Subplots abound as playoff picture becomes clearer

Here is a capsule look at the Eastern Conference and Western Conference semifinal matchups in the NBA playoffs.

Eastern Conference

No 1 Indiana (56-26 regular season, 4-3 in playoffs) vs No 5 Washington (44-38, 4-1)

Season series: Pacers, 2-1. Indiana routed Washington at home twice during its sizzling start, then lost on the road during its late-season slide.

The Wizards shot under 40 percent in all three games and averaged 70.5 points in their losses, when John Wall shot 8 of 29. Wall rebounded with 20 points and eight assists in the Wizards' 91-78 home victory on March 28.

Story line: Forced to seven games in the first round before getting past the Atlanta Hawks, the Pacers will try again to find the level they played at in the first half of the season.

The Wizards had a surprisingly easy five-game victory over Chicago and are in the second round for just the third time since 1979.

Key matchup: Roy Hibbert vs Marcin Gortat. After a mostly miserable series against the Hawks' nontraditional centers, maybe Hibbert will be more comfortable and effective in this round against someone who plays more his style.

Gortat had a pair of 17-point games against Indiana during the season and averaged 10.8 points and 9.6 rebounds in the first round.

X-factor: Trevor Ariza. The Pacers gave up a number of open 3-point looks to the Hawks and will have to keep a better eye on the Wizards' swingman, who was 13 of 28 behind the arc against Chicago.

Prediction: Pacers in 6.

No 2 Miami (54-28, 4-0) vs No 6 Brooklyn (44-38, 4-3)

Season series: Nets, 4-0. And that doesn't even count a 2-0 mark in the preseason. But three of Brooklyn's wins in the regular season were by a single point, and the fourth was in double overtime.

Dwyane Wade played in only two of four games for Miami, and Brooklyn's Kevin Garnett also missed two meetings.

Story line: Brooklyn has already won four games that count against Miami, but can the Nets do it now when it really counts?

The Nets are coming in after winning a Game 7 in Toronto, while Miami will have had more than a week off after sweeping the Charlotte Bobcats.

Key matchup: LeBron James vs Paul Pierce. This is the fifth time those two will duel in the postseason, with Pierce (Boston) ending James' season (Cleveland) in 2008 and 2010. James, after joining the Heat, returned the favor with Miami topping Boston in 2011 and 2012.

There's no question James is the better player today, but Pierce has a knack for coming up big at the biggest time of year.

X-factor: Chris Bosh. Miami is 38-12 this season when he scores at least 15 points, 19-14 when he does not.

Prediction: Heat in 6.

Western Conference

No 1 San Antonio (62-20, 4-3) vs No 5 Portland (54-28, 4-2)

Season series: Tied 2-2. Both teams won once on the other's home floor. The Trail Blazers won the first two matchups of the season, and one of the Spurs' wins came with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard all sitting out a game at Portland.

Story line: It's the veterans against the up-and-comers. San Antonio held things together after losing in last season's Finals, finishing this season with the league's best record. The Spurs were taken to the limit by Dallas in the first round, while Portland got a buzzer-beater from Damian Lillard to oust Houston in six.

Key matchup: Tony Parker vs. Lillard. The guard play in this series could be phenomenal, and it starts with these two. Game 1 of this series will be Parker's 180th postseason game. Lillard hasn't appeared in that many games in his career.

X-factor: Danny Green. The San Antonio sharpshooter was enormous for the Spurs in last season's Finals, his 3-point barrages giving Miami fits. If he gets remotely close to that hot again, Portland will have to take attention away from Duncan, Parker and Manu Ginobili - which plays right into San Antonio's hands.

Prediction: Spurs in 6.

No 2 Oklahoma City (59-23, 4-3) vs No 3 LA Clippers (57-25, 4-3)

Season series: Tied 2-2. How close was it? Combined score: Thunder 432, Clippers 428. Oklahoma City won once in Los Angeles, the Clippers won once in OKC. They've met only once since Feb 23, and that was the Thunder winning on the road 107-101 in a game that helped Oklahoma City lock up No. 2 in the West.

Story line: For the Clippers, maybe this series will have some sort of sense of normalcy. After the unbelievable roller-coaster of Round 1 - a fierce series with Golden State, the lifetime ban of the team's owner over racist comments - dealing with the probable MVP in Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant might actually seem like a welcome change of pace.

Key matchup: Russell Westbrook vs. Chris Paul. Westbrook is as explosive as can be, and Paul is physically banged up with who-knows-how-many injuries along with a certain emotional toll over the Donald Sterling mess.

When these guys go 1-on-1 in this series, the highlight reels will fill quickly. It's also worth mentioning that Paul has never been to a conference finals, and it's a safe bet that's weighing at least somewhat on his mind.

X-factor: Jamal Crawford. He scored 36 points in a win at Oklahoma City back in February, and comes in riding high after scoring 22 points in the Clippers' Game 7 victory over Golden State.

Prediction: Thunder in 7.

(China Daily 05/06/2014 page23)