The Cavs? WTF?
Just like any NBA game, the NBA regular season focuses on only the beginning and end. Who cares if Allen Iverson got traded to Detroit, is coming off the bench, and is bitching about that too? Who cares if Kobe is distracting people with his great play while he covertly cheats on his wife with this year's hot crop of 19-year-old white chicks? And who knew that a kid from Akron, Ohio could lead his hometown NBA team to a possible run at the Larry O'Brien Trophy? Who knew?
In about eight excruciating weeks, we will know which best Eastern and Western Conference teams will take each other on for the weirdest but acceptable trophy in pro sports: the NBA World Championship.
No time to bore you on who's in. 16 teams are eligible, legally, to go for that run. And after all of that, four rounds of basketball is needed for one team to win it all. Cue the John Tesh, NBA on NBC theme. Roundball, playoff-style is back!
Now I bore you with who's in:
Western Conference
(1) LA Lakers vs. (8) Utah Jazz
Ah, yes. LA is back in a familiar place. Last year was supposed to be the year Kobe shut his nay-sayers up with a single-handed storming of the NBA Playoffs. I bet he would give his right testicle to get back Game Four of last year's NBA Finals.
Utah is going in the opposite direction. Once feared in the West, the Jazz (the team, not the music...the music still has no business in Mormon-land) are losers of seven of the last nine. Momentum, huh? Maybe, it was a good time for the Rox to play them in the first round (I'll get to my beloved team later).
(2) Denver vs. (7) New Orleans
Denver is simply rejuvenated thanks to the Chauncey Billups-cancerous brain tumor, er, I mean, Allen Iverson trade. The Nuggs will enjoy playoff position as they take on the Hornets.
The Bayou Bugs were the talk of the playoffs last year, nearly taking out San Antonio in the Second Round. This time around, their playoff positioning has many thinking this could be a one-and-done situation. Who knows how Chris Paul's midseason injury will affect N.O. in the playoffs.
(3) San Antonio vs. (6) Dallas
Take the drive up and down I-35 and you'll get the AAC and the AT&T. Ok, you're not so privy to short hand but, yeah, it's the homes to the Mavs and the Spurs. If you said this was the 2005 season, then I would have given you the Mavs, easy, despite the fact that the Spurs won that year. But the Mavs aren't so mighty this year (they were eliminated by the out-of-nowhere Hornets last year). Just stop yourself, though, before the ink dries for the Spurs on your bracket. The Spurs will play workmanlike, playoff basketball. This is when they're most effective. I like the Spurs, even without Manu.
(4) Portland vs. (5) Houston
The Blazers are back in the playoffs after a six season hiatus. They got Brandon Roy. If you haven't seen him play, see him play.
But that's all the compliments I'm giving them. If the Rox stand to pass the first round, it's in this capacity with Yao in the middle, Artest busting heads, a very underrated Shane Battier providing defensive support, and a lights-out shooting touch like Luis Scola's. They need to play the capable yet weak team to perfection here. Yet it's times like these that I wish this team had a real point guard.
Eastern Conference
(1) Cleveland vs. (8) Detroit
No fifth straight season to the East Finals for Detroit. If the Pistons are to put some Knickerbocker-eighth seeded magic back in, they'll have to take their heads out of their asses and play like this is their last year in the Palace.
With that said, Lebron. Mo Williams. Both too much for Motor City this year. LeBron will eventually get a redemption chance at winning the World Championship this year.
(2) Boston vs. (7) Chicago
Boston will more than likely be without Kevin Garnett, leaving the onus of the inside game to Tony Battie, er, I mean, Glen Davis, I mean, Brian Scallabrine (does he still play there?) I have no idea how Boston will thrive past the first round with out KG. But they had to see this coming. The C's had to play without KG. Look for Paul Pierce to spark the Celts against the Baby Bulls (sorry, Chi-town, but I give you no chance...but not as much as a chance the Celts have getting out of the East finals, at the most.)
(3) Magic vs. (6) Philadelphia
Philadelphia should keep it close. They did, after all, put Detroit on the ropes as the 7 seed last year. The Magic still have an intimidating presence in the middle in the form of 23-year-old Dwight Howard. DH is a beast, everybody, and the Sixers are too undersized to bust the lane for easy scores against Dwight Howard. Watch the Magic advance here and give Boston a scare in the second round.
(4) Atlanta vs. (5) Miami
If this doesn't say late '90s NBA nostalgia. Remember back in the day when it was Stacey Augmon and the Hawks against Alonzo Mourning and the Heat back in '96? Was that just a scenario I remembered when playing NBA Hangtime on my Sega Genesis? Hm. Anyways, the lineups are different this time around. The Hawks are a deep basketball club. Josh Smith. Joe Johnson. Al Horford. They have weapons. The Heat have Dwyane Wade. Shawn Marion, a strong second weapon, I guess. I see the Hawks redeeming themselves this first round. They had the momentum last year to win against the Celts as the number eight.
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