Heat 4 - Bucks 0
The Bucks were scrappy. The Bucks played hard. The Bucks were swept. Miami needed a first round test and the Bucks were the perfect team. The Bucks have a young and talented front court, plus two elite scorers in the back court. They pushed Miami just enough to make them work. Miami has been on Spring Break since their 27 game win streak ended. They needed to get their edge back because they will have a much tougher test in round 2. Mission accomplished.
The Bucks now enter a transitional year as their entire back-court rotation of Jennings (restricted), Monta (opt-out), and JJ Redick are likely free agents. If the they fail to retain 2 of these players then the 8th seed and 4 game sweep by the Heat is little consolation to their fans after the team
Spurs 4 - Lakers 0
I was completely wrong about this series. I expected the Lakers size to give SA fits. However, the Lakers were beaten worse by the Spurs than Chael Sonnen was by Jon Jones Saturday night. The Lakers completely embarrassed themselves. To further LA's misery, for the first time in more than a decade, the Lakers future is very murky. Howard resigning is not a given per Yahoo. Gasol doesn't fit into the D'Antoni system and may be traded. Nash couldn't stay healthy. Kobe is injured goods. The rest of the team is just old, injured, or both. Needless to say, I am both delighted by their downfall and petrified that they'll end up with Wiggins or Parker in the 2014 draft.
On to the Spurs.... Unfortunately for America, the Spurs will be matched up with either the Nuggets or more likely the 3-1 series leading Warriors. The Spurs and their coach Gregg Popovich will undoubtedly scheme and game-plan all the fun out of the series. Assuming the Warriors finish off the Nuggets, Stephen Curry will be trapped, beaten, and suffocated all series, but that's a story for another day. For now, the Spurs will get some rest while they wait for round 2.
Warriors 4 - Nuggets 2
What a fun series to watch! I have no allegiance to either team and enjoy the way both teams play. I repeatedly tweeted that I wanted this series to go 7 games, but game 6 made up for the non-game 7. Lee's 87 seconds seemed to inspire the Warriors. Curry & Bogut came up big. The Warriors have a bright future for sure. I will post my thoughts on the Spurs matchup soon.
On a side note, Stephen Curry has entered my own personal favorites list. I am an East coast guy, but I am more than happy to stay up late to watch him play. The kid is truly that special.
The loss to the Warriors should not stain a very good season by the Nuggets. They are well coached and have a very deep and talented roster. What they seem to lack is a true elite player. An MVP calibur & top 50 HOF type, e.g. Dirk, Nowitzki, who can put the team on his back when the chips are down. In this way they are built better for the regular season than the playoffs.
The 2004 Detroit Pistons are the only championship team that I can think of which did not have an elite player. However, they had a HOF coach in Larry Brown and were super defensively. George Karl is comparable to Brown, but lack the championship success that Brown had, (1988 NCAA title with Kansas & 2004 NBA title with the Pistons) Plus, defensive teams do better in the playoffs than offensive teams like the Nuggets.
Regardless, the Nuggets future is very bright. I don't see a bad move on Masai Ujiri's GM record. Perhaps Ujiri will be able to trade for an elite player or Lawson will develop into one. Personally, I believe Lawson may end up as a top 5 point guard. He seems to have all of the tools and the right personality. Time will tell.
Knicks 4 - Celtics 2
After falling behind 0-3, the Celtics finally were able to put back to back full-game efforts together. Jeff Green played like an All-Star, KG throw back the clock 4 years, The Jason Terry that all Celtics fans hope for, finally made an appearance. Unfortunately, the good feelings and competitive play only last two games. The Knicks took care of business last night, driving the final nail into the Celtics coffin. IMO, major changes are in store the Boston this off-season. For more on the Cs, read It's Over Because It's Over.
For the first three games, the Knicks were very impressive, both defensively and offensively. They left their collective guard down on the veteran Celtics and the Cs took advantage. I chalk this semi-letdown as a learning experience. However, they can not afford the same sort of lapses against the Pacers.
Memphis 4 - Clippers 2
Chris Paul was the best player in the series, but the Grizzlies had the next best 3... or 4. Z-Bo, Gasol, and Conley all played near the tops of their games. Tony Allen was also very good on both ends of the court. It became painfully clear that no one outside of Paul can consistently create his own offense. Griffin is getting there, but he's not there yet. The Clippers are deep, but most of the rotation players are old low ceiling veterans; Billups, Odom, Barnes, Willie Green, Grant Hill, and Caron Butler. This type of roster configuration wins a lot of regular season games, but struggles in the playoffs.
It took a while for Memphis to readjust after the trade of Rudy Gay. Perhaps, they adjusted quickly, but didn't turn it on until they were down 0-2 to the Clippers. Either way, they have a legit shot at making the finals. The best news for any Memphis fan is that Z-Bo is playing like a man possessed.
Thunder 4 - Rockets 2
The Thunder won the battle, but lost the war. It's difficult believing that OKC can beat Memphis, the Spurs (assuming a win over the Warriors), and the Heat without Westbrook. However, there may be 2 silver linings. If Reggie Jackson can hold his own against Conley and Parker (assuming the Thunder beat the Griz) then the decision on whether to keep or resign Kevin Martin becomes very easy. Secondly, if KD can rise to the occasion and carry the team on his back against the giants of Memphis and the wily veterans of San Antonio then it will be a huge step in this super star journey.
The Rockets lost the battle, but won the war. Kevin McHale has the Rockets playing a fun high scoring brand of basketball. If you combine this with Harden's coming out party, Texas's having no income tax, and the general depth of young cheap talent on the roster then Houston will be a prime destination for the league top players free agents. However, if your name is Jeremy Lin, don't get too comfortable... The Curious Case off the Houston Rockets Point Guards
The rest of the series updates will be added as soon as they come to a conclusion.
No comments:
Post a Comment