I texted this prior, but thought I'd get a record up for them:
(1) Miami vs (8) Bucks: Heat in 4: Possibly the least exciting series in history... it isn't even worth witty banter
(2) Knicks vs (7) Celtics: Knicks in 7: I've always kind have felt that Rondo didn't actually make teams better, so I don't think his absence changes that much, with Avery Bradley playing so strong. I also have some doubts about the Knicks, but I still think the Knicks are playing too well to fall off here.
(3) Pacers vs (6) Hawks: Pacers in 5: I honestly know nothing about the Hawks outside of Josh Smith, so I gather they aren't very good. Plus the Pacers are the only team that rivals the Grizz in defense, so it has to count for something.
(4) Nets vs (5) Bulls: Bulls in 6: I couldn't possibly care less about a series. I'll just be excited to see either of these teams out of the playoffs quickly.
(1) Thunder vs (8) Rockets: Thunder in 5: I actually think this could be an interesting series, but I don't see this going 7, so I fell back on 5 here. I think the Thunder have some weaknesses, but Westbrook should roll all over Lin for a series.
(2) Spurs vs (7) Lakers: Spurs in 7: I really want to pick Dwight and Gasol here... I really do.
(3) Nuggets vs (6) Warriors: Nuggets in 7: An exciting series with one superb offense against another extremely efficient offense. The difference? The Warriors "D" still isn't great (although improved on past years), and Curry can't possibly win 4 games by himself... can he...
(4) Clippers vs (5) Grizzlies: Grizzlies in 7: No rationale, but my love for my Grizz...
2nd Round
(1) Miami vs (5) Bulls: Miami in 4: The Heat will lose sometime this playoffs. But certainly won't be against the depleted Bulls. The Bulls with MVP winning Rose got rolled by the Heat two years ago, so this should be even more dominate.
(2) Knicks vs (3) Pacers: Pacers in 6: Teams that rely on the three, will not win a title, or a series against a team that can defend well and play physical.
(1) Thunder vs (5) Grizzlies: Thunder in 7: I actually think the Thunder could easily lose this series. Tough matchup. I think Durant will do enough to get the calls in game 7 though, to win this.
(2) Spurs vs (3) Nuggets: Nuggets in 6: Maybe I'm sleeping on the Spurs, but the Nugs have looked too good, for too long. Plus for 4 straight years the Spurs have lost to a lower seeded team, and this will be the last chance for them to keep that streak alive...
3rd Round
(1) Miami vs (3) Pacers: Miami in 5: Pacers can frustrate them with their defense, but who really scores for this team...
(1) Thunder vs (3) Nuggets: Thunder in 5: I don't think the Nuggets match up well at all against the Thunder fire power, and at this point it seems inevitable the Heat Thunder rematch...
Championship
(1) Miami vs (1) Thunder: Miami in 6: I really really want to say Miami in 5, but that gives them only two losses the whole playoffs, so I'll say the Thunder sneak another one. The problem is, the Thunder aren't as good as they were last year, without Harden, and the Heat are actually better (and truly committed to their small ball). This leads to possibly the boringest playoffs in NBA history. The question isn't who wins the title... the question is how many losses will the Heat get there, and my magic number is... 3
Saturday, April 20, 2013
2013 NBA Playoff Predictions
The Magic are sitting at home. Oh, well. It's still playoff time. Let's do this.
Eastern Conference
First Round:
(1) Miami over (8) Milwaukee in four. Soon enough, we'll forget this one ever happened.
(2) New York over (7) Boston in five. The studio crew on ABC is trying to convince us that Boston can still be a legitimate threat to the Heat in the east. Bill Simmons says that the Celtics have an "identity" now, whatever that means. I say that they're a 41 win team, that won't have the chance to test the Heat.
(3) Indiana over (6) Atlanta in five. DE-FENSE. Or something.
(4) Brooklyn over (5) Chicago in seven. Not sure what to make of this series. Deron Williams is playing better, or so I hear. Derrick Rose won't play, or so I hear.
Conference Semis:
(1) Miami over (4) Brooklyn in five. Only because it seems wrong to pick the Heat to sweep both of their first two series.
(2) New York over (3) Indiana in seven. I think there are only two teams in the East who really can challenge the Heat. These are those two. I'm going chalk. So sue me.
Conference Finals:
(1) Miami over (2) New York in six. I think the Knicks can beat the Heat. But the Heat also were 12 games better over a season where they've probably been on auto-pilot for the past one or two months.
Western Conference:
First Round:
(1) Oklahoma City over (8) Houston in six. Houston's an eight seed? That doesn't seem right. I'm not getting cute here, though. The Rockets are tremendous for an eight seed... but still an eight seed.
(2) San Antonio over (7) Los Angeles in six. I have no idea what to expect here. If Dwight were to put the Lakers on his back and rip off a bunch of 28-16-4 performances on the way to an upset, it wouldn't be surprising, only a reminder that he was once the consensus second best player in the game. But even if he breaks out, I can't imagine that a team that will probably rely on Jodie Meeks to knock down a big shot or two can beat the Spurs.
(3) Denver over (6) Golden State in five. I love everything about this series, except that one of these teams has to lose.
(5) Memphis over (4) Los Angeles in seven. Only because I needed an upset. If Memphis loses, though, do they blow things up and trade Z-Bo to build around Conley and Gasol? I'm afraid to say it, but they may be the Hawks of the West. I hope I'm wrong.
Conference Semis:
(1) Oklahoma City over (5) Memphis in five. OKC just might be the best team in the league. Stay tuned.
(3) Denver over (2) San Antonio in six. Everyone says that a team without a star can't win in the playoffs. I think they are wrong. But even if they are not, who, exactly is taking over this series on the Spurs? Tim Duncan? A hobbled Tony Parker?
Conference Finals:
(1) Oklahoma City over (3) Denver in seven. As much as I love Denver, OKC had the best point differential in the league this year. They'll get back to the finals.
Finals:
(1) Miami over (1) Oklahoma City in seven. REMATCH ALERT!! This feels like the moment we've been waiting for since last June. OKC will get a little bit closer, but once a team establishes itself as the best in the NBA, I'm picking them until they prove me wrong. Last year, I took the Thunder. I'm not getting burned by the Heat again. (See what I did there? Get it?)
Eastern Conference
First Round:
(1) Miami over (8) Milwaukee in four. Soon enough, we'll forget this one ever happened.
(2) New York over (7) Boston in five. The studio crew on ABC is trying to convince us that Boston can still be a legitimate threat to the Heat in the east. Bill Simmons says that the Celtics have an "identity" now, whatever that means. I say that they're a 41 win team, that won't have the chance to test the Heat.
(3) Indiana over (6) Atlanta in five. DE-FENSE. Or something.
(4) Brooklyn over (5) Chicago in seven. Not sure what to make of this series. Deron Williams is playing better, or so I hear. Derrick Rose won't play, or so I hear.
Conference Semis:
(1) Miami over (4) Brooklyn in five. Only because it seems wrong to pick the Heat to sweep both of their first two series.
(2) New York over (3) Indiana in seven. I think there are only two teams in the East who really can challenge the Heat. These are those two. I'm going chalk. So sue me.
Conference Finals:
(1) Miami over (2) New York in six. I think the Knicks can beat the Heat. But the Heat also were 12 games better over a season where they've probably been on auto-pilot for the past one or two months.
Western Conference:
First Round:
(1) Oklahoma City over (8) Houston in six. Houston's an eight seed? That doesn't seem right. I'm not getting cute here, though. The Rockets are tremendous for an eight seed... but still an eight seed.
(2) San Antonio over (7) Los Angeles in six. I have no idea what to expect here. If Dwight were to put the Lakers on his back and rip off a bunch of 28-16-4 performances on the way to an upset, it wouldn't be surprising, only a reminder that he was once the consensus second best player in the game. But even if he breaks out, I can't imagine that a team that will probably rely on Jodie Meeks to knock down a big shot or two can beat the Spurs.
(3) Denver over (6) Golden State in five. I love everything about this series, except that one of these teams has to lose.
(5) Memphis over (4) Los Angeles in seven. Only because I needed an upset. If Memphis loses, though, do they blow things up and trade Z-Bo to build around Conley and Gasol? I'm afraid to say it, but they may be the Hawks of the West. I hope I'm wrong.
Conference Semis:
(1) Oklahoma City over (5) Memphis in five. OKC just might be the best team in the league. Stay tuned.
(3) Denver over (2) San Antonio in six. Everyone says that a team without a star can't win in the playoffs. I think they are wrong. But even if they are not, who, exactly is taking over this series on the Spurs? Tim Duncan? A hobbled Tony Parker?
Conference Finals:
(1) Oklahoma City over (3) Denver in seven. As much as I love Denver, OKC had the best point differential in the league this year. They'll get back to the finals.
Finals:
(1) Miami over (1) Oklahoma City in seven. REMATCH ALERT!! This feels like the moment we've been waiting for since last June. OKC will get a little bit closer, but once a team establishes itself as the best in the NBA, I'm picking them until they prove me wrong. Last year, I took the Thunder. I'm not getting burned by the Heat again. (See what I did there? Get it?)
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