The NBA: Where ODing on the Playoffs Happens!
"Live From the Nosebleeds: where inconsistent posting happens."
That will be my official mantra for this blog from now on. How the heck are ya?
Well, it took me all of about four hours into the NCAA tournament when I realized that, regrettably, I would not be winning any money for the fourth year in a row. Talk about depressing. Both my alternate personality and I were ill-equipped this year to make any sort of noise in either pool. Oh well, as the Baltimore Orioles say every year, "We'll get 'em next year" (and, by the way, I don't claim to be a baseball pundit or anything, but there's no way they finish better than fourth in the AL East this year despite their good start).
With my/our poor showings in the tourney behind us, we focus our attention back to the NBA. Playoff time, baby. Say what you will about the NBA and how it's a league full of pre-madonnas and pampered stars, but I still think that you won't find better basketball than in the playoffs. Sure, I love the intensity and the drama of the NCAA tournament, but in terms of high level intensity and high quality play, the NBA from April to June is where it's at.
Snapshots of the first round series in order of importance and watchability and how I see them ending up:
1. Phoenix(6) vs. San Antonio (3)
I think Michael Wilbon hit the nail right on the head when he said on a recent episode of PTI that they played the best Game One ever. Clutch shot after clutch shot in a game that narrowly missed going into a third OT. All that aside, Phoenix blew a golden opportunity. The feeling for them probably going into the series was that they finally had a roster good enough to beat the Spurs with the addition of Shaquille O'Neal. I mean, they were up 16 in the first half; nine points midway through the 4th; and led in both overtimes until the second to last possession. Hell, they even had a shot at a 3rd overtime: all they had to do was stop Manu Ginobili from going left! Alas, they didn't capitalize on any of those chances and had to settle for a heart-breaking two point loss.
I almost think they're done, that after expending so much energy they can't possibly win this series. When it boils down to it, this game could end up being a microcosm of the series: so close, yet still not good enough to beat the Spurs. I see the Spurs winning in six.
2. Dallas (7) vs. New Orleans (2)
I know, I know: I did say snapshot. But this one may be a photo album because of my affiliation with the Mavs.
Dallas played like crap in the first half of the Game One against the Hornets, but still somehow managed to be up 12. It caught up to them, as Chris Paul came up with a game for the ages: 35, 10 and four steals, impressive for someone playing in his FIRST PLAYOFF GAME!
Honestly, you can't fault Jason Kidd. It almost didn't matter who you had on Paul, he was just determined to go off. Can't blame Dirk Nowitzki, who FINALLY had a good playoff game (for the record, I hate people who question his heart; he is playing on one good foot and at a very high level). What you can do is question why Josh Howard forgot to come out of the locker room in the second half, or why Jerry Stackhouse got more minutes than Jason Terry. Which brings up another point.
As a Maverick fan, Avery Johnson has left me scratching my head, and it seems to coincide with the Kidd deal. First there was the decision to leave him off the court on the final possession against the Lakers in March. Then, he puts Brandon Bass in the doghouse for no reason. This Saturday he basically splits time between Stack and Terry even though Terry is more effective in less minutes (8 rebounds by Stack notwithstanding). I don't know, I still think Johnson is a great coach, but I think he makes some key personnel errors at time. Great motivator. X's and O's? Inconsistent.
All that being said, while the Hornets looked like the hungrier, more experienced team in Game One, I still expect the Mavs to win the series. Dallas is not going to shoot 35% every game. It wasn't as much the Hornets defense as much as it was the Mavs missing open shots. Chris Paul is going to get his, but I think the Mavs will key in on making sure their other guys. Mavs in seven.
3. Washington (5) vs. Cleveland (4)
Now that the Cavs are up 2-0, this series should actually slide down a couple notches, but this series is this high because of everything going on off the court, not on the court. You all know the drama by now: LeBron James has disparaging remarks about DeShawn Stevenson to a mutual friend in Drew Gooden; Stevenson says James is overrated; James uses a clever hip-hop analogy to illustrate their differences in abilities, etc.
But James has been a wildebeast so far in the series, taking all of Washington's pounding and putting video game numbers while doing so. The Wizards probably still have a glimmer of hope, and as I was telling someone last night, the Cavs still have to go to Washington, and it's not out of the question for them to steal a win in Cleveland. But, realistically, Cavs in six.
4. Houston (5) vs. Utah (4)
Remember when the Rockets won 22 in a row? Well, now, more importantly, they've lost two in a row and face being one of the best teams ever not to make it out of round one.
The drama here basically revolves around Tracy McGrady, who is trying to get out of the first round for the first time, a protruding black eye in an otherwise illustrious career. Of course, like the previous six times, this one won't be entirely his fault either. Yao "I can't link you because you're not in the boxscore and I'm too lazy to look for it" Ming isn't on the court, and at press time neither is Rafer "see above" Alston. That and the fact that they had home-court and give up home-court to the NBA's best home-court team do not bode well for these Rockets. On Utah's side, some members of the media have them as the Gnarls Barkley (AKA trendy) pick as the darkhorse West representative in the finals. Can't say I completely agree, but hey, if they can win on the road they're going to be tough. Utah will probably win in five.
5. Philadelphia (7) vs. Detroit (2)
"But wait, Justin! The Sixers just upset Detroit in Game One. Doesn't this make that more watchable than some of the other games?"
Quite frankly, no. The Sixers have been a great story this year, coming up with a great run over the last third of the season. They're a real scrappy bunch, the type of team that can bother a water faucet team like the Pistons. But, looking at how Game One ended, everything was just out of character, and no one sequence describes that like this:
With the Sixers down one, I think, the Pistons foul Reggie Evans down low. Evans, a career 51% shooter from the line, makes both. On the ensuing possession, the Sixers foul Chauncey "Mr. Big Shot" Billups. Billups, a career 89% free throw shooter and second in the league this year, missed both, prompting Doug Collins to say, "You may never see this again." The Sixers get the ball, and with time running down on the shot clock, Evans, a player more known for rebounds and garbage points, hits a fade-away from 18 feet.
Craziness. Stuff like that can't happen again. I'm a good writer, but I can't make this stuff up! The Pistons, pissed that they lost even one game to this team, will probably win the next four games. But, I'll be safe and say Pistons in six.
6. Toronto (6) vs. Orlando (3)
Toronto was a great story last year with their influx of international talent, but honestly this season's been like a bad sequel. They probably do have a better team on paper than Orlando, but Dwight Howard is ridiculous. 25, 22 and five blocks!? I'm not a huge Magic fan, but I do think that his presence makes it hard for the Raptors to win. Magic in five.
7. Denver (8) vs. Los Angeles (1)
Maybe it's because I'd rather have seen the Warriors eke them out for the last playoff spot, but I just don't think they match-up well with the Lakers. I mean, they gave up 128 points in the first game. All that scoring will only get you so far (trust me, ask the Warriors). Lakers in five.
8. Atlanta (8) vs. Boston (1)
Unless Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby get red hot and the Hawks can manufacture hustle points with their raw but athletic front line, the Celtics will make this a short series with plenty of time to rest up for Jay-Z or Soulja Boy. Celts in four.
Don't say I never wrote you nothing.
That will be my official mantra for this blog from now on. How the heck are ya?
Well, it took me all of about four hours into the NCAA tournament when I realized that, regrettably, I would not be winning any money for the fourth year in a row. Talk about depressing. Both my alternate personality and I were ill-equipped this year to make any sort of noise in either pool. Oh well, as the Baltimore Orioles say every year, "We'll get 'em next year" (and, by the way, I don't claim to be a baseball pundit or anything, but there's no way they finish better than fourth in the AL East this year despite their good start).
With my/our poor showings in the tourney behind us, we focus our attention back to the NBA. Playoff time, baby. Say what you will about the NBA and how it's a league full of pre-madonnas and pampered stars, but I still think that you won't find better basketball than in the playoffs. Sure, I love the intensity and the drama of the NCAA tournament, but in terms of high level intensity and high quality play, the NBA from April to June is where it's at.
Snapshots of the first round series in order of importance and watchability and how I see them ending up:
1. Phoenix(6) vs. San Antonio (3)
I think Michael Wilbon hit the nail right on the head when he said on a recent episode of PTI that they played the best Game One ever. Clutch shot after clutch shot in a game that narrowly missed going into a third OT. All that aside, Phoenix blew a golden opportunity. The feeling for them probably going into the series was that they finally had a roster good enough to beat the Spurs with the addition of Shaquille O'Neal. I mean, they were up 16 in the first half; nine points midway through the 4th; and led in both overtimes until the second to last possession. Hell, they even had a shot at a 3rd overtime: all they had to do was stop Manu Ginobili from going left! Alas, they didn't capitalize on any of those chances and had to settle for a heart-breaking two point loss.
I almost think they're done, that after expending so much energy they can't possibly win this series. When it boils down to it, this game could end up being a microcosm of the series: so close, yet still not good enough to beat the Spurs. I see the Spurs winning in six.
2. Dallas (7) vs. New Orleans (2)
I know, I know: I did say snapshot. But this one may be a photo album because of my affiliation with the Mavs.
Dallas played like crap in the first half of the Game One against the Hornets, but still somehow managed to be up 12. It caught up to them, as Chris Paul came up with a game for the ages: 35, 10 and four steals, impressive for someone playing in his FIRST PLAYOFF GAME!
Honestly, you can't fault Jason Kidd. It almost didn't matter who you had on Paul, he was just determined to go off. Can't blame Dirk Nowitzki, who FINALLY had a good playoff game (for the record, I hate people who question his heart; he is playing on one good foot and at a very high level). What you can do is question why Josh Howard forgot to come out of the locker room in the second half, or why Jerry Stackhouse got more minutes than Jason Terry. Which brings up another point.
As a Maverick fan, Avery Johnson has left me scratching my head, and it seems to coincide with the Kidd deal. First there was the decision to leave him off the court on the final possession against the Lakers in March. Then, he puts Brandon Bass in the doghouse for no reason. This Saturday he basically splits time between Stack and Terry even though Terry is more effective in less minutes (8 rebounds by Stack notwithstanding). I don't know, I still think Johnson is a great coach, but I think he makes some key personnel errors at time. Great motivator. X's and O's? Inconsistent.
All that being said, while the Hornets looked like the hungrier, more experienced team in Game One, I still expect the Mavs to win the series. Dallas is not going to shoot 35% every game. It wasn't as much the Hornets defense as much as it was the Mavs missing open shots. Chris Paul is going to get his, but I think the Mavs will key in on making sure their other guys. Mavs in seven.
3. Washington (5) vs. Cleveland (4)
Now that the Cavs are up 2-0, this series should actually slide down a couple notches, but this series is this high because of everything going on off the court, not on the court. You all know the drama by now: LeBron James has disparaging remarks about DeShawn Stevenson to a mutual friend in Drew Gooden; Stevenson says James is overrated; James uses a clever hip-hop analogy to illustrate their differences in abilities, etc.
But James has been a wildebeast so far in the series, taking all of Washington's pounding and putting video game numbers while doing so. The Wizards probably still have a glimmer of hope, and as I was telling someone last night, the Cavs still have to go to Washington, and it's not out of the question for them to steal a win in Cleveland. But, realistically, Cavs in six.
4. Houston (5) vs. Utah (4)
Remember when the Rockets won 22 in a row? Well, now, more importantly, they've lost two in a row and face being one of the best teams ever not to make it out of round one.
The drama here basically revolves around Tracy McGrady, who is trying to get out of the first round for the first time, a protruding black eye in an otherwise illustrious career. Of course, like the previous six times, this one won't be entirely his fault either. Yao "I can't link you because you're not in the boxscore and I'm too lazy to look for it" Ming isn't on the court, and at press time neither is Rafer "see above" Alston. That and the fact that they had home-court and give up home-court to the NBA's best home-court team do not bode well for these Rockets. On Utah's side, some members of the media have them as the Gnarls Barkley (AKA trendy) pick as the darkhorse West representative in the finals. Can't say I completely agree, but hey, if they can win on the road they're going to be tough. Utah will probably win in five.
5. Philadelphia (7) vs. Detroit (2)
"But wait, Justin! The Sixers just upset Detroit in Game One. Doesn't this make that more watchable than some of the other games?"
Quite frankly, no. The Sixers have been a great story this year, coming up with a great run over the last third of the season. They're a real scrappy bunch, the type of team that can bother a water faucet team like the Pistons. But, looking at how Game One ended, everything was just out of character, and no one sequence describes that like this:
With the Sixers down one, I think, the Pistons foul Reggie Evans down low. Evans, a career 51% shooter from the line, makes both. On the ensuing possession, the Sixers foul Chauncey "Mr. Big Shot" Billups. Billups, a career 89% free throw shooter and second in the league this year, missed both, prompting Doug Collins to say, "You may never see this again." The Sixers get the ball, and with time running down on the shot clock, Evans, a player more known for rebounds and garbage points, hits a fade-away from 18 feet.
Craziness. Stuff like that can't happen again. I'm a good writer, but I can't make this stuff up! The Pistons, pissed that they lost even one game to this team, will probably win the next four games. But, I'll be safe and say Pistons in six.
6. Toronto (6) vs. Orlando (3)
Toronto was a great story last year with their influx of international talent, but honestly this season's been like a bad sequel. They probably do have a better team on paper than Orlando, but Dwight Howard is ridiculous. 25, 22 and five blocks!? I'm not a huge Magic fan, but I do think that his presence makes it hard for the Raptors to win. Magic in five.
7. Denver (8) vs. Los Angeles (1)
Maybe it's because I'd rather have seen the Warriors eke them out for the last playoff spot, but I just don't think they match-up well with the Lakers. I mean, they gave up 128 points in the first game. All that scoring will only get you so far (trust me, ask the Warriors). Lakers in five.
8. Atlanta (8) vs. Boston (1)
Unless Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby get red hot and the Hawks can manufacture hustle points with their raw but athletic front line, the Celtics will make this a short series with plenty of time to rest up for Jay-Z or Soulja Boy. Celts in four.
Don't say I never wrote you nothing.
posted by Justin Cherot @ 12:21 PM
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