The NBA Playoffs: One of the best times of the year. 16 Teams, but only one team can raise the NBA Trophy high in June and call themselves the best. But who will it be? The playoffs don't start until April 28th, but if the playoffs began today, here's what the matchups would look like:
(1) Bulls vs (8) Knicks (CHI leads 2-0) (1) Thunder vs (8) Nuggets (OKC leads 2-0)
(2) Heat vs (7) Celtics (MIA leads 1-0) (2) Spurs vs (7) Jazz (SA leads 2-0)
(3) Magic vs (6) Atlanta (ATL leads 2-0) (3) Lakers vs (6) Grizzlies (LA wins 2-1)
(4) Sixers vs (5) Pacers (Series tied 1-1) (4) Clippers vs (5) Mavericks (Series tied 1-1)
Now, here a few things that make this year's playoffs so interesting:
- The rise of Jeremy Lin in New York
- Lob City with CP3 and Blake Griffin
- The lust of a ring for King James
- The surprising Sixers
- The Lakers not the usual #1 seed like they always seem to be
- The Grizzlies trying to prove that last season wasn't some fluke
- The Spurs and Celtics trying to prove that they still got it
- The Pacers looking to get past the first round this time
- The Defending Champion Dallas Mavericks
All these different storylines tie into the playoffs and if the matchups stay as is, then we're in for a great NBA Playoffs. Without going too much into detail, here's my two cents.
The West
Let me start with the West. It's clear that The Thunder are the best team in the West but how consistent can they be come playoff time? People forget that these guys are still a young team, and a lot of pressure comes with being the #1 Seed. I don't see The Nuggets keeping that #8 spot. I think The Rockets led by rookie sensation Chandler Parsons will nab that last spot. People haven't been paying attention, but Chandler Parsons scoring has risen gradually in 11 of his last 14 games. There's always a chance for an upset.
The Grizzlies last season took out the #1 seeded Spurs and took the Thunder to 7 games and all this was without Rudy Gay. This Memphis team has come a long way since then and fought their way to a #6 seed. With Rudy Gay back and with Randolph on the way back from injury, they're looking to repeat their success. The Lakers are in so much disarray. The lack of team spirit, fumblings by the Head Coach, and not to mention the releases of Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom, and Shannon Brown. The Lakers were a well oiled unit, but their core has been split apart. Only one thing still make them a threat: The Black Mamba. Kobe Bryant is still one of the best in the game and has that killer instinct in the playoffs. The Grizzlies have it in for them. I don't know if the Lakers will get out of this one. In my opinion, this will be one of the most anticipated playoff games.
I personally have no interest in seeing the Spurs and the Jazz as both teams bore me. I was never really a fan of The Jazz style of play and the Spurs are fundamentally sound and slow the game down. Hence why I won't really comment much on this game. Just know that now that Ginobli is healthy, the Spurs hope to not get outed in the first round like last year.
Now for the team that nobody is talking about....the defending champion Dallas Mavericks. They started the season abysmally and since then have battled their way back to a #5 seed, but they lost the pieces that brought them to the dance last year: a strong force in the paint and speed at point guard. All the pieces seem to work in the favor of Lob City....I mean the Clippers. The Clippers have definitely made some noise with CP3 and Blake Griffin leading the charge, but will they be able to make it out the West and knock off the defending champions?
The East
Most of the attention in the East is centered on Miami and Chicago. Arguably these two are the best teams in the East, but it's the playoffs and any team can strike lighting in a bottle. Look at The Sixers. Last season, they were a lowly #7 Seed and were ousted in 5 games by Miami. Now, they're a #4 seed and looking like more of a legitimate threat than last year. 2nd year guard Evan Turner has come into his own and this team has propelled itself to new heights. They're looking at a first round match with Danny Granger, Tyler Hansbrough and the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers fell to the Chicago Bulls in 5 games, but they made every game interesting. This is no doubt a very intriguing match.
For a better part of this season, Jeremy Lin and The New York Knicks have been a feel good story throughout the league when they went on a tear and won close to 10 games in a row. Lin was leading the way scoring 25 points a game, but soon turnovers got the better of him, the hype died down and they see themselves barely clinging to an #8 seed. Last year, they were embarrassingly swept by the Boston Celtics. This season with Jeremy Lin, Shumpert, and the 3 point sniper Novak, they're looking to give Chicago and MVP Derrick Rose a run for their money. Don't be fooled for a minute because The Bulls are still a force to be reckoned with. Derrick Rose may not be clutch, but one of his strong suits is getting to the cup and drawing fouls. I'm not sure if the Knicks are ready for this, but then again who knows if Chicago is ready?
The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics rivalry has intensified since Lebron James joined the fold last season. Everybody goes on about how Boston is getting old, and it's true. They aren't as good as they once were. After they swept New York last year, they were booted out of the second round by Miami in 5 games. The Celtics are looking for retribution, but I don't think it's going to happen. Defensively, Miami has gotten better with the addition of Shane Battier and the offense is clicking a lot more than they did last season. The Heat are on a mission to win this season. After all is said and done, they won't rest until they win a title.
The Hawks and Magic seem to always play each other. If the picture stays like this, it'll be the third year in a row that these teams have met in the playoffs. The Hawks are so inconsistent. One day, they're good, and the next they're getting blown out by lesser teams. The Magic are mostly the same way. It's like you know what to expect from them. This a slightly appealing match, but I don't see either team going anywhere.
Those are my thoughts on the playoffs and although everything seems to be in favor of the teams that are expected to win, don't forget....it's the Playoffs. Teams kick it into high gear come playoff time and anything can happen in the playoffs. Once the picture gets finalized, I'll be ready to give my predictions. But until then, it's fun to play the guessing game.
Feel free to Comment.
By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete
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