Let the real games begin… After a 66 game jam packed
schedule it’s time for the moment all NBA fans have been waiting for, the
playoffs. This best of seven series
tournament shows what players are really made of. Player’s legacies are made here. And the only way players, coaches and teams
can build their legacy is by hoisting that Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end. 16 teams are all chasing the same dream
whether it could be their first time getting it (Utah, Indiana, Orlando,
Memphis, Oklahoma City, Denver and LA Clippers), teams trying to get back on
track, (Atlanta and Philadelphia), a team trying to get one after the great one
left, (Chicago), a city/team reviving once again (New York), a team trying to defend
it (Dallas), or the teams trying to add on to it (San Antonio, Boston and LA
Lakers). This dream can’t be captured if
they can’t win the first round. This is
why history begins in round 1.
1
San Antonio vs 8 Utah Jazz: Last year the Spurs
were the number one seed and they looked well equipped to make a playoff run
with a new fast pace offense established by Gregg Popovich. But right before the playoffs were about to
begin, Manu Ginobili broke his right arm on the final game of the season and
ran into a Zach Randolph Grizzlies team in the first round that matched up
perfectly against San Antonio. Six games
later Memphis became the fourth eighth seeded team in the NBA to beat the
number one seed in the playoffs. Now
this year, the Spurs are healthy heading into the playoffs and I think their
team is deeper than last years. You know
they have a deep bench when while on a double digit winning streak, Popovich
rests his starters and the team still continues the winning streak. The Spurs went on some crazy winning streaks
this year. They went on a 11 game win
streak twice and they are currently on a 10 game win streak. How are they flying under the radar?
Of course this shouldn’t be a hard match for the
Spurs to play in, they did go 3-1 against Utah this season but Utah did end one
of the Spurs high winning streaks. If Utah wants to pull this upset off they
need Devin Harris and Gordon Hayward to keep playing out of their minds right
now. Al Jefferson needs to be the go to
guy just as Zach was for Memphis and hope Daniel Green and Kawhi Leonard
crumble under the playoff pressure. Too
much needs to happen, Parker should shut down Harris easily and as long as the
Spurs stay healthy I don’t see any team beating them. Spurs in 5.
2
Oklahoma City vs 7 Dallas Mavericks: Rematch of last year’s
Western Conference Finals, Oklahoma vs Texas, young vs old. We all know nobody is giving the DEFENDING
CHAMPS a chance, but that’s the thing as long as Dirk Nowitzki is still
playing, the Mavs have a chance. And
with a rested up Jason Kidd orchestrating the offense anything could
happen. The Mavs actually match up well
with OKC because of Shawn Marion and Delonte West leading the defense. The thing I worry about is Brendan Haywood
playing too much in this series. OKC is
very athletic so putting in Ian Mahinmi or most importantly Brandan Wright at
center would be the best choice. In order
for the Mavs to accomplish this upset, they need to take either game one or
game two on the road. And if Dirk
somehow throws up a 50 point game in their then they will have a really good chance. Mavs players all season kept saying just get
into the playoffs, well now that they have, it’s time prove once again veteran experience
always beats young athleticism.
The Thunder were built for a 66 game schedule but now
that the playoffs give teams breaks, it’ll be about which coach can make the
best adjustments. Which team can
perfectly execute a play call and which team can force the most turnovers. Dallas was able to do this last year which
led to their historic playoff run but haven’t been able to continue it onto the
following season. Meanwhile the Thunder
have been struggling in crunch time but against Dallas, they actually have been
thriving in the fourth quarter. James
Harden appears to be healthy and ready to go.
I think too many people were criticizing OKC with their jump shooting
offense but Harden is the guy that attacks the rim and gets to the free
throw. As long as his concussion doesn’t
affect his play, they’ll be fine. If OKC
wants to take their next step as title contending franchise, they have to
defeat Dallas, then LA and finally Memphis or San Antonio. They’re going to
have to prove they’re not in their early stage of being the underdog. They are now the favorites and Kevin Durant’s
legacy starts in these playoffs. Thunder in 7.
3
LA Lakers vs 6 Denver Nuggets: Kobe Bryant the shooter
will not be needed in this series because if Andrew Bynum wants to, he can
dominate this series. JaVale McGee or
Kenneth Faired cannot contain Bynum just as long as Bynum tries. The Nuggets can’t play like they’re just
happy to be there. They have a fast
point guard (Ty Lawson) who can beat either Steve Blake or Ramon Sessions off
the dribble. What Denver is going to have to do is play fast pace so Bryant the
shooter comes out and Bynum is forgotten.
If Ron Artest is missed by the Lakers in this series, they might be in
trouble but LA should slow down the pace and play half-court offense so they
can feed the big men. Lakers in 6.
4
Memphis Grizzlies vs LA Clippers: Amazing how much a
fourth seeded team is being favored to win the west. Memphis can play big or small and they can
play tenacious defense. The Clippers
couldn’t have picked a worst matchup for them.
Memphis has so many above average defenders, it’ll be easy to defend
Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. The thing
about Memphis though, I don’t think this is the same team as last year. Zach Randolph no longer leads this team,
instead it Rudy Gay’s team. Can Rudy Gay
lead Memphis through 16 wins? Or can he step aside and let Randolph run the
show? Heck, is Randolph even the same
player as last year? (I don’t think
so). We’ll see how far that defense
takes them in the playoffs.
Meanwhile the Clippers are in trouble, the only
crunch time scorer they have is Chris Paul but Memphis has Tony Allen or Mike
Conley to guard him. Blake Griffin can’t
be relied on, Randy Foye (even though he’s been shooting light out) can’t be
counted on. This is the Clippers first
year together having success, and that Chauncey Billiups injury really did hurt
them. They’ll have more years’ together
to add on but it won’t be this year. Grizzlies
in 6.
