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Tomorrow the greatest 40 day stretch of the entire year begins. That’s right, the NBA Playoffs are here. With an abundance of stars, title contenders, and storylines, the 2011 postseason is poised to be legendary. Who’s moving on to round two? Eastern Conference (1) Bulls vs (8) Pacers If I’m the Chicago Bulls I’m terrified of playing a section contestant in the opening round of the playoffs, exceptionally a team as gifted as the Pacers. Indiana is poised to make a deep run… ok, I can’t even pretend. The Pacers will be lucky to have a lead in the 4th quarter, let alone win a game. Although the Pacers’ playoff run will be short-lived, I’m excessively affected emotionally to watch Tyler Hansbrough battle Joakim Noah. There just aren’t sufficient players that undertake as hard as these two. Neither is overly gifted nor possesses awful athleticism or size, but individually, they have more heart than most college teams combined. I be grateful for players that attain success because they undertake so hard. It’s also not a coincidence that Noah and Hansbrough would be my introductory choice for “NBA players you’d most want to see go head-to-head in an MMA event.” I’m convinced the match would last at least five hours. (2) Heat vs (7) 76ers I love the 76ers and loathe the Heat. I suppose both sensations to grow exponential allround the series. Despite my allegiance, I give the 76ers a 0.0094% prospect of beating Miami. However, I suppose Doug Collins and Co. to push the series to six games. I know that sounds crazy, but listen me out.
First, Chris Bosh runs from huge moments like I run from snakes, crocodiles, and people at Wal-Mart amid 1 and 7 AM. Second, in spite of having the entire NBA gunning for them allround the regular season, the intensity of a playoff game is still at a dissimilar level. The Heat haven’t played together long sufficient to make that transition with no problems or difficulties (or so I’m telling myself). Third, it’s not like the 76ers haven’t been here before. Remember, Philadelphia gave Orlando all it could handle two years ago and was oh-so-close to going up 3-1 in the series. Different coach, but the core is still there. Four, Andre Iquodala is as good an option to defend LeBron James as there is in the NBA. LeBron will get his numbers, but at what cost to the Heat’s offensive flow? Fifth, Elton Brand is the best player in the series… Sorry, just making sure you’re not sleeping. Sixth, I have not one thing else. We’re doomed. Hopefully, Doug Collins will join TNT as a special guest after round one. (3) Celtics vs (6) Knicks I refuse to write off the Celtics yet. I will not receive they’re too old and too injured. If Boston doesn’t rally, then Miami will be in the NBA Finals. I can’t have that. (No, I don’t think Chicago may handle the Heatles in a series.) I’m a 76ers fan, but because they’ve basically taken the decade off, I’ve always supported at least one team with a title shot. Lately, it’s been the Celtics (and Spurs, too). I love good basketball teams. “Team” being the operative word. Lately, the Celtics have been sinking more immediate than Kobe’s popularity in the gay community. Blame the trade, blame injuries, blame whomever or whatsoever you want. I actually don’t care. I’m blaming Rajon Rondo. I’m mean seriously. How may a point guard have unlimited looks from 15 feet and still not figure out a jump shot? It’s not like this info is brand new. We knew he couldn’t shoot three years ago. What’s this guy being doing in the offseason? Remember Tony Parker back in the day? Dude couldn’t score from outside three feet unless it was with a supermodel. Know what he did? He got a coach, shot a bazillion balls in the offseason, before, for the duration of and after practice, and made himself a threat to inter open jumpers. Rondo couldn’t hit an open shot if he were throwing the ball at a soccer goal. It’s embarrassing. My son has a better shooting share and he hasn’t figured out if he’s right or left handed yet. Despite all that, I want the Celtics to man up and find their swagger. Sure, they need a healthful Shaq to genuinely have a chance, but they likewise need Ray Allen and Paul Peirce to find their offensive touch and for Rondo to get his head out of the sand. This is Doc Rivers’ final run. It’s likewise more than likely the Celtics’ last run. Don’t go out versus the Heat. Just please don’t. Did I just write off Carmelo, Amare and the Knicks? You betcha. Sorry. Neither will win a title, at least not as his team’s best player. Mark it down, lock it away, and send me hate mail if I turn out to be wrong. (4) Magic vs (5) Hawks While the East doesn’t brag the firepower of the West, there are still three rightful title challengers (four, depending on how much you believe in Dwight Howard). Without question, Howard has the size and capacity to win any series almost by himself. His supporting cast is the worst of any of the East’s contenders, though, so even reaching the group discussion finals would be a surprise. Still, I think Orlando may topple Rose’s Bulls in round two, but we’ll get into that at another time. For now, the Magic ought to topple the Hawks to get out of round one. Before pointing to the thrashing Orlando handed the Hawks in the 2010 playoffs, do not forget Orlando went 1-3 versus Atlanta this season. Can we suppose more of the same in the playoffs? I’m not keeping my breath. The Hawks have a number of fantastic basketball players. But as a team, they’re only more or less above average. Only Al Horford has the pedigree to one day be a leader on a championship team. Joe Johnson is vastly, tremendously, unspeakably overpaid, Josh Smith is a humane spotlight reel but not much else, and Jamal Crawford is the east coast version of J.R. Smith – a outstanding scorer, and that’s with regards to it. In other words, Atlanta doesn’t have the stones to succeed in the postseason. I know the Magic bench is as imposing as Joe Blanton, but Dwight Howard is still Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson has been here before. Western Conference (1) Spurs vs (8) Grizzlies Lionel Hollins had a fantastic season. He’s a rightful prospect for NBA Coach of the Year. Hollins made the Grizzlies respectable again. He led Memphis to the playoffs in spite of injuries and a cast of players most had written off. Hollins surely has Memphis headed in the right direction. Unfortunately, though, Hollins’ greatest coaching blunder occurred at the most inopportune time of the season; the playoffs. You see, Hollins decisive he’d rather play the San Antonio Spurs than the Los Angeles Lakers in the firstborn round of the playoffs. What’s wrong with that? Nothing. It even makes sense. The Grizzlies played the Spurs tough all season, even splitting the season series 2-2. Memphis’ frontcourt of Zack Randolph and Marc Gasol pose matchup difficultnesses for the undersized Spurs. It’s true; Memphis matches up better versus San Antonio than they do Los Angeles. Still, the Spurs are the top seed in the West for a reason. Hollins’ huge blunder was making it clear Memphis wanted the Spurs by deliberately tanking the final two games of the regular season. Guess who was watching? The Spurs. Most notably, Tim Duncan: “They sat their guys for the last three or four games. They’re attempting to stay where they’re at. Obviously, they’ve chosen their matchup and want to stick with it.” In other words: We know they think they may beat us. We’ll see. We’ll see. From the, “It sounds evident but apparently you forgot,” department; publicly state emphatically and authoritatively you like your chances versus a four-time champion is never a good idea. There’s ordinarily a reason that team has won four titles. There’s unquestionably a reason that team won 61 games and you only won 46. For the life of me, I cannot do not forget a single time, in any sport, a team rolled the “manipulate the playoff matchup” dice and had it work in their favor. I’ve seen a great deal of teams play the team they wanted only to go home disappointed and more importantly, humiliated. Lionel Hollins and the Memphis Grizzlies will soon recognise that feeling. (2) Lakers vs (7) Hornets Chris Paul, when healthy, is one of the most gratifying players to watch. Unfortunately, that’s in regards to the only nice thing there is to say with regards to the Hornets’ probabilities in this series. Once David West went down with a torn ACL, New Orleans’ postseason aspirations went down too. What’s worse, Willie Green plays for the Hornets. I’ve never seen Willie Green bestow to a successful basketball team. Yes, the Lakers are dinged up and playing lousy, but c’mon. This is the playoffs. Los Angeles will find that second gear. Even Pau Gasol’s flops and ghastly “you have the audacity to call a foul on me?” face ratchet up come playoff time. Congrats to Monty Williams, though. No one expected a postseason berth from the Hornets this year. (By the way, if the Lakers were to exclusively collapse and fall to New Orleans, I would be tickled pink. Los Angeles has been so bad that, had they faced a tougher contestant in round one, they could have been pushed to the brink or even knocked out completely. Unfortunately, New Orleans doesn’t have the necessary ammunition to do either. What’s worse, the Lakers will gain instinctive from toppling the Hornets and ultimately get back to where they were a few weeks ago. Crap.) (3) Mavericks vs (6) Trailblazers The Trailblazers are the trendy pick to advance. Dallas has was struggling down the stretch and outside of Dirk Nowitzki, they don’t have the marquee talent that San Antonio, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, and Portland have. Jason Terry was on that level, but he’s on the downward slope of his career as evidenced by his disappearance versus the Spurs in the 2010 playoffs. Also, only he and LeBron James think it’s still cool to wear a headband. On the other hand, Dallas is deep and has bettered defensively with the addition of Tyson Chandler. I really, genuinely like Portland, but they’re snake bit. Without Brandon Roy at full strength, I’m not sure they have a go-to player late in the 4th quarter of a close game. LaMarcus Aldridge took huge strides this year, so perhaps he may deliver in those moments. We’ll see. What we do know is Andre Miller has never innovative past the primary round, and Portland fans will begin jumping off bridges after another initial round exit. I don’t trust Dallas in the postseason, specially with Jason Kidd on the verge of a nursing home. With all the size and athleticism Portland may throw at Dirk, somebody else on the Mavericks will need to step up. With Caron Butler out, I don’t think that person exists. My gut says Dallas will rally and pull it out, but I can’t get my brain on board. Besides, Portland vs. Los Angeles in round two would make for a better series. (4) Thunder vs (5) Nuggets I’m not sure which series I more excessively affected emotionally about, this one or Mavs/Blazers. Probably Mavs/Blazers because Portland’s “RIP City” jerseys are the best in the league and Portland’s fans are fantastic. Oklahoma City fans are each bit as awesome, too. Moving on. I dreaded watching Denver for the duration of the Carmelo Anthony era. I like ‘Melo, but never have been mesmerized in his career or teams. Following ‘Melo’s trade to New York, I reluctantly gave the Nuggets another chance. I’m glad I did. The new Denver Nuggets are basically a college team, but with actual talent. They play hard, they care, stats don’t matter, the coach loves his team, and they hustle, hustle, hustle. They’re also like 12 players deep at each position, or so it seems. Amazingly, George Karl in some manner managed to incorporate four new players into his system without missing a beat. In fact, the team even got better. Without Carmelo, Denver gets out and runs. ‘Melo always necessitated the ball. He slowed the pace and at last eradicated Denver’s greatest vantage over the rest of the NBA; altitude. Now, Denver has the players, the depth, and the freedom to push the ball. They’ve also gotten more aggressive defensively. The departure of Chauncey Billups has also permitted Ty Lawson to move into the starting point guard role where he’s thrived. Unfortunately for Denver, Oklahoma City is just as athletic and closely as deep. Even worse, they have the two best players in the series in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. I’m not as high on the Thunder as every one else, at least not this year. After all, this is a team that hasn’t won a playoff series. A young, up-and-coming team ALWAYS experiences a devastating, “that was unexpected” playoff defeat before it realizes it is potential and wins a title. It’s a rite of passage. Furthermore, the trade to get Kendrick Perkins was a great trade for Oklahoma City, but it does raise questions. For example, let’s say the Thunder face the Spurs in a round two. In a close game, does Scotty Brooks keep Perkins in the game knowing Gregg Popovich will purposely put Perk on the free throw line as he did Shaquille O’Neal three years ago? Late in close games, Perkins is a outstanding asset defensively, but he’s an offensive liability. It’s not a mystery that Boston ofttimes had Glen “Big Baby” Davis on the floor in similar situations so the Celtics weren’t going 4 on 5 offensively. Regardless, I don’t suppose the Thunder to fall versus Denver, principally for one reason. Against the Lakers two weeks ago, the Denver Nuggets kept a little lead late in the 4th quarter. On each offensive possession, the Nuggets looked lost, panicked, and uncertain. Denver may be better without Anthony and Billups, but they gave Denver an identity, a ease zone down the stretch in tight games. Everyone knew either ‘Melo or Billups would get the rock. They knew either one would step up and take the essential shot. Now, Denver doesn’t have that player. Against the Lakers, they frantically passed the ball, begging each other to take the shot while each refused the prospect until they were left hoisting aweinspiring shots as the shot clock expired. Luckily, the Lakers couldn’t score either, so Denver kept on, but the point remains; who will take control in those final moments for the Nuggets? Who’s going to tell Denver, “Nothing’s going to injure you tonight, not on my watch?” Truth is, they don’t have that player, and Oklahoma City has two. |
