NBA Playoffs

[Moontayle]

I'm a passing NBA fan (NHL is more my style), but I do keep up with it, especially since the Mavs have done so well this year. The Golden State matchup should have people worried. They're the only team to basically sweep the Mavs in the regular season, though Avery sat out all his stars in the last one. I think of Dallas can establish their game, force GS to play basketball the Mavericks way, then they'll walk away with the series. Mavs in 6.

Jazz and Rockets should be a tough matchup as well, but I think Yao Ming and McGrady have something to prove. Rockets in 5.

Lakers and Suns... if the rest of the Lakers don't step up, then they're going down like a fifty cent whore in Las Vegas. Suns in 5.

Nuggets and Spurs. A lot of people are calling this year's Spurs the "quiet contender". Everyone is focusing so much on the Suns and Mavs that they've forgotten that the Spurs are 3rd in the best conference in the league. That's saying a lot. They could easily upset the balance and make it to the finals. Spurs in 4.

Magic and Pistons. It'll be like watching Cartman wail on some homeless guys. Pistons in 4.

Wizards and Cavaliers. Wizards might have had a chance if their two best players hadn't gone on IR. Cavs in 5.

Nets and Raptors. Raptors have something to prove so I think they'll pull everything out to make sure they prove it. Raptors in 6.

Bulls and Heat. I don't think Wade is 100% and Shaq has lost some of his touch. The Bulls team is a bit untried, but I think they'll give the Heat a run for their money, though in the end, last year's champs will pull away. Heat in 6.

Overall, I think the Eastern Confernece Finals will be the Pistons and Cavaliers, with the Pistons winning through experience. The Western Conference Finals will be Mavs and either Suns or Spurs. It's really tough to call here, though either way I think the Mavs will make it back to the finals.

Then the Mavs win on what I'm calling the "We're not going out like that" clause. They got embarassed last year, losing 4 straight and handing the championship over to Miami in their own building. They ain't going out like that, so they'll win this year to prove their worth.

[Sarvius]

Pistons over Rockets in 5.

This is perhaps the most ridiculous prediction I have ever made (even more ridiculous than Duke in the elite 8 this year...) but if it happens, I will feel like the coolest guy ever.

[Akileese]

Originally Posted by kcxiv

There is very few people in the NBA that get into trouble now days. It has gotten alot better in the last few years. Its really not all that thugged out like people make it out to be.

Yeah, it really isn't that bad. The NBA has a hip hop image and the players retarded buy 50 million dollar houses, but the players aren't thuggish (the Jailblazer days are long gone). You've got a few bad seeds, probably 6-7 guys at the most, but I'm content with the image.

The real problem with the NBA is the regular season is so god awful in terms of quality.

As far as the Heat, they're just not that good. I can't see them getting past Chicago. Wade is just not healthy and Shaq can't carry a team by himself. The Pistons have absolutely no reason to believe they can't dominate that conference, and they should.

[Jadaki]

Originally Posted by Moontayle

Nuggets and Spurs. A lot of people are calling this year's Spurs the "quiet contender". Everyone is focusing so much on the Suns and Mavs that they've forgotten that the Spurs are 3rd in the best conference in the league. That's saying a lot. They could easily upset the balance and make it to the finals. Spurs in 4.

I realize the Spurs are kind of the cool sleeper pick in the West, but really over the last few weeks few teams were playing as well as Denver. As good as the Spurs defense is they will have trouble shutting down both AI and Anthony, and they are an athletic and aggressive team, this will not be any sort of cakewalk for the Spurs.

[Akileese]

I saw the GS game via tivo and Don Nelson is nothing short of a genius. He plays that "we're the underdog who's just happy to be here and really have no shot of winning" roll. Apparently they've beaten Dallas like 6 or 8 times in a row (can't remember which). There's something to this team. I think they really could end up beating Dallas.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Originally Posted by Akileese

The real problem with the NBA is the regular season is so god awful in terms of quality.

The length of the season and the playoffs is also a problem.

[Pharazon]

6 in row, but only one of those regular season games really showed much in relation to this particular Warriors team in the playoffs. Last year the Warriors had a much different team and a different coach. The first win this year was when Dallas started 0 - 4 and the Warriors had a much different team still. Then after the Warriors big trade mid season they had a win against Dallas' full lineup about a month ago. Their last (regular-season) win against the Mavs was just last week when the Mavs didn't play a lot of their players. The one constant in that 6 game win stretch is that Baron and Richardson usually play pretty well against Dallas (even though Richardson didn't play great last night).

Anything is gravy at this point for Warriors fans. Its truly amazing that they made the playoffs at all with the problems they faced this year. They had more injury problems than most during the season, then made that trade halfway through to bring in what are now two major pieces of the team in Harrington and Jackson. They were 25-34 and it was looking like the season was over when Baron came back from knee surgery. After that they went something like 17-6 against the toughest schedule in the league, beating Dallas, Phoenix, Utah, Houston, Detroit, Denver, Washington (when Arenas was still playing), a Clipper team they were fighting for the last playoff spot.
Its been an impressive stretch, and thats really the extent that anybody has seen this Warrior team with all its pieces intact play together.

Neither team played very well offensively last night, other than Baron just taking the game over in the third and fourth quarters. Its should be a really fun series once those offenses start clicking. People talk about enjoying the Phoenix-Dallas games but the Warriors can be every bit as explosive as the Suns.

[kegkilla]

my problem with the NBA is nobody really plays defense anymore. in the playoffs they step it up but during the season everyone just half asses it and its very obvious. observe a college game, then observe an NBA game. the difference in their defensive efforts is astounding. to me, seeing a ball get stolen or a shot get blocked or stuffed is much more exciting than seeing someone dunk or hit a 3.

[Zeste]

Originally Posted by kegkilla

my problem with the NBA is nobody really plays defense anymore. in the playoffs they step it up but during the season everyone just half asses it and its very obvious. observe a college game, then observe an NBA game. the difference in their defensive efforts is astounding. to me, seeing a ball get stolen or a shot get blocked or stuffed is much more exciting than seeing someone dunk or hit a 3.

I watched college ball this year for the first time during the Final Four, and the lack of any real skill level just turned me off. I felt like I was watching five year olds chase the soccer ball around the field. There are a few good players in the NCAA, but most of them are just the fuckers who tried to cheat off my homework in math class.

On to the NBA..

The Nuggets are alot better than their seed shows. When they picked up Anthony, it gave them an edge they didn't have earlier in the season, and I can see them taking it from the Spurs.

the Mavs/Warriors matchup is just an odd pairing. The mavericks are by far the best teat in the league, on average. But the Warriors have some sort of secret variable that reduces the Mavericks to a very beatable team, maybe it's their coach, or maybe it's just low-probability statistical matchups between the players. But if the Mavericks don't really crank it up, the Warriors could win it in 7, and then lose the next round in 4. It's weird... they're only good against the Mavericks, it's like kryptonite or something.

The suns have the Lakers, they just aren't going to be able to bring it in time. Kobe can score 60-70 points, and it won't matter, he doesn't have a team to back him up. Kobe can score 60 and his teammates score another 30, but that won't stop the Suns average of 112 ppg. Kobe cannot carry a team alone, and that's been shown. You put ANY other star with him, and they could win the Finals, but not like this. The Lakers need to get some veteran players on the team for next season, and ditch the used tampon of Smush Parker.

Houston will take the Jazz, I'll be at game 3 this thursday =D

Umm, and I don't really care about the East. Both in the NBA sense, and every other. Fuck anything and everything west of the rockies =D Chicago or Detroit for the finals, losing to the Mavs or Suns.

Nash for MVP

[Slick Willey]

Originally Posted by Zeste

The Nuggets are alot better than their seed shows. When they picked up Anthony, it gave them an edge they didn't have earlier in the season, and I can see them taking it from the Spurs.

You mean A.I.

I still see the Spurs taking the Nuggets. San Antonio is very capable of winning the next game at home, and then taking 2 in Denver.

It's weird... they're only good against the Mavericks, it's like kryptonite or something.

Or the Jazz . . . . Seriously, Golden State finished the last 10 games of the season 9-1. They are playing great basketball at the moment, but I still see the Mavs taking the series 4-2. Watching the game last night, it seemed like GS was playing their best game possible, with Dallas playing a mediocre game (which you do have to give some credit to GS for).

[Mkopec1]

Originally Posted by Zeste

Umm, and I don't really care about the East. Both in the NBA sense, and every other. Fuck anything and everything west of the rockies =D Chicago or Detroit for the finals, losing to the Mavs or Suns.

Nash for MVP

Gay for life!

[Zeste]

The Jazz will never win a championship, that's for sure. Larry H Miller (the owner) has no reason to ever sell the team, or try to improve it. The jazz could be in dead last and all the utahn's will still sell out the arena (as they have been in the recent past.


I am hoping that last Vegas gets a team in the next few years. Maybe the Kings, or the Sonics. That'd take sports betting to a whole new level =D

[woqqqa]

Originally Posted by Slick Willey

You mean A.I.

I still see the Spurs taking the Nuggets. San Antonio is very capable of winning the next game at home, and then taking 2 in Denver.



Or the Jazz . . . . Seriously, Golden State finished the last 10 games of the season 9-1. They are playing great basketball at the moment, but I still see the Mavs taking the series 4-2. Watching the game last night, it seemed like GS was playing their best game possible, with Dallas playing a mediocre game (which you do have to give some credit to GS for).

Living in San Franciso and having watched the Warriors all season, I have to disagree. That game sucked. Only Davis and Jackson were hitting much at all, the team's shooting percentage was horrid, and they didn't run nearly as often as they usually do. I expect both teams to play far better in game 2, and from what I've seen of Warriors/Mavs over the past few years, I expect the series to come down to a game 7, in which case it's a toss-up. Actually, say what you will about the Warriors being good against only one team, they managed to beat most of the teams currently in the playoffs late this year when they finally had their full team recovered from injury. I'd say they have a decent chance against all but the Spurs, who seem to be to them what they are to Dallas. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get to find out.

[darksensei]

Suns fan here so I'm a bit biased, but only 3 teams have the possibility of beating them in a 7 game series. San Antonio, Dallas, and Detroit. It sucks that is round 2, 3 and 4 respectively. That said I'm fairly optimistic that the road to the each round will be hard for our opponents. San Antonio will have to face a red hot Denver team, Dallas will have to figure out the Warriors then beat the Rockets who have the defensive ability to be a thorn in their side. Detroit is actually my biggest concern because while it was the worst basketball of the year for the Suns (After that double OT win in Dallas) we got killed last time against Detroit.

Another observation is that S.A. may actually be in a ton of trouble against Denver. All their post game comments were about containing Nene, so they knew he was going to be good and couldn't stop him anyways. If there is any upset in the first round it will be this one.

[Mkopec1]

Originally Posted by darksensei

Suns fan here so I'm a bit biased, but only 3 teams have the possibility of beating them in a 7 game series. San Antonio, Dallas, and Detroit. It sucks that is round 2, 3 and 4 respectively. That said I'm fairly optimistic that the road to the each round will be hard for our opponents. San Antonio will have to face a red hot Denver team, Dallas will have to figure out the Warriors then beat the Rockets who have the defensive ability to be a thorn in their side. Detroit is actually my biggest concern because while it was the worst basketball of the year for the Suns (After that double OT win in Dallas) we got killed last time against Detroit.

Another observation is that S.A. may actually be in a ton of trouble against Denver. All their post game comments were about containing Nene, so they knew he was going to be good and couldn't stop him anyways. If there is any upset in the first round it will be this one.

I just remember hearing how awesome and badass the Suns would be with Stoudemire(sp?) back. And they still are the regular old suns. I really dont see diffrence between this year and last. Maybe a bit more inside presence, but IMO to be true contenders they need to do a little less offense and a bit more defense. And I think its the coaches failure. I dont think that this brand of BB really works. Obviously since the Suns get their shit handed to them every year. But I wish them luck. It be nice to see someone other than Dallas or SA to come out of the West for a change.