This
year's playoffs should be the most competitive NBA postseason in years.
Lets check out the first round matchups:
Eastern
Conference Previews - Round 1
No.
1 76ers (56-26) vs. No. 8 Pacers (41-41)
In
the backcourt, no Pacer can contain Allen Iverson. If Reggie Miller guards
him, Miller's height can at least force Iverson to take some tough shots,
but when Iverson drives, the question is whether Miller can force him into
the help defense. Indiana would be very happy to have Iverson shoot from
the outside with Miller or any tall defender's outstretched arms right
nearby. Eric Snow is a good defender, but Jalen Rose has a nice advantage.
Miller will come off his usual screens. Travis Best will come off the bench
and do his best Allen Iverson impersonation... In the frontcourt, neither
team is particularly impressive. Austin Croshere will try to prove that
he was worth the huge contract that he earned with terrific showings in
the playoffs last year. George Lynch will defend. Mutumbo will wag his
finger at the parents of the Pacers players after blocking their shots.
The Sixers have the defensive and rebounding advantage... Philly should
handle this series in 4 games.
No.
2 Bucks (52-30) vs. No. 7 Magic (43-39)
Darrell
Armstrong needs to make like a waterbug and dart all over the place. Otherwise,
Sam Cassell will have a field day. Ray Allen can be expected to mix up
drives with outside shooting. Orlando's Mike Miller keeps getting better
every week or two. Glenn Robinson will pour in points. It'll be up to Tracy
McGrady to create most of what Orlando gets, on both ends of the floor.
Milwaukee figured out a while back that while defense is in fact a good
thing to occasionally play, they are very hard to stop offensively. Neither
team's big-men are impressive. Tim Thomas must come off the bench and keep
the Bucks offense going. Darvin Ham is required to dunk at least once per
game. Orlando's Pat Garrity must come in and bomb a few outside shots.
The Bucks swept the Magic during the regular season. The coaches of the
two teams have exchanged verbal slaps, which can only help fuel the fire.
Bottom line? The Bucks should win this in 4 games. Maybe 3. 5 would
be surprising.
No.
3 Heat (50-32) vs. No. 6 Hornets (46-36)
With
Eddie Jones healthy, Tim Hardaway's foot feeling well enough for him to
hobble around and hit some outside shots, and, most importantly, Alonzo
Mourning at full strength, the Heat are ready for anyone. This will, however,
be a tough matchup. Hardaway is not hard to contain these days, but Eddie
Jones should be able to drive past the likes of Charlotte's David Wesley
and Baron Davis. Not easily, but he should create and cause problems. Meanwhile,
whomever Tim Hardaway guards should succeed in driving and creating, but
with Alonzo Mourning and Brian Grant guarding the middle, most drives should
result in kickout passes, leaving it up to Charlotte's outside shooting.
Bruce Bowen, possibly the best swingman defender in the league, will probably
guard Jamal Mashburn. Bowen is great at stopping guys Allan Houston's size,
but Mashburn could use his size to create problems. Anthony Mason against
P.J. Brown will be a tough, box-out battle. Mason will create on offense,
while Brown is just there to do some dirty work. Elden Campbell can make
Mourning work hard, but that's what Mourning does anyway. This will be
a rugged battle, and while the Heat are stronger with Mourning than without,
they are still adjusting to him being around, and in crunch-time they could
sometimes second-guess themselves and make small mistakes that cost them
a game or two. The Heat should win this, in 4 games.
No.
3 Knicks (48-34) vs. No. 6 Raptors (47-35)
Alvin
Williams surprised everyone except himself and some family friends by becoming
a decent player. Mark Jackson may be the veteran here but he's slow and
has not done wonders for the New York offense (that's more due to New York's
offensive schemes than Jackson's ability to pass, however). Latrell Sprewell
will probably guard Vince Carter, with Allan Houston matching up against
Morris Peterson. The big men on both teams are role players. Watch for
Chris Childs to play as hard as he can, and Jerome Williams to hit the
boards hard. Van Gundy uses Othella Harrington in limited fashion, and
considering he's still new to the team, expect Jeff to have little faith
in using him for more than a few minutes at a time. The last two seasons,
Toronto won the regular season matchup against New York. But, last season,
New York swept Toronto in the first round of the playoffs. New York's team
defense and experience matter, but Toronto is the more explosive team.
Every game should be close. Knicks get a little lucky and win the series
in 5 games.
Western
Conference Previews - Round 1
No.
1 Spurs (58-24) vs. No. 8 Wolves (47-35)
Derek
Anderson was a great addition to the Spurs. He drives, shoots outside,
and does just about everything else. Terry Porter, Avery Johnson and Antonio
Daniels do quite a lot when you add them all together. Terrell Brandon
is the best point guard on either team, but Chauncey Billups and Anthony
Peeler aren't particularly special. Duncan against Garnett will be incredible.
David Robinson should take advantage of every Timberwolves center. Wally
can pour in points. LaPhonso Ellis is good off the bench for Minnesota,
but the Spurs have more. San Antonio should win in 3.
No.
2 Lakers (56-26) vs. No. 7 Blazers (50-32)
Damon
Stoudamire is quick, but Derek Fisher is a good defender. Steve Smith is
having a good year, but Kobe Bryant should cause him to fall down repeatedly.
Scottie Pippen, who is slowing down, is better than Rick Fox but isn't
expect to take over games. Rasheed Wallace can take over anything he wants,
when he focuses on playing basketball and not verbally assaulting refs
or turning on teammates. Shaq should destroy everyone. Sabonis should play
well per minute, and accidently hit Rasheed Wallace at least 3 times. Portland
has the better bench, but that hasn't helped much lately. Lakers in 4.
No.
3 Kings (55-27) vs. No. 6 Suns (51-31)
Jason
Kidd can destroy Jason Williams, but the Kings can bring Bobby Jackson
off the bench to play decent defense. Doug Christie, playing great defense
this season, should possibly be put on Kidd. Mario Elie is not a shooting
guard that requires much attention, so that switch could work. Predrag
Stojakovic against Shawn Marion is fantastic. Marion can drive past him,
but Peja can toss in shots from anywhere. Chris Webber can destroy any
Suns big guy. The Kings have the better bench. Kings win in 4, maybe even
3.
No.
4 Jazz (53-29) vs. No. 5 Mavericks (53-29)
John
Stockon against Steve Nash is terrific. Nash tries to create more than
Stockton does these days, but Stockton's outside shots rarely miss. Michael
Finley is awesome, and John Starks and Bryon Russell will have a hard time
containing him without fouling. Juwan Howard against Karl Malone. Donyell
Marshall against Dirk. This matchup is truly a tossup. It should go 5 games.
Flip a coin to see who wins. If you force us to pick a winner, we pick
Dallas. But, really, just flip that coin.
