Well, it seems as though I did a little better on my picks for yesterday's round of games, ending up with two correct winners out of four. I have to start somewhere, right?
Starting with game one, the LA Lakers VS. the OKC Thunder, I was actually pretty disappointed with Kevin Durant's level of performance. True he had 24 points, it was his first Playoff appearance and he was up against the great Kobe Bryant, but in general he seemed completely overwhelmed and at a loss as to how to lead his team to victory. Though the Thunder caught up at a few points, the Lakers lead the entire game ending it at 87-79. I guess thats expected when an eighth seed plays the best in the West.
Game two, the Orlando Magic and the Charlotte Bobcats, was a much more interesting battle. Though the Magic ended up coming out on top, 98-89, the Bobcats fought the whole way through, exibiting quite a bit of skill as well as heart. Stephen Jackson in particular impressed me as he not only played brilliantly, but also overcame an injury that occured almost midway through the game. Gerald Wallace also carried some weight, becoming the Bobcat's lead scorer with 25, and though as I am quite aware of people's hatred towards him, I greatly enjoyed Larry Hughes take his threes. In terms of the Magic, Jameer Nelson rocked it with 32 points, making it clear that he takes missing last year's Playoffs to heart, and is looking to impress.
Game three, the San Antonio Spurs taking on the Dallas Mavs, almost went my way, but sadly ended up 100-94, with the Mavs taking the win. Clearly Dirk's 36 points greatly affected the Spurs, but they held their ground, Tim Duncan and Manu putting in some work for their team. Besides being upset by the loss, I was sorry to see that one of my top Spurs George Hill walked away with 0 points but overall, it was a close game until a few minutes into the fourth quarter, and in my defense, Chris Weber also picked the Spurs to take this one.
Last but not least came the Portland Trailblazers and the Phoenix Suns, and boy was I surprised by this one. Though the Suns didn't lose by much, 100-105, and the Trailblazers are known to be able to keep them in check, I was still expecting the excitment (and talent) of Stoudemire and Nash to conquer all. Andre Miller and LaMarcus Aldridge (I love him) went hard though and together had 53 points.
Though both the Spurs and the Suns let me down, my satisfaction sits in the fact that they each only lost by a few, as a blowout would have been a severe blow to my ego (I'm only half kidding). Time to get ready for day three.
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