sensei_hanson
New Member
The NBA postseason got underway today, with New Jersey putting a whipping on Milwaukee. The Bucks rallied a bit in the 4th quarter to cut the margin to 13. The Nets had led by as many as 31 points today. Ugly game as Payton went scoreless for three quarters, and Mutombo had his way in the paint against the four-guard sets Karl was throwing out for the Bucks.
The matchups are as follows, with my mortal lock picks in parentheses:
Detroit-Orlando (Detroit in six)
Indy-Boston (Indy in five)
N'Owleens-Philly (New Orleans in seven)
Phoenix-San Antoine (Phoenix in 6 - upset special)
Lakers-Minnesota (Lakers in 6)
Dallas-Portland (Dallas in 6)
Sacramento-Utah (Sacramento in 5)
I'm really going out on a limb taking Phoenix over San Antonio. My reasons - the Suns lead the season series 3-1. Nobody on San Antonio can contain Starbury - not Parker, not Ginobili, not Jackson. Nobody. The Spurs have choked their way out of the playoffs the last three seasons in a row. Amare Stoudamire has the physical capabilities to defend Tim Duncan in the paint. And the "x"-factor....Shawn Marion. He is going to create matchup problems for the Spurs at their weakest position - small forward.
The other series should be basic. Dallas will probably get a scare from the Jailblazers, but Portland will self-destruct right when it looks like they're capable of taking the Mavericks. The Lakers will roll over Minnesota. No problem there. Sacramento will put the Jazz into early retirement. Maybe Utah steals a game or two in Salt Lake, but that's about it.
In the east, the best series will probably be Orlando and Detroit. Detroit has a great team of role players but no superstars. Orlando has a great player surrounded by a team of mediocre role players. It'll be interesting to see if McGrady will attack the rim with such reckless abandon when he knows big Ben Wallace will be there to meet him. Methinks he'll shy away, and the Pistons will walk in 6. Indy will throttle Boston and their video-game style offense. Antoine Walker has been hobbled since the all-star break, and for the Celts to even have a sniff at beating the Pacers, he needs to be at 100% physically. New Orleans will win a tough one against Philly, just because they're bigger in the paint, and Davis will neutralize Iverson. New Jersey will roll over Milwaukee, who made too many changes at the trade deadline and still haven't learned to play with one another.
And I'll save my next round of picks to see who actually makes it through. Go Suns Go.
The matchups are as follows, with my mortal lock picks in parentheses:
Detroit-Orlando (Detroit in six)
Indy-Boston (Indy in five)
N'Owleens-Philly (New Orleans in seven)
Phoenix-San Antoine (Phoenix in 6 - upset special)
Lakers-Minnesota (Lakers in 6)
Dallas-Portland (Dallas in 6)
Sacramento-Utah (Sacramento in 5)
I'm really going out on a limb taking Phoenix over San Antonio. My reasons - the Suns lead the season series 3-1. Nobody on San Antonio can contain Starbury - not Parker, not Ginobili, not Jackson. Nobody. The Spurs have choked their way out of the playoffs the last three seasons in a row. Amare Stoudamire has the physical capabilities to defend Tim Duncan in the paint. And the "x"-factor....Shawn Marion. He is going to create matchup problems for the Spurs at their weakest position - small forward.
The other series should be basic. Dallas will probably get a scare from the Jailblazers, but Portland will self-destruct right when it looks like they're capable of taking the Mavericks. The Lakers will roll over Minnesota. No problem there. Sacramento will put the Jazz into early retirement. Maybe Utah steals a game or two in Salt Lake, but that's about it.
In the east, the best series will probably be Orlando and Detroit. Detroit has a great team of role players but no superstars. Orlando has a great player surrounded by a team of mediocre role players. It'll be interesting to see if McGrady will attack the rim with such reckless abandon when he knows big Ben Wallace will be there to meet him. Methinks he'll shy away, and the Pistons will walk in 6. Indy will throttle Boston and their video-game style offense. Antoine Walker has been hobbled since the all-star break, and for the Celts to even have a sniff at beating the Pacers, he needs to be at 100% physically. New Orleans will win a tough one against Philly, just because they're bigger in the paint, and Davis will neutralize Iverson. New Jersey will roll over Milwaukee, who made too many changes at the trade deadline and still haven't learned to play with one another.
And I'll save my next round of picks to see who actually makes it through. Go Suns Go.