The First Round happened. I got 6 out if 8 series right. and picked 4 winners in the right amount of games.
First Round Recap
OKC vs. HOU
I deserve this series, I talked all year about how the Thunder would be okay without Harden. I discussed at length about the success story that is the Thunder's bench, which went from atrocious to almost watchable. The Rockets, as a franchise, have had a couple of my favorite players of all time, including Hakeem Olajuwon who is the center that I would want to start a franchise around. This year's model is a lottery team without James Harden and despite his improvement, they'll be a first round out with him. The Rockets also have Chandler Parsons who gives KD fits occasionally, and Carlos Delfino who's an enjoyable threat on the wings. On the other hand, Kevin Durant isn't having it. He pummeled Harden in the first two matchups of the season.
OKC in 5
I didn’t see Westbrook getting hurt in game 2. It really showed how inept the Rockets are. The Rockets were better without Jeremy Lin.
SAS vs LAL
Which Lakers team is it? Is it the dysfunctional team that relies on a center with no discernible offensive game and is an easy target for fouls in the clutch? Perhaps it's the new team that centers around it's big men and lets the guards spread out for 3 point shooting. On the other side of the court, the Spurs are a deeper team, with better guard play (when healthy), and a better coach. And they still have that Tim Duncan guy. He's still pretty good. I also believe the atrocious refereeing that helped the Lakers get here will stop. (Yes, 50-16 foul shot differential against Golden State, I haven't forgotten about you).
SAS in 6
The Spurs swept. I thought the Lakers would play well and show pride in an inevitable loss. Dwight’s stock has fallen in the last year more than any other player. Also, I may have simply underestimated how great the Spurs are.
DEN vs. GSW
I don't know. On one hand, the Warriors are filled with players who have never seen the playoffs before. Ever. Denver is injured in many key spots. Golden State probably has the best player in the series in Stephen Curry. I just can't say no to Denver. The coaching matchup here, with all due respect to what Mark Jackson has done this year would seem to be an ant versus a sledgehammer.
DEN in 7
Golden State dominated in 6. Most of my miscalculation was that Mark Jackson coached the series better than I thought he would. The other part was that Stephen Curry is better than I thought he would be.
LAC @ MEM
I'm glad that this matchup is happening again, mostly because there's so much bad blood between the two squads. I love the moves the teams have made to get better. I love how Rudy Gay has been replaced by a past his prime Tayshaun Prince. I love the @JCrossover show in L.A. I love that this matchup features the best point guard in the league and the best center in the league. But, my philosophy is that defense beats offense, and the Grizzlies have defense in spades.
Grizzlies in 6
See above. The Grizzlies looked really good.
MIA vs. MIL
Miami in 4. Miami is a better team in every way than Milwaukee. How's that for analysis.
I was right. How’s that for analysis?
NYK vs BOS
The Knicks are a better team. The Celtics have emotion and experience on their side. Emotion and experience can only take you so far, though. The last time the Knicks won a playoff series they beat a Miami Heat team that featured a young Bruce Bowen and Anthony Carter as a rookie. The last next year, they lost in the first round to the Raptors. That Raptors team featured Ty Corbin and Mark Jackson, who are now coaches. The team also had Dell Curry, whose son is now the best player on an NBA team. It's been a long time.
NYK in 6.
If J.R. Smith hadn’t gotten ejected and suspended for game 4, I’m certain that the Knicks would have swept. If J.R. Smith hadn’t gotten ejected and suspended at a bad time, he wouldn’t be J.R. Smith.
IND vs ATL
It's not fair to these teams that everyone has spent the last week saying that no one cares about this series. The Hawks have a solid inside presence in Horford and Josh Smith. Korver's been fun to watch this year. Indiana just got crushed by the Danny Granger injury. I really like the Pacers team, though. The Pacers almost beat the Heat last year and they've improved quite a bit. They still won't go far in this playoff run.
IND in 6.
The Pacers were better. The Pacers wouldn’t have dealt with the nonsense.
BKN vs. CHI
It must be nice to leave New Jersey. All of a sudden Brook Lopez is playing defense. Deron Williams looks like the old DWill again. I feel really bad killing the Bulls off in the first round. The Bulls have achieved greatly without Derrick Rose and despite all of the distractions that have been caused by Rose's injury and recovery. Well that achievement stops here.
BKN in 6
I’m a bit saddened that Brooklyn lost. Not because of any ties to the team, but because Brooklyn played terribly. Sure they won 3 games, but the Bulls are missing their 2 of their 3 best players and the other one (Noah) is hobbled. Nate Robinson was the reason why they won this series and I feel dirty just writing that.
Second Round Preview
MIA vs. CHI
Season series: 3-1
When healthy, the Bulls are the worst matchup for the Heat. The Bulls are not healthy right now. Also, they just finished their last series. Miami in 5 is only because of how much I have faith in Joakim Noah and Coach Thibideau. Without Deng, who’s been hospitalized, I don’t know how we can have faith in the Bulls to win 2 games in this series.
Miami in 5
NYK vs IND
Season series 2-2
NYK vs IND brings me back to my childhood. I grew up in NY and therefore hating almost everything about the Pacers. I had a begrudging respect for Reggie Miller, because of how good he was. The 2013 version of this series doesn’t have the same vitriol that the 90’s series had. I’m looking forward to everything about this series. I really want to watch Paul George, who I’ve wanted to watch this year, and had few opportunities to check out. If my philosophy is defense over offense, then the winner seems obvious here
IND in 6
OKC vs MEM
Season series 2-1 grizzlies
This series, 2 years ago, is the one that cemented the Thunder as a contender and the Grizzlies as second tier. The current version of this series features a Grizzlies team that would be a problem for the Thunder even with Westbrook. Now, without the player who set a Thunder record for playoff scoring, they have to beat the Grizzlies who are a better team now. The Grizzlies have top-2 defensive players at point guard, shooting guard, and center. Also, Brooks had some shaky moments in coaching, last series. I don’t trust him to maximize the talent on the Thunder roster right now.
MEM in 6
GSW vs. SAS
Season series: 2-2
Don’t get cute. Don’t get cute. Don’t get cute. The Spurs are better than the Warriors. The Spurs can win in a number of ways. The Warriors are hobbled and not particularly battle tested.
SAS in 6
