NBA Playoffs 2011: Predicting the Outcome from the First Round to the Finals
As March Madness winds down, it is time to turn our attention back to the NBA Playoffs, which will be getting underway in less than three weeks.
However, there are still a few questions that have yet to be answered, but will be before the playoffs begin.
Who will grab the top seed in the Eastern Conference? Who will be the eighth and final seed in each of the two conferences?
And, will teams such as the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Hornets be able to hold on to their playoff spots after losing impact players to injury?
Numerous teams are going in different directions. The New York Knicks, still trying to figure out their offense with Carmelo Anthony in town, are spiraling out of control and have lost six games in a row.
The Denver Nuggets, on the other hand, have caught fire with their new lineup and have won seven of their last nine games.
Teams like the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks and San Antonio Spurs are dealing with injuries.
Other teams, such as the Chicago Bulls, are playing their best basketball of the season.
All of these questions will make for an interesting end to the regular season, as well as a very exciting postseason.
The following are my predictions for the NBA playoffs, starting with the first round and finishing with the NBA Finals.
The seeds are based on my projected order of finish.
Eastern Conference: (8) Indiana Pacers vs. (1) Chicago Bulls
1 of 15
The Bulls are playing some of their best basketball of the season, having won nine out of their last 10 games.
They are continuing to gel as a group and are only getting better.
Derrick Rose may have locked up the MVP award already.
The Pacers, however, will be lucky to even make the playoffs. Both the Milwaukee Bucks and Charlotte Bobcats are right on their heels, but Indiana should have just enough to sneak in as the eighth seed in the East.
This should be a short series. The Pacers simply have no answers for Rose.
In four regular-season meetings between these two teams, Rose averaged 27 points per game, including a 42-point outing on Mar. 18. The Bulls are 3-1 against the Pacers this season.
Indiana is too young and has been too inconsistent to hang with the East's top team.
Prediction: Bulls win in four games
(7) New York Knicks vs. (2) Miami Heat
2 of 15
For as bad as the Knicks have looked of late, they will still be a dangerous team come playoff time because they have two superstars and an experienced point guard leading the way.
Even though the new-look Knicks have had some bad losses, they have also had some very impressive wins.
New York has beaten the Hawks, Grizzlies and even the Heat. They have shown that they can compete with anyone, as well as lose to anyone.
Nonetheless, Miami is beginning to figure things out, while the Knicks are still searching for answers.
The Heat are a very good defensive team that will frustrate New York in a seven-game series.
New York has also been terrible on the defensive end of the floor as of late, and the ultra-talented Heat will be able to expose the Knicks weaknesses with ease.
The Knicks are still a few pieces away from being an elite team, but Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony should be able to deliver at least one playoff victory at Madison Square Garden.
Prediction: Heat win in five games
(6) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (3) Boston Celtics
3 of 15
Doug Collins has done a terrific job with the Philadelphia 76ers this season and should get a good amount of consideration for the Coach of the Year Award.
The 76ers are young, energetic and deep. They have one of the better benches in the league, with both Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young averaging in double figures coming off the bench.
Philadephia won't be intimidated by the veteran Celtics, either.
The 76ers are 1-2 against Boston this season, but only lost by a combined five points.
The Celtics are banged up, with Shaquille O'Neal, Jermaine O'Neal and Rajon Rondo all battling nagging injuries.
The "Big Three" of the Celtics should be able to find just enough to get past the up-start 76ers, but it won't be as easy as some may think.
Prediction: Celtics win in seven games
(5) Atlanta Hawks vs. (4) Orlando Magic
4 of 15
The Hawks are having another fine season, sitting in fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 41-32 record.
Although they have struggled a bit as of late, they are still very dangerous with Josh Smith, Joe Johnson and Al Horford all having excellent seasons.
Atlanta also seems to have figured out how to play against and beat the Orlando Magic.
They are 2-1 against the Magic this season, with one victory coming without Johnson in the lineup.
They also recently added Kirk Hinrich, a defensive-minded point guard that gives the team something they lacked in previous years.
This Magic team lacks the talent of some of their teams in previous years. Dwight Howard has played like a MVP-candidate yet again, but has been surrounded by inconsistent players for most of the season.
Guys like Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu have struggled to contribute regularly. They have also been subpar on defense, allowing close to 100 points per game.
Prediction: Hawks win in six games
(5) Hawks vs. (1) Bulls
5 of 15
The Bulls are superior to the Hawks on both ends of the court, allowing four fewer points per game and scoring more than three points per game.
Chicago is 2-1 against Atlanta so far this season, including a 114-81 drubbing on Mar. 22.
Josh Smith and Al Horford should be able to hold their own against Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah on the interior, but ultimately, Rose will be the difference once again.
Hinrich is very good but won't be able to contain the Bulls star.
Prediction: Bulls win in five games
(3) Celtics vs. (2) Heat
6 of 15
The Heat will make this series closer then they have made the season series with the Celtics, if only because of the brilliance of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
Still, the Celtics play as a team, while the Heat often play as a bunch of individuals.
That will be the difference in this series.
The Celtics are the best defensive team in the league, although they seem to have lost some of their swagger since they traded Kendrick Perkins.
They also have had Miami's number this season, beating them all three times the two teams have met.
Prediction: Celtics win in six games
(3) Celtics vs. (1) Bulls
7 of 15
This series will be a battle for the ages.
Both teams pride themselves on their defense, so many of these games will be grind-it-out, low-scoring affairs.
In the end, I think Boston's bid to get back to the NBA Finals falls just short.
The Celtics won't have enough answers for Boozer and Noah inside and Rose will take over late in games to lead his team to the NBA Finals.
Prediction: Bulls in seven games
Western Conference: (8) New Orleans Hornets vs. (1) San Antonio Spurs
8 of 15
The Hornets will likely struggle down the stretch of the regular season after losing forward David West for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL.
However, I don't think the Houston Rockets or Phoenix Suns will be able to do enough to overtake the Hornets for the eighth seed in the West.
The Spurs are dealing with some injuries of their own, but Tim Duncan should be good to go once the playoffs begin.
The Hornets have actually been the better defensive team this year, and have beaten the Spurs twice this season.
With David West, they matched up very well with San Antonio, but they are sure to struggle without their leading scorer in the lineup.
His 18.9 points per game are going to be nearly impossible to replace.
Prediction: Spurs win in five games
(7) Memphis Grizzlies vs. (2) Los Angeles Lakers
9 of 15
The Grizzlies will be in way over their heads in this series, having to take on the two-time defending champions without star forward Rudy Gay.
Memphis has beaten Los Angeles twice this year, but both wins came with Gay in the lineup.
The Lakers' big, talented front-line will be too much for the Grizzlies to handle, and they will likely struggle to find ways to score against a very experienced Lakers team.
Prediction: Lakers win in five games
(6) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (3) Dallas Mavericks
10 of 15
The Trail Blazers are surging, having won seven of their previous 10 games while integrating Gerald Wallace into their system.
While the Mavericks are an excellent defensive team, the Blazers are just as good.
They are also more balanced offensively, with six players on their roster currently averaging in double-figures.
If Portland can get anything from Brandon Roy, it will be a bonus.
Dirk Nowitzki will shine, but ultimately he won't receive enough help from his teammates to get past a very good Trail Blazers squad.
The coming out party for LaMarcus Aldridge will continue.
Prediction: Trail Blazers win in six games
(5) Denver Nuggets vs. (4) Oklahoma City Thunder
11 of 15
This will be a fun series to watch, as it will feature two of the most high-scoring teams in the league.
The Nuggets are on a tear, having won 12 of their 16 games since trading Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks.
While they have no real star, they have a deep team with multiple weapons at every position.
Unfortunately for Denver, they will be facing a team with two superstars. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are one of the best duos in the league, and Denver will have a very difficult time containing both of them.
The Thunder have also been very good defensively since adding Kendrick Perkins to go along with Serge Ibaka.
Durant will have his way with the Nuggets, leading his team to the next round.
Prediction: Thunder win in five games
(4) Thunder vs. (1) Spurs
12 of 15
The Thunder have struggled against the Spurs this season, losing all three games they have played against them.
But the Thunder are younger, quicker and have a player in Kevin Durant who is capable of going out and getting 35 points on any given night.
By adding Kendrick Perkins, the Thunder now have two big men who can control the paint.
They also can defend Tim Duncan and effectively wear down the future Hall of Famer.
In a huge upset, Kevin Durant and Co. show they are ready to take their game to the next level by beating the team with the best record in the NBA.
Prediction: Thunder win in seven games
(6) Blazers vs. (2) Lakers
13 of 15
The Lakers are beginning to turn it on, sensing that their time of year is now here.
They are 9-1 in their last 10 games, including wins over Dallas, San Antonio and Portland.
The Blazers have not beaten the Lakers yet this season, and will struggle to do so in the second round of the playoffs.
Kobe Bryant is on an absolute tear, Pau Gasol is playing well and Andrew Bynum has managed to stay healthy for the majority of the year.
The Blazers just don't have enough firepower to keep up with the Lakers.
Prediction: Lakers win in five games
(4) Thunder Vs. (2) Lakers
14 of 15
This will be a rematch of a thrilling six-game series between these teams a year ago.
Perhaps the toughest test the Lakers faced last year on the road to their second consecutive title was from the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.
Oklahoma City took the Lakers to six games, and almost forced a seventh game before falling to the Lakers 95-94 in Game 6.
The Thunder haven't had much better luck this year, losing both games they have played against the Lakers.
They have enough offense to hang with the Lakers, but the difference here will be the ability of the Lakers to get stops late in games and put the clamps on Durant.
This will be a very entertaining, high-energy series that will be fun to watch.
The Thunder force a seventh game this time, but ultimately fall to the Lakers.
Prediction: Lakers win in seven games
NBA Finals: (2) Lakers vs. (1) Bulls
15 of 15
The Lakers will use their talented big men to expose the defensive weaknesses of Carlos Boozer, and that will be the difference in this series.
Derrick Rose will continue to amaze, but Kobe Bryant, one of the best "closers" of all time, will take over down the stretch and lead his Lakers to a third consecutive championship.
Every game will come down to the wire, but the young Bulls will fall just short.
Prediction: Lakers win in six games
