Post by GP on Jun 27, 2008 13:43:54 GMT -5
BBS Senior Staff Writer
Galo Pesantes
Eastern Conference Playoffs Preview
The Matchup:
No. 1 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 8 Orlando Magic
The Skinny:
After starting out slow, the Raptors ascended to the top of the Eastern Conference and will have home court advantage throughout these playoffs. The play of French guard Tony Parker should be attributed to the success of the Raptors this year. His 29 points per game average is fourth best in the league. Along with the steadily improving Ben Gordon and Al Jefferson, the Raptors are overachieving a bit but are still a tough out this postseason.
The Magic have a relatively mixed roster of youth and veterans which has led them to earn the eighth seed. Steve Nash may be 33, but he remains the best distributor on the team along with Monta Ellis. However it has been the play of Nenad Kristic that has carried the Magic to success and he will need to continue that trend to take down Toronto.
Prediction:
Raptors in 6.
It will be a tough fought series but in the end, the Raptors should come out on top. During the regular season, the Raptors won all three games convincingly against the Magic but anything can happen in the playoffs. Certainly, Orlando has the bigs to dominate the Raptors but may under matched in the backcourt department. Should be an interesting series to watch.
The Matchup:
No. 2 Washington Wizards vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers
The Skinny:
The Wizards have a tremendous nucleus in Dwayne Wade, Luol Deng and Chris Bosh and have filled the rest of their team with nice role players and veterans. Not to mention the acquisition of Jerome Beasley this past off-season, which is an instant scoring punch off the bench. The only glaring weakness Washington may have is in frontcourt. Other than Ronny Turiaf and Bosh, the Wiz are pretty weak upfront with only Brendan Haywood and Peter John Ramos to lean on.
After licking their wounds for a while since they lost guard Kirk Hinrich to free agency, the Sixers stormed back to the playoffs anyway. Philadelphia’s trio of Gilbert Arenas, Quentin Richardson and Antawn Jamison all score over 20 points per game for the league’s top scoring team. The frontcourt for Philly while not flashy, is effective with Jamaal Magloire and Jason Collins. Yet despite outscoring their opponents by vast margins, they also give up the second most points in the league.
Prediction:
Wizards in 7.
It should be a very close series but I think the Wizards sneak by the Sixers in this one. Their trio may be a little bit more overpowering in the end than the Sixers’ but it can go either way. Both teams split their season series so it may be up to the play of their front court players to decide this series. Keep in mind, the Wiz will also be without guard Marcus Banks who is having knee problems and should miss the entire playoffs.
The Matchup: No. 3 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 6 Boston Celtics
The Skinny:
Chi-Town started out real hot then cooled down a bit to end the season, but they still have the best home mark in the East. Guard Paul Pierce has really looked unstoppable this season and is shooting a smoldering 51% from the field and 46% from behind the arc. The Bulls weakest link may only be point guard Jannero Pargo, who is a strong defender but only a decent ball distributor.
The Celtics feature two of the best shot blockers in the league in Marcus Camby and Theo Ratliff in their frontcourt. Not to mention of the most dynamic scorers in Argentinean guard Manu Ginobilli. Point guard Theo Papaloukas has also been exceptional this season and really living up to the contract he signed this past off-season. Veteran forward Jamal Mashburn is still making his presence known this year by shooting over 43% from 3-point land.
Prediction:
Celtics in 6.
The Bulls could be on upset alert . The C’s took the season series 3-1, although the Bulls blew out Boston in their final matchup of the year. This still can be an upset because Ginobilli is a one man wrecking crew and has the ability to shut down Pierce. Zach Randolph and Shawn Marion may also be held down by Camby and Ratliff which could make all the difference down the road.
The Matchup: No. 4 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 5 Detroit Pistons
The Skinny:
The Bucks were supposed to be the league’s best team throughout this 2007-2008 season. However they fell back a little during the season and so did Kobe Bryant’s scoring average. Despite calls to acquire a true point guard, GM Jordan dismissed those requests and stuck with a platoon of Jamaal Tinsley and Troy Hudson at point guard. Instead he got more depth at the center and forward slots, acquiring Pau Gasol and Danny Granger at the deadline. Time will tell if sticking with the platoon at point is the right choice.
Detroit limped into the playoffs after dropping three of their last 10 contests and have lost Ben Wallace and Rashard Lewis for significant time. The Pistons will have to rely on Tayshaun Prince and Chris Kaman even more to make up for those losses to even have a chance against the Bucks. Prior to those setbacks, the Pistons were among the leaders in fewest points allowed per game. They still have their stars, Allen Iverson and Tim Duncan, but will it be enough to outlast the Bucks?
Prediction:
Bucks in 6.
Milwaukee blew out the Pistons by 21 in their last meeting in which Wallace was already out. Even with Lewis, the Pistons do not really have an answer for the Big Ticket, who could be the key player in the series. The Pistons will have to hope for a big injury to Bryant or KG to have a chance in this series.
Galo Pesantes
Eastern Conference Playoffs Preview
The Matchup:
No. 1 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 8 Orlando Magic
The Skinny:
After starting out slow, the Raptors ascended to the top of the Eastern Conference and will have home court advantage throughout these playoffs. The play of French guard Tony Parker should be attributed to the success of the Raptors this year. His 29 points per game average is fourth best in the league. Along with the steadily improving Ben Gordon and Al Jefferson, the Raptors are overachieving a bit but are still a tough out this postseason.
The Magic have a relatively mixed roster of youth and veterans which has led them to earn the eighth seed. Steve Nash may be 33, but he remains the best distributor on the team along with Monta Ellis. However it has been the play of Nenad Kristic that has carried the Magic to success and he will need to continue that trend to take down Toronto.
Prediction:
Raptors in 6.
It will be a tough fought series but in the end, the Raptors should come out on top. During the regular season, the Raptors won all three games convincingly against the Magic but anything can happen in the playoffs. Certainly, Orlando has the bigs to dominate the Raptors but may under matched in the backcourt department. Should be an interesting series to watch.
The Matchup:
No. 2 Washington Wizards vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers
The Skinny:
The Wizards have a tremendous nucleus in Dwayne Wade, Luol Deng and Chris Bosh and have filled the rest of their team with nice role players and veterans. Not to mention the acquisition of Jerome Beasley this past off-season, which is an instant scoring punch off the bench. The only glaring weakness Washington may have is in frontcourt. Other than Ronny Turiaf and Bosh, the Wiz are pretty weak upfront with only Brendan Haywood and Peter John Ramos to lean on.
After licking their wounds for a while since they lost guard Kirk Hinrich to free agency, the Sixers stormed back to the playoffs anyway. Philadelphia’s trio of Gilbert Arenas, Quentin Richardson and Antawn Jamison all score over 20 points per game for the league’s top scoring team. The frontcourt for Philly while not flashy, is effective with Jamaal Magloire and Jason Collins. Yet despite outscoring their opponents by vast margins, they also give up the second most points in the league.
Prediction:
Wizards in 7.
It should be a very close series but I think the Wizards sneak by the Sixers in this one. Their trio may be a little bit more overpowering in the end than the Sixers’ but it can go either way. Both teams split their season series so it may be up to the play of their front court players to decide this series. Keep in mind, the Wiz will also be without guard Marcus Banks who is having knee problems and should miss the entire playoffs.
The Matchup: No. 3 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 6 Boston Celtics
The Skinny:
Chi-Town started out real hot then cooled down a bit to end the season, but they still have the best home mark in the East. Guard Paul Pierce has really looked unstoppable this season and is shooting a smoldering 51% from the field and 46% from behind the arc. The Bulls weakest link may only be point guard Jannero Pargo, who is a strong defender but only a decent ball distributor.
The Celtics feature two of the best shot blockers in the league in Marcus Camby and Theo Ratliff in their frontcourt. Not to mention of the most dynamic scorers in Argentinean guard Manu Ginobilli. Point guard Theo Papaloukas has also been exceptional this season and really living up to the contract he signed this past off-season. Veteran forward Jamal Mashburn is still making his presence known this year by shooting over 43% from 3-point land.
Prediction:
Celtics in 6.
The Bulls could be on upset alert . The C’s took the season series 3-1, although the Bulls blew out Boston in their final matchup of the year. This still can be an upset because Ginobilli is a one man wrecking crew and has the ability to shut down Pierce. Zach Randolph and Shawn Marion may also be held down by Camby and Ratliff which could make all the difference down the road.
The Matchup: No. 4 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 5 Detroit Pistons
The Skinny:
The Bucks were supposed to be the league’s best team throughout this 2007-2008 season. However they fell back a little during the season and so did Kobe Bryant’s scoring average. Despite calls to acquire a true point guard, GM Jordan dismissed those requests and stuck with a platoon of Jamaal Tinsley and Troy Hudson at point guard. Instead he got more depth at the center and forward slots, acquiring Pau Gasol and Danny Granger at the deadline. Time will tell if sticking with the platoon at point is the right choice.
Detroit limped into the playoffs after dropping three of their last 10 contests and have lost Ben Wallace and Rashard Lewis for significant time. The Pistons will have to rely on Tayshaun Prince and Chris Kaman even more to make up for those losses to even have a chance against the Bucks. Prior to those setbacks, the Pistons were among the leaders in fewest points allowed per game. They still have their stars, Allen Iverson and Tim Duncan, but will it be enough to outlast the Bucks?
Prediction:
Bucks in 6.
Milwaukee blew out the Pistons by 21 in their last meeting in which Wallace was already out. Even with Lewis, the Pistons do not really have an answer for the Big Ticket, who could be the key player in the series. The Pistons will have to hope for a big injury to Bryant or KG to have a chance in this series.
