5-On-5 Roundtable: Conference Semifinals Predictions

(1) Indiana Pacers vs. (5) Washington Wizards:
Regular season head-to-head record: IND 2-1

Dunlap: When I break down playoff basketball I ask myself two questions – which team has the best player and which team plays the best defense. Both point towards the Pacers, with Paul George and a great team defense. Don’t get me wrong – John Wall is going to have a field day getting into the paint, but I believe the Pacers needed that kind of scare in the first round to get them back on track. The Wizards are the kind of team who want a more flowing game and I just don’t see them faring well against the stingy Pacer defense. Despite the fact the Pacers were almost eliminated, we can’t ignore Paul George’s averages of 23.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.4 steals per game. We also can’t overlook the fact that they held the Hawks to 38.5 percent shooting for the series. Prediction: Pacers in 5

Watson: I’m not convinced that Indiana fixed everything with one good showing in Game 7 and I like Washington’s guards in a matchup with the Pacers. Roy Hibbert won’t get stretched to the perimeter as much against Marcin Gortat, but I like the Wizards in a six-game upset. Prediction: Wizards in 6

Bourguet: Even after watching Roy Hibbert pull a Lazarus when the Pacers took care of business against the Hawks in Game 7, I still can’t really tell if Atlanta was just a bad matchup for Indiana or if the Wizards are favorites to run away with this one. If they play anything like they did in the first round, John Wall and Bradley Beal should dominate their backcourt matchups with George Hill and Lance Stephenson. If Jeff Teague could do what he did to Indiana, just imagine what Wall is going to do. The same could be said of Nene after what he did to Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah. Hibbert won’t have to worry about Marcin Gortat drawing him out of the paint, but if Trevor Ariza can find a way to at least slow Paul George down a little bit, Larry Bird Face could last all summer. My prediction? Angry Bird is happening. Prediction: Wizards in 6

Young: Let’s not get ahead of ourselves and begin to think Indiana has “figured it out.” Yes, they’ve realized that Paul George is an absolute engine in the playoffs and his mid-season slumps were just fatigue related, and yes, they’ve realized that Roy Hibbert is still capable of producing double digits once in a blue moon. Against Washington’s Nene and Marcin Gortat, Hibbert is going to feel more comfortable, and have more energy on offense. The fact that Atlanta forced him to close out a mile on jump shooters goes a long way, and the Wizards will serve as more of a traditional matchup for him. With that said, the best player in this series is cloudy question, considering John Wall is letting loose of all the doubts people had of him during his first two seasons. Indiana can finally get back to their defensive identity, and Washington will have to get consistent contributions from Trevor Ariza and Bradley Beal. Not too sold on that with Paul George on the wing. Prediction: Pacers in 6

Giese: I really don’t know which way to lean with the Pacers anymore. In Game 7 against the Hawks they played a great, well-rounded game for the first time in months. Part of me wants to say that they’ll keep that up and manage to sneak into the conference finals like everyone expected at the beginning of the year. One thing I do know, or at least I think I know, is that the Wizards are for real (and being the only one that picked them to win the series against the Bulls, I feel like I owe them one). John Wall and Bradley Beal will have a field day against Lance Stephenson and George Hill. Stephenson may shut down one of those two a few times, but Hill can’t keep pace with Wall and Beal will have no problem shooting over him. The backcourt is a bad matchup for Indiana and I expect Washington to pull out this series. Prediction: Wizards in 7