- Dwight Howard is unquestionably the most dominant big man in the NBA
- Chris Paul may still be the best point guard in the league
- The Heat are really good
- And so is Derrick Rose
Eight incredible games in two days, this is the NBA Playoffs people! Lakers and Spurs both lose home openers? The Bulls down ten with under four minutes to go in the game, and they come back to win? Dwight Howard drops 46 points and 19 boards and the Magic don't win? And how about a ticky-tack offensive foul called in the final minute of a neck-and-neck game to turn the tides in the Celtics favor? If this is just a glimpse into the first round of the playoffs then I'm sold, but I suspect the best is still in front of us.
With that said I just wanted to recap each series and share my thoughts on what kind of series we have in front of us.
Eastern Conference
1. Bulls vs 8. Pacers
How could the Pacers not have won Game 1? Derrick Rose's 39 points and 6 assists probably had a lot to do with it, but I think Chicago's sense of urgency really clicked in the final 4 minutes of the game. After Indiana pulled ahead 98-88 with 3:38 left in the game, the Bulls rallied to score 16 of the games final 17 points en route to a 104-99 victory. Rose got to the free throw line 21 times in game 1 proving his dominance on the offensive end. The Pacers played almost 45 minutes of fantastic basketball, and after their showing in game 1, you have to figure they have it in them to rattle off a couple of wins and possibly make this a series. The Bulls, and Rose's urgency really were impressive and this comeback victory was definitely a statement by the league's best team.
4. Magic vs 5. Hawks
I'm sorry to not break the trend of Hawks hate, but the Hawks really aren't overly impressive, which means the Magic are in some serious trouble if they can't even win a home game behind 46 and 19 from Dwight Howard. Atlanta committed less turnovers and shot at a higher field goal percentage than the Magic, who struggled to score getting only twenty points from the entire team outside of Howard and Jameer Nelson. It appears to be the case of the same old Magic (or lack thereof) in Orlando, Howard needs help from the likes of Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu if the Magic plan on actually getting the Bulls in the second round. This series has full potential to go seven games.
3. Celtics vs 6. Knicks
It's called swallowing your whistle and letting the players play the damn game! Okay, now that I got that out of my system, it's also called learning how to close out a game. The Knicks went into halftime up twelve on the defending Eastern Conference champs, only for the Celtics to climb back into the game and take the lead back for good with 11.6 seconds to go in regulation. I'm not going to talk about officiating, I'm not going to talk about should've, would've, could've...I'm going to gloat in how well the Knicks played defensively as well as without Carmelo Anthony ever really getting involved, but I'm also going to express my disappointment in the fact that the Knicks couldn't hold on to win this game. This was the third game this season that the Knicks were very much in against the Celtics, and the third game that the Celtics ended up winning because ultimately...they are the better team. This game was incredibly close which makes me believe the series will either go 6 or 7 games, but as the Celtics have proven over and over again, they aren't losing any close ones to the Knicks.
2. Heat vs 7. Sixers
The Sixers jumped all over the Heat early on Saturday, going up 14 points in the first quarter even. Well, the Heat eventually caught up to them, and then began to pounce on them, and they may not look back again. LeBron James did his usual damage pouring in 21 points with 14 boards and 5 assists, while Chris Bosh added 25 and 12 of his own. Sixers star Andre Iguodala scored only four points in Game 1 (his lowest since scoring just 1 on January 11th this year), which as the leader of this Philadelphia team is just completely unacceptable. Miami stifled the Sixers with their zone defense and if Game 1 is any indicator of how the rest of this series will be, it'll be a quick one.
Western Conference
1. Spurs vs 8. Grizzlies
I think all hoops fans knew this Grizzlies team was for real, but I don't know that anyone expected them to give the Spurs a legit challenge. Keep in mind Manu Ginobili sat this one out, but Tim Duncan looked like he was in his prime still...unfortunately Timmy D couldn't handle Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol as the Grizzlies looked like a real force to be reckoned with. Controlling the post and connecting on 60% from beyond the arc gave the Grizz the advantage in Game 1, and unless the Spurs can get another body on either Gasol or Randolph, this series could very well result in an upset. Memphis didn't look rattled by the pressure of playing in the big game, and winning the first playoff game (first win in franchise history) is aways the hardest. This series is intriguing but I honestly can't pick against the Spurs (in 6).
4. Thunder vs 5. Nuggets
Another game with officiating controversy, this game was very back and forth (as I'm sure the series will be) but ultimately the team with more talent and the better players won. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 72 points for the Thunder, but unless the bench (I'm talking about YOU James Harden) can start to make up for the points the teams not getting from Jeff Green this one could go either way. The Nuggets had five guys in double figures and keep in mind, a lot of these guys (Knicks) have zero playoff experience. This series is a lot of athleticism, a lot of talent, and a lot of hungry players fighting tooth and nail every possession. I don't imagine Nene will have his way with the Thunder again like he did in Game 1, and I can't see Denver stretching this one past six games.
3. Mavericks vs 6. Blazers
Brandon oh Brandon, oh where art thou Brandon Roy? It kills me to see one of my favorite players of the last decade be reduced (diminished) to a bench player but I guess B. Roy just doesn't have the body to be an NBA superstar anymore, especially not at this point. I'm hoping he can regain his physical composure at some point again in his career, but it's so clear that the Blazers are a healthy Brandon Roy away from legitimately competing, not scrapping, but competing. Andre Miller's got a ton of heart and is one of the league's more underrated players, but having him and LaMarcus Aldridge as your two main scoring options just isn't going to cut it. With that said, Jason Kidd had a tremendous game and Dirk did what Dirk does as the Mavs took game one. I can see this series being a whoever's at home wins that night series, which ultimately will result in the Mavs moving on. I'm still pulling for you Portland.
2. Lakers vs 7. Hornets
I hate to admit that this is the one series out West that I thought had the potential to be a sweep...and no I wasn't thinking that the Hornets would be the ones with the brooms in their hands. Chris Paul made it seem as if the Lakers size wouldn't be an issue this series, or maybe that was Pau Gasol's 8 and 6 on 2-of-9 shooting that would make one arrive at that conclusion. The Hornets ran all over the Lakers as Paul went for 33 points, 14 assists and 7 boards...despite that ridiculous line, his performance can best be summed up in one number...three, the amount of turnovers his Hornets had on the day. When you don't turn the ball over it's hard to lose, even if it's against the two-time defending champs. While I very much do believe in Chris Paul, I personally believe this game was an aberration and that the Lakers will take this series in five, six games max.
I hope you all are enjoying the games (objectively at least) as I am and hopefully it only gets more exciting. Stay tuned...
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