The Reddzone picks the NBA Playoffs
The NBA’s real season begins Saturday night, but the craziness was last Sunday. It was on that evening that the Clippers managed to flat out tank a game and lose by approximately 70 points in its own building to the hapless Sonics. Why would a team want to play so poorly going into the playoffs? You see, the sixth seed this year gets home court advantage in the West because the division-winning Nuggets have only 44 wins. What that means is that in the screwy NBA playoff system the Clippers intentionally lost so they can have home court advantage. The Grizzlies get stuck playing the Mavericks, who are the fourth seed despite having the third best record in the entire NBA. The NBA: it’s fantastic.
Western Conference
#1 San Antonio vs. #8 Sacramento
San Antonio was deemed inconsistent for much of the year. Manu Ginobli battled injuries and wasn’t the dynamic force we were used to seeing. Tim Duncan played on one foot, and with all that being said they sit squarely as the number one seed in the West.
Sacramento has got to like this match-up. They start Bibby, Artest, Wells, Thomas, and Miller and come with scoring off the bench in the form of Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Kevin Martin, who is giving Aaron Williams a run for his money for the lightest skinned black guy in the NBA.
With all that being said it’s still the Spurs and it’s about time for Bob Horry to wake up from his regular season coma.
Spurs in 6
#2 Phoenix vs. #7 LA Lakers
For Phoenix’s unbelievable season, taking the second seed despite losing its leading scorer from last season, Amare Stoudemire, to injury, it got to play the hired gun known as Kobe Bryant. He averaged over 35 points on 45 percent from the field with every team knowing that was exactly what he was going to do.
All Phoenix has done this year is lose three starters (QRich, Joe Johnson, and Stoudemire) and its sixth man (Jimmy Jackson), slipping only to the second seed. Nash has been better this season then he was in his MVP campaign, averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds. Shawn Marion may be to much discussed to actually be underrated anymore, but he is flat out amazing. He averages 22 in 12 as a 6-7 power forward.
If Kobe plays like T-Mac in last year’s Mavs/Rockets series, and guards Marion and averages 45, if Diaw is somehow limited by Lamar Odom, and if Kwame Brown plays like a first round draft pick, the Lakers still have no answer for Nash and Bell. This series is over.
Suns in 6
#3 Denver vs. #6 LA Clippers
I was all set to pick the Clippers after Elton Brand was the best player in the league in the second half. Then I saw Carmelo Anthony interviewed Wednesday night, and their was something about the twinkle in his eye when he said “careful what you wish for” when asked about the Clippers tanking games to get the sixth seed to face the Nuggets. Carmelo is already the best game-winning shooter in the league. He has been amazing this year, as the Nuggets battled injuries, weird trades and just an odd mix of a roster. When everyone picks one team, I tend to go the other way, so I’ll take the upset.
Nuggets in 6
#4 Dallas vs. #5 Memphis
The Grizzlies are a solid team, but the Mavericks are just better. I don’t buy that they are built better for the playoffs then they have been in the past, but they do have two guys that make big shots in JET and Dirk. Dirk has made the step up from being able to hit the nail-in-the-coffin shot, to finally hitting actual game-winners. The Grizzlies have a guy that looks like Jesus, and another that looks like a porn star. The problem is that they are the best players – Pau Gasol and Mike Miller.
Mavericks in 5
Eastern Conference
#1 Detroit vs. #8 Milwaukee
The Bucks season ended at 10:30 eastern on Tuesday, April 18. That was the night they blew a late lead to the Wizards in Washington, sending them from the 5th slot in the East to the 8th seed. This means a date with the Pistons. I like this team too, they got Redd bombing away, the Ford/Mo Williams/Charlie Bell three-headed monster at the point, a bevy of bangers inside, and an ultimate glue guy in Bobby Simmons. I would have picked them against the Cavs or the Nets, but instead they play the beast from Detroit. If they take this to six there should be a parade in the streets of Milwaukee.
Pistons in 5
#2 Miami vs. #7 Chicago
I think I can beat every member of the Bulls in horse with the notable exception of Ben Gordon. The other night he went 9-9 from the three point line in a shooting extravaganza the league rarely, if ever, has seen. He has been doing only a slightly less spectacular version every night for the last month in this hot steak. The Bulls as constituted can only win one game at best against the Heat, but if Gordon has a series that is Bernard King-esque the Bulls can win.
With that being said, Flash suits up in the Miami lockeroom, and he has a sidekick that likes to call himself Superman. If you don’t think that Shaq plays second fiddle to the best all-around guard in basketball, you’re kidding yourself.
Heat in 5
#3 New Jersey vs. #6 Indiana
The Nets match up extremely well with a Pacer team that seems like dead men walking. If it weren’t for the inspired play of Danny Granger, this team would have missed the playoffs. His falling to the seventeenth pick proves that Larry Bird’s deal with God hasn’t been completely severed, despite events the last two years to the contrary. Yes, the Pacers should destroy the Collins, Kristic, Robinson and Padgett combination inside with Foster and O’Neal, but who wouldn’t? If I were Rick Carlisle, I would do the unthinkable and play Fred Jones and Granger a ton. Then sit Stojakovic a lot more then he is accustomed to because Jones and Granger can defend the Jefferson and Carter combo reasonably well. I wouldn’t allow Stojakovic to guard my drink, let alone a pair of all-stars.
Nets in 6
#4 Cleveland vs. #5 Washington
Who knew that the Wizards entire franchise turned on a coin flip? Gilbert Arenas was a free agent and his hometown Clippers and the Wizards were offering the same amount of money. Gilbert flipped a coin, it came up Washington and they have now been to the playoffs two years in a row behind a man that somehow adds six assists to his 29.5 points a game.
The key for Washington is Caron Butler. Butler goes out for five games, and the Wizards lose all of them. He’s their best rebounder and he chips in 17 points a game while guarding the other team’s best wing player. Butler will have his hands full with The Chosen One, as LeBron James is putting up 31.4 points, seven rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game. Butler is going to have to be great on both ends and will be the key in this series. As much as I love Butler, about the only thing LeBron can’t do is fix copiers.
Cavaliers in 7
