NBA Playoff Schedule 2012: Bold Predictions for Game 7s
The 2012 NBA Playoffs will be extraordinary for fans across the world to watch this weekend with two Game 7 matchups on the slate.
In these Game 7 matchups, the Denver Nuggets and the Memphis Grizzlies are looking to become the ninth and tenth teams in NBA playoff history to come back from a 3-1 deficit and win the pivotal Game 7.
Can these two resilient teams overcome history and win Game 7, or will the star-powered city of Los Angeles be too much for them to handle?
The first Game 7 matchup on the line is tonight at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on TNT, when Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers take on the young, resilient Denver Nuggets at the Staples Center.
In his playoff career, Kobe Bryant is 4-1 in Game 7s and you can bet he will bring his best game to the floor and help elevate the play of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.
The Denver Nuggets have been great in this series, winning two in a row, and have been getting extraordinary point guard play from Ty Lawson (18 points and six assists per game) and Andre Miller (13 points and six assists per game).
The Achilles' heel for the Lakes throughout the last several years and in the playoffs has been defending strong point guard play.
Even better for the Nuggets in these playoffs has been the solid rebounding and consistency of the double-double machine duo of Kenneth Faried and JaVale McGee.
Faried and McGee have equaled the production of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum and you can bet Kobe Bryant will be ecstatic to have the services of Metta World Peace back on the court for Game 7.
"Dave McMenamin at ESPNLosAngeles.com reported, Kobe had this to say about having Metta World Peace back on the court for Game 7, "I expect him to come out and play with the tenacity that he's known for," Bryant said after Game 6. "He's the one guy that I can rely on night in and night out to compete and play hard and play with that sense of urgency and play with no fear. So, I'm looking forward to having that by my side again."
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No matter how much youth and energy the Denver Nuggets might have, no one goes into the Staples Center and beats Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. According to ESPN, the Lakers have won 10 consecutive Game 7s in the playoffs at the Staples Center.
The Lakers will win Game 7 against the Nuggets because you have the intensity of Metta World Peace back in the lineup, you have the winning Game 7 history at the Staples Center, and you have the ultimate closer in Kobe Bryant.
The next Game 7 matchup we'll have the pleasure of watching this weekend is Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on ABC, when Chris Paul and Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers take on the the resurgent Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum in Memphis.
The Grizzlies are soaring in this series, having won two straight and the Clippers are struggling, especially with injuries to Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
"According to Marc Spears at Yahoo Sports, Chris Paul had this to say about his injury following the Game 6 loss to the Grizzlies, “It’s tough, but nobody is at 100 percent this time of the season,” Paul said. “I tried to suck it up and so did Blake.”
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The injury to Paul has definitely hurt his explosiveness as he came into Game 6 of the series averaging 22 points per game, but scored only 11.
In comparison to Paul's injury, Griffin lacked his usual high-flying explosiveness as well as being much more passive than his usually aggressive self in the prior games of the series.
Moreover, the inside play duo of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol for the Grizzlies has just been too powerful in the post for this injury plagued Clippers team to handle.
Additionally, the Grizzlies have had strong performances from the guard play of Mike Conley and the shooting combo of Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo.
The Grizzlies will win Game 7 over the Clippers because they have a solid backcourt, better frontcourt, and the two stars on the Clippers, Paul and Griffin, will not be anywhere near full strength.
