C'mon, you have to be pumped about the NBA playoffs. It's been a highly entertaining and competitive regular season, and it'll only get better in the postseason.
I have to admit, I'm a little upset about some of the first round match-ups -- particularly Suns/Spurs and Mavericks/Hornets. The Suns and Spurs are two of the top four teams in the entire league (along with the Celtics and Lakers), so it sucks that one of them will leave us before the second round. Would have loved to see a Western final four of Lakers, Spurs, Suns, Jazz; but the match-ups clearly don't allow for that.
Mavs/Hornets bothers me because I don't like either team. The Mavs put me to sleep a large majority of the time, but I do like Dirk's fire of late. I still feel like the Hornets have been pulling the wool over everyone's eyes all season. CP3 ceaselessly came up with big plays during the regular season, but we all know the playoffs are a totally different story. The Mavs won't hesitate to force him to shoot from the perimeter. That's where CP3 struggled in international play a couple of years back; but of course, he's improved his touch since then.
I'll side with the Mavs on this one, because I have a tendency to support the underdog. Hey, who didn't love the Warriors last postseason? The Mavs have switched roles, dropping from then-No. 1 to No. 7 today, but perhaps that will work in their favor. The old no expectations = less pressure idea. There's no question that Paul will outplay Jason Kidd, but to what extent? Plus you have to like Dirk-Josh Howard-Jason Terry over David West-Peja Stojakovic-Morris Peterson. It shall be interesting, but I trust Dirk this time around. Mavs it is.
Wizards/Cavs should be the most competitive series. DeShawn Stevenson is talkin' shit about LeBron and the Cavs, and I like that. It's probably not great for the Wizards that LeBron is going to be pumped, but it's a pleasure for us as fans. The games will be tight and the intensity of the LeBron/DeShawn match-up should be entertaining. Of course LeBron will be the most effective player in the series, but don't underestimate Stevenson -- he's a scrappy defender. If he can get into LeBron's head (like he did in a regular season game earlier this year) for a couple of the series' games, the Wizards can steal victories.
Don't forget that "Agent Zero" is back for Washington. Gilbert is taking less wild shots, too -- a big plus. Of course the issues with the Wizards are always their non-existent defense (with the exception of Stevenson) and the fact that Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler are all one-on-one offensive players. There's really no such thing as "continuity" when it comes to the Wizards' offense. But sometimes talent is all that's necessary for victory. The Wizards' roster boasts far superior talent than the Cavs'. It's a coin toss, but I'm taking the Wizards.
First Round Winner Predictions:
West: Lakers, Suns, Mavs, Jazz
East: Celtics, Pistons, Wizards, Magic
Time to leave and take advantage of the spring weather. Enjoy tomorrow's first round games.
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