NBA Playoffs

[King Glorious]

East
Detroit vs. Orlando
Detroit has had no answer for Dwight Howard (20.8 pts, 13.5 reb, 54% fg) this season but Orlando has had no answer for the Detroit backcourt of Richard Hamilton (18.8) and Chauncey Billups (26.0). Orlando's weakness is that they aren't good at sharing the ball and turn it over way too much. That plays right into Detroit's strength. On paper, this should be a good matchup and with Orlando playing well late and being a good home team, I wouldn't be totally surprised to see it go to six games. The Pistons won all four regular season games but three of them were by five or less. I'm expecting Detroit in five though. They've been the dominant Eastern team since the Chris Webber trade.

Cleveland vs. Washington
With no Gilbert Arenas or Caron Butler, this is no contest. LeBron James and the Cavs in four.

Toronto vs. New Jersey
Toronto was the surprise team of the league this season. New Jersey, with all of the injuries was one of the disappointments. But as the season came to an end, it was NJ looking like the better team coming into the playoffs. Having Richard Jefferson back is huge for them. It gives them another scoring option and a guy they can look for when they need a basket. I still don't think Toronto has that go-to guy, despite Chris Bosh's outstanding numbers. Against NJ this season in three games, he's only averaged 17 and 6.7 rebounds. The teams split four games in the regular season, each team winning their home games. Ironically, Toronto beat NJ in the game Bosh missed. NJ lost both games that Jefferson missed. TJ Ford will look to push the tempo but NJ really likes to play at a fast tempo so that advantage might not be there for Toronto. NJ struggles in the slowdown game not uptempo. Marcus Williams can come in and give Kidd minutes and keep the flow going. NJ takes this in six games.

Miami vs. Chicago
What a matchup this is. Either of these teams has the ability to make it to the finals in my opinion. Last year, they played a very tight series that could have gone either way. One thing we know is that Chicago won't be intimidated by the Heat. The Heat has the experience though and that little bit of extra confidence since they won the series last year. D-Wade has been slowed by a knee problem since coming back and so u wonder how much he can give them. He'll need to be close to 100% to keep up with Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon. That's as good a backcourt as their is in the league. Tyrus Thomas is very active inside as is Ben Wallace and that could hurt Miami on the offensive glass. The key to this series though, as is usually the case when he plays, is Shaq. If he can stay out of fout trouble, the Heat can win. If he can't, they will lose in the first round. My prediction is that Chicago has a little too much athleticsm and depth and will take out the defending champs in seven games. Having home-court advantage will prove to be huge. Loul Deng will be the difference maker. Miami has no answer for him.

West
Dallas vs. Golden State
It's my position that the Warriors, not the Suns, are the scariest offensive team in the league. They've gone 120+ in four of their last five games. They've averaged 116.7 points in the month of April. They have guys that can score at every position. What they do is use a small lineup with Al Harrington at center and force u to match up with them. Dallas may have to use a small lineup also and take Erick Dampier and Dsagana Diop out of the mix. That helps Golden State cause then the Mavs have no real interior defender. Of course, on the other end, GS has nobody that can match up with Dirk Nowitzki. They do have enough athleticsm to harrass him though. In the end, Dirk is going to get his 24 a game but he'll need a lot of help from Josh Howard, Jason Terry, and Jerry Stackhouse to take the pressure off of him. I'm scared by this series. The Mavs were my pick to win the title but the Warriors flat out scare me. I'm taking the Mavs still because they are nearly as good offensively and much better defensively than the Warriors. I think all of the games will be close though and free throw shooting is the Mavs' specialty. Also, the Warriors have so many options that they don't really have a go-to guy. That will end up hurting them. Mavs in six.

Phoenix vs. Los Angeles
Everyone is thinking that this is going to be a good series because of what we saw last year. Wrong. Last year, these were two different teams. Last year, Phoenix didn't have Amare Stoudamire and Kurt Thomas. The Lakers were able to dominate inside and that opened up the outside. Not the case this year. Stoudamire will put Brown into foul trouble early and that will put the load on Andrew Bynum. That's not in the Lakers' favor. Last year, Leandro Barbosa wasn't playing nearly as well as he has played this year. He and Steve Nash will be matched up against Smush Parker and Jordan Farmar. Seriously. Parker has fallen off so bad that Farmar has taken his starting spot. The same Farmar that the Lakers were sending down to the D-League this month. Lamar Odom will be a tough matchup for the Suns but I think Shawn Marion and Boris Diaw will be better prepared for him defensively this year because they can concentrate more on that end since they won't be needed for as much offense as last year with Barbosa and Stoudamire handling that. Obviously, nobody can stop Kobe Bryant. But Raja Bell will make him work hard. Last year's share the ball offense is long gone. The Lakers of this year simply can't win unless Kobe is scoring 45+ points a game. Even when he does, they are barely beating mediocre teams. This series will be an easy one for the Suns. Kobe's brilliance may get the Lakers a game but that's it. Suns in five.

San Antonio vs. Denver
The Spurs were really good in the second half of the season. Denver has been a disappointing 25-20 since Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony started playing together. However, there have been flashes of what everyone has expected. They went 8-3 in one stretch where they beat the Lakers and Phoenix. They dominated at Cleveland. They played a defensive match and beat Dallas. They finished the season winning 10 of 11, including two wins against the Lakers, one on the road, winning at the Clippers and at Utah. Everyone knows what u will get from Iverson and Anthony. The keys are Marcus Camby and Linus Kleiza. Camby has become a defensive monster, dominating the boards and blocking shots. Kleiza is finding his niche as a guy that buries open shots. Steve Blake can handle the ball so that frees up Iverson to roam a little more and that makes it harder to key on him. This is a dangerous team. The Spurs are too. They have everything u want. Experience, depth, and most importantly, talent. I don't think Denver is a good matchup for them though. Tony Parker will have to get into the lane often and try to get the Denver big men in foul trouble. That will open things up for Tim Duncan. We all know Duncan comes up big in the playoffs but Camby will make him work because he's so active then Nene Hilario will come in with a change of pace. In an upset, I'm taking the Nuggets in seven, feeling that the pressure of having to win game seven at home to avoid an upset is going to cause SA to crack. Iverson's been there and that's huge in how he'll help Denver.

Utah vs. Houston
Yet another intriguing matchup. Houston has the home court advantage even though Utah is the higher seed. The combination of Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady is formidable. Utah doesn't have an answer for either of them. On the other hand, Houston doesn't have much answer for Carlos Boozer. Utah has a lot of depth though and that will give Houston problems. Houston is an excellent defensive team and will cover all of Utah's shooters without having to double team anyone. Utah will have to double team both of Houston's stars and that will open up the floor for timely shots by Rafer Alston and Shane Battier. Houston's stars will end up being more than Utah's depth though. Houston in six.

[Seattleallstar]

Houston and the Lakers will be my surprise teams out of the West, in the East
Miami all the way

[POINTGIVEN1985]

toronto
miami
cleveland
detroit
denver
phoenix
golden state
houston

those are the round 1 winners.....take it to the bank

[Mortimer]

Originally Posted by POINTGIVEN1985

toronto
miami
cleveland
detroit
denver
phoenix
golden state
houston

those are the round 1 winners.....take it to the bank

You dynamo you.

[Mortimer]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

East
Detroit vs. Orlando
Detroit has had no answer for Dwight Howard (20.8 pts, 13.5 reb, 54% fg) this season but Orlando has had no answer for the Detroit backcourt of Richard Hamilton (18.8) and Chauncey Billups (26.0). Orlando's weakness is that they aren't good at sharing the ball and turn it over way too much. That plays right into Detroit's strength. On paper, this should be a good matchup and with Orlando playing well late and being a good home team, I wouldn't be totally surprised to see it go to six games. The Pistons won all four regular season games but three of them were by five or less. I'm expecting Detroit in five though. They've been the dominant Eastern team since the Chris Webber trade.

Cleveland vs. Washington
With no Gilbert Arenas or Caron Butler, this is no contest. LeBron James and the Cavs in four.

Toronto vs. New Jersey
Toronto was the surprise team of the league this season. New Jersey, with all of the injuries was one of the disappointments. But as the season came to an end, it was NJ looking like the better team coming into the playoffs. Having Richard Jefferson back is huge for them. It gives them another scoring option and a guy they can look for when they need a basket. I still don't think Toronto has that go-to guy, despite Chris Bosh's outstanding numbers. Against NJ this season in three games, he's only averaged 17 and 6.7 rebounds. The teams split four games in the regular season, each team winning their home games. Ironically, Toronto beat NJ in the game Bosh missed. NJ lost both games that Jefferson missed. TJ Ford will look to push the tempo but NJ really likes to play at a fast tempo so that advantage might not be there for Toronto. NJ struggles in the slowdown game not uptempo. Marcus Williams can come in and give Kidd minutes and keep the flow going. NJ takes this in six games.

Miami vs. Chicago
What a matchup this is. Either of these teams has the ability to make it to the finals in my opinion. Last year, they played a very tight series that could have gone either way. One thing we know is that Chicago won't be intimidated by the Heat. The Heat has the experience though and that little bit of extra confidence since they won the series last year. D-Wade has been slowed by a knee problem since coming back and so u wonder how much he can give them. He'll need to be close to 100% to keep up with Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon. That's as good a backcourt as their is in the league. Tyrus Thomas is very active inside as is Ben Wallace and that could hurt Miami on the offensive glass. The key to this series though, as is usually the case when he plays, is Shaq. If he can stay out of fout trouble, the Heat can win. If he can't, they will lose in the first round. My prediction is that Chicago has a little too much athleticsm and depth and will take out the defending champs in seven games. Having home-court advantage will prove to be huge. Loul Deng will be the difference maker. Miami has no answer for him.

West
Dallas vs. Golden State
It's my position that the Warriors, not the Suns, are the scariest offensive team in the league. They've gone 120+ in four of their last five games. They've averaged 116.7 points in the month of April. They have guys that can score at every position. What they do is use a small lineup with Al Harrington at center and force u to match up with them. Dallas may have to use a small lineup also and take Erick Dampier and Dsagana Diop out of the mix. That helps Golden State cause then the Mavs have no real interior defender. Of course, on the other end, GS has nobody that can match up with Dirk Nowitzki. They do have enough athleticsm to harrass him though. In the end, Dirk is going to get his 24 a game but he'll need a lot of help from Josh Howard, Jason Terry, and Jerry Stackhouse to take the pressure off of him. I'm scared by this series. The Mavs were my pick to win the title but the Warriors flat out scare me. I'm taking the Mavs still because they are nearly as good offensively and much better defensively than the Warriors. I think all of the games will be close though and free throw shooting is the Mavs' specialty. Also, the Warriors have so many options that they don't really have a go-to guy. That will end up hurting them. Mavs in six.

Phoenix vs. Los Angeles
Everyone is thinking that this is going to be a good series because of what we saw last year. Wrong. Last year, these were two different teams. Last year, Phoenix didn't have Amare Stoudamire and Kurt Thomas. The Lakers were able to dominate inside and that opened up the outside. Not the case this year. Stoudamire will put Brown into foul trouble early and that will put the load on Andrew Bynum. That's not in the Lakers' favor. Last year, Leandro Barbosa wasn't playing nearly as well as he has played this year. He and Steve Nash will be matched up against Smush Parker and Jordan Farmar. Seriously. Parker has fallen off so bad that Farmar has taken his starting spot. The same Farmar that the Lakers were sending down to the D-League this month. Lamar Odom will be a tough matchup for the Suns but I think Shawn Marion and Boris Diaw will be better prepared for him defensively this year because they can concentrate more on that end since they won't be needed for as much offense as last year with Barbosa and Stoudamire handling that. Obviously, nobody can stop Kobe Bryant. But Raja Bell will make him work hard. Last year's share the ball offense is long gone. The Lakers of this year simply can't win unless Kobe is scoring 45+ points a game. Even when he does, they are barely beating mediocre teams. This series will be an easy one for the Suns. Kobe's brilliance may get the Lakers a game but that's it. Suns in five.

San Antonio vs. Denver
The Spurs were really good in the second half of the season. Denver has been a disappointing 25-20 since Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony started playing together. However, there have been flashes of what everyone has expected. They went 8-3 in one stretch where they beat the Lakers and Phoenix. They dominated at Cleveland. They played a defensive match and beat Dallas. They finished the season winning 10 of 11, including two wins against the Lakers, one on the road, winning at the Clippers and at Utah. Everyone knows what u will get from Iverson and Anthony. The keys are Marcus Camby and Linus Kleiza. Camby has become a defensive monster, dominating the boards and blocking shots. Kleiza is finding his niche as a guy that buries open shots. Steve Blake can handle the ball so that frees up Iverson to roam a little more and that makes it harder to key on him. This is a dangerous team. The Spurs are too. They have everything u want. Experience, depth, and most importantly, talent. I don't think Denver is a good matchup for them though. Tony Parker will have to get into the lane often and try to get the Denver big men in foul trouble. That will open things up for Tim Duncan. We all know Duncan comes up big in the playoffs but Camby will make him work because he's so active then Nene Hilario will come in with a change of pace. In an upset, I'm taking the Nuggets in seven, feeling that the pressure of having to win game seven at home to avoid an upset is going to cause SA to crack. Iverson's been there and that's huge in how he'll help Denver.

Utah vs. Houston
Yet another intriguing matchup. Houston has the home court advantage even though Utah is the higher seed. The combination of Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady is formidable. Utah doesn't have an answer for either of them. On the other hand, Houston doesn't have much answer for Carlos Boozer. Utah has a lot of depth though and that will give Houston problems. Houston is an excellent defensive team and will cover all of Utah's shooters without having to double team anyone. Utah will have to double team both of Houston's stars and that will open up the floor for timely shots by Rafer Alston and Shane Battier. Houston's stars will end up being more than Utah's depth though. Houston in six.

I agree with you,but Washington will win at least one game and if Denver takes San Antonio I will join the Carmello Anthony fan club.

Originally Posted by King Glorious

East
San Antonio vs. Denver
The Spurs were really good in the second half of the season. Denver has been a disappointing 25-20 since Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony started playing together. However, there have been flashes of what everyone has expected. They went 8-3 in one stretch where they beat the Lakers and Phoenix. They dominated at Cleveland. They played a defensive match and beat Dallas. They finished the season winning 10 of 11, including two wins against the Lakers, one on the road, winning at the Clippers and at Utah. Everyone knows what u will get from Iverson and Anthony. The keys are Marcus Camby and Linus Kleiza. Camby has become a defensive monster, dominating the boards and blocking shots. Kleiza is finding his niche as a guy that buries open shots. Steve Blake can handle the ball so that frees up Iverson to roam a little more and that makes it harder to key on him. This is a dangerous team. The Spurs are too. They have everything u want. Experience, depth, and most importantly, talent. I don't think Denver is a good matchup for them though. Tony Parker will have to get into the lane often and try to get the Denver big men in foul trouble. That will open things up for Tim Duncan. We all know Duncan comes up big in the playoffs but Camby will make him work because he's so active then Nene Hilario will come in with a change of pace. In an upset, I'm taking the Nuggets in seven, feeling that the pressure of having to win game seven at home to avoid an upset is going to cause SA to crack. Iverson's been there and that's huge in how he'll help Denver.

Its time for a wager. 100 dollars on the Spurs.

Before you take this, I will give ample warning. The teams the Spurs do not want to play in the west in order are:

1. Dallas
2. Houston
3. Utah

And the reason is simple. They all play D. The Spurs are most excited about being in the offensive half of the Western draw. Its perfect. Dallas is by far the best team in the league. They just have to prove it. If Dallas plays well they cant be touched by anyone, Phoenix included. I will also be willing to make wagers on the Phoenix-Spurs series that I think is inevitable. Come one come all.

Camby will get blocks on Duncan but Duncan is way too strong for either man because of his lower half which is one of the most overlooked parts of a big man. Iverson will meet his match in speed and the hand in the face long haul will wear him out. And he will have to play D against Parker who can go by him with ease. 13 out of 32 from the field games will not cut it. Anthony is the biggest matchup problem for the Spurs. He is more mobile and stronger than any player we have to cover him. He can overpower Bowen. Bowen will be as always trying to draw offensive fouls off Anthony because of the huge diff. in strength.

Thanks for putting your stuff up. I enjoy the reading.

ONe last little tidbit with a different Nuggets team in the 1st series game. Denver was 17 out of 18 to finish the season. They beat the Spurs in San Antonio the first game of the series. People loaded on board like rats. Hope it happens again. The series was a sweep after that first loss. I love these type of betting scenarios after the first game goes bad. I am a bit worried about the Joey Crawford backlash. Those Philly refs stick together (2 still left and they will do Spurs games). I wish the guy would have just stayed on (Stern damn you). Damnit to hell for that, cause I think he is a good ref with a bad temper.

The best basketball will be played in the Houston/Utah matchup imo. This will be a great series if you like the D. For those Phoenix and Denver fans, AND ONE can be seen on ESPN2 also. Gotta love that matador D.

Spyda, Spyda, Spyda... was not covered by anyone, traveled, and then hung on the rim weaving his web. The Ice Follies of basketball.

[GPK]

Does the NBA post season still last 2.5 months?

[Mortimer]

Originally Posted by GPK

Does the NBA post season still last 2.5 months?

Isn't it 2.5 years?

[whorstman]

You guys are giving WAY too much love to Denver. NO WAY in hell they beat the Spurs. Denver is still too offensive minded and do not play good enough D. The playoffs are a lot more half court, set plays. I would be shocked if Denver wins more than 2. Spurs in 5. Do not be suprised if Spurs win the West.

Regardless, you could not have asked for better matchups across the board. Houston and Utah should be a good one. Toss up. I like Houston though.

[alysheba4]

Originally Posted by pgardn

The best basketball will be played in the Houston/Utah matchup imo. This will be a great series if you like the D. For those Phoenix and Denver fans, AND ONE can be seen on ESPN2 also. Gotta love that matador D.

Spyda, Spyda, Spyda... was not covered by anyone, traveled, and then hung on the rim weaving his web. The Ice Follies of basketball.

......... can i add that denver has but 2 chances to beat S.A. slim and none.

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

This is 100% sour grapes because I bet the Jazz tonight, but Jerry Sloan is an awful head coach. It's why he has no ring, he should have with those Malone, Stockton teams in the 90's but he cannot seal a deal. They were up 9, count 'em 9 at halftime and I'm getting 6.5. Right now with 2 minutes left they're down 14 and they have completely shut down on both sides of the ball. Their offense is now being run through Matt Harpring, yes, Matt Harpring. Wow. Well done. I assume Kerilenko is hurt......again, I turned the sound off because I almost threw my remote out my window.

McGrady had 1 point. It was only a matter of time before he went off. Houston is a very gritty team like the Jazz. I would not give up on the Jazz just yet. They have the type of team that can beat Houston and Dallas. The dont need Andre. Okur must hit some shots from the outside. Opens up the inside for Boozer. Williams is a very good PG that just needs some seasoning. This team has the talent if they play the right type of game. The are in the wrong conference though. If the were in the East they would be a favorite.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

This is 100% sour grapes because I bet the Jazz tonight, but Jerry Sloan is an awful head coach. It's why he has no ring, he should have with those Malone, Stockton teams in the 90's but he cannot seal a deal. They were up 9, count 'em 9 at halftime and I'm getting 6.5. Right now with 2 minutes left they're down 14 and they have completely shut down on both sides of the ball. Their offense is now being run through Matt Harpring, yes, Matt Harpring. Wow. Well done. I assume Kerilenko is hurt......again, I turned the sound off because I almost threw my remote out my window.

Stockton and Malone were great players. The league was full of all-time greats at that time though. Two players won titles from 1991-1998....Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon. I wouldn't say that everyone else that didn't win failed or couldn't seal the deal. They just went up against better.

Originally Posted by King Glorious

Miami vs. Chicago
What a matchup this is. Either of these teams has the ability to make it to the finals in my opinion. Last year, they played a very tight series that could have gone either way. One thing we know is that Chicago won't be intimidated by the Heat. The Heat has the experience though and that little bit of extra confidence since they won the series last year. D-Wade has been slowed by a knee problem since coming back and so u wonder how much he can give them. He'll need to be close to 100% to keep up with Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon. That's as good a backcourt as their is in the league. Tyrus Thomas is very active inside as is Ben Wallace and that could hurt Miami on the offensive glass. The key to this series though, as is usually the case when he plays, is Shaq. If he can stay out of fout trouble, the Heat can win. If he can't, they will lose in the first round. My prediction is that Chicago has a little too much athleticsm and depth and will take out the defending champs in seven games. Having home-court advantage will prove to be huge. Loul Deng will be the difference maker. Miami has no answer for him.

Pretty good call. Chicago has the deepest guard group in the league.

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

How was it a good call? They got swept.

My prediction is that Chicago has a little too much athleticsm and depth and will take out the defending champs in seven games.

He got the team correct and the reasoning was definitely correct.

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

I guess, too bad the series was about as one sided as it could possibly be.

Hey he put something up. I appreciate that. And it was terribly lopsided which he did not suggest.

[King Glorious]

Unfortunately, I expected more from Miami but to be honest, I really did have a feeling that Chicago could get rid of them much easier that I predicted. I wouldn't have ever predicted a sweep against Wade and Shaq but five or six games wouldn't have surprised me. Their strengths are exactly what Miami's weaknesses are. They are going to beat Detroit too.

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

They absolutely need Andre. Did you see them in the 4th quarter, they had no idea what to do offensively. You cannot run an offense through Matt Harpring and win, it's impossible.

Two Jazz wins Andre K. scores a total of 5 points. Defensively he helps. They got Boozer, Okur (needs to hit that outside shot), and Williams. Harpring is just icing. Andre just needs to stay out of the way offensively. He has zero confidence right now. Boozer is so much more athletic and stronger than HOuston bigmen inside. Poor Yao looks lost trying to cover him. Back to Houston. If Utah is to win this away game, Williams is gonna have to come up big.

[whorstman]

Originally Posted by whorstman

You guys are giving WAY too much love to Denver. NO WAY in hell they beat the Spurs. Denver is still too offensive minded and do not play good enough D. The playoffs are a lot more half court, set plays. I would be shocked if Denver wins more than 2. Spurs in 5. Do not be suprised if Spurs win the West.

Regardless, you could not have asked for better matchups across the board. Houston and Utah should be a good one. Toss up. I like Houston though.

Oh, the begining of the end. Spurs in 5.

Ok then Whorstman, I get to brag:

ONe last little tidbit with a different Nuggets team in the 1st series game. Denver was 17 out of 18 to finish the season. They beat the Spurs in San Antonio the first game of the series. People loaded on board like rats. Hope it happens again. The series was a sweep after that first loss. I love these type of betting scenarios after the first game goes bad.

Denver will be better next year. They played much harder than ever before. Iverson has brought more toughness to the team. But you could see after the 1st loss in Denver, he knew they were not going to do it this year. It will be interesting to see if Karl can make this team work. They are more athletically talented than the Spurs and it is not even close.

The D is the deal. The Dallas/Golden State series may be fun, but I love the help D that good TEAMS play.

Last little note. The Spurs are so old. They must make some significant trades in the next year or they will end up in a Knick's situation. Seriously, I cannot believe the Knicks actually gave Isiah that contract... utterly mind-blowing.