Okay...I Think I Can Write My NBA Playoff Preview Now (Part Deux)
Continued from yesterday...scroll down to read about Rounds 1 & 2.
PJ'S NOTE: TOMORROW--HOW TO FIX THE MAVS!!!
Conference Finals
Pistons (1) v Cavs (2)
My predition: Pistons in 6
I'm impressed with the job the Cavs have done in the second half of the season. They are a team that has learned to maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. The rebound the ball incredibly well. They play physical, solid D and O, as that is what they're best at. They're better at not just standing around and watching Lebron do his thing; they have good ball movement and more players who can create their own shots. I LOVE the move they made to play Larry Hughes at the point and move Sasha to the 2. The Achilles' Heal of this time was always their point guard play; Jeff Mcinnis, Eric Snow, and Daniel Gipson all tried, but none could get the job done. I'm glad that Mike Brown finally said, "Fuck it, I'm going with by best five guys to start, and who cares if one of them is playing out of position." Coaches don't do that enough.
That being said, I think their weaknesses are still a little too much to top this Pistons team. They are not going to dominate the boards against the Pistons as they've done in Rounds 1 and 2. The Pistons backcourt will expose the difficincies of playing two 2-guards. Sheed and CWeb will outplay Gooden and Big Z, who can barely move at this point.
That being said, I still think this is an incredibly close series. I think all of the games will come down to the wire. However, that's the Cavs' biggest weakness: I don't think this is a clutch team. Lebron's issues with free throws--especially at the end of games--are well documented. When push comes to shove, I think the Pistons will end up winning up two games that the Cavs could have won but didn't, and that will cost them.
If it goes 7 games and San Antonio beats Phoenix, however, the Cavs win, and Lebron shoots 25 free throws in the last game as the NBA desperately tries to avoid another Pistons/Spurs final.
Suns (2) v Jazz(4)
My prediction: Suns in 6
Whether it be the Suns or the Spurs here, this will be an entertaining and ultimately inevitable victory for one of those two teams over the Jazz. Like I said, I love the Jazz, but asking them to go to the NBA Finals their first year back in the playoffs out of this competitive of a Western Conference? That's just too much. The Suns (since that's who I'm hoping for) offense is too wide open for the Jazz D to stop, and the Suns have enough big guys to throw at Boozer (Amare, Marion, Thomas) and enough mobile guys to throw at Okur when he wants to shoot 3's (Marion, Amare). Deron Williams will light up Steve Nash, but Little Stevie Nash will also light up Deron. And I'll definitely take the Raja Bell/Leondro Barbosa combo over Gordon Giricek.
The games will be close, but never in doubt. Suns in 6.
NBA Finals
Pistons (1) v Suns (2)
My prediction: Pistons in 7
That's right. As much as it pains me to say it, for some reason I just have this feeling that this is the Piston's year. The defection of Ben Wallace that turned out to be addition by subtraction, the gift of CWebb, and the way they've flown under everyone's radar has me feeling that this is their time. Again.
Also, don't underestimate the crappy East. There comes a point where the professional media needs to realize that the beating all the outstanding Western Conference teams take against each other plays a factor in the NBA Finals. Which would you rather do: face an Orlando team that is an absolute and complete joke, face a Bulls team that just chucks jumpers all day, and then finally play a halfway decent team that is ultimately flawed in several different ways, or fight through a Lakers team led by arguably the best player in the NBA, the dynasty that is the Spurs, and an extremely well-balanced Jazz team that just beat the hottest team in the playoffs? Yeah. I thought so. I mean seriously...how much different is the Cavs from the Lakers? If they met in a 7 game series, wouldn't you say Cavs in 7, but if Kobe and one other guy gets hot, it's the Lakers? And the Cavs are the second best team in the East! The imbalance makes the playoffs entertaining, but it takes its toll on the Western Conference teams.
Also, I think asking the Suns to win the whole thing in the Amare comeback year is just too much. They'll get there...they'll make mistakes...they'll learn from them and come back next year. I think the Spurs have a much better chance at beating the Pistons in the Finals than the Suns do.
Don't get me wrong; the Suns have the talent and the matchups to win. I just don't think they have the experience, rest, and momentum to. I think the Pistons squeek it out.
And then, hopefully, Chauncey Billups comes to Dallas next year.
PJ'S NOTE: TOMORROW--HOW TO FIX THE MAVS!!!
Conference Finals
Pistons (1) v Cavs (2)
My predition: Pistons in 6
I'm impressed with the job the Cavs have done in the second half of the season. They are a team that has learned to maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. The rebound the ball incredibly well. They play physical, solid D and O, as that is what they're best at. They're better at not just standing around and watching Lebron do his thing; they have good ball movement and more players who can create their own shots. I LOVE the move they made to play Larry Hughes at the point and move Sasha to the 2. The Achilles' Heal of this time was always their point guard play; Jeff Mcinnis, Eric Snow, and Daniel Gipson all tried, but none could get the job done. I'm glad that Mike Brown finally said, "Fuck it, I'm going with by best five guys to start, and who cares if one of them is playing out of position." Coaches don't do that enough.
That being said, I think their weaknesses are still a little too much to top this Pistons team. They are not going to dominate the boards against the Pistons as they've done in Rounds 1 and 2. The Pistons backcourt will expose the difficincies of playing two 2-guards. Sheed and CWeb will outplay Gooden and Big Z, who can barely move at this point.
That being said, I still think this is an incredibly close series. I think all of the games will come down to the wire. However, that's the Cavs' biggest weakness: I don't think this is a clutch team. Lebron's issues with free throws--especially at the end of games--are well documented. When push comes to shove, I think the Pistons will end up winning up two games that the Cavs could have won but didn't, and that will cost them.
If it goes 7 games and San Antonio beats Phoenix, however, the Cavs win, and Lebron shoots 25 free throws in the last game as the NBA desperately tries to avoid another Pistons/Spurs final.
Suns (2) v Jazz(4)
My prediction: Suns in 6
Whether it be the Suns or the Spurs here, this will be an entertaining and ultimately inevitable victory for one of those two teams over the Jazz. Like I said, I love the Jazz, but asking them to go to the NBA Finals their first year back in the playoffs out of this competitive of a Western Conference? That's just too much. The Suns (since that's who I'm hoping for) offense is too wide open for the Jazz D to stop, and the Suns have enough big guys to throw at Boozer (Amare, Marion, Thomas) and enough mobile guys to throw at Okur when he wants to shoot 3's (Marion, Amare). Deron Williams will light up Steve Nash, but Little Stevie Nash will also light up Deron. And I'll definitely take the Raja Bell/Leondro Barbosa combo over Gordon Giricek.
The games will be close, but never in doubt. Suns in 6.
NBA Finals
Pistons (1) v Suns (2)
My prediction: Pistons in 7
That's right. As much as it pains me to say it, for some reason I just have this feeling that this is the Piston's year. The defection of Ben Wallace that turned out to be addition by subtraction, the gift of CWebb, and the way they've flown under everyone's radar has me feeling that this is their time. Again.
Also, don't underestimate the crappy East. There comes a point where the professional media needs to realize that the beating all the outstanding Western Conference teams take against each other plays a factor in the NBA Finals. Which would you rather do: face an Orlando team that is an absolute and complete joke, face a Bulls team that just chucks jumpers all day, and then finally play a halfway decent team that is ultimately flawed in several different ways, or fight through a Lakers team led by arguably the best player in the NBA, the dynasty that is the Spurs, and an extremely well-balanced Jazz team that just beat the hottest team in the playoffs? Yeah. I thought so. I mean seriously...how much different is the Cavs from the Lakers? If they met in a 7 game series, wouldn't you say Cavs in 7, but if Kobe and one other guy gets hot, it's the Lakers? And the Cavs are the second best team in the East! The imbalance makes the playoffs entertaining, but it takes its toll on the Western Conference teams.
Also, I think asking the Suns to win the whole thing in the Amare comeback year is just too much. They'll get there...they'll make mistakes...they'll learn from them and come back next year. I think the Spurs have a much better chance at beating the Pistons in the Finals than the Suns do.
Don't get me wrong; the Suns have the talent and the matchups to win. I just don't think they have the experience, rest, and momentum to. I think the Pistons squeek it out.
And then, hopefully, Chauncey Billups comes to Dallas next year.
Labels: NBA Playoffs
posted by Michael Pondrom at 8:03 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home