The NBA playoffs are upon us and inexplicably enough, they will include Tracy McGrady
and Quentin Richardson. And no, this isn’t 2008.
For those who aren’t aware, T-Mac has never won a playoff series in his 15-year NBA career. He’s the black cat of the NBA Playoffs, and the Spurs just welcomed that unlucky feline into their locker room. They should still beat the Lakers
in the first round, but with McGrady
on the roster my confidence in that happening has taken a small dip.
There are plenty of storylines in the playoffs this year, many fans think this could be the best post season in years. LeBron
and company are on another level right now, I just got off the phone with Al Gore and he has determined that the Heat are currently the number one cause of global warming. They’ll be chasing their second title in a row and it doesn’t appear that anyone, in the East at least, has a chance at stopping them. James Harden will play against his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the first round of the playoffs. I expect him to put on a show for a few of the games, but his chances of taking down OKC
are very slim. The Lakers
are in, but without Kobe. The Knicks think they have a chance. And the West is infinitely better than the East. So, let’s dive into this Olympic-sized pool of professional basketball glory and make some predictions.
EAST – First Round
(1) Miami v. (8) Milwaukee
Are NBA teams allowed to play games in Hazmat suits? Because this series is going to be a gory beat down. Milwaukee’s best asset is towering center Larry Sanders, who might as well be a bouncer at the basket, because if he doesn’t want you to get in, you’re not getting in. That said, LeBron
is waiting in line, and his name’s on the list. The Bucks have a nice perimeter game with J.J. Redick
and Monta
Ellis, but point guard Brandon Jennings tweaked his ankle in the last game of the season. Simply though, the Heat are just too damn good to even think about letting the Bucks win a game. This is a huge mismatch and Miami already has a closet full of brooms ready.
Miami wins 4-0
(4) Brooklyn v. (5) Chicago
This is a lunch pail series. Both of these teams are ready to do some serious work, and the winner will walk away with a well deserved win and a few bruises. Early in the season, it appeared as though the Nets made a colossal mistake by signing Deron
Williams to a max deal. But, now he’s back, and at the right time. He’s scored at least 30 points in four of his last nine games with a 29-point game also sprinkled in during the stretch. Conversely, his teammate Gerald Wallace has had a terrible season, he averaged a mere 7.7 points per game. Joe Johnson looks like a shell of his old Atlanta self. But, they have bruisers in paint with Andre Blatche
, Kris Humphries
, and Brook Lopez. Chicago is also working with some serious fire power down low though, Joakim
Noah had a great season and Carlos Boozer is reliable. Chicago is without its star, Derrick Rose, but Kirk Hinrich
and Nate Robinson have played well this year in his absence. The Nets have won seven of nine and are peaking at the right time, I like Brooklyn to win the series, but not easily. I see this one going seven games thanks to some heroics from the human wrecking ball himself, Nate Robinson.
Brooklyn wins 4-3
(3) Indiana v. (6) Atlanta
The Pacers play solid team basketball, and the Hawks don’t. Is it that simple? Yes. It also helps that the Pacers just have a much better team. Even without Danny Granger for the majority of the season, Indiana attained a 49-31 overall record. Granger’s absence opened the door for Paul George to blossom, he made his first all-star team and averaged 17.4 points per game this season. Roy Hibbert
has been playing like he just got paid, because well, he did. But his 7’2’ frame is invaluable in the playoffs. Davis West is a great veteran leader and even Lance Stephenson has come along for the Pacers. The Hawks still have Josh Smith and Al Horford
, but they lost Joe Johnson. Even with a different dynamic, they still seem to be the same old Hawks. Indiana will handle them easily and win in five games.
Indiana wins 4-1
(2) New York v. (7) Boston
This is a scary matchup for the Knicks, Paul Pierce has thrived against them throughout his career and the Celtics will be playing with a city on their back in the wake of the tragedies in Boston. It’s an unfortunate draw for New York as a two seed. Melo
just locked up the scoring title by averaging a staggering 28.7 points per game this season. J.R. Smith deserves the Sixth Man of the Year award, he averaged 18.1 points per game as a lightning rod, striking off of New York’s bench. Tyson Chandler is a force in the paint and Ray Felton is a solid point guard. Kenyon Martin has been a breath of fresh air for New York, and they have a sharpshooter in Steve Novak. But, I like the Celtics in this series. As aforementioned, Pierce has historically owned the Knicks. The Truth has averaged 23.4 points per game in 54 career games against New York. Boston is often counted out, but when the playoffs roll around, they are a force to be reckoned with. They will be playing inspired ball and Garnett matches up well against Chandler. Avery Bradley and Jeff Green are defensive answers for Smith and Anthony, respectively. This is likely the last go-round for Boston and I see them making a run. I like the Celtics to win the first game on Saturday at New York, then lose in NY, win two in a row at Boston, lose again in New York, and finish the series off in game six at Boston.
Boston wins 4-2
WEST – First Round
(1) Oklahoma City v. (8) Houston
When life gives you lemons, trade them in for a max contract and become a top-five scorer in the NBA. That’s what James Harden did when the Thunder idiotically traded him away from his Thunder buddies to Houston. While I personally think that the trade will go down as the worst in NBA history, that’s not what this is about. This is about a wonderful matchup. Don’t get me wrong, OKC
will win the series in five games, but James Harden will make every game interesting. I expect him to go for about 30 every game, and hit the 40-point mark at least once to get a win for Houston. Kevin Durant is the second-best player in the league and he has taken his game to another level, he’s well-rounded now. Russell Westbrook is the x-factor, if he's on top of his game, he'll shred Jeremy Lin. The Thunder will beat the Rockets early, but it will be fun to watch.
Oklahoma City wins 4-1
(4) Los Angeles Clippers v. (5) Memphis
This series brings us an epic rematch of a seven-game series from last year in which the Clippers won. I think the same thing will happen this year. These two teams match up very well, but Chris Paul’s prowess as the best point guard in the game will be the difference maker here. He has the power to put the series on his back and will the Clips to a win. The Grizzlies have a new look, Rudy Gay is gone and Tayshaun
Prince and Ed Davis are in. Memphis has a dominant big man pairing in Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol
, and that’s where their advantage lies. But, the Clippers are too deep and Chris Paul is just too good. Blake Griffin and DeAandre
Jordan can hang with the Memphis bigs, and Jamal Crawford provides a scoring option off the bench for L.A. that Memphis simply doesn’t have. It will be a very competitive series though, I like the Clippers in seven.
Los Angeles wins 4-3
(3) Denver v. (6) Golden State
A month ago, I would’ve told you that this series would be a sweep. But, Denver lost Danilo
Gallinari
to a torn ACL and Kenneth Faried
hurt his ankle and missed the last two games of Denver’s season. That’s not good news. They’ll still beat Golden State, but not as handily as they would if they were fully healthy. Steph
Curry just broke the record for most threes in a season with 272 on the year. He can fill it up at will, but the Warriors simply aren’t as good as the Nuggets. Denver went 38-3 at home this season and will continue that dominance on its own court. I see the Nuggets winning the series in six games with some high scoring outputs in every game.
Denver wins 4-2
(2) San Antonio v. (7) Los Angeles Lakers
The Dwight series, at least that’s what I’m calling it. Dwight Howard has the chance to win over the hearts of Los Angeles in this series if he can somehow win without Kobe. While that would be great to see, I don’t think it will happen. The facts are that Kobe is gone and the Lakers
' guard play is pretty dismal. San Antonio is a well-oiled machine, and even without Manu Ginobili
and Boris Diaw
, I think they’ll beat the Lakers
. Mike D’Antoni
finally realized that Pau
Gasol
was an all-world player after Kobe got hurt, so that’s good. But, it’s too little, too late. Tim Duncan is still playing very well and Tony Parker is eons better than Steve Blake. Spurs win in six games, it’ll be fun to watch though.
San Antonio wins 4-2
Eastern Conference Semifinals
(1) Miami v. (4) Brooklyn
The Heat are too hot for the Nets, they’re going to singe Brooklyn’s twine, if you will. LeBron
has been playing like one of those monsters from Space Jam and Dwyane
Wade found the fountain of youth. Chris Bosh, although he gets routinely punked
in the national spotlight, is a great player. The Nets have the attitude to steal a game from Miami, but that’s it. They have advantages at point guard and center with Deron
Williams and Brook Lopez, but Miami has LeBron
. It’s really that simple. Heat win in five games.
Miami wins 4-1
(3) Indiana v. (7) Boston
The Celtics won both of their matchups against the Pacers this season, and I expect them to beat the Pacers in this series as well. Now, if you look up my Twitter page, you will find Paul Pierce as my background, but I promise you that this is not a homer pick. Boston is a great playoff team and Doc Rivers simply knows how to coach in the postseason. Pierce and Kevin Garnett are the fiercest of competitors and Jeff Green has proven that he can play like a superstar, if he feels like it. Paul George is a beast for Indiana, but he doesn’t scare the Celtics. David West and Roy Hibbert
can be handled by Brandon Bass and Garnett. The Celtics think they can beat Miami in a series, and they will be too motivated to get that chance. Celtics win in seven games.
Boston wins 4-3
Western Conference Semifinals
(1) Oklahoma City v. (4) Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers are good, but they’re not even close to the Thunder. Kevin Durant is out to avenge last year’s 4-1 loss to the Heat. Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook will have a great showdown. Blake Griffin will rekindle his already burning relationship with Serge Ibaka
after a shot to the groin earlier in the season. It will be a chippy
series, but in the end the Thunder’s skill will prevail. Durant is on another level, he’s by far the best player on the court in the series. The Clippers are a bit of fool’s gold, they’re fun to watch and exciting to root for, but they’re not a great team. OKC
wins in six.
Oklahoma City wins 4-2
(2) San Antonio v. (3) Denver
This will be a very interesting series featuring San Antonio’s methodical basketball against Denver’s run and gun scoring attack. If Denver were fully healthy, I’d like them to upset the Spurs, but they’re not. Gallinari
was a big loss, and no one is sure how healthy Faried
is right now. I think Duncan will be too much for the Nuggets to handle in the end. It will be a great series though, the Nuggets were on the cusp of breaking out before the injuries hit. Their fast style of play will torment San Antonio, but the Spurs are too shrewd to lose. Spurs win in seven.
San Antonio wins 4-3
Eastern Conference Finals
(1) Miami v. (7) Boston
A rematch of last year’s Easter Conference Finals, except with a less exciting result. This time, it won’t go seven games. Like I’ve been saying, the Heat are just too good to be stopped. Boston can steal two games from Miami, but that’ll be it. LeBron
is hungry, he wants to start really building his legacy and two rings in a row will definitely do that. Without Rondo, the Celtics are just too old and slow to hang with Miami for seven games. The Heat roll to the Finals in six.
Miami wins 4-2
Western Conference Finals
(1) Oklahoma City v. (2) San Antonio
The Thunder went down 2-0 to the Spurs last year in the Western Conference Finals, but then reeled off four straight wins to sink the Spurs and move on to The Finals. Oklahoma City will win again, even without Harden. Durant is on a mission, and the Spurs can’t stop him. Westbrook is too explosive for Parker and Ibaka
can contain Duncan. The West belongs to the Thunder now and there’s not much San Antonio can do about it. Oklahoma City wins in six yet again.
Oklahoma City wins 4-2
The Finals
(1) Miami v. (1) Oklahoma City
Another rematch from last year, another familiar result. Miami got better, and Oklahoma City got worse. I expect the Heat to sweep the Thunder and display their dominance to the world. Oklahoma City no longer has Harden and LeBron
took his game to a nearly unfathomable level. It doesn’t look good for the Thunder. Wade will have a great series without having to worry about Harden and Bosh will outplay Ibaka
. The Heat take home their second straight ring and LeBron’s
reign continues.
Miami wins 4-0
jm296009@ohiou.edu
