By Daniel Dobish on May 12, 2012
It’s time for the second round of the NBA playoffs, and the surprising Philadelphia 76ers dumped the top-seeded Chicago Bulls in dramatic fashion. Not many saw the Sixers winning the series at all, let alone in six games. But the Bulls certainly lost a lot of their emotion and steam when PG Derrick Rose (knee) tore an anterior cruciate ligament. Meanwhile, the Celtics made fairly quick work of the Atlanta Hawks, setting up this series.
When looking to the 76ers, they have a slew of solid young fantasy talent. PG Jrue Holiday ($150K) finished off the regular season on fire, and he carried that momentum into the series against the Bulls. Holiday posted 24 or more fantasy points in each of the six games against Chicago, including four efforts with 31 or more fantasy points. He had at least four assists in each of the final five games, and he turned the ball over just seven total times from Game 2 through 6. Can he keep up that type of amazing production against Boston? Time will tell, but he is certainly a nice addition to any fantasy roster at that rate.
If the Sixers are to continue their Cinderella run in these playoffs, they’ll need good production down low. PF/C Elton Brand ($87K) had four three games with at least 21 fantasy points in the Chicago series, but he also disappeared in Game 3 with an 0-for-5 shooting night and just eight fantasy points in that one. He totaled just 32 fantasy points in the final two games on 4-of-15 shooting. He’ll need to be on point and ready to play every night. Fantasy owners might get a solid bargain with Brand in the middle, allowing them to spend more freely at the guard and forward positions.
Lastly, it all starts with swingman Andre Iguodala ($125K) for the Sixers. He averaged 20 fantasy points in the first three games, and 30.7 fantasy points per game in the final three outings, against the Bulls. He’ll need to have more production like the latter if Philadelphia is to move on. Luckily for fantasy owners, those three mediocre games have lowered his salary, making him a solid early-series buy.
For the Celtics, PG Rajon Rondo did a little bit of everything against Atlanta. The big news was that he was suspended in Game 2. That overshadowed a truly impressive series in which he averaged 37.8 fantasy points per game. He won’t come cheaply at $183K, but when you spend the money on Rondo, you know you’re going to get plenty of points and assists. He had at least eight dimes in each of his games against Atlanta. When he is really engaged, he’ll also get plenty of bonus rebounds. At least one or two triple-doubles against Philadelphia is not out of the question.
PF Kevin Garnett ($173K) really stepped up his game at times during the Atlanta series. Fantasy owners were appreciative of his 59-point fantasy effort Thursday, as he bagged 28 points to go along with 14 rebounds and five blocked shots. We know he is not THAT good on a regular basis, and he’ll have his work cut out working against Brand and C Spencer Hawes ($115K) in this series.
Speaking of which, Hawes might be one of the better values on the board at this price level, at least early in the series. While he had an off-shooting night in the series clincher Thursday, he averaged 32.3 fantasy points per outing in Games 3 through 5. Watch him closely.
Posted in Fantasy NBA Basketball |
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