It's that time of the year, that after 82 games of the regular season, the league is shrunk to just 16 teams and a moratorium of getting knocked out when you are beaten four times by your playoff rival. Seldom do you hear the words "it's just one game." because in this setting, it may be your last game of the season. Or in this year's case, last game before an improbable league lockout.
And as always, it's the most exciting part of the NBA season.
As with the type of hype it had for the past 5 or so years, this year's edition seems like it won't disappoint. The league has an open race for the championship. The western conference has always been up there as a tough tough division with the guys in purple and yellow labeled as default favorites - even if we all know that anybody can beat anybody. In the east, we have 4-5 LEGIT contenders - not just for the east crown, but for the chip as well - probably the deepest playoff cast in years.
Let's do a quick run down of the matchups:
EAST:
1 vs 8. Bulls vs Pacers
I like the heart and the youth of these Pacers. It's been a while since a team from Indiana made noise in the post-season. But this sub-.500 team who barely made the playoffs will just challenge these Bulls early on but won't even get a glimpse of a showdown with the winner of the Magic-Hawks series. Even if they make things interesting, it will only benefit the D.Rose-led Bulls. Remember the Celtics-Hawks series few years back?
Bulls in 5.
4 vs 5. Magic vs Hawks
This series is actually quite interesting. Remember last year when the Hawks looked primed to make a lot of noise in the second round? They were coming of a 50-win season but got exhausted versus the deers from Milwaukee. They got beaten down by the Magic badly that they didn't even contend! This year could be payback. With the Magic relying too heavily on Dwight, it could basically become a one-man team vs a formidable 5 from Georgia. We all know that superstars can win games for you but bonafide teams have better chances at winning a series.
Unless the rest of the Magic helps Dwight, Hawks in 7.
2 vs 7. Heat vs 76ers
The resurgence of the sixers may have been overlooked but Doug Collins may just win the Coach of the Year award. Elton Brand's leadership has been great for them but these boys from Philly are not yet primed for an upset. The Big Three from Florida won't even need to be at full force to beat these guys. This only serves as a warm up drill for Miami.
Heat in 4.
3 vs 6. Celtics vs Knicks
Again, another interesting matchup. It's two of the more popular franchises in the league. One of them, slowly going downhill after reaching it's peak these past few years and the other, yearning to get up there after 10 years of disappointment. The C's are back in the playoffs but are once again, unhealthy. With Perkins traded and Shaq not even on the floor, the C's need to stop making excuses and just will themselves back on top. I don't effin' care if you guys haven't lost a series with your old "starting five". Come on, that was 2 years ago. As for the Knicks, they'll need their own version of the Big Three to click with their not-so-deep team in order to make it seem like a 4 vs 5 series. I say we'll see this series go the distance.
Celtics in 7.
WEST
1 vs 8. Spurs vs Grizzlies
Finally, the Grizzlies are back in the playoffs with new and old faces. At the same time, the Spurs are back on top of the west with both new and old faces. It's kinda funny how these two teams have changed in the past year. Who expected them to be facing each other at 1 and 8? Nevertheless, as in the west, the first and the eight seed have less separation compared to the east. Eight seeds in the west can actually contend in the east. The Grizzlies are legit playoff contenders but aren't the type of guys who can pull off an upset against a championship-caliber team.
Spurs in 6.
4 vs 5. Thunder vs Nuggets
Another surprise matchup. Who would have thought the Nuggets would be in this position late in the season? This is actually a very typical 4 vs 5 matchup. Both young and up and coming teams trying to get over the hump. Both teams are legit teams but the only difference is that the Thunder has also has a legit star. Throw Westbrook in and you have two all-stars on one-side of the matchup. Unless K-Mart gets J.Kidd to play along side him and bring back their glory days, these Nuggets has nobody who can dominate and probably close out games.
Thunder in 6.
2 vs 7. Lakers vs Hornets
They say Lakers got the best draw here. With the Blazers, Hornets and the Grizzlies rounding out the west playoff picture, we all know the Lakers matchup best against the Hornets. But then again, the boys from the Big Easy has CP3 - another quick guard which the Lakers may have a hard time guarding. With DFish manning the point, looks like it will be another tough grind for the defending champions. But then again, the Lakers always adjusted and actually never lost a series against these so-called "quick guards". Westbrook? DWill? Nash? Brooks? - all of their teams were beaten in 7 games or less.
Lakers in 6.
3 vs 6. Mavericks vs Blazers
Some people say that the Blazers actually have a chance against these Mavs. They do but I think they're not deep enough to beat this team from Texas. I still do think these Mavs haven't proven anything. I want to see them make some noise against the Lakers. If not, I think they should start thinking if Dirk really is the guy they want to build their franchise around. I'm getting too used to hearing the Mavs lose in the playoffs.
Mavs in 5.
No comments:
Post a Comment