NBA Playoffs Preview: If the NBA Playoffs Started Today, Volume 1
The NBA season is just about a month and a half into the season and we're starting to see how things are breaking out, which teams could be good and what teams will be heading back in the lottery.
Instead of doing power rankings and other things of the sort, I am going to do a weekly feature from now on breaking down the playoff match-ups as they currently stand and progress round by round until there is a champion.
Eastern Conference First Round: (1) Boston Celtics Vs. (8) Philadelphia 76ers
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The more and more I think about it, the more I hate that sub .500 teams are allowed to make the playoffs. As of right now the 76ers are five games under five hundred and sit with the eighth seed. Milwaukee is right behind them, also five games under and Toronto is right after that at eight games under.
Does it really matter who Boston faces in the first round though. The east is just about putrid from the five seed down and shouldn't be counted on to win a single playoff game.
This could be the year where there are sweeps across the board in the first round of the playoffs.
Even though the 76ers played Boston really tough a few days ago and only lost by a point, I'm taking Boston in a sweep.
Boston wins series 4-0
Eastern Conference First Round: (2) Miami Heat Vs. (7) Indiana Pacers
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Indiana isn't good, but they are really feisty and they play hard for every minute and they do have a superstar in Danny Granger.
In saying that though Miami is just too good.
Indiana will make it a really interesting series for four games, they could beat them once, I could see a game three win in Indiana.
Miami wins series 4-0.
Eastern Conference First Round: (3) Chicago Bulls Vs. (6) New York Knicks
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In the Eastern Conference this could be the best match-up and the best series of games to watch.
Chicago and New York are both in the process of becoming really good teams. Really young and really good. Both teams are a player away from being major players in the landscape.
Carmelo Anthony could be that player for the Knicks and Bulls need a good SG probably a Rip Hamilton type player. Probably just Rip Hamilton. Trade needs to happen.
I see a lot of back and forth in this series and it'll probably go seven intense games.
It'll be like reliving the mid 90's all over again, minus the Sonics.
Chicago wins series 4-3.
Eastern Conference First Round: (4) Orland Magic Vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
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Atlanta started the year off strong, but have kind of fizzled recently and Josh Smith is playing less than inspired ball.
Orlando just traded away half their team and are bringing in a lot of new faces. It's going to be really interesting to see how things shake out with their roster and how their rotation sets up.
Is Richardson or Arenas the sixth man? Do they put both in the starting lineup and just go small?
Either way, this series will be pretty small and over rather quickly, just like ti was last year.
Orlando wins series 4-0.
Western Conference First Round: (1) San Antonio Spurs Vs. (8) Portland Blazers
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San Antonio is quietly playing the best basketball out of anyone in the entire league. Should we really be surprised though? I really don't think we should be. The team, as always, is well run, well coached and they find guys that no one else seems to want or find and turns them into very serviceable players.
Gary Neal?
Portland is just too hurt and in to much of a flux right now to make this a series.
San Antonio wins series 4-0.
Western Conference First Round: (2) Dallas Maverics Vs. (7) New Orleans Hornets
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The Hornets might not have their heads totally in the game right now. They just blew out Utah at home and then turn around and give a game away to a really bad and I do mean really bad Detroit Pistons team.
I think their heads are in a place between basketball and trying to find new real estate in Seattle. By the time the playoffs come around things could be less fluid.
Dallas on the other hand is greatly improved on defense and Dirk Nowitzki is proving why he is still a top five player in the NBA. Kevin Durant hasn't pushed him out yet.
Dallas is always good to give a game away during a series and they'll lose at least one in New Orleans.
Dallas wins series 4-1.
Western Conference First Round: (3) Los Angeles Lakers Vs. (6) Denver Nuggets
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This whole series depends if Carmelo Anthony is still in Denver or not. Most assuredly he will not be and the Nuggets won't even be in this position because Melo will not be in Denver at that time.
I think the Lakers are taking things a little bit easier this year, but they are a year older and a little bit banged up. Come May though they should be healthy and Kobe should be back to his normal self.
I'm really not going to write any more on this.
Lakers win series 4-0.
Western Conference First Round: (4) OKC Thunder Vs. (5) Utah Jazz
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Outside of Bulls-Knicks this could be the second best series of the opening round of the playoffs.
Russell Westbrook is trying to make a push that he's now a top five point guard, he's almost there, but not yet and Kevin Durant is trying to get into the top five best players in the league discussion. Again, he's almost there, but not quite yet.
Utah is so well disciplined and so well coached. They are usually a nightmare for whomever they play in the playoffs because outside of Phil Jackson and Greg Popovich, Jerry Sloan is probably the best coach in the NBA.
Scotty Brooks is only thriving off having good young players who kind of listen to him.
I'm still not ready to believe in Scotty Brooks in a playoff series, especially if he's going against Jerry Sloan. Plus Al Jefferson will eat the Thunder alive inside.
Utah wins series 4-2.
Eastern Conference Second Round: (1) Boston Celtics Vs. (4) Orlando Magic
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Recently this seems to be happening a lot and seems to be a playoff tradition. These tend to be really good series, but continuity and health are going to be big keys.
I'm not sure if Orlando is going to be able to get gelled up in time for this series and like last year, just won't have the chops to compete with Boston in this series.
Should be a fairly interesting series though.
Boston wins series 4-2
Eastern Conference Second Round: (2) Miami Heat Vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
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Noah is going to be back and healthy for this series and he is going to give Miami fits. Derrick Rose is going to carve up whoever guards him and just wear them down through the series.
Miami still has two of the best five players in the game and it's going to be hard to keep LeBron James and Dwayne Wade down.
Chicago has been together longer and I trust a better team over individual talent.
LeBron knows all about that from his days in Cleveland.
Chicago wins series 4-3
Western Conference Second Round: (1) San Antonio Spurs Vs. (5) Utah Jazz
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Another great potential match-up that is going to be a lot of fun to watch.
Not to mention some of the best fundamentally sound basketball you'll ever see in a playoff series. If some how this playoff match-up happens, the world will be in a much better place and give us some fond memories before the lockout happens.
Spurs will be too much for Utah though.
San Antonio wins series 4-1
Wetern Conference Second Round: (2) Dallas Mavericks Vs. (3) Los Angeles Lakers
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Another great match-up and this could be a full seven game series because I think both of these teams match-up well against each other. Solid, veteran point guard, prolific scorers who are a threat every time they touch the ball and athletic big men who can score a little and do some rebounding.
Mavs are known to be big choke artists about this time in the playoffs and Phil Jackson pulls every string imaginable with his players, opponents and the refs.
Health is a big issue for the Lakers though. I'm not sure how fresh they are going be come May though.
Same with the Mavs.
Tyson Chandler is such a question mark and if he's healthy he's going to be the X factor.
Gah, let he hate mail rain in from LA.
Dallas wins series 4-3
Eastern Conference Finals: (1) Boston Celtics Vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
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A couple of years ago Boston and Chicago gave us one of the best playoff series in recent memory. Overtimes, lead changes, intensity, a true playoff atmosphere! True playoff grit!
I think both teams have vastly improved since the last time they met in the playoffs and each position is so evenly matched and there is some genuine bad blood between the two starting point guards.
Rondo vs. Rose is going to go down in the of the best point guard playoff battles in history and the best since Payton vs. Stockton.
If you look at both rosters it goes back and forth on who's better.
Boston is better 2-5 and has a better bench, while Chicago is just too young, but they could wear down Boston.
I have preached experience this whole time and I will do it once again.
Boston wins series 4-3
Western Conference Finals: (1) San Antonio Spurs Vs. (2) Dallas Mavericks
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This is one of the best recent rivalries in all of the NBA.
Dallas has had the recent edge in the playoffs winning the last two series the teams were in, but it's tied 2-2 for the decade.
San Antonio has the advantage with the coach and experience. This could very well be Tim Duncan's last chance to win a championship and if he does he'll tie Kobe with five rings.
Duncan doesn't have the ability to guard Dirk out on the floor and Kidd can't guard Parker, while Manu is well going to just be Manu.
If that's a recent implication of things to come then the city of Dallas is going to want Manu and his whole family dead.
San Antonio wins series 4-3
NBA Finals: San Antonio Spurs Vs. Boston Celtics
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Can we repeat what happened last year in the NBA Finals?
Can the NBA give us a nice present before it disappears for the next year or so?
Most would want Celtics-Lakers, but I think this will give us the best overall series.
San Antonio is hungry, so is Boston and both these team's windows are beginning to close with the all the fresh young talent coming on and going to be wanting to take over and I think with the lockout looming this will give us the most memorable match-up and I wish they could give us a best of nine series.
I think Boston is really equipped to take number 18, but it's hard to go against how San Antonio is playing.
Boston wins series 4-3
And With The First Pick In The NBA Draft...
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...The Sacramento Kings select Josh Selby from the University of Kansas.
