Deuces Wild: Your Team is Tied 2-2 in Round 2

[TheSyndicate]

So all of the series' in Round 2 are tied 2-2. How did we get here, and how does each team feel?
1.Hawks vs. 5. Bulls

Game 1: @Hawks 105, Bulls 101
This game was very even in just about every way with the differentiator coming on the offensive glass where the Hawks had a massive 14-3 advantage. Atlanta put in the hard work on the block to win this one.

Game 2: Bulls 117, @Hawks 113
Another 4-point game, but this time with the visitors eking out the win. The Bulls played a tough inside game which saw them make 32 freebies including 11 in the 4th quarter. Thomas Robinson fouled out with 3:20 remaining with the Hawks up 111-104 and Atlanta was outscored 13-2 the rest of the way.

Game 3: Hawks 121, @Bulls 113
The Hawks stole back home-court advantage in an absolutely ugly game which saw a combined 68 FTAs and 34 TOs. The Hawks forced the Bulls into 21 of those TOs and won despite being out-shot 53%-45%.

Game 4: @Bulls 136, Hawks 95
The first game in the series in which the team that shot a higher percentage from the field actually won, was an absolute drubbing. The Bulls won by about any conceivable metric - though the Hawks won the battle of the glass - and the only good news for Atlanta is that it only counts as one game.

The Hawks feel: so-so.
The Hawks came into this game having swept the season series with the Bulls with 3 out of the 4 games coming post-RWB trade. They had to feel confident coming into this series with a healthy, balanced roster that basically reads like a slightly better version of what the Bulls have put together. Being tied 2-2 especially given how poorly they've played doesn't match up with their expectations coming in. So they feel disappointed, thankful, relieved, and potentially wary. Altogether, that adds to so-so.

The Bulls feel: Pretty Good.
Three of the games were sloppy and could have gone either way, with Atlanta stealing 2/3. They were a Thomas Robinson foul in game 2 away from a 3-0 hole. And yet, they avoided that and absolutely spanked the Hawks in game 4. At this point they are playing with house money and have to feel pretty good about their chances to make it out alive, or at least push it to 7 games.

[TheSyndicate]

1. Suns vs. 4. Trailblazers

Game 1: Trailblazers 123, @Suns 112
This whole series is Big 2 vs. Big 2. In this game the Blazers backcourt out-scored the Suns 'wings' 79-72 on 6 fewer shots. The x-factor matchup of PFs in this series also provided a difference as Portland's Faried handled Phoenix's Ryno easily.

Game 2: @Suns 129, Trailblazers 91
When you hold Kevin Love and Harden to a combined 34 points, you're supposed to win, right? Well that wasn't to be as all Suns not named Kevin (or) James combined to shoot 57% on 60 shots while the Blazers couldn't pay a community college student to weave them a basket.

Game 3: @Trailblazers 112, Suns 99
The Suns maybe used up too many of their made shots in this one as they finished with a paltry 41% from the field. The only thing keeping this game from being double the margin was a 19-7 OReb advantage and 12 made 3's.

Game 4: Suns 119, @Trailblazers 112
The Blazers scored 112 again, but the Suns got 20 more than in game 3. This game the Blazers got out-efficiencied by the Suns big 2. The Blazers duo out-scored the Suns Big 2 68-66, but it took them 16 more FGAs to do it. CJ McCollum shot Portland out of this one just as he shot them into the Game 1 victory.

The Suns feel: Nothing.
They came into the series with home court. They still have it, but do they even know? GM Messi has not been seen or heard from in the DC threads, so one can assume they feel nothing at all about how their team is doing.

The Blazers feel: Frustrated.
Tied vs. an absentee GM when your best players are really shining has to be frustrating. Unlike the Bulls/Hawks series where I think the Bulls GM can feel kind of confident they can extrapolate some info from how the Hawks have played them, here I think the road is tough. I can't see anything gameplan-wise I'd definitely shy away from or recommend, so Portland fans have to pray for CJ McCollums shots to go in..

[TheSyndicate]

3. 76ers vs. 7. Wizards

Game 1: Wizards 120, @76ers 112
Interesting DC decisions matched 5-4 combinations of Hibbert Drummond vs. Simmons Kanter. It's probably the matchup you want if you're Philly as Kanter really had his way with Drummond at the 4, BUT Simmons was really canceled out. Simmons being canceled out meant the Philadelphia back-court would need to lead the way, but that didn't happen and the Wiz simply put the ball in the hoop more than the Sixers.

Game 2: @76ers 115, Wizards 114
This is the game that worries me if I'm GM Ballsohard. You hold the excellent Washington guards to 29 points on 12/30 shooting, Simmons almost scores 20 on a great defender, and you go into the 4th quarter down 12 needing to fade several attempts at a Washington buzzer-beater. Still, a win is a win.

Game 3: 76ers 116, @Wizards 109
This is more the game I expected to see more of when I first saw this matchup. Philly really dominated inside, did just enough on D to force IT/Dame into a sub 50% effort, and utilized their VERY good bench.

Game 4: @Wizards 125, 76ers 98
Ouch. Right when you thought Philly had figured things out, they get this haymaker dropped on them. Kanter and Grimaldi had foul trouble limiting their minutes and their stand-ins did NOT play well. Drummond held Barnes to 0/11 shooting and Harrison realized there's a difference playing against Drum than #Byron Odell.

The 76ers feel:

They still have home court, they only lost when either their backcourt didn't make shots they usually do, or they got into foul trouble. However, they're playing the team that beat the mighty Pistons. Philly is a better team on paper, but right now Ballsohard is going to have to out-coach the Nicest GM in SLOE in order to win.

The Wizards feel: Awesome?
They've gotta feel great. Coming into the playoffs, NO ONE saw them winning more than a game or two in their first round match-up, so they shouldn't even be here. They are 2 wins in 3 games away from the Eastern Conference Finals. If you gave them those facts at the season's onset, I guarantee they take it 10 times out of 10.

[TheSyndicate]

2. Nuggets vs. 6. Rockets

Game 1: @Nuggets 123, Rockets 97
The two regular season matchups against these two teams in Denver were both Nuggets wins by 21+ point margins. However, those were without Blake Griffin who is out for at least the first 5 games of this series. Despite that, the Nuggets really dominated every aspect of this game.

Game 2: @Nuggets 96, Rockets 94
This game was not as easy for Denver as they didn't shoot the ball as well, and couldn't get to the line while being in foul trouble themselves. Greg Oden was lost to an injury in the 3rd quarter with Denver up 3, so they held their own without their mid-season acquisition.

Game 3: @Rockets 128, Nuggets 119
Without Oden, this was a predictably high scoring affair. Al Horford absolutely dominated Mozgov in the first quarter scoring 9 of his 33 points in the frame. The Nuggets went down 23 in the 2nd quarter and could never fully get out of the hole, drawing as close as a point at 115-114 before Houston was able to pull away.

Game 4: @Rockets 89, Nuggets 80
Unlike Game 3, this was not a high-flying affair. In fact, it was only the second time all season the Nuggets had been held below 93 points. Outside of Jrue Holiday, no one on Denver could make a shot, and Jrue himself wasn't enough to overcome a horrid night from the rest of the team. Houston didn't put forth an inspiring performance, but it was enough to get the job done.

The Nuggets feel: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
They are the wounded warriors, but they should get a hobbled Blake Griffin back for game 6. They have their fingers crossed that they force a game 7. After losing Blake for the first round, they never expected to be here, so while they'd love to win, they're playing with house money.

The Rockets feel: PUMPED
The co-GMOY swept his division rival, and then gets to play game 5 against the Nuggets without two of his starters. If he can take it (which shouldn't be too heavy of a lift), he just has to win one out of two to bring his sea of yellow into the WCF!

[garbageman]

phpBB [video]

[digiskunk]

The 76ers feel:

[ballsohard]

Cram sesh (ure mum was good at these) 5 points!