Alright, as always, we must go back before we can move forward....I'm speaking of my 1st round of NBA playoff picks, I'm not that freakin' profound. There's what I said would happen, and what did happen...
I said Cleveland would beat Chicago in 5 games. Yup, that happened.
I said Atlanta would beat Milwaukee in 5 games...Uh, they are playing game 7 tomorrow afternoon.
I said the C's would beat Miami in 6 games. Well, it would've been a sweep if Dwayne Wade didn't own game 4, so the C's won in 5.
I said Orlando would beat Charlotte in 5 games...it took 4.
Eastern Conference-I'm 3 for 3 in series that have ended, just not in the amount of games.
I said the Nuggets would beat the Jazz in 6 games...oofah. And if you watched last night's 4th quarter, you will agree with me that this Nuggets team needs to be blown up and start all over again. 'Mr. Big Shot', Chauncey Billups, is a lovely coming home story. He's also an overrated PG who can be beat off the dribble and takes too many shots. I also love getting that technical foul towards the end of the game. Brilliant leadership. He's Jason Kidd without the ability to lead the break. Oh, and while I'm on the subject of blowing up that team-I'm of the opinion that the management needs to keep a few players, mostly Carmelo Anthony, but it's time to rid the team of the thugs and morons on this team...buh-bye to Kenyon Martin and his antics, JR 'Swish' (a guy who shoots 30% from 3 cannot swish a damn thing) and his ball-hogging. Seriously, this is not a good group of players, they have overvalued themselves and did not play thru their best player. Do you the Cavs wouldn't let LeBron touch the ball on damn near every possession when the 4th quarter rolls around? Me neither.
I said the Fakers would beat Oklahoma City in 6 games. It took 5, and a tip-in with 0.5 seconds last night, the way to beat the Lakers is easy. Pick-n-roll them to death with a PG that can hit a jumpshot...hello to Deron Williams.
I said San Antonio would beat Dallas in 7 games, it took 6.
I said Phoenix would beat Portland in 5 games, took 6.
So, what does this mean for the next round? It only means that I wish that all sports were like hockey in two specific ways. First, the playoff beard-it's awesome. And second, re-seeding. I love this idea and wish the NFL would do it, too. On to the next....
Celtics vs. Cleveland
I love this. Every pundit is picking this as the coronation of LeBron. And with good reason. This is the best team he's had around him. Add in the midseason trade for Antawn Jamison, and this Cavaliers team is much better than the team that took the C's to 7 games two years ago. But winning an individual award (James just won his 2nd straight MVP) means nothing, and he's more hurt with that right elbow than he is letting on. Either that or he's a tremendous actor. I'm a homer, and I admit this outright. And here's my reason I'm picking the C's, in 6 games, over Cleveland. Game 2 vs. Miami. We need to write a thank you letter to Quentin Richardson, SF for the Heat. He ticked off the Celtics as a team. He also woke them up to do the things that they weren't doing all year. All of a sudden, the defense was rotating, the rolls after the picks were stronger to the hoop. And most importantly, they are picking each other up. Not sure what I mean? Well, up until this season, everytime a guy got knocked down on a foul, or a loose ball, that guys teammates on the floor would help him up. This year it didn't happen so much, very rare occasion. Until Game 2. After Kevin Garnett got suspended for it, it's like they all realized that they had to get back to basics. So for the rest of that series, it was picking each other up. There seems to be more unity. And that's why I, the homer, am picking the C's in 6.
Milwaukee/Atlanta vs. Orlando-TBD
San Antonio vs. Phoenix
This is great, yet another two teams who don't really like each other. Unfortunately, Phoenix PG Steve Nash can't cover anyone, and can be exploited by the whole backcourt of San Antonio. Based on that, I'm taking San Antonio in 5.
Utah vs. Los Angeles
Here is the Fakers problem. They were just taken to 5 games by a team with no inside presence, only a point guard and a lanky forward who led the league in scoring during the regular season. Derek Fisher is too old and slow to cover Deron Williams. But Carlos Boozer is at a size disadvantage against Gasol and Bynum. Utah could get back AK47, Andrei Kirilenko. That would be a huge plus for them. Doesn't really matter if the Fakers decide to use their inside game more than shooting jumpers. I think they will be that smart. LA in 6.
Now, after Marc Savard comes back to the Bruins to hit the game-winning goal in OT, it's going to be one hell of a Saturday.
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