It's time for the 2008 dose of NBA Playoff related humiliation.
I'll just pick one round at a time.
(1) Boston v (8) Atlanta
Every ESPN expert picks Boston in either 4 or 5 games. Don't expect any different myself, Boston is for real, and Atlanta is lucky (and Phoenix is unlucky given they hold Atlanta's draft pick) not to have slid out of the playoffs. Pick, Boston in 4
(2) Detroit v (7) Philadelphia
Every ESPN expert picks Detroit in either 5 or 6 games. Guess, what they're all wrong, AI (Iguodala version), Andre Miller, and the rest of Philly's talented up tempo team will cause problems for Detroit. Detroit has had a solid regular season, posting the second best record in the NBA, but they don't seem to be having any fun, and if things start going wrong, I see this team pointing fingers and sulking rather than rallying and prevailing. Pick, Philadelphia in 6
(3) Orlando v (6) Toronto
The Magic get almost all the ESPN expert love (Marc Stein the lone exception), and when you look at the starting line ups for these two teams, it's hard to see Orlando as overwhelming favorites. Orlando is vulnerable, but I think Howard and Turkoglu will take over the games for stretches and will win in the end, but it won't be easy. Pick, Orlando in 7
(4) Cleveland v (5) Washington
The ESPN folks are evenly split in their assessment of these two teams, but they all agree this series will get stretched to 6 or 7 games. They're wrong, Washington is going to trounce Cleveland, but LeBron in all his glorious LeBron-ness will manage to win one game all by himself, beyond that though, Washington will destroy a rather mediocre Cleveland squad. Pick, Washington in 5
(1) LA Lakers v (8) Denver
The ESPN experts all pick the Lakers, but none of them expect a sweep. The Lakers are playing very well at the moment, Denver's been a bit inconsistent, and a bit indifferent to playing defense. I expect the halftime score in Sunday's game to be about 74-58, and the score after the third quarter to be 110-78. The Lakers will score at will on Denver, and they'll even play a little defense from time to time. That first game will set the tone for the entire series and Denver will fade away without a fight. Pick, Lakers in 4
(2) New Orleans v (7) Dallas
4 out of 6 ESPN experts pick Dallas in this one. Seems fitting, and suggests a nice symmetry to last year's outcome for Dallas. Get upset as the 1 seed one year, then upset the 2 seed the following year. I like symmetry. Pick, Dallas in 6
(3) San Antonio v (6) Phoenix
The greatest 1st round series in NBA history? Last year's 'real' finals was the bloody battle between these two teams, and that was a Conference Semi-finals. Now it's in the first round, sucks for one of these teams to get bounced early, but one must go. You had a nice run as champs, Spurs, but for whatever reason, repeating as champs isn't something y'all have been able to do. Shaq was brought in to give the Suns an edge over the Spurs, and that's just what he'll do. Pick, Phoenix in 6
(4) Utah v (5) Houston
All the experts pick the Jazz, they've been the best home team in the NBA this year, and Houston is Yao-less. Those experts are wrong again, Houston has the tools to handle this Jazz team, plus even though they're the lower seed, they have homecourt in this series. Of course, these two teams played a game seven in Houston in the first round last year, and Utah won that, but this time Houston will get their revenge, and T-Mac will see the 2nd round for the first time. Pick, Houston in 7
1 comment:
I hadn't looked at the ESPN stuff about the playoffs, but most of the stuff on the Magic-Raptors series that I had seen seemed to favor the Raptors slightly. The perception (even down here in Orlando) is that the Magic are kind of soft mentally. Of course that doesn't seem to match the reality now that they're up 3-1, but they still need to close out the series.
(Down here we all remember Tracy MacGrady cursing himself and the franchise when he prematurely celebrated getting out of the first round after going up 3-1 in a series a few years back.)
Post a Comment