Western Conference First Round Preview

Seven teams finished with at least 50 wins this season and the only team that didn't, the Dallas Mavericks 49-33, would have been good enough for third in the East.  It is a conference that has been very competitive and tough to tell who its best team really is.  Some say its the Clippers, others OKC, and usually people just sleep on the team that always ends up being there, the San Antonio Spurs.  The one thing I do know about these first round match up's is that no one knows for sure who is going to come out of this conference.  So without further or do, here is your preview of the West first round match ups.

#8 Dallas Mavericks v.s. #1 San Antonio Spurs

Losing in heart breaking fashion in the NBA Finals was hard for the San Antonio Spurs to deal with, but now they are back.  The team that everyone always overlooks is back where they always seem to be, on top of the Western Conference.  They have the same core group from last year and they actually added a key bench player from Chicago in Marco Belinelli.  As for the Mavericks, they had to claw their way into the playoffs and fight off the Phoenix Suns for the last spot.  Led by Dirk Nowitzki, and Monta Ellis the Mavericks are ready to present a serious challenge to San Antonio.  The great thing about both of these teams is they play great team basketball and it will be interesting to see how they match up.  Covering Tony Parker will be a challenge for Jose Calderon and Devin Harris of Dallas.  The Spurs come into the postseason playing their best basketball of the season and they don't do it with one guy, its a very balanced scoring attack.  Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, and Boris Diaw have fit into their roles quite nicely and they seem to be poised for a deep playoff run.  I don't expect Dallas to be a serious test to the Spurs as their depth, shooting, and skill will prove to be too much for a thin Mavericks line up.  

My Prediction: Spurs win series 4-1 


#5 Portland Trail Blazers v.s. #4 Houston Rockets 

There is a lot of pressure on the Houston Rockets to go far in this year's playoffs.  If you look at it, Dwight Howard is always criticized for not being able to get it done in the post season and the same can be said for James Harden.  Both of these teams went through many ups and downs for the year and they find themselves facing each other in a series that appears to be even.  Star power is in favor of the Rockets, but Portland might have the better starting 5.  Its one of the best in the league and they are all very efficient led by LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard along with Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews, and Robin Lopez.  Bench scoring is an advantage for Houston as they have Jeremy Lin, Omer Asik, and Omri Casspi who are all very productive.  My favorite match up to watch out for comes at small forward with Chandler Parsons and Nicolas Batum.  Both players are 3-point shooters who can do other things offensively as well which makes them tough covers.  Expect a very high scoring series because both teams can put up a lot of points.  In the end, having home court and being a little bit deeper really helps Houston in this one.  It also helps to have probably the two best players in this series on your team in Howard and Harden.

My Prediction: Rockets win series 4-2

#6 Golden State Warriors v.s. #3 Los Angeles Clippers

No words can describe how fun this series is going to be.  Lob City v.s. the Splash Brothers. CP3 v.s. Steph Curry is definitely the matchup to watch in this one because they will have the ball in their hands most of the time.  This has the potential to be the highest scoring series because both teams average over 104 points/per game.  Blake Griffin has stepped his game up as of late and it will take a group effort from Golden State to stop him.  With center Andrew Bogut out for this series, David Lee and Draymond Green will need to step in and be affective.  It's going to be tough for the Warriors to keep pace as Los Angeles is probably the deepest team in the league. Their new additions that come off the bench include Hedo Turkoglu, Danny Granger, Glen Davis, and Darren Collison. That's not even including Jamal Crawford who is one of the best Sixth men in the league.  The Warriors will rely heavily on their starting line-up, especially Curry, Thompson, and Iguodala.  Last year, the Clippers failed in the first round and got a lot of criticism for it.  I don't see the same thing happening this year, expect Golden State to make it an interesting series but for the Clippers to end up on top.  

My Prediction: Clippers win series 4-2

#7 Memphis Grizzlies v.s. #2 Oklahoma City Thunder

Let it be known that Memphis is not the team the Thunder were hoping to play in the first round.  Last year in the West semi-finals, Memphis took care of an OKC team minus Russell Westbrook in just five games.  The physicality of the Grizzlies clearly affected the Thunder and I expect much of the same this time.  Kevin Durant is playing at a very high level right now and it looks like he is going to win the MVP trophy.  Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol will match up against Serge Ibaka down low while Mike Conley will go against Russell Westbrook.  It's going to be a series of pace since OKC wants to get up and down scoring a ton of points while Memphis would rather have the game be played in the 80s.  I expect the home team to win a majority of these games and for Memphis to make things really difficult for the Thunder.  However, I do expect the Thunder to come through and win this series. 

My Prediction: Thunder win series 4-3

Eastern Conference First Round Preview

Early in the season, the talk about the east was that it was a two team conference and it would be a cake walk for the Pacers and Heat up until the East Finals.  Well, now that the playoffs are here and we have a full season completed, it appears that the other playoff teams in the East will provide a huge challenge for Miami and Indiana.  So without further or do, here is your Eastern Conference preview for all four first round series.  

#8 Atlanta Hawks v.s. #1 Indiana Pacers

Both of these teams enter the postseason struggling to find their offense so don't expect too many of these games to be played in the 100's.  The Hawks come into the postseason with a costly injury.  Their starting center Al Horford will miss this entire playoff run with torn pectorals.  Staring in his place is Pero Antic who is still in his rookie season.  In order for the Hawks to be a serious challenge to Indiana, they will need huge production offensively from their guards Jeff Teague, Lou Williams, and Kyle Korver along with Paul Millsap down low.  With Indiana having a huge advantage inside, the Hawks will need to shoot the lights out from deep.  

The Pacers, who hold the East's top spot, have been playing under .500 for the last couple of weeks.  This is a good matchup for the Pacers because of their size advantage and having a deeper team.  Hibbert and West should have a field day inside but the real key is for Hill and Stevenson to match the production of the Hawks guards.  I don't believe that the Hawks have anybody who can stop Paul George either and he is going to be the best player on the floor both offensively and defensively.  In the end, the Pacers being at home and playing their style of defense will be way too much for a beaten up Atlanta Hawks team.  

My Prediction: Pacers win series 4-1

#5 Washington Wizards v.s. #4 Chicago Bulls

Probably the most interesting first round matchup in the East features a young and talented Wizards squad and a defensive juggernaut in the Bulls.  The loss of Derrick Rose for this matchup is huge because of the guard on the other side and his rise in stardom, John Wall.  Wall along side Bradley Beal gives Washington a steady backcourt that can create tons of problems for a Bulls squad who's biggest weakness is scoring at the guard position.  The Bulls get a bulk of their scoring down low with Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, and Taj Gibson.  Their energy defensively, positive rebounding margin, and ability to score will create problems for the Wizards and give the Bulls an edge in that area.  However, the Wizards do have some capable big men that can compete with the Bulls in Marcin Gortat and Nene.  In a matchup of offense v.s. defense, experience v.s. inexperience, and home court everything points to the Bulls winning this series.  Especially when you have an MVP candidate in Joakim Noah who is playing the best basketball of his career.  Call me crazy but I actually believe Washington will take this series.  Yes, their inexperience scares me, but their athleticism along with their three point shooting should be enough to beat a tough and gritty Bulls team.  

My Prediction: Wizards win series 4-3

#6 Brooklyn Nets v.s. #3 Toronto Raptors

If you told me at the start of the season that the Toronto Raptors would be the Atlantic Division champs, I would have laughed right at you and said very funny.  Looks like I'm the one looking stupid as the Raptors finished the regular season 48-34 good enough for third in the conference.  Their first round matchup is against their division rival Brooklyn Nets.  The Nets have way more playoff experience with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Joe Johnson, and Deron Williams leading the way.  Even though the Raptors have home-court, this is a huge factor in favor of Brooklyn.  The one main advantage Toronto has in this series is athleticism.  Fast break points and rebounding are two areas in which the Raptors should control over the course of the series.  While the Raptors use a philosophy of "big guys by committee," the Nets relied heavily on Brook Lopez for offensive production until he had a season ending injury which keeps him out of the postseason.  The Nets are going to need vintage KG along with Andray Blatche and Mason Plumlee to keep pace with Toronto inside.  I see this series being long with very close finishes and many twists and turns.  In the end, Toronto's perimeter defense is going to stifle Brooklyn and a home game 7 with a raucous crowd will prove to be the difference.

My Prediction: Raptors win series 4-3

#7 Charlotte Bobcats v.s. #2 Miami Heat

Sure, Miami beat Charlotte all four times this year so we should just expect them to roll over the Bobcats in the playoffs too right? Not exactly.... The Miami Heat come into the playoffs, just like the Pacers, struggling.  They finished their last 25 games under .500 and only two teams have ever won the title while doing that.  Charlotte on the other hand comes into the playoffs red hot, finishing the regular season 18-8. The Miami Heat are definitely the better, more experienced team but the reason I believe Charlotte will compete is because Miami's weaknesses are Charlotte's strengths.  The PG and C positions are the Heat's main weaknesses since they are a really small team.  This helps the Bobcats because their best players who can carry this team are center Al Jefferson and point guard Kemba Walker.  They also have a young, athletic SF in Michael Kidd-Gilchirst who can try and contain Lebron.  The health of Dwayne Wade will also be crucial because if he's at 100% then Miami is a totally different team.  Expect the Heat to pull through in this series, but they will be tested by big Al and company. 

My Prediction: Heat win series 4-2

The Final Four is here at last

One of the most exciting sports weekend's of the year is finally here! In about one hour, 75,000 people will jam into AT&T Stadium to see who will have the right to play for the National Championship on Monday night.  It has been a thrilling tournament full of crazy upsets, buzzer beaters, and games that have driven the loyal fans of these teams insane.  For most of these players, this will be their biggest basketball moment of their lives. Every bucket, every turnover, every loose ball is so crucial when you get this late in the tournament.  All four teams that are still remaining are playing their best basketball at the right time, and it should lead to some great games tonight.  So as you get ready to watch the action later, here is some information on the teams playing today and what you need to know.  



#7 Connecticut v.s. #1 Florida 6:09 p.m.  
The first of the two semi-final games tonight features a rematch from early December.  In that game, Connecticut stunned Florida at the buzzer with Shabazz Napier's put back jumper.  The Gators haven't looked back, winning 30 straight games with such ease that even the Miami Heat are impressed.  However, this will be a totally different game than the one from four months ago.  Both teams have improved a lot since that first match-up and it will be interesting to see who asserts their will on the other.  The No. 1 seeded Florida Gators (36-2) without a doubt have the most experience out of any of the remaining teams.  Billy Donovan is looking for his third National Title in eight seasons.  They start four seniors and one sophomore, (Young, Yeguete, Prather, Wilbekin, Frazier) and have been in the last three Elite Eight's so they are used to big games.  On the flip side, No. 7 seed UConn (30-8) doesn't have as much experience, but they have a lineup that has come up huge late in the season.  It's led by senior guard Shabazz Napier and juniors Ryan Boatright and DeAndre Daniels with Niels Giffey and Phillip Nolan rounding out the starting lineup.  This is second-year head coach Kevin Ollie's first trip to the Final Four.  UConn is also the first 7 seed to advance to the Final Four since the tournament field expanded in 1985.  

How the Huskies handle the full court press of Florida is a big factor in this game along with finding enough scoring outside of Napier.  The Boatright-Frazier matchup is huge because the point guards, Wilbekin and Napier, will find a way to put up a lot of points, but which ever off-guard can have the bigger game will be huge for his team.  Florida will try to assert its will inside with Young and Yeguete, but UConn has solid bigs of their own to try and match the Gators.  Amida Brimah, the 7-foot center for the Huskies gives them a spark defensively and protects the rim.    Expect this game to be low scoring with a lot of half court sets.  Both teams are very strong defensively so good shots will be hard to come by.  

My prediction: Florida 65 Connecticut 60. 


#8 Kentucky v.s. #2 Wisconsin 8:49 p.m. 
John Calipari's Wildcats were expected to be here since they were ranked in the top five in the preseason but after an array of bad losses that quickly changed.  Losses to Arkansas (2x), LSU, and South Carolina lowered those lofty expectations for the tournament.  Well, it looks like those young talented freshmen found the magic touch and are playing their best basketball of the season.  Their starting lineup includes Aaron and Andrew Harrison, Julius Randle, Dakari Johnson and James Young.  Willie Cauley-Stein was their starting center, but he suffered an injury in the Sweet Sixteen that will keep him out of the Final Four.  Kentucky (28-10) is probably the most talented team out of the four, but its all about if that talent can come together.  It looks as though it has since they had huge upsets over Wichita St., Louisville, and Michigan.  

Wisconsin is usually a very defensively oriented team under head coach Bo Ryan, but this is definitely the most talented team he has ever had.  This is Ryan's first trip to the Final Four and it is well deserving because he is one of the better coaches in college basketball.  They average 73.5 ppg, which feels like about 100 when you play in the Big Ten.  The Badgers are led by freshman forward Frank Kaminsky, and sharp shooters Ben Brust and Sam Dekker.  Traevon Jackson and Josh Gasser provide stability at the guard position.  Wisconsin (30-7), a lot like Kentucky, went through a dry spell in the middle of the season where they had a hard time winning games.  The Badgers own the title of the most efficient team in the country shooting 46% as a team and only committing 8 turnovers per game, which is #1 in the country.  

When looking at this matchup, the thing that jumps out right away is the battle down low between Kaminsky and Randle.  They are the best players on their respective teams and lead them on both offense and defense.  Both teams can put up points, but the difference in this game is the Harrison twins.  The real reason that Kentucky is still playing today is because of their improvement in March.  They have matured beyond their years and look like a team destined to win it all.  If we see the Wildcat team we saw against Michigan expect another Kentucky win, if not Wisconsin could definitely lock up defensively and pull out this win. 

My prediction: Kentucky 71  Wisconsin 64