The NBA playoffs standings are into the second round and the Cleveland Cavaliers are set to play the Chicago Bulls for the eastern conference semifinals, while the Houston Rockets match up with the LA Clippers and the teams are looking for 1-0 series starts on Monday and Los Angeles may have to play without star Chris Paul in the Game 1 matchup.
The Cavaliers have been waiting for a week for the Bulls and they come in after sweeping out the Boston Celtics in the first round in four games. The team is not at full strength though, as Kevin Love will be out for the remainder of the playoffs. Love was injured after getting tangled up with Kelly Olynyk in Game 4 of the series and now his absence could be a major factor in what happens in the playoffs.
The Bulls open in Cleveland for the first game of the series and these two teams battled for most of the year in the central division. The Rockets come in after winning over the Dallas mavericks and they will play against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers come in after winning in seven games over the Spurs and they won Game 7 after a late shot from Chris Paul. Paul could be out for this match up after injuring his hamstring against the Spurs and he is a game time decision.
Paul hit the winning shot in the game against the Spurs and had 27 points despite being hobbled by a hamstring. Paul had to lead the game early and later returned and he was able to lead his team to a victory. The Clippers are now into the second round and they are looking to make a push into the conference finals. The Warriors are taking on the Grizzlies and they have been off to a strong start and have not lost a game in the playoffs yet.
The Bulls come in after demolishing the Bucks in Game 6 of their series, winning the game 12-66. The team saw some strong play from Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose in the series and they will need those two to step up to get a win against Cleveland. The Cavs have played very well at home this season and now they come in without Love in the lineup.
While Love was not putting up numbers like he did in Minnesota, he was having a major impact on the team and now they will have to find a way to win without him. LeBron James came in third in MVP voting and he now gets the chance to show why he might be the deserving winner on Monday night. The team now will need more from Tristan Thompson, as Love was leading the Cavs in rebounding, while James is tops with 25 points and seven assists per game.
The Cavaliers and the Hawks are the favorites in the east, but the Bulls could be a sleeper now that Love is out. The Warriors are looking to win the championship after leading the league with 67 wins in the regular season. The team is the fourth to sweep the first round after winning that many games and the other three (Bulls twice, Celtics once) went on to win the title.
