Eastern Conference:
8. Indiana vs 1. Chicago: When I look at this matchup, I see a Chicago team that has pretty much dominated the regular season from the start. You have probably the lock as far as MVP in Derrick Rose. You have at least in my mind, The Coach of the year in Tom Thibodeau. The Bulls lead the league in least points giving up with 91.3 PPG, a deep bench with guys like Kyle Krover, Taj Gilbson, Ronnie Brewer, Omar Asik. Starter Center in Joakim Noah, Solid Power Foward in Carlos Boozer, & you have Loul Deng. winners of 9 straight games & are 24-4 since the All Star Break. Easy series win right? Nope. I see things a liitle bit differently. Don't sleep on the Pacers. When I look at this Pacers team. they remind me of the 07-08 Atlanta Hawks team, that took the Celtics to 7 games. I think this Pacers team is capable of doing that. Since they named Frank Vogel as head coach the Pacers are 20-18. They are playing a style of basketball that suits their playing style. They have young players coming along in Darren Collison, Roy Hibbert, Tyler Hansbrough, & a young rookie in Paul George. You have a 20 PPG scorer in Danny Danger & nice veteran forward in Mike Dunleavy. The Bulls four losses since the All Star Break actually came to this Indiana team, so this team is confident. The one thing that worries me about the Bulls is their lack of experience & whether or not they can handle adversity. The Bulls played their hearts out in the regular season, but can they play even at a higher level in the postseason. What happens if Derrick Rose struggles? Do the Bulls have enough scoring to counter that? This series will be a lot closer than people think, but i'll take The Bulls in 6 games.
7.Philiadephia vs 2.Miami: With this matchup; you see two teams that are kinda identical to each other when it comes to style of play. Both teams are athletic & both teams are at their best when they get up & down the floor. I will give the Sixers the edge when it comes to their depth. You have Louis Williams who is coming off the bench & can light you up from the perimeter & you also have Thaddeus Young who should considered for 6th man of the year, who can impact the game with his versatility & his ablilty to score inside & outside. Elton Brand is having a solid season & Andre Iguodola is one of the more athletic & versatile players in the game, however this matchup favors Miami more than it does with the Sixers. The Heat swept the Sixers during the regular season. You have Lebron James , Dwyane Wade & Chris Bosh. This matchup allows Lebron & Wade to do what they do best; which is make plays in the open court. To beat Miami you have to force them into a half court game & the Sixers just don't have to personal to do that. I love what coach Doug Collins has done to turn the Sixers around. He should be in the discussion for coach of the year. I could see the Sixers winning a game, maybe, MAAAAYYYYYYYYYYBBBBEEEEE two, but I like the Heat in 5 games.
6.Knicks vs 3.Celtics: Both of these teams have delt with quite a bit of adversity throughout the season. The Knicks with the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors & actually getting him. Also trying to fit him into the Mike Dantoni offense. The Celtics have delt with injuries from guys like Shaq, Jermaine O'Neal, Delonte West & trading a key piece like Kendrick Perkins. When the Knicks traded for Camelo it took them a while for everything to fit, but it seems like things are quitely coming together with them winning 7 out of 9. With Boston it seems like the Perkins trade has had an effect on them mentaliy, especially to Rajon Rondo. With this matchup however, I look for Boston to get their old swagger back. Remember last season, Boston finished the season as the 4th seed & got on a roll starting against the Heat & on to upsetting the Cavs & so on. This team knows what it takes, they have veterans such as Ray Allen, Paul Pierce & Kevin Garnett, & I just don't feel like the Knicks have enough depth & the ability to play defense over a 7 game series to win. Defense wins in the playoffs plain & simple. Celtics in 5 games.
5. Hawks vs 4. Magic: The story of this matchup is about two inconsistent & some what disappointing teams that still haven't found their ways over the course of the season. Earlier in the season the Magic traded Rashard Lewis, Marcin Gortat, & Vince Carter in a 3 team trade to get Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, & Gilbert Arenas. The trade has netted mixed results & the Magic in my view have gotten worse from the trade. They don't have the depth they use to have & the guys they traded for haven't produced offensively on a consistent basis. The Hawks earlier in the season started the season pretty hot, but have cooled off since. having bad 20 plus home losses every other night to teams like the Bulls, Heat & 76ers & having a record of 11-20 since the All-Star Break. At 1st glance looking at this matchup one would say Magic in 4 games EASILY. However the Hawks were 3-1 over the Magic over the course of the season & have held the Magic to 82 PPG in those games. The Key to the Hawks success was how Jason Collins defended Dwight Howard. With Jason Collins and Zaza Pachulia defending Dwight Howard. You allow the other Hawks players to stay home on the magic 3 point shooters & don't allow the Magic to get in a rhythm. You also allow Al Horford to play at his natural postion at Power Foward & now he's playing players his own size. I believe the Xfactors in this series comes down to two things: The Magic 3 point shooting & the play of Josh Smith. For the Magic they live & die by the 3 point shooting. For the Hawks its all about Josh Smith. If he's attacking the basket, playing inside out, & making defensively plays, he is a load for anyone. If he's talking bad shots & making stupid passes well...he's a scrub. It also would help if the Hawks can get a good series out of the former 6th man of the year in Jamal Crawford. I believe this series will be the best series in the East 1st round & it will go 7 games. I believe the Hawks have enough motivation to take it to this Magic Team after what happened last year. I say Hawks in 7 games.
