Why dont you have much playoff faith in Mutombo. How many times has he been in the playoffs? It cant be mroe than 1 or 2. As far as predictions West: Round 1 Winners San Antonio Dallas Los Angeles Sacramento Round 2 Winners San Antonio Los Angeles Round 3 Winner San Antonio East: Round 1 Winners Philly Knicks Miami Milwaukee Round 2 Winners Philly Milwaukee Round 3 Winners Milwaukee Finals: San Antonio over Milwaukee Note that I would never bet on my above predicitons [This message has been edited by JayZ750 (edited April 19, 2001).]
Round 1 West Spurs-Get the broom out Mavs-Too many weapons for Jazz to handle Kings-This could go either way, Kings have no one to stop Marion Lakers-Blazers are overpaid as well as overrated Round 1 East 76ers-Pacers have no one to stop Iverson (who does) Knicks-Homecourt advantage is HUGE for the Knicks Heat-Hornets will be lucky to win 1 game Magic-Gotta love the job Doc Rivers is doing. Karl not a good coach. Round 2 West Spurs-Very good series with Mavs Lakers-Too much for Kings to handle Round 2 East 76ers-Too much Iverson Heat-Keep on rollin Round 3 West Spurs-Duncan, Robinson too much for Shaq Round 3 East Heat-Zo, Mason, Grant dominate the boards. No rebounds=no shots for Iverson Finals Spurs-Been there done that. ------------------ "Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored."- (Aldous Huxley)
The 4 best defenses teams advance to the finals, and the best defensive team wins. <pre><font face="courier"> SA -------| SA Dallas |--------| -------| | SA Sac |--------| -------| LA | | LA |--------| | -------| | | SA |------- Milw | -------| Miami | Miami |--------| | -------| | Miami | NY |--------| -------| Phil | Phil |--------| -------| </pre></font> [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited April 19, 2001).]
<u>Round 1 - West</u> Spurs over T-pups in 3. The Spurs are playing too well right now for the T'wolves, who have looked bad lately. Mavericks over Jazz in 5. The Mavs have too many weapons, and I refuse to pick the Jazz on general principle. Lakers over Portland in 3. Lakers are streaking, Shaq is making his free throws and Portland is in a nosedive. Sacramento in 4. C-Webb is a beast. <u>Round 2 - West</u> Mavs over Spurs in 6. The Mavs, I think, match up well with San Antonio and I believe their bevy of offensive firepower can conquer the Twin Towers. Lakers over Kings in 5. Should be close games, but the Lakers are playing better ball. <u>Round 3 - West</u> Lakers over Mavs in 5. A tremendous run by the Mavs comes to an end, the Lakers have owned the Mavs and will continue to do so. Shaquille O'Neal has arc on his free throws! Arc! <u>Round 1 - East</u> Philly in 5. Philly has been bounced from the playoffs by Indy the past two years, and the Pacers will make it interesting, but Iverson will put the Sixers on top in Game 5. New York in 4. Hey, Toronto actually wins a game this year. Miami in 3. No contest, Charlotte is plummeting and Miami is rolling along. Bucks in 5. McGrady is good, but the Bucks are really talented offensively speaking and I think that diversity of talent will prevail. <u>Round 2 - East</u> New York over Philly in 7. I'm going with New York because of an easier first round match-up and greater playoff experience. Miami in 5. The Bucks have no idea what's coming, Miami is just getting warmed up. <u>Round 3 - East</u> Miami in 6. The more talented team shall triumph. <u>NBA Finals</u> Lakers or Miami. Pick one, it goes to 7 games, and I can't decide. ------------------ Founder and President of the Houston Homers Club(HHC) - Are you a homer? Join now! The Rockets will be NBA champions. Believe.
Round 1 West San Antonio in 4. Garnett can't guard both Tim and David. Dallas in 5. Too many weapons for the Mavs. Sacramento in 3. Phoenix won't even slow down CWebb. LA in 4. Portland = kaput. Round 1 East Philly in 5. Indy matches up very well, and has more playoff experience, but with homecourt Iverson & Co. survive scare. NY in 4. Vince Carter doesn't have enough help in Toronto, and NY defense will clamp down in playoffs. Miami in 3. Zo's back. Milwaukee in 4. They won't stop McGrady, but who Orlando isn't in position to take advantage of Milwaukee's weakness inside. Round 2 San Antonio in 5. Finley, Nowitzki and Nash just don't have the playoff experience that the Spurs do, and they also lack interior toughness. Sacramento in 7. Vlade can pull Shaq out from the basket, allowing Chris room to work inside. Plus, I predict the Kobe-Shaq feud over shots returns in the playoffs. Philly in 7. A great defensive series, but I think the Answer will find a way to get it done. Plus, Mutombo's presence will force the Knicks to shoot more outside jumpers than they want to. Miami in 6. This is a terrible matchup for Sammy, Ray, and Glen. Miami has too much interior muscle, and if Eddie Jones is healthy they can at least partially neutralize Ray Allen. Conference Finals Sacramento in 6. Call it a hunch pick. Miami in 5. Philly's lack of a second option finally catches up with them. NBA Finals Miami in 7. Close call, but I'd give the edge to the team that is less worn down, and plays better defense. Riley gets another ring, CWebb plays for the last time as a member of the Kings. ------------------ I'm about to boldly go where many men have gone before. [This message has been edited by SamCassell (edited April 19, 2001).]
Let's not forget that Milwaukee is undefeated against the top western teams. I wouldn't mind seeing the Bucks or Sixers upset the west. ------------------
West: 1st round- SA over Minn in 4 Utah over Dallas in 5 (I hate them but every year they find a way) Sac over Phoenix in 5 (very close series) LA over Portland in 4 2nd- SA over Utah in 5 Sac over LA in 4 Western Finals- SA over Sac in 7, Webber can't do it all himself. Eastern 1st Round- Phi over Indy in 5 (very tight series) NY over Toronto in 4 Char over Miami (my upset special) Mil over Orlando in 4 2nd- NY over Phil in 6 Mil over Char in 5 Eastern Finals- NY over Mil in 7 Finals- SA over NY in 5 At the same time NY could easily go out in the 1st round, but those guys always find a way to go farther than expected.
HP- Yeah Zo is a warrior (and I love to watch him play) but he seems to become the Sheed of the East in key games. I just have a feeling with Miami that there are going to be some bruised egos in regards to playing time that may cost them against Charlotte. It's a shame because I really do like Zo and I hat ethe Knicks, maybe I'm just thinking too pessimstickly (sp)! ------------------
OOOOOHHHHH, heypartner HAD to get a clean, nice looking bracket! (By the way, try to read this with Eye of the Tiger playing in the background! Download it from Napster! lol ) 1st Round West Spurs over T-Wolves in 4 (Wolves will come close to making it 5 games) Mavs over Jazz in 4 Kings over Suns in 5 LA over Portland in 5 East 76ers over Pacers in 5 Knicks over Raptors in 4 Bucks over Magic in 5 Heat over Hornets in a sweep 2nd round West Spurs over Mavs in 6 Lakers over Kings in 6 East New York over 76ers in 6 Heat over Bucks in 7 Conference Finals West Spurs over Lakers in 6 or 7 Heat over Knicks in 7 Finals Spurs over Heat in 6 ------------------ See the three, be the three. [This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited April 19, 2001).]
I don't see any other thread dealing exclusively with playoff predictions, so I figured I'd start one myself. Here is how I see the 2001 NBA playoffs playing out. <u>Round 1 - West</u> San Antonio & Minnesota San Antonio - in 3 games. Minnesota will put up a fight and the games will be close, but there is no doubt in my mind that San Antonio will Sweep Minnesota. Utah & Dallas Utah - in 5 games. This will be a hell of a series, and I think it will come down the last play of the final game (Like Utah-Sac last year). In the end, however, the Jazz should scrape by. Sacramento & Phoenix Sacramento - in 4 games. Phoenix could be dangerous in the playoffs, but I think Sacramento will handle them fairly easily. They should win one game, but overall they have no answer for C-Webb. Los Angeles & Portland Los Angeles - in 4 games. I think there is a very good chance that LA will sweep Portland, but the Blazers should be good enough to win one game. LA is hot right now, and Portland is having team chemistry (and injury) problems. <u>Round 1 - East</u> Philadelphia & Indiana Philadelphia - in 3 games. Reggie Miller comes alive in the playoffs, but so does Allen Iverson. Don't get me wrong, I think Indiana has a great young team, but I don't think they can get by Philly. The 76ers have done very well in recent playoff history, and should continue to do so this year. Then again, Indiana went all the way to the finals last year, so they could be dangerous. Maybe Philly in 4 or 5 instead of a sweep?? What do you think? New York & Toronto Toronto - in 5 games. This is by far the toughest matchup to predict in the 2001 playoffs. Both teams are so similar, and they both had a great first round battle last season. It's hard to go against the Knicks.. the team is custom made for the playoffs, but Toronto has been looking very good lately. Tough guys like Jerome Williams, Antonio Davis and Charles Oakley should make the difference in this series with their rebounding. It should be an ugly, defense-oriented series, and I think Toronto will pull off an upset and come out on top. It could just as easily be the Knicks, though. Mark Jackson could be the difference. I would like your help with this matchup more than any other. Please respond. Miami & Charlotte Miami - in 3 games. The Heat should sweep the Hornets fairly easily. Alonzo and Jones are back, and Miami is clicking on all cylinders lately. How did Charlotte even make the playoffs anyway? Milwaukee & Orlando Milwaukee - in 4 games. Tracy McGrady is damn good, but Milwaukee's high-powered offense should overwhelm the Magic. I pick Orlando to win one game, but it could easily be a sweep for the Bucks. What do you think? Does T-Mac have it in him to win one game? <u>Round 2 - West</u> San Antonio & Utah San Antonio - in 5 games. The Spurs, in my opinion, match up very well against Utah. I can see the Jazz winning game 4 to avoid getting swept, but the Spurs should cruise over them fairly easily. Have fun at the golf course, Karl! Sacramento & Los Angeles Los Angeles - in 7 games. I want Sacramento to win.. I really do. But, I realistically don't see how they can beat the defending champions. Nevertheless, they will make it an exciting series which should go 7 games, with LA winning decisively in the 7th by 10+ points. Sac's strong playoff run will make Webber think about staying in Sacramento, but he will end up leaving anyway (for Orlando). I could be wrong about it going 7 games, though. Do you think maybe LA will win in 5 or 6 instead? <u>Round 2 - East</u> Philadelphia & Toronto Philadelphia - in 6 games. This part of the bracket is so hard to predict. I don't have much faith in Mutombo, especially in a playoff situation, but I still think Philly has enough front-court muscle to be able to hang with the Raptors. Iverson .vs. Carter should be a joy to watch but in the end, Iverson's grit will overcome Carter's flash and the 76ers will advance. Miami & Milwaukee Miami - in 5 games. I really like Miami's chances. Milwaukee is a good team, but can they get past Riley's defense? In the end, I basically don't see how Milwaukee can contend with the Miami big men. Alonzo, Mason and Brian Grant should tear it up inside, seriously taking advantage of Milwaukee's lack of an interior defensive presence. I can see Mourning exploding for a series of back-to-back 20+ pt, 10+ reb games in this series. In defense .vs. offense, defense almost always wins in the playoffs. <u>Round 3 - West</u> San Antonio & Los Angeles Los Angeles - in 7 games. This is where it gets tough. San Antonio has looked totally awesome in the final games of the season, but so has LA! Duncan will always be solid, but a great deal of San Antonio's success has been because of some stellar play by David Robinson. This late in the playoffs, though, I don't think Robinson will be as effective and Shaq should be able to dominate. Also, do the Spurs have an answer for Kobe? Derek Anderson isn't much of a defensive stopper, and I can see Kobe torching the SA defense. Don't get me wrong, the Spurs have a very good chance of winning, but unfortunately, I am predicting a return to the NBA finals for LA. <u>Round 3 - East</u> Philadelphia & Miami Philadelphia - in 6 games. A very, very difficult match up to predict. I honestly have no rock solid answer for this series. Mutumbo .vs. Mourning should be a war. The one problem with the Heat, though, is that Miami has no real defensive answer for Iverson. Allen would tear apart Tim Hardaway. Bowen might have more success containing Iverson, but he would still get blown away pretty badly. The question is, how will Philly deal with Mason, Jones and Brian Grant.. do they have enough front court muscle to contain this three-headed monster? In my opinion, yes. Philadelphia, in the end, will stop Miami's impressive playoff run and go all the way to the finals, even with Mutumbo. <u>NBA Finals</u> Philadelpha & Los Angeles Los Angeles - in 6 games. How long has it been since the NBA finals have gone to 7 games? It's been a while, hasn't it? As much as I hate that b*stard Kobe, I think LA will beat the 76ers. Although in my opinion, Philly matches up very well against LA, the Lakers should come through in the end with the victory, securing back to back championships. Mutumbo has handled Shaq pretty well in the past, but I just don't have much playoff faith in Dikembe. Well, that's my analysis. I would love to hear your opinions, especially on the New York / Toronto match up and the LA / SA series. ------------------ My dream job is to be a Houston Rockets towel boy.
1st round: Spurs in 4 Lakers in 4 (easier 4 games than the Spurs) Suns in 5 (Sac's lack of D + Kidd's dominance bites them) Jazz in 5 6ers in 5 (Miller and Rose can win at home) Heat in 3 (When the going gets tough, Charlote folds) Bucks in 4 (McGrady and Doc manage to steal 1) Tor in 5 (Lack of NY inside game bites them) 2nd round: Spurs in 6 (too tough for the Jazz, or Mavs) Lakers in 5 (all Shaq against Suns, or Kings) 6ers in 7 (Iverson out-duels Carter in the clucth) Heat in 6 (D, D, D + inside power with Zo added to Mason and Grant)) 3rd round Lakers in 6 (SA has no answer for Kobe here) Heat in 6 (except for SG, just better players than Phily) 4th round Heat in 6 (I really believe the Lakers will win, but I'd like to see something different happen. Plus Miami has a quality big people and Jones isn't a bad guy to slow down Kobe. Oustide of the Lakers big 2, the Heat guys are way better, maybe enough better to make the difference.)
First round East Pacers over Sixers in 5 Bucks over Magic in 4 Heat over Hornets in 3 Knicks over Raptors in 5 West Spurs over Twolves in 3 Lakers over Blazers in 5 Kings over Suns in 5 Mavs over Jazz in 4 Second round East Knicks over Pacers in 7 Bucks over Heat in 6 West Spurs over Mavs in 5 Lakers over Kings in 6 Conference Finals East Knicks over Bucks in 6 Spurs over Lakers in 5 NBA Finals Spurs over Knicks in 6 MVP-- Tim Duncan ------------------ President of the Mo Taylor, Jason Collier, and draft Richard Jefferson fan club! Draftsource.net-- the premier source for draft info. Profiles, rankings, mock drafts, and more! ClutchTown.com
<u>Round 1 - West</u> SA over pups in 3. Mavs over Jazz in 5. If Utah can overcome the Mavs, they'll be gone in the next round for sure anyway (only Marshall and some of the young pups will have any juice left after the Mavs series). LA over Portland in 5. PHX over Sacramento in 5. I may regret this one...IF C Web can stay hot for an entire series. <u>Round 2 - West</u> SA over Mavs in 7. Tuf Series. LA over PHX in 6. Maybe; Phx can beat'm, but I'll give Shaq some xtra credit against PHX. <u>West Championship</u> SA over LA in 7. <u>Round 1 - East</u> who cares? Everything settled in WCC. <u>NBA Finals</u> SA over east in 6. [This message has been edited by Cohen (edited April 21, 2001).]
HAHAHAHA - WEEEE!!!! HERE WE GO: First Round: T-Wolves in 4 Portland in 5 Phoenix in 4 Dallas in 5 Indy in 4 Charlotte in 5 NY in 3 Magic in 3 2nd Round: Wolves Portland Charlotte Indy NBA Runner-Up: Charlotte NBA Champion: Portland BUWAHAHAHAH! if this happens. well, i'd be out looting the stores as well... ------------------
LOL! If that happens, I would go play the lottery if I were you! ------------------ See the three, be the three.
West: Round 1 Winners San Antonio Utah Los Angeles Sacramento Round 2 Winners San Antonio Los Angeles Round 3 Winner San Antonio East: Round 1 Winners Indiana Raptors Miami Milwaukee Round 2 Winners Raptors Milwaukee Round 3 Winners Milwaukee Finals: San Antonio over Milwaukee ------------------ Sorry Clutch; I had to copy the recap headline "the Mo and Fro Show" into my username cause I loved it!
i dont really care about the first few rounds. but my pick for the finals is, san antonio and the sixers. i will have to say i fancy philly for taking it all out. they have iverson, and he is the best scorer in the league. and no-one can guard him, he will average 35+ points a game ------------------ "A Champion team will always beat a team of Champions"
Well the Pacers sure did stop him. He only had 16 points in game 1. I think they might not even be able to make it past the Pacers. ------------------ Sorry Clutch; I had to copy the recap headline "the Mo and Fro Show" into my username cause I loved it!
