NBA Playoffs

ROUND 1

Western Conference
Oklahoma City (1) vs. Houston (8)
San Antonio (2) vs. L.A. Lakers (7)
Denver (3) vs. Golden State (6)
L.A. Clippers (4) vs. Memphis (5)

Eastern Conference

Miami (1) vs. Milwaukee (8)
New York (2) vs. Boston (7)
Indiana (3) vs. Atlanta (6)
Brooklyn (4) vs. Chicago (5)

My predictions for Western....
OKC would win since they have such great All-stars like Westbrook and Durant
My 2 favourite teams...I would go for Spurs because they tried all season and they have AWESOME depth...WHOOOOO PATTY MILLS (Australian)
Denver would win due to depth and coaching!
I'll go for Clippers since they have such good vets like L. Odom!

Eastern:
I'm not a Miami fan so I wouldn't comment on this matchup
I'm going for Knicks because they worked really hard on this season depsite so MANY injuries....good luck vsing the Celtics because they are crazy in post-season...WHOOT GAME 7
Others...don't really watch...

So the first day of the playoffs is in the books, highlighted by a game winning shot by Andre Miller. Nuggets, Clippers, Nets and Knicks all won last night taking the their series opener. My predictions for this years playoffs are:

Western Conference
First round:
Thunder over Rockets in 6
Spurs over Lakers in 5
Denver over Warriors in 6
Clippers over Memphis in 7

Second round:
Thunder over Clippers in 6
Denver over Spurs in 7

Conference Finals:
Thunder over Spurs in 6

Eastern Conference
First round:
Heat over Bucks in 5
Nets over Bulls in 6
Pacers over Hawks in 5
Knicks over Celtics in 7

Second round:
Heat over Nets in 6
Pacers over Knicks in 7

Conference finals:
Heat over Pacers in 6

NBA Finals
Heat over Thunder in 7

Lakers are down 3-0
Celtics are down 3-0

Man...the teams I thought were going to game 7....doesn't seem to be happening

Miami and San Antonio complete the sweeps and the Bucks and Lakers are out in the first round.

What I found to be the most interesting of the playoffs so far is the injury to Russell Westbrook. Now with the Thunder's all star point guard out it opens the whole western conference up. I'm not sure if Durant can carry this team and drop the 40 a night that he will need to win. This gives teams like the spurs and clippers a great chance the make it all the way to the nba finals. Who do you guys have in the nba finals from the west this year?

go spurs go!!!

Don't be surprised if the Spurs slip past the Thunder in the Western Conference finals. If the Thunder had Westbrook then there wouldn't be any discussion. It'd just be a rematch of last years with the same outcome in the same amount of games. Lebron's on fire and all the pieces are clicking.

Update:
Thunder vs Rockets 3-2
Spurs vs Lakers 4-0
Clippers vs Grizziles 2-3
Nuggets vs Warriors 2-3

Heat vs Bucks 4-0
Knicks vs Celtics 3-2
Pacers vs Hawks 3-2
Bulls vs Nets 3-2

I'm thinking Rockets can pull off a Game 7 but would lose the series eventually
Clippers would win due to the depth
Nuggets and Warriors...man so sad for BOTH teams who lost superstar players, probs end up with Game 7, and I'm not predicting this EXCITING series
Celtics can pull of a Game 7 too but lose because without their true PG, they would be disadvantaged
And for others...I don't really watch

Second round has begun and has given us some great basketball matchups.

Thunder vs. the Grizzlies Currently tied at 1-1
The key to this matchup for the Thunder is Kevin Martin. If he can score 20 a game it will drastically help the thunders propell themselves to the finals. We can probably expect great production from Kevin Durant who has been playing wonderfully since the injury to Westbrook. The key to a Grizzlies win is in the inside presence of Gasol and Randolph who are to big for the front court of the Thunder. They will need to both post double doubles to make it to the conference finals.

Warriors vs. Spurs San Antonio up 1-0
Stephen Curry has been playing to his full potential up to this point in the playoffs and he almost single-handedly beat the spurs in game one with 44 points. If Bogut can contain Duncan I can see this series being much closer than everyone thought. The spurs on the other hand have been in this position many times. They are a veteran team unlike the warriors and have many weapons. Duncan and Parker provide many different ways that they can beat you.

Bulls vs. Heat Chicago up 1-0
I didn't get to see this game unfortunately but the emotional gutsy performance of the bulls beat the heat with great performances from Noah and Robinson. It shows the heat do have a weakness and you can beat them but I don't expect them to win another 3 times. If wade and Bosh can give some aid to James (which didn't happen in game 1) they'l win this series in 5.

Pacers vs. Knicks Tied 1-1
Probably the two most evenly matched series in the second round. The budding super star Paul George with the help of Roy Hibbert try and provide one of the best defenses that has been functional all season long. The knicks on the other hand have a veteran squad and Melo who is having one of his best seasons of his career. This one has the most potential to go to 7 games.

So in summary I'm looking forward to the rest of the games this round. What do you guys think of these matchups?

Warriors are looking like a threat to the spurs. Two big leads in both of their games of 15+ points because of the great gaurd combo of Curry and Thompson. Complement them with Bogut who is finally uninjured and this team can only get better in the next couple of years. Harrison barnes is also stepping up in the playoffs which is impressive for the rookie.

So This is a little off topic but what do you guys think about free agency? Both Dwight Howard and Chris Paul are free agents. Do you see them staying with their current teams? Or do you guys see them leaving to another city?

The conference finals seems to be taking form. The only game I could see going to 7 at this point is the warriors and spurs. Heat and pacers seem a lock and the Grizzlies are cruising past Thunder (Basically Durant is the team at this point.) The is probably the only chance for the grizzlies to ever make the finals with the group they have assembled I hope they are able to make it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Reed

Warriors are looking like a threat to the spurs. Two big leads in both of their games of 15+ points because of the great gaurd combo of Curry and Thompson. Complement them with Bogut who is finally uninjured and this team can only get better in the next couple of years. Harrison barnes is also stepping up in the playoffs which is impressive for the rookie.

So This is a little off topic but what do you guys think about free agency? Both Dwight Howard and Chris Paul are free agents. Do you see them staying with their current teams? Or do you guys see them leaving to another city?

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Nah, I love anything relevant to NBA in this thread. I think they'll BOTH stay in their respective cities. but i REALLY wonder, what the Lakers are going to do about the cap space and luxury tax

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Reed

The conference finals seems to be taking form. The only game I could see going to 7 at this point is the warriors and spurs. Heat and pacers seem a lock and the Grizzlies are cruising past Thunder (Basically Durant is the team at this point.) The is probably the only chance for the grizzlies to ever make the finals with the group they have assembled I hope they are able to make it.

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Man, I don't want Warriors and Spurs to go to game 7...SPURS FTW IN 6
Pacers are going to win, defence wins games and Jr.Smith and Felton are not shooting well AT ALL...
Heat would cruise with their win streak
and Thunder doesn't have a good chance without Westbrook since HE'S SUCH A VALUABLE player, good that people understand this now

The heat advanced to the eastern conference finals which really isn't a surprise. Who do you guys think has the best chance at beating the them? I'd personally say the grizzlies with the inside presence of Gasol and Randolph but i'm not even sure they will make it to the finals.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Piggy

Nah, I love anything relevant to NBA in this thread. I think they'll BOTH stay in their respective cities. but i REALLY wonder, what the Lakers are going to do about the cap space and luxury tax

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Rumors say that Dirk made a pitch to both of them about playing in Dallas. The assembly of another big three could be in the making. Though highly unlikely.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Reed

The heat advanced to the eastern conference finals which really isn't a surprise. Who do you guys think has the best chance at beating the them? I'd personally say the grizzlies with the inside presence of Gasol and Randolph but i'm not even sure they will make it to the finals.



Rumors say that Dirk made a pitch to both of them about playing in Dallas. The assembly of another big three could be in the making. Though highly unlikely.

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Grizziles would be so fun to watch if they vsed the Lakers...imagine Gasol + Randolph vs Gasol and Howard...BEST GAME AND western conference finals to watch...but sadly the Lakers didn't make it
If Spurs advance, I go for Spurs, they deserve it after so much time they've spent together

Really? I don't think Dallas has the amount of talent to trade for those 2 superstars....I think Clippers would trade away Eric B. instead of Chris Paul

Eastern conference Finals
Miami vs Pacers

Western
Spurs vs Grizziles

I'll go for Spurs, and good they have a 2-0 lead, just hope they don't get swept like last year like OKC

Game 1 between the heat and pacers was a great game. Paul Goerges shot to send the game to OT was great. Lebron's game winning layup wasn't to shabby either. I'm pretty sure its going to be a Spurs/Heat final and heat winning in 6.