Thursday, April 23, 2009
Thoughts on where we're at so far in every playoff series
Eastern Conference
Cleveland vs. Detroit (Cavs lead 2-0)
*I told you before this series started that this was going to look like a flashback to '91 when MJ and his Bulls retired the Pistons and took control of the Eastern Conference. Unless Isiah, Joe D, Bill Laimbeer and the rest of the Bad Boys are suiting up for Detroit over the next week or so, the Pistons have little to no shot at beating Kings James and the Cavs.
Boston vs. Chicago (1- 1)
*The defending champs are in deep trouble! The Bulls are the equivalent of a hot and fresh steaming pile of "fertilizer" that Boston has stepped into. Unfortunately for the Celtics, they might not be able to clean Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon and the rest of the Baby Bulls off of their championship shoes before its too late. I don't know why, but the way the Bulls have been standing up to the Celtics (who have began to try to physically intimidate Chicago) is making me root for them more and more.
Orlando vs. Philadelphia (1-1)
*The Magic will never do any real damage in the playoffs until they stop relying on 3's in the clutch and Dwight Howard's free throw shooting is trustworthy enough to throw the ball to with less than two minutes to go in the game. They should have enough to pull out this series, but as I said before this series started, the athleticism of the 76ers is going to make things interesting.
Atlanta vs. Miami (1-1)
*Dwayne Wade, as great as he is, can't beat the Hawks by himself. The Heat got back in the series with a win on Wednesday, but I'm anxious to see what happens to them if Atlanta decides to show up like they did in Game 1. The Hawks' offense is definitely at its best when Josh Smith is throwing down alley oops from Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson is draining 3's from the Atlanta International Airport, but it's scary to see how good this super athletic bunch can be when they focus on the defensive end.
Western Conference
LA Lakers vs. Utah (Lakers lead 2-0)
*Can we please just call this series right now? Deron Williams(who needs to get out of Salt Lake City) is great and the Jazz have a chance to take Game 3 at home due to the momentum the created at the end of Game 2, but even Jerry Sloan knows his team has no legitimate chance at beating Kobe and his henchmen. Paging Mehmet Okur on line 1!
Denver vs. New Orleans (Denver leads 2-0)
*Call me crazy, but it might be a good idea for the Hornets to find Chauncey Billups in transition. Besides the tear "Mr. Big Shot" is currently on, you know things are going well for Denver because J.R. Smith is hitting those ridiculous step back jumpers and his personal specialty, the unnecessary 3 pointer.
What a difference a year makes? This time last year Chris Paul was camping out in the paint and raising all kinds of hell on the defensive end as the Hornets were deep frying the Mavericks in the 1st round. Isn't it amazing what happens when you have athletic big guys in the paint who can move their feet and a point guard who actually makes Paul work on the defensive end?
San Antonio vs. Dallas (Tied at 1-1)
* I doubt either of these teams are legitimate title contenders this season, but something tells me the winner of Game 3 might ultimately win this series. Memo to Erick Dampier: It's too late to be a tough guy now. You probably should have put Tony Parker on his back sometime in the first half of Game 2 while he was torching you guys for 38 points.
Portland vs. Houston (Tied at 1-1)
*What the hell was I thinking when I picked the Blazers to pick beat the Rockets? Sure Brandon Roy (42 pts) and LaMarcus Aldridge (27 &12) came up big for Blazers in Game 2, but don't you get the feeling Portland is having to give everything they have just to keep their heads above water.? Houston, on the other hand, seems to be right at home in the pressure cooker that is the NBA playoffs.
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Chauncey Billups is playing out of his mind right now! Cant be stopped.
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