Sorts of Sports

NBA Playoff Preview & Awards

The seeds are set, the matchups are sexy, and the NBA playoffs appear to be must watch television again for the first time in awhile.  After a great NBA season with tons of headlines and highlights, the playoffs have finally arrived and I can’t wait for them to get started.  As an unbiased Nets fan, here are my 2011 NBA first round playoff predictions.

Eastern Conference

(1)  Chicago Bulls vs. (8)  Indiana Pacers
*Bulls won regular season series 3-1

The 1 vs. 8 seed is usually the throw away series, and this matchup seems to fit the mold.  If there was one team in the East who could really use home court advantage throughout, and a match up in the first round against the NBA’s worst playoff team, it’s the Bulls.  Usually the 1 seed in each conference comes into the playoffs with the most pressure on them, but that’s not the case in the Eastern Conference.  The only pressure on this Bulls team is what lies on the shoulders of soon to be MVP Derrick Rose.  The Pacers will allow Rose to settle into his game and manage expectations before they have to face the big guns in the later rounds.

Match up to watch:  Derrick Rose vs. Darren Collison
X-Factor – Carlos Boozer (remember him?)
Prediction – Bulls in 5

(2)  Miami Heat vs.  (7)  Philadelphia 76ers
*Heat won regular season series 3-0

If you told me this would be a first round playoff series at the beginning of the season, I would have told you I have zero interest in watching.  But after a season full of ups and downs for Miami, and watching Doug Collins convince his 76ers team throughout the season that they could compete with anyone, this series has some appeal.  The 76ers have a chance to play Cinderella, to be the team that everyone outside of the South Beach area roots for.  They will get the national media attention because of the pressure on the Heat’s big 2 and a half, and if they could steal a game early it could put the Heat into panic mode.  Do I think this could happen?  Yes.  Do I think this will happen?  No.  I expect LeBron and Wade to come out and prove a point, and the Heat’s superior talent will be too much for this young Philadelphia squad.

Match up to watch:  LeBron James vs. Andre Iguodala
X-Factor:  Dwayne Wade
Prediction – Heat in 5

(3)  Boston Celtics vs.  (6)  New York Knicks
*Boston won regular season series 4-0

One word can describe this series, and that is “perfect.”  Boston vs. New York.  The veteran Celtics vs. the new and improved NY Knicks.   This series is what the NBA needed in the first round of the playoffs.  But what makes this series even more appealing is the recent struggles of the Celtics and the strong finish of the Knicks.  Are the Celtics vulnerable to an upset without Kendrick Perkins?  Are the Knicks finally beginning to gel as a unit?  Well my answer to both of those questions is yes, but I don’t think the upset will happen here.  The Knicks will have their moment(s) in this series at MSG, but the Celtics are proven winners and will find a way to advance to the conference semi-finals.

Match up to watch:  Kevin Garnett vs. Amare Stoudemire
X-factor:  Rajon Rondo
Prediction:  Celtics in 6

(4)  Orlando Magic vs.  (5)  Atlanta Hawks
*Hawks won regular season series 3-1

A rematch of last years conference semi-finals, one in which the Magic swept and won by an average of 25.5 points per game.  I believe this series will be different this year, but the end result should be the same.  In the regular season, Atlanta was able to hold Orlando to 82.5 points per game (79 in their 3 wins) which leads me to believe this series will have its fair share of close games.  But when push comes to shove the Hawks fate rests in the hands of Jason Collins, who will be responsible for guarding Dwight Howard, and I just cant make a reasonable argument that he could slow down Superman over a 7 game series.

Match up to watch:  Josh Smith vs. Hedo Turkoglu
X-factor:  Dwight Howard
Prediction:  Orlando in 7


Western Conference

(1)  San Antonio Spurs vs.  (8)  Memphis Grizzlies
*Split regular season series 2-2

The names in this match up leave a lot to be desired, but one injury to Manu Ginobili has made this series extremely interesting.  I for some reason like rooting for this Grizzlies team and it’s a shame they will be going through the playoffs without Rudy Gay.  The Spurs have been the best team in the league for 95% of the season, and get contributions from everyone who steps on the court.  That is a testament to the great coaching of Gregg Popovich.  The Spurs will get it done, but I would not be surprised if the Grizzlies can push San Antonio out of their comfort zone in a few of these games.

Matchup to watch:  Tony Parker vs. Mike Conley
X-factor:  Manu Ginobili’s health
Prediction:  Spurs in 5

(2)  Los Angeles Lakers vs.  (7)  New Orleans Hornets
*Lakers won regular season series 4-0

Another big 3 pointer by Kobe Bryant in the final game of the season has set up a very nice match up for the Lakers against CP3 and the Hornets.  All signs point to the Lakers dominating this series, so I’m not going to try and dig out a reason that they wont.  The Lakers are the superior team, even without Bynum, and only an all-world performance by CP3 would be able to keep New Orleans in this series.  CP3 will play well, but not enough to single handedly win a few games in this series.  Look for Kobe to take over early and often in this series.

Matchup to watch:  Pau Gasol vs. Carl Landry
X-factor:  Mr. Bryant
Prediction:  Lakers in 4

(3)  Dallas Mavericks vs.  (6)  Portland TrailBlazers
*Split regular season series 2-2

This has become the popular upset pick amongst NBA experts, partially because of the Gerald Wallace acquisition for the Blazers, but mostly because the Mavericks are the favorite.  I am not going to follow suit, but I do believe this series will go down to the wire.  I’m a huge Dirk Nowitzki fan, I really think he won’t allow this Mavericks team to make another first round exit.  We’re also extremely overdue for a Lakers-Mavericks playoff match up which has never happened in the Kobe-Dirk era.  Look for Tyson Chandler to make his presence felt in the middle during the playoffs, as he is a free agent after this season.

Key Match up:  Dirk Nowitzki vs. Gerald Wallace/LaMarcus Aldridge
X-factor:  Jason Terry
Prediction:  Mavericks in 7

(4)  Oklahoma City Thunder vs.  (5)  Denver Nuggets
*Thunder won regular season series 3-1

When the Carmelo Anthony trade went down, many people (including myself) believed that the Nuggets were going to become a mediocre team in the west.  They really went out of their way to prove us wrong.  The Nuggets depth helped carry them to a 5 seed in the west, and a match up with the young stars in OKC.  This is a battle of talent vs. depth, and in early round playoff series I feel talent will usually prevail.  Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka will protect the paint, and unlike the Nuggets, the Thunder know where to turn when the game is on the line.   Kevin Durant did not shoot the ball very well in last years playoff series against the Lakers, so look for him to have a great first round.

Key Match up:  Kendrick Perkins vs. Nene
X-factor:  Kevin Durant
Prediction:  Thunder in 5



Remaining Playoff Predictions (subject to change)

Eastern Conference

Bulls over Magic (5 games)
Heat over Celtics (7 games)

Bulls over Heat (7 games)

Western Conference

Thunder over Spurs (6 games)
Lakers over Mavericks (7 games)

Thunder over Lakers (6 games)


NBA Finals
Thunder over Bulls (6 games)
MVP:  Kevin Durant



PattyMac’s 2011 Regular Season Awards

MVP :  Derrick Rose (Bulls)
Runner up – Dwight Howard (Magic)

Coach of the Year:  Tom Thibodeau (Bulls)
Runner up – Gregg Popovich (Spurs)

Defensive Player of the Year:    Dwight Howard (Magic)
Runner up – Kevin Garnett (Celtics)

Rookie of the Year:  Blake Griffin (Clippers)
Runner up – John Wall (Wizards)

Most Improved Player:  LaMarcus Aldridge (Blazers)
Runner up – Kevin Love (Timberwolves)

Sixth Man of the Year:  Jason Terry (Mavericks)
Runner up – Louis Williams (76ers)