NBA Playoffs 2012: Can a Lower Seed Be a Threat to Win the Championship?
With the NBA regular season over and the seeds all set, let the excitement begin.
This is what the playoff picture looks like:
East
West
(1)Spurs vs. (8)Jazz
(2)Thunder vs. (7)Mavericks
Like March Madness, the NBA playoffs see its fair share of upsets. In 2007, the No. 8 seed Warriors upset the No. 1 seed Mavericks by winning the series 4-2. Four years later, the No. 8 Grizzlies defeated the No. 1 Spurs in six games.
There have been many other upsets over the years, but I don't see that happening this year.
I will discuss which of the lower seeds (Nos. 6-8) could surprise their opponents and move on into the second round and, possibly, on to the NBA finals.
The absence of Ron Ar...I mean Metta World Peace won't affect the Lakers, as they will sweep Denver. But if they do sweep, his suspension will still have a couple of games left and this is where he could be needed.
My prediction since the season began was a Thunder-Bulls NBA finals. Though I have been skeptical with the Spurs taking the No. 1 seed in the West, I'm sticking by it.
Let's just get the obvious out of the way. Without Dwight Howard, the Magic have little chance against the Pacers. I can see them winning one game, but any more would take a lot of luck.
The 76ers are a young team, but with no superstar to take the necessary shots like the other playoff teams, they will get swept. Derrick Rose will get back on track with the rest of the team.
The Knicks have the unfortunate pleasure of going up against the Heat in the first round. The whole Mike D'Antoni/Carmello Anthony situation cost this team early in the season. I see them getting to at least the fifth seed next year when everyone is healthy and Mike Woodson is the permanent head coach.
The Jazz waited as late as possible to earn a playoff berth. But they made it, and now they will take on the old but healthy San Antonio Spurs. Greg Popovich deserves to be named Coach of the Year with the way he handled this team. Parker, Duncan and Ginobili are all healthy this year and with a deep bench, the Spurs are a dangerous team. Jazz lose the series 4-0.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The defending champions out West are now the seventh seed. The Mavericks lost All-Star center Tyson Chandler and did nothing to improve their team. Yet they still have Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry. The Thunder could be without Harden due to a concussion. But Serge Ibaka, Westbrook and three-time scoring champ Kevin Durant will outplay the Mavs. Thunder move on 4-1.
The final matchup to analyze is the Lakers-Nuggets series. As I mentioned before, the Lakers will be without World Peace. The loss of Nene at the trade deadline hurt the Nuggets. He is a big man that can score all around the floor. Chris "Birdman" Anderson, I feel, cannot replace a player like Nene. Kobe will take this series into his hands and sweep the Nuggets.
Despite picking the No. 1-3 seeds in both conferences to make it to the second round, it's a toss-up with both No. 4 vs. 5 series. The Celtics had a midseason surge to clinch the Atlantic Division but have since cooled down. The Hawks, much like the 76ers, don't have that star player that demands the ball at crunch time.
In the West, the Clippers and Grizzlies are pretty evenly matched. Both teams have scoring big men down low and a point guard who can handle the ball. Yes, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are more talented than Tony Allen and Marc Gasol, but they play a similar game.
I hate going all chalk in the NCAA tournament, but I have to do it here. I'm excited for the playoffs to begin and I'm rooting for the Thunder to go all the way. Let me know what your predictions are and what surprises you can see happening.
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