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!!!
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Paul Millsap (top left) already leads PG24, 1-0, while D-Will (bottom right) and his Nets won Game 1 north of the border against the Raps. |
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.
Together with some really intense NBA fans, we now
give you our 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 One of thus Playoff Preview series, we will
look at the Eastern Conference first round Playoff match-ups.
Note: Most of the following were written BEFORE today's games were played. If there were any "wrong" predictions, well then chalk that up to the Basketball Gods, who are really the ones in control of everything anyway.
(1) Indiana Pacers vs (8) Atlanta Hawks:
LV: Pacers
in 6. The Pacers won't claim the Eastern Conference top seed (along with
struggling in the regular season homestretch) just to be shocked in the first
round.
RM: Pacers
in 6 because Lance Stephenson will provide selfish "look at me"
moments that will cost them wins. However, Lance will also come through by
leading them in rebounds and assists and maybe get a triple-double as well.
JS: Indiana
over Atlanta in 5. Despite limping to the finish line, the Pacers quintet are
just too much for the duo of Millsap and Teague to handle. More like vultures
than hawks, Atlanta gets to scavenge one win, but that’s Indiana losing pace
and fumbling it away, really.
EF: Indy
got this in 5, despite intense suckage (achievement unlocked: word invention)
on their part. I don’t see any easy games, with Millsap and Teague sure to give
the Pacers fits, but PG24, Born Ready, and Jamaican Patty Roy Hibbert should
play well enough to carry the top seed through.
(2) Miami Heat vs (7) Charlotte Bobcats:
LV: Heat
in 4. Miami wants to three-peat, and they've swept the Bobcats in the regular
season (4-0), including a game where LeBron James waxed hot for 61.
RM: Heat
in 4 because Dwyane Wade will be rejuvenated and fresh after
"resting" for 28 games. Chris Bosh will also be energized after
showing up in probably half of their regular season games. Both guys have a lot
left for the Bobcats.
JS: Miami
over Charlotte in 5. Should be a sweep, but Al Jefferson’s throwback post moves
gets one monster game against Miami who has no one to guard him 1-on-1. Even
so, place a bobcat on some heat, and you get gamey roast meat to serve to the
King.
EF: Champs
in 5, with one loss in Charlotte because the dynamic duo of Al-Jeff and Kemba
Walker has should unload at least one terrific game in front of their fans. The
Charlotte faithful deserve it, and, frankly, I would love to see it.
(3) Toronto Raptors vs (6) Brooklyn Nets:
LV: Nets
in 7. Experience will push Brooklyn to the next level. Paul Pierce and Kevin
Garnett have an extremely small window of opportunity to make one last crack at
the finals too so they badly want to win.
RM: Raptors
in 7 because their "We the North" playoff video was nice, and Drake's
presence is bigger than Jay-Z, who left the Nets. Also, Kyle Lowry is the best
player in this game, and he will dominate the series to show that he is the
All-Star and not Joe Johnson.
JS: Brooklyn
over Toronto in 6. The overachieving Raptors ripped through East teams this
season, but they are biting off more than they can chew in this series against
the very thick hides of the Nets veterans. Brooklyn has its net around this
one.
EF: Let’s
face it – Brooklyn-Miami is destined to go down, and the NBA will not have it
any other way. All the powers in the universe (yo, whattup, refs?!) will ensure
the Raps go down in 6.
(4) Chicago Bulls vs (5) Washington Wizards:
LV: Bulls
in 7. Noah's arc is better than the great Wall. Chicago got the 4th seed even
without Derrick Rose and Luol Deng, and their success will depend on how their
defensive gem Joakim Noah performs.
RM: Bulls
in 6 because Joakim Noah will take over the series and guard everyone including
John Wall. Meanwhile, DJ Augustin will think he is a better player than John
Wall. Augustin will hijack their offense and take tough shots resulting in wins
for the Wiz.
JS: Chicago
over Washington in 7. The Bulls are charging towards a hard Wall and crew
that’s so pumped to finally be in the playoffs. Wizards use all its tricks to
pull 3 wins out of a hat, but the Bulls will spoil the magic show with stifling
defense and all around team play to advance to the semis.
EF: Much
love for the Bulls and their can-do attitude, but they will have it tough
against a game and youthful Wizards club. Washington’s inexperience will doom
them in six games, but the Bulls cannot take these upstarts lightly.
In Part Two,
we take a look at the Western Conference, and then, in Part Three, we pick the
Conference Champs and the overall NBA Kings!
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