The moment that NBA fans have been waiting for since November is finally here! The playoffs are about to start in less than one hour. These playoffs are going to be one of the most intriguing there have been in awhile. For my predicitions, I will be picking which teams win, in how many games, and why. I think I be able to do pretty well since each series is a best-of-seven series. In my opinion, the playoffs are where legacies are made. With that said, here are my first round predictions for the 2010-11 NBA playoffs.
Eastern Conference
1. Chicago Bulls vs. 8. Indiana Pacers: Bulls in 4
The Chicago Bulls are the team with the best record in the NBA. Led by point guard and MVP candidate Derrick Rose, I expect them to clean up the Pacers in no problem. Having to match up with the Pacers is perfect for this young team to get a quick series under their belt. I love the Bulls to advance to the Conference Semi-Finals.
2. Miami Heat vs. 7. Philadelphia 76ers: Heat in 5
It's time for the South Beach Super Friends to show what they can do in the playoffs. This is the reason why they came together in early July. I'm not sure there is any team in the East that can hang with the Heat in a seven-game series. The combination of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will be too much for a young 76ers team. Philly will probably win game 3, but I don't expect much after that.
3. Boston Celtics vs. 6. New York Knicks: Celtics in 6
When the seedings were finalized, this was the series I was most excited to watch. It's Boston and it's New York. It's hard to get much better than that. The Celtics are limping into the playoffs right now, but we saw this act from them last season and they ended up in the NBA Finals. They're matched up with a high-powered Knicks team that can score with anyone. I believe the Celtics will use their defense to get by the Knickerbockers in what should be a fun and entertaining series.
4. Orlando Magic vs. 5. Atlanta Hawks: Magic in 6
I hate to say this, but the Hawks are the prototypical regular season team in my opinion. I don't think they can beat the Magic in a seven-game series at all. Magic center Dwight Howard will be a force in this series. Orlando is a very dangerous team because nobody expects much from them and they have a lot of offensive fire power. This is a team that I have a close eye on.
Western Conference
1. San Antonio Spurs vs. 8. Memphis Grizzlies: Spurs in 6
This is the perfect matchup between experience and youth. In the playoffs I'll take youth nine out of ten times though. San Antonio has a great coach and they play great basketball. Although I believe the Spurs will win, I do think the Grizzlies can cause them some problems. The games in Memphis will be highly competitive. I'll take the Spurs to win in 6 games.
2. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 7. New Orleans Hornets: Lakers in 4
All indications are that Lakers center Andrew Bynum will be healthy for the playoffs. If that's the case the Lakers should wipe the Hornets up in 4 games. The Hornets are without David West so point guard Chris Paul will have to carry the whole team. That's not going to work against this Lakers team who are poised to three-peat as champs.
3. Dallas Mavericks vs. 6. Portland Trail Blazers: Trail Blazers in 6
I'm kind of scared to pick this series. A lot of people are on the Trail Blazers bandwagon right now. The Mavericks are not getting any love which can motivate a team. At the end of the day though, the Blazers should be able to advance to the Conference Semi-Finals. Power forward Lamarcus Aldridge is playing with his hair on fire and should dominate in this series. Nowitzki and the Mavs will have to go back to the drawing board this summer after another first round exit.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 5. Denver Nuggets: Thunder in 7
This is the series to watch in the West. These two teams are evenly matched which should make for a phenomenal seven-game series. Oklahoma City small forward Kevin Durant will impose his will on the Nuggets defense. These pesky Nuggets will not go down easy though. I think both teams will win one road game and then it will come down to a seventh and final game in OKC. In game 7, stars win out most of the time. The Nuggets are quite the story but they don't have enough to beat this Thunder team.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
DTTWSB Regular Season NBA Awards
Now that the 2010-11 NBA regular season is over, it's time to hand out some awards. This has been the most exciting NBA season in recent memory. I haven't been keeping track of it here on the blog, but I've definitely kept a close eye on the league. I can't wait to see what the post season has in store for us! It's going to be an exciting playoff throughout I believe. With that said, here are my regular season awards.
Most Valuable Player: LeBron James
The King has not been a popular fellow ever since he took his talents to South Beach, but his play has more than backed up his reputation of being the league's best player. The Heat small forward put up stellar numbers this season (27 ppg, 7 rpg, and 7 apg). A lot of people thought that it would be questionable whether he was the best player on the Heat because he's now paired up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but I think he established his dominance from the opening night. No player in the league faces anywhere near the amount of scrutiny he faces on a nightly basis. Even with all the pressure, he had a phenomenal season and deserves his third-straight MVP award.
Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard
No player in the league impacts the defensive side of the ball like Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. That's why he's my pick for DPOY. The big fella controls the paint by blocking/altering shots. His presence allows the perimeter defenders to play tighter defense because he acts as a safety blanket in the back. I cannot even imagine how bad the Magic defense would be without Howard. With him on the court, he makes the other four players he plays with a lot better defenders. You would be hard-pressed to find another player that plays defense the way Howard does in this league.
Rookie of the Year: Blake Griffin
The Los Angeles Clippers power forward is a slam dunk for this award. If he doesn't win by a unanimous vote then there is something wrong with who ever voted different. Other than Miami Heat small forward LeBron James, I don't think there is a more athletic freak in the NBA. Griffin has brought a buzz back to an organization that looked dead in the water a few years ago. As a rookie, he averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds a game while making the Western Conference All-Star team. That is a very impressive stat line for any player let alone a rookie. The Clips have definitely found themselves a piece that they can build around for the future.
Most Improved Player: Kevin Love
Mr. Love (as ESPN's Dick Vitale used to call him) has had himself one heck of a year. Last season he averaged 14 points and 11 rebounds per game which are pretty good numbers. This season though, he stepped it up and averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds per game. The Minnesota Timberwolves power forward led the league in rebounds per game this season. Mr. Love new nickname should be Mr. Double-double since he had a streak of 52 straight dating back to last season. I don't think Love is a go-to-guy on a championship team but he can definitely be a Robin to sombody's Batman. The T'Wolves got themselves a productive player.
Sixth Man of the Year: Lamar Odom
The Candy Man himself, Los Angeles Lakers power forward Lamar Odom is my pick for Sixth Man of the Year. Odom serves as instant offensive production off the bench for the two-time defending champions. His stat line of 15 points and 9 rebounds per game is crazy since he doesn't even start. Down the stretch Lakers head coach Phil Jackson always has Odom in the game. He's as versatile a player we have in this league. There's nothing on the court he cannot do. The funny thing is that he could probably start for 95 percent of the teams in this league. That probably speaks to how good the Lakers have been the past few seasons. Odom is definitely a valuable piece to their franchise.
Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau
Chicago Bulls rookie head coach Tom Thibodeau would have to be my Coach of the Year. What he's done with that Bulls team in only one season is remarkable. To be honest, I didn't think Thibodeau was a good hire for the Bulls this summer, but he's done nothing but prove me wrong. Last season the Bulls were the eight seed in the East; they now have the best record in the entire league. Thibodeau successfully implented the defensive scheme he used in Boston to Chicago. Right now the Bulls are the hottest team in the league heading into the playoffs. Let's see if Thibs and company can do it in the playoffs.
Real quick, here is my All-NBA 1st and 2nd team:
All-NBA 1st team
PG: Derrick Rose
SG: Dwyane Wade
SF: LeBron James
PF: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Dwight Howard
All-NBA 2nd team
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Pau Gasol
C: Al Horford
Most Valuable Player: LeBron James
The King has not been a popular fellow ever since he took his talents to South Beach, but his play has more than backed up his reputation of being the league's best player. The Heat small forward put up stellar numbers this season (27 ppg, 7 rpg, and 7 apg). A lot of people thought that it would be questionable whether he was the best player on the Heat because he's now paired up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but I think he established his dominance from the opening night. No player in the league faces anywhere near the amount of scrutiny he faces on a nightly basis. Even with all the pressure, he had a phenomenal season and deserves his third-straight MVP award.
Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard
No player in the league impacts the defensive side of the ball like Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. That's why he's my pick for DPOY. The big fella controls the paint by blocking/altering shots. His presence allows the perimeter defenders to play tighter defense because he acts as a safety blanket in the back. I cannot even imagine how bad the Magic defense would be without Howard. With him on the court, he makes the other four players he plays with a lot better defenders. You would be hard-pressed to find another player that plays defense the way Howard does in this league.
Rookie of the Year: Blake Griffin
The Los Angeles Clippers power forward is a slam dunk for this award. If he doesn't win by a unanimous vote then there is something wrong with who ever voted different. Other than Miami Heat small forward LeBron James, I don't think there is a more athletic freak in the NBA. Griffin has brought a buzz back to an organization that looked dead in the water a few years ago. As a rookie, he averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds a game while making the Western Conference All-Star team. That is a very impressive stat line for any player let alone a rookie. The Clips have definitely found themselves a piece that they can build around for the future.
Most Improved Player: Kevin Love
Mr. Love (as ESPN's Dick Vitale used to call him) has had himself one heck of a year. Last season he averaged 14 points and 11 rebounds per game which are pretty good numbers. This season though, he stepped it up and averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds per game. The Minnesota Timberwolves power forward led the league in rebounds per game this season. Mr. Love new nickname should be Mr. Double-double since he had a streak of 52 straight dating back to last season. I don't think Love is a go-to-guy on a championship team but he can definitely be a Robin to sombody's Batman. The T'Wolves got themselves a productive player.
Sixth Man of the Year: Lamar Odom
The Candy Man himself, Los Angeles Lakers power forward Lamar Odom is my pick for Sixth Man of the Year. Odom serves as instant offensive production off the bench for the two-time defending champions. His stat line of 15 points and 9 rebounds per game is crazy since he doesn't even start. Down the stretch Lakers head coach Phil Jackson always has Odom in the game. He's as versatile a player we have in this league. There's nothing on the court he cannot do. The funny thing is that he could probably start for 95 percent of the teams in this league. That probably speaks to how good the Lakers have been the past few seasons. Odom is definitely a valuable piece to their franchise.
Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau
Chicago Bulls rookie head coach Tom Thibodeau would have to be my Coach of the Year. What he's done with that Bulls team in only one season is remarkable. To be honest, I didn't think Thibodeau was a good hire for the Bulls this summer, but he's done nothing but prove me wrong. Last season the Bulls were the eight seed in the East; they now have the best record in the entire league. Thibodeau successfully implented the defensive scheme he used in Boston to Chicago. Right now the Bulls are the hottest team in the league heading into the playoffs. Let's see if Thibs and company can do it in the playoffs.
Real quick, here is my All-NBA 1st and 2nd team:
All-NBA 1st team
PG: Derrick Rose
SG: Dwyane Wade
SF: LeBron James
PF: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Dwight Howard
All-NBA 2nd team
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Pau Gasol
C: Al Horford
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The race for NBA MVP
First and foremost, I would like to state that this has been the most exciting NBA regular season that I've ever watched. The popularity of the game is at its highest it has ever been since Michael Jordan left the Chicago Bulls. Most of the credit should go to the free agent class of 2010. They shook up the pro basketball world by creating "super teams" to try and win a championship.
With that said, I have a bone to pick with the majority of people that have been watching the NBA this season. For some reason everyone thinks the MVP race is just about wrapped up. I'm going to argue the opposite...
This season there are three players who have been coined true MVP candidates. Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, and the reigning two-time MVP Miami Heat small forward LeBron James. All three of them are very deserving to be considered for the trophy.
Before I break down who my leading MVP candidate is, I would like to explain to you my definition of the award. The MVP of any given NBA season must be the best player on his team first and foremost. He should clearly be one of the most productive players in the league night in and night out.
Right now, the media's run away MVP winner is Rose. The Bulls point guard has had an outstanding season, and has surprisingly led Chicago to the top seed in the Eastern conference with about six games left to play in the season. He's one of the great players in this league but he's not my MVP. The reason why is because there are two guys that deserve it more, Dwight Howard and LeBron James.
In my opinion, the MVP discussion should only consist of those two. According to ESPN's John Hollinger, they have been statistically the two best players in the league by far. Could you honestly replace a player like Dwight Howard? There's no big man in the NBA that controls the paint the way he does. As for LeBron James, he's clearly the best player in the league in my opinion.
He's joined up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and has still produced the best PER rating in the NBA. You cannot overlook his contribution to that team just because you don't like the guy. If you want to truly talk most valuable player, take a look at the Cleveland Cavaliers. With James, they had the best record in the league the previous two seasons. Now they're the leagues whipping boys.
I also think that the Bulls would be awful if they didn't have Rose, but I don't think he's as valuable as the other two guys. If you put Russell Westbrook on the Chicago Bulls do you really think they would have a big drop off? Try putting a different small forward on the Heat besides James and see whay happens. They would be a playoff team but clearly not the number two seed.
Also, my biggest gripe with Rose is that he is not in the top five in any of the major statistical categories. That puts a major black eye on his MVP campaign. James is second in the league in scoring while Howard is second in rebounding and fourth in blocks.
The reason why I think everyone wants to crown Rose as the MVP is because nobody expected the Bulls to be this good, and nobody wants to give James a third-straight MVP. That's bullshit if you ask me. If the guy deserves it then give it to him until somebody else takes it away. The only player this year that can challenge James for the crown is Howard in my opinion.
Unfortunately for Howard, James and the Heat have a better record than the Magic. Even though Howard's numbers have been gaudy (23.2 ppg, 14.2 rpg, 2.4 blkpg), it's just not enough to pass James' 26-7-7 which dominates Rose's stat line. I'm usually not a stats guy but this whole notion of James and Howard being out of the race is crazy.
If you had to tell you today who was leading my MVP race I would say LeBron James by a narrow margin over Dwight Howard. There are still several games left so it might change in the next couple of weeks.
With that said, I have a bone to pick with the majority of people that have been watching the NBA this season. For some reason everyone thinks the MVP race is just about wrapped up. I'm going to argue the opposite...
This season there are three players who have been coined true MVP candidates. Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, and the reigning two-time MVP Miami Heat small forward LeBron James. All three of them are very deserving to be considered for the trophy.
Before I break down who my leading MVP candidate is, I would like to explain to you my definition of the award. The MVP of any given NBA season must be the best player on his team first and foremost. He should clearly be one of the most productive players in the league night in and night out.
Right now, the media's run away MVP winner is Rose. The Bulls point guard has had an outstanding season, and has surprisingly led Chicago to the top seed in the Eastern conference with about six games left to play in the season. He's one of the great players in this league but he's not my MVP. The reason why is because there are two guys that deserve it more, Dwight Howard and LeBron James.
In my opinion, the MVP discussion should only consist of those two. According to ESPN's John Hollinger, they have been statistically the two best players in the league by far. Could you honestly replace a player like Dwight Howard? There's no big man in the NBA that controls the paint the way he does. As for LeBron James, he's clearly the best player in the league in my opinion.
He's joined up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and has still produced the best PER rating in the NBA. You cannot overlook his contribution to that team just because you don't like the guy. If you want to truly talk most valuable player, take a look at the Cleveland Cavaliers. With James, they had the best record in the league the previous two seasons. Now they're the leagues whipping boys.
I also think that the Bulls would be awful if they didn't have Rose, but I don't think he's as valuable as the other two guys. If you put Russell Westbrook on the Chicago Bulls do you really think they would have a big drop off? Try putting a different small forward on the Heat besides James and see whay happens. They would be a playoff team but clearly not the number two seed.
Also, my biggest gripe with Rose is that he is not in the top five in any of the major statistical categories. That puts a major black eye on his MVP campaign. James is second in the league in scoring while Howard is second in rebounding and fourth in blocks.
The reason why I think everyone wants to crown Rose as the MVP is because nobody expected the Bulls to be this good, and nobody wants to give James a third-straight MVP. That's bullshit if you ask me. If the guy deserves it then give it to him until somebody else takes it away. The only player this year that can challenge James for the crown is Howard in my opinion.
Unfortunately for Howard, James and the Heat have a better record than the Magic. Even though Howard's numbers have been gaudy (23.2 ppg, 14.2 rpg, 2.4 blkpg), it's just not enough to pass James' 26-7-7 which dominates Rose's stat line. I'm usually not a stats guy but this whole notion of James and Howard being out of the race is crazy.
If you had to tell you today who was leading my MVP race I would say LeBron James by a narrow margin over Dwight Howard. There are still several games left so it might change in the next couple of weeks.
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