I figure that I would be the one to start an NBA Playoff thread. I’ve been loving the NHL playoffs so far (darn those Flames) but I’m a big b-ball guy so this is my Superbowl. BRING ON DA PLAYOFFS!!! Let’s all make our picks so we can laugh at each other afterwards:
[u]Da East[/u]
Detroit Pistons (1) vs Orlando magic (8)
Yawn. I’m a Pistons fan and it’s STILL hard to get into this series. The Pistons swept the Magic in the regular season and except for Dwight Howard and occasionally Grant Hill, I don’t see much from the Magic. We do kinda have the nostalgia thing with guys like Hill, Darko and Arroyo playing their former team but even the novelty of that has kinda worn off. I assume that in one of the games in Orlando, the Pistons will get lazy or some Magic players will get hot and we’ll lose then be rejuvinated and finish them off.
'Stones in 5. The second round is when the fun begins for them.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2) vs Washington Wizards (7)
This would be a great series rematch from last year if the Wizards weren’t destroyed by injuries. We’ve got a number of things here:
-Cleveland may be the worst #2 ever. I’m not kidding. Aside from LeBron, this is a BAD team. Even worse than last year. How the heck they ended up at #2 is beyond me.
-On the flip side, the Wizards (right now) may be not only not a playoff team but may be one of the worst teams in the league. They have ONE decent offensive player in the league in Jamison, they have a joke of a coach and they didn’t play a lick of defense even when they were winning. (Arenas is anti-defense).
Anyway, it’s nice that LeBron’s actually started giving a crap in the second half of the season. I almost see a sweep but Cleveland’s not that good. I hope people don’t see them winning by five and annoint them as a possible Championship team. I was REALLY cheering for the Pacers to beat the Wiz to drop them to the 8th seed but oh well.
Cleveland in 5
Toronto Raptors (3) vs New Jersey Nets (6)
I like that Raptors team. Lotsa good shooters, good defense, great star in Bosh and a good coach too. I think a lot of folks are overlooking them and assuming that the Cavs will be a shoo-in to the East Finals (and if Stern has his way, they will be. The LeBron vs Wade potential is just too much for him). Don’t forget about Toronto. The Nets are tough but at some point they just stopped defending folks this year. J-Kidd just can’t do it anymore and VC never defended anyone in the first place and Kristic being gone hurts a lot. I think it could be close, but I think Toronto can handle them.
Toronto in 6.
Miami Heat (4) vs Chicago Bulls (5)
Wow. Great job, Bulls. You guys have the best second half of anyone this year and then choke it away against the Nets in the last game. Nice work. Now you get the Heat and the two biggest teams with a shot to take down the Pistons get to beat each other up first. Seriously, the Bulls were a LOCK to reach the East Finals as the #2 seed. A LOCK. Now they get to lose in the first round instead. Yeah, I said it. Why? Same reason as always.
Shaq.
Look, I love Ben Wallace as much as anyone. But I’ll be the first to admit that he has a LOT of trouble against Shaq. Even in '04 and '05 when they beat him, Elden Campbell was far more effective off the bench in stopping Shaq and even in '05 we probably only won that series because Stan Van Gundy was a moron and wouldn’t feed Shaq the ball enough… Ben just doesn’t have the bulk or the height to handle him. What’s even funnier is how Tyson Chandler did GREAT on Shaq in that series last year and, of course, the Bulls got rid of him and he was lighting it up for the Hornets on defense this year. Now the Bulls have absolutely NO ONE in the low post offensively (way to save up all that cap room and then use it for no one at the trade deadline) so they have to resort to nothing but jump-shots to win. And we all saw in the East Finals last year what a team that shoots nothing but jumpers can do against the Pat Riley Heat. Not good.
Heat in 6
[u]Da West[/u]
Dallas Mavericks (1) vs Golden State Warriors (8)
Well, it’s kinda nice to see the Warriors back in the playoffs. Don Nelson is in classic form by leading a team back to the playoffs and then doing nothing from there cuz he doesn’t coach defense. This could be a high-scoring affair as the Warriors have nothing but great shooters and could steal a game if all of their shooters get hot at once. They’ll steal a game but that’s about it.
Mavs in 5
Phoenix Suns (2) vs LA Lakers (7)
Ah, another fine playoff series. We’ve got Nash, Stoudimire, Marion, Bell and the Suns against Kobe, Kobe, Kobe and the Lakers. Should be a good one. A lot of people are high on this series since the Lakers took the Suns to seven games, but there was one thing missing last year. Stoudemire!! The Suns had NO bigman last year. Meanwhile, the Lakers have NO ONE who can stop him. Who’s gonna stop him? Kwame Brown? And boy, I can’t wait for that Farmar/Smush Parker vs Steve Nash matchup Wooowee. I like Kobe a lot but this team is pathetic. They’ll still win a few games cuz the Suns don’t defend and cuz Phil Jackson’s a great coach. The triangle has its moments.
Suns in 6
San Antonio Spurs (3) vs Denver Nuggets (6)
Possibly one of the biggest mismatches in the playoffs. Denver is bad. Real bad. They can only score and Marcus Camby’s the only player on the team who plays defense. Nice knowing you, Denver. Spurs SMASH!!!
Spurs in 4
Utah Jazz (4) vs Houston Rockets (5)
Heh…nice to see this Jazz team making the playoffs. It’s hard to believe that a team with that many tough big men kept finding ways to miss the playoffs every year. They’re really a unique team in how big they are and how they just own the boards in every game. The Rockets are MUCH improved defensively which is a big shocker since it shows that Jeff Van Gundy can actually coach which was news to me. Plus they’re finally getting Yao the ball and he’s finally learning to assert himself on defense. I really like these Jazz but they’re too young and a lil inconsistent in a few positions (Williams and AK47 come to mind). Houston takes them in a tough series.
Houston in 7
YAYAAAYYYY!!! PLAYOFFSS, YAAAAYY!! Go Pistons!!
Stevo
