Empty the Bench

Assuming Chauncey Billups is able to return in the next game or two the Detroit Pistons will likely end Orlando’s season in the next three games. Even with this big win the Magic aren’t legit NBA title contenders just yet, but that doesn’t mean this season shouldn’t be considered a success. As a team they’ve gone from a 40-42 record, an eighth seed and a first-round sweep in 2006-07 to a 52-30 record, a Southeast Division title and third seed, and a first-round playoff victory. But perhaps more importantly, this year the Orlando faithful have seen Dwight Howard take a massive leap in his individual development that has put the 22-year-old on track to be one of the most dominant big men in NBA history.

He could be the best center in the NBA right now, and it’s gotten to the point where he can drop 20 points, 12 boards, 6 blocks and 3 steals on the Pistons in a playoff victory and nobody bats an eye. Then again, that’s been an off night for Howard in this postseason. He entered Wednesday’s victory averaging 3.4 blocks, 16.7 total rebounds, and 6.7 offensive rebounds — all easily tops in the playoffs. Offensively, he’s been putting up 21 points an night on 62.6% FGs in the second season.

Filthy.

Dwight Howard Photo Credit: Icon SMI

Howard’s teammate Hedo Turkoglu won the Most Improved Player award, but Hedo’s strong season was enabled by all the attention Dwight has been drawing underneath. And perhaps Howard himself should have been in the conversation for MIP as he improved dramatically in nearly all intangible facets of the game and made a big statistical jump in points, blocks, rebounds and getting to the line while playing more disciplined defense and turning the ball over less. His 14.2 boards per game led the league, making him the youngest player with a rebounding title. He also managed to score 20.7 points a game on just 11.9 shots a game, the fewest field-goal attempts of any of the NBA’s top 45 scorers. That led to a 26.8 Efficiency Rating, just behind Chris Paul and ahead of MVP Kobe Bryant. His 69 double-doubles led the league by a wide margin (Paul was second with 56) and the 2.2 blocks per were also the top five.

The most scary thing about these gaudy stats is just how much better this young man can get.

How Dwight Howard can conquer the world after the jump…

Read the rest of this article »

Boston Celtics: 66-16, 1st seed
Cleveland Cavaliers: 45-37, 4th seed
Head-to-Head: Split the regular-season series 2-2

Prelude

Basketball is a team game. Good teams (usually) win out over teams largely centered around one or two superstars. But while it will take a solid overall team effort from the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers for either one to advance to the Conference Finals, this one may come down to which one’s superstar(s) dominate the others.

LeBron James has shown time and time again early in his career that he will not (and at times simply can not) be deterred by physical intimidation in the playoffs. We saw him respond in a big way last year against the Detroit Pistons, and we saw him dominate in Round 1 despite an onslaught of hard fouls, cheap shots, and post-game trash talk from the Washington Wizards. There aren’t many qualities that James and Detroit’s Rasheed Wallace have in common with their respective games, but there is one: nothing gets them going more than an opponent who gets in their face or tries to push them around. If Boston thinks they’re going to partly contain James by getting into his head and roughing him up, they’re wrong.

And of course nobody in the NBA runs his mouth or gets pumped up to the point of being scary as much as Kevin Garnett, this year’s Defensive Player of the Year and the heart and soul of the Boston Celtics. His team may have stumbled through their first round bout with the Atlanta Hawks, but KG stood tall in averaging 21 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2 steals, and 1.4 blocks over those seven games. That impressive steals number includes 6 of ‘em in Game 4. He’ll likely be pitted against the slipping Ben Wallace for most of this series, a matchup that could bring the best out of Big Ben but more likely will be a serious advantage for KG.

Even if former defensive superstar Wallace and his teammates do succeed in bottling up Garnett, they still have two more All-Stars to worry about. And those two could be in for an even bigger series than KG.

Their numbers weren’t so hot against the Hawks, but Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are too good to both chip in a second consecutive so-so series. Allen, especially, should explode against the inferior players (Devin Brown, Daniel Gibson, Damon Jones, etc.) that Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown has at his disposal to throw at the sharp-shooting Celtic. The 11-year vet put a hurtin’ on the Cavs during the regular season, averaging 23.8 points (including 3 triples/per) on 51% shooting, 5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals. Cleveland can’t let that keep happening.

This should be an entertaining series and one that its eventual victor will have won in part for playing better overall team basketball. This series’ combined Big Four certainly aren’t the whole story or the only story—we have more on the supporting casts below. But the spotlight will shine brightest on LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen, four All-Stars capable of putting their team on their back and almost single-handedly turning the tide of the entire series. Let’s see who actually does it.

ETB breaks down the Celtics-Cavaliers series and rolls out our predictions after the jump…

Read the rest of this article »

Detroit Pistons: 59-23, 2nd seed
Orlando Magic: 52-30, 3rd seed
Head-to-Head: Split the regular-season series 2-2.

Prelude

One team has been there five times in a row and desperately wants to get back; the other hasn’t been there in over a decade and has had their sights set on returning to the Eastern Conference Finals—and beyond—ever since Superman came to town. The Detroit Pistons want another shot at a championship, a feat that would cement the legacy of their core group as one of the very best in NBA history. The Orlando Magic, on the other hand, are itching to prove that the future is now, that they have officially re-established themselves as a legitimate contender.

These two squads meet in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals from different angles and with something different to prove, but both want a victory just as badly… and both think they deserve it.

After sleepwalking through two of their first three games against the Philadelphia 76ers in Round 1, the Detroit Pistons flipped their infamous switch and closed out Philly in six games. Perhaps it was simply a case of settling down, locking down, and rekindling their fire after coasting for much of the regular season’s last month or so. Or maybe Philly is better than their record and deserved as much credit for their two wins as Detroit deserved criticism for their losses. Either way, the Pistons finished the series with three convincing wins in a row and seem to have gotten their mojo back.

A lot of it had to do with Tayshaun Prince, who was the team’s Round 1 MVP because of his steady play at both ends of the floor. On defense, the long and lanky fifth-year player frustrated rising star Andre Iguodala for most of the series, playing a major role in limiting him to just 33% FG on the series. When the Pistons had the ball, Prince answered the bell time and time again, pushing his field-goal percentage to a lofty 65% compared to 44% during the regular season. Despite turning in a terrible performance in Game 3, Rasheed “Roscoe” Wallace also had a solid series, nailing 13 triples and averaging over 3 blocks per.

The Magic drew perhaps the most favorable matchup in the playoffs for Round 1 in the Toronto Raptors, a team the Magic had little trouble overpowering and eventually dispatching in a tidy five games. They established their own personal superhero, Dwight “Superman” Howard, early and often, relying on the big man to set the tone in the paint with his patented power dunks and filthy shot rejections. The 22-year-old pulled down 20+ rebounds in three of the five games and recorded 3+ blocks in all but one, proving that his status as the league’s most dominating center hasn’t changed between the regular season and the postseason.

This is a team that lives and dies by their ability to knock down three-pointers: with 25.3 attempts/per, only the Golden State Warriors attempted more longballs this year. When they’re hitting, the Magic can build big leads or cut down significant deficits in a hurry, but they’ll need to diversify their attack against the Pistons, who finished the regular season as the NBA’s top defensive team in yielding just 90.1 points/per to opponents. They get their hands up and in the face of shooters, have excellent help-side rotations when they’re beaten on the perimeter, and usually stay out of foul trouble. Orlando was near the top of the pack in team defense as well, allowing 99 points and 44.6%/per.

These teams met in the first round last year, with the Pistons advancing in a convincing sweep. Neither is putting much stock in that series, however, and both know they’re in for a slugfest.

ETB breaks down the Pistons-Magic series and rolls out our predictions after the jump…

Read the rest of this article »

Star-Telegram - Jerry Stackhouse was, “about ready to kick [Byron Scott’s] ass.”
HOOPSWORLD - Tired of riding superstar guards to success, Shaq turns to horses.
The Sports Hernia - Larry Brown is going to leave somewhere and go do something else.
Upside and Motor - Breaking down the odds of where he might be doing it.
QuantumHoops - 209 consecutive three-pointers and better defense than JJ Redick.
Gossip on Sports - The top five reasons why Dwayne Wade dating Star Jones is “squicky.”
AOL FanHouse - Sitting down with New Orleans’ mild-mannered superstar David West.
Awful Announcing - Just when you thought you had seen the last of C-Webb…
Black Jesus Disciples - Breaking down the Phoenix Suns total vacuum of leadership.
NBA Stuffer - Joey Crawford leads the NBA in fouls, techs and ejections. We love you Joey.
The Painted Area - It’s not your imagination: the NBA is a lot more fun to watch these days.
What Would Oakley Do? - The Knicks are a lot like the Dream Team in one respect.

Kobe Bryant Photo Credit: Jeff Lewis/Icon SM

Los Angeles Lakers: 57-25, 1st seed
Denver Nuggets: 50-31, 8th seed
Head-to-Head: Lakers on series 3-0

Prelude

A testament to just how strong the West has been this year, only seven games separate the eighth and first seeds and both are 50-win teams. This matchup isn’t the typical cakewalk you expect in the first round for a one seed, as the Los Angeles Lakers will have to contend against a roster featuring superstars Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Camby. That’s a lot of star power for such a heavy underdog, and it should make for some wild games. The offenses will be on overdrive — throw in Kobe Bryant and you have three of the NBA’s top four scorers from the regular season. The Denver Nuggets put up 110.7 points a game, the second-most in the league, while Los Angeles manages 108.6 points per, good for fourth-most in the league. Both of these squads can score. The difference will be defense, or the lack thereof in Denver. The Nuggets are giving up 107 points a night, the second-worst defense in the NBA. Los Angeles hasn’t been elite this year, but they only allow 101.3 points, which places them in the middle of the pack.

It should be interesting to see how these two coaches match up. George Karl’s teams have earned a reputation for underachieving and choking in the postseason, and you have to consider an eight seed a disappointment for any team featuring that Iverson, Melo and Camby trio. Karl is also an extremely ornery and bull-headed coach who wears his players down, fluctuates minutes, makes rapid lineup changes and isn’t afraid to put somebody in the doghouse at any point. Compared to Karl, Phil Jackson’s relaxed brand of leadership makes him look like a cuddly teddy bear. Jackson is largely going to sit back and let his players play, simply making the necessary defensive adjustments and substitutions. He’s had tremendous success at this level, and he isn’t going to get rattled — and he won’t let his team either.

While I consider the Denver regular-season performance a let down, the fact that the Lake Show sits atop the West is remarkable. The contentious summer in Los Angeles when most NBA observers thought there was a slim chance that Kobe Bryant would finish this season in a Lakers jersey seems like a very long time ago. It’s hard to imagine that Sports Illustrated predicted this team would miss the postseason. Now they sit with top seed in the Western Conference and likely MVP Kobe Bryant firmly committed to this team, having one of the most effective and least selfish seasons of his career. Kobe has been able to adapt his game to teammates and situations. Before Bynum went down Kobe had his Lakers atop the ultra-competitive Western Conference for a spell. Then he took on the scoring load and sustained them until the Paul Gasol trade. After Pau came to town, he adjusted and adapted to the arrival of another star who needs the ball. Over the last year Kobe has adapted to and built his game around a completely new team, and they’ve become one of the four best teams in the NBA.

ETB breaks down the Lakers-Nuggets series and rolls out our predictions after the jump…

Read the rest of this article »

Boston Celtics: 66-16, 1st seed
Atlanta Hawks: 37-45, 8th seed
Head-to-Head: Boston swept season series 3-0

Prelude

It’s not like the Boston Celtics needed any further motivation heading into the postseason.

After adding All-Star veterans Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett last summer and stripping their club of over half of its promising-but-unproven talent in the process, the Celtics instantly transformed themselves from one of the NBA’s youngest and least successful teams into one of its top contenders. Many predicted an adjustment period because of the drastic roster upheaval, but there was no such thing in the cards for this team. Boston stormed out to an astonishing 29-3 record to start the season, quickly establishing themselves as an incredibly tough squad to beat in Boston and a premier defensive unit. They never looked back, and have coasted through the better part of the regular season with little more to play for than to fine tune their efficient machine.

And it hasn’t just been KG, Allen, and Paul Pierce behind the success. Second-year PG Rajon Rondo has improved his overall game drastically compared to his rookie season, bumping his per-game averages up in field-goal shooting (49%), points (10.6), assists (5.1), rebounds (4.2), and steals (1.7). James Posey has given the team toughness, tenacious man-defense, and an outside scoring threat off the bench in his first season with Boston. Starting center Kendrick Perkins has been a beast on the blocks, while fellow youngsters Leon Powe and Glen Davis have developed into reliable low-post bangers capable of putting up big stats when needed. For as “old” as their core is, like the Detroit Pistons the Celtics have still reserved lots of room (and minutes) for a few potential building blocks of the future.

Their opponent, the Atlanta Hawks, have been building towards this day for a decade. Their last playoff appearance came back in 1999, when they eliminated the then-stagnating Pistons in the first round before being knocked off in the second by the New York Knicks. (My, how things have changed.) Led by two of the best players casual NBA fans have never heard—SG and first-time All Star Joe Johnson along with explosive F Josh “J-Smoove” Smith—the Hawks would have finished in 12th place overall in the Western Conference, but managed to squeeze out the Indiana Pacers for the 8th and final spot in the top-heavy East.

If you haven’t seen much of the Hawks this season, despite their sub-.500 record they really are a fun team to watch, especially since ex-Sacramento Kings PG Mike Bibby arrived in a trade-deadline deal. Johnson is one of the league’s best pure scorers and excellent at creating his own shot, rookie Alfred Horford is our pick to win this year’s Rookie of the Year award (10 points, 9.7 boards, 50% FG, 1 block/per), and the aforementioned Smith can fill up a stat sheet with the best of ‘em: in this his fourth pro season after entering the league straight out of high school, the 6-9 Smith averaged 17.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.8 blocks. And he can drain the longball. Yes, the kid is absolutely filthy.

He’s also still a very immature player at times, which brings me back to the Celtics not needing any further motivation to squelch the little weasel that is the Atlanta Hawks. There’s nothing wrong with confidence in yourself and your teammates—let’s face it, the Hawks are going to need plenty of it over the next week or so—but Smith (and Josh Childress) probably could have kept this stuff behind closed doors:

Atlanta forward Josh Smith has said his team is “going to shock the world” by upsetting the Celtics. Teammate Josh Childress has said he doesn’t think “there’s any position where you can say we are severely undermanned against them.”

The Boston Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks by an average of 14.3 points during their three regular-season meetings.

ETB breaks down the Celtics-Hawks series and rolls out our predictions after the jump…

Read the rest of this article »

Detroit Pistons: 59-23, 2nd seed
Philadelphia 76ers: 40-42, 7th seed
Head-to-Head: Season series tied at 2-2

Prelude

Seven straight 50+ win seasons. Five consecutive Eastern Conference Finals. Two NBA Finals. One NBA championship. And, still, it’s not enough for these Detroit Pistons.

For all the success the Pistons franchise has experienced for the better part of the last decade, there’s still an empty pit in the stomach of its management, its players, and its fans. Two trips to the finals were nice, but there probably should have been two more. NBA titles are hard to come by, and that thumping of the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2004 was oh so very sweet, but the loss in a grueling seven-game series to the San Antonio Spurs the following year cut deeply. And then of course there was the disappointing ECF losses to the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers, two teams they were probably better than but whom outplayed, out-strategized, and ultimately outdid the favored Pistons in six games each.

When you know you could have played better, could have lasted longer, could have a few more rings on your fingers, the bad taste left in your mouth is hard to rinse out.

But here they are again, Central Division champs and the East’s 2nd-seeded team with a 59-23 record. Here they are with another chance to get it done as quickly and painlessly as possible in the early rounds of the postseason. And here they are, once again, determined to cement their legacy as one of the best teams in NBA history. The core group—you know who they are by now—has no interest in another silver medal. They know the inexplicable skepticism that has dogged their NBA dominance will linger on unless they win it all. They know they have the talent, depth, and experience to get there: now they have to actually do it.

The upstart Philadelphia 76ers, though very respectful of their opponent, could care less about the Pistons quest to fully realize their legacy. Pegged as a lottery-bound team deeply entrenched in the post-Allen Iverson rebuilding process, head coach Maurice Cheeks guided his team to one of the best records in the Eastern Conference since the All-Star break and a final regular season tally of 40 wins and 42 losses. They’re gutty, they’re extremely athletic, and once they grab that long rebound or force a turnover they’re adopting with a pack mentality and running wild on a fast break back the other way.

Led by rising star Andre Iguodala, underrated veteran PG Andre Miller, and one of the better shot-blocking and rebounding bigs in the East, Mr. Samuel Dalembert, the Sixers have improved faster than anyone anticipated. For what they have in promise and raw talent, however, they lack in experience compared to Detroit: Pistons’ starting SF Tayshaun Prince, alone, has played in more playoff games than the Sixers’ entire roster combined. Rebounding specialist Reggie Evans is the only Sixer of note who has won a playoff series.

David vs. Goliath? Not quite, but it’s pretty damn close.

ETB breaks down the Pistons-76ers series and rolls out our predictions after the jump…

Read the rest of this article »

Jerry Sloan Photo Credit: Matthias B. Krause/Icon SMI

Utah Jazz: 54-28, 4th seed
Houston Rockets: 55-27, 5th seed
Head-to-Head: 2-1, Utah Jazz

Prelude

In the middle of the West’s seeding we have a rematch of last year’s first round, and there’s a good chance it will to end in Tracy McGrady crying tears as big as horse turds again. Houston is the fifth seed, but they stole home-court advantage at the end of the season with a one-game edge on Utah, who won the Northwest Division. Last year the Rockets had the home court as well and the series went the full seven games, finishing with a heartbreaking 99-103 loss to the Jazz in game seven.

Things are going to be even more difficult for the Rockets this season, who will be missing the NBA’s best center in Yao Ming. For all but die-hard Rockets fans the loss of Yao on Feb 26th meant the end of Houston’s relevancy. We were wrong. Houston has made an improbable run after the devastating injury was diagnosed, vying for the top seed in the absurdly competitive West until the final days of the season and stringing together that famous 22-game winning streak. Unfortunately they got more bad news last Sunday when starting point guard Rafer Alston went down with a strained hamstring. He’ll miss at least the first two games of the series, leaving the Rockets at an even greater disadvantage and with an even bigger hill to climb. Then again, overcoming injuries, defying expectations and playing solid defense with interchangeable pieces has been their modus operandi all season. Can Bobby Jackson or Aaron Brooks step up in the absence of Rafer Alston? Can Houston’s cadre of hustle players and defenders up front keep up with Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur? We’ll see.

The Jazz are not a team you want to be undermanned against. They’re physical, they’re deep and they’re disciplined. They will attack weaknesses and they won’t shy away from beating a team down. Utah led the NBA in personal fouls, and they are going to grind on the shorthanded Jazz all series. At point guard Deron Williams has emerged as one of the top players in the NBA, and at power forward Carlos Boozer has been a tremendous scorer and rebounder. It’s eerie how similar those two have been able to emulate the successful Johsn Stockton/Karl Malone Jazz teams of the 90s. After those stars Utah has a deep roster full of role players and shooters. They’re strong, methodical and efficient. And their offense is excellent. Houston’s defense has been one of the top units in the league this year, but at less than full strength it’s going to be hard to stop a potent Utah offense that was second in the NBA at 49.7% FGs. The Jazz have been dismal on the road this season though, going 17-24, and they’ll need to steal at least one in Houston.

It should also be a fascinating chess game. Rick Adelman and Jerry Sloan have put on two of the finest performances by coaching staffs in the NBA this season. Sloan has had more to work with, but it would be a mistake to underestimate the chemistry of this Rockets team.

ETB breaks down the Jazz-Rockets series and rolls out our predictions after the jump…

Read the rest of this article »

New Orleans Hornets: 56-26, 2nd seed
Dallas Mavericks: 51-31, 7th seed
Head-to-Head: Tied 2-2

Prelude

We may not see a more even matchup in this year’s NBA playoffs. Just how even is it? According to Wes Cox of Mavs Moneyball:

They each won over 50 games (obviously). They both went 10-6 in the Southwest Division. New Orleans won just one more game against conference foes.

Offensively, Dallas scores 100.4 a game with an efficiency of 108.6 points per 100 possessions (6th in the West). The Hornets score 100.9 per game with a 109.0 efficiency (5th in the West).

The Mavs allow 95.9 ppg with an efficiency of 103.2 per 100 possessions (8th in the NBA). New Orleans allows 95.6 ppg with an efficiency of 102.9 (7th in the NBA).

They play at a near identical pace — Dallas 92.5 possessions per game, New Orleans 92.1 — and neither team turns the ball over very much. Dallas turns it over on 12.3% of their possessions (5th in the NBA), and the Hornets have a turnover rate of 11.4% (3rd).

They split the season series 2-2, with both teams protecting home-court. And just for fun, if you add up the scores of those four games Dallas won by a combined total of just seven points (401–394).

Yeah, that’s pretty even. Fresh off their April 16th loss in Dallas, the New Orleans Hornets are about to get sick of seeing those doppelganger Mavericks. There’s just no way this will be a short series.

Last year Dallas’s season was defined by an epic, humiliating collapse against the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors. It was an utter embarrassment, and this fresh off that fiasco in the NBA Finals against the Heat. They were the favorites both times and crumbled under the pressure. This year they’ll be playing the role of underdog all the way through, a welcome change for a team that has earned a reputation for failing to live up to expectations. Their season to this point has been defined by the gutsy, poorly-executed acquisition of Jason Kidd (they simply gave up way too much for a two-season rental). Kidd is a winner through and through with a long playoff resume. But he comes with questions marks as well: has he had enough time to gel with his new teammates? Do they have the spacing, transition game and pecking order down? Will he continue to be reticent to use his jumper? Will he make it if he does?

Meanwhile the upstart New Orleans Hornets are one big question mark: are they really this good? Chris Paul is the real deal, no doubt about that. And David West is a quiet All Star caliber player. Tyson Chandler is a long-armed center who can clean the glass and protect the rim. Peja Stojakovic is the token Caucasian shooter. We know about them. But what about the rest of these guys? And can a team with no playoff experience together and youngsters from top to bottom really beat a veteran-laden squad like Dallas, even with home court?

ETB breaks down the Hornets-Mavericks series and rolls out our predictions after the jump…

Read the rest of this article »

San Antonio Spurs: 56-26, 3rd seed
Phoenix Suns: 55-27, 6th seed
Head-to-Head: Phoenix won season series 3-1

Prelude

Another NBA playoffs, and another San Antonio team ambling in looking older and more vulnerable despite a great regular-season record and one of the best defenses in the league. Somehow the Spurs manage to fly under the hype radar every season, and each time it turns out they were only playing possum – pacing themselves and resting their aging core. Meanwhile, Phoenix is on a mission to prove The Steve Nash Era has been more than just flashy regular-season victories with no substance. This will be a contest of two of the most influential coaches in the NBA over the last decade. Gregg Popovich has been at the helm of the NBA’s most suffocating defense during a Spurs dynasty, while Mike D’Antoni’s offenses have revolutionized today’s NBA.

It should be one of the most heated and interesting series of the first round even though we’ve already seen these guys plenty and there aren’t a lot of young faces. Featuring the likes of Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Finley, Kurt Thomas, Bruce Bowen, Robert Horry, Damon Stoudamire, Jacque Vaughn, Grant Hill, Brian Skinner, this is the most geriatric matchup of the postseason. These guys can still get up and down the floor despite their age, but San Antonio will be trying to slow it down nearly every possession and Phoenix will try to prove they can finally play that way too.

After the Amare Stoudemire/Bruce Bowen debacles in recent years we should expect an extremely physical series, but also one of extremely solid, fundamental basketball from both teams. I wasn’t a big fan of the blockbuster trade to acquire Shaq, but it could prove to be a sage move as early as tomorrow night. He’ll be the enforcer and the anchor of the half-court sets. Shawn Marion was probably good for more regular-season wins, but the Suns brought in the big man in order to play with physical, down-tempo teams like the Spurs in the postseason. Pure run-and-gun had failed Steve Nash’s Suns too many times, and his age demanded something change. It took a few weeks to get acclimated to the desert, but Shaq has shown that he will help Phoenix with the likes of Tim Duncan and the Spurs, evidenced in their 96-79 win in San Antonio April 9th. Phoenix actually won three of the four regular season games, taking both contests in San Antonio, but the NBA playoffs are another animal.

ETB breaks down the Suns-spurs series and rolls out our predictions after the jump…

Read the rest of this article »

Orlando Magic: 52-30, 3rd seed
Toronto Raptors: 41-41, 6th seed
Head-to-Head: Orlando won season series 2-1

Prelude

Let’s be honest: this is hardly a sexy matchup. The NBA seems to agree by scheduling Game 1 for Sunday afternoon at 12:30pm, an early hour when most people are still groggy from last night’s foolish absinthe binge. Aside from All-Star Chris Bosh, the Toronto Raptors hold about as much appeal to the casual NBA fan as John McCain does to a women’s liberal arts college. With all due respect to Rasho Nesterovic, Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani, etc., the heavily Euro-centric approach to roster management usually doesn’t translate to big ratings or feverish interest outside of Canada, especially when they’re not considered even semi-serious contenders.

That’s not to demean these players contributions or the respectable season they’ve had. Nesterovic, for example, awoke from a five-year slumber and finished out by re-establishing himself as an above-average defender in the post and scoring in double digits 17 straight games (I’m not counting the last match, when he scored just 2 points in 15 meaningless minutes). Third-year PG Calderon led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio with a rock-solid 5.38 score. And, of course, Bosh was Bosh, averaging 22.3 points, 8.7 boards, 2.6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, and 49% shooting. This team may not have all that much panache, but there’s plenty o’ talent here, to be sure… and I haven’t even mentioned the Raps’ second-leading scorer, Anthony Parker, or rookie Jamario Moon, who’d win the league’s Biggest Feel-Good Story Award if it actually existed.

The Orlando Magic coasted to the Southeast Division title on the broad-shouldered back of Dwight “Superman” Howard, who took his game to a new level, Pantera style, in averaging an astounding 20.7 points, 14.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, and 60% FG. And by the way, he won’t turn 23-years-old until December 8. Petulant Shaquille O’Neal can pointlessly disparage Howard all he likes, but there’s a new “most dominant big man in the NBA” and he plays for Orlando, not Phoenix. Howard is the centerpiece of one of the league’s most improved starting frontcourts, one which also includes first-year Magic PF Rashard Lewis as well as Hedo Turkoglu, one of the leading candidates to be named the NBA’s Most Improved Player after averaging 19.5 points, 5.7 boards, 5 assists, and 2 triples/per.

After closing out the regular season with a 3-5 record in April, the Raptors head into the postseason with flagging confidence and plenty of questions from the top of the roster to the bottom. Though the Magic are certainly no pushovers, the Raps must feel incredibly fortunate to have dodged the Detroit Pistons bullet. Orlando hasn’t had much to play for since early March, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can flip the high-intensity switch back on and dominate a team that’s ripe for the taking.

ETB breaks down the Magic-Raptors series and rolls out our predictions after the jump…

Read the rest of this article »

“I think the Washington Wizards have got to be the dumbest team in the history of civilization.” - TNT analyst, NBA great, and Krispy Kreme fan Charles Barkley.

Cleveland Cavaliers: 45-37, 4th seed
Washington Wizards: 43-39, 5th seed
Head-to-Head: Split the season series 2-2

Prelude

Be careful what you wish for, Washington Wizards.

For the past two seasons, the Wiz “stormed” the playoffs only to be bested in the first round both times by LeBron James, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and their revolving, ragtag cast of compliments on the Cleveland Cavaliers. That hasn’t deterred the Wizards’ confidence in the least during the 2007-08 season, however: first, shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson claimed that James was “overrated” after the All-NBA performer clanged a triple at the buzzer in a 101-99 Washington win in March. James laughed off Stevenson’s preposterous assertion, but perhaps paid more attention to the ever-outspoken Gilbert Arenas’ recent entry in his NBA blog, where he said “I think everybody wants Cleveland in that first round. They’ve been a .500 team ever since they made that trade, and everybody wants a chance at that matchup.”

Well, Arenas, Stevenson, and the rest of the Wizards have had their wish granted, their chance fulfilled, and revenge will surely be on their mind (they’ve won just 2 of the 10 games these teams have played in the last two postseasons). The Cavaliers, as the reigning Eastern Conference Champions, enter the playoffs with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove after stumbling towards the finish line. Neither team was especially strong during the month of April (Cleveland 4-4, Washington 5-3), and both are dealing with minor and major injuries to key rotation players. Still, given the recent history and the boasting and bragging that went on during the season’s waning days, this should shape up as one the most intriguing matchups in the Eastern’s first round.

ETB breaks down the Wizards-Cavaliers playoff series after the jump…

Read the rest of this article »