CAVS, MAGIC, LAKERS, SUNS MEAN BUSINESS

 

The 2010 NBA playoffs started with 16 teams, 8 in the East and 8 in the West. However as per usual the first round of the post season has proven to be a reality check for a lot of teams. Now there are only 8 left, four in each conference. And so we reach the Conference Semi final stage. At this stage, none of the teams left are there to make up the numbers, all have proven their worth one way or another and there will be no easy rides. And yet the same rule applied as it does to all playoff series. The team with homecourt advantage has to win Game 1 if they're to make sure they don't get mugged. So let's see what happened this time around.

In the East, the Cavs faced the Celtics in Cleveland. Well to start with the Cavs looked like blowing their comecourt advantage as the men in green came out on top in the 1st quarter. It was more of the same in the 2nd quarter as the home side might as well have been MonStarred. Celtics led 54-43 at half time. Finally the Cavs got their act together in the 3rd quarter, dominating it to the extent that they were able to turn it around with a quarter to go. The Celtics looked like responding early in the 4th but the Cavs were not going to be caught with their pants down again. LeBron James grabbed 35 points as the Cavs dodged a bullet to the tune of 101-93.

The Magic faced the Hawks in Orlando. Well the Hawks weren't so bad in the early minutes of the game and led 12-9 with 7:07 left in the 1st but the Magic were edging the game before the end of that period. That was as good as it got for Hawks fans as their team was buried in the 2nd quarter. The 3rd quarter well, use whichever cliche you want, this is the sort of game that if I'd been watching extended highlights of, I would have switched off at the end of the third quarter. I can only assume that the Hawks must have been knackered from their seven-gamer. Bottom line, Dwight Howard grabbed 21 points at the Magic won 114-71.

Out West, the Lakers faced the Jazz in LA. Well the Jazz gave Phil Jackson's crew a headache early on, taking a solid lead early in the 1st but the home side was running the show at the end of the first buzzer. The Jazz went on to tread water at best in the 2nd quarter as the Laker lead hit double figures for a bit. The 3rd quarter proved to be more of the same, the Jazz came close once or twice but close isn't good enough. The Jazz came back in the 4th quarter though, and even took a 93-89 lead with 4:10 left in the game. The Lakers weren't going to take that though, and held their opponents silent for the best part of three minutes. That secured a 104-99 Lakers win Kobe Bryant helping himself to 31 points.

The Suns faced the Spurs in Phoenix. Well the Suns were in no mood for mercy and shoved the Spurs against the wall from the start. The Spurs made an effort to reply in the 2nd quarter but didn't come anywhere near close enough to make the Suns nervous. That changed in the 3rd quarter when the Spurs managed to take a 67-64 lead with 7:25 left in the period but after a few minutes the Suns put that insurrection down and found a double digit lead with a quarter to go. The Spurs rallied again in the 4th quarter and came close, just not close enough. Steve Nash did what he's been doing for over a decade and grabbed 33 points while the Suns won the game 111-102.

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