Ecstatic Basketball

 Okay, okay. I’m a day late, but these previews are still as solid as when I wrote them.

Western Conference

Lakers (1) vs Nuggets (8)

Front court: The Nuggets have the defending Defensive Player of the Year in Camby to guard the rim, who is also a great rebounder and underrated passer. They also have one of the best pure scorers on planet in Anthony. The Lakers have such skilled big men (Gasol and Odom) that can pass, shoot, and rebound, and they also have a couple of 3 point specialists that can play up front. The Lakers have the advantage here simply because of the versatility of their bigs. Gasol is looking for his first playoff win and should be plenty hyped.

Back court: Bryant’s overall brilliance wins out over AI’s and Derek Fisher is a clutch playoff performer. It will be interesting to see how much they play Carter who isn’t exactly a great offensive weapon and defensively will be out sized by most of L.A.’s guards.

Bench: The Nuggets have a decent bench, but will they hit the 3 unlike last year. They will bring energy and some defensive hustle (not Smith), but will the shots fall. The Lakers are obviously a little thinner without Bynum, however, they have one of the best benches in the league. They will knock down shots and keep the floor spread.

Coaching: Jackson is one of the best coach ever, where as Karl might be looking for employment if they flame out again this year.

Additional thoughts: Massive talent on both sides, but the Lakers are so fluid and unselfish that they always pose challenges to the opponents defensive, and the Nuggets are very mediocre defensively anyways. The only shot the Nuggets have is if they collectively show the effort defensively that has been missing all year, and that will only happen if Anthony shows the effort first.

Lakers in 6. The Nuggets will steal a couple with some hot shooting.

Hornets (2) vs Mavericks (7)

Front court: Chandler can defend and even score when fed by Paul, West is a beast offensively, and Peja will hit shots when it counts. The Mavs have the reigning MVP and I expect him to play like it this year.

Back court: Paul versus Kidd is an intriguing match up. I expect Paul to be amazing a few games but bothered by Kidd’s size and physicality for most of the series.

Bench: The Mavs have quality veteran players coming off the bench to match up with a mostly untested and quite thin Hornet’s bench. Wells will be great this series but few other will for the Hornets.

Coaching: Scott will probably, and deservedly win COY, and while Johnson has led this team to some great regular season finishes, he has majorly screwed up in the playoffs. The best thing Johnson can do is give Kidd a lot of freedom on the court.

Additional thoughts: The Mavs can win on the road and I think they will. There are less expectations on the Mavs this year and they’ll be playing looser than in years past. I don’t think the Hornets are too inexperienced, but I do think the bench is too thin.

Mavericks in 7 after some increasingly physical matches. Home court will be of less importance on this series than others.

Spurs (3) vs Suns (6)

Front court: It is time to see if Kerr’s gamble was worth it.

Back court: Nash will deliver every time when it counts. Parker and Ginobili will get a variety of defensive looks from the Suns and will have less success as the series goes on. Bell has to hit open 3s and stay physical on his defensive assignments.

Bench: Diaw will play big and I Barbosa seems to be healthier this year, however, the Spurs developed depth from a slew of seasoned vets, though, I wouldn’t count of Horry saving the Spurs this year.

Coaching: These are two very good coaches that believe in their squads and their systems.

Additional thoughts: The Suns still feel the sting from last year’s controversial series. There will be technicals, hard fouls, late game heroics, and everything else you could ever hope for in a playoff series. This will be the best series of the entire post season.

Suns in 7 after the tightest, most competitive series of recent memory.

Jazz (4) vs Rockets (5)

Front court: Don’t get me wrong here. Scola is a great player, but no Yao means Utah has a huge advantage up front.

Back court: McGrady will handle the ball for every critical possession, especially with Alston missing at least a couple of games. Williams is not Chris Paul (it’s true), but he is still one of the better point guards in the league. Look for McGrady to give it his all and then some like he has every other time he’s been booted in the first round.

Bench: Korver has been instrumental in the Jazz’s turnaround this year, and Sloan always gets something out of his reserves, but the Rockets have a great combination of effort and shooting coming off the bench.

Coaching: It will be interesting to see how this plays out, what adjustments are made after every game, who gets the big shot out of set plays, etc. Both coaches have loads of playoff experience, but only one has loads of experience with his current roster.

Additional thoughts: McGrady must do his best Lebron James impersonation to win this one, and I think he will. He will be the best player on the court and I expect this year, when expectations are low, he will find a way to will his team to victory.

Rockets in 7 after a very physical series featuring the other worldly talents of McGrady.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS