While there’s plenty that can be said about the upcoming playoffs, no one can even try and act as though they know how this is going to play out. There’s potential for upsets in both conferences, and several scores already to be settled in highly contested match-ups. It’s anyone’s guess who moves on, so here its goes with predictions for the postseason; hopefully they’re somewhere within the realm of accurate.
Eastern Conference
Boston (1) vs Atlanta (8)
Christian: I was calling a Boston sweep in the first round whoever got the 8th seed. Atlanta certainly has talent and there’s a very slim chance that the individual play of Joe Johnson or J Smooth, and perhaps even Bibby Longshottings will be too much for Boston The Celts are really looking great right now. I’m starting to fear losing my $50 I have on them not winning the chip. It seems like the last half of the season, KG, Ray and Paul have been resting pretty well, which is harmful to the rest of the East; more energy for their stars and a far more confident bench than their already outmatched opponent. I see AJ is giving Atlanta a win, but I doubt it. You get the big 3 playing 40+ minutes at this time and I think this will be business as usual. They won by an average of 14 points in their meeting this season and I see that trend continuing, but it should be an mildly exciting.
Boston in 4
AJ: The Hawks are a promising young team, but they’re in way over their heads here. The Celtics are primed for a deep run after cruising to the league’s best record and should quickly dispatch a squad that’s still a few years away from making its mark. Though Joe Johnson will put Ray Allen to the test and Paul Pierce faces a tough defender in Josh Smith, the Hawks don’t have the balanced attack they’ll need to outscore the league’s best defensive team, nor do they have an answer for KG or the depth to contend with Boston’s young supporting cast, who have the privilege of popping their playoff cherry against a sub-.500 squad that just barely ended the league’s longest active playoff drought. Atlanta may steal a game at home if the Celts get tired, but Dominique needs to lay off the ‘caine if he’s serious about an upset.
Boston in 5
Detroit (2) vs Philadelphia (7)
Christian: This series will be a nice mix of styles. Detroit will be looking to slow the game down and wear this team out, while Philidelphia will be playing a big more up-tempo in an uphill battle for easy points. Detroit as a team are wily veterans at this point – it’s all about the playoffs for them. That said, I like the Sixers to give them some competitive games. I feel the Sixers will fall short because of their sometimes inconsistent scoring, meaning Igoudala needs to step his game up. I like Rip Hamilton to have a great series, while Andre Miller will be called on to provide nearly all of the experience, poise and play making for Phili. Should be interesting to see how phili responds.
Detroit in 5
AJ: The resident Eastern playoff czars open up against an upstart squad that, like Atlanta, is still a few years ahead of its time. They’ve beaten quality teams during their late-season run but a seven-game series against a superior team is a whole new story. Philly’s going to be handcuffed by Detroit’s half-court tempo and defensive presences against the Andres. Look for ‘Sheed to play the perimeter and drag Dalembert away from the basket, leaving the rim unguarded and Philly up shit’s creek. The Sixers won’t pull off an upset, but given their preseason outlook, just being here is cause for celebration.
Detroit in 5
Orlando (3) vs Toronto (6)
Christian: Despite having an eleven game deviation in their regular season records, Orlando and Toronto are very close in their abilities. This series will come down to the consistency of the whole team. Best players for both teams operate on the block, so whichever teams can drain the long the ball and play some good defense will win. That said, Orlando has been the better team this season and they are bit more playoff-ready I feel. Look for Dwight to have big totals, . Chris Bosh has to have a better first round than last year when he was choking against a fucking Mikki Moore. As a Canadian, I am pulling for T dot, but they really aren’t playing their best ball right now.
Orlando in 6
AJ: An interesting match-up centering around two big men of opposing styles; this series should produce some exciting, high-scoring games. Neither of these teams is particularly tough defensively, and both love to shoot the 3-ball. While Bosh and Howard are sure to show up, they’ll need consistency from their supporting casts. Hedo will be a test for pogo stick Jamario Moon, and Toronto can’t bank on Andrea Bargnani’s performance after a disappointing regular season. The Raps’ post presence lately has been (!) Rasho Nesterovic, who’s incomprehensibly been playing some of the best ball of his career in recent months. If he can keep Howard away from Bosh on D, Rasho could be the x-factor. This could be one of those series decided by benches and X’s and O’s, but the Magic are playing better ball lately and have three players who can torch the Raps on any given night.
Orlando in 7
Cleveland(4) vs Washington (5)
Christian: I think this series is up for the taking. Lebron can be a beast and the Cavs may still lose this series. At the present moment, Washington is playing better basketball and the recent addition of the black Manu to their bench certainly isn’t working against them. This series will have a lot of close games as the Cavs try to work it inside and get some open shots. The combination of Gilbert, Caron and Antawn might prove to be too much for the Cavaliers, for they have had difficulty finding secondary and tertiary scorers in their season ending stretch. They will have to hope someone like Daniel Gibson or Joe Smith just goes off because the King can’t actually do it all, as in every single thing for this team.
Cleveland in 7
AJ: Lebron & Friends hold the higher seed but have had trouble finding their footing since a midseason blockbuster, playing inconsistent defence, shooting terribly and losing games where James’ heroics used to be good for a W. Washington comes in healthier than they’ve been all season; a quick, high-scoring team with their best player and his swagger coming back to tilt the scales in what was already an even match-up. The Cavs will need to control tempo, playing their best defence while actually hitting jumpers; they can’t allow the Wiz to run off of rebounds. Cleveland are the reigning East champs, but haven’t given any reason to believe they’ll return to the Finals; they haven’t been nearly thorough enough down the stretch. Despite the utter stupidity of Deshawn calling Lebron overrated, the 35-9-9 that he’ll no doubt put up on them might not be enough to carry the Cavs into the second round.
Washington in 7
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Western Conference
Los Angeles (1) vs Denver (8)
Christian: I like the Lakers to really flex their muscles in this series. The squad is ready for the playoffs and they have the (soon to be) MVP running the show. Denver will look to “run” away with this series, but I don’t see it happening. Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony need to get the entire team involved if this is to be a competitive series. I believe the Lakers will be too consistent for the Nuggets. It will also be interesting to see if Marcus Camby can keep Pau Gasol in check on the block. Kobe finding a way for the team to win without his own scoring this season has put the Lakers into a position of power that shouldn’t be overly challenged in the first round.
Los Angeles in 5
AJ: This is one team that’s sure to make Denver pay for its inept defence. LA has shown it can keep pace with Denver, sweeping the season series by generous margins and holding the Nugs well below their 110 ppg average. If the Lakers’ supporting cast can maintain the poise that the top seed’s surely instilled, they’ll run through the passive resistance on D. Most damning to Denver is their lack of an answer for Kobe; Iverson’s too small, JR can’t guard a traffic cone, and Bryant’s going to do everything possible to get out of the first round this year.
Los Angeles in 5
New Orleans (2) vs Dallas (7)
Christian: Both teams are playing very good basketball at the moment. To my chagrin, the Mavericks put together a string of nice wins to end the season and they seem to be clicking. New Orleans is hungry to prove that their record was more than a lucky year and it is all up to Chris Paul. If he can get some open shots for Peja and Slow-Pete, and also control the paint with David West and Tyson, then Dallas in trouble. That said, Dirk is still pissed about his embarrassing first round last year and no doubt wants some redemption. CP3’s top calibre defence will surely make those already unhittable jump shots even harder for Jason Kidd. For Dallas to win this series they will need Dirk, Josh Howard and Jason Terry to play lights out.
New Orleans in 7
AJ: You know how I feel about the Mavs in the playoffs; I’ve got no reason to give them the benefit of the doubt against a team that was the most consistent in the Western hunt all season. Chris Paul exposed Jason Kidd in the All-Star game, beating him like he was Joumana off the dribble. This should create plenty of open looks for Tyson Chandler and David West, both of whom face average defenders. Neither of these teams have any glaring weaknesses, and although the Hornets are lacking in playoff experience, the Mavs seem to have learned very little from theirs. I don’t think Dallas will roll over, but I can’t see them winning either.
New Orleans in 6
San Antonio (3) vs Phoenix (6)
Christian: Simply put, this is the most intriguing series of the first round. Anyone who followed the NBA last year knows how close Phoenix was to winning a championship. A “series” of unfortunate events allowed San Antonio to advance through the Suns in the 2nd round last year and eventually win it all. This year it seems Phoenix is far more prepared to deal with Timmy on the block – enter, #32. With Steve Nash running the show and Amare playing the best ball of his career, Phoenix will be a tough opponent for the champs. The Spurs went about their business all year, finishing with a great record considering the slew of injuries they’ve had. That said, this series is about this season as it is last season. Phoenix will not be slighted again.
Phoenix in 6
AJ: The title goes through San Antonio, but I’ve got a feeling the Suns will too. The Spurs got way more help than they should’ve last year against a Phoenix team that returns seeking revenge and matches up better against the Spurs, who are a year older and not looking as dominant as they have in the past. Since Shaq’s arrival, Amare’s been bar-none unstoppable and he’s averaged 37 for a series against the Spurs before without the Big Distraction in the middle. The Suns are hungry and maybe even desperate for a title at this point and they know knocking off the defending champs in the first round will serve notice to the rest of the league; they’ll be launching an offensive campaign the likes of which haven’t been seen this side of Baghdad and the Spurs will be challenged to keep up.
Phoenix in 7
Utah (4) vs Houston (5)
Christian: Utah was one of the highest scoring teams in the L this year, at 108 ppg, while Houston was one of the best defensive teams. I think it’s bizarre that the team who won their division isn’t getting home court advantage, regardless of record. This is especially worrisome to Utah because of their impeccable home record this year. Houston, even with their 22 game win streak, has flown under the radar as a top notch western conference team. I think the combination of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer will over match Houston, who will need career games from Luis Scola and Shane Battier if they are to have a chance. Houston has the ability to lock them down, but I think the Jazz just have a better, more disciplined design to get it done in this series.
Utah in 7
AJ: Despite being the higher seed, the Jazz don’t have homecourt advantage, which for Utah means all the difference in the World. Their NBA-best home record belies their inability to win road games when they’ve needed to, and Houston’s been a much stronger team than they appear on paper. Still though, the Jazz can create mismatches: their perimeter threats (Okur, Williams, Korver) should be able to stretch the D enough for Carlos Boozer to terrorize the paint against Houston’s mostly undersized pivots, while Rick Adelman will need to be relentlessly innovative in finding ways to outscore Utah with only one fearsome threat. Utah isn’t an incredible defensive team, but the Rockets, with their lack of low-post options, likely won’t have the firepower to take advantage of it.
Utah in 6
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