So far there's been a couple series that have been a lot more interesting than I thought they would be, and a couple that haven't really lived up to the hype.
Lets start with the good ones.
Boston (1) vs. Atlanta (8)
Seriously, who would have guessed this (besides the 20 or so Hawks fans in Atlanta)? After the molly-whomping (yeah I know, good word) that Boston gave them in games 1 and 2, Atlanta has shown some guts and fought back winning games 3 and 4 at home, at times making the first place Celtics look their age.
The thing that stands out to me is how the Hawks players are finally standing up to the physical play of the Celtics. In the first two games in Boston, the younger Hawks looked generally intimated, by KG and his crew. Fast forward to game 4 and we see Za Za Pachulia about to go blow for blow with Garnet. Amazing turnaround. Also of note has been the play of Josh Smith. For years many saw Smith as an amazing athlete with a lot of potential, who hadn't yet figured out how to put it all together. In this series, he is using his Lebron-esque ups to be a menace on the inside; blocking seven shots one game, scoring 28 another. It's always gratifying for a fan base to see these young prospects turn into impact players (Paging Dorrell Wright).
I don't see the Hawks winning this series, but even if the Celts win in 6, the Hawks can still hang their hats on the fact that they made the best team in the league (at least record wise) sweat out a series that most thought would be a sweep.
This also brings me to another point. I still can't understand why so many so-called experts pronounce series over when one teams is up 2-0, having won both games at home. Then the other team fights back and wins its home games, levels the series, and all of a sudden this is some great comeback, when all that's happened is each team has done what they're supposed to do. I buy into the philosophy that a series has not truly started until a team has won on the road.
Pistons (2) vs. Sixers (7)
The fact that this series is even at two games apiece surprises a lot of people, but it shouldn't really. The Sixers much like the Hawks are a young athletic team with a veteran point guard who got hot at the right time. While they are a seventh seed, keep in mind they ended the year winning 22 out of their last 34 games beating the Mavs, Spurs, Suns, Celtics, and Pistons (twice) along the way. Add that to the Piston's generally laid-back attitude towards what they consider 'lesser opponents' and it's no wonder that this series is tied.
That's the funny thing about these recent Pistons teams. They carry themselves with a swagger that can help them win big games on the road (Although it hurts me to say, the Game 7 in Miami a few years back, being one example), but can also come back to bite them. The problem comes when they underestimate teams that pose a genuine threat, like Cleveland last year when Lebron decided to Jordan the series. That being said, it would not surprise me to see them win this series and end up beating Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals, because they can also hang with any team in the league. Without a doubt this swagger catch 22 probably keeps Pistons GM Joe Dumars' blood pressure at unsafe levels.
Cleveland (4) vs. Washington (5)
A series that would have been far closer if Gilbert Arenas was closer to a hundred percent, or if he did not play at all. I think having a still-recovering Arenas disrupts the flow of their offense more than anything, since the Wiz run a Princeton offense based primarily on cuts and passing. While Arenas can be a volume scorer, a pass-first point guard he is not.
It's pretty clear at this point that the Cavs will likely win this series, but watching all the hard fouls and trash-talking reminds me why I love the playoffs (even if David Stern and his crew keep trying to eliminate this element of the game).
Orlando (3) vs. Toronto (6)
Probably considered the least interesting matchup of the first round, this series played out in a fairly predictable way. Both teams have similar styles; a dominant inside presence surrounded by sharpshooters. The determining factor though is that Orlando has the most dominant big man in today's game and a proven clutch performer in Turkoglu, whereas in Toronto there is no legit second scorer and chemistry issues (Bosh openly questioned his teammates' clutchness before the playoffs started).
One other note; when did Turkoglu all of a sudden turn into an Eastern European Ginobli in terms of clutchness? This season I've seen him hit a half dozen game winners as well as continually end his drives with thunderous dunks. For these reasons he may be turning into the anti-Nowitski.
Now onto the Western Conference. Just for the record, as I am writing this the Spurs are up 3-1 on the Suns, the Lakers have swept the Nuggets, The Hornets are up 3-1 on the Mavs, and the Jazz are up 3-1 on the Rockets.
San Antonio (3) vs. Phoenix (6)
Beyond the epic game one, the most anticipated first round series has not quite lived up to the hype. While Suns fans would argue that this series could very easily be level right now if not for a Duncan 3-pointer, it does little to change the fact that for yet another year the Suns are poised to be eliminated by San Antonio. Don't get me wrong, last year I was with the majority in feeling that the Suns got shafted with the untimely suspensions, but this year they have no one to blame but themselves. Game three is case in point. Down 2-0, you would expect them to come out with at least the same energy that the Hawks mustered against the Celts; instead they came out flat and got beaten handedly.
While D'Antoni is a competent coach, I find it mind-blowing that he still tries to put Nash on Parker, when it has been established since he arrived in Phoenix that Nash cannot stay in front of him. When D'Antoni finally started Diaw over the injured (surprise?) Grant Hill in game four, and assigned him to guard his fellow Frenchmen, things finally began to look up. However, when Phoenix wins because Raja Bell and Diaw are its two best players, things are not looking up. Let's be honest, does anyone expect Diaw to have anything near to a triple double for the next three games, or Raja Bell to shoot lights out?
Everyone points to this series being a measure of the effectiveness of the Shaq deal, but if you look at this series from the second half of game 2 onwards, Nash and Amare have played far from their best basketball. The once unguardable pick and roll has appeared out of sync, and the Spurs have seemingly found a way to contain the explosive Stoudemire.
I still feel that the Suns will push it to at least six, but for them to have any chance of doing so; Nash and Stoudemire need to get back to being on the same sentence again, never mind the same page.
New Orleans (2) vs. Dallas (7)
The other barometer series that will measure the impact of a blockbuster trade (in this case the Jason Kidd deal). After Chris Paul looked completely unstoppable in the first two games, Dallas found a way to slow him down a bit, but other Hornets players like David West and Stojakovic as well as Pargo have picked up the slack. Many analysts picked this series as the upset of the first round because of Dallas' experience, but it became clear after the first game that New Orleans was up to the challenge. The young Hornets were the aggressors, exemplified by West getting right in the veteran Nowitski's face and giving him a light tap on the cheek.
Just looking at how big of a factor he has been in this series combined with his ridiculous numbers (a near 25 and 11), it still amazes me that Paul lost out the MVP race to Kobe. While this is a topic for another blog, I find it ridiculous that Paul did not win the award after posting better numbers than either of Nash's MVP seasons and leading an out-of-nowhere New Orleans team to the second seed in the uber-competitive western conference.
Houston (4) vs. Utah (5)
It's hard not to feel for Tracy McGrady. His team will likely fall short in the first round for what feels like the eighteenth time. His "blame me" tirade was evident of just how much he feels the pressure of the media and his own expectations. While no one really expected this undermanned Houston team to beat the deep Jazz, I also don't agree with all the T-Mac apologists. On Inside the NBA, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley were saying how McGrady had been giving all he had, and simply ran out of gas in the fourth quarters. While I am aware of this, I still think that carrying a team for all four quarters and winning the game and ultimately a series is what separates superstars from all-stars. While McGrady has put up great numbers, he always seems to put up 30 in a big game, when his team really needed 40 to win. I can't see this series going past tonight.
Los Angeles (1) vs. Denver (8)
Probably the most predictable of the Western first round matchups. Denver is the perfect example of bad chemistry and have played deplorable defense combined with a general lack of effort. To beat a more talented team you have to win every hustle stat, grab loose balls and play near-flawless team basketball. The Nuggets instead are proof that two superstar scorers by no means guarantee playoff success. I personally wish the Warriors had grabbed the last seed, as it's hard to imagine an L.A.-Golden State matchup being this mundane.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment