Suns / Grizzlies is going to be close. I think 7 games. I also think the Nuggets are good enough to win a couple of games, maybe the series. Sonics will rebound and beat the Kings. Rockets over Mavs in 5.
The Nuggets are imploding. They fold like crepes when they play decent teams... The Spurs have a top 5 player, the best backcourt in the playoffs, and the best one-on-one defender in the league. Plus, they have the x-factor... Big Shot Bob Horry!
Suns over Grizzlies in 5 - Grizzlies have some depth but if Nash doesn't disappear, I don't see this going over 5 games. Amare dunks on Pau's ugly face ~10 times. Spurs over Nuggets in 5 - Could be over in 4, but I guess Nugs might steal one. Duncan is back on form, and Nugs can't get their fast break going as Spurs dictate the tempo. Seattle over Sacramento in 5 - Sacramento gets what it deserves after tanking to get Seattle. Bibby isn't enough. Peja is hobbled and shoots ~35 % from the field. Rockets over Mavs in 6 - JVG outcoaches Avery and Yao finally finds a way to be effective against them. Dirk averages 30+, but so does T-Mac.
Suns over grizzlies in 5 Suns are just a much better team. Spurs over nuggets in 5 Spurs are just the best team that there is. The nuggets are playing good, but they have were beaten badly the last 2 games. kings over Sonics in 6 I just do not see the sonics winning a serie, they are not playing good basketbal the last couple of games. Rockets over mavs in 6 Hey i'm stil a homer. Van gundy will find a way to stop the mavs offense
trust me, not posting in GARM is the best therapy ever. I went through a few withdrawl symptoms, but now I'm lucky if I even click on a thread once per day in that forum. To draw an analogy most Rockets fans could understand, I'm the Rudy Tomjanovich of GARM. I took it way too seriously, and it almost cost me my sanity. I know I'll never really be cured of my GARM addiction, but it's the journey that REALLY counts...
Suns over Jizzlies in 5. Rockets over Mavs in 6. (God, I'm a homer. You KNOW that Dirk Nowitzki is gonna get a phantom-touch foul called every time a Rocket gets within a foot of him; all it takes is a Charlie Brown-style "AAAAARRRGH!" and flopping like a dropped marionette. Spurs over Nuggets in 5 or 6. Until two games ago, I might have given the Nuggets a chance to take this 6 or 7 games. But they have folded hard, had the confidence kicked out of them. Losing Camby hurts. Kings over Sonics in 7. MAYBE. Is Stojakovic back yet?
I predict no upsets. Suns over Grizz in five Mavs over Rockets in six (really, this matchup is impossible to predict... but the prospect of Dirk being matched up by Scott Padgett and Ryan Bowen is so frightening that I'm going with Dallas) Sonics over Kings in five (depends on Miller's and Peja's health) SA over Nuggets in six
Suns in 6. The Grizzlies' depth advantage will be muted in the playoffs. Spurs in 5. Nuggets' run is an illusion, their roster isn't that good. Sonics in 7. Two reeling teams, one with little playoff xp and one who's best player is a playoff choker. I'm going Sonics on the strength of better coaching. Rockets in 6. I don't think Nowitzki can beat us by himself, and the Mavs still only play D occassionally.
Suns over Grizzlies in 4 Grizzlies have been struggling lately and have no confidence. Suns will pick up their intensity. Spurs over Nuggets in 5 Nugs have just enough talent and hunger to win one game (barely). Sonics over Kings in 5 Healthy Sonics owned the Kings during regular season. Well, they're getting healthy again, and Peja hurt his groin. Rockets over Mavs in 7 Dirk and T-Mac will light things up. Yao will dominate the paint. Finley is dangerous, but our bench will be better and, though I like Avery, JVG has more playoff experience. -- droxford
If I was a betting man, I wouldn't bet on any of these predictions... - Suns over Grizzlies in 5 - Spurs over Nuggets in 6 - Rockets over Mavs in 6 - Sonics over Kings in 6
Grizz-Suns winner faces Rockets-Mavs winner, so that's an important series. I'm not sure who I'm rooting for, but probably the Grizzlies since a first round loss for Phoenix would have a psychological impact, but Memphis has really limped in to the postseason. Who knows how their defense will do though against the Suns ... they did split the series with them 2-2. If the Grizz lose in 4 or 5, I think next season it's...
Suns over Grizzlies in 4: Griz will get run over. They backed into the playoffs anyway. Everyone will be predicting Suns as champions only to see them fall hard in round 2. Spurs over Nuggets in 6: Nuggets willbe more pesky than expected. Their bigs will help limit Duncan, and the Spurs will have a couple of games shooting poorly from the perimeter. Kings over Soncs in 7: Sonics almost escape the first round elimination, until Mobley busts out in game 7 to nail down the coffin. Rockets over Mavs in 7: Really, I think the Mavs will win in a tough series, but I'll be a homer and pick the Rox anyway.
Suns over Grizzlies in 4 Spurs over Nuggets in 6 Kings over Sonics in 5 Mavs over Rockets in 6 -Suns are red hot and loaded with horses; the Griz have started carping a little (Williams, Wells). Besides, Amare against Pau will be worthy of a horror movie. -Spurs are clearly the better team, but suffer from disappearances in their backcourt once in a while. The Nuggets are playing more than well enough to snatch a couple games, but their frontcourt is bruised and consists of not one but two guys that were pulverized by Duncan in previous NBA Finals (Camby, Martin). -As weak a season as they've had, the Kings today are a lot healthier and together than the Sonics are. Seattle just got Lewis back, but he may not be 100%. Ray Allen is asking the team to let him sit out the last two games of the year. Danny Fortson has been acting up. Sacramento needs Brad Miller back, though. -I'm frightened for us, simply because we have no one (does anyone?) that can bother Dirk. The Mavs have really come together under Avery and their defense is tons better than a lot of people have realized. If Dampier shows up, he can provide the overly-physical defense that seems to bother Yao more than anything else. The good news is that Finley has struggled this season, and their point guard play has not been stellar. Evan
Suns over Grizzlies in 5 - Mike Miller manages to win one home game for them. That series would be a sweep if the first round was a 5 game series. Spurs over Nuggets in 4 - They need Carmelo to have a good series, he won't even have one good game against Bruce Bowen. Kings over Sonics in 6 - With or without Peja, my reason? Mike Bibby>Ray Allen. Rockets over Mavericks in 7 - YIKES! It's going to be extremely tough, JVG will have to come up with a perfect gameplan and the Rockets will have to execute it to perfection. Yeah, it's difficult but not impossible. T-Mac will be the series best player, Yao and Mutomobo have to be the MVPs, Dirk will also have an outstanding series.
Suns over Griz in 5. Memphis is playing poorly and the Suns shoot too well. Spurs over Nuggets in 6. I think Duncan could be a little rusty, and Denver is good at home. Sonics over the Kings in 6. The Kings chemistry is hurt, and so is Peja. Rockets over Mavs in 6. I'm tempted to say 5. Dirk will score 25 per, but I think the Rockets contain the other guys. Yao and TMac are too much for the Mavs to handle.
