Fourteen have fallen by the wayside. Sixteen have survived. In two
weeks, about half of those remaining teams will see their respective runs end.
By the time the rains consume the skies again in late May, each conference will
have its champion. Finally, by mid-June, a new King of the basketball mountain
will emerge.
Of course, the Miami Heat might just win it all again, and it’ll be
the same King.
The point is, WELCOME TO THE NBA PLAYOFFS!!!
As exciting and highlight-filled the regular season has been, this
is the part of the NBA calendar that every person – player, coach, fan,
ballboy, the guy who sells hotdogs outside the bleachers – really waits for. This
is when one just throws percentages out the window. This is when tanking is
just fiction. This is when fouls are harder, misses clang a little louder, and
made shots feel much sweeter.
This is when only one thing really matters – winning that NBA
Championship.
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| The top four seeds in the NBA Playoffs -- Indiana, Miami, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City. |
Together with some really intense NBA fans, the Rappler sports crew
now gives you its preview of what should go down in history as one of the
tightest and most memorable Playoffs ever.
Here are the folks who have taken time to give their two cents:
Levi Verora (LV) - currently writing for Rappler Sports; has recently been spotted
with some hot girls at the just-concluded 2014 Asian Volleyball Club
Championships for Men here in Manila.
Rolly Mendoza (RM) - currently
writing for HoopNut.com; has a love-hate relationship with Chris Bosh and
thinks Chalmers has been more Wario than Super Mario this season.
Jay Santiago (JS) - the everyman who
follows the NBA closer than he’d care to admit; recently won the 2013-2014 Hoop
Nut Fantasy NBA League (and, consequently, adidas gift checks); Spurs superfan
to the core.
Enzo Flojo (EF) - founder of HoopNut.com and currently writing for Rappler Sports;
has recently been spotted overeating at home in lieu of an out-of-town trip for
Holy Week; a solid supporter of the anybody-but-Miami movement about to sweep
the globe.
In Part Three of this Playoff Preview series, we will pick who
comes out of either conference, and who eventually emerges as 2014 NBA
Champions.
Who will win the East?
LV: The Pacers and Heat will be
in a slugfest again. Both are determined, but the Heat - no matter how worn out
they are from three straight finals appearances - want to solidify their
history. And it will depend on how vintage Dwyane Wade delivers.
RM: The Heat will win the East
because Chris Bosh fancies himself as a three-point shooter, and he will have
the last laugh by actually making tough perimeter shots. Wade and James will
finally provide us with highlights in transition after sporadically seeing
those due to Wade's injuries.
JS: The Miami Heat are aiming
for legacy, and there’s nothing more legendary than joining the short list of
teams to accomplish a three-peat. They will go through the eye of the needle in
Brooklyn and Indiana, but the Big 3 will come through as East Champions as
always – and the NBA will celebrate it.
EF: Hate to say it, but the Nets
won’t win four of seven against a complete Miami roster, and the Pacers might
not even make it past the second round. Miami turns on the switch and wins the
East easier-than-projected fashion.
Who will win the West?
LV: I'm picking the Spurs to win
it all in the West because they are the Spurs. They've weathered the sting of
last year's finals loss right from the start of this season. Several players
had to overcome injuries and yet the Spurs still finished wih the best overall
record. Sorry, KD.
RM: The Thunder will win the
West because Kevin Durant will make sure that Russell Westbrook does not stop
him by taking tough pull-up jumpers in transition. KD will demand the ball at
half court so he can bring up the ball slowly, then take dagger threes at the
top of the key all day.
JS: This was the 7th year San
Antonio was tagged too old to be relevant in the ultra-competitive Western
Conference. The Spurs are meaner and grumpier than ever, and they will cut down
any opposition, be it Houston or OKC, with their ridiculous offensive
efficiency and team defense.
EF: San Antonio is on a mission,
and I don’t think even MVP-to-be Kevin Durant can stop their rampage. Spurs-OKC
is going to be a helluva fun thing to watch, but I have to give this one to
SAS, who will just be too hungry. No way the Spurs are folding in the West.
Who will win the whole thing?
LV: I'm calling it Spurs over
either the Pacers or the Heat in the championship.
RM: Heat in 6 over OKC because
LBJ will take over the series and outplay KD. We will witness a scenario where
the best player lost the regular season MVP, but made up for that by winning
Finals MVP versus the other guy (see MJ vs. Malone, Barkley).
JS: San Antonio vs. Miami is a classic
cowboy story pitting the old timer on a comeback trail against the cocky
sheriff who beat him once before. The Heat look more vulnerable than ever
before, and the Spurs will capitalize by staying true to the Spurs formula of
ball movement and help defense and complete its quest for revenge. San Antonio
beats Miami in 6!
EF: I would love for any team to
trounce the Heat in any round of the postseason, but I don’t think it’s going
to happen. I always hate being objective because it means I have to pick the
best team out there and, come June, the best team, once again, is going to be
Miami. Can I have my barf bag now?
In Parts One and Two, we took
a look at the Eastern Conference and Western Conference match-ups.
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