2011 NBA Playoff Overview

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Chicago Bulls – There are two schools of thought. One is that the Bulls will coast through the East with a red hot, probably MVP in Derrick Rose. The bulls toughest competition, the Celtics, Heat, and Magic, have all shown glaring weaknesses at times throughout the season. The other school of thought is that there is no way that the Bulls, with a team full of young inexperienced players and a rookie head coach, will reach the finals let alone win a championship. I think reality will lie somewhere in the middle.

1

Miami Heat – The Heatles are the ones that everyone has an eye on. Their regular season fell below expectations, with the Heat winning less than 60 games and being seeded lower than 1st. The rubber has hit the road in the playoffs however, and none of what did or did not happen in the regular season matters. All things, considered, I still expect Miami to be the team to come out of the Eastern Conference.

2

Boston Celtics – Can the Celtics overcome age, injuries, and a trade of their popular and defensively menacing center, Kendrick Perkins? For all of the talk about their great starting players, and they are great – Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo, the Celtics ability to advance past the second round, and beyond, may depend on a future Hall of Famer, Shaquille O’Neal. I think the Celtics ability to put opponents away and eliminate them, past the first round, will depend on how many minutes Shaq can give them. I am not ready to count out The Daddy, yet.

CAN YOU DIG IT??? 3

Orlando Magic – How super is Superman? Dwight Howard will need to answer that question with authority, every night, in the playoffs. Orlando has to contend with a very competitive and quietly talented Atlanta Hawks team in the first round. Even if the Magic survive, their path will not get any easier. This team, in the same breath, has enough talent to win the entire Eastern Conference if a few balls bounce their way.

Time for Dwight Howard to find a phone booth and break out his cape. Do they even HAVE phone Booths anymore? 4

Atlanta Hawks – One could argue that first year coach Larry Drew took the team backwards, going from a 50+ win season last year down to 44 games in 2011. What cannot be argued is that the Hawks have tons of options with the ball. Four of their five starters are not only capable scorers (Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford , Jamal Crawford) but any of them are capable of taking over a game and bringing their team up. Joe Johnson may be the “star” of this bunch, but the offensive parts of this team are somewhat interchangeable and that makes for a very formidable playoff foe.


New York Knicks – Is Carmelo Anthony the NBAs version of Reggie Bush? Dominant in college but more flash than greatness in the pros? I think that would be a little harsh. But he is going to have to step up his defensive game if the Knicks are going to have a prayer of overcoming what are already long odds to win the series.


Philadelphia 76ers – Doug Collins should receive honorable mention for Coach of the Year for the turnaround he has brought to this team, with relatively unknown players. Could you tell me where anyone on this team, expect for Elton Brand, went to college (unless you are a Sixers fan) in three seconds or less? I didn’t think so. The future is bright for this team, but their clock may have struck midnight, by getting paired with the Heat in the first round.


Indiana Pacers – Well, someone had to get the last spot. I am loking forward to watching the development of Tyler “Psycho T” Hansbrough and Gordon Heyward in the future…WAY in the future!



WESTERN CONFERENCE

San Antonio Spurs – You will never convince me that the Hornets and Grizzlies did not deliberately try to mail it in on the final night of the regular season in an effort to get paired with the top seeded Spurs instead of the second seeded Lakers. The Hornets rested all of their starters in the third quarter when they were winning. Memphis responded in kind in a later game. I cannot remember any other time in which I’ve witnessed a quit job in the effort to get a more favorable pairing against a team with a BETTER record. The fact the teams made an effort to play the aging, injured Spurs tells me a lot about the perception of the Spurs long term prospects in the playoffs. Still, I wouldn’t sleep on any team coached by Greg Popovich with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and (possibly) Manu Ginobli on the floor.

Left to right: Parker, Ginobli, and Duncan: Gut check time. 5

Los Angeles Lakers – The two-time defending champs are the favorite for a three-peat. The only hope that early round opponents may have against the Lakers is that the Lake Show has demonstrated a tendency to play down to opponents with inferior talent, keeping them within striking distance and, sometimes, causing the Lakers to lose games they shouldn’t. Still, the Lakers have arguably the best player in the world plus, probably, the greatest coach in NBA history. Good luck stopping them.

Former Laker Trevor Ariza, left, is going to have to throw everything but the kitchen sink to contain Kobe. 8

Dallas Mavericks – This may be the Mavs’ last good chance to make a run at a championship. Dirk Nowitzki had yet another MVP-caliber season, but the Mavs continue to be plagued by suspect moments on defense and age. With a second round matchup against either the Lakers or Hornets (who outplayed the Mavericks in the regular season), assuming they survive their series with the Portland Trailbalzers, the odds of the Mavericks coming out of the West are as slim for any third seeded team in my recent memory.


Oklahoma City Thunder – The team nobody wants to play. All World forward and scoring champion Kevin Durant, along with guard Russell Westbrook and newly acquired big man Kendrick Perkins are going to give fits to every opponent they face in the playoffs. They have as much of a chance as any other team to dethrone the three time Western Conference champion Lakers.

If you don't know about Kevin Durant, yo'd better ask somebody! 6

Denver Nuggets – The Nuggets have exceeded expectations in the post Carmelo Anthony era. I expect them to be eliminated in the first round. Let’s see what they can do.


Portland Trailblazers – The LaMarcus Aldridge Show goes up against the Dallas Mavericks. Aldridge is another star player that many fans may not be familiar with yet. The Mavericks will become familiar with him and many pundits like the chances the Blazers have of prolonging “the show” past the first round.


New Orleans Hornets – Without David West, I just do not see any miraculous upset of the Lakers in the first round. This team will go as far as All-Star guard Chris Paul is capable of carrying it. The Hornets will have to greatly exceed low expectations to pull off the playoff upset of this fairly new decade.


Memphis Grizzlies – This team gelled and got better as the regular season drew to a close. Victories will not come easily against this young and physical team. I think that the absence of Rudy Gay will close the door on any realistic chance this team has of making a deep playoff run, but I expect every possession to be a battle against Memphis.

Tony Allen (9) and Zach Randolph (50) 7

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