And now...the 2013 NBA playoffs!!

NBA Playoff time!

The NBA playoffs are nearly ready to kick off so time to make the predictions.....

I did not get to even finish my pre-season picks and only did the Eastern Conference ...not bad predicting playoff teams....only missed out on Philadelphia who are replaced by Milwaukee.

Well here we go...

Eastern Conference

Miami (1) vs Milwaukee (8)

Though the Bucks were able to get a couple of wins against the Heat during the season....this is not the season...it is the post season!! They may come close in a game or two.

Miami to take series 4-1

Brooklyn (4) vs Chicago (5)

This one will be a lunch pail series and probably one of the toughest of the first round. Even without Derrick Rose, the Bulls stand an even chance if they can grab one in Brooklyn. I think they will.

Chicago sneaks by 4-3

Indiana (4) vs Atlanta (3)

The Pacers will have this series to get more consistent for the next round.

Indiana 4-2

NY Knicks (3) vs Boston (6)

Knicks would like to think they will get through easier this season, you never know with the Celtics, they are seasoned and battle tested. Gonna go with the Boston hoodoo!!

Boston 4-3

For the conference final..I'll go Miami vs Indiana with Miami advancing.

Western Conference

Oklahoma City (1) vs Houston (8)

Houston could give the Thunder fits in a couple of games but OKC will pull it out in the long run.

OKC 4-1

LA Clippers (4) vs Memphis (5)

This series will be brutal again this season and the winner may be exhausted come the next round.

LA Clippers 4-3

Denver (3) vs Golden State (6)

This one will be the most entertaining series of the first round but the Nuggets should prevail.

Denver 4-2

San Antonio (2) vs LA Lakers (7)

Sorry Laker Nation but you just are not consistent enough this season and will struggle over a seven game series. The Kobe Factor would not have made it much better so no excuse there.

San Antonio 4-2

Conference wise...I'll give the nod to the Spurs over the Thunder in seven...

For the title, I'll have to give it to Miami ultimately barring injury ... so Miami over San Antonio for the title in six games.

NBA Returns for full season

2012-2013 Preview

After last season’s holdout, the National Basketball Association returns with a full schedule for the new season. The Miami Heat will be looking to defend their crown and should be the favourites for the title again. There has been some shuffling of players with teams looking to make title runs, rid themselves of bad chemistry or to build for the future. 

Los Angeles has added point guard Steve Nash to go with Dwight Howard who has finally been shipped to LA, Brooklyn hopes the roster shuffling will help them progress, Philadelphia is still a tough win for anyone, Chicago will try to hang on and hop for a speedy recovery from Derrick Rose, San Antonio will be looking to make one more run before their core group is broken up, Indiana will be dangerous and even Oklahoma City has made a late move before the start of the season.

Ok, let’s take a brief look at the league and make a few predictions.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division:

Boston Celtics
After the departure of Ray Allen to South Beach, the Celtics picked up Jason Terry and Courtney Lee along with re-signing the healthy Jeff Green to go with draft picks Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo. Melo may be somewhat of a project but with an injury to Kevin Garnett or Brandon Bass may get minutes sooner than planned, ditto for Sullinger.

Overall the Celtics will contend again but will need to keep their core group of veterans healthy.

Record: 48-34

Brooklyn Nets
Team JayZ welcomes Joe Johnson to the fold. Not the big Dwight Howard addition but tis club is a solid one. Despite off court hubbub, Kris Humphries is a steady NBA player and fits in well with Brook Lopez and Gerald Wallace up front. Barring injury this group with help from Andray Blatche, Josh Childress, three point shooting newcomer Mirza Teletovis, and banger Reggie Evans should be able to play with most NBA frontlines.

In the back court, Deron Williams will once again run the show and hope to get Johnson involved in the offense often. Marshon Brooks showed flashes last season and it is hoped he can adjust to coming off the pine this season.

The Nets will be improved and should make a serious run for a playoff spot.

Record: 45-37

New York Knicks
Once again, the Knicks limp into the start of the season with Amare Stoudamire out for up to six weeks. 

After not keeping Jeremy Lin, the Knicks will use the tandem of Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd to run the show from the point guard slot. They will team with J.R. Smith in the backcourt. Carmelo Anthony may have to spend time as the team’s power forward in lieu of Stoudamire with back up from “geezers” Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas.

The Knicks may be on the outer at seasons end but may just sneak into the post season, do not expect much more than a .500 record.

Record: 43-39

Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia has a solid young squad and may just win the division if Boston slips. 

The addition on Andrew Bynum will give the team a new look inside and all deep threat Spencer Hawes to slide over to the power forward slot. Thad Young, Evan Turner and Jrue Holiday should all continue to improve thus leading the team to a better finish.

Record: 49-33

Toronto Raptors
The Raptors are still building but will be in the draft Lottery again this year.

Record: 31-51

Division Winner: Philadelphia 76ers

Central Division:

Chicago Bulls
The Bulls are hoping to keep the rest of their team healthy while awaiting the return of Derrick Rose. Luol Deng will have to become the team leader in his absence. Veteran Kirk Hinrich will serve as point guard and Nate Robinson will look to bring a spark from the bench.

Up front, the team will look to Carlos Boozer for more production this season.

Record: 46-36

Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs are real young but have some quality amongst the youth. The team still needs to get more depth and will struggle at times this season.

Record: 33-49

Detroit Pistons
Will be better than last season but may be inconsistent. The Pistons have two solid young centres in rookie Andre Drummond and last season’s first rounder Greg Monroe and the steady Rodney Stuckey in the backcourt. Other pieces are needed and some big contracts need to be offloaded. The team may sneak into a playoff spot or just be mediocre.

Record: 39-43

Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are the most balanced team in the Eastern Conference and with Chicago hurting and Boston aging; Indiana could be a serious threat to battle Miami in the conference.

Paul George will get more court time and is a matchup nightmare. Danny Granger has adjusted to being a more all-around small forward and Roy Hibbert has improved but needs to become more animated and tougher in the post at both ends of the court.

David West will be depended on for toughness inside and rebounding.

While they will not surprise many this season, Indiana will be a tough game on all schedules.

Record: 50-32

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks will be exciting at times and erratic at other times. Monta Ellis will score but the front court is aging and ailing. The development of John Henson could change the outlook of the Milwaukee crew over the course of the season.

Record: 33-49

Division Winner: Indiana Pacers

Southeast Division

Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks will be strong again with Al Horford and Josh Smith in the middle. Kyle Korver looks to be the bet to get more minutes and start on the wing where his three ball skills will come in handy. 

Devin Harris comes in to run the show and will team with Louis Williams who returns home to Atlanta and Anthony Morrow in the backcourt.

DeShawn Stevenson and Jeff Teague will provide a spark from the bench.

The Hawks should still go into the post season but may not go past the first round.

Record: 43-39

Charlotte Bobcats
Mike Dunlap will have his work cut out for him as the Bobcats go into another rebuilding phase. 

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist may be a bright spot and solid piece for the future. Bismack Biyombo will see increased minutes this season and Tyrus Thomas could still be a factor inside. Brendan Haywood will be a solid if not spectacular centre for the team.

The backcourt has a few possibilities but overall the team may improve as the season progresses. Expect them to be in the lottery again next spring.

Record: 21-61

Miami Heat
The defending champs may have actually solidified with the addition of veterans Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. Dwayne Wade will hope to stay healthy through the season and not have to play as many minutes in order to stay fresh for the post season.

Overall, the Heat has enough bodies and brains to easily repeat as long as complacency does not set in.

Record: 61-21

Orlando Magic
There are a lot of new faces in Orlando to go with the new coach. 

The Magic will be lottery bound this season and the season will be a long one.

Record: 23-59

Washington Wizards
The Wizards also have a different look this season and may be a little tougher defensively but they are not a serious threat for the playoffs.

Record: 25-47

Division Winner: Miami Heat

Playoff Teams: Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, NY Knicks and Atlanta Hawks

Ok, that covers the Eastern Conference; back tomorrow with the Western Conference preview….enjoy the games kicking off overnight!!

NBA Playoff preview

NBA Post – Season is now here

The time for more playoff basketball is here…NBA style with the 2011 post season kicking off today. Before going forward, I will look back to my NBA preseason entry from 26 October 2010. In that, my playoff picks for the East were correct with the exception of Milwaukee and Charlotte. I was wrong on Milwaukee winning the Central Division.

In the Western Conference, take out my preseason picks of Utah and Phoenix and insert New Orleans and Memphis.

So my pick of Lakers vs. Heat final survives but there may be adjustments as I look at the first round.

Eastern Conference:

Chicago (1) 62-20 vs. Indiana (8) 37-45

This one will not be much more than a tune up for the surprisingly top seeded bulls as they go into the next round easily

Bulls win series 4-1.

Miami (2) 58-24 vs. Philadelphia (7) 41-41

The Heat has finally lived up to some of the hype in the last weeks of the season and should go on to the next round with a series win over the rejuvenated 76ers.

Miami wins series 4-0.

Boston (3) 46-26 vs. New York (6) 42-40

The Celtics showed lots of cracks in the armour late in the season while the Knicks were fine tuning their game… hmm…this could be upset of the round.

Knicks take series 4-3.

Orlando (4) 52-30 vs. Atlanta (5) 44-38

Both teams have been seen as underachievers this season but the winner of this series could go on to be the spoiler against Chicago.

Orlando takes this one 4-2.

Western Conference:

San Antonio (1) 61-21 vs. Memphis (8) 46-36

The Spurs are not completely healthy but they are a deep squad and should get through this round.

Spurs win series 4-1.

Los Angeles (2) 57-25 vs. New Orleans (7) 46-36

This could be a testy series for LA although they swept the regular season series.

LA wins 4-2.

Dallas (3) 57-25 vs. Portland (6) 48-34

Portland is a team that no one wanted to face in the first round. Dallas is a team prone to first round flops…..do the math.

Portland takes it 4-3.

Oklahoma City (4) 55-27 vs. Denver (5) 50-32

The Thunder are getting back on track and Denver has surprised since the All-Star break…good series on the way.

OKC wins 4-2.

If the predictions hold true we will have second round matches of Chicago/Orlando and Miami/NY in the East with San Antonio/OKC and LA/Portland in the West.

For the Conference Finals I would predict Chicago/Miami in the east and San Antonio/Portland in the West with Championship series of Miami vs. San Antonio where I would give the nod to Miami.

But, we will see how things pan out over the next month.

NBA Update

The Hoops Roundup……NBA

With the NBA season a little over a week old…..there are some surprises around. Chris Paul, now healthy has led the rejuvenated New Orleans Hornets to a perfect start. The team is using a balanced scoring attack to keep the pressure on opponents with Jason Smith bringing energy and skill from the bench now that he is finally getting more court time with his new team. Emeka Okafor is always a double/double threat alongside the equally dangerous David West.

The Boston Celtics are solid so far and the surprising play of Glen “Baby” Davis is a bonus. The “Big Shamrock” has been effective when on the court. Kevin Garnett’s antics have been a disappointment but are consistent with “KG”, sorry young man but the late Maurice Lucas would have probably broken your jaw!!

The NY Knicks unfortunately are looking like the same old Knicks. Chicago and Milwaukee are looking to be the cream of the Central Division with Indiana looking dangerous at times.

In the Southeast, Miami is still trying to get it together and need to find consistency. Meanwhile Orlando and Atlanta top the division at this stage.

Other than the Jazz, San Antonio and Dallas are on top of their game in the Southwest.

Utah is on a five game winning streak at the moment and looks solid with Paul Milsap leading the charge.

In the Western Division the Lakers are off and running but Golden State has regained the dangerous team label to start the season and Monta Ellis has transformed into a team leader with success.

Though John Wall is rounding into a brilliant player, the Washington Wizards are lagging behind and need to improve.

The Rookie Class so far has a few surprises to go with the expected performance of John Wall and Blake Griffin. Undrafted rookie Ish Smith has emerged to become the starting point guard in Houston, Gary Neal is impressing at San Antonio in limited court time, and Gary Forbes is looking solid for Denver.

Top 10:

My fist NBA Top 10 of the year.

1. New Orleans Hornets
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Boston Celtics
4. LA Lakers
5. Orlando Magic
6. Dallas Mavericks
7. Miami Heat
8. Atlanta Hawks
9. Utah Jazz
10. Golden State Warriors

Back in a week or so with more.