NBA Semifinals Predictions

The NBA Playoffs have been terrific so far.  Every series had one or two nail biters, we have a Cinderella team, and a couple great series to look forward to in the upcoming weeks. I myself misfired on the Portland-Dallas series, Orlando-Atlanta series, and of course, Memphis-San Antonio. I thought the Grizzles would give them a series, but I didn't expect them to win the series.  

Eastern Conference  

1.) Chicago versus 5.) Atlanta- I am personally surprised to see the Hawks playing in the second round, and hopefully, they will give a better effort this season compared to past years.  Not having Kirk Heinrich will definitely hurt them because the guy has been a catalyst on offense, but he is just another body to guard Derrick Rose on defense. I think the Hawks' big men could make a difference, but Rose will once again be too good to stop on a nightly basis.  Chicago in six. 

2.) Miami versus 3.) Boston- Some please explain to me how Boston can look completely dead in the last two months of the NBA season, and now look like an entirely different team?  I feel like Ashton Kutcher should come out of hiding and tell me I have been Punk'd.  So many interesting story lines in this series, whether it's LeBron vs. Boston, Chris Bosh v. Kevin Garnett, old crown vs. new royalty. Remember how Michael Jordan took down Detroit finally after two unsuccessful tries?  That's what LeBron needs to do with Boston to take that next step, or this season is a complete failure plus we have to reevaluate LeBron's ceiling in the NBA. I expect a knock down drag out fight in each game with LeBron finally coming up big in a clutch moment.  Miami in seven 

Western Conference 

4.) Oklahoma City versus 8.) Memphis - The Grizzlies and Thunder find themselves in a new position, the second round. Zach Randolph will have to find ways to score against the twin towers of Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka.  I think this has to be Russell Westbrook series for the Thunder to win. In my opinion, Kevin Durant will not have much success against Tony Allen who is a top notch defender, and Westbrook will be forced to put this team on his back for at least a couple games.  This will be a very competitive, exciting series.  Oklahoma City in six 

2.) Los Angeles versus 3.) Dallas- The Lakers seemed to find their swagger in games five and six  against New Orleans, and Dallas did the same thing against Portland. It's unreal we haven't seen a Kobe Bryant vs. Dirk Nowitzki series, and I can guarantee we will have one game where both of the guys will just go absolutely bananas trading buckets with each other.  I will also tell you Pau Gasol is going to have a hell of a time with Tyson Chandler, same goes for Andrew Bynum.  Shawn Marion will need to find his old defensive self because the Mavs might be some trouble with who is guarding Kobe.  Even though Boston-Miami has a chance to be great, I think this will be the best series of them all. Los Angeles in seven. 

First game starts at noon tomorrow, should be special.

-Charlie.

NBA Eastern Conference First Round Predictions

We are on to the Eastern Conference where I think for the first round, it's much more easier to pick and feel most of the series will not be long lasting in my opinion. I actually hope there are no upsets because the second round will be absolutely bananas. If you missed the Western Conference picks, you can check those out here.



1.) Chicago Bulls v. 8.) Indiana Pacers- This brings back memories of the late 90s with the great Bulls-Pacers playoff matchups where they fought down to the wire. Sadly that will not happen this season. No one can guard Derrick Rose on the Pacers, and the Bulls have enough defensive weapons to keep up with Danny Granger and friends. Hopefully fans show up for Game 3, the Pacers are currently last in the NBA in fan attendance, ouch. Ugly series though, don't expect a ton of scoring.  Bulls sweep.

4.) Orlando Magic v. 5.) Atlanta Hawks- The rumblings have begun that the Hawks gave up on another coach, and I hope that's not true for their fanbase. If I am Joe Johnson or Al Hortford, I want to make a statement in the first game after getting embarrassed by the Magic last season. I am throwing a big elbow, or putting someone on their ass to show this year is different. But the crazy thing is I think the Hawks don't care once again therefore the Magic are going to make quick work of the Hawks.  Orlando in five.

3.) Boston Celtics v. 6.) New York Knicks- A very excited series, and I look forward to Game 3 at Madison Square Garden in a couple days because it will probably be the best atmosphere in the first round. Originally, I said the Knicks would beat the Celtics in six games and was ready to stick to my word. But after listening to Bill Simmons' podcast where six, count them six NBA analysts said there is no chance this will happen, I started to get nervous. I hate to go against my word, but it's hard not to trust the C's even with their struggles. I do think this will be a slugfest that goes the distance.  Celts in seven.

2.) Miami Heat v. 7.) Philadelphia 76ers- The Heat played very well in the final month, and I think they might be hitting their stride at the right time. The Sixers played inspired all year under Doug Collins, and I see them winning one game in the city of Brotherly Love due to the good play of Andre Igoudala.  But the Sixers do not have the talent to keep up with both Dwyane Wade and LeBron James on a nightly basis. Heatles in five.  

-Charlie.

Don't Expect A 2010 NBA Finals Repeat

Right now, this is one of the best times to be a sports fan. Everyone in baseball still has a chance, the growing debates about what player to take in the NFL Draft, and the winter sports are heading into the playoffs this week. As the NBA Playoffs get underway on Saturday, the biggest question is will the two teams from the 2010 NBA Finals survive the first round? 

The Boston Celtics are in a complete free fall after trading Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder.  Rajon Rondo has seemed like an entire different player, Kevin Garnett yells, but it feels like to me no one listens like they once did when Perkins partolled the lane. People from El Pres, Simmons, and others have mentioned  how much the city of Boston loved Perk, and I really think the players felt the exact same way. I believe the perfect comparison for this is my sophomore year of college dorm floor.

We had an awesome door room floor. Everybody got along, and our resident assistant let us live our lives without meddling plus also being a good friend. There was a true togetherness about our unit compared to the one I lived in the year prior where four or five of us were great friends, but no one else went out together. With this group, people did so many more things together and felt like a family. After the resident assistant got poor grades, we got a new one and he ended up being the opposite personality.

He wanted to make his prescene felt here and life changed for every guy there. Most of the guys did not react to change well leading to multiple problems. People got kicked out of the dorms, vandalized various things on the floor, and it became pretty miserable for the last two weeks.  The Celtics' old team with Perkins had that original dorm floor unity, and now what they have is the misrable nature of the new look dorm floor. Everyday it seemed like one person would say "Man I miss Matt, our former RA" and I am willing to bet the Celtics' players have days where they say "I miss Perk more than I thought I would."

I cannot believe a team with a playoff seed on the line can lose to a team like the Washington Wizards especially in overtime. They are playing like individuals, and want this season to be over as soon as possible. The body language is horrible right now from Doc Rivers to Delonte West. It's a team effort to look this disinterested. The Celtics are far worst off than they were last year, and I personally believe the New York Knicks will beat them in six games. My thoughts on that series will be given later this week.

While out west, the Los Angeles Lakers have had more up and downs than a long distance relationship. Before this sudden five game losing streak, the Lakers had won nine straight. Further they had won sixteen of their last seventeen games. They are the definition of inconsistency, and sometimes those teams are able to turn it on in the postseason propelling them to victory. If the Lakers are a true contender, they will make a statement tonight against the San Antonio Spurs at home. With the two seed on the line, they need to play on a playoff level.

On the other hand, I wonder what Gregg Popovich does tonight because San Antonio has won both games against the Lakers this year, so maybe they do not think it's the worst thing to play them in round 2? The Spurs might come out firing with all their starters trying to dump the Lakers farther down the seeding. Also don't discredit  the Oklahoma City Thunder's 14 point win against the Lakers at the Staples Center Sunday night. To me, the 120-106 beatdown spoke volumes that the young Thunder can compete with any team in the Western Conference. Kevin Durant finally looked comfortable against Ron Artest dropping 31 points, Russell Westbrook is a nightmare for the Lakers' guards, and Ibaka/Perkins can compete with Bynum/Gasol for sure.

The last couple of years we always had an idea of who will be playing in the NBA Finals. While there are favorites, I feel this year is more unpredictable than others in years' past. I expect a lot of close series, and maybe some new favorites rise up in the upcoming months.

-Charlie.
 

Bucks Set Franchise Mark For Futility

During the hoopla of Selection Sunday I happened to flip to FSWisconsin and to my surprise, the Bucks were on. They happened to be playing the Boston Celtics.

Night in and night out the Bucks struggle on offense. It's just the way it is. But after the way they were playing the last few games (albeit against Washington, Cleveland and Philadelphia) I thought they were starting to click for once. Then they go out and shoot just 31 percent from the floor and score a franchise low for points in a single game by scoring 56 Sunday night in Boston. The mark is also a record night on the defensive end for Boston since they held the Milwaukee Hawks to 57 points back in 1955.


Keyon Dooling had an opportunity to get the Bucks to 58, tying the record, from the free throw line with 22 ticks to go but clanged both of them sealing their fate.

Can they make their run?

Coach Skiles said the loss was humiliating and they "pretty much just gave into it". I mean, Earl Barron was the Bucks' leading scorer at a blistering ten points. They would have set a league record for lowest points in a half in the first half if it weren't for Andrew Bogut's two baskets in the final minute of the second quarter to bring their total to 22. The record is 19.

The C's made only two 3-pointers in the game and still scored 87. It didn't help the Bucks case to have Bogut get into early foul trouble. The Bucks aren't the same team with the league's leading shot blocker on the bench for the better part of the first half. Also, it didn't help that that was the Bucks' fifth game of the week and they were taking on the #1 team in the Eastern Conference.

I think the Celtics are in good shape for the post-season despite the fact that there are five new faces in their rotation. Troy Murphy finally woke up in his fifth game with Boston last night. Carlos Arroyo is a very capable back-up to Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green brings some added athleticism off the bench.

The Bucks fell to a game and a half back of 8th place Indiana with their loss and the Pacers' victory last night. They'll look to avenge this dismal effort when they head to Atlanta to take on the Hawks Tuesday night.

-Mitch

The Laundry List of NBA Trades

I'm going to attempt a list of all the trades from the NBA's trade deadline this afternoon. They came in a flurry. If I forget one or two or mess one up, let me know. Here we go...

1. New Orleans traded scoring two-guard Marcus Thornton to the Sacramento Kings for Milwaukee native Carl Landry.

Trade works for both sides. The Hornets add frontcourt depth and the Kings get a scorer alongside 'Reke Evans.


2. Baron Davis and the LAC 1st round pick to Cleveland in exchange for "Mo" Williams and Jamario Moon.

Donald Sterling is mean. I gotta believe Baron is saltier than a volcano burrito from Taco Bell. He has to leave his hometown and Blake Griffin to go to freakin' Cleveland and play with Antawn Jamison and Anderson Varejão. Zoiks.

3. Captain Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong to the Hawks for Mike Bibby, rookie Jordan Crawford, Maurice Evans and a first round draft pick.

The only reason I care about this trade is Jordan Crawford. He's a rookie and has plenty of upside with the John Wall and the Wizards.

4. Hasheem Thabeet to Houston for Shane Battier.

Thabeet gets to return to the place he called home at the beginning of his stay in America. Otherwise this is just a cap move.

5. Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic to Beantown for Nate Robinson and Kendrick Perkins.

Makes little sense for Boston to give up their center for an athletic forward and a clumsy center, neither of whom can rebound and play good defense. They may have surrendered the Eastern Conference championship.

6. Gerald Wallace to the JailBlazers for Joel Przybilla, Dante Cunningham and two first round picks.

G-Force gets to go to a pretty solid team and contribute for the playoffs. MJ looks to the future for the Bobcats who just gave up their best player while vying for a playoff spot in the East.

7. Semih Erden and Luke Harangody to Cleveland for a second round pick in 2013.

Whoopdee-doo. The Cavs got some size.

8. Aaron Brooks to Phoenix for Goran Dragic.

I can taste the end of Steve Nash in the Valley of the Sun. While it saddens me, maybe he'll go to a better team before his time runs out.

9. Nazr Mohammed to OKC for D.J. White and Morris Peterson.

D.J. White was  GOD DAMN BEAST in college but I didn't think he was still in the league. Same goes for Mo-Pete for that matter. The Thunder have a ton of size now with Perk and Nazr.

10. Marquis Daniels was traded to Sacramento, but I have no idea what Boston got in return for him.


Initially, Daniels was expected to veto the trade but now he's going with it.


-Mikko

Congratulations Ray Allen.

(Found this on Barstool Sports: Boston)

I can still remember the day Ernie Grunfeld traded away Ray Allen from the Milwaukee Bucks. I had a hard time believing Grunfeld that the right thing to do was break up the Big 3 of Allen, Sam Cassell, and Glenn 'Big Dog' Robinson for Gary Payton. Allen is the complete opposite of Payton, just a supreme class act and had the respect of the city of Milwaukee. I can still say to this day he is one of my favorite NBA players.



Last night, Allen set the record for most three pointers made in NBA history.  He broke Reggie Miller's record, which caused Eric to cry like a school girl seeing his favorite player lose the only record he has in the association. Don't worry E, at least you got Jerry Rice!  I could watch Allen highlights all day, he has a silky smooth jumper that barely touches anything but the bottom of the net.   Allen will be in the Basketball Hall of Fame for his great career over the years from being a leader in Milwaukee, taking an average Seattle team to the playoffs, and winning an NBA title with the Boston Celtics.

I would be hard-pressed to find a better clutch outside shooter than Allen in the NBA today.  Congrats again Ray from a Milwaukee fan that wishes you were still here.

-Charlie.

NBA's Fight Night

KG appears to hit Channing Fyre in the crown jewels when he goes up with the shot.  It didn't seem like much on the replays, but as all males know, one little hit is can be brutal.

Marvin Williams is a punk.  Who hits the guy from behind, and why do you mess with Shawne Williams?  Have you seen his rap sheet?  Dude is crazy.  The commentator is wondering why they would fight... I tell you why thanks to my friend Simmons... Women or Gambling.  

-Charlie.