NBA playoffs heating up

Outside of the Milwaukee Bucks getting steamrolled by the Miami Heat, the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs was full of surprises.

The San Antonio Spurs dominated the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers in
four consecutive double-digit wins, a sweep that ended with Dwight Howard being ejected and Laker fans reconsidering buying season tickets for next year. The Memphis Grizzlies lost their first two games to the Pacific Division-winning Los Angeles Clippers, then went on a tear and won four straight to deny all-stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin a spot in the second round. One of the biggest upsets was the Golden State Warriors’ remarkable triumph over the Denver Nuggets in six games, mostly thanks to Sports Illustrated cover boy Stephen Curry’s accuracy beyond the arc.

The conference semifinals have been no different in terms of astounding moments. Coming off their success over the Bucks, the Heat dropped their first game against the injury-laden Chicago Bulls—a team playing without Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng and, of course, Derrick Rose. The Bulls seem to prefer to play with tenacity and raw aggression rather than rely on their stars, racking up quite a few technical fouls in the process during the playoffs. They’ve been a thorn in the Heat’s side since the regular season—Chicago was the team that ended Miami’s 27-game winning streak. But LeBron and company are not the type to be pushed around, and even without Dwyane Wade’s normally stellar play as of late, they’ve answered the Bulls’ aggro-tactics with pure, often overwhelming talent.

One of the most exciting series in this round has been the Spurs against the Warriors—or, as it should be dubbed, “old vs. new.” The San Antonio roster is largely composed of veterans, including Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker (who, at 30, is the youngest of the three). All three have retained their aptitude for clutch plays, and each has been key to the Spurs’ run this postseason. However, they’re not the young bucks they were 10 years ago, and during the fourth quarter have frequently looked a bit gassed.

The Warriors, on the other hand, are their polar opposite. Aside from injured power forward David Lee and a few others, Golden State’s lineup mainly features players under 30. This allows coach Mark Jackson to give hot players less bench time to rest (or, in the case of Steph Curry in Game 1 of the series, no rest at all). But while energy and enthusiasm are crucial in the playoffs, they don’t automatically equal success. Golden State’s inexperience has been on full display the past few games—most notably in Game 1 against the Spurs, when the Warriors, up by 16 in the fourth quarter, allowed the Spurs to go on an 18-2 run with four minutes left, eventually losing the game in double overtime.

The question is, will vigor or experience weigh out in the end? Or, more importantly, how will your team’s strengths in this round match up against a better opponent in the next? The answer is almost never easily predicted. Stay tuned.