thegiftedlife.com

We have to stop meeting like this; you know, me blogging only when there is a big-time basketball tournament with teams from across the nation participating captivating sports fans everywhere. You probably think I planned it, that I couldn’t think of any more blog ideas and just waited for another basketball event, that I must be the laziest blogger in the world (erroneous–you haven’t met EVERYONE in the world, that would require an amazing amount of leg work on your part). Regardless, I’m going to give you my predictions (because I didn’t embarrass myself enough with my NCAA picks) for this NBA postseason.

Cleveland vs. Bulls (Prediction CLE 4-0)
Okay, in full disclosure, Game 2 just went off and the Cavs are already up 2 games to 0, but be seriously I could pick this series in my sleep (and maybe I am, since finals-cramming started I’m having a Matrix of a time deciding if what I am doing is real or a dream). But the Bulls are just overmatched because they don’t have LeBron. Seriously, he’s the best player in the league (and has been for a couple of years). He has made everyone on that team better and has that team working like a well-oiled machine. Of course, last year they ran through the first two series undefeated last year and ran into a buzzsaw in Orlando. But ESPN analyst Chris Broussard (who has been following them for awhile) says they have a different look this year, so only time will tell.

With a legit team around him, it's finally the King's time

Orlando vs. Bobcats (Prediction: Bobcats 4-3)
So, you remember how I said I learned my lesson about picking with my heart…yea, me neither. This series will be all about the maturation of Raymond Felton (I PROMISE him being a UNC alumus is just a coincidence). Felton is (like Jameer) a quick, heady, and offensively capable guard. He was lit up in the first game as Jameer went for 21 in the first half (Felton finished with a respectable 19 points). The length of Gerald Wallace, Stephen Jackson, and Boris Diaw will bother the perimeter players of the Magic, provided they don’t have to double off their man because Jameer is streaking towards the goal.
And there is Dwight.
Dwight Howard is NOT Shaq despite the seeming similarities (gregarious physical freak of a big man playing in ORL). Shaq is one of the most potent offensive weapons to have ever graced the League—Dwight Howard is a phenomenal defensive juggernaut who is mediocre on the offensive end. We have 18 fouls (also known as Tyson Chandler, Nazr Mohammed, and Theo Ratliff) that should reduce him to a non-factor (another guy that could be fun to watch in this series is Tyrus Thomas, he’s an athletic, tough power forward that can guard multiple positions; if Coach Larry Brown doesn’t shorten his rotation too much, he could be a serious factor in this series).

Hawks vs. Bucks (Prediction Hawks 4-1)
You can witness the precise moment when this series became lame and predictable. Once Bogut went down, this scrappy Bucks team lost its most consistent player. In the half-court dominated playoffs, a big man that can consistently score with his back to the basket in the paint is like a virgin after freshman week—rare. The Hawks should win all of these games, but knowing this team, they’ll come out flat one night and get blown out before closing out the series properly.
Quick aside: Brandon Jennings deserves the Rookie of the Year. No his numbers (roughly 15 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast) aren’t as strong as Tyreke Evans (20 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast) or Steph Curry (17, 5, 6), but he got numbers in tightly contested games down the stretch, which makes his numbers much more valuable and elevate him above guys who were putting in work in games out of contention.

Boston vs. Miami (Prediction Boston 4-2)
Let it be said that Rajon Rondo is in the conversation for best point guard in the NBA (and one of the joys of the league to watch as well). He does EXACTLY what that team needs; he distributes, plays hawking man on man defense (as well as being omnipresent in the passing lanes), and even finds ways to score (by far the worst part of his game) when the team is in need of stopping a run or jumpstarting their own offense. He has a nose for the ball and is seemingly involved in every major possession of a Boston game.
That said, Dwayne Wade is the best player in this series. Usually in those instances I say that the team with the best player has a puncher’s chance of winning. But watching Wade this year, Ive felt like he has played with an eye on free agency the whole time. I think that he wants and needs help and when he didn’t get it this year (either through an acquisition, or his team gelling) that the air went out of his sails.
On a related note, I don’t know what has happened to Michael Beasley. I LOVED his game coming out of KSU. I thought he was going to come in and be a young Elton Brand—20 pts and 10 reb coming off the bus. Instead he has been mired in personal problems away from the court (including an alleged trip to rehab) and an inability to stay in his coaches’ good graces getting sat for large parts of games. If Wade leaves, his departure will be directly tied to Beasley’s development…or, rather, lack thereof.

West
LA Lakers vs. OKC Thunder (Prediction LA 4-1)
This is the natural archetype: the old veterans vs. the talented upstarts. I’d like to come up with something more original, but…well…I got nothing. In all seriousness the Thunder aren’t ready to win this series, but Russell Westbrook’s national coming out party will be located in this series, especially with AARP All-star Derek Fisher covering him.
Oh, and Kobe is past his prime.

(Waiting…)
Ok, you calm yet Kobe-lovers (I debated with calling you guys meat lovers because Kobe is a type of beef, but that would’ve spun into some really inappropriate comments and it’s far too early in my writing career to start alienating readers)?
I’m not saying Kobe isn’t a really good player, probably still great. But all those injuries he is accruing, and his inability to put up back to back great games show that he’s older and not as good as he used to be. That is the definition of “no longer in his prime”. The debate over who is the best LeBron or Kobe is over. Kobe, at his best, MAY have been better; that time, however, is over. I’m personally hoping (as an admitted hater of Kobe Bryant) that this series goes longer than 5 games (further draining the team), but OKC just doesn’t have the experience or size down low (that’s what she said) to really compete with the defending champions.
The real question, is whether Kobe knows that he isn’t the same player. After watching the Lakers play OKC, Kobe still isn’t deferring to Gasol. For a guy with uncommonly high basketball acumen, to go away from the strength that your team has over the other team is counterintuitive…unless that pride that allowed him to become the best player in the league (at one point) will now lead to his undoing.

Dallas Mavs vs. San Antonio Spurs (Prediction Mavs 4-2)
The Mavs were winning in the regular season (yawn). Dirk was putting up monster games (snore). The Mavs make a midseason move to get tougher, better defensively, and overall improve their team’s depth (5 hour energy to the vein). The Mavs have been the fun girl you hang out with (quality regular season wins) but NEVER plan to propose to (no chip, no rings). This year, though, they added Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood (those damn UNC players keep popping up in the playoffs, I wonder why). This year, they have rugged defenders (in addition to Butler and Haywood, DeShawn Stevenson is a quality perimeter defender) and potent scoring options. They are the deepest team in the playoffs (perennial sixth-man of the year candidate Jason Terry, Stevenson, and Haywood all come off the bench) and are battle tested (did I mention they have point guard Benjamin Button—I mean Jason Kidd). This is the best year for them to win the chip since their collapse in the 2006 Finals.

What can you say about the Spurs? They are the Western conference version of the Celtics; a team that is simply over the (George) Hill (see what I did there?). Too many games played with stars that play summer competitive hoops plus an under-producing Richard Jefferson and this team is in need of a new direction. Granted, I have them going to six games, but that’s just out of respect of that “champions never die” gene. Their pride won’t let them get swept and I can envision them stealing one in Dallas on top of that.

Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trailblazers (Prediction: Phoenix 4-2)
Part of the reason that I want to be an NBA GM is that I honestly see things before the professionals do (or at least before they act on these thoughts). When Kevin Durant was drafted, the Seattle Supersonics (later, when they moved to Oklahoma City they would change the name) I knew that at a gangly 6’9 he was too slow afoot to stay with pro 2 guards. A year and a half later, the Thunder agreed too and moved him to the rightful position of small forward…and he promptly began his tear through the association.
A similar situation presented itself when Amare started clamoring to be traded. I knew it was because he was tired of playing center when he was a clear power forward (Atlanta I’m looking at you). After years of having him there, Shaq’s incorporation caused Amare’s number’s to jump. Now with Lopez, he looks even more devastating than he was pre-microfracture surgery. Add Grant Hill, Jared Dudley, to Lopez (As well as coach Alvin Gentry) and suddenly the desert’s version of the Mavericks had become tough as well.
Their lowkey weakness is at point guard. (I’ll give you Nash fans a third of the time I gave the Kobe fanatics in order to recover)
While Nash is among the best shooters in the league (for the fourth time Nash is shooting 50% from the floor, 40% from the 3 point line and 90% from the FT line something never before accomplished) he is a horrible liability on the defensive end. Andre Miller already went for 55 this year, I could see him having a BIG series. Moreover, whenever you look at his numbers, remember to include all the points he’s given up at the other end,; suddenly his 17 pts a game are not as appealing. Still, he led the league in assists, so he helps get everyone involved. But I hesitate to call him one of the best when he doesn’t play defense AND he goes David Copperfield in crunch time (in a one possession game, Jared Dudley took two 3s before Nash jacked up one that barely touched iron in the first game of this series).
The trailblazers are a great team…when healthy. They haven’t been healthy all year, and (as an epitome of their season) lost their top tier player Brandon Roy right before the start of the playoffs. My fellow Enloe High School Alum Nate McMillan should get coach of the year after dealing with all these injuries and still guiding them to the playoffs. They will make the games entertaining because of their unbelievable depth (Jerryd Bayless, Anthony Batum, Martell Webster, and Rudy Fernandez are all capable of major contributions) but in the end they are missing too much.

Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz (Prediction Denver 4-1)
Another potentially great series derailed by injuries. Utah Jazz are missing Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko. Okur stretches the Defense and makes opposing centers guard on the perimeter. AK47 (Kirilenko’s nickname) is a shut down defender and overall utility guy. With both of them out, they will be outgunned by Melo and company. They will get a win, perhaps two, but this series was over before it started.
The Nuggets miss George Karl (I hope he is doing well and takes his health as a priority over basketball) and are not the same team under interim coach Adrian Dantley. They will need to rally around their floor leader Chauncey Billups…and Billups will need to understand that he is not the shot taker on this team when the game gets late.

Finals (Prediction CLE 4-3 over the Lakers)
I have Nike’s wet dream of LeBron and Kobe in the final with the Cavs winning in 7. This is LeBron’s year. He is on a quality team (I still think the Lakers with a healthy Bynum are the most talented), with the capability of winning the title. Their winning will rest on Mo Williams actually showing up for the playoffs, and Antawn Jamison finally finding his niche on the team. All Williams is asked to do is hit his spot up 3 pointers (he often doesn’t even initiate the offense), but last year against the Magic he played hooky. Jamison is used to getting his points on a team (Wizards) where he scored despite not handling the ball much. The Cavs need him to do more off the dribble, especially when LeBron is sitting on the bench.
Well those are my picks kids who y’all got?

Tags: NBA, Playoffs