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.

Thunder, Heat set for title tilt

At the start of the season, I had the Chicago Bulls beating Oklahoma City for the title. At the start of the playoffs, I tipped San Antonio over Chicago in six games. My preseason NBA Picks and Playoff Picks are invalid…..so I will now go for broke and attempt to pick the winner of the 2011-2012 NBA title.


The Miami Heat has proven me wrong so far in the offseason and Oklahoma City has been a slight surprise. So I will say the finals will go six games. The team to win it all?? Though I have not given them much credit and jumped on the “they can’t do it” bandwagon a couple of times during the playoffs, I can’t see Miami losing the championship two years in a row so I will say Miami in six games.

NBA Preview

Basketball for Christmas

NBA Preview

After the player’s revolt and off season chaos, the NBA returns to on court action for the holiday season in a shortened 66 game season. Last season, I think I picked the Spurs to meet the Heat for the title but it did not quite work out that way.

So here we go with my preview for the 2011-2012 NBA season.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division:

This division is still the domain of the Boston Celtics although this season the New York Knicks have bulked up their interior defense with the addition of Tyson Chandler along with adding veterans Mike Bibby and Baron Davis to shore up the backcourt. The Knicks could challenge Boston if the Celtics run into injury problems or the consolidation of the schedule takes its toll.

The Philadelphia Seventy Sixers were a tough team to play against last season and pretty much remained intact for this season’s run. They drafted big men Lavoy Allen and Nikola Vucevic who may work their way into the rotation but are mainly hoping a year of maturity in Doug Collins’ system will help them advance in the post-season.

New Jersey did not make any of the expected big off-season moves and with Brooke Lopez injured had to pick up Mehmet Okur in hopes of filling the void in his absence. It will be interesting to see if Deron Williams decides to stay with the Nets or seek a change of scenery. Finally Toronto did not do much to its roster in the off season so may not improve their record much this season.

Central Division:

The Chicago Bulls are a head above the rest of the teams in this division and will be looking to get further than the conference finals this season. They will need inside duo Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah to co-exist in the paint better this season to take a bit of the load off Derrick Rose and Luol Deng. Veteran Richard Hamilton’s addition on the wing provides a solid scoring option. Kyle Korver and Taj Gibson will again bring energy, long range bombs and rebounds off the bench. The Bulls are a threat for the best record for the regular season again this year.

Indiana will not surprise people this season but will be a solid team and possible playoff team again. The continued improvement of Roy Hibbert and the addition of David West in tandem with Tyler Hansbrough give the Pacers some inside punch to go with Danny Granger, Paul George and Darren Collison.

Milwaukee went from being a team on the verge to mediocrity last season but have the pieces in place to improve. Brandon Jennings has another year’s worth of experience to call upon at the point and should pair well with veteran scorer Stephen Jackson. Drew Gooden will be solid if not spectacular at the power forward slot and Andrew Bogut is a double/double threat in the pivot when healthy. The team is on the verge of being a playoff team again and if healthy could sneak in to the post-season.

In Detroit the Piston are looking to improve but are not quite there yet. Similar story in Cleveland where top pick Kyrie Irving will contend for Rookie of the Year honours and Tristan Thompson provides another piece for the future. Not playoff ready for a while yet but may be entertaining again.

Southeast Division:

The Miami Heat should easily take this division again and are looking to finish the playoffs slightly better than last season. The addition of Shane Battier on the wing will help team chemistry and perimeter defense. A healthy Mike Miller this season should provide punch from beyond the arc. An interesting signing this season is Eddy Curry; will he be worth in excess of $11 million?? Will Chris Bash be more consistent? The Heat will be tested again for the Eastern Conference crown but if they use last season as a motivator, they could go all the way.

Atlanta returns essentially the same cast from last season with the addition of veterans Jerry Stackhouse and Tracy McGrady. The Hawks fell by the wayside in the post season and need to develop a tougher attitude to advance this season. The may end up better than Orlando and get the home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

In Orlando, the Magic’s fortunes hinge on Dwight Howard and whether or not he is happy in Orlando or wanting to be traded. This team could drop out of playoff contention completely as the Howard saga continues.

The Washington Wizards could be this year’s surprise playoff team as their roster matures. Jevale McGee, Andray Blatche, John Wall and Nick Young combine with veteran Rashard Lewis in a solid starting unit and have a second squad that is improving.

Charlotte is re-tooling and may not make much of a splash this season.

Conference Playoff Teams:

Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards

Conference Champs:

Chicago Bulls

Western Conference

Northwest Division:

Oklahoma City has pretty much stood pat in this division and may be the top team in the conference this season. The major task will be getting quality looks for Kevin Durant and for Russell Westbrook to work out a distribution to shot ratio in the point guard position. Inside they will be tough on the boards and defensively with Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka protecting the lane. This team could very easily represent the conference in the NBA Finals.

Portland will be solid again even with the forced retirement of Brandon Roy. The evolution of LaMarcus Aldridge and the hell for leather play of Gerald Wallace will spear the Blazer attack. The team has adequate depth to get them through the condensed season and hope to keep big men Marcus Camby and Greg Oden healthy for the season. Portland should make it to the post season but will not advance too far.

The Denver Nuggets have added veteran point guard Andre Miller to the mix with their young and talented line up. Improvement from Ty Lawson and Danilo Gallinari this season should see the Nuggets back in post season play. Overall they could be a tough ask on most nights for any team.

Utah will be tough in the post with Paul Milsap and Al Jefferson down low but they will need consistency from Devin Harris to complement them. Improvement from Gordon Hayward and the adjustment to NBA play by Alec Burks will boost the season prospects in Utah as will the development of big man Enes Kanter. The Jazz may sneak into the playoffs as a 7-8 seed.

Minnesota will go as far as they can on the backs of Kevin Love and Michael Beasley. The arrival of distributor Ricky Rubio should see this team improve but how much remains to be seen.

Pacific Division:

The Los Angeles Lakers are still the top team in this division on paper but after being swept out of last season’s playoffs, have not made many roster moves. The wrist injury to Kobe Bryant may have some effect on the team early in the season as will the attitude of young center Andrew Bynum. The depth chart at small forward shows a cast of thousands with newly named Metta World Peace and Matt Barnes heading the quartet. Do not be surprised by a roster move early in the season for Dwight Howard as they look for an anchor in the post. The Lakers will of course make the playoffs but how far they go depends on the roster changes they make.

The LA Clippers have made themselves relevant in the Pacific division with the acquisitions of Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler to go with young athletic big men Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The Clippers should be ready for a run at the division title and usurping some of the LA “glamour” from the Lakers.

Mark Jackson finally gets a chance on the sidelines at Golden State and inherits a squad capable of scoring with anyone. He will be looking to Andris Biedrins, Ekpe Udoh and David Lee to play a bit of “D” on the inside and grab some boards.

The addition of Jimmer Fredette at point guard will allow the Sacramento Kings to move Tyreke Evans to the shooting guard slot and give the Kings another scoring option. The maturity of DeMarcus Cousins will go a long way in solidifying Sacramento’s post play on offense and defense. The Kings will be improved and could surprise.

Phoenix  with the exception of Steve Nash and Grant Hill is largely unproven and will be hard pressed to make the playoffs.

Southwest Division:

Defending champions the Dallas Mavericks have changed a few parts but should be solid in the post season. They have lost Tyson Chandler and Caron Butler but welcome Vince Carter and Lamar Odom to their veteran roster to go with Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki and Brendan Haywood. The team seems to be weaker on paper this year but don’t count them out.

San Antonio ran out of steam in the playoffs last season and will look to rest their older players as much as possible during the regular season in hopes of staying injury free and going further into the post season. Tim Duncan will be as steady as ever though his numbers dipped slightly last season. More support will be needed from Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.

Memphis will have Rudy Gay healthy to start the season and hopefully for the playoffs this season as they look to improve on last season’s success. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph will give the Grizzlies a strong post tandem again as the team looks to improve on last season.

In Houston, the Rockets are a team in the midst of a changeover with the retirement of Yao Ming and several new additions to their roster. They will be interesting to watch and may just slip into a playoff spot.

New Orleans has a few new faces but not a lot of depth on their roster as they start the post Chris Paul era in the Crescent City. They are in pure rebuild/restructure mode this season so do not expect any miracles.

Conference Playoff Teams:

Oklahoma City, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trailblazers and Golden State Warriors

Conference Champs:

Oklahoma City Thunder

2012 NBA Champions:

Chicago Bulls

Tip Off time in OKC!!!

Nearly Tip Off time in OKC

Game Three of the Western Conference Finals will be starting soon with Dallas looking to grab at least one win on the road in the series that is currently tied at 1-1.

There are several undertones to the game, among them:

Ø  Can the Mavs survive on Dirk alone?

Ø  Will the Mavs get better bench contributions from Barea and Terry?

Ø  How will Russell Westbrook play after his Game Two benching?

Ø  Can the Mavs take the OKC crowd out of the game?

Ø  Will the Mavs be able to control James Harden?

Those are some of the factors as tip off time nears.

I feel that the Mavs will get a win in OKC, maybe not tonight but they will pull out one of the three. The key will be actually slowing down the pace and making it a walk it up the floor/half court affair. That is where Jason Kidd may step to the fore in controlling the pace.

I will stick with my Mavs in six prediction.

In the East, Chicago travels to South Beach tomorrow night to face the Heat. Look for Miami to pull out a close one at home.

Dirk's Day!!

Dirk gets Down in Game one

(NBA Review)

Dirk Nowitzki scored on/over all comers (defenders) in the opening game of the Western Conference finals Tuesday night (Wednesday morning Aussie time). The big man finished the night with 48 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks and 4 assists in the 121-112 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Nowitzki set an NBA playoff record with a perfect 24-24 night at the foul line to go with a 12-15 night from the field.

Oklahoma City, led by Kevin Durant who had 40 points himself, fought valiantly but could not get past the sizzling Mavericks who had adequate support for Nowitzki from Jason Terry (24 points) and J.J. Barea (21 points). Mavericks’ leader Jason Kidd dished out 11 assists while controlling the tempo.

The Thunder will look to reverse their fortunes in Game 2 on Thursday in Dallas.  I am on record at a few places in predicting Dallas to take this series 4-2…I’ll stick with that as I feel OKC will pull out a couple of victories.

In the Eastern Conference Chicago walloped Miami in game one. Game Two tips off Wednesday night in Chicago, I am looking for the Heat to rebound in this one but it will be close.

Draft Lottery

The Cleveland Cavaliers own the Number 1 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft after winning the NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday night. Through the Baron Davis trade Cleveland has two early picks…1 and 4 in the first round as they look to rebuild after a disastrous season.

The complete draft order can be found on nba.com.


Back in a day or so with more....

NBA Look....

NBA Look…

Now that Blogger has resolved their issues, I can get my update out. Since I blogged last:

The Lakers have been eliminated!! In a bow that was not graceful, LA left the playoffs in a huff. I think we were all hoping for a different or at least graceful exit from the game for a coach of Phil Jackson’s stature. Even without a championship, the man deserved to leave after a hard fought series where his team was all on the same page without the antics of the last game in Dallas.

In contrast, kudos to the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics for showing that there can be a hard fought series without the aforementioned antics by the losing team. Pure class was shown by both organisations.

Congrats to Chicago for wrapping up their series against Atlanta yesterday. The Chicago-Miami affair will be well worth watching.

The last conference semi-final is about to kick off. Can Oklahoma City clinch the series and move on or will Memphis put up some resistance on their home court. I think the Grizzlies will put up a fight but bow out in a close one. This prediction could easily be reversed if Memphis gets their inside game going and the Westbrook-Durant dynamic is not in synch.

Sunday sees game one of the Bulls-Heat series. I will pick Miami to sneak into Chicago and get a first up win in a close one by 5-8 points.

Back for a check in later in the week….

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