We’re back at it. I know it’s been a while but in my defense I was recently picked back up by Power 103.5 working Monday-Friday mornings and Saturday afternoons I just havn’t had time to write for you all in while. But things have slowed down and I finally got my rhythm so here we go again, and you know it’s all about the Playoffs.
Time to break down the matchups. Let’s start out west shall we? First off let’s just shut it down right now The Rockets aren’t stopping or even challenging the Thunder. Big Game James is the truth and Chandler Parsons is a great compliment player but their weak length is Jeremy Lin. Lin cannot stop nor slow down Russell Westbrook period. Normally I’m mad as hell at Russ for all the shooting, but when he’s able to take it to the hole as easy as he is against Lin then I’m all good and at this rate he’ll be hitting Lin up for 50 before the series is over. Expect there to be a switch on defense featuring James Harden on Russ.
O city will get the winner of the Nuggets and Warriors matchup and this one is truly up in the air. At the beginning of the series I knew it was gonna be a great matchup for the first round but I had no idea who to pick. Then I get news that Golden State’s All Star David Lee injures his hip and is out for the rest of the season. I didn’t panic because the Warriors have played without Lee for long stretches of time before and have played well.
This time however they have Andrew Bogut back, Harrison Barnes has proven he’s an all around offensive threat, and Steph Curry has emerged as a true Superstar talent. In Game 1 in Denver he nearly sent the game into OT with a 3 pointer to tie the game towards the end of the game before old man Andre Miller took it to the hole for a game winning layup. Then came game #2.
The boy was feeling it on a bad ankle going for 30 points and 13 assists. As a team they shot 64% from the field and 56% from the 3-point line hitting14-25 shots from beyond the arch. Some say you can’t win a title as a jump shooting team, I say if you have Steph curry doin most of the shooting you got a damn good chance. If Golden State can protect home then I pick them to win the series, but if Denver’s able to steal one in Oakland then expect them to get back on track at home and win the series 4-3
Next up the Spurs and Lakers… Better yet next up The Clippers and the Grizzlies. This is going down like it did last season. Yes L.A. has protected their home turf but now they have to visit the Grindhouse located in the dirty dirty. It was hard enough for the Clipps to win at Staples but now they have to go into the Grizzlies house where I expect them to win their 2 home games and even up the series. After all is said and done both teams will make adjustments but L.A. has CP3 who is a scoring machine from the point guard position.
Chris Paul can literally score anytime he wants. He tries to do what all smart point guards try to do and that’s set up his team to be successful by getting them the ball and putting them in position to be successful. However when it’s crunch time, he can take the over the game and win it for his team see game 2 from L.A.
Now out East the saga not as exciting. Like the O City/Houston matchup we expect a game or two to be competitive but we all now at the end of the day the Heat will probably sweep the Bucks. Milwaukee may have a chance to steal one game at home, but when you boast that you can beat the Heat that tends to set their focus on another level. They’re locked in and are focused on getting the Bucks in and out of the playoffs as soon as possible. Heat in 5
The Heat will take on the winners of the Brooklyn vs. Chicago series, and I’ll admit I’m baffled by this matchup. Game 1 the Nets gave the Bulls the business and I think I can safely say nobody expected Chicago to take back to back beat downs win or lose come game 2. Not only did they not get beat down but, they controlled the pace of the game and convincingly bounced back in game 2 in such a fashion that I don’t know what to expect in game 3. I will say this much though the Nets were hot in game 1, missed a lot of shots in game 2 that they would normally hit, so some can chop it up to a bad shooting night.
Deron Williams or Joe Johnson could win the game for Brooklyn in the 4th if needed, but I don’t think as a team they’ve decided who the go to man should be yet. Watching them play for their then respective teams over the last few years, the ball needs to be in Williams’s hands to win the game, if he needs to dish it, then that receiver should be Johnson. But if the Bulls play defense like they did in game 2 then the new Brooklyn Nets will need another year to gel before trying to dance with the experienced Chi Town Bulls. Bulls in 6.
The other series to watch is the Pacers and Hawks. Paul George of the Pacers just won the “Most Improved Player” award after carrying the Pacers to the playoffs in the absence of Danny Granger picking up an all star nod on the way. The defense is scary good in Indiana, anchored by Roy Hibbert and David West on that front line. Not only does their front court play good defense but they can all score too, which if they meet the Heat could be an issue, but that’s why they picked up the Birdman. I like the ATL but as usual decent season decent playoff run, but no advancing for them this year. Pacers in 6.
And finally the matchup that should be that may be getting the most attention, the Knicks and the Celtics. Two stories here, 1 are the Celtics too old? Are they blowing up the team after this season to get younger? Who will they move Pierce, Garnett, or both? The other question in the series is can Melo get out the first round? This New York team looks to be the best team Melo has played with since entering the NBA.
He’s playing dominantly on the offensive side of the ball which explains how he stopped Kevin Durant from winning his 4th straight scoring title, but part of that maybe because Russell Westbrook took most of KD’s shots away but that’s a topic for another day. Right now there’s no stopping Melo, he’s in his zone he’s feelin it. I believe the only team in the east that can stop New York is the Miami Heat, and that’s not a given. Some may say the Pacers, but only the city of Boston thinks the Celtics can run with New York. The Celtics do have the ability to run with the Knicks but then comes the 4th quarter and there veterans start looking like they’re out of gas. They lose some spring in their legs and seem to be a step or so behind. They have youth that can run but their best players are no longer on the youthful side and it has shown in the last two 4th quarters we’ve seen from the Celtics. Knicks in 6
No comments:
Post a Comment