NBA Playoffs - 1st Round Prediction and Discussion Thread

[volimhtown]

NBA fan or not, the playoffs are always exciting. Call your shots and talk about them here.

Predictions by conference in order of confidence:

Eastern Conference : There's alot of meaningless basketball to be played before the main event. Boston v Detroit should be a classic battle, but I guess we have to get there first...

#1 Boston vs. #8 Atlanta... Kudos to the Hawks for finally returning to the playoffs. With alot of young talent, the future looks pretty bright in Atlanta. Unfortunately, they're playing in the present. The Hawks come stumbling into the playoffs losing 4 of their last 5 including a dismal loss to the Heat last night. In reality, it was merely a precursor of what's to come as the Celts will make it 8 of 9 to end their season.
Celtics sweep

#2 Detroit vs. #7 Philadelphia... If the Sixer team that won 11 of 13 in March shows up to play, this could at least be competitive. But, if the Sixer team that lost their last 4 shows up, this will be ugly. Regardless, Detroit's just too deep and too physical for the Sixers to hang. The Pistons will enjoy the warm-up.
Pistons in 5

#5 Washington vs. #4 Cleveland... What happened to the Cavs?? They are the ONLY team who made big moves at the deadline that haven't panned out. I guess Big Ben wasn't the "missing piece". On the flip side the Wizards are getting healthy at the right time and match up well with the Cavs. Cleveland fans have got to be concerned with management's inability to put anything resembling talent around Lebron. Last year's run was a fluke and the Wizards make surprisingly easy work of the struggling Cavs.
Wizards in 6

#3 Orlando vs. #6 Toronto... Keep your money in your pocket regarding this series. To call the Magic inconsistent is a slight understatement. On papaer this seems pretty one sided, but the Raptors are young, athletic, and have the look of a team that doesn't know that they're supposed to lose this series. I think that Orlando can get on the same page for at least one series, but I would not be surprised to see the Raptors advance either.
Magic in 7

Western Conference : Unlike the East, the playoffs in the West are WIDE OPEN and will be incredibly entertaining. Strap in, enjoy the ride, and be surprised by nothing!!

#1 Lakers vs. #8 Nuggets... The Lakers sewed up the top spot on Tuesday and get to play the pesky Nuggets in the opener. I think the key in this series is the Nuggets ability to sut down the paint. Kobe's going to get his, but they've got to make him shoot jumpers versus driving to the basket. Easier said than done...especially when defense is an after-thought in Denver. The Nuggets are a good match-up for the Lakers and I don't see them struggling too much in this one. Kobe finally goes where he's never been without Shaq....the second round!!
Lakers in 6

#7 Dallas vs. #2 New Orleans... What a match-up!! I hope the scoreboard operator is ready. The Hornets have had an incredible year and did what nobody thought they'd do...win the brutal Southwest Division. Their reward?? To play the Mavs...who after a rought stretch, have their swagger back and are healthy. I think the Mavs served notice last night that they're back and ready. Chris Paul is incredible and has turned a couple of "stiffs" in Tyson Chandler and David West into virtual all-stars. This series comes down to experience...Mavs have it, Hornets don't.
Mavs in 6

#4 Utah vs. #5 Houston... Good news for the Rockets: they have home court advantage. Bad news for the Rockets: they peaked too early and injuries are killing them at the worst time. Scary to think how good this team would be with Yao! Anyway, Alston is out for at least the first two games, and McGrady, Battier, and Landry are all nursing lingering injuries. Utah's physical play will surely be a factor in not letting those guys get healthy. The Rockets have the motivation of revenge after the Jazz won game 7 in Houston last year, but I don't think they can win 4 in a row at home, because I give them zero shot to sneak one out in Utah. At least we have the 22 game win streak to remember about this season.
Jazz in 6

#3 San Antonio vs #6 Phoenix... Strap on your boots and get to work. This series is always physical and ugly and this year will be no different. The Suns picked up Shaq for this very reason. Question is, can the Spurs "flip the switch" yet again?? Last night's white washing of Utah sure makes you think so. Shaq and Stoudemire must dominate inside and stay on the court, out of foul trouble and the Suns must get contributions from the perimeter. No problem, right?? Look for this one to go the distance!!
Spurs in 7

[PuddingTime]

Celtics will be waiting on the Western Conference to figure out who they want to send as their challenger.

[Tennessee Ted]

Wow, how crazy is it to have the Mavs vs. the Hornets and the Suns vs. Spurs in the FIRST ROUND. The West will be full of exciting match-ups while we yawn out the eventual Pistons vs. the Celtics in the East. I agree with all of your predictions.

[*bama boy*]

NBA fan or not, the playoffs are always exciting. Call your shots and talk about them here.

Predictions by conference in order of confidence:

Eastern Conference : There's alot of meaningless basketball to be played before the main event. Boston v Detroit should be a classic battle, but I guess we have to get there first...

#1 Boston vs. #8 Atlanta... Kudos to the Hawks for finally returning to the playoffs. With alot of young talent, the future looks pretty bright in Atlanta. Unfortunately, they're playing in the present. The Hawks come stumbling into the playoffs losing 4 of their last 5 including a dismal loss to the Heat last night. In reality, it was merely a precursor of what's to come as the Celts will make it 8 of 9 to end their season.
Celtics sweep

#2 Detroit vs. #7 Philadelphia... If the Sixer team that won 11 of 13 in March shows up to play, this could at least be competitive. But, if the Sixer team that lost their last 4 shows up, this will be ugly. Regardless, Detroit's just too deep and too physical for the Sixers to hang. The Pistons will enjoy the warm-up.
Pistons in 5

#5 Washington vs. #4 Cleveland... What happened to the Cavs?? They are the ONLY team who made big moves at the deadline that haven't panned out. I guess Big Ben wasn't the "missing piece". On the flip side the Wizards are getting healthy at the right time and match up well with the Cavs. Cleveland fans have got to be concerned with management's inability to put anything resembling talent around Lebron. Last year's run was a fluke and the Wizards make surprisingly easy work of the struggling Cavs.
Wizards in 6

#3 Orlando vs. #6 Toronto... Keep your money in your pocket regarding this series. To call the Magic inconsistent is a slight understatement. On papaer this seems pretty one sided, but the Raptors are young, athletic, and have the look of a team that doesn't know that they're supposed to lose this series. I think that Orlando can get on the same page for at least one series, but I would not be surprised to see the Raptors advance either.
Magic in 7

Western Conference : Unlike the East, the playoffs in the West are WIDE OPEN and will be incredibly entertaining. Strap in, enjoy the ride, and be surprised by nothing!!

#1 Lakers vs. #8 Nuggets... The Lakers sewed up the top spot on Tuesday and get to play the pesky Nuggets in the opener. I think the key in this series is the Nuggets ability to sut down the paint. Kobe's going to get his, but they've got to make him shoot jumpers versus driving to the basket. Easier said than done...especially when defense is an after-thought in Denver. The Nuggets are a good match-up for the Lakers and I don't see them struggling too much in this one. Kobe finally goes where he's never been without Shaq....the second round!!
Lakers in 6

#7 Dallas vs. #2 New Orleans... What a match-up!! I hope the scoreboard operator is ready. The Hornets have had an incredible year and did what nobody thought they'd do...win the brutal Southwest Division. Their reward?? To play the Mavs...who after a rought stretch, have their swagger back and are healthy. I think the Mavs served notice last night that they're back and ready. Chris Paul is incredible and has turned a couple of "stiffs" in Tyson Chandler and David West into virtual all-stars. This series comes down to experience...Mavs have it, Hornets don't.
Mavs in 6

#4 Utah vs. #5 Houston... Good news for the Rockets: they have home court advantage. Bad news for the Rockets: they peaked too early and injuries are killing them at the worst time. Scary to think how good this team would be with Yao! Anyway, Alston is out for at least the first two games, and McGrady, Battier, and Landry are all nursing lingering injuries. Utah's physical play will surely be a factor in not letting those guys get healthy. The Rockets have the motivation of revenge after the Jazz won game 7 in Houston last year, but I don't think they can win 4 in a row at home, because I give them zero shot to sneak one out in Utah. At least we have the 22 game win streak to remember about this season.
Jazz in 6

#3 San Antonio vs #6 Phoenix... Strap on your boots and get to work. This series is always physical and ugly and this year will be no different. The Suns picked up Shaq for this very reason. Question is, can the Spurs "flip the switch" yet again?? Last night's white washing of Utah sure makes you think so. Shaq and Stoudemire must dominate inside and stay on the court, out of foul trouble and the Suns must get contributions from the perimeter. No problem, right?? Look for this one to go the distance!!
Spurs in 7

I agree with most of those picks....i think the hornets win, and maybe wizards in 7 and pistons sweep...... GO JAZZ!!!

[Tider27]

Eastern Conference : I see it being between Detroit and Boston too. Detriot having the upperhand with the experience in the playoffs. Shockingly, I'll take the Pistons in the Finals.

#1 Boston vs. #8 Atlanta... Kudos to the Hawks for finally returning to the playoffs. With alot of young talent, the future looks pretty bright in Atlanta. Unfortunately, they're playing in the present. The Hawks come stumbling into the playoffs losing 4 of their last 5 including a dismal loss to the Heat last night. In reality, it was merely a precursor of what's to come as the Celts will make it 8 of 9 to end their season.
Celtics 5

#2 Detroit vs. #7 Philadelphia... If the Sixer team that won 11 of 13 in March shows up to play, this could at least be competitive. But, if the Sixer team that lost their last 4 shows up, this will be ugly. Regardless, Detroit's just too deep and too physical for the Sixers to hang. The Pistons will enjoy the warm-up.
Pistons in 5

#5 Washington vs. #4 Cleveland... What happened to the Cavs?? They are the ONLY team who made big moves at the deadline that haven't panned out. I guess Big Ben wasn't the "missing piece". On the flip side the Wizards are getting healthy at the right time and match up well with the Cavs. Cleveland fans have got to be concerned with management's inability to put anything resembling talent around Lebron. Last year's run was a fluke and the Wizards make surprisingly easy work of the struggling Cavs.
Cavs in 6

#3 Orlando vs. #6 Toronto... Keep your money in your pocket regarding this series. To call the Magic inconsistent is a slight understatement. On papaer this seems pretty one sided, but the Raptors are young, athletic, and have the look of a team that doesn't know that they're supposed to lose this series. I think that Orlando can get on the same page for at least one series, but I would not be surprised to see the Raptors advance either.
Magic in 6

Western Conference : This should be the best playoff race in the West, in the history of the NBA. I'll take the Lakers beating the Hornets to make it to the finals. So the two top dogs in both conferences making it to the conference championships. Which means I'm probably wrong. :lol:

#1 Lakers vs. #8 Nuggets... The Lakers sewed up the top spot on Tuesday and get to play the pesky Nuggets in the opener. I think the key in this series is the Nuggets ability to sut down the paint. Kobe's going to get his, but they've got to make him shoot jumpers versus driving to the basket. Easier said than done...especially when defense is an after-thought in Denver. The Nuggets are a good match-up for the Lakers and I don't see them struggling too much in this one. Kobe finally goes where he's never been without Shaq....the second round!!
Lakers in 5

#7 Dallas vs. #2 New Orleans... What a match-up!! I hope the scoreboard operator is ready. The Hornets have had an incredible year and did what nobody thought they'd do...win the brutal Southwest Division. Their reward?? To play the Mavs...who after a rought stretch, have their swagger back and are healthy. I think the Mavs served notice last night that they're back and ready. Chris Paul is incredible and has turned a couple of "stiffs" in Tyson Chandler and David West into virtual all-stars. This series comes down to experience...Mavs have it, Hornets don't.
Hornets in 5

#4 Utah vs. #5 Houston... Good news for the Rockets: they have home court advantage. Bad news for the Rockets: they peaked too early and injuries are killing them at the worst time. Scary to think how good this team would be with Yao! Anyway, Alston is out for at least the first two games, and McGrady, Battier, and Landry are all nursing lingering injuries. Utah's physical play will surely be a factor in not letting those guys get healthy. The Rockets have the motivation of revenge after the Jazz won game 7 in Houston last year, but I don't think they can win 4 in a row at home, because I give them zero shot to sneak one out in Utah. At least we have the 22 game win streak to remember about this season.
Rockets in 6

#3 San Antonio vs #6 Phoenix... Strap on your boots and get to work. This series is always physical and ugly and this year will be no different. The Suns picked up Shaq for this very reason. Question is, can the Spurs "flip the switch" yet again?? Last night's white washing of Utah sure makes you think so. Shaq and Stoudemire must dominate inside and stay on the court, out of foul trouble and the Suns must get contributions from the perimeter. No problem, right?? Look for this one to go the distance!!
Suns in 6

[clockster]

My Nuggets are starting off on 4/20, coincidence? I think not!

I'll be celebrating the right way :D

Screw the Lakers, I hope we see another 8 seed bust down the 1 seed.

Anyway, in the east its a sure thing to be Pistons or Celtics facing most likely New Orleans, Suns, or Spurs I'm guessing....

[azamugg]

damn htown, is that all your review? pretty good and pretty insightfull and Im with you on all of your upsets

doesnt really matter who makes it to the finals.....the Celtics are back w/a another banner this year

[the Paradox]

The New Garden gets another banner in '08.


RTR

[PuddingTime]

Damn straight. 22 years in the making.

[PuddingTime]

Spurs-Suns has turned into a helluva game. 3 seconds left in OT tied at 104. What a game!

[Tider27]

You guys might be shocked when the Celtics falter...just a guess but those Pistons will be tough.

[azamugg]

well Im w/you Tider, kinda gonna pull for the Pistons......cuz they gots Antonio McDyess :)

[volimhtown]

Opening Game Thoughts...

How awesome was Spurs-Suns Part 1?? Frieking incredible!! It's a shame that one of those teams is going to lose in the opening round. If you're the Suns, you've got to be asking yourself WTF....frieking Tim Duncan makes a three to send the game to 2OT. Unbelievable.

Big props to the Hornets!! I thought Dallas was the team with the playoff experience and poise! Nice comeback...and by the way, Chris Paul is UNBELIEVABLE!!

Thank You Jazz for not prolonging the agony this year for me. It's hard to be a fan of the team that consistently gets beaten up physically. The Jazz are just too deep and have too many weapons.

Hey Detroit!! You better wake your a$$es up or you're going to get punked by the Sixers. Philly's young enough to not know that they're not supposed to beat you guys. Have we all been giving the Pistons too much credit?? This isn't the same Pistons team that went to the Finals and we saw a lesser Cleveland team take them out last year.

The other 4 series went as expected....the Hawks look happy just to be there, Orlando (yawn...) beat Toronto, at least Cleveland and Washington realize that nobody cares about their series either and are going to add some drama to the mix, and the Lakers took care of the defenseless Nuggets. All in all, a good opening weekend of basketball!!

[PuddingTime]

Umm...we dogged our competition. The Pistons couldn't even beat the lowly Sixers. There's a reason we have the best record in the league.....we only lost 5 games all season to the Western Conference. Playing in the East has nothing to do w/the Celtics skills....we're sick.

Wake me up when it's time for the Finals.

[volimhtown]

Umm...we dogged our competition. The Pistons couldn't even beat the lowly Sixers. There's a reason we have the best record in the league.....we only lost 5 games all season to the Western Conference. Playing in the East has nothing to do w/the Celtics skills....we're sick.

Wake me up when it's time for the Finals.

I got dibs on that diamond that all Celts fans were $hitting before Sunday's game.:laugh: That was awefully close to being the King of all-time upsets and choke jobs.

[volimhtown]

Well, the playoffs have pretty much gone as advertized. I went 6 of 8 in my first round predictions. :dry:

Biggest Surprise : The Hornets. This is a team that has matured at record speed. They just toyed with the Mavs and absolutely destroyed the Spurs in game one. Chris Paul is just sick and they are on an incredible roll right now. Time to jump on the bandwagon because it looks like it's going to be a LONG and successful run. :thumpsup:

Biggest Disapointment : Easily the Celtics. Is this team gonna show up and earn even half of their hype?? I guess their success WAS about playing in the East!! :glare: Kudos to the Hawks, but this Celtics team had ZERO business losing even 1 game much less 3 games to the lowly Hawks. The rep that comes out of the West is looking ALOT better, now!!

Second Round Predictions :

Pistons over the Magic in six. The Magic looked good against Toronto...unfortunately for them, the competition gets harder now.

Celtics over the Cavs in seven. If the Celts didn't have an answer for frieking Joe Johnson, who is gonna stop LeBron?? The only thing the Celts have going for them is home court...if they can't hold a double digit lead in Atlanta for three straight games, I have a hard time fathoming they can do it in Cleveland.

Hornets over the Spurs in six. Athletes, athletes, athletes. Haven't we seen this before?? These Hornets are an aweful lot like D Wade's Heat from a couple of seasons ago. We all know what they accomplished!!

Lakers over Jazz in six. The Jazz killed the Lakers on the glass...especially offensive boards and still found a way to lose game one by double digits. This is not the same Jazz team from a year ago. At least the team is producing plenty of bricks with their long-range shots which will come in handy to help build a new and improved polygamist compound in Salt Lake!!

[OmahaBound]

The problem with the Celtics is that they too felt the Hawks shouldn't even win a game. The Hawks were energized by their home crowd and the C's managed to be shocked by their effort in all 3 road games. When they were home, they annihilated the Hawks each time.

I have no doubt they'll take Lebron more seriously. That doesn't mean they'll necessarily win...but I don't expect to see them get caught unprepared again.