Tonight three game 6's of NBA playoffs will be played. The match ups are Raptors at Pacers, Miami at Charlotte, and the L.A. Clippers at Portland. With three teams on the brink of elimination, only one will survive to play Sunday. Now lets break this down by series.
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| Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports |
The most obvious team on there way out is the Los Angels Clippers. The Clippers were originally favored to the win the series in six games, but after Paul and Griffin suffered injuries in game four the script has flipped. With Paul and Griffin being out for the rest of the series the Clippers lose their two best play makers. This is a huge blow to the team and really hurt there chances at winning this series. The Blazers are just too good to not close out this series on their home floor. Expect big games from Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum tonight. The Blazers will win 102 to 88.
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| Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports |
The Charlotte Hornets are looking to win their first playoff series since 2002. Charlotte has waited a long time to see their team succeeded. Tonight they have the opportunity to finish off a good Miami team at home. Most of the Hornets success this season was a result of great play from Nicolas Batum. Batum played just 25 minutes in game five and sat out games three and four. The Hornets have really put together a great team effort in Batum's absence. Tonight the X-factor to look for will be Courtney Lee and Jeremy Lin. Lee hit a crucial go ahead three at the end of game five giving the Hornets a two point lead with 25 seconds to play. Jeremy Lin has done a good job keeping the defense on their toes making sure they know where he is. This allows the pressure to be taken off Kemba Walker so he can create for him self. The Hornets will win in a close game 93-89.
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| Frank Gunn, AP |
Tonight's first game between the Raptors and Pacers should be a good one to watch. The Pacers were just milliseconds away from putting game five into overtime, but the shot was waived off and they will be heading back home down 3-2 looking to force a game seven. The Pacers blew a comfortable 13 point lead going into the fourth quarter. George had a spectacular game finishing with 39 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals. Tonight I don't see the Pacers blowing a lead like this again. The Pacers have played well in this series and that will not change tonight. Expect George to have another big game tonight. Another thing to look at during this game is how the Pacers bench responds after scoring only 19 points in game five. Indian will force a game seven with a 95-87 win.
