NBA Playoffs - Game One Winners - Cavaliers - Nuggets - Suns - Warriors

The second half of the Game 1 schedule for the NBA Playoffs launched Sunday. There were a couple of major upsets, setting up what should be some of the most competitive and compelling Round 1 series in the NBA for years.

If you bet the Spurs or the Mavericks to win the NBA Title, then you're probably starting to sweat it right now. The fact is, though losing any one game in a seven game series isn't a disaster, to start the playoff season looking flat isn't a good sign for supposed contenders.

This is when the favorites come out with their hard-won home court advantage and hammer teams. This is when the contenders let the little guys know their's going to be no hope to steal a series. But the Mavs and Spurs could be in for tough, hard-fought series.

All in all, the underdogs put up a fight in all four of Sunday's games. Here's the rundown.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards

The Wizards came out swinging in game one. Their two best scorers, Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler, are out for the season. So nobody gave the Wizards a chance. The Cavs were expected to sweep.

That may end up being the case, but the Wizards competed for the first half. Antawn Jamison had to concern the Cavs with his 20+ point first half. Of course, the Cavs got a big basket to close the first half, turning a possible 2-point advantage into a 7-point halftime lead.

After the half, Lebron James and Larry Hughes took over, as Hughes finished with 27 points. Cleveland ended up with a 15 point victory, which is probably a good sign for the Cavs. Washington gave their best and still lost by double digits. No surprise, I guess.

Cleveland leads series 1-0

San Antonio Spurs vs. Denver Nuggets

Here's where the NBA playoffs started to get interesting. For the second time in three years, the Nuggets opened a series against the Spurs with a big win in San Antonio. Of course, two years ago, the Spurs went on to sweep the next four games for a 4-1 win. So let's not get ahead of ourselves.

But the Nuggets have A.I. this time around. Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony scored 30 and 31 points, which is a bad sign for the Spurs. A team can afford to let one star score 30+, if that means the other scorers are shut down. But when there are two guys that can rip you, all defensive strategy begins to break down.

I was a little surprised at the lack of moves by the Spurs in the offseason. They seemed to lack the athleticism needed to win a title last year. Throughout their series with Dallas, the Spurs role players seemed sluggish and old. Robert Horry and Brent Barry seemed useless, so I expected to see the Spurs go younger and more athletic on their bench this season. That wasn't the case.

They brought in Oberto and Elson, but they are simply big man roleplayers who haven't changed the dynamic that much for the Spurs. I had expected to see the Spurs grind down the Suns in a second round match up, but now I'm not sure if that's the case, even provided they make it that far.

Still, there's a lot of room for improvement for the Spurs. Tim Duncan only scored 14 points. I have no doubt this is the last time that happens in this series. Expect a whole lot of Duncan in Game 2, and a whole lot of foul trouble for the Nuggets big men. It's time for Duncan and the NBA refs to kiss and make up, which will make for a whole different dynamic in the second stanza.

Denver leads series 1-0

Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe came out with 39 points and the Lakers led by 10 in the first half. In fact, you wouldn't have thought this was the Suns playing in the first half of the game, as they scored only 39 points.

In the second half, the game turned around. Leandro Barbosa, who was voted NBA Sixth Man of the Year today, scored 26 points to spark the Phoenix comeback. The Suns wanted no part of the getting down in this series, as they did last year.

It looks like Kobe is going to have to score 50 for the Lakers to win a game in this series. Luckily, that will fulfill the stipulations of a Bodog bet. I'm still saying, if you want to win on a few proposition bets, this is the series to play, because production should increase as the Suns start to run in this series. More running means more possessions for both teams, meaning more production for the players.

Phoenix leads series 1-0

Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors

You knew this was going to be a wacky series. Don Nelson versus his old team was going to have lots of drama, and Don Nelson vs. Mark Cuban was going to provide more than a little comedy.

This is the sixth straight Warriors victory over the Mavs, which dates back to before the Nelson era in the Bay Area. That means the Warriors present certain match up problems for the Mavericks, especially in the form of beefy gaurd Baron Davis against the skinny guards of Dallas. Davis scored 33 points yesterday, including 19 in the decisive third period.

Avery Johnson let Nelly outcoach him in Game One. Dallas won 67 games this year playing a traditional center, yet Johnson took Dampier and Diop out of the game from the beginning. He started Nowitzki at center. That took the entire lineup out of its normal pattern. Like Duncan, Dirk only scored 14 points.

That being said, now is not the time to panic for the Mavericks.

The Warriors have one of the weakest defenses in the NBA. So Nowitski won't be scoring 14 points a game in this series. Stackhouse won't post a 0 off the bench. Jason Terry is going to get hot at a point. The Mavericks won't shoot 35% from the field in this series.

So expect to see the Mavs come out smoking hot in Game 2. They will figure out the college-style 2-2-1 zone that Nelson put out their in Game 1. They will probably add in the big men and get an advantage on the boards, one of the big mismatches in this series.

The Mavs come out desperate in Game Two. I would bet them to break out of this pattern in a big way.

Warriors lead series 1-0

Here are other posts about the NBA.

2007 NBA Playoffs Game One
2007 NBA Title Betting
2007 NBA Playoffs Proposition Bets

NBA Playoffs - Game One Winners - Cavaliers - Nuggets - Suns - Warriors