by CAROLINE GAVURA Section Editor
Basketball fans have been biting their nails these past few weeks over the 2014 playoff season.
Almost all the teams who advanced to the second round, on both the Western and Eastern sides, only won by one or two games out of the seven. Basically, the games have been extremely close, and any time one team got three games and only need to win one more to advance, the other team would win to tie it up.
For most fans, and even the players at times, it has been extremely frustrating, tiresome, and desperate. Even seemingly “unstoppable” teams such as the Indiana Pacers are struggling to keep winning, but that anxiety and doubt is what makes the playoffs so fun to watch. If you knew for sure which team was going to win, what would be the point of watching it?
Starting out on the east coast, the Indiana Pacers won over the Atlanta Hawks by only one game, which surprised most who believed the Pacers would advance rather easily.
Rappers Drake and Jay-Z sat court side at the Toronto-Brooklyn games, which the Nets eventually won after a grueling game seven.
“The Nets proved that the experience from their older players can even dominate the stamina that the younger players on the Raptors have. The games were so close and the fans in Toronto were going crazy so I was worried that the Raptors would win but the Nets pulled through! I am excited and nervous to see what happens when they play the Heat in the next series,” said junior Yazmyne Abbott.
In the west, the San Antonio Spurs moved on after defeating the Dallas Mavericks in game seven, along with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the controversial Los Angeles Clippers, who also advanced after winning game seven in their series.
The Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, and Portland Trailblazers, on the other hand, blew out the competition. The Heat swept their series against the Charlotte Bobcats without a single loss, the Wizards lost only one game against the Chicago Bulls before moving on, and the Trailblazers got away with only two losses against the Houston Rockets.
“Watching the Heat play is amazing! Lebron James just gets better and better, which makes it no surprise that the team completely swept the Bobcats. I think the Heat definitely have a chance to win the entire thing, and for Lebron to get another ring,” said junior Nick Zablocki.
The playoffs will continue for the next few weeks as the West and the East battle it out to see which two teams are the best to go head-to-head in the final round.
In the East, the Pacers will take on the Wizards, while the Heat will take on the Nets.
In the West, the Spurs will challenge the Trailblazers and the Oklahoma City Thunder will play against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Who are you most excited to see succeed in the 2014 NBA playoffs? Which game are you most looking forward to?