NBA PLAYOFF PREVIEW

 

EASTERN CONFERENCE

#8 ATLANTA HAWKS (37-45) VS #1BOSTON CELTICS (66-16)

REGULAR SEASON HEAD TO HEAD

 BOSTON 3-0

LAST PLAYED

APRIL 12TH BOSTON WON AT ATLANTA 99-89

ATLANTA HAWKS STARTING LINE UPS     

• PG: MIKE BIBBY
• SG: JOE JOHNSON
• SF:JOSH SMITH
• PF:MARVIN WILLIAMS
• CENTER: AL HORFORD

ATLANTA KEY RESERVES

• JOSH CHILDRESS
• TYRONN LUE

BOSTON CELTICS STARTING LINE UPS

• PG: RAJON RONDO
• SG: RAY ALLEN
• SF: PAUL PIERCE
• PF: KEVIN GARNETT
• CENTER: KENDRICK PERKINS

CELTICS KEY RESERVES

• JAMES POSEY
• SAM CASSELL
• EDDIE HOUSE

PREDICTIONS/ANALYSIS

• Boston has been the best and most consistent team throughout the entire season. The trio of Allen, Garnettand Pierce have worked quite well together withGarnettbeingheavilyconsidered an MVP candidate and Pierce on the edges of the discussion. One question for the Celtics that was answered in the regular season was the “supporting cast”. Youngsters Rajon Rondo, Glen “Big Baby” Davis, Leon Powe, and Kendrick Perkins have been steady, consistent, reliable and valuable and many important junctures during the season. The Hawks have seen breakout seasons from Joe Johnson and Josh Smithalong with steady play from rookie Al Horford.
• Unfortunately for Blacklanta, Boston is to strong, motivated, talented and driven to delay the firing of GM Billy Knight and head coach Mike Woodsen.

BOSTON IN FOUR 

#7 PHILADELPHIA 76ERS(40-42)  VS #2 DETROIT PISTONS (58-23)

REGULAR SEASON HEAD TO HEAD

 SERIES TIED 2-2

LAST PLAYED

APRIL 9TH PHILADELPHIA WON 101-94

PHILADELPHIA STARTING LINE UPS

• PG: ANDRE MILLER
• SG: WILLIE GREEN
• SF: ANDRE IGUODALA
• PF: REGGIE EVANS
• CENTER: SAMUEL DALEMBERT

KEY RESERVES

• LOUIS WILLIAMS
• THADDEUS YOUNG

DETROIT STARTING LINE UPS

• PG: CHAUNCEY BILLUPS
• SG: RICHARD HAMILTON
• SF: TAYSHAUN PRINCE
• PF: RASHEED WALLACE
• CENTER: ANTONIO MCDYESS

KEY RESERVES

• JASON MAXIELL
• RODNEY STUCKEY

ANALYSIS/PREDICTIONS

• Detroit have treated the regular season as necessary annoyance pacing themselves throughout the grind of a long season. Detroit has the experience and skill to win the championship, but their bugaboo has always been their attitude and commitment.
• Like Boston, the Pistons have received a boost from a core of young players off the bench. Jason Maxiell, Jarvis Hayes and Rodney Stuckey have all contributed off the bench to keep the championship core of Bullups, Wallace, Hamilton and Prince ready for the playoffs.
• The 76ers were one of the hottest teams during a stretch that saw them go from fighting to make the playoffs, to fighting for home court advantage. A good/ bad scenariosawthemdefeatingDetroit this month, with the bad news being they come in on a four game losing streak and losers of five out of six.
• Look for that losing streak to continue.

DETROIT IN FIVE

#6 TORONTO RAPTORS (41-41)  VS #3 ORLANDO MAGIC (52-30)

REGULAR SEASON SERIES

 ORLANDO WON SERIES 2-1

LAST PLAYED

MARCH 4TH ORLANDO WON102-87

TORONTO STARTING LINE UPS

• PG: T.J FORD
• SG: ANTHONY PARKER
• SF: JAMARIO MOON
• PF: CHRIS BOSH
• CENTER: RASHO NESTEROVIC

KEY RESERVES

• JOSE CALDERON
• CARLOS DELFINO
• ANDREA BARGNANI

ORLANDO STARTING LINE UPS

• PG: JAMEER NELSON
• SG: MAURICE EVANS
• SF: HEDO TURKOGLU
• PF: RASHARD LEWIS
• CENTER: DWIGHT HOWARD

KEY RESERVES

• CARLOS ARROYO
• KEITH BOGANS
• KEYON DOOLING

ANALYSIS/ PREDICTIONS

• A big “THANK YOU” should be shouted from one city in a swamp to another. When Billy Donovan came to his senses and realized how great he had it at the University of Florida option B for Orlando turned out fantastic.
• Hedo Turkoglu is a top three candidate for most improved, Dwight Howard elevated his play to make him the best center in the game, and while RashardLewis didn’t play up to the contract he signed this summer (with the money he signed for, if he had lived up to his contract he would be in MVP discussions) still had a very productive season.
• The Raptors were hit all season with the injury bug that derailed building on the success they had this season. PG Jose Calderon proved he could be a very productive player during T.J Ford prolong injury, and 27 year old rookie JamarioMoon was a great find.
• The inside presence of Howard should neutralize Bosh on the road, the frontcourt of Orlando will overcome the Raptors backcourt advantage and send Toronto home in the first round for the second consecutive year.

ORLANDO IN SIX

#5 WASHINGTON WIZARDS (43-39) VS #4 CLEVELAND CAVILERS (45-37)

REGULAR SEASON SERIES

 SEASON SERIES TIED 2-2

LAST PLAYED

MARCH 13TH WASHINGTON WON 101-99

WASHINGTON STARTING LINE UPS

• PG: ANTONIO DANIELS
• SG: DESHAWN STEVENSON
• SF: CARON BUTLER
• PF: ANTAWN JAMISON
• CENTER: BRENDON HAYWOOD

KEY RESERVES

• GILBERT ARENAS
• DARIUS SONGAILA
• ANDRAY BLATCHE

CLEVELAND STARTING LINE UPS

• PG: DELONTE WEST
• SG: DEVIN BROWN
• SF: LEBRON JAMES
• PF: BEN WALLACE
• CENTER: ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS

KEY RESERVES

• WALLY SZCZERBIAK
• DANIEL GIBSON
• ANDERSON VAREJAO

ANALYSIS/ PREDICTIONS

• Most intriguing match up of the first round in the east and the best chance of seeing a lower seed defeat the higher seed. Washington will have all of their best players ready to go, but one will see his role change a bit. “Agent Diva and Oddball” Gilbert Arenas will conduct his operations of scoring in bundles coming off the bench. Caron Butler will be ready to go after missing the final regular season games because of injury.
• Cleveland has been quite average/below average since the trade, but as long as you have LeBron James you’re never a heavy underdog (unless they were in the Western Conference).
• In what could be called an exercise of using extremely poor decision, Wiz guard DeShawn Stevenson called LeBron “overrated” after Washington’s 101-99 victory over Cleveland in their last regular season game. 
• Look for LeBron to attempt to make DeShawn a believer. Because of that LeBron will single handily lead his team over Washington.

CLEVELAND IN SIX

 WESTERN CONFERENCE

#8 DENVER NUGGETS VS #1 LOS ANGELES LAKERS (57-25)

REGULAR SEASON SERIES

LOS ANGELES WON SERIES 3-0

LAST PLAYED

JANUARY 21ST LAKERS WON AT DENVER 116-99

DENVER STARTING LINE UPS

• PG: ANTHONY CARTER
• SG: ALLEN IVERSON
• SF: CARMELO ANTHONY
• PF: KENYON MARTIN
• CENTER: MARCUS CANBY

KEY RESERVES

• J.R SMITH
• EDUARDO NAJERA
• LINAS KLEIZA

LAKERS STARTING LINE UPS

• PG: DEREK FISHER
• SG: KOBE BRYANT
• SF: LAMAR ODOM
• PF: VLADIMIR RADMANOVIC
• CENTER: PAU GASOL

KEY RESERVES

• SASHA VUJACIC
• RONNY TURIAF
• LUKE WALTON
• JORDON FARMAR

ANALYSIS/ PREDICTION

• Who could have seen this coming back in the fall if you were a Lakerfan. They were entering the season with no major acquisitions (they missed out on obtaining Garnett, Jermain O’Nealand before that J Kidd), Kobe was ripping everyone associated with the Lakers and demanding he be traded.
• Who would have thought the Lakers would be in this position. First reason for the turnaround was the MVP favorite Kobe Bryant. After going on his whining tour over the summer and fall, the light finally came on and Kobe started playing a type of team basketball nobody thought he was capable of. Lamar Odom has been a great Robin to Kobe’s Batman. Derek Fisher became an invaluable off season pick up. And then the out and out thievery of steaking Pau Gasol away from Memphis completed the unlikely turnaround. 
• Denver might has the best scoring tandem in the league with Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson. This Denver team has loads of talent and players who can out the ball in the hoop.
• Unfortunately they play defense the same attitude as a fat man takes to a low calorie diet.
• Because they play less defense than a lay up line, Kobe and his Lakers should have no problem sending Denver home in this very high scoring, highly entertaining, but mostly one sided series.

LAKERS IN FIVE

#7 DALLAS MAVERICKS (51-31) VS #2 NEW ORLEANS HORNETS (56-26)

REGULAR SEASON SERIES

  SERIES TIED 2-2

LAST PLAYED

APRIL 16TH DALLAS WON 111-98

DALLAS STARTING LINE UPS

• PG: JASON KIDD
• SG: JASON TERRY
• SF: JOSH HOWARD
• PF: DIRK NOWITSKI
• CENTER: ERIK DAMPIER

KEY RESERVES

• JERRY STACKHOUSE
• BRANDON BASS
• EDDIE JONES

NEW ORLEANS STARTING LINE UPS

• PG: CHRIS  PAUL
• SG: MORRIS PETERSON
• SF: PEJA STOJAKOVIC
• PF: DAVID WEST
• CENTER: TYSON CHANDLER

KEY RESERVES

• JANNERO  PARGO
• BONZI WELLS
• MIKE JAMES

ANALYSIS/ PREDICTION

• Even more surprising than the Lakersturnaround, the Hornets season has been remarkable. Coach Byron Scott has left no doubt about his coaching abilities as he has help turn New Orleans around rather quickly. Chris Paul has cemented himself as one (if not the) best point guard in the league and a true franchise player. David West plays an excellent game 15-17 feet away from the basket, while Tyson Chandler plays above the rim on both sides of the ball.
• In Dallas where everything is bigger, including expectations for it’s basketball team, the Mavs are still trying to exercise the ghosts of playoffs disapointments past.
• The mid season pick up of Jason Kidd was first met withjoy, then bewilderment when Dallas couldn’t beat anyone with a winning record, then optimismand hope after down the stretch victories over Phoenix and New Orleans.  
• Many pundits are predicting the Mavericks coming out of this series, but I’m not one of them. Even though the Hornets are neophytes in terms of playoff experience, they do hold home court advantage, the better backcourt (mainly Paul over Kidd) and the better playoff coach (The major blemish on Avery Johnson;s record).
• Look for Paul and the Hornets to win a tight game seven where the home team will win all their games.

NEW ORLEANS IN SEVEN

 #6 PHOENIX SUNS (55-27) VS #3 SAN ANTONIO SPURS (56-26)

REGULAR SEASON SERIES

 PHOENIX WON SERIES 3-1

LAST PLAYED

APRIL 9TH PHOENIX WON AT SAN ANTONIO 96-79

PHOENIX STARTING LINE-UPS

• PG: STEVE NASH
• SG: RAJA BELL
• SF: GRANT HILL
• PF: AMARE STOUDEMIRE
• CENTER: SHAQUILLE O’NEAL

KEY RESERVES

• LEANDRO BARBOSA
• BORIS DIAW
• GORDAN GIRICEK

SAN ANTONIO STARTING LINE UPS

• PG: TONY PARKER
• SG: BRUCE BOWEN
• SF: MICHAEL FINLEY
• PF: TIM DUNCAN
• CENTER: FABRICIO OBERTO

KEY RESERVES

• MANU GINOBILI
• IME UDOKA
• KURT THOMAS
• JACQUE VAUGHN

ANALYSIS/ PREDICTION

• Must see NBA basketball right here!! Maybe the best first round match up in NBA history!! Just overhypehyperbole you say? Either one of these teams are capable of winning the NBA championship and along with Los Angeles, Boston and Detroit.
• Phoenix seemed to be stuck in a rut this season until GM Steve Kerr rolled the dice and imported the “Big injured“ (and as Miami Heat fans might proclaim the “Big Tanker“)Shaquille O’Neal to the Desert.
• While ShaqDaddy is no longer the dominate force he was years ago, he still demands major attention and double teams. More importantly with O’Neal in the middle, going through the lane has become more treacherous, the offensive rebounds that teams use to get become nil, and power forward Amare Stoudemire has been playing like a prisoner whose found religion.
• Steve Nash is still Steve Nash and because of that (even with changing gears mid way through the season with Shaq coming on board)  Phoenix still remains potent on offense.
• For the defending champion San Antonio Spurs it has been quite an interesting season. For the first time in a while, the Spurs have been fluctuating between being the best team in the league, to a team that might not make the playoffs.
• Whether this regular season they caught a case of the “DETROIT PISTONS”-a term that means they turn it on and off whenever they want- age, consistentlyplaying over 100 games for the past 5-6 years, injuries…the Spurs have been difficult to get a read on. Never the less, they still have Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Greg Popovich which means they are extremely formable come money time. 
• It may come down to how effective Manu Ginobili can be. Ginobili, who plays like a can of Red Bull mixed with jug of coffee is the best permiter threat the Spurs have. If he cannot generate points on a consistent basis and Stoudemire wears out every Spur defender that he goes up against (like he’s been doing against San Antonio this season), including Tim Duncan, the anemic 4th quarter offense that the Spurs have been displaying down the stretch will continue.
• My prediction is whatever frontcourt controls the action will win the series. If Duncan in the post, and Parker and Ginobili on drives can get Shaq in foul trouble and limit his minutes, it will force Stoudemire to go back to the center position where he is still a below average defender and rebounder against Duncan.
• On the other hand, if Shaq can be a presence in the middle and bother Timmy enough to where he’s shooting jumpers, the Spurs reign as champions will be over.
• I’m guessing on the latter.

SUNS IN SIX

 #4 HOUSTON ROCKETS (55-27)  VS #5 UTAH JAZZ (54-28)

REGULAR SEASON SERIES

 UTAH WON SERIES 2-1

LAST PLAYED

APRIL 14TH UTAH WON 105-96

HOUSTON STARTING LINE UPS

• PG: RAFER ALSTON
• SG: TRACEY MCGRADY
• SF: SHANE BATTIER
• PF: LUIS SCOLA
• CENTER: DIKEMBE MUTOMBO

KEY RESERVES

• BOBBY JACKSON
• LUTHER HEAD
• CARL LANDRY

UTAH STARTING LINE UPS

• PG: DERON WILLIAMS
• SG: RONNIE BREWER
• SF: ANDRI KIRILENKO
• PF: CARLOS BOOZER
• CENTER: MEHMET OKUR

KEY RESERVES

• MATT HARPING
• PAUL MILLSAP
• JASON HART

ANALYSIS/ PREDICTION

• Most of the conversation when it comes to the Western Conference deals with the mega match up between Phoenix and San Antonio. Or maybe they turn their attention to La-La land and concentrate on the Lakers/ Nuggets match-up. I can argue that the least talked about, but maybe most intriguing match up could be this one.
• No matter what happens this series, this will be quite a memorable season for Houston. 
• Middling around .500 through January, the Rockets launched into an improbable 22 game winning streak that included The Great Center of China Yao Ming going down and out for the season with an injury. Tracy McGrady played like a MVP candidate, Rafer Alston graduated from former streetball legend to legit starting point guard in the NBA, and Luis Scola played like the Rockets were hoping when they acquired him from San Antonio.
• Utah under hard nose coach Jerry Sloan rode on the broad shoulders of Carlos Boozer, the skill of PG Deron Williams, and a home court that makes it extremely difficult for visiting clubs to win.
• The huge question is whether this is the time McGrady finally makes it out of the the first round. WIthout Yao and Alston (injured for at least the first two games) McGrady is going to have to carry this team on his already injured and frail body, both defensively and offensively.
• Utah will attempt to be physical withhim hoping it will wear him down so others (mainly Scola) will have to play huge.
• While one should root for Houston to get out of the first round, Houston is to injured and undermanned to handle the Jazz (even though Houston has home court advantage and Utah has been quite medicore on the road).

UTAH IN SIX

 

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