NBA 2004 Playoffs thread [R]

[skipshady]

Okay, so there are still a couple of days left in the season, but here goes.

East
1. Indiana vs 8. Boston
2. New Jersey vs 7. New York/New Orleans
3. Detroit vs 6. New Orleans/Milwaukee/New York
4. Milwaukee/Miami vs 5. Miami/Milwaukee/New Orleans

West
1. Minneapolis/San Antonio vs 8. Denver
2. Sacramento/LA Lakers vs 7. Houston
3. San Antonio/LA Lakers/Sacramento/Minneapolis vs 6. Dallas/Memphis
4. La Lakers/San Antonio/Sacramento vs 5. Memphis/Dallas

[skipshady]

Matchups are set:
East
1. Indiana vs 8. Boston
2. New Jersey vs 7. New York
3*. Detroit vs 6. Milwaukee
4. Miami vs 5. New Orleans

West
1. Minnesota vs 8. Denver
2. LA Lakers vs 7. Houston
3*. San Antonio vs 6. Memphis
4. Sacramento vs 5. Dallas

*Detroit and San Antonio both have home court advantage in the Conference Semifinals.

[NORML]

I think that Kevin Garnett's time has finally come, this time around, and the Minnesota Timberwolves will run the table this year.
Hunter S. Thompson

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=thompson/040413

Now I'm not taking this as proof that this is the Wolves year. I just wanted to point out that from the get go the Wolves have the "bunker living weirdo" vote. :D

[Ian McCracken]

My Picks for the 1st Round:

Indiana over Boston in 7
New Jersey over New York in 6
Detroit over Milwaukee in 4
Miami over New Orleans in 7

Minnesota over Denver in 5
Lakers over Houston in 5
San Antonio over Memphis in 5
Dallas over Sacramento in 6

[skipshady]

Ian, do you really think Boston can keep it close? Granted, Paul Pierce can always break out and Indiana is suspect at the point, but I don't think Celtics have an answer for O'Neal and Artest will shut Pierce down.

Also, I don't see New Orleans taking Miami to 7. Miami was the hottest team in the 2nd half of the season (okay, maybe 2nd hottest after Detroit) while the Hornets were possibly the coldest. If Wade and Odom are healthy, this one can get ugly for Nawlins.

I'm with you on Dallas vs Sacto though. I don't think the Kings can go far with Webber and Bobby Jackson at less than 100%.

[kerpow]

My Picks for the 1st Round:

Indiana over Boston in 7



Bit conservative don't you think? I would say 5, possibly 6 if injuries enter the equation.

Mildly amusing quote from IndyStar.

"There's only one way the Indiana Pacers won't dispose of the Boston Celtics rather easily these next two weeks: That's if Bill Belichick somehow gets involved in designing Boston's defense, in which case, all bets are off."

[skipshady]

Trifecta of columns from ESPN.com:
Bill Simmons (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/040416)
A Man City supporter (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2004/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&id=1783096)
Peter May (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2004/columns/story?columnist=may_peter&id=1782665)

[Ian McCracken]

Ian, do you really think Boston can keep it close? Granted, Paul Pierce can always break out and Indiana is suspect at the point, but I don't think Celtics have an answer for O'Neal and Artest will shut Pierce down.

Also, I don't see New Orleans taking Miami to 7. Miami was the hottest team in the 2nd half of the season (okay, maybe 2nd hottest after Detroit) while the Hornets were possibly the coldest. If Wade and Odom are healthy, this one can get ugly for Nawlins.

I just have a feeling Boston is going to play Indiana tough. Indiana won the season series 3-1, but one of the wins was by only one point. I know Boston was tanking at various points in the season, but I think Paul Pierce will win them 1 game alone and they'll steal another couple at home.

Miami is the hotter team, but New Orleans is the more talented one. Baron Davis and Jamal Magloire will be the two best players on the floor. I know the team nobody in Detroit wanted to play in the first round was the Hornets, simply because Baron Davis can go off on you. I think New Orleans makes Miami sweat this series out and I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Hornets take the series in six.

[microbrew]

The Nets vs. Knicks should be amusing off the court:
Marbury vs. Kidd
As many NY fans as NJ fans in the Meadowlands?
Nets resentment of the bigger NY Knicks coverage
Allan Houston? Will he come back?
Dikembe Mutombo's old team he was waived from

Anyone starting to get annoyed with the NBA's celebrity playoff promos?

[yellowbismark]

my predictions:

Minnesota over Denver (6)
Lakers over Houston (6)
San Antonio over Memphis (4)
Sacramento over Dallas (7)

Indiana over Boston (5)
New Jersey over Knicks (6)
Detroit over Milwaukee (5)
Miami over New Orleans (7)

Sacramento over Minnesota (7) :cool:
San Antonio over Lakers (6)

Indiana over Miami (7)
Detroit over New Jersey (5)

San Antonio over Sacramento (6)
Detroit over Indiana (6)

San Antonio over Detroit (6)

[skipshady]

I just have a feeling Boston is going to play Indiana tough. Indiana won the season series 3-1, but one of the wins was by only one point. I know Boston was tanking at various points in the season, but I think Paul Pierce will win them 1 game alone and they'll steal another couple at home.I don't think Boston was so much tanking as it was sucking hard. It's the bunker mentality combined with the Cavs' collapse that got them to the playoffs, imo.

I just don't see Boston making this a series. They don't have a dependable scorer other than Paul Pierce and no bench to speak of other than Ricky Davis. Bsically, if Artest can match Pierce's numbers, Indiana is going to win. As it was, Artest outscored Pierce while O'Neal and Harrington did their usual.

- Also, Marquis Daniel and Josh Howard for co-rookies of the year? Where would Dallas be without their 2 rookies?
- Will the Kings and Mavs average 120 points each in this seires?
- A Shawn Bradley sighting in Sacramento.
- The Nets turned it on, didn't they?

[DevilDave]

Previous reports of the Kings' demise may have been a bit premature. :D

Neither team played anything resembling a coherent defense for the first three quarters, but Sac buckled down in the fourth and swept aside the Mavs. Good to see Peja confident again, C-Webb not forcing too much on the offensive end, and Doug Christie turn on the D in crunch time.

But it will all have been for naught if Dallas leaves Sactown with a split, IMO. It's time for the Kings to get greedy, win Game 2, and really get control of this series.

[Ian McCracken]

The Beasts of the East (aka the Pistons) looked like the old Phi Slamma Jamma today, as they dismantled Milwaukee pretty easily. I'll be shocked if the Bucks win a game in this series.

[skipshady]

So Ron Artest gets suspended for stepping on the court, but Richard Jefferson doesn't. What is the distinction here? Or is this simply a case of Artest having a past history and Jefferson not?

This is a good chance as any for Pierce to break loose and for the Celtics to get into this series, but if the Pacers play like they should, they won't miss Artest.

[skipshady]

Speaking of Artest, he is the 2004 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=aldridge_david&id=1781249
Rick Carlisle had his staff break down every defensive possession Indiana had this season -- more than 8,000 in all -- and the findings were staggering. Artest's guy only got off 9.4 shots per game and averaged just eight points a game.

[microbrew]

Jefferson is an easy going, media friendly guy. If it was Kenyon Martin...

Yeah, the Nets just turned it on. They've been here, done that. The Nets were on cruise control the last few weeks, and the NBA's boy wonder coach used the last few games to tune-up Rodney Rogers and Lucious Harris, and get Veal, Zoran Planicic, Brandon Armstrong and Tamar Slay playing time.

And note the fans leaving with 10 minutes left in the game. That's how bad the Meadowland's traffic is. I'm surprised Murphy's Law didn't kick in, with the Metrostars game right before that (better known as the site of you-know-who's first goal)


Lots of blow-outs in the first games.

[skipshady]

Wasn't it the first time all 8 higher seeded teams won their opening playoff games?

San Antonio has already beaten Memphis more times in the last 3 days than it did all regular season.

[Ian McCracken]

Man, other than the Lakers-Houston game those 1st games were brutal to watch. Lopsided all the way. I'm not sure why it is but in the NHL it seems 1-8 are evenly matched and there can be lots of great series. In the NBA, on the other hand, the higher seed almost always wins in round 1. Maybe it's the nature of the sport. In basketball, it's "easier" to score and thus the better team can pull away. In hockey (and soccer, too) it's more difficult to score and a lesser team can hang tough and steal games.

[skipshady]

Man, other than the Lakers-Houston game those 1st games were brutal to watch. Lopsided all the way.Don't forget MIA vs NO and DAL vs SAC (although Sacramento took over at the end, it was still pretty entertaining).
I think 2 things are happening here. Lower seeds in the East simply don't belong. The Hornets are a borderline playoff team, but Milwaukee, New York and Boston simply have no business playing in late April. In the West, it's just too stacked at the top. I wouldn't be surprised if any of the Top 4 teams make the Finals, and Dallas or Memphis could win the East.

- Houston doesn't want to win this series. Rockets got 2 chances to steal a game on the road and they refused to take it. They should just trade Franchise and get around to building a team around Yao.
- Jefferson should have sat out the game, to protest Artest's suspension and give Tamar Slay a chance to fill up the box score.

[Ian McCracken]

One more stinker from Boston and I'm ready to amend my prediction of Indiana in seven. :)