I do believe in that second-round adversity theory.
But here's something else to remember, which I mentioned earlier:
since the NBA went to a best-of-seven first round in 2003, no team that went on to win an NBA Title swept their round 1 opponent. (By contrast, when round 1 was a best of 5 from 1984-2002, 14 of the 18 champions swept their first round opponent.)
But here's something else to remember, which I mentioned earlier:
since the NBA went to a best-of-seven first round in 2003, no team that went on to win an NBA Title swept their round 1 opponent. (By contrast, when round 1 was a best of 5 from 1984-2002, 14 of the 18 champions swept their first round opponent.)