Are the Lakers done?? NBA Update....

NBA Playoff Update…

As the second round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs progress, there are definitely surprises to talk about. Since I last blogged, Orlando has fallen by the wayside in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference top seed San Antonio has been eliminated by the surprising Memphis Grizzlies.

The surprised do not stop there…defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers are down 3-0 to Dallas and are on the verge of being swept out of the second round. Atlanta has given the Bulls a scare. Ditto for Memphis against Oklahoma City.

Here is an up to the minute look at where it all stands at the moment:

Eastern Conference

Chicago (1) vs. Atlanta (5)

After Atlanta jumped the Bulls 103-95 in Game 1 of the series, the Bull have ridden the coat tails of Derrick Rose to two consecutive wins including a monster 44 point effort in Game three. Rose was named the league’s MVP this week and has proven to be deserving of the award.

The board work of Joakim Noah (15 rebounds) and Taj Gibson (11 rebounds) complimented Rose nicely in Game Three. The fourth game of the series is set for Sunday night US time in Atlanta.

The Hawks are not totally done yet and they may well pull of game four to even the series going back to Chicago pending on which Hawks team you get. Chicago will eventually need more out of Carlos Boozer to continue advancing.

Miami (2) vs. Boston (3)

The “Beast of South Beach” may have been awakened!! The Heat has jumped out to a 2-0 series lead over the Celtics. The series heads to Boston for game three on overnight. Boston has started to look their age and is having trouble with the penetration and quickness of Dwayne Wade.

The Celtics may win one; possibly two of the remaining games but the Heat seems to be on a mission of late.

Western Conference

Los Angeles (2) vs. Dallas (3)

The Lakers are finding the quest for a three peat difficult. After showing signs of mortality against New Orleans, they have oozed vulnerability against the seasoned Mavericks outfit.

Rather than go into the “I told you so” to friends or any perceived “Kobe Bashing” I will defer to this article from the LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-plaschke-lakers-20110507,0,4601320.column

A good thing for the LA future may be the stepping forward and voicing of opinion by young future leader Andrew Bynum. Hopefully the young man will stay healthy and assert himself more in the locker room as he lives up to his potential.

Other articles out of LA:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-lakers-mavericks-20110507,0,2836458.story

http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-simers-20110507,0,3399927.column

The Mavericks seem to be remaining calm and focused without doing anything to arouse the beast. Owner Mark Cuban has been reserved over the course of the series for a change.

Views from the Dallas media:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-mavericks/headlines/20110506-three-riffic-mavs-topple-lakers-grab-commanding-3-0-series-lead.ece

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-mavericks/headlines/20110506-mavericks-dirk-nowitzki-we-didn_t-panic-but-we-can_t-coast-now.ece

Oklahoma City (4) vs. Memphis (8)

This one could well be the most entertaining of the conference semi-finals. So far the teams are level at 1-1 with game three set overnight in Oklahoma City. The Grizzlies actually won the regular season series and pose problems for the Thunder for the remainder of the series especially in the form of Zach Randolph.

While I think the Thunder can still pull this one out, don’t be surprised if Memphis advances.

I will be back in a few days with updates.

My original playoff picks are at:

http://cdstarrbblog.blogspot.com/2011_04_10_archive.html

Around the courts.....

Quick Catch up

Back to regular life and the sports world after a break for Bluesfest.

On the local scene, the Australian National Basketball League finals are underway. The New Zealand Breakers and Cairns Taipans are deadlocked at one game each in the best of three series with the decider set for Friday night in Auckland. The top seeded Breakers took game one easily 85-67. Game two in Cairns turned out to be as the Snakes forced a decider with an 85-81 double overtime win. Friday night’s action kicks off at 1930 at the North Shore Events Centre. I will go with CJ Bruton to lead a Breakers victory by 12.

NBA Playoffs

Some of my picks for the first round of the NBA Finals have fallen flat….there will be no NY Knicks upset of Boston in the first round!! The rest of my initial picks are here: http://cdstarrbblog.blogspot.com/2011_04_10_archive.html

Eastern Conference:

Chicago vs. Indiana

The Bulls hold a 3-1 edge and should easily clinch this series and move on.

Orlando vs. Atlanta

The Hawks are poised to reverse last year’s result against Orlando and lead the series 3-1.

Miami vs. Philadelphia

The Heat hit a road block in their quest to match Boston’s first round sweep but should clinch the series 4-1 after in the next game.

Western Conference:

San Antonio vs. Memphis

The top seeded Spurs are on the verge of elimination trialling 3-1. They may win another game or two but will find it tough to win three in a row…Memphis moves on.

Oklahoma City vs. Denver

The Thunder is on the verge of clinching with a 3-1 lead in this one.

Dallas vs. Portland

Dallas is up 3-2 but Portland has proven to be difficult for the Mavs. Can the Mavs survive the age test?

Los Angeles vs. New Orleans

The epic of Round 1, this one is delicately poised at 2-2. The Lakers are struggling and the Hornets are without David West….interesting few games coming up!! What’s your pick???

Ok, back in a few days with updates…..

Passing through... Ouch!!!!

Yes, after a long delay again, I’m back for my finals prediction. This will be short and sweet…see photos.

Ok, neither the Spurs nor Cavs made it through so I’m 0 fer again, I’m picking the Celtics to win the title in 6 or 7 this season.

Soon, I’ll be back with more as the shoulder heals.

Til then happy blogging.

Basketball junkies, your fix is on the way!!

Well it is here, the 2009-2010 NBA season kicks off Tuesday night in the US. There are lots of new faces in new places this season along with some familiar ones returning from injuries. For a start I will just make my fearless forecasts.

In the East I see the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavs as the teams to beat while out West, look for a Spurs resurgence in San Antonio along with the always tough Lakers and Dallas as the best picks.

Other surprises could come from the Toronto Raptors, Portland Trailblazers, Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets. In the end I’m going for a Spurs vs. Magic finals series.