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NBA playoffs: Rivalries to rematches, stories to follow in the second round
One of biggest questions of the Conference Semifinals is (as usual) who can stop LeBron? Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

NBA playoffs: Rivalries to rematches, stories to follow in the second round

There’s always a sense that the second round of the NBA Playoffs (a.k.a the Conference Semifinals) weeds out teams that were only in the playoffs to fill up some television time. The first round has been fun to watch, but the intensity is going to ratchet up a little bit more in Round 2. In the East, we have a budding northeastern rivalry and a rematch of a conference final from a year ago. In the West, we have another Texas battle with MVP candidates and a playoff tilt we haven’t seen since Baron Davis did this.

From heated rivalries to series with potential to go the distance, here are the storylines from each series to be mindful of in the Conference Semifinals.

(1) Boston vs. (4) Washington: When and how do the instigators instigate?


Boston Celtics' Jae Crowder celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer during the third quarter of a second-round NBA playoff series basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Sunday, April, 30, 2017, in Boston. The Celtics won 123-111.  AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

This may be the most emotionally tense non-Finals series of the entire postseason because if you haven’t heard, these teams don’t like each other at all. The Celtics and Wizards split their regular season series with the home team winning all four games. In the Wizards’ win over the Celtics in November, Boston’s Marcus Smart and Washington’s John Wall Back had themselves a meeting after some unsurprisingly physical play. In mid-January towards the end of a tough Celtics win in Boston, Jae Crowder and Wall engaged in a little finger fight – and of course, Smart felt some type of way about it. Prior to their next meeting down in DC two weeks later, the Wizards staged a “funeral” for the visitors.

There will be different kinds of gamesmanship in this series, but what should be noted will be how some players insert a little ruckus into the game like Boston’s Smart and Crowder or, if able to return after his Game 1 injury, Washington’s Markieff Morris, whom built a bit of a feud with Atlanta Hawks star Paul Millsap in the first round. Where the Wizards’ dynamic duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal going against Isaiah Thomas will get the lion’s share of attention, expect at least one of those three role players to stir something up that could sway a game or two.

(2) Cleveland vs. (3) Toronto: Who’s gonna really check LeBron?


Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James celebrates a basket against the Indiana Pacers during the second half of Game 3 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series, Thursday, April 20, 2017, in Indianapolis. The Cavaliers defeated the Pacers 119-114.  AP Photo/Michael Conroy

It’s the rematch of last spring’s Eastern Conference Finals, though perhaps with how the Raptors barely escaped their first round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, this tilt with the Cavaliers may not have as much electricity. Toronto rebuilt their roster through the trade deadline with the Cavs in mind, bringing Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker into the fold. In last year’s battle, LeBron James was his typical unstoppable self, but in a couple of games, Toronto’s backcourt put Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith and others through hell.

While DeMarre Carroll will start opposite James, Tucker will be the latest projected “LeBron stopper” a team will throw at the future Hall of Fame forward. A bigger body that knows his job is to try slowing James down, how will he handle himself with the understanding that he’s not going to be favored by referees when playing defense? This matters a ton because even though the Raptors have size on their team, they don’t have the scoring to outgun the Cavs. So the question becomes how ugly can they make things for the defending champs?

(1) Golden State vs. (5) Utah: How will Mike Brown keep the Warriors rolling?


Mike Brown and Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors talk during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers during Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals on April 24, 2017. Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images

The Warriors had a rather eventful first round series against Portland that had little to do with the Blazers pushing them and more with their own internal issues. Sweeping the Blazers may have given Kevin Durant more time to rest a problematic calf muscle, but certainly with a tough Utah Jazz squad coming to Oakland, so many eyes will be on assistant coach Mike Brown, who will be filling in for Steve Kerr.

The Dubs have a well-oiled offensive machine in place as is, so expecting the former Cavaliers and Lakers head coach to make any tweaks is foolhardy. Yet, the Jazz have not only been reinvigorated thanks to the stellar play of Joe Johnson, but they have done so by controlling the tempo throughout the seven-game series against a Los Angeles Clippers team that held on in spite of losing Blake Griffin to injury. Golden State is at their best knowing that they can start a track meet on a whim, so it’ll be interesting to see how Brown calls plays to force Utah to uncomfortably speed up the pace.

(Well, it does help having Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.)

(2) San Antonio vs. (3) Houston: How will the Spurs deal with Harden’s attack mode?


James Harden of the Houston Rockets argues a penalty call during the second half of Game Three against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2017 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Quarterfinals.  J Pat Carter/Getty Images

After jousting with one MVP candidate in Russell Westbrook, it’ll be fascinating to see how the likely runners-up will approach one another as James Harden and Kawhi Leonard go toe-to-toe for what should be a long series. Harden’s aggressiveness puts most average defenders on their heels, but with a combination of Leonard and Danny Green guarding him through the series, he may not find the open spots on the floor with the same ease that he has against most of the league.

As a team, Houston made 134 of 168 free throws in the series against Oklahoma City, an 80 percent clip. Compare that to the Thunder, who attempted 135, making just 93. Unsurprisingly, Harden and Westbrook were responsible for almost three-fourths of the free throws made and attempted. The Beard will get some of the foul calls because of his style of play, but San Antonio has superior wing defenders, so they could make his drives to the basket a little more difficult. Of course, we know that the flip side of this will be fascinating as Leonard, who feasted on Memphis in Round 1, might drop 50 on the Rockets’ defense in one of these games.

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