[Cactus Jack]

Looks like the Thunder could roll in this one. Don't know that the Pacers win more than one or two games in the series, but I guess stranger things have happened.

Watching the playoffs, I've come to realize that the Thunder are a lot better defensively than I'd given them credit for. They've beaten what were probably the second and third best teams in the West (Denver and Minnesota), so it isn't as if they've somewhat backed in like the Pacers (who beat a down Bucks and injured Cavaliers team before beating a Knicks team that'd beat an injured Boston).

Don't know why, but I just haven't had as much interest in the NBA Playoffs this season. The format is designed so that the best teams win, but that can be pretty anti-climatic, and it doesn't really have much to do with two small market teams with rosters devoid of many megastars. If anything, the constant blowouts (teams trading 25+ point wins and losses) just hasn't seemed to produce lots of exciting games.

Here's to hoping that changes, but given the Pacers' lack of scoring punch and size, I won't be holding my breath.