Every series is tied 1-1. Now what?

After the first two games of every round one series, the home teams were 14-2, but that’s not the case in round two. Everyone is 1-1 in what is shaping up to be a wild second round filled with ejections, comebacks and epic individual scoring performances. In fact, it’s so wild, I won’t even bother to predict the outcome of any series. But with what we already know from games 1 and 2, here’s an outlook at games 3 and 4.

Heat vs. Bulls

Heading back to Chicago, how will the Bulls react to that game 2 beatdown? Expect Joakim Noah with help from the crowd to energize the team. Remember how well they bounced back after that blowout loss in game 1 against Brooklyn? But obviously the Heat are not the Nets, and this is familiar territory for them. Each of the last two playoffs, Miami has dropped a game 1 and then went on to win the series in five, including the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals against these Bulls. We saw the Heat equal the Bulls’ toughness level last night, but they also found a way to score efficiently and stop the Chicago’s limited offensive attack. Tom Thibodeau will need to make adjustments, and quick, or else this series will be 3-1 Miami after game 4.

Knicks vs. Pacers

So far in the playoffs, the Pacers are 3-0 at home, with three dominant wins over the Hawks in round one. This series is especially hard to pick because neither game in New York was close. Carmelo Anthony’s scoring has been there, but the efficiency hasn’t. And for sixth man J.R. Smith, neither scoring, nor efficiency has been there since getting ejected from that game 3 in Boston. The Knicks need their leading scorers to carry the offense, but it doesn’t help when they’re taking 50+ shots a game. Expect this series to tighten up in Indiana, so much so that this one will be headed back to New York tied 2-2.

Thunder vs. Grizzlies

Memphis dictated the flow of games 1 and 2, and if not for standard Kevin Durant heroics in game 1, they’d be up 2-0. Marc Gasol is playing at the top of his game, being the center of everything the Grizzlies do offensively and defensively. Mike Conley is improving on a national stage, and if not for Stephen Curry, he’d be the breakout star of these playoffs. Durant is literally doing it all for OKC and it still hasn’t been enough sometimes. Nothing is coming easily to the Thunder as a team right now. With Serge Ibaka and Kevin Martin having been inconsistent on the road, Durant faces even more of a burden in Memphis, where I expect the Grizzlies to roll to a 3-1 lead.

Spurs vs. Warriors

I try to learn something from every game I watch, but game 1 was so entertaining, all I really learned is that this thing is going seven. Even after blowing a huge lead and then almost blowing another, don’t the Warriors have to feel good? They are outplaying the Spurs for the majority of games, and stole home court advantage, which is huge when coming back to Oracle Arena’s sea of gold. Can they expect Curry and Klay Thompson to have career game every night? Well maybe, but even if they don’t, role players such as Carl Landry and Draymond Green will play better at home. However, the old guard Spurs, partly lead by new guys Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, are not going down 3-1. They’ll win a game in Oracle, and this one will be tied heading back to the Alamo.