NBA Playoffs are here!

The Game Room
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I know this board’s mostly a football board, but there’s a hockey thread up and no basketball thread! I refuse to allow that to continue!

This year’s been marketed since the Summer of Lebron as the biggest season in a while and for once, I think the reality lived up to the hype. While Lebron and Co. didn’t smash any records with 70+ wins, there have been a lot of good teams this year that can realistically win the title. I can’t remember the last time 6 teams could challenge for the championship, with enough good teams to make even the first round of the playoffs interesting

Starting in the East, the #1 Bulls jumped 20 wins from last year behind presumptive MVP Derrick Rose. While they’re about 25 games ahead of #8 Pacers, the Pacers have done really well in the first 2 games at Chicago, taking leads late in the game and forcing Rose to win it with heroics. Realistically, the Pacers will lose, but they can seriously put a scare into the Bulls by winning one, maybe even both games at home.

I hate the #2 Heat and Lebron, that much has already been established, but of all the top seeds in the playoffs, the Heat and possibly the Thunder after last night were the most dominant in their first 2 games over their first round opponents. However, the first game was pretty close (like a lot of matchups) so I’m hoping that the Sixers sneak a win or two at home

#3 Boston and #6 New York has been really fun to watch, probably the best series so far. I’m not a long long time basketball fan, and I think the fetishism by the east coast media over NY’s teams border on the ridiculous when the Knicks have never really been relevant. They won a couple of titles in the early 70’s and haven’t got a whiff of it since, coming close only during the Ewing era. Still, east coast sports fans are a little more fanatic than us out west, so I can appreciate the tough battles between these two teams so far. I think NY has a great chance to win both games at home and take this series to 6 or 7. Both games in Boston were very very close, even game 2 when Stoudemire left the game

The #4 and #5 matchup in the east is really surprising. Atlanta has been, in the last 2 or 3 years, just horrendous in the playoffs, getting extended to 7 games when they come up against inferior opponents, or massively blown out like their sweep by the Magic last year. So I’m shocked that they actually won a game in Orlando. Honestly, I thought Orlando would steamroll them, but this one’s a complete toss-up now. However, I think it’s more likely that Orlando has fallen rather than Atlanta gotten better

Out West, the Spurs were upset by the Grizzlies in game 1 and had to rush an injured Ginobili back to win a tough game 2. The Spurs are vulnerable, and I like Memphis taking 1 of 2 back at home and tying this at 2-2. Even when the Spurs were leading the NBA throughout the year, there were still questions about them. They seem to be the most disrespected 61 team in recent memory and if they happen to get out of the first round, I see their next opponent having a better chance of beating them than the Spurs have of winning

Oh my Lakers, how could you lose to the Hornets? :frowning: They have no David West, a Chris Paul that was injured through much of the year, and a tiny front line. Where’s Pau Gasol been for the first 2 games? Last night the fans were urging you to shoot or make an aggressive move towards the basket whenever you had the ball! You were called soft for years until we won the last 2 championships, don’t let all that hard work go to waste. I admit it, I thought my Lakers would absolutely crush New Orleans, but it turns out somebody replaced Pau with a sock puppet and Chris Paul went for a dip in the fountain of youth. I still think the Lakers will win against them in 5, but it looks like it won’t be 4 games of blowout wins.

#3 Dallas vs. #6 Portland is a contest? Color me shocked. I thought it would be the other way around. The Mavs have never been known as a tough team and many were predicting a Blazers upset. So far though, it looks like Portland is hanging tough but just don’t have the firepower to close in the end. I feel really bad for Brandon Roy. Multiple All-Star, fantastic shooting guard, great guy, but his knees were made for a guy who exercises by walking his dog for 30 mins every other night, not someone who bangs with 6’8 250lb+ guys on an NBA court. I hope the loss in game 2 didn’t dampen their hopes because they have the players to take at least 2 games from Dallas.

Oklahoma City is supposed to be the next big thing, and for a while it looks like it was too much expectations too soon. Then they got Kendrick Perkins. I don’t like Perkins, but he’s exactly what they needed, a big body to bang with the front lines of teams like the Lakers or Spurs or Blazers. I think they’ll beat the Nuggets, who have done great since the trade of Anthony, but seems to miss the clutch shooting and superstar talent in the playoffs. Denver’s gotta run and run and run some more to tire out the Thunder, but only when Westbrook is not on the court because that guy’s faster than anybody in the league right now except maybe Derrick Rose. If the Thunder win, I think they’ll beat the Spurs/Grizz winner. If Denver wins, I think they can definitely outrun the Spurs into 2 or 3 wins, but not the series

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I have been very impressed by the Pacers. They are very likely going to lose, they might even get swept, but they are going out balling every game.

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I’m a Nuggets fan and I love the way the team played after dumping 'Melo, but they just cannot stop Durant/Westbrook. The Nuggs also kind of lack a true scorer (JR Smith is way too hot/cold, but I wish he got more minutes) and last night they couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean if they were in a boat. But as for Westbrook’s speed, I’d say Ty Lawson is up to that challenge. He’s just very small.

It’s a tough call in the West. I actaully kind of like the Mavs. They typically get their first round boot and go home, but I think kthey can beat SA or LA. OKC has a good shot, too, but Durant and Westbrook can’t go cold.

In the East I root for the Celtics, but I just don’t think they can hang with Miami or Chicago in 7 games. They’ll need to sweep NY to reserve some energy for their oldtimers. I hate hate hate to say it, but, unless Orlando gets past Chicago (which I doubt) Miami probably wins the East. But if they do have to deal with Dwight Howard…I don’t know.

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Neither Orlando nor Chicago has looked all that great yet. Howard and Rose have both been dominating, but the rest of their teams have yet to show up. At this point if Orlando gets past the Hawks i would call it a toss up between them.

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I agree it’s been a very entertaining first round so far, including a bunch of surprising upsets and near-upsets. I couldn’t believe the Pacers looked like they were going to win game one of their series, and I was even more amazed by the comeback Chicago pulled off. Rose makes three or four shots every game that just look impossible. It’s awesome.

The Knicks probably won’t have Billups tomorrow and Stoudemire is trying to recover from back spams. It’s hard to imagine the Knicks being at more of a disadvantage unless Carmelo gets hurt, too. But the Celtics really haven’t looked good. Miami looks to be hitting its stride, and even if they don’t have the mental fortitude Boston does, I don’t see the Celtics beating them four times. But I do feel good about the Bulls balance and intensity against Miami.

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Gotta give it to the Pacers. They’re down 3-0 but it’s been a lot more interesting than the Bulls would have liked.

Of course after I say I like the Mavs to do well in the West they lose a game. Still up 2-1 on Portland and I still expect them to win that series.

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Thunder fan:

I love the age and chemistry of our team. I think the people not named Durant and Westbrook can pick up the slack on any given off night for one of them. But both being off, consistent off nights, or an injury will sink them.

I really want to get to an OKC playoff game.

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And really, what are the odds of Durant and Westbrook both being “off” for 3+ games in a series? Even thought they’ve owned the Nuggets lately, I thought Denver matched up fairly well. Nene has shown he can handle Perkins. Lawson *should *be able to guard Westbrook. They might have to concede that Durant is going to get his 35 points.

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The Blazers need Brandon Roy to play well to win. I think his demise has been exaggerated. He’s not the player he once was, but he is still capable of greatness on any given night. He didn’t get a lot of PT in Game 2 and complained about it publicly. He used it as motivation and showed up in Game 3 and his team won.

Every series has been exciting. Pacers are about to get swept, but they really had no business losing Game 1. Lakers and Spurs losing their Game 1s was a very interesting twist.

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I’ve been living through the agony and frustration that has been the Blazer’s season. Too many injuries, too many missed games. Despite heroic efforts by Aldridge (who I think is one of the best players in the NBA), he’s just not getting the support from the rest of the team. All too often the stats read Aldridge: 25 points; everybody else: 4 points. They just squeaked out a win last night here in Portland; in a home game, they should have smoked Dallas, so I don’t see them moving past this round. I don’t see Roy getting healthy again unless he has knee replacements, which is a shame for such a young man. By the way, the way Roy was playing, I wouldn’t have given him more than 8 minutes, either. Nate did right to keep him out.

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Question: If the Bulls sweep the Pacers but the game plays out like the first 3, will this be the toughest sweep we’ve seen in a long time? Pacers had late leads in one or two of the games and played the Bulls tight down the stretch, needing some miracle plays in a row by Rose to pull it out. The series doesn’t feel like an imminent sweep, it feels like a battle of almost evenly matched teams

I don’t think it would take Durant and Westbrook to be off, so much as the Nuggets just playing great team-oriented basketball. Game 1 was close even though both D&W had monster games. The Nuggets aren’t the highest scoring team in the league for no reason, I think they definitely have the personnel to handle the Thunder for a few games. Of course if they lose game 3 I’m going to look pretty silly, but each of the series that have so far gone 3 games has the lower seeded team playing pretty well at home. I expect nothing less from the Nuggets. And lets face it, with the exception of Perkins, most of the Thunder are pretty new to this playoff stuff. Last year the Lakers took Durant completely out of the series on the road and there’s no reason it can’t happen again this year

I believe Portland will gut another one out in game 4 and tie the series. They’ve got big guys and a great crowd, and until Dallas faces and passes a tough test, there’s always going to be doubt in my mind that they will wilt under the pressure. Portland’s about as tough a sixth seed as you can get, and with extra rest in the playoffs, you certainly can have Brandon Roy playing well off the bench

Anyone think that the Spurs rushed Ginobili back from injury out of panic? I know Popovich and the Spurs are usually one of the best in terms of preparation and not overreacting, there’s a reason why they’ve been great for so long, but I think without that game 1 loss, they absolutely would not have Manu playing so soon after this injury, especially when I heard him say he was only 80%. It doesn’t help that people were looking at the Spurs as being ripe for an upset even before the series started.

Also, I’m calling a Knicks win tonight! Don’t let me down NY! Unlike the Bulls/Pacers and Heat/Sixers series, the lower seed here definitely has both the firepower and the star power to win take the series the distance. I think they’ll still lose of course, but it won’t be a sweep and probably will go at least 6. But NY has to win tonight or else it’s over

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Knicks have no chance. D’Antoni’s style doesn’t work well in the playoffs. It doesn’t matter what players he has. They don’t play D. NY is getting swept.

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Wow, looks like I was totally wrong about NY…

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And I was right. Melo is overrated. Chauncey is old. They actually got worse after the trade.

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That trade for Melo may prove to be the worst NBA trade in the past ten years. It has Isiah Thomas written all over it, despite all those denials issued by Knicks management at the time. If I was a Knick fan, I’d try to get a restraining order to keep Isiah at least 500 yards from any member of the Dolan family, with no email, phone, or other type of communication allowed. It’s a shame, too, since the Knicks looked like they were starting to click a little bit before Melo came on board.

Anyhoo, the Hawks/Magic matchup tonight was exciting, in spite of some pretty ugly moments. The Hawks, for whatever reason, decided to quit moving the ball around in the second half and needed a three-point bank shot by Jamal Crawford to seal the deal. The Hawks will be in trouble for game four of Zaza gets suspended for head-butting Richardson late in the fourth.

Gotta get back to the Lakers game…

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Interesting game last night in Atlanta. If Orlando just traded Richardson for Patchulia next game they are most likely done. Although so far this series Richardson has given them nothing and Patchulia is a constant source of irritation for Howard. There was a sequence last night were he complained loudly about a completely non existent foul and the next trip down the court took flopped as soon as Howard got the ball earning an offensive foul.

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Atlanta has really surprised me. They looked like fodder last year with the sweep and this year they haven’t done much better in terms of personnel. They gave that ridiculous contract to Joe Johnson that will handicap them for years yet they are actually leading the series. I have to believe that it’s because the Magic regressed because I just haven’t seen that much improvement in the Hawks’ roster since last year

Lakers finally showing what they’re capable of. Bynum, stop scaring the crap out of us!

For today’s games, I’m picking Chicago, Portland, San Antonio, and uh…Oklahoma City. I think Portland’s near loss was an abberration and they’ll get better. Denver’s gotta be hurt a little by the low morale after game 2. And Chicago and SA will show us why they’re the top seeds.

Other than my Lakers, I cannot wait to see Boston and Miami clash. I hope Garnett dunks in Lebron’s ugly face!

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West … OKC has looked pretty good for two years. Last year vs the Lakers has maybe taught them something. I expect them to battle for a spot in the finals but lose out in a game 6 or 7 to whoever ends up there with them.

East… omg, can Rose do nothing wrong? He’s the most fun to watch since hurricane katrina moved the Hornets temporarily.

Finals … Bulls and someone. Bulls win.

It would disappoint me to see either the Lakers or el Heato take the crown.

(since 1972 a Rockets fan with a current thing for both Denver and OKC, why did they have to meet in the first round?)

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That’s how the seeds lined up! :dubious:

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Nobody in the East will beat the West champ, especially the Bulls. They can barely beat the Pacers! The Celtics used to have a chance, but without Perkins, no longer.