The Western Conference Semi-Finals have all now played two games each and every one of the contests currently stands at 1-1. Thursday the 7th of May is a rest day for all of the teams involved, which will be no bad thing, especially for the four teams who get an additional day of rest until Saturday. It may not seem like a big thing but every additional hour between games can be vital, allowing players to rest and recover while tactical minds whirr away and pull new plans together that may make all the difference. The fact that all four of the ties stand evenly balanced going into Game 3 means that NBA fans can look forward to a great deal of excitement and action this weekend.
There were two big games on Thursday night and the home teams triumphed in both of them, levelling the series in both of the contests. There were a few people looking for the Bulls to surprise the Cavaliers once again and place LeBron and his boys under considerable pressure before they head to Chicago. The Cavs will still be under pressure when they play their away games against the Bulls but it could have been an awful lot tougher.
Did a headband decide the outcome of the Cavs and Bulls game?
It is not as though fashion accessories are a deciding factor in most games of basketball but there will be some fans who think that this game, and perhaps this series turned on the fact that the headband returned!
Yes, LeBron may have ditched his headband back in March but in early May, it returned and so did the aggressive play, the dunks and the great attacking play that so many people instantly think of when they think about LeBron James.
James served up 33 points while Kyrie Irving grabbed 21 points, which means it was no shock or surprise to see the Cavaliers grabbing the win with a 106-91 triumph that levelled the series going into Game 3. As James said;
It was in my locker, and I decided to give it a go. It was time for it to make a comeback.
Whether the headband hangs around for the rest of the series remains to be seen, but there will be plenty of Cavs fans who hope that it is here to stay if it played a part in helping the Cavaliers get back on track in this series.
James Harden was instrumental in the Rockets getting back on track
Some people felt that the Clippers may have had enough to put some serious daylight between themselves and the Rockets but the Houston side dug deep and clawed themselves level before they head off to Los Angeles for Game 3 in the series.
James Harden was the big man for the Rockets in the 115-109 win and for large parts of the game, it looked as though this would be far from the case. Harden was sat on the bench for the majority of the third quarter with four fouls. This meant that when he finally got into the action, he knew he had to act quickly while still taking care to stay on the right side of the law!
He managed to grab 16 points in the fourth quarter, leaving him with a total of 32 points and it was a massive home win that kept the series well and truly open as we move forward. When Harden was benched, his team was toiling and they were 11 points behind. However, his big showing late on in the game propelled the team to victory and this further underlined how important a player Harden is when he gets a head of steam behind him.
You may think that a day of rest is the last thing you need when looking for the best value in NBA Playoff betting but having a bit of time to contemplate how the teams are playing and what lies ahead this week is never going to be a bad thing. The NBA is all set to serve up a massive weekend, and there will be plenty of chances to enjoy some betting action in the next few days with the big teams in basketball.
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