tripolie atche
Pre-Show Stalwart
West
#1 Oklahoma City vs #8 Houston - I’m pretty sure not even James Harden wanted to play OKC in the first round lol. They would’ve had a much better shot at defeating the Spurs than they do the Thunder. Anyways, this should be a high-scoring, very fun series to watch but it won’t be very long. While the Rockets do have better depth, which is why they were one of the highest scoring teams in the league this year, their defense was another story. HOUs defense, especially their transition defense, is pretty bad & when you’re going up against Durant & Westbrook, well um…that’s not good lol. Also, other than HOUs bench vs OKCs bench, the matchups will favor OKC for the most part, especially Westbrook vs Lin. Thunder in 6.
#2 San Antonio vs #7 LA Lakers - Wow, we really have some good #2 vs #7 matchups this year. As much as I hate these two teams, I’ve kind of missed the rivalry the two most successful teams in the last decade had. Also, it’ll be D’Antoni & Nash going up against their arch nemesis in the Spurs. This could be another upset in the making with Pau & Dwight finally developing some sort of chemistry, while the Spurs are going into the playoffs on a bit of a slump. The Lakers also matchup better against the Spurs compared to going up against a young team like OKC or DEN & both teams have dealt with or are currently dealing with injuries. Even though LAL could win this series, I think the Spurs will advance into the next round mainly because of Tony Parker. Even if Nash were healthy, there’s no way he or Steve Blake will be able to contain him. Also, I’m picking the Spurs due to their depth while they should be able to get open looks from three going up against a Laker team that doesn’t have a good perimeter defense. While Pau & Dwight should make this an interesting, perhaps a seven-game series, the absence of Kobe will be felt because he too could have been someone who could have guarded Parker & without him, who currently is their go-to guy in close game situations? Spurs in 6.
#3 Denver vs #6 Golden State - This should a great series between two teams that are similar to each other for the most part. It’s going to be interesting to see what Curry & the Warriors do in the playoffs, & especially how he matches up against Ty Lawson. While Gallinari is done for the season & Faried’s status for Game 1 is unknown at this point, I still think the Nuggets will advance into the second round due to their depth. In spite of Gallo’s injury, DEN is still perhaps the deepest team in the NBA especially at SG/SF with Iggy, Chandler, Brewer, & even Fournier being able to step in to overcome that huge loss. The only question mark I have with DEN in this series is Faried’s status but I don’t think he’ll miss any games & their frontcourt shouldn’t have many problems against David Lee. Plus, Bogut is never 100% & David Lee isn’t a good defender, so I guess that’ll even things out a bit lol. Nuggets in 6.
#4 LA Clippers vs #5 Memphis - Like last year, this series could be another toss up of who wins & advances. Both teams play great defense, & while Gasol & Randolph will give Jordan & Blake all they can handle, Chris Paul & the Clippers bench will be the deciding factors in this series & why they move on to Round 2. It won’t be easy going up against Conley, Tayshaun, & Tony Allen but CP3 will find some way to get the offense going against them just enough to get by in this series, while Crawford & maybe even Matt Barnes are capable of taking over games with their scoring. I know home-court didn’t matter last year when these two faced off, but it will this time around. Clippers in 7.
East
#1 Miami vs #8 Milwaukee - Okay, I'm gonna try to be quick with this one. The Heat have lost only twice since Super Bowl Sunday & have continued to play well even when two or all of their "Big 3" sat out games after having clinched home-court throughout. The Bucks, on the other hand, are going into the playoffs having lost 7 of their last 9 & are currently dealing with injuries to two of their starters in Jennings & Sanders. So, um...yeah lol. Heat in 4.
#2 New York vs #7 Boston - There could be an upset here as well & the winner of this series will, for the most part, come down to Melo & the Knicks & if they can continue to stay hot from three-point range. I think that they will because I don't believe BOSs defense can contain Melo & JR Smith throughout a seven-game series. It won't be easy for the Knicks due to the uncertainty of their frontcourt in Chandler & Kenyon (I personally think they'll be just fine), & because Pierce has done a great job being the facilitator after Rondo went down while Jeff Green has been playing some of the best basketball of his career & could prove to be an X-factor in this series. However, NY will still do just enough to get by the Celtics. Knicks in 6.
#3 Indiana vs #6 Atlanta - I don’t expect this to be a very long series at all. IND finished the regular season as the top rebounding team & finished in the top 3 in Points Allowed, & they’ll be going up against a Hawks team that has been average at best. Yes, the Pacers don’t score a ton of points but they won’t need to in this series as their defense & rebounding should be enough to get past the Atlanta. Paul George & David West will be able to contain Josh Smith, while Hibbert will do the same to Horford. I think ATL’s three-point shooting will get them one win at home, but that’ll be it. Pacers in 5.
#4 Brooklyn vs #5 Chicago - These two played each other very close in almost all of their regular season matchups, & I don’t expect that to change in this series. There could be a possibility that D Rose comes back in this series, but unfortunately it’s looking more and more likely that Rose won’t be playing until the 2013-14 season. However, even if he doesn’t play, I still think the Bulls will win in what should be a seven-game series. I think the Bulls are better defensively, are a better rebounding team, & have more depth than the Nets. While Deron has been playing better basketball since the All-Star break & Joakim’s plantar fasciitis will help Brook Lopez, I think Thibs will figure out some way to get the Bulls into the second round. Bulls in 7.
So my second round matchups are Oklahoma City vs LA Clippers, San Antonio vs Denver, Miami vs Chicago, & New York vs Indiana.
#1 Oklahoma City vs #8 Houston - I’m pretty sure not even James Harden wanted to play OKC in the first round lol. They would’ve had a much better shot at defeating the Spurs than they do the Thunder. Anyways, this should be a high-scoring, very fun series to watch but it won’t be very long. While the Rockets do have better depth, which is why they were one of the highest scoring teams in the league this year, their defense was another story. HOUs defense, especially their transition defense, is pretty bad & when you’re going up against Durant & Westbrook, well um…that’s not good lol. Also, other than HOUs bench vs OKCs bench, the matchups will favor OKC for the most part, especially Westbrook vs Lin. Thunder in 6.
#2 San Antonio vs #7 LA Lakers - Wow, we really have some good #2 vs #7 matchups this year. As much as I hate these two teams, I’ve kind of missed the rivalry the two most successful teams in the last decade had. Also, it’ll be D’Antoni & Nash going up against their arch nemesis in the Spurs. This could be another upset in the making with Pau & Dwight finally developing some sort of chemistry, while the Spurs are going into the playoffs on a bit of a slump. The Lakers also matchup better against the Spurs compared to going up against a young team like OKC or DEN & both teams have dealt with or are currently dealing with injuries. Even though LAL could win this series, I think the Spurs will advance into the next round mainly because of Tony Parker. Even if Nash were healthy, there’s no way he or Steve Blake will be able to contain him. Also, I’m picking the Spurs due to their depth while they should be able to get open looks from three going up against a Laker team that doesn’t have a good perimeter defense. While Pau & Dwight should make this an interesting, perhaps a seven-game series, the absence of Kobe will be felt because he too could have been someone who could have guarded Parker & without him, who currently is their go-to guy in close game situations? Spurs in 6.
#3 Denver vs #6 Golden State - This should a great series between two teams that are similar to each other for the most part. It’s going to be interesting to see what Curry & the Warriors do in the playoffs, & especially how he matches up against Ty Lawson. While Gallinari is done for the season & Faried’s status for Game 1 is unknown at this point, I still think the Nuggets will advance into the second round due to their depth. In spite of Gallo’s injury, DEN is still perhaps the deepest team in the NBA especially at SG/SF with Iggy, Chandler, Brewer, & even Fournier being able to step in to overcome that huge loss. The only question mark I have with DEN in this series is Faried’s status but I don’t think he’ll miss any games & their frontcourt shouldn’t have many problems against David Lee. Plus, Bogut is never 100% & David Lee isn’t a good defender, so I guess that’ll even things out a bit lol. Nuggets in 6.
#4 LA Clippers vs #5 Memphis - Like last year, this series could be another toss up of who wins & advances. Both teams play great defense, & while Gasol & Randolph will give Jordan & Blake all they can handle, Chris Paul & the Clippers bench will be the deciding factors in this series & why they move on to Round 2. It won’t be easy going up against Conley, Tayshaun, & Tony Allen but CP3 will find some way to get the offense going against them just enough to get by in this series, while Crawford & maybe even Matt Barnes are capable of taking over games with their scoring. I know home-court didn’t matter last year when these two faced off, but it will this time around. Clippers in 7.
East
#1 Miami vs #8 Milwaukee - Okay, I'm gonna try to be quick with this one. The Heat have lost only twice since Super Bowl Sunday & have continued to play well even when two or all of their "Big 3" sat out games after having clinched home-court throughout. The Bucks, on the other hand, are going into the playoffs having lost 7 of their last 9 & are currently dealing with injuries to two of their starters in Jennings & Sanders. So, um...yeah lol. Heat in 4.
#2 New York vs #7 Boston - There could be an upset here as well & the winner of this series will, for the most part, come down to Melo & the Knicks & if they can continue to stay hot from three-point range. I think that they will because I don't believe BOSs defense can contain Melo & JR Smith throughout a seven-game series. It won't be easy for the Knicks due to the uncertainty of their frontcourt in Chandler & Kenyon (I personally think they'll be just fine), & because Pierce has done a great job being the facilitator after Rondo went down while Jeff Green has been playing some of the best basketball of his career & could prove to be an X-factor in this series. However, NY will still do just enough to get by the Celtics. Knicks in 6.
#3 Indiana vs #6 Atlanta - I don’t expect this to be a very long series at all. IND finished the regular season as the top rebounding team & finished in the top 3 in Points Allowed, & they’ll be going up against a Hawks team that has been average at best. Yes, the Pacers don’t score a ton of points but they won’t need to in this series as their defense & rebounding should be enough to get past the Atlanta. Paul George & David West will be able to contain Josh Smith, while Hibbert will do the same to Horford. I think ATL’s three-point shooting will get them one win at home, but that’ll be it. Pacers in 5.
#4 Brooklyn vs #5 Chicago - These two played each other very close in almost all of their regular season matchups, & I don’t expect that to change in this series. There could be a possibility that D Rose comes back in this series, but unfortunately it’s looking more and more likely that Rose won’t be playing until the 2013-14 season. However, even if he doesn’t play, I still think the Bulls will win in what should be a seven-game series. I think the Bulls are better defensively, are a better rebounding team, & have more depth than the Nets. While Deron has been playing better basketball since the All-Star break & Joakim’s plantar fasciitis will help Brook Lopez, I think Thibs will figure out some way to get the Bulls into the second round. Bulls in 7.
So my second round matchups are Oklahoma City vs LA Clippers, San Antonio vs Denver, Miami vs Chicago, & New York vs Indiana.
