlanta Hawks have played remarkably well this season due in large part to their stars, Al Horford, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver. While they managed to move past the first round of the playoffs, defeating the Brooklyn Nets, they have historically struggled to move forward in the post-season.

The Bulls beat the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. In Game 6, they sent a message loud and clear that they were the better team, defeating the Bucks by a solid 54 points. The Cavs swept the Boston Celtics in the first round, but are currently down 2-1 in their series with the Bulls. Derek Rose hit an amazing buzzer beater shot in Game 3, allowing the Bulls to take the victory. Many expect this to be a close series and go the full seven games as Lebron James and Derrick Rose attempt to take their teams all the way.

In the Western semi-conference finals, the Golden State Warriors are facing off against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Clippers are facing the Houston Rockets. The LA Clippers had a hard-earned victory over the reigning champion San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, going to all seven games. The Houston Rockets beat their cross-state Texas rivals, the Dallas Mavericks in round 1 of the playoffs and are now down 2-1 against Blake Griffin and the Clippers.  The Rockets have Dwight Howard and James Harden, who was considered a top contender for the MVP title.

The Warriors defeated the New Orleans Pelicans in a 4-game sweep. Warriors Stephen Curry was also named the NBA’s MVP of the season. The Grizzlies defeated Portland in round 1 and face off against the Warriors again Saturday night at home. Currently, the series is tied 1-1.

After this round concludes, the conference finals will take place and then the NBA Championship series will occur.