After an amazing first round, this semi-finals round looks like it will be double the action and excitement! This semi-finals round will feature amazing matchups of high-powered squads such as Milwaukee v Brooklyn, that I'll be tuning into as much as I can! This postseason's first round wasn't very upset-heavy, which means we get to see higher seeds battling other higher seeds. I, for one, can't wait to see how the superstars who will be taking the court in this round will perform after some extensive first-round series. This article will go through a preview of every semi-finals series (in both conferences) and break down/analyze each one, with my predictions. I've also added a Keys To The Series inclusion in every series preview! This article is the second of five articles, in which I break down each stage of the playoffs. The posting schedule throughout the playoffs will be as followed:

Play-in preview (which can be found here)
1st Round Preview (which can be found here)
Semi-Finals Preview
Conference Finals Preview
Finals Preview

This postseason's semi-finals round includes all of the following matchups:

(East) #1 Philadelphia 76ers v #5 Atlanta Hawks
(East) #2 Brooklyn Nets v #3 Milwaukee Bucks
(West) #1 Utah Jazz v #4 Los Angeles Clippers OR #5 Dallas Mavericks
(West) #2 Phoenix Suns v #3 Denver Nuggets

So, without further ado, let's get into the previews!

Eastern Conference

#1 PHI v #5 ATL

📸 courtesy of DraftKings Nation — 📸 courtesy of DraftKings Nation

Philadelphia's Keys To The Series:

Contain Trae Young
Limit Atlanta's 3-point scoring
Force isolation scoring

For the first key, Philadelphia has the three-level defense to contain Trae Young better than just about any team in the NBA. Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle are elite perimeter defenders with size advantages over Young and are excellent in the chase-down game in case Young gets past them. For the next key, 3-point scoring is how the Hawks pile on points against you. Atlanta has surrounded Trae Young and Clint Capela with floor spacers that open up the offense for them, such as Kevin Huerter, Lou Williams, Bogdan Bogdanović, and Danilo Gallinari. If Philly can uphold a stout perimeter defense, Young and Capela will be forced into more turnovers. And for the lask key, Atlanta's offense is like a rhythmic and well-oiled machine, moving constantly with cutting and off-ball rotations that allow for open 3's and lanes to the hoop. If the 76ers can use their general length and switchability to cut off passing lanes and limit off-ball movement, that could force players like Huerter, Kriss Dunn, Bogdanović, and Gallinari into isolation 1 on 1 scoring, which is significantly less efficient and much easier for Philly to shut down.

Atlanta's Keys To The Series:

Take care of the ball
Win the minutes when Philly's stars are resting
Take advantage of the time Joel Embiid might miss

For the first key for Atlanta, they need to continue to improve on something that they did well with in the first round against the Knicks: taking care of the ball. Atlanta won the turnover battle across the whole series against New York, which was a key factor in their win. Pressuring New York's inexperienced roster led to big leads and a 4-1 series win. For Atlanta's second key, I think this goes for any team facing a team like Philly. If you can win during the minutes when Philly's top players like Embiid, Simmons, and Tobias Harris are on the bench, you can be better prepared to match Philly's top dogs when they come back into the game. And for the final key for Atlanta, they need to capitalize on Joel Embiid's recent injury. During the first round against Washington, Embiid was diagnosed with a Meniscus tear in his knee and missed time towards the end of that series to heal. After Embiid, Philly's next best big man is Dwight Howard. If Embiid is sidelined during this series, Atlanta's top center Clint Capela needs to dominate matched up against Howard.

Game 1 Prediction: 76ers Win 124-113
Game 2 Prediction: 76ers Win 114-108
Game 3 Prediction Hawks Win 129-124
Game 4 Prediction: 76ers Win 125-117
Game 5 Prediction: 76ers Win 117-109

Series MVP: Ben Simmons (22.6 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 10.3 APG)

Biggest Disappointment: Danilo Gallinari (15.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.8 APG)

I don't expect Joel Embiid to miss more than 1 game, and he and Simmons will lead Philly past Atlanta in just 5 games. Atlanta's defense is better than last season, but it's still nowhere near good enough to stop Philly's offensive assault. Trae Young gets his first taste of a serious playoff threat, and Atlanta's inexperienced roster will soon realize that the Knicks series was a walk in the park compared to what Philly is going to do to them.

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#2 BKN v #3 MIL

📸 courtesy of Fansided - Sir Charles In Charge — 📸 courtesy of Fansided - Sir Charles In Charge

Brooklyn's Keys To The Series:

Great support from subsidiary pieces
Hold down the paint
Avoid unfavorable switches

For the first key, we know that Brooklyn's big 3 of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving is capable of scoring 70+ combined points against any team in the league, but in this series, it's the supporting pieces like Joe Harris, Blake Griffin, Landry Shamet, Jeff Green, and Nic Claxton that need to excel in their roles more than ever. The Bucks Big 3 matches up excellently against the Nets Big 3, so to pull ahead of Milwaukee, Brooklyn's supporting pieces need to outplay Milwaukee's supporting pieces. For Brooklyn's second key, they need to dominate the paint on both ends of the floor. Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the rarest combinations of massive size, blazing speed, and fantastic technique, and can score easily in the paint off the drive, or off a post-up. The Nets need to improve on their biggest weakness this season, or Antetokounmpo will dominate them. In the first round, the Nets lost Game 3 against the Celtics because Jayson Tatum scored 50 points. Watching that game, it was obvious that Tatum was able to rack up 50 points due to great scoring opportunities on favorable matchups. At the start of nearly every possession, Tatum would run high pick and roll with Kemba Walker at the top of the key, and the Nets would switch Walker's defender onto Tatum, and Tatum's defender onto Walker. This meant that Jayson Tatum now had a significantly smaller defender guarding him, such as Kyrie Irving, James Harden, or Landry Shamet (who also aren't exactly good defenders in general). This allowed Tatum to score easily, or get fouled and sent to the free-throw line. Brooklyn needs to resist switches off of screens more in this series to prevent easy opportunities for Milwaukee's stars.

Milwaukee's Keys To The Series:

Match up against Brooklyn's Big 3 properly
Dominate the paint on offense
Win the 3-point battle, by a lot

The first key for Milwaukee is to properly align their defense to combat Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving. As much as possible, Jrue Holiday should be all over Irving, Khris Middleton should be draped on Harden, and Giannis Antetokounmpo should be constantly clamping down on Durant. Not a single member of Brooklyn's Big 3 will get shut down by anyone in the league, but if Milwaukee can hold each of them to under 30 points in as many games as possible, Milwaukee's subsidiary pieces such as P.J. Tucker, Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez, and Pat Connaughton can outplay Brooklyn's poorer role players. And for Milwaukee's final key, they need to outscore Brooklyn from beyond the arc. The Nets are a very good shooting team, as every member of their Big 3 can knock down 6+ 3's on any given night, and starting small forward Joe Harris is the best 3-point shooter in the NBA. Milwaukee needs to not only convert on as many of their 3-point opportunities as possible, but they need to contest Brooklyn's shooters heavily to at least affect their shots from deep. If Milwaukee can limit high-value scoring outside of Brooklyn's Big 3, they'll have the Nets playing catch-up all series.

Game 1 Prediction: Bucks Win 131-127
Game 2 Prediction: Nets Win 129-128
Game 3 Prediction: Nets Win 124-119
Game 4 Prediction: Bucks Win 126-122
Game 5 Prediction: Bucks Win 130-124
Game 6 Prediction: Bucks Win 117-113

Series MVP: Khris Middleton (25.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.6 APG)

Biggest Disappointment: Blake Griffin (4.9 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.4 APG)

Just like the Heat were perfectly tailored to take down the Bucks last season, the Bucks are the perfect counter to this Nets team. This season's Bucks team is a completely different team than last season. I was listening to The Ringer's "The Mismatch" podcast with Kevin O'Connor and Chris Vernon, and O'Connor and Vernon made some very good points that I'd like to paraphrase here. They said something along the lines of, "Milwaukee this season is more tenacious and dangerous than last season. They seem grittier and like they want it more." They showed this in their dominant first-round performance against the Miami Heat, sweeping the Heat out of the playoffs. The Bucks have all of the tools to beat Brooklyn, and I think Brooklyn has more bark than bite.

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Western Conference

Disclaimer: Because Utah's matchup will not be decided by the time I need to post this article, I will be writing segments for each possibility, Utah v Los Angeles, and Utah v Dallas. When the matchup is officially set, I'll delete the other version, and keep the segment that became the official matchup.

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#1 UTA v #4 LAC

📸 courtesy of Los Angeles Times — 📸 courtesy of Los Angeles Times

Utah's Keys To The Series:

Contain LAC's perimeter scoring
Force Kawhi Leonard into 3-pointers
Exercise constant off-ball movement and cutting

Utah's first key involves pestering perimeter defense. The Clippers don't have one of the most cohesive offenses in the NBA, and, from what I've seen, use isolation and kickouts to rack up points. But, since Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are elite 1 on 1 scorers, they allow LAC's offense to work. Reggie Jackson, Serge Ibaka, Luke Kennard, Marcus Morris, and Nic Batum are all certainly capable of knocking down a trey off the catch, the Clippers like to spread the floor and let Leonard and/or George make something happen. If the Jazz can contain and challenge LAC's perimeter shooters, Leonard and George will be left to go 1 on 1 for themselves, which is not nearly as efficient as an open catch and shoot 3. For Utah's second key, they need to match a defender like Royce O'Neal onto Kawhi Leonard to stay in front of Leonard, so he can't get easy shots at the bucket or from the midrange. The worst part of Kawhi's offensive game is his 3-point shooting (which isn't bad by any means, but he isn't as efficient from there as he is from the midrange or the paint), so forcing him into 3's late in the shot clock will put pressure on him and LAC's offense. And for Utah's final key, they need to move off-ball constantly. The Clippers are a top defensive team, but one way to get easy opportunities against them is with backdoor cuts and off-ball screens, freeing up players like Jordan Clarkson and Donovan Mitchell for east lanes to the hoop.

Los Angeles' Keys To The Series:

Swing the ball around the perimeter
Attack the paint when Rudy Gobert is on the bench
Closeout on shooters with ferocity

For LAC's first key to this series, they need to swing the ball around the perimeter to generate open looks from deep. Utah's star big man (and DPOY favorite pretty much solely due to his nearly-unbreachable paint and rim protection) isn't going to allow many solid looks at the hoop for the Clippers, so generating and converting on high-percentage 3-point opportunities by keeping the ball moving quickly around the 3 point line will help LAC rack up points. LAC's second key revolves around a switch in mentality when Rudy Gobert isn't on the floor for the Jazz. Once Gobert heads to the bench for a rest, attack the paint as much as possible. Derrick Favors is a solid paint defender, but the Clippers have excellent finishers around the rim in Rajon Rondo, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Serge Ibaka, so tenaciously attacking the paint when Gobert is on the bench is a great way to potentially close gaps that Gobert and Utah's starters created. And for LAC's third and final key, it's really quite simple. Closeout on Utah's shooters and challenge their shots as much as possible. Joe Ingles, Jordan Clarkson, Bojan Bogdanovic, and even Donovan Mitchell can catch fire from deep, so affecting and changing their 3-point shots will be huge.

Game 1 Prediction: Jazz Win 118-114
Game 2 Prediction: Clippers Win 106-100
Game 3 Prediction: Clippers WIn 112-105
Game 4 Prediction: Jazz Win 121-117
Game 5 Prediction: Jazz Win 116-109
Game 6 Prediction: Clippers Win 122-119
Game 7 Prediction: Clippers WIn 113-108

Series MVP: Kawhi Leonard (28.6 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 4.5 APG)

Biggest Disappointment: Marcus Morris (9.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.3 APG)

I predict this series to be very close, as 2 out of the 3 regular season meetings were decided 6 points or less. Against the Mavericks in the first round, Kawhi Leonard turned into a machine, and put the Clippers on his back to lead them to the semi-finals. I see him doing the same thing here, seeing as Utah doesn't have any wing defenders talented enough to stop him. Paul George will have a quietly solid series, and Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert will fall short of their aspirations of a deep postseason run once again.

OR

#1 UTA v #5 DAL

📸 courtesy of Fansided - SLC Dunk — 📸 courtesy of Fansided - SLC Dunk

Utah's Keys To The Series:

Win the turnover battle
Pressure Dallas' supporting pieces
Throw everything you can at Luka Dončić

For Utah's first key against Dallas, they need to protect the ball. Dallas was one of the safest teams with the ball in the regular season (11.9 turnovers per game, 3rd fewest in the NBA). If Utah can force Dallas into turnovers on defense and take care of the ball on offense, they can build leads. The second key for Utah revolves around Utah's unique roster composition. Besides Luka Dončić and Kristaps Porzingis, the Mavericks sister consists of an unusually high level of good role players, but if those role players don't provide sufficient support for Dončić and don't convert on the opportunities that Dončić creates for them, the Mavericks are a very beatable team. If Utah can force those role players into poor performances, the Jazz's top dogs can outplay Dončić. And for Utah's final key against Dallas, you need to throw the kitchen sink at Dončić. He's one of the most unguardable players in the NBA, and can make any defender look obsolete. If Utah can direct its best defenders towards Dončić, Utah can win the series.

Dallas' Keys To The Series:

Win the 3-point battle
Play tenacious perimeter defense
Good performance from Kristaps Porzingis

For Dallas' first key, they need to out-shoot the Jazz, who ranked 3rd highest in the NBA in 3-point percentage. That's a tall task, but Dallas has many solid shooters from beyond the arc such as Tim Hardaway Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, Jalen Brunson, and that can provide excellent support for Dončić. Dallas' second key involves something that Dallas doesn't specifically excel in; perimeter defense. Dallas has serviceable perimeter defenders, but no one who is known for that field. Utah has tons of reliable scorers outside of their stars (Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic, Royce O'Neal, and Jordan Clarkson, just to name a few), that need to be limited for Dallas to win. Tenacious perimeter defense can pressure them out of having the high-value impact that they usually have. And for Dallas' last key, the only way they'll win this series is if Kristaps Porzingis has a good (or great) series. Dončić can't be the only source of high scoring for Dallas, Porzingis needs to step up and prove that Dallas made the right move trading for him.

Game 1 Prediction: Jazz Win 124-112
Game 2 Prediction: Jazz Win 116-109
Game 3 Prediction: Mavericks Win 120-110
Game 4 Prediction: Jazz Win 109-103
Game 5 Prediction: Mavericks Win 118-110
Game 6 Prediction: Jazz Win 125-114

Series MVP: Donovan Mitchell (25.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 5.5 APG)

Biggest Disappointment: Dorian Finney-Smith (8.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.0 APG)

Dallas is a solid team, but not good enough to get past Utah. The Jazz had the best record in the regular season for a reason, and just Luka Dončić isn't enough to get by Utah's two-way excellence. Dallas has a bright future with Dončić at the helm, but poor performances from role players like Finney-Smith drag them down and make them unable to match Donovan Mitchell's blazingly good performance.

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#2 PHX v #3 DEN

Phoenix's Keys To The Series:

Contain Denver's shooters
Attack Michael Porter Jr.
Exercise maximum switchability everywhere except with Nikola Jokic

For Phoenix's first key, they need to be able to limit Denver's shooting from beyond the arc. Denver has players such as Monte Morris, Michael Porter Jr., and even Nikola Jokic who can catch on fire and rack up 18 points off of 3-pointers only in a single quarter. If Phoenix's top perimeter defenders can rotate to cover these shooters, or at least change the shot with a contest, Phoenix can out-score Denver's high-powered offense. Phoenix's second key is very important. Michael Porter Jr. is a spectacular offensive talent, but he has no clue what he's supposed to be doing on defense. Despite having a decent amount of hustle, he lacks defensive instinct and lateral quickness, causing him to be left in the dust with a simple blow-by or common dribble move. Chris Paul and Devin Booker are both incredibly skilled 3-level scorers who, if switched onto Porter Jr. frequently, can take advantage of the youngster's biggest weakness. Phoenix's final key to this series involves their overall level of switchability across their roster. Phoenix is one of the most switchable teams in the NBA, with versatile perimeter defenders and great defensive help and rotations. This team quality will come in handy against any team, but especially against Denver. Jokic is the only player that Phoenix can't switch on, but other than him, the Suns can easily deal with screens (both off-ball and on-ball) to help limit Denver's subsidiary players.

Denver's Keys To The Series:

Spread the floor
Hide Michael Porter Jr. on defense
Feed. Nikola. Jokic.

Denver's first key involves floor spacing. The Nuggets have one of the most methodical and mesmerizing offenses in the NBA, and it's all centered around one man: Nikola Jokic. Jokic is one of few virtually unguardable players in the league, as he has not only the height, but the high release point on his jumper to shoot over anyone in the paint, from the midrange, or from 3-point range. If Denver can spread the floor enough for Jokic to either embarrass a defender 1 on 1 or kick out to one of many open shooters, Denver can combat Phoenix's stout defense. For Denver's second key, it's the reverse of Phoenix's second key. Phoenix will want to attack Michael Porter Jr., so Denver needs to hide him. Denver is a solid defensive team, but Porter Jr. is their weakest link in that field. Hiding Porter Jr. in a corner or along the baseline to interrupt Phoenix's constant off-ball screening and cutting can keep him from being preyed on by Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Mikal Bridges, while also potentially getting value from the situation. And for Denver's final key, it's very simple. Denver needs to get Jokic as many opportunities as they can. He's one of the best offensive players in the NBA, he's a passing wizard, and can create for others. Denver head coach Mike Malone needs to have his offense completely gravitate around Jokic, because Jokic can pick any defense apart.

Game 1 Prediction: Suns Win 125-119
Game 2 Prediction: Nuggets Win 108-103
Game 3 Prediction: Nuggets Win 116-109
Game 4 Prediction: Suns Win 120-115
Game 5 Prediction: Suns Win 110-104
Game 6 Prediction: Nuggets Win 123-117
Game 7 Prediction: Suns Win 114-111

Series MVP: Nikola Jokic (34.3 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 9.8 APG)

Biggest Disappointment: Michael Porter Jr. (14.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.7 APG)

I predict this series to be incredibly close, with Jokic doing all he can to carry Denver past Phoenix, nearly averaging a triple-double in the series. Porter Jr. will be exposed on defense by the Suns quite frequently, and Mikal Bridges' stout perimeter defense will make it troublesome for Porter Jr. to score as he did against Portland in the first round. If Denver had Jamal Murray, I would have them beating the Suns, but because of Murray being out for the year with an ACL tear, I predict Phoenix, my Finals pick, to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

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And that concludes my 2021 NBA Semi-Finals Preview/Breakdown, I hope you enjoyed it! NBA Playoff Time is just about my favorite time of year, so I look forward to bringing you this series of playoff stage previews and breakdowns throughout the rest of this postseason! Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for the rest of these previews/breakdowns! I will be doing one for every round of the playoffs!