Best Storylines to Follow in the NBA Conference Semifinals
Can John Wall lead the Wizards to an upset of Indiana?
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Can John Wall Lead the Wizards to an Upset of Indiana? - After arguably the best first-round of the NBA playoffs ever, the league opens up its second round of postseason action Monday night, beginning with the upstart fifth-seed Washington Wizards tipping off against the No. 1 Indiana Pacers. John Wall and the Wizards showed a lot of growth and maturity in handling a physical Chicago Bulls squad in five games during the first round. Does Wall have what it takes to lead his Wizards to an upset of the Eastern Conference top-seed Pacers? It’s just one of the many questions that will be answered during the Conference semifinals of the NBA playoffs. Here, BET.com points out the best storylines to follow in the NBA Conference semifinals. These playoffs are no slam dunk! (Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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Roy Hibbert’s Ability to Play Up to All-Star Standards - The top-seed Pacers survived a scare and avoided an embarrassing early playoff elimination at the hands of the (8) Atlanta Hawks during first-round action. However, there are still plenty of concerns for Indiana, perhaps none greater than the status of Roy Hibbert. The Pacers’ 7-foot-2, 290-pound center averaged a dismal 5.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in the quarterfinal series, logging in only 22 minutes per game, which was down from the 30 he played during the regular season. Will Hibbert be able to play up to his All-Star selection from earlier this year and be the rim protector that the Pacers sorely need against an aggressive Wizards’ team? He'd better. (Photo: Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
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Have Rivers’ Clippers Grown Enough to Defeat Thunder? - The Los Angeles Clippers hired coach Doc Rivers to help take the team to the next level…and here they are. Having already navigated through the news of their owner Donald Sterling making egregious racist remarks and still winning a hard-fought seven-game series against the Golden State Warriors, River’s Clippers face a tough test against projected MVP-winner Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. There’s no denying that the Clippers grew through adversity during that conflicted first-round series, but OKC with KD and Russell Westbrook pose an entirely different challenge. Have the Clippers grown enough to silence the Thunder? Fans will find out in what looks to be the most intriguing playoff semifinal matchup this year. (Photo: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
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Blake Griffin’s Chance to Prove He’s Tough Enough - Blake Griffin easily had his best season as a pro, averaging a career-high 24 points per game during the regular season and leading the way for the Clippers to defeat the Warriors in seven games to advance to the second round. While Griffin has toughened up considerably, in becoming the Clippers’ “go-to guy,” as Chris Paul said, is the fourth-year power forward tough enough to get LA past Durant and the Thunder? Doing so would definitely elevate BG’s career, not to mention confidence, and leave previous postseason accusations about him being soft in his rear-view mirror. (Photo: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
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Can Thunder Slow Down Clippers’ No. 1 Offense? - We fully expect Durant, Westbrook and the Thunder to match offensive fireworks with the Clippers, but can OKC slow down LA’s top-ranked offense? Talents like CP3 and Griffin will still get theirs on the offensive end. But perhaps the Thunder’s defense will be aided by their ability to throw big bodies such as Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins and Nick Collison at LA’s 6-foot-11, 265-pound center DeAndre Jordan, who feasted on the Warriors for averages of 12 points and 15 rebounds per game during the first round. Curbing his paint production, especially on the boards, will go a long way for the Thunder. Hey Serge, this especially means you. Time to get big! (Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)
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