2014 NBA Playoff Picks for May 15th

Two second round series down, two to go. Round two of the 2014 NBA Playoffs continues on Thursday night, and in that same breath it could very well conclude, as well. Not if the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards have anything to say about it, that is.

Both teams have found themselves down 3-2 in their respective series, but will need to win tonight to force a game seven. It might be especially difficult for L.A., considering they’re fresh off of an epic collapse and a game that may have been marred in controversy.

Still, both teams have a shot at extending their series and they’ll take the court tonight in an effort to do just that. Let’s break down both games and see if either can get it done:

Indiana Pacers (1) @ Washington Wizards (5) – 7:00 PM ET

Indiana has to be the toughest team to figure out in this year’s playoffs. They’re the East’s top seed, yet for at least half of the playoffs they’ve played like a six seed, at best. They got dominated in game one against the Wiz, barely won game two, and then dominated the next two. Then come game five, and they get absolutely worked.

Despite their lack of a true identity at times, it’s still going to be quite the haul for the Wiz to win back to back games. They have a chance with this one at home, but the Pacers should look to follow suit so they can start preparing for the Miami Heat in the next round.

Pick: Pacers 89, Wizards 84

Oklahoma City Thunder (2) @ Los Angeles Clippers (3) – 10:30 PM ET

The Clippers should have won game five. They should be up 3-2 right now, going home to close out an impressive series win against the Thunder. Instead, they folded down the stretch in their last game (albeit with a ton of help from the refs).

It’s not likely they’ll get over such a crushing loss in time to beat the Thunder. Look for OKC to close this thing out and get ready for the top-seeded Spurs in the next round.

Pick: Thunder 109, Clippers 105