NBA Playoffs Round 1 Thoughts

Now that Round 1 of the Playoffs is over, it’s time to reflect. There was quite a lot going on this year, and we ended up with a much better-than-expected Round 1 in my opinion. While it was largely due to probably the best Round 1 Playoff Series in history (Celtics-Bulls), there were some other scenarios that developed which should be discussed:

1) It was the end of an era…
Sorry Spurs fans. It’s over. It just is. Duncan is old and while he’s far from being done with basketball, it’s obvious that he’s now on borrowed time. He’s still a great player, but he’s not the Timmy you are all used to and need to win a championship. These next two summers in Texas will be decision-time as far as the future of the team goes. Manu’s constant injuries pretty much cancel out the great ability he has, while Parker is someone you can build around in a Point Guard-driven NBA these days. Lots to think about.

2) It was the beginning of an era…
OK, really — This wouldn’t have been such a good Playoffs’ Round 1 if it wasn’t for the Bulls-Celtics Series, and the Bulls’ arrival to the scene. Most importantly, Derrick Rose is here. You will remember this series for a long time, and when one day Rose is on the LeBron level, chasing a title, we’ll say “Remember the series with the Bulls in ‘09? He’s been there, and he wants it even more.” As good as this series was, I think people fail to realize how important it was for future great series! I can’t wait! I loved this Bulls team. A rookie coach combined with young players gave the defending champions the ride of their life. And I loved every second of it. A KG-less C’s team matched up perfectly with an arriving Bulls team. I like the Bulls for next season. Let’s see if they sign Gordon to a deal this summer and how things work out once Deng comes back. There’s excitement in Chi-town again!

3) It was the question of an era…
Can the Lakers hold a lead? Do they really want to win a championship? We thought that last season was over. There were a few convenient excuses for the Lakers’ performance last year. Kobe was injured; Gasol was new; Bynum and Ariza weren’t around; Odom was shaky. Despite all of these issues, the Lakers almost won the championship. So it was hard to disagree that when the 2008/2009 season started, they were the favorites. Fast-forward 82 games to the Playoffs. The situation is completely different… right?! Kobe’s injury is all but forgotten. Gasol has played the most minutes on the team this season. Bynum and Ariza are back, playing key roles in the Playoffs. Odom is the player everyone wanted him to be. The one thing that hasn’t changed? The Lakers. They seemingly fixed all of these issues, but in reality nothing has changed. They drop big leads. They don’t seem to have the passion to go all out for 48 minutes, play defense, make the key hustle plays, and have the passion of a champion. The Utah series wasn’t easy to watch, and the Houston one will be even harder. I truly hope the Zen Master has a few words of encouragement for his team.

4) It was the disappointment of an era…
There’s no excuse. What the New Orleans Hornets did to their fans is just inexcusable and low. To lose at home in a Playoff game is one thing. But to get blown out by almost a double margin is just embarrassing. Forget the fact that I felt like an idiot picking the Hornets in that series. Forget the fact that Tyson Chandler seemed more confused on the court than a soccer player watching an NFL game. Hell, even forget the fact that this team quit on Byron Scott a long time ago. What you can’t forgive nor forget is the fact that they quit on their fans. They just decided “F THIS! AND F YOU PEOPLE!” That’s inexcusable. No NBA team — I repeat, NO NBA TEAM!!! — would quit on its fans the way New Orleans quit at home in their blowout loss. I was disgusted! Denver deserves to play in the next round. The Hornets don’t deserve to be in the NBA.

Other Notable Events:
– Orlando entertains me. This is a team with no shot whatsoever, but with all the right ingredients of an entertaining team. They have a porn star look-a-like for a coach, who will say anything anywhere at any given time. How haven’t we gotten a reality show out of SVG is beyond me. The sad part is the Magic might make the finals out East because I don’t know how much gas the C’s have left in the tank.

– Portland. Very disappointing. It’s a proven fact that you can beat Houston if you play a certain way. The Blazers, much like everyone in the NBA, knows this. However, they chose not to do it and instead continue using the same strategy that never worked. They are so much better than this!

– Speaking of Houston, my favorite shot of the Playoffs was that of Tracy McGrady on the Rockets’ bench. Yes, Tracy. The Rockets are FINALLY out of the first round, and it probably has a lot to do with the fact that you are on the bench. You should get traded to the Hornets.

– D-Wade. You tried. The Hawks have a 23-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 7 as I’m typing this. The bottom line is that no matter how great a player you have (and Wade was a great player this season), with absolutely no supporting cast, you’re not going anywhere. I felt bad for #3. He played his heart out, and got nowhere because his supporting cast was so poor. We can’t be mad at them. Can we?

Round 2 awaits!

NBA Playoffs Chess

It seems that every year the NBA does a tremendous job with its advertising campaign before the Playoffs and Finals. This year has been no different. The “Where Amazing Happens” campaign continued with slow-mo dramatic-music moments of older Playoffs footage that really manage to capture the spirit of the post-season. Think Kobe’s buzzer-beater against the Suns a few years ago, or Duncan’s shocking three-pointer (again against the poor Suns) last year. They show these moments in black and white, add the dramatic music, and play them in slow-mo, and all you can think about by the end of the ad is “when is the next game on.”

However, the newest piece of advertisement that comes out of the NBA is the best I’ve seen in 2009. It’s over two minutes long and compares basketball to chess. As a concept that sounds a bit out there, but when you watch the video, you get the point. Another key part is that it also features the first tease of Kobe vs. LeBron for the Finals, pinning the two guys on opposing sides of the chess board. Enjoy!

The 2009 NBA Playoffs Are Here!

In only a matter of hours, the NBA Playoffs will begin! It’s been an emotional couple of days for basketball fans. The expected news that Kevin Garrnett will miss the remainder of the year due to a knee injury has shaken the league up. Although I’m a Laker fan, I can’t say I’m happy about this. I’m a huge fan of KG’s, and having him in the Playoffs would have made the post season a whole lot more fun! This news item wasn’t taken in well by true basketball fans, and it certainly didn’t do wonders for Celtics GM Danny Ainge, who suffered a heart attack a few hours later that day. I want to make sure and wish Mr. Ainge (another basketball great) a speedy recovery! I’m glad to hear he’s doing fine!

I think the KG-less Celtics are more dangerous than everyone thinks. Losing their key player will hurt their chances and there’s no way around that. However, the remaining players on the team just got a little extra motivation to try harder. The way the whole story went down — with the Celtics being quiet about the injury, never telling us what it really is, and making their players think they’re getting KG come the Playoffs so they would play a high pace — makes me think that the Celtics aren’t as fragile as we all think. I believe they’re smart, and obviously planned well for this moment.

At any rate, here are my thoughts for the Round 1 match-ups:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons
– The Pistons traded Billups for Iverson, and Joe Dumars convinced us it was a good move. And really, in a league where everyone is trying to dump salary and nobody cares about basketball, it made sense. But a few games into the trade it was obvious this was a bad move for the Pistons. I think they’ll be able to get a game or two out of Bron Bron but I don’t see much else happening at this point in time. I say Cleveland takes it 4 games to 1.

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Chicago Bulls
– I just don’t see the Celtics losing in Round 1. They are the defending champions. They are missing their key player. They’ve been playing solid basketball without him heading into the Playoffs, and Paul Pierce will not let them die this early. Ray Allen will be extra motivated. If they can get modest production out of their bigs (Powe has been playing well, Perkins is decent, and Davis is improved from last year), and Rajan Rondo comes through, I think the C’s will prevail. Chicago has been on a role since getting Brad Miller and John Salmons. Ben Gordon will get his, but how will Derrick Rose react in his first trip to the Playoffs? That’s why Rondo’s play is key to this series. If he can play solid against Rose, the C’s will take this. I’m going to go on a limb and say C’s take the serious 4 games to 2.

(3) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers
– I’m not looking forward to this series. At all. Philly has been terrible heading into the Playoffs, almost making us question what they were trying to accomplish in the last month. It’s a season the 76ers would rather forget, I can tell you this much. As far as Orlando goes, count me as one of the people not sold on them. To me, Turkoglu’s health is a big question mark, and Dwight Howard is not your “go to” guy. With no Jameer Nelson, what do you? Magic takes the series in 7 games, 4-3.

(4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Miami Heat
– Without a doubt the most interesting Round 1 match-up. I can’t wait for this series! It’s time to see what D-Wade will be able to accomplish with a team that consists of a dying Jermaine O’Neal and a rookie point guard in Mario Chalmers. Having in mind what Wade has been up to lately, I’m very tempted to take the Heat in this one. However, Atlanta’s play in the Playoffs last year was phenomenal and I think that Joe Johnson will do a good enough job on Wade, while Bibby pressures Chalmers and Josh Smith gets his. I say Atlanta in 6, 4 games to 2.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Utah Jazz
– You talk about a weird 8-seed. Well I’m not happy about this draw, but so be it. I’m confident that the Lakers will be victorious. Bynum looks good. Kobe seems a bit worried but not as tired as he should be at this point in time. Gasol has been playing amazing basketball all year long. Trevor Ariza has proven to be an important X factor on this team. The biggest question mark is the play of Fisher and Lamar Odom. One of the best-kept secrets in the past month has been how horrible Derrick Fisher and Jordan Farmar have been. Being a smart man, Phil Jackson has shifted the attention away from his two point guards by letting Shannon Brown get some play-time in generally unimportant matches, so that PJ has something positive to talk about in Brown. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Shannon in the Playoffs because that’s a Phil Jackson move. As far as Fisher goes, he’ll be fine. He’s a veteran and will get the job done, plus don’t remember he always has “extra” motivation when he plays in Utah, so that helps. I’m worried about Farmar, who’s become somewhat of a streaky player, but I hope he’ll come through. Really, Lamar Odom is what worries me most. If we get the Lamar we’ve been getting for most of this year, then the Lakers will have no trouble on their way to the finals. If we don’t, then it’ll depend on the rest of the crew. This has been a bad year for the Jazz due to injury problems, and bad chemistry. They might have to think things over this summer. I think the Lakers will play hard and sweep Round 1 because they don’t want to waste time in the uninviting state of Utah. 4-0.

(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (7) New Orleans Hornets
– When the season started I was thinking these two would meet in Round 1 of the Playoffs, only the Hornets would have the #2 seed, and the Nuggets would have the #7 seed. Wow. This might be another 7-game series. While the thought of Paul vs. Billups is entertaining, I have to say that there are way too many other factors in play here. Will K-Mart or JR Smith punch out David West at one point in time during this game, or will they take an ill-advised 3 with the clock running down and their team needing a shot? Will Chauncey manage to control this wreck through the Playoffs? Will ‘Melo finally show up? How will Nene handle West and Chandler? On the flip side of things, can this Hornets team get any weirder? Do you count on Tyson Chandler to come through? Can’t you just picture him limping his way to the basket only for the Birdman Chris Andersen to block his shot and go nuts, causing a technical foul, followed by a JR Smith slap on the referee, an ejection, and a more serious penalty? Nothing would surprise me with these two teams — I just hope George Karl makes it alive through this summer. I think I am going to watch every game of this series. I’m going with the Hornets in 7 games, 4-3.

(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks
– I can’t… I just can’t… AHHHH! OK, fine. Dallas in 7. Damn it!

(4) Portland Trailblazers vs. (5) Houston Rockets
– The second most interesting match-up in my opinion. Keep your eye on Yao Ming. This is a must-win situation for him and the Hornets. On the other hand, Portland and Brandon Roy look unbeatable at home. I think at the end the home court advantage will take its toll but it’ll take time getting there. Portland in 7, 4-3.

If my predictions hold up, we’ll have quite the Round 2! I’ll be back with more thoughts on the Playoffs soon!

The D-Wade Show

There’s been a lot going on in the NBA as of late, but I haven’t gotten around to write on it for a few reasons. I find my mind racing all over the place when it comes to picking a good topic to discuss. Then I realized there’s really only one man everyone’s talking about, and for good reason.

Last summer we all claimed that Dwyane Wade is back. After giving us a ridiculous performance in the Olympics, Wade focused on his Miami Heat. We knew it won’t be easy. It’s a young team full of inexperienced young players. Their point guard is a rookie. Their draft pick, Michael Beasley, turned out to be a disappointment, at least in my eyes. Shawn Marion was exposed without having a D’Antoni system to play in. The trade for Jermaine O’Neal didn’t exactly get you excited, knowing O’Neal’s place in the league in 2009.

However, D-Wade didn’t give up. He sat around and tried to work with his team as much as possible, building thrust and experience. His hard work is finally starting to pay off, as Miami is a better team, going 6-2 in their last 8 games. (Both losses were to Cleveland.) Wade was very smart about this season. He finally got the rest his body needed at the end of last season. He worked hard over summer, committed himself to Team USA knowing it’ll only benefit him to play daily pick-ups with Kobe, LeBron, Paul, and the gang. Then the season started. He showed us a few glimpses of brilliance, but remained quiet for the most part, trying to make his teammates better and focusing on the bigger picture, as far as the team is concerned. Then came the All-Star break. Ever since Wade has been a monster.

Having been in the league for a few years now, D-Wade knows good teams turn it up right after the season’s midpoint. He was fully aware of this, and has been nothing but brilliant. His stats for the month of March so far in the 7 games the Heat have played:

.554 FG shooting
.487 3PT shooting
.795 FT shooting
42.6 Minutes Per game

39.0 Points Per Game
6.7 Total Rebounds Per Game
10.4 Assists Per Game

Are you kidding me? This guy is averaging 39-7-10? If he steps up his rebounds, we might be looking at a 40-10-10 by the time April rolls around. I don’t know if D-Wade is making a statement when it comes to MVP voting (which is what everyone is spinning this out to be), or if he’s trying to make his young teammate believe that Miami has a shot this year, but I can tell you one thing. I wouldn’t want to be Boston, Cleveland, or Orlando and have to face Wade in the first or second round. Whoever ends up playing them will be losing sleep once the Playoffs come around!