Nets vs Hornets. New Jersey in 6. I think the Nets as a team will loosen up after the tough series against the Pacers. I see a standing ovation for the Hornets in Game 6, as it will be their final game. Pistons vs. Celtics Boston in 6. This one is the hardest to predict in my opinion. I'll take Pierce over Stackhouse anyday. I think the Celtics are more capible of winning in Detroit than Detroit winning in Boston. After Boston wins Game 2, they will hold home-court. Kings vs. Mavericks Sacramento in 7. Sure the Jazz controlled the tempo vs the Kings in Round one, but Dallas plays just like the Kings. The Kings are going to have fun this series. Sacramento will win Games 1, 4, 5, and 7. Lakers vs. Spurs Lakers in 5. Bowen will make a difference in the series, a one victory for the Spurs difference. Steve Smith will cancel out Rick Fox. Fisher and Shaq will be the difference, especially if Robinson is out, obviously. Note to the Admiral, if you play, DO NOT shoot a perimeter shot, you will most likely hit the front of the rim like you always do.
New Jersey over Charlotte in 6 Boston over Detroit in 5 Dallas over Sacramento in 6 L.A. Lakers over San Antonio in 7
I honestly don't see the Spurs winning unless either the Lakers play very badly or David Robinson is in good health again.
Jersey over Charlotte in 5 (Rockets could take either team to 7) Bos over Dtroit in 6 (see above, man the east sux) Dal over Sac in 7 Lakers over Spurs in 6, if Duncan plays the entire series.
Hornets Vs Nets 4-3 (I hate New Jersey) Celtcis Vs Pistons 4-2 (Boston to the finals) Mavs Vs Kings 4-3 (Nowitzki!!!!Sac didn't play well at all against UTA) Lakers Vs Spurs 4-1 (Spur get one win)
Nets vs Hornets. Hornets in 7. Davis is clutch. But they will fall to the Celtics and Paul Pierce in the Eastern Finals. Pistons vs. Celtics Boston in 6. Pierce will show Stackhouse how to play the game. Only reason the Pistons hang in there is Ben Wallace. Kings vs. Mavericks Dallas in 6. Nowitzki will outshine Webber. Lakers vs. Spurs Lakers in 6. Duncan will go down like a hero. Shaq and Kobe are just too much for a one-man team to contain. Let me go ahead and while I am at it also predict the next round Celtics vs. Hornets Boston in 5. Pierce, Pierce, Pierce. Lakers vs. Mavs Dallas in 7. Shaq will dominate at times, but so will Dirk, just in a different way. At the end, the Lakers have two superstars while the Mavs have one superstar and three stars. Finley and Nash equal out Kobe and Van Exel will want to stick it to his former team. Finals: Dirk vs. Pierce Mavs in 5
hornets/nets- hornets in 6 celtics/pistons-celtics in 5 celtics/hornets- hornets in 6 mavs/kings- kings in 7 spurs/lakers- lakers in 5 kings/lakers- kings in 7 kings/hornets- hornets in 7 damn i love screwing around with brackets. i used to do this all the time in class, instead of paying attention.
Nets over Hornets in 7 I could go either way with this series, but the Nets play with a lot of energy and heart at home, and if it goes to seven like I expect that could be the difference. Celtics over Pistons in 6 I love Detroit's intensity on the floor, but I'm just not sure if they have enough offense to beat a good team like Boston. Going into the postseason, I thought Detroit had the potential to come out of the East, but after the first round I'm worried about the offense. Mavs over Kings in 5 Kings take Game 1 or 2, and the Mavs win out. The Kings have not adjusted well to the playoff game, and the Mavs right now are by far playing the best in the entire league. Webber chokes, Dirk continues his great run... Spurs over Lakers in 6 I called this before the playoffs started, and I'll stay with it. The Spurs played LA three times in the regular season (one game I'm not counting, since Shaq was out). One game, the Spurs humiliated the Lakers. Another, in LA, the Spurs took the Lakers to the last possession. And finally, in the last game in LA, the Spurs handled the Lakers all game long before an injury to Parker and a terrible last second call bailed out the Lakers. And the Spurs right now are playing better than they did before any of those games. The past is the past... the Spurs only have two starters remaining from last year's team, and only six players overall. They also have the two things they so desperately needed last year: someone to guard Kobe and even somewhat take him out of his game (Bruce Bowen), and a good slasher/penetrator from the perimeter (Tony Parker). I believe.
The regular season doesn't mean crap in the playoffs. Shaq and Horry don't really play during the regular season. The Lakers like the championship Rockets teams are able to take there game up a few notches during the playoffs which is why they have won the last few years. I just don't see the Spurs besides Duncan doing that. Lakers in 5 if the Spurs are lucky Hornets in 6 Celtics in 5 Mavs in 5 (Webber is going to choke again)
If the Lakers couldn't get motivated for the last game against SA, nothing can motivate them. They were utterly humiliated in San Antonio a week before. The Spurs led by as many as 34, and won by about 20. This wasn't even a game... just a complete annihilation. The Spurs were red hot, catching up on the Lakers in the standings, and there was talk among the San Antonio players and fans that LA would have major problems with them. If that can't get Shaq and Horry motivated, I don't know what can... The Lakers right now remind me of the '96 Rockets... fans blindly believing that the regular season doesn't matter, and that they can just turn it on whenever they want. It's not to say that they can't-- the Lakers were actually 9-3 in the regular season against the other three top Western teams-- but I'm a firm believer in chemistry and momentum come playoff time, and right now, they aren't playing that well. They played well enough to beat Portland, but they aren't clicking on all cylinders and playing at the top of their game, like the Mavs and Spurs are right now. The Lakers are very good, but their chemistry isn't nearly what it was at this time a year ago, and IMO that makes them beatable. Whether someone will do it is another story, but if the Spurs and Mavs continue to play well, I think they'll both have a pretty decent chance.
Boston in 6 (Detriot is fiesty but just doesn't have the guns--fortunate to beat a similarly fiesty and even more bulletless Raports). NJ in 7 (Best 2 all-around teams in the east). LAL in 6 (Spurs have 1 or 2 hot shooting night to steal some w's but Shaq and Kobe are way too much) Sac in 7 (Though both teams get road W's home court for game 7 is difference maker)
Hornets-4 Nets-3 Celtics-4 Pistons-1 Lakers-4 Spurs-1 (Spurs win a meaningless game 4 to avoid sweep) Mavs-4 Kings-3 (best series in years, Mavs win close game 7 at Arco) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Celtics-4 Hornets-3 (Close game 7 goes to the team with the best superstar.) Mavs-4 Lakers 2 (The Mavs will overpower the Lakers with ridiculous outside shooting. This will be incredible to watch) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mavs-4 Celtics-3 The Celtics will be the first team to win all three home games in a row as a lower-seeded team, but the Mavericks will prevail. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now, a realistic prediction: Lakers-4 Nets-0
I think Duncan and Shaq will neutralize each other. The series comes down to who will negate Kobe and Horry. You know Kobe will get his points. Is Robinson up to getting his and is anyone on the Spurs going to step and be as "clutch" as you know Horry will be. I think Robinson is the X factor in this series. If he shows up, the spurs will make a series of it. Unfortunately I have little faith in Robinson becuase he has brought it to the playoffs only once and that was during the championship year and Shaq wasn't half the man he is today.
Let me get this straight. The Lakers win 3 straight playoff games against a team that always seems to at least challenge them and are "not playing that well" but the Spurs are taken to a game 5 by a bad Sonics team, are without David Robinson, and are "clicking on all cylinders?" Interesting analysis to say the least. I'll give you the Mavs clicking right now and posing trouble for LA, but the Spurs? As for the 96 Rockets, they ran into a team that they didn't matchup well with at all in Seattle and thus got beat. The Lakers don't have problem with the Spurs. They've beaten them 7 out of the last 8. Celtics vs. Pistons: Celtics in 6 Hornets vs. Nets: Hornets in 7 Spurs vs. Lakers: LA in 5 Mavs vs. Kings: Kings in 7 Lakers vs. Kings: LA in 5 Hornets vs. Celtics: Hornets in 6 LA vs. Charlotte: LA in 4
I really wish that the Spurs beat the Lakers. But I am afraid that the triumphant rants of The Cat would then become just unbearable .
Pistons in 6 - just watch. Nets in 7 - will be a good series, but if Mashburn is out for the first part of the series, I think Charlotte may dig themselves too big of a hole. Mavs in 6 - the best series of them all. Too much offensive firepower, though I think someone unexpected from Sacto will step up. Lakers in 6 - too little DRob, too much Shaq.
Nets in 6. Charlotte needs a fit Mashburn. Celtics in 7. Lakers in 6. Dallas in 6. Nash and Nowitski will be the difference makers. Finley will neutralize Peja. Webber will fail to step up in the clutch.
Let me get this straight. The Lakers win 3 straight playoff games against a team that always seems to at least challenge them and are "not playing that well" but the Spurs are taken to a game 5 by a bad Sonics team, are without David Robinson, and are "clicking on all cylinders?" Interesting analysis to say the least. I'll give you the Mavs clicking right now and posing trouble for LA, but the Spurs? A team that always seems to challenge them? The Blazers have no one inside, and have lost 7 straight playoff games to the Lakers. That's not much of a challenge. Anyone who watched the Spurs-Sonics series knows that it wasn't a five game series. Game 4 was an automatic for Seattle, as Duncan and Robinson were both out. San Antonio dominated in three of the four games, winning by 20+ each time. They did have one bad game, like the Lakers did in Portland, but the Sonics didn't quite have the choking mentality of the Blazers to give it away. If you take away that game 4, which wasn't exactly a fair game for the Spurs, San Antonio has won 12 of their last 13 and 25 of their last 29. And Robinson is likely to play tomorrow. That sure sounds like "clicking on all cylinders" to me. I really wish that the Spurs beat the Lakers. But I am afraid that the triumphant rants of The Cat would then become just unbearable You won't hear all that many "triumph" rants from me until late June. Sure, it'd be nice to beat the Lakers, but it means nothing without a championship. There's more to do after LA.
New Jersey over Charlotte in 7 Boston over Detroit in 6 Sacramento over Dallas in 5 L.A. Lakers over San Antonio in 4
