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Act II Second round promises more intriguing matchups
Updated: Sunday May 06, 2001 8:29 AM
CNNSI.com NBA expert Kevin Loughery stopped by the Sports Tonight show to discuss the playoffs.
Mike Galanos: Well, Toronto knocks off New York. What went wrong for the Knicks? Kevin Loughery: Well, they didn't have any post-up game. What we have are the two [higher-] seeded teams in the East, Miami and New York. They play a slow-down, grind-it-out game. It's not good enough anymore. Galanos: Now the Raptors have Philly and Allen Iverson. How can they stop him?
Loughery: I thought [Raptors head coach] Lenny Wilkens made a great adjustment by starting Chris Childs on Friday night and [Alvin] Williams at the two [guard]. But now their reward is getting to go up against Iverson. He's unstoppable -- too good. But someone from Philadelphia is going to have to step up and give him some help, because he's going to see two, three men on him all night. And not just Aaron McKie. Someone else has to step up. I still like Philadelphia in the series, in six or seven games. Galanos: The other series in the East is the Bucks-Hornets. Should be fun and gun. Loughery: It will be extremely interesting. Charlotte played Milwaukee very well this year by grinding it out and pounding it in because [it has] big people. But [the Hornets] had so much success with the sweep of Miami, I think they'll come out up-tempo. They have great matchups -- with [Jamal] Mashburn and Baron Davis, who I thought was the MVP of the Miami series. He can play [Sam] Cassell, and Cassell can not post him up. I think the Hornets win in six, even though Milwaukee has the home-court advantage. Galanos: Let's look at the West. How are the Kings going to handle the Lakers? Loughery: It's going to be tough for the Lakers to stay on this roll. Sacramento is a team that can score. I'm concerned about Chris Webber because after the ankle injuries, he has not been the same player. But Predrag Stoyakovic has really stepped up to be the go-to guy for that team. He can shoot with range, handle the basketball and he can create his own shot. They also have Doug Christie, who I think is arguably the best two-guard defender in the league for Kobe Bryant . But who's gonna play Shaq ? There's nobody. Galanos: Dallas, a great run, but is it over now? Loughery: Dallas had a great run and what an experience to beat the Jazz. They have three great players in [Steve] Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley. That's a big lift for their club. What Dallas does is they play an awful lot of zone [with man-to-man principles], and when you play zone against San Antonio, [you have to be careful because the Spurs] are very good passers. I like the Twin Towers. I think the Spurs will win, but in six or seven games. Kara Henderson: Do you think the quick turnaround will hurt the Mavs? Loughery: I think it will hurt some. They had a tough five-game series with a physical club, and their bench gave them almost nothing. It's a big edge for San Antonio in Game 1. Henderson: We have a caller for Kevin. Caller: Where do the Knicks go from here? Loughery: Obviously, they need something in the middle -- someone who can post up, someone who can demand a double-team. Some people are saying it's Patrick Ewing, but I don't think he had a very good year for Seattle. They may have to change their offense some. They are very stagnant, too many isolation plays. But really, they need someone who can post up.
Kevin Loughery is a former NBA player and head coach. He appears each Sunday on CNN's "This Week in the NBA."
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