Frank Rodasky
Reporter
The best part of basketball playoffs is always the new level of intensity. With the 82 game regular season in the books, the games are now played for more than just pride and rankings. It’s what everyone calls “win or go home” time (although it never makes sense in the Finals, since everyone goes home after it’s all over). It’s when we find out if the great regular season teams can handle the pressure, and whether the underachievers who played just well enough to get to the post season, were really in conservation mode, saving it all for when it matters the most.
FIRST ROUND
CLEVELAND/DETROIT
This is a pretty tough match up for the number one-seeded Cavaliers. Although the Chauncey Billups/Allen Iverson trade gutted the Pistons of their heart and a soul and saddled them with an under-performing cancer, they still feature a deep, tough group of veterans. The Pistons may try to rough up Cavs star LeBron James, but Cleveland (sporting a 39-2 regular season home record), is firing on all cylinders. They have the home court the whole playoffs, so anyone knocking them out will have to do what was nearly impossible during the season; beat them at home.
PREDICTION: Cleveland wins in four.
CHICAGO/BOSTON
Before Kevin Garnett’s knee injury, the Celtics looked to be a pretty strong favorite to repeat. But without “The Kid,” Boston looks outmanned. The athletic Bulls may capitalize on his absence, but Boston still seems to have enough talent to just squeak by. For one round, at least.
PREDICTION: Boston wins a long, grueling series in seven.
PHILADELPHIA/ORLANDO
Dwight Howard will have a chance to carry the Magic and his massive shoulders. With the third best record in the East, they should be able to handle the Sixers, who look lucky to be at the dance.
PREDICTION: Orlando in six, with plenty of impressive swats and dunks by future league MVP Howard.
ATLANTA/MIAMI
After another incredible season by Dwayne “Flash” Wade, it seems unfair that the Heat doesn’t have a deep enough team to advance. Wade is one of the truly exciting players in the game, an all around superstar that makes everyone better.
PREDICTION: Atlanta in six.
LOS ANGELES/UTAH
Kobe Bryant is at his best, Utah center Mehmet Okur is injured and Jazz coach Jerry Sloan declared that his team wasn’t good enough to beat the Lakers. There’s a reason why Sloan is the longest tenured coach in the NBA; he knows what of he speaks.
PREDICTION: L.A. in four.
DENVER/NEW ORLEANS
When Chauncey Billups was traded from Detroit, he brought Denver the ultimate team player. Gritty, driven and fearless, Billups would make almost any team in these playoffs championship caliber.
Like Wade, New Orleans point guard Chris Paul is pure poetry in motion. In a few years, he may be the best little man in the league. Right now, he’s a great player on a poor team.
PREDICTION: Denver in five.
DALLAS/SAN ANTONIO
These two western conference rivals have hit hard times. Although the Spurs are the number 3 seed, they’re without sparkplug Manu Ginobli, and because of it look well past their prime.
The Mavericks have never recovered from the ill-conceived decision to bring Jason Kidd back to Dallas. As the number six seed, they were in danger until recently of missing the playoffs entirely. But they still have Dirk Nowitzki, who can sink a shot from anywhere. That should be enough to sink the Spurs.
PREDICTION: Dallas in seven.
HOUSTON/PORTLAND
The Trailblazers have northwest fans excited to the levels of the 1970s “Rip City” days, but this team is still awfully young.
Houston has the biggest center in the league with 7’6” Yao Ming. Ming isn’t the physical presence Dwight Howard is, but he has better range from all areas. The Trailblazers may wear themselves out throwing defenders at him.
These two teams finished only one game apart in the win column this season, and look pretty evenly matched. But the presence of the experienced (although dangerously volatile) Ron Artest may be enough.
PREDICTION: Houston in seven.
EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS
CLEVELAND/ATLANTA
This doesn’t look to be much of a series; the Cavs are just playing too good. LeBron James’ drive to take his team to only their second finals appearance in team history will trump anything the Hawks can try.
PREDICTION: Cleveland in five.
ORLANDO/BOSTON
Without Kevin Garnett, the Celtics look to be in trouble. Unless they decide to hack Orlando’s Dwight Howard every time he has the ball, they might not be able to stop him. Howard shoots only about 60 percent from the free throw line, so Boston’s best chance may be to send him to the line and hope he misses.
But if the Magic big man hits his charity shots and the Celtics run out of big bodies to hang on him, Howard will tear it up inside.
PREDICTION: Orlando in seven thrilling, tough games.
WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS
LOS ANGELES/HOUSTON
The Houston Rockets don’t seem to have the depth that the Lakers have. Although Kobe Bryant has in the past torpedoed his own team by refusing to shoot when he gets criticized too much, Houston’s Ron Artest is a bigger headache than Bryant could ever be. Added to this is Lakers coach Phil Jackson, one of the best all time. He’s never lost a playoff series to Rockets coach Rick Adelman, having outcoached his rival at every turn. Adelman is a very smart guy who gets the best out of his players, but when it comes down to it, Jackson’s smarts and Bryant’s talent will be too much.
PREDICTION: Los Angeles in six.
DALLAS/DENVER
The Mavericks aren’t what they were a few years ago.
With a fast break offense slowed by the older Jason Kidd, they don’t have the explosiveness they had when Steve Nash ran the show. Dirk Nowitzki is a great offensive player but a ghost on defense.
The Denver Nuggets will be in the second round of the playoffs for only the second time since 1994, riding the leadership of Chauncey Billups and the 20 plus points per game Carmelo Anthony brings.
But after those two, no one else on the Nuggets averaged more than 16 a game this season. Unless Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith pick it up, they don’t stand much chance against the Mavs offense.
Martin may choose to get physical with Nowitzki, but the Mavs superstar will hit enough free throws to negate the tactic.
PREDICTION: It will take seven games for the Mavericks to get to the Western Finals with their weakest team in years.
EASTERN FINALS
CLEVELAND/ORLANDO
The entire Eastern playoffs seem like a stage for LeBron James’ greatness. Not since Michael Jordan has there been such a complete player (Kobe Bryant’s off the court legal troubles and public demands to be trading while trashing his teammates is very “un-Jordan-esque).
Orlando has gotten so good so fast, but they’re not quite there yet. The series should be fun to watch, though. With two of the best young players lighting it up.
PREDICTION: Cleveland in six.
WESTERN FINALS
LOS ANGELES/DALLAS
Running into the Lakers will be like running into a wall for the Mavs. All of the Mavs flaws will be exposed, and no one will be able to contain Bryant. It’s that simple.
PREDICTION: Los Angeles in (hopefully, Dallas plays at their best) six games.
FINALS
LOS ANGELES/CLEVELAND
Cleveland has the newly minted Coach of the Year winner in Mike Brown, and the deserving Most Valuable Player in LeBron James, and a team that is desperate for a championship in its second trip to the Finals. Two years ago, the superior San Antonio Spurs swept the Cavaliers. This time, the fight looks much more fair.
Los Angeles has three-time champ Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson, winner of nine NBA coaching championships (and two more as a player).
When the Lakers lost last year to the Celtics, it was the first time Jackson’s team was defeated in the Finals. He’s not used to losing, and has a history of his team coming back much stronger after a defeat.This entire season has seemed like a season of destiny for LeBron James.
With all the stories of James leaving the land of Cleve for the brighter lights of New York when he becomes a free agent in 2010, this almost seems like a culmination of his time as a Cavalier. This team may never be stronger than it is now. The match up of LeBron versus Kobe will be exciting, but Jackson should coach circles around his counterpart. It may come down to substitutions, defensive adjustments and play calling; in all these areas, the Lakers will be better served by their coach.
It would be great if Cleveland could get their first pro sports championship since 1964 (courtesy of the Browns of the NFL), and LeBron to get at least one before Kobe wins his fourth and Jackson wins his twelfth. But it doesn’t look likely.
PREDICTION: Los Angeles in six.