2009 NBA Playoffs

Off Topic
1

Alright, it’s that time of the year again. Time for the NBA Playoffs!!! This season was as exciting as ever, which the emergence of the Cavs dominating the East, the resurgence of Dwayne Wade, and the relocation of one NBA Team (Go Thunder!!! Gotta make a plug for my boys).

Matchups by conference (first round):

  1. Cleveland Cavaliers v. 8. Detroit Pistons - weird to see the Pistons as an 8 seed, but the team is getting old and their time is past. Cleveland is too good overall. Cavs in 5.

  2. Boston Celtics v. 7. Chicago Bulls - Boston, without KG, will emerge, due to experience and better players, but the Bulls will not be a pushover. The are not the Bulls of old, but are a better team than most people think. Celtics in 6.

  3. Orlando Magic v. 6. Philadelphia 76ers - Magic are too dominant inside with Superman, and have a good outside game. Philly will need to fire on all cylinders for them to have a chance. Magic in 5.

  4. Atlanta Hawks v. 5. Miami Heat - Hawks are still a young team and have learned to play together, but they don’t have Dwyane Wade. Flash and Co will move on, but barely. Heat in 7.

Western Conference

  1. Los Angeles Lakers v. 8. Utah Jazz - The Jazz are actually a better team than what their 8 seed shows, but the Lakers are a much better team. Lakers in 5.

  2. Denver Nuggets v. 7. New Orleans Hornets - Two teams with great players. Billups is better for the Nuggets than Iverson, but Chris Paul is the best player in this series. The outside shooting of Peja and inside presence of Chandler will catapult the Hornets to the next round. Hornets in 6.

  3. San Antonio Spurs v. 6. Dallas Mavericks - The Spurs are hurting without Manu, and are definitely showing their age, but the Mavs won’t have enough firepower to move on in this Texas showdown. Spurs in 6.

  4. Portland Trail Blazers v. 5. Houston Rockets - Youth vs. experience. Portland is definitely a fast rising team, and even though Houston hasn’t won a first round matchup in several years, this will be the year they move on. Youth will have to wait another year. Rockets in 6.

Let’s get it on!

2

I agree with all your picks except in the West, I have Greg Oden and Brendan Roy carrying this team into the next round. Portland in 6.

3

I thought the year was 2009. Am I missing something?

4

[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
I thought the year was 2009. Am I missing something?[/quote]

No you’re not missing anything, I accidentally typed 2010. I sent a PM to a mod to have it changed.

5

[quote]hit the gym wrote:
I agree with all your picks except in the West, I have Greg Oden and Brendan Roy carrying this team into the next round. Portland in 6.[/quote]

Man, this matchup was the one I spent the longest time thinking about. I do like Portland, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they move on, but I think Houston has it together this year (hopefully).

If Portland wins though, then it’s all good. B-Roy is a beast, he’ll be good for years to come.

6

I’m ashamed I’ve only watched one NBA game this year. I need to get on top of this.

7

[quote]elusive wrote:
I’m ashamed I’ve only watched one NBA game this year. I need to get on top of this.[/quote]

TNT is showing 40 games in 40 nights. Gives you a chance to catch up.

8

Yeszir, good to see you’ve got us started again brother.

I agree with hitthegym which means I’m also NOT looking fwd to their likely 2nd round matchup. That POR squad is scary, since they actually have two bigs to keep Bynum and Gasol from getting to their spots, and of course they’ve also got that legit go-to guy down the stretch.

9

I was hoping you’d start this thread soon.

I see the playoffs have awakened you from your slumber. :slight_smile:

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[quote]chillain wrote:
Yeszir, good to see you’ve got us started again brother.

I agree with hitthegym which means I’m also NOT looking fwd to their likely 2nd round matchup. That POR squad is scary, since they actually have two bigs to keep Bynum and Gasol from getting to their spots, and of course they’ve also got that legit go-to guy down the stretch.
[/quote]

You got it bro.

Yeah I hear ya, POR is ridick, and that LAL-POR is going to be good. I think this is B-Roy’s year to break out and become more well known.

The Lakers have a legit go-to guy? Who is this guy that you speak of? LOL JK.

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[quote]AngryVader wrote:
I was hoping you’d start this thread soon.

I see the playoffs have awakened you from your slumber. :)[/quote]

VADER!!! Nice to see you here. My apologies man, been working two jobs trying to make ends meet, don’t get online much man. I’ll do a better job of making it over to your thread.

Since the Warriors didn’t make the playoffs, who do you think will win it all?

On a parting note, this is for you my friend:

12

I don’t expect to be involved with this thread as much as last season, but props to Tmoney1 for starting it nonetheless.

As much as I want to see the Lakers get their revenge for last season, I really don’t expect Boston to make it deep, and would not be at all surprised if they get tossed by Derrick and his crew(who have been playing very well in the latter half of the season).

I think that Cavs Vs. Lakers is a likely finals match-up, and I think the Lakers will win in 6. That said, I have to admit I am a little nervous about the officiating. Watching Cavaliers home games this season was kind of embarrassing for the officials. The bias awarded to the Cavs(and Lebron especially) was unprecedented.

That said, it’s the Lakers own fault for losing Home Court Advantage. They dropped games they absolutely should not have dropped. So if they are fighting an uphill battle against the refs, that’s why.

Still though, the Lakers are deeper than the Cavs. Kobe is better than Lebron, and two 7-footers is > than one 7’3"-er. All the Lakers need to do is guard the 3, harass Lebron, and execute their game and they will make short work of the Cavs.

As to your first round match-ups, I do mostly agree. The only quibble I have is with the Portland vs. Houston series. That’s definitely one to watch, I think it is very much up in the air.

13

I was wondering if TM was going to do this again. Awesome. I see some old friends here, hope we pick up some new guys that love the NBA. I agree with all Tmoney’s first round picks. Portland v. Houston is the toughest one and really could go either way, but I think I am leaning toward Houston also. I love this time of year. GO SPURS!

14

So tmoney, you’re not going to become a Nuggets fan?

15

As a die hard Chicago fan ( Bears, Bulls, Sox…) Bulls all the way!!!

On a more serious note, I am picking Dallas as my sleeper in the first round. They have to be tired of having a good season and getting blown out in the first round. And Dirk has to have cleared his throat finally from the piss poor playoffs he swallowed down in the past.

Other than that, gotta agree with the rest of the picks. Good thread “tmoney1”. Are you from OKC or from general area? I was stationed at Tinker for years until I got pulled down to Sheppard.

16

Houston will win ya’ll. Portand has won their last 6 if I am not mistaken but the Rockets slow the games down with defense and fuugly-ness.

17

Looking further down the road – I think like the rest of the world that it will be Cleveland v. Lakers in the finals and the Lakers win. But you never know. The Lakers do play in the absolute worst division in the NBA, still that’s about the only negative I can think of.

I don’t see anyone in the West beating the Lakers. Denver is looking much better with Billups. Houston has been on a tear at the end of the season. The Spurs live by the three and will die by the three. Who ever thought that would be true? But still, judging by the regular season, I don’t think any of them can take the Lakers in a seven game series.

In the east I am intrigued by Orlando. Can they get to the top? I think the Celts are in trouble without KG. I really don’t see anybody else in the East besides the Cavs and possibly Orlando. But who knows weird things happen in the playoffs.

18

[quote]tmoney1 wrote:
AngryVader wrote:
I was hoping you’d start this thread soon.

I see the playoffs have awakened you from your slumber. :slight_smile:

VADER!!! Nice to see you here. My apologies man, been working two jobs trying to make ends meet, don’t get online much man. I’ll do a better job of making it over to your thread.

Since the Warriors didn’t make the playoffs, who do you think will win it all?

On a parting note, this is for you my friend:

Baron Davis Dunks Over Andrei Kirilenko! - YouTube [/quote]

That is still one of the sickest playoff dunks ever!

I’m thinking we’ll have a Lakers vs Cavs finals. I think the Lakers will win, but I’ll likely be rooting for the Cavs to win it all.

19

[quote]tmoney1 wrote:
elusive wrote:
I’m ashamed I’ve only watched one NBA game this year. I need to get on top of this.

TNT is showing 40 games in 40 nights. Gives you a chance to catch up.[/quote]

yup, the time is now to start watching NBA. The playoffs is going to be incredible!! Cant Wait, Cant Wait!!!

20

Tmoney, you have done it again. I was pleasantly surprised to see The Nation’s resident NBA fan start the PLAYOFFS THREAD. For me, this is undoubtedly the best couple weeks in sports throughout the year.

I will touch on a couple over-arching themes, rather than discussing every team/match up.

Starting with MY Los Angeles Lakers. This one is obvious. Lakers in the NBA Finals, no questions asked, not a single concern in my mind. I don’t get the hullabaloo around Portland. Yes they are young, yes they are fresh, yes they have exciting players, yes they have a closer in B. Roy, and yes they have beat the Lakers twice at home this season. But thats the regular season, boys. When the bright lights of the playoffs come on, their respective assholes will all suddenly tighten up. I will be surprised if they get passed a more experienced Houston team.

The rest of the West deserves no discussion.

The East has several major players this year. The entire landscape and structure of the Celtics team has changed with the loss of KG. His absence notwithstanding, I believe the Celtics know how to win, are an extremely scrappy bunch, and have that mental toughness edge over the rest of the poseurs. I see them in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The best description that I’ve heard of the Orlando Magic is that they are a “mirage.” Perfect description. Lots of flash, lots of smiles, but ultimately they lack the mental toughness and the heart to battle through the East.

The Cavs. Lebron. Lebron. Lebron. Lebron and his band of misfits have played beyond themselves all year. What is left to be said about Bron Bron? The guy is an absolute, once in a lifetime, FREAK OF NATURE. His teammates like him and he is a natural leader. I expect him to inspire confidence in his teammates through his play and through his leadership. They are a lock for the finals, and will dispose of the Celtics in 6 (not without a fight though).

That leaves us with a Lakers/Cavs Finals. I believe the Lakers possess the psychological edge, the experience, and ridiculously more talent than the Cavs. I see Lakers winning this in not more than 6.

LAKERS CHAMPS IN 2009.