The Final "Season" of the Year
That's what I now call the NBA playoffs - one final season of excitement (it's a sliding scale, but excitement nonetheless) before we enter the dog days of Summer. But don't turn away just yet you NBA haters out there as I've got a myriad of other topics that I'm hitting on below so belly up strap it on - this is going to be the Jager Bomb of rants....whatever the hell that means.
NBA Playoffs:
The fields are set and if you haven't been paying attention over the last 48 hours then you likely haven't realized that there was quite the shuffling in the western conference over the last few games. Although the east has been set for a number of days, there's some interesting and intriguing match ups to look for. Let's look at the first round match ups (not going beyond that as I forgot that the NBA does re-seeding after the first round and no clue how that works).
Jazz vs. Lakers - Any other year in the past 5 (including last year's second round game) and this series scares the hell out of me. But I just think Utah has taken such a slip over the last month that I just can't be scared of them. Sloan is a great coach, Boozer is a great power forward and Williams is a great point guard, but I just get the sense that they don't believe they have a chance against LA. Hell, go look at Sloan's comments after Tuesday's game (weird, last game of the year was against the team they're facing in the first round) and you'll see that they're not brimming with confidence. I'm saying LA in 5...and I'm not entirely discounting a sweep here.
Rockets vs. Blazers - Easily the most intriguing of all the first-round games. Amazing what happens to the Rockets when McGrady does not play - they have to get rid of that guy and get something, somehow. I want to pick the Rockets here, I really do, I just don't have much faith in them when it comes playoff time and I think that Portland is one of the most dangerous teams in the west not named LA - and having home court is huge. The one thing keeping my hopes somewhat optimistic about Houston is, as I mentioned, they have no McGrady which means they have a more balanced team. Yao is going to have to play out of his mind consistent in this series and they've got to find a way to stop the point guard - if they couldn't stop Kidd on Wednesday night in Dallas, how in the world can they stop Brandon Roy (who's the most underrated assassin in the NBA today)? I'm taking Blazers in 7 games here, primarily because of the home court. If the Rockets can take game 1, I think they've got the best shot because I think the young, inexperienced Blazers may panic.
Hornets vs. Nuggets - How big has Chauncey Billups been for Denver this year? Biggest free agency pick up since Lakers stole Gasol. This team limped into the playoffs last year as the 8 seed only to have the Lakers go through them like sh*t through a goose and now they're in the driver's seat to waltz into the second round. Don't be shocked to see them in the conference finals against LA. I think the Hornets get one game from them in this first round. Maybe.
Mavs vs. Spurs - Congratulations Dallas, you avoided LA in the first round. Your reward? The Spurs. Look, I know San Antonio is without Ginobli which is huge, and Duncan is entering into the "Kevin Garnett" zone where the breakdown of the body is accelerating right before our eyes. BUT, I still can't bring myself to pick Dallas over San Antone. Here's the deal - the playoffs is all about defense and few teams are as good as San Antonio on the defensive side of the ball night in and night out. Few teams are as bad as Dallas. Enough said. And I just don't know how Kidd is going to even contain Parker, much less stop him. Josh Howard is going to have to play at the height of his game for the entire series for them to have a shot. I don't see it happening - I think Pop will have enough to get his guys past Dallas.
Now let's look at the east...
Pistons vs. Cavs - Rrriiiiiight. The Pistons could very easily let this get out of hand. These are not the Pistons of old - they're old, they don't have their rock (Billups) and they just don't seem motivated. They could have jumped up 1-2 spots with a win over the Bulls earlier this week and they couldn't close it out. Cavs look great. They've got some questions that they'll need to answer against the Celts, Magic and Lakers, but they'll breeze through this round.
Bulls vs. Celtics - So all of a sudden Boston is starring down the barrel of a playoffs with KG. That is going to hurt my friends. I'm not calling a Bulls upset (not at all), but without KG they're not getting through Orlando AND Cleveland. No way. Sorry Chicago, but you've got a rookie for your best player and no real chemistry or identity - you are the product of a weak conference.
76ers vs. Magic - I'll be honest, I know next to nothing about Philly this year (or the past few years). Miller and Iquodala will get their points, but these guys really don't have anything going for them and the Magic have Dwight Howard and a slew of scorers. I'm looking for a clean, easy sweep here for Orlando.
Heat vs. Hawks - Let's just recap this real quick. Last year was Atlanta's first time in the playoffs in what seemed like 30 years (not since Wilkins and Webb have they been relevant). They sneak in as the 8 seed (with a .500 record if I remember correctly) and push the big, bad Celtics to 7 games. This year they're getting a round of home court as the 4 seed. They've got a chance to win this series - I trust no one on the Heat right now other than Wade, but I also believe he alone can carry his team past the Hawks single handily.
Regular Season Awards and Looking Beyond Round 1...
NBA Playoffs:
The fields are set and if you haven't been paying attention over the last 48 hours then you likely haven't realized that there was quite the shuffling in the western conference over the last few games. Although the east has been set for a number of days, there's some interesting and intriguing match ups to look for. Let's look at the first round match ups (not going beyond that as I forgot that the NBA does re-seeding after the first round and no clue how that works).
Jazz vs. Lakers - Any other year in the past 5 (including last year's second round game) and this series scares the hell out of me. But I just think Utah has taken such a slip over the last month that I just can't be scared of them. Sloan is a great coach, Boozer is a great power forward and Williams is a great point guard, but I just get the sense that they don't believe they have a chance against LA. Hell, go look at Sloan's comments after Tuesday's game (weird, last game of the year was against the team they're facing in the first round) and you'll see that they're not brimming with confidence. I'm saying LA in 5...and I'm not entirely discounting a sweep here.
Rockets vs. Blazers - Easily the most intriguing of all the first-round games. Amazing what happens to the Rockets when McGrady does not play - they have to get rid of that guy and get something, somehow. I want to pick the Rockets here, I really do, I just don't have much faith in them when it comes playoff time and I think that Portland is one of the most dangerous teams in the west not named LA - and having home court is huge. The one thing keeping my hopes somewhat optimistic about Houston is, as I mentioned, they have no McGrady which means they have a more balanced team. Yao is going to have to play out of his mind consistent in this series and they've got to find a way to stop the point guard - if they couldn't stop Kidd on Wednesday night in Dallas, how in the world can they stop Brandon Roy (who's the most underrated assassin in the NBA today)? I'm taking Blazers in 7 games here, primarily because of the home court. If the Rockets can take game 1, I think they've got the best shot because I think the young, inexperienced Blazers may panic.
Hornets vs. Nuggets - How big has Chauncey Billups been for Denver this year? Biggest free agency pick up since Lakers stole Gasol. This team limped into the playoffs last year as the 8 seed only to have the Lakers go through them like sh*t through a goose and now they're in the driver's seat to waltz into the second round. Don't be shocked to see them in the conference finals against LA. I think the Hornets get one game from them in this first round. Maybe.
Mavs vs. Spurs - Congratulations Dallas, you avoided LA in the first round. Your reward? The Spurs. Look, I know San Antonio is without Ginobli which is huge, and Duncan is entering into the "Kevin Garnett" zone where the breakdown of the body is accelerating right before our eyes. BUT, I still can't bring myself to pick Dallas over San Antone. Here's the deal - the playoffs is all about defense and few teams are as good as San Antonio on the defensive side of the ball night in and night out. Few teams are as bad as Dallas. Enough said. And I just don't know how Kidd is going to even contain Parker, much less stop him. Josh Howard is going to have to play at the height of his game for the entire series for them to have a shot. I don't see it happening - I think Pop will have enough to get his guys past Dallas.
Now let's look at the east...
Pistons vs. Cavs - Rrriiiiiight. The Pistons could very easily let this get out of hand. These are not the Pistons of old - they're old, they don't have their rock (Billups) and they just don't seem motivated. They could have jumped up 1-2 spots with a win over the Bulls earlier this week and they couldn't close it out. Cavs look great. They've got some questions that they'll need to answer against the Celts, Magic and Lakers, but they'll breeze through this round.
Bulls vs. Celtics - So all of a sudden Boston is starring down the barrel of a playoffs with KG. That is going to hurt my friends. I'm not calling a Bulls upset (not at all), but without KG they're not getting through Orlando AND Cleveland. No way. Sorry Chicago, but you've got a rookie for your best player and no real chemistry or identity - you are the product of a weak conference.
76ers vs. Magic - I'll be honest, I know next to nothing about Philly this year (or the past few years). Miller and Iquodala will get their points, but these guys really don't have anything going for them and the Magic have Dwight Howard and a slew of scorers. I'm looking for a clean, easy sweep here for Orlando.
Heat vs. Hawks - Let's just recap this real quick. Last year was Atlanta's first time in the playoffs in what seemed like 30 years (not since Wilkins and Webb have they been relevant). They sneak in as the 8 seed (with a .500 record if I remember correctly) and push the big, bad Celtics to 7 games. This year they're getting a round of home court as the 4 seed. They've got a chance to win this series - I trust no one on the Heat right now other than Wade, but I also believe he alone can carry his team past the Hawks single handily.
Regular Season Awards and Looking Beyond Round 1...
- MVP: As much as I want to give it to Kobe, can't deny King James this year. He's been too good, his numbers are too good and he's carried his team. The only thing I can argue for Kobe is he beat Lebron head-to-head twice this year, giving Cleveland the only meaningful (1 of 2) home loss they've had all year. Wade was brilliant all year and clearly sending a message that after a serious injury and many questions, he's back. But let's be honest, his team was beat out by the Hawks in playoff seeding. My order is 1) Lebron, 2) Kobe, 3) Wade, 4) Howard, and 5) Paul
- Defensive Player of the Year: Although I still think KG is the best defensive player in the game, he can't get the award because of so many missed games. I know Lebron is the sexy pick because he's "improved his defensive game so much", but c'mon. Artest is a better defender, Howard is a better defender and even Kobe is a better defender. Wade's shot blocking skills put him up there too - it's a tough pick. I'd give it to Howard just because of the affect he has on the total game. Artest and Kobe are also in the top 3.
- Coach of the Year: I just don't know how in the world you pick this. Popovich, Jackson, Brown, Van Gundy - I don't know. Here's a weird one, Phil Jackson has only won one of those awards in his career. That's weird to me. I'd probably give this one to Nate McMillan of the Blazers. That team has been the epitome of taking steps forward over the past year and a half....even if they did secure their place in history of making the two worst draft picks in the history of the NBA draft (Sam Bowie and Greg Oden).
- Rookie of the Year: I'm still going with Brooke Lopez over Rose, and Mayo coming in third. Lopez had far less turnovers (I know, two completely different positions...) and he was much more efficient with his minutes. Rose would go through spurts where he would be non-existent and you could always find Lopez at the top of the stats and stories night in and night out. He'll be good (unlike his goofy, dip sh*t brother).
- Best round 1 match up - Houston vs. Portland. Not even close.
- Worst round 1 match up - Cleveland vs. Detroit.
- West Conference Sleeper Team - Portland.
- East Conference Sleeper Team - Miami.
- Kind of weird digression here, but I really, really think that unless the Mavs make a serious run this year (which I don't see happening) they should make a big run for Dwayne Wade in 2010. I just think that he is the best fit for that program. They can build a good team around him with a lot of the pieces they've got now. This would mean dumping/trading Dirk at some point - I think his contract may be expiring as well, but at the end of the day, we've seen the best that this Dirk-led Mavs team can do and that ship has sailed.
- So who do I got this year? I can't pick against the Lakers. I'm going out on a limb and picking a Cavs/Lakers finals, but at the end of the day, the Lakers swept the Cavs this year, both times without Bynum and with a heavy dose of Gasol and Odom. Now they've got Bynum and those other guys and the Cavs still have no answer down low. The Lakers have also held Lebron WELL below his averages in both meetings. And if you think anyone on this planet is as driven and motivated as Kobe Bryant is right now, they're out of their minds. He'll get his vindication come June.
- So long John Madden. He's been the face of the NFL for my entire football-watching life. Huge icon and great steward of the game as a hall of fame coach and announcer. I can't even begin to hit on or even uncover all of the areas where Madden made a huge impact on the game. My money is on Collinsworth replacing Madden in the booth come August.
- Smart move by Damion James to test the NBA waters without hiring an agent. You've got nothing to lose and your stock is all over the place. I don't see him jumping ship though, he's got an opportunity to really raise his stock. BUT, we all know how screwy the NBA is with the prospects they get so high on. Which brings me to...
- So did we *really* need a press conference to tell us that Dexter Pittman was coming back? Oh, no sh*t? Let's see, he can't play more than 6 minutes at a time without needing an oxygen tank and I still suspect he may have one of the lowest shooting percentages within 3 feet of the basket for any player in a given season. But hey, Oden is still collecting tens of millions of dollars and he fits that exact same description. Anyway, I thought it was kind of silly.
- This is going to be quite a show in Denver come September. Here's your shot Kyle Orton.
- I think the Giants will end up making a deal to get either Boldin or Edwards and if they do, and they stay healthy, they may run away with the NFC East.
- So in order to fire up his crowd, Rick Perry throws out the "Texas could secede from the Union" line. Nice. "If Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, anything could happen." What does that even mean? Come on man, you can do better than that.
- I challenge anyone out there to name me 3 lunches that are better than a PB&J and Lays Sour Cream and Onion chips. Can't do it.
- I missed my first ever episode of 24 two weeks ago. It somehow got erased/didn't get recorded, but I felt a sickness in my stomach like I haven't felt before. I'm over it now and I've got this past week's on tap so I'm back in the saddle (and yes, I check the DVR everyday to make sure it's still there).
- I know this is technically sports, but nice Masters coverage. I loved seeing Tiger and Phil together as much as the next guy, but I swear I saw next to zero of Perry and Cabrera. Hell, I even turned it off when Perry was up by 2 shots in the last 3 holes (yes, I was pissed at myself). Point is - let's at least give the front runners their due.
- So Iran is filing a complaint to the UN about Israel's threats about attacking them? This is the same Iran that continues to say that one day the state of Israel will be wiped off the face of the earth, right? So remind me again what the UN actually does?
- I still find it wildly ironic that we attacked the one "axis of evil" that unequivocally doesn't have nukes - and the other two are rubbing it in our faces with the fact they're doing everything they can to make them. "What-evu, what-evu, I do what I want."
posted by The Bearden Wonder at 4:20 PM
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