Anyone that knows me can tell you this, but for those reading who may not know; the game of basketball will forever and always be my one true love. I basically eat, sleep, and breathe every form of hoops from October to June every year. While normally I tend to skew my interest toward college basketball, there has been something about the NBA that has grabbed not only mine, but what seems like everybody’s interest this season. Sure, I’ve always watched the NBA playoffs, but I can’t remember ever being as excited about a regular season as I was this year. My personal favorite moment of the regular season you ask? It’s a toss up between Kobe calling a referee a “fucking faggot” and Kevin Garnett saying Charlie Villanueva looked like a cancer patient. I really can’t decide. But anyway, that brings me to the playoffs. PLAYOFFS?!?! You kiddin’ me? PLAYOFFS?! (Sorry guys I had to.)
My first round picks:
EAST WEST
Chicago over Indiana in 4 games San Antonio over Memphis in 6 games
Miami over Philadelphia in 5 games L.A. Lakers over New Orleans in 4 games
Boston over New York in 6 games Dallas over Portland in 7 games
Orlando over Atlanta in 6 games Oklahoma City over Denver in 6 games
I’m not gonna get too deep into analyzing the first round. No surprises here. If anyone really thinks the Knicks are gonna beat the Celtics in a 7 game series then they are out of their got damn mind. They might steal a win or two with some hot shooting, but they do not play enough consistent defense to beat the Celtics four times.
Onto round 2!
This is where things will start to get interesting. Lets start in the East. Everyone knows the C’s aren’t getting any younger, and Danny Ainge may have made the biggest team killing trade of all time. I really believe that those five guys for Boston (Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Garnett & Perkins) thought they were unbeatable together in a series. They were a family out there on the court. That chemistry has clearly been affected by trading Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson, who played so well in relief of Rondo in last year’s finals run. With the way LeBron, Wade, and Bosh dismantled the Celtics by 25 points just last week, I cant help but roll with “The Heatles” in this series. Pick: Heat over Celtics in 6 games.
Now here is where you are all going to think I’m crazy. Everyone and their brother is officially on the Chi-town bandwagon, but I’m just not buying the Bulls this year. Derrick Rose certainly made the leap into elite stardom this year, but I’m not convinced that the Bulls have enough to get it done. Dwight Howard has very quietly had an MVP type season for Orlando. I like the veteran experience this team has with Howard, Nelson, Richardson, etc. Correct me if I’m wrong, but hasn’t the recent trend been the more experienced teams making the deep run? A hard fought series to the end, but Dwight Howard dominates it in the post.
Pick: Magic over Bulls in 7 games.
This brings me to an Eastern Finals of Orlando vs. Miami, or as I like to call it, the battle for the Joe Nezezon trophy. While Howard poses a huge mismatch for the Heat, so do a couple guys by the name of James and Wade for the Magic. The Big 3 put all of the doubters and critics to rest, getting to the finals in their first season together.
Pick: Heat over Magic in 6 games.
Back to the West.
Let me make one thing perfectly clear. I. Hate. The. Lakers. Probably more than any other team in sports. But dammit, they get the job done, which is exactly what they will do against Dallas. Believe it or not, Kobe and Dirk have never faced each other in the postseason, and this series just does not bode well for the Mavericks, on paper, or on the hard wood. It’s really not close from the beginning.
Pick: Lakers over Mavericks in 5 games.
On to the next, on-on to the next one. I feel as though Oklahoma City is ready to make the next step and a really good young team, and essentially bring Tim Duncan’s career as we know it, to an end. Sorry Timmy, but the torch is going to be passed whether you like it or not, and there is something I really love about this Thunder team. I feel like they may be on their way to being the next powerhouse in the West. Pick: Thunder over Spurs in 7 games.
I will be praying that my picks pan out so 1. I don’t look like a total dumbass for posting this online, and 2. I really want to see this Lakers v. Thunder series more than any other. Durant vs. Kobe. Does an aging Kobe still have the ability to be the man in May/June? Or is Durant ready to become king out west? I can’t wait to find out. As much as it pains me to say this, Pick: Lakers over Thunder in 7 games. Just because Kobe has done nothing but crush my soul for the last 15 seasons.
FINALLY! Here we are, The Finals. Talk about a serious money maker for the NBA. Lakers vs. Heat. Kobe vs. LeBron. Ko-be LeBron. Ko-be LeBron. (Jeezy voice) Yeah. I would love nothing more than to see LeBron get his ring, and then do the D-X suck it sign at center court in the Staples Center. However, the Lakers are just too big, too experience, too good of a team to lose at this point. That’s why they have won back to back titles with this team. Ron Artest does everything he can to throw this series away, but the Lakers bring home the 3peat in 7 games over the Heat.
Finals MVP: Kobe Bryant. Like if the Lakers win again he really won’t get it? Come on.
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