NBA Playoffs!

The Game Room
1

I know this board’s more of an NFL oriented board, but there must be some NBA fans here somewhere!

Last year I posted my predictions for the season and it looks like I got 12 of the 16 teams. Seeding…well, let’s ignore what I said :stuck_out_tongue: Some things can’t really be predicted (trades, injuries)

Going into the playoffs, it looks like the Lakers were freefalling losing something like 8 of their last 12. Bynum was out, Kobe was hurt, and they couldn’t get any consistency. Luckily, some of that has disappeared in the playoffs, as Phil Jackson usually knows how much to save his players.

Mavs got a great deal from trading a hurt player and some pieces for a really good player and some pieces. No wonder they are the #2 seed though a good portion of the playoff predictors have them losing to the #7 Spurs. I think the Mavs will pull it off, they have a lot of weapons and the Spurs are getting pretty old. Richard Jefferson didn’t really pan out (Old man McDyess outplayed him despite being a whole century older). But Pop’s an excellent coach and I don’t see the Spurs just laying down like their 1-4 loss to Dallas last year. I picked them as the #2 seed but injuries have really decimated their season. But they are probably healthier now than at any point in the last few months so I expect them to outperform their seeding.

I think everybody underestimated Phoenix. I didn’t even have them in the playoffs! But it looks like Shaq was the Big Albatross dragging down a team who’s natural style is run-and-gun. Steve Nash looks like he found the Fountain of Youth (Jason Kidd too) and have the Suns at #3 when they weren’t in the playoffs last year. But speaking of over/underrating people, I have to admit that I underestimated the power of Chauncey. I thought for sure Denver was going to lose several steps with their trades of some key pieces, but it looks like as long as Chauncey’s guiding this team, they will be at or near the top of the West.

Utah’s resurgence was a surprise. Who would have thought they’d be able to lose 2 starters and steal home court away from Denver? Deron Williams is playing like the best PG in the league despite the octogenerians Kidd and Nash playing out of their minds. And to think he almost didn’t make the All Star game. The West has some really really good point guards.

Speaking of point guards, where the hell did Oklahoma City come from?? This was essentially an expansion team, one that wouldn’t be expected to do anything for years. Yet Durant wins the scoring title and becomes the youngest ever to do so, and Westbrook is torching the Lakers by averaging 20pts and shooting 57%. I still think they’ll lose, but they are going to be good for years to come (unless the same thing happens to them as New Orleans, that’s a sad story). People keep saying that the Lakers are showing their age because of the close battles, but I think they are overlooking the fact that once again, just like 2 years ago, the West is loaded. The #8 seed wins 50 games! These are not your typical #8 seeds!

In Portland, they somehow manage to lose their entire time, trade and sign for a brand new roster, and still make the playoffs. These Blazers are a far cry from the Jailblazers of 10 years ago. Stealing homecourt from the Suns in game 1 is no easy task either. If they can get healthy, and they haven’t been for the last few years, they could easily be contending for the title. And to think they are doing this without their best player Roy. I think they need to give up on the Oden experiment, label him a bust, and build around Roy. Przbilla and Camby’s shiny new 2 year deal are more than enough to offset the oft-injured big man.

Hornets and Warriors are both out. The Warriors are WAAAAY out. What happened to them? They can’t totally blame everything on injuries. Just look at Utah and Portland, who’ve managed to be successful despite injuries. Chris Paul needs to get out of New Orleans because it doesn’t look like he is going to get anywhere anytime soon

In the East, I’m glad to be able to gloat about one thing. I thought the Raptors and the Bulls would make a push for the 8th seed and after a coin flip, I gave it to the Bulls. The coin was exactly right. The Bulls and Raptors were fighting for that #8 spot down to the last night of the season and the Bulls edged out. Derrick Rose is playing into form after being hobbled by injuries all season. He’s not going to be able to do to Cleveland this year like he did to Boston last year mainly because the Celtics were a descending team and the Cavs are an ascending team. The Cavs won’t lose this. I’d be surprised if they lose one game to be honest.

Orlando seems to live up to its hype from last year even though their new acquisition Vince Carter hasn’t exactly been delivering the highlights every night like some people thought he would. But Howard just won a 2nd straight DPOY and it looks like they are on a collision course with Cleveland. Does Shaq have enough bulk to slow Howard? We’ll see. Unless Lebron plays his mind out, which is actually likely, I think Orlando edges out Cleveland to return to the finals. But it’s pretty much a 50/50 call in my opinion

Atlanta and Boston switched seeds and Miami stayed put. We all knew Boston was aging, but I don’t think many predicted they would have aged this quickly. I read an article on Yahoo.com about how KG was desperately trying to regain his dominance of a few years ago and his body’s rejecting that, which is why he’s lashing out, getting even more confrontational, and generally acting like a giant asshole. Maybe that’s right, I can’t read KG’s mind. But the window definately seems to have closed on Boston’s 1 year reign. They still have enough to beat Miami and their 1 man team though. I wonder if the rumors are true that Wade is looking to hop to Chicago to join Rose. That would be a terrific team, capable of challenging the Cavs and the Magic for the East in the next few years (or just the Magic, if Lebron leaves).

I don’t know how Milwaukee and Charlotte snuck into the playoffs though. I really don’t. I hardly see these teams at all on TV and I don’t follow them online. At the beginning of the year, I picked the Pistons and the Wizards to be in the playoffs instead of these teams but that was totally and utterly wrong. Wizards just completely folded. They probably would have done better had Arenas and Crittenton actually fired those guns they were waving around. The Pistons simply tried to fit a round peg into a square hole. Gordon and Villanueva aren’t defenders and they need the ball to be effective. The Pistons were a team that was known for their defense. Too bad their management didn’t see that. Those cap-busting signings will haunt that city for years, unless New York gets them in desperation after failing to land the LeBron sweepstakes.

Anyway, here are my predictions:

Lakers d. Thunder
Mavs d. Spurs
Suns d. Blazers
Nuggets d. Jazz

Lakers d. Nuggets
Mavs d. Suns

Lakers d. Mavs

Cavs d. Bulls
Magic d. Bobcats
Hawks d. Bucks
Celtics d. Heat

Magic d. Cavs
Hawks d. Celtics

Magic d. Hawks

In a repeat of the Finals, I’ll say Lakers d. Magic again, but I kind of want to pick the Magic. They are really good right now and have probably learned you don’t leave Fisher alone for any reason when the game’s on the line even if he hasn’t made a bucket all night. But I’ll go with Kobe pulling out an absolute miracle and beasting up the Magic for his 5th ring.

2

That Magic/Bobcats game was horribly officiated and a pain to watch.

3

Wooo Oklahoma City just took the Lakers down. As a Magic fan I loved it.
Westbrook carried the team and played great until Durant finally found his touch in the 4th. Then Durant starts guarding Kobe and just completely shuts him down, and the arena goes completely nuts.
What a game!

4

I’ve only been watching the Bulls / Cavs games (not for lack of interest but for lack of time) and I sincerely, deeply regret the Bulls securing a playoff seed. I don’t think it changes any 2010 free agent’s mind on where they want to go because money talks louder than two one-and-done playoff appearances in a row. That said, tonight’s game was a doozy.

5

This is the series I wish were local to me. I love OKC.

6

I gotta give the Thunder credit. I’m a huge Laker fan, but OKC did the job. I was heartbroken when Westbrook left UCLA early and Durant came through in the clutch.

7

I don’t think anybody thought of them that way, though; certainly not as essentially an expansion team. A team with young players that relocates is not the same as an expansion team.

8

well i am a spurs homer so don’t really have a whole lot of insight to add.

cleveland v boston looks to be the east contestants.

but shoot, in the wild and wooly west the lakers look to be the class act but crud after last night sa v dal looks to be one of the most entertaining series of the year. matter of fact since they are on the opposite side of the bracket from la, i think this winner meets (spurs win by a nose - ginobli’s) the gold and purple in the west conference finals. and that one could be so brutal that the east may have a chance since the west team will have been bloodied so bad just to get to that point.

just my two cents and homerism showing.

9

neta: plus the fact that kobe playing 40+ a night seems to mean that he is mister random at the end of games these days.

10

With the team Dallas has this year they should not be struggling like this with the dinosauric Spurs. Another first round exit for them and you’d really have to start thinking about dismantling that team.

11

i guess T-REX got pissed last night and ate an entire franchise.

hee hee.

12

and upon reread digitalc.

dismantle the mavs or spurs?

seriously, duncan is here for the duration, same for manu. hill is up and coming and blair looks to be the steal of the draft. maybe parker goes to lala land to be with eva but who cares after last night. mcdyess was a one year fill in and jefferson looks to still have some game in him (not 15 milly a year, however). i mean if we were in the east we’d be looking at the finals for at least the next couple of years.

13

My Blazers have tied it up with Phoenix, thanks in part to Roy’s surprise appearance in Game 4. The Suns have no answer for when both Roy and Aldridge are on the floor; which do you double-team? Meanwhile the Suns’ three-point specialists have been scorching the nets— Portland needs to rotate faster to guard (or at least challenge) them. And the Blazers’ own three-point shooters need to step up— they’ve been clanging the rims on a consistent basis. Batum is hurting and can’t get the lift, Fernandez has all but disappeared, and Webster is hustling but is also showing inconsistency. Those three have been terrific in one-on-one D but they gotta get back to the perimeter quicker— Phoenix has exposed Portland’s D with their outside shooters. Both teams can win on the other’s court, so it’s just a matter of which team will step up on any given night.

14

Obviously the Mavs, they got upset in the first round in 07 and 08 and made it to the second in 09. Another first round exit for them and i don’t see how you justify keeping the team together, they should have been in the conference finals the last five years. I love that every single series in the West could end up as an upset.

15

kind of what i thought you were getting at. and after mr. cigar went a got a load of ammo for this season i can see where dollars are less than cents.

and it doesn’t help that the old folks are getting newbs to contribute.

now, if ok can continue to fug with lala, i’m thinking one for the thumb. that is if the true relic doesn’t get all jazzy about the situation.

only prediction that i will make for now:

west in 6.

16

Still no love for the Eastern Conference Champions? You know, the only team that didn’t lose a single game this first round?
Not to mention that Boston + Cleveland have to beat eachother just to get to the Eastern Conference Finals…
Jameer and Rashard, the two players I was worried most about, have been playing great this series. If Vince and Dwight can bring their game up then the Magic have a damn good chance of winning it all.

17

It’s going to be Orlando-Cleveland in a rematch. They’re the two deepest teams in the playoffs, and Orlando’s second unit is probably the best in the league. Jameer Nelson is back, which should nearly make up for Vince Carter’s coming mediocrity in this playoffs. Props to the Magic for getting the sweep, but I wouldn’t read too much into that. Charlotte was scrappy during the regular season, but they just didn’t have the offense to handle a good defensive team like Orlando, even with Dwight Howard in foul trouble every single damn game. Stephen Jackson, D.J. Augustin for some 3 point shooting off the bench…and that’s it. I watched half of game 3 and Charlotte looked totally lost on offense.

Cleveland-Boston should be interesting. I expect at least 1 ejection and possibly a suspension.

No idea what’s up with the Mavs. You trade for Caron Butler and sit him on the bench in game 3 in favor of J.J. Barea? WTF? Poor Nowitzki is getting beat up out there.

18

and petw i have always been a spurs fan (not an nba fan) so naturally my limited knowledge leans to the west. but when i was looking at the final regular season standings it seemed like maybe only 5 teams in the east would have even made the playoffs in the west while the okc’monbeatthedamnlakers would have been a 5 seed in the east.

it seems like there are 2 or 3 very good teams in the east and then a bunch of also rans. where, in the west it looks like lala is very very good and then 7 or 8 that are very good and then a couple of meh, who gives a rat’s ear.

and i do fell kind of bad for nowitzki. he’s seems like an ass on the court but when you listen to the post game interviews he comes off as kind of a nice felller.

and no clue what carlisle was thinking by sitting butler the entire second half of game 3.

tonight has all the makings of a freaking blood bath in dallas and lala land.

the only good thing about being unemployed is being able to watch the games without worrying about work the next day.

19

and the spurs and okc make lala and dallas look to be the cream of the crop.

sheesh, what a freaking nightmare.

20

Well they sorta are, they just hadn’t been showing it.