As round 2 of the NBA playoffs gets underway, we’ve already seen a ton of competition over the last couple of weeks. Despite there only being one Game 7 in the first round, there was still an incredible amount of passion and grit shown. Should we expect more from round 2? Why not!! The matchups get better and the talent has been filtered. Only the strong survive, right?

Here are a few storylines for each team in the conference semifinals:

• Is LeBron’s elbow really injured? Just kidding.. but will it be a factor?
• Can Boston’s Big 3 overcome Cleveland’s Big 1?
• Will Dwight Howard man up and not pick up cheap fouls?
• Are the Hawks ready for an even tougher series in round 2?
• Are the Lakers focused after their first round test from OKC?
• Can the Jazz sustain winning despite their injuries?
• Can the Suns overcome their fear of San Antonio?
• How far can the Spurs go? Seriously.

Once again, NBAtoday.net has compiled picks for each series. We didn’t do too poorly in our first round picks, but now our focus is on the conference semifinals – one step closer to June, and June Jubilation. Speaking of which check out our June Jubilation page for links to daily wrap-ups of EVERY playoff game! We will have our picks for each round as the playoffs move on, which brings us to our second round predictions. Who do YOU like?

Eastern Conference                                                                  Western Conference

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NBA playoffs and June Jubilation!