2011 NBA Playoff Schedule: Ten Exciting Things to Watch for This Postseason
For the past few years, the playoffs have become pretty predictable. By the first round, you know at who is going to be in the Finals and the rest of the games are simply busy work. This year, things are a little different. The Chicago Bulls are the overall one seed, the Boston Celtics are performing like has-beens and the Los Angeles Lakers are getting slower as the years trail on.
There are a few new headlines working around the NBA’s postseason, including the possible lockout for next year. So, there are a few things to watch for when tuning in to each first round game of the 2011 NBA playoffs—where amazing happens.
Boston Celtics' Rajon Rondo Will Recover from Perkins Loss
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I am not the only one who sees it. Rondo has been playing extremely slow since the Perkins trade and is obviously still reeling from the lost. The entire Celtics team is. But, he seems to have been effected to most by the surprise of it all.
No one expected for Kendrick Perkins, because of his imperative role to their defense, to be a trade in the last minutes of the trade deadline earlier this year. Even Celtics’ Head Coach Doc Rivers was sent on an emotionally draining journey as he tried to deal with the loss and still guide a shaken team through a successful end.
The scarier statistic being placed with Rondo during this term of obscurity is that he has only averaged 8.7 points per game since. In the month of November and the first half of December, before he was injured, Rondo was consistent in the double-double bracket, averaging 10.3 points and 13 assists in Nov. He looks like a shadow of his old self as the season comes to a close, however.
With all of this season’s tumultuous paths that he has taken, Rondo will be counted on by his teammates to burst into the postseason like he did last year.
Which Player Will Take the Last Shot in a Close Miami Heat Game?
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The most memorable time LeBron James made a last minute shot was during his seven year stint in Cleveland as a Cavalier. It was in a game against the Washington Wizards, where James told Gilbert Arenas moments before that he would hit the game winning shot if Arenas missed one of two crucial free throws in Game 6 of the first round of the 2006 NBA Playoffs.
Arenas missed the shot and James hit the game winner to send the Wizards packing.
Since his arrival in South Beach, he has taken plenty of last minute shots. But, he has yet to sink any of them this season. James is not the only one who struggles in late game situations. Miami Heat as a team is 7-11 in games decided by five points or less. There has not been a play drawn up for a main guy during those instances so you regularly see the ball flailing from all directions of on the court.
There are plenty of perimeter threats, but they need to be spotlighted and given the responsibility if Miami wants to play in the NBA Finals this year.
Crowned King of New York Knicks in Boston Celtics Renewed Rivalry Series
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Most basketball fans have been waiting for the Boston Celtics-New York Knicks matchup for a very long time. The rivalry was once one-sided because the Celtics have been the dominating force in the Eastern Conference with very few challenging their position.
The Knicks have fallen into darkness of their shadow. But this season with the superstar additions that Donnie Walsh managed, the franchise is back on their feet and in the postseason.
Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony are the only contenders for the leadership role in New York, but who will ultimately walk away from the first round with that right? Amare was there first. However, Anthony’s presence as of late is what has been fueling the team pass their opponents, with the exception of losses to both the Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics in their regular season finale.
Going into the postseason, Carmelo has materialized into the unanimous scoring option, excluding defensive plays. Anthony has pure scoring mentality to put points on the scoreboard, but he also contributes to the Knicks low ranked scoring defense.
Stoudemire has had to step aside since the trade but it will be interesting to see which emerges as the ultimate messiah.
Check out Article about Boston vs. NY http://www.iamnba.com/2011/04/ray-allen-vs-carmelo-anthony/ !!
Dwight Howard's Solo Performance for Orlando Magic
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Dwight Howard is averaging 22.9 points, 14.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game this season and is the leader of the Magic pack. But, we saw this in the eastern conference last year. No one compares his game to LeBron James, besides the blocks at the basket, but will Howard may just be in for a jersey ripping walk off like what we saw in the series where Boston eliminated Cleveland.
It is time for everyone to call his situation what it truly is, settled and lacking championship potential. Without Dwight Howard the team is mediocre at best.
Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu has been small pieces to a puzzle already manufactured by the big man and right now he is the only player that is a postseason threat to the Atlanta Hawks. I do believe that Orlando will trump Atlanta in the series, but the win will be more due to Hawks’ mistakes than the power plays of Orlando, besides Howard.
Check out Dwight Howard's Playoff Ad! http://www.iamnba.com/2011/04/dwight-howards-nba-playoff-ad/
Kobe Bryant vs. OKC Thunder in the Western Conference Finals
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Andrew Bynum hyperextended knee was a scare that Los Angeles Lakers fans and players could have gone without going into the postseason. He is a key asset to the Lakers’ aging defense and without him, it would be more than a notion for the team to beat the likes of Oklahoma City Thunder.
Ultimately, this is a rematch that everyone is looking forward to. Last year, the Thunder team came out strong against the Lakers and pleasantly surprised everyone who felt that the series would be a sweep in LA’s favor. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have both matured in all aspects of their game play and it will be interesting to see how the Lakers hold up to the track meet that both try to run in transition.
Bryant is usually fueled by comments of his ‘old’ age, so do not expect him to fall flat against the Thunder. I do anticipate a very intense and grueling match up.
A tie up between he and Perkins shows that there is no love lost between the two teams and Perk has transferred the energy and disdain he felt for the Lakers team as a Celtic to his new home in OKC. In their last meeting Bryant scored 31 points, but double digit efforts from three other starters could not keep them from falling in a 106-120 ending.
Lamarcus Aldridge and Portland Trailblazers Defeat Dallas Mavericks in Game 6
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The Dallas Mavericks started off the season winning 24 of their first 29 games before hitting a road block featuring Dirk Nowitzki’s knee injury. He was out for 9 games and ejected early in his first game back. During that nine-game span, the Mavericks posted a 2-7 record, blemishing their overall western conference standing. Then, the unthinkable happened.
Caron Butler’s season ending injury came not too shortly after Nowitzki’s and the Mavericks were without a key talent.
Portland alike has experienced their own injury woes, being without Brandon Roy and Marcus Camby for large portions of their season. LaMarcus Aldridge was a star in the making but no one knew it would come in the wake of such turmoil for the team.
Greg Oden still has yet to play another game and the weight is falling on the shoulders of players such as LA, Wesley Matthews and recently acquired Gerald Wallace to lead the team to prosperity.
Dallas Mavericks do not truly have a defensive edge over any of their competition in the Western Conference. They have great ball movement but against the hard hustle of Wallace, they will find it hard to keep that ball movement flowing to their pace. With Brandon Roy back and starting to fall back into place as far as his stats show, the Mavericks will have the hardest task of any on their hands.
Los Angeles Lakers Pau Gasol’s Black Swan, White Swan Transformation
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After a loss to the Boston Celtics at the Staples Center on January 30, Kobe Bryant approached his kind hearted teammate and demanded that he be more aggressive in games, as reported by ESPN. He said that he understood how the request would have taken Pau Gasol out of his element, but the team needs it.
Pau Gasol responded to Bryant’s appeal with 26 points and 16 rebounds in an overtime victory against the Houston Rockets. He took the comments to heart and played defensively and was hard-hitting offensively. Will the black or white swan show up in the postseason?
The last time Gasol has scored 20+ points with double digit rebounds was against New Orleans which lifted the Lakers past the Hornets, 102-84. This could be foreshadowing for what is to come in the first round of the playoffs in the matchup. However, you must take into account that the was during the time when the Lakers were on their colossal win streak, 17-1, post all star break.
The Lakers have seemed to lose a little heat towards the end. Can Gasol turn the burner back up before their uninspiring efforts cost them a Finals berth?
Chicago Bulls vs. Miami heat in the Eastern Conference Finals
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This matchup was a long time coming since Dwyane Wade decided to shun his home team in the free agency melee last summer and LeBron James decided to head to Miami with Chris Bosh. Derrick Rose has taken a different approach to the ‘Tremendous Trios’ being formed in the NBA. Rose is leading his team, not alone, but the way the ‘Most Valuable Player’ does.
Besides being the favorite to win the award this year, Derrick Rose improved himself in the offseason in ways that no one could have imagined. He has seen every defense that a team can challenge him with and each defender has been a victim of his speed and body acrobatics. The only downside of the Chicago
Bulls, is that the ballhandler has become the primary scorer. When you have a player that is responsible for bringing the ball up as well as a majority of the team’s offense, that may not translate well in the postseason.
Luol Deng has revealed himself as a shooter, but his hot hand could just grow cold.
Miami Heat made a stir, to say the least, by forming such a power team in the Big 3, without giving much thought to the depth of their bench
. When LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are healthy, they account for 70% of the team’s points more than 70% of their games. If one is shut down, then the entire game plan falls apart and that is not going to be enough in the postseason against defensive minded teams like Chicago.
Miami’s bench needs to prove their worth to the team and show up or go home.
Check out this article about Joakim Noah! http://www.iamnba.com/2011/04/gmbow-joakim-noah/
Manu Ginobili’s Injury Will Kill San Antonio’s Chances at a Title
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Manu Ginobili hyperextended his right elbow on Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns. Exactly why Coach Popovich was not resting him is something we will never know, but the decision proved to be threatening.
Ginobili was taken out of the game right after so no one knows how this is affecting his shooting, which is normally with the left hand. However, he will miss the first game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
What does this do to San Antonio’s run? It crushes their postseason. The Memphis Grizzlies were not going to sit back and just let the Spurs take the series away from them. They are a good team and they may have put up a fight until game five.
With Ginobili out of the picture for this first game, it gives the Grizzlies an opportunity to take the horse by the reigns, so to speak. Confidence is plays a big factor on big stages and if San Antonio loses this game, they will provide the Grizzlies with the confidence they need to continue winning.
Ginobili has been available in all but two games (Portland Trailblazers, Los Angeles Lakers) and has averaged 17.4 points per game, but the statistics do not tell the entire story of his worth. He is the game changer needed to make any type of run in the postseason for the Grizzlies.
He has the speed and the ambidextrous hands to fly past any other player and scoop the ball up to make points with his left or right hand. Ginobili puts the flare on the Spurs game and they will miss him if his pain does not subside.
Chris Paul’s Last Playoff Bid as a New Orleans Hornet
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The window is closing when it comes to deciding how far Paul can go with the New Orleans Hornets. They have not put pieces in place to assist him in any form of a championship run. In failing to do so, they are not giving him any reasons to stay.
The league is more competitive now than ever. Paul may not need another superstar, but he needs players that are elite at their positions.
Chris Paul will be looking to prove that he can carry his own against the better teams in the better conference, but his all star performances this postseason will be in vein.
The Los Angeles Lakers defense will shut most of New Orleans’ offense down. Paul is still a great point guard but his jump shot seems to be wilting. Whether that is because of the situation he is surrounded by or not is always going to be questioned.
Look for this to be his last playoff performance wearing that jersey.
