I'm back guys. Did you miss me? Sure you did, anyway the NBA playoffs are well under way, and the conference semifinals are approaching (they start tommorow) and will feature some intriguing matchups.
EAST
Heat vs. Bulls
The Heat are seemingly unstoppable, and might thrash the Bulls. In reality anything can happen, these are the playoffs. Chicago is a team who could possibly defeat the Heat. The Bulls are tough and gritty defensive team, they play hard and never give up. The Bulls are the team who ended the Heat's 27 game winning streak. They are very physical something LeBron can't deal with (ala the whining at the post game press conference). The one problem that Chicago has is their lack of scoring. Nate Robinson has been phenomenal he's averaged 17.8 ppg, highlighted by his 34 point explosion in Game 4. Despite that he's going to need more help on the offenseive end, Noah (who was a beast tonight 24 pts, 14 rebs, and 6 blks) is playing injured; Boozer has played well offensively but has been known to be inconsistent. Deng has been solid, he's injured; Hinrich is injured also which is hit for them offensively and defensively. No matter how tough the Bulls are, offensively they dont have enough firepower to defeat the champions. HEAT WIN 4-2
Knicks vs. Pacers
This is a classic NBA rivalry. Knicks vs. Pacers. Reggie vs Ewing, Spike vs Reggie it doesnt get much better right? Yeah I can think of a few rivalries (Bulls/Pistons, Lakers/Celtics just to name two). Regardless this is 2013 so none of that matters now. These two teams are the teams that have a legitmate chance of defeating the Heat. The Pacers are scary, simply because defensively they are very very tough. Their defense is spearheaded by Paul George and Roy Hibbert two good young defenders. George is going to guard Melo the whole series, that's no question. Will he stop him? No. Can he make it tough for him? Yes. No one can stop Melo one on one, but if you can make it so tough that he takes 36 shots to get 35 points like he did in Game 4 vs the C's you're doing great job on D. Hibbert is a good shot blocker, who when on his game is a good offensive player too. Hibbert's matchup with Chandler is a matchup I will key in on during the series. Both do the same things, I'll give Chandler the edge simply because of his playoff experience but athletically I'd give Hibbert the advantage. The Pacers are an underrated offensive team, because of their great D. George Hill, Lance Stephenson, David West, and Paul George are the scorers for Indy, however they will need Hibbert and Hansbrough to step up against the Knicks and Heat if they advance. The Knicks are very streaky offensively, if they're making threes, moving the ball, and scoring at a good pace mark the game in the win column. If Melo is taking 25+ shots, J.R Smith is having an off night, and the offense isn't flowing mark the loss column. The Knicks are similar to the Nets in the sense that their offense dictates their defense. Guess it's a New York thing. The Knicks have two security blankets that the Nets don't have, the NBA's scoring champion Carmelo Anthony and arguably the best defensive center in the NBA Tyson Chandler. We all know what Melo can do, I don't have to say it ( he's averaging 30.8 ppg in the playoffs); however Melo shouldn't iso his man and jack up 25+ shots every game in this series or the Knicks will head back to Gotham.This will be a good series, both teams are very talented; however the Knicks will be the victors in this series and advance to Eastern Conference Finals. KNICKS WIN 4-3
WEST
Thunder vs. Grizzles
This is the most important series in the playoffs, the team that wins this series will be the team that wins the NBA Championship. Yeah I said the winner of this series will win the NBA championship. Don't believe me just watch. The Grizz are the best defensive team in the NBA, statistically and on the court. The FedEx Forum isn't called the Grind House for no reason.The Grizz grit, grind, and tough out every game, they are the toughest team in the NBA. Z-Bo and Marc Gasol have played very well, leading the Grizz to a series win over their rivals the Clippers.Conley has played well, and must continue to do so if they plan to defeat the Thunder.Conley is difference in this series, if he plays well the Grizz will win, if not they will lose this series. Tony Allen has the daunting task of guarding Kevin Durant, he's a great defender but Kevin Durant is the greatest scorer on the planet. Perimeter scoring was a problem at times for the Grizz, that's where Rudy Gay came in. He's in Canada, so the Grizz guards (Conley, Bayless, Allen, and Prince) must score consistently and assist Z-Bo and Marc with scoring load. The Thunder are the underdogs in this series. Westbrook's injury has everyone stating that the Thunder won't defeat the Grizzles or go back to the Finals. I beg to differ, the Thunder are a great team. Kevin Durant will continue to play at a high level, because no one in the league can give him problems defensively other than LeBron (even LeBron has trouble with him). The Thunder are a solid defensive team, with Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins as the anchors. The biggest question is who will be the Thunder's second scoring option? Durant is going to score 30, it's inevitable but who's going step up after him? Kevin Martin needs to be that guy. K-Mart was big in Game 6 vs. his former team scoring 25 points on 7-13 shooting. The Thunder will need him to be consistent throughout the series. Kevin Martin's play is also a difference in this series, if he plays well the Thunder will win if not they lose.This series is the most important in the playoffs, the series will go seven games and the Thunder will win. You know what that means. THUNDER WIN 4-3
Spurs vs. Warriors
This is going to be fun to watch. It won't be as fun as Denver vs Golden State, but it will be good. Curry vs. Parker is the matchup I'll be watching, along with everyone else. The Warriors have finally become relevant again. Stephen Curry is becoming a superstar right before our eyes, and is shooting the lights out of every arena he plays in.The way he shoots, the three point line should be illegal, because he uses it as a weapon. Curry's light has outshone his teammates who have played extremely well. Klay Thompson has come into his own this season, being the knockdown shooter he was at Washington State. He and Curry are developing into one of the most dangerous and high scoring backcourts in the NBA. Harrison Barnes is a having a great rookie campaign, and would have been Rookie Of The Year if not for that darn Damian Lillard. Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green have contributed good minutes off the bench, with their defense and toughness. The difference maker for the Dubs not named Curry is Jarrett Jack. Jack has been outrageously consistent for the Dubs off the bench, and allows Curry to get a breather knowing that the offense will be in tact if he's not on the floor. If the Warriors want win this series they must run and gun. The Spurs can run and gun, but not like the Warriors. They are older and the Warriors should use their youth to their advantage. The Spurs city name should be "Ol' Reliable", because every year the Spurs are a top Western Conference team, and a top team in the NBA. Tim Duncan still has it, he never lost it and is playing at a very high level. Tony Parker has been amazing all season, and was a Top 5 MVP candidate until his injury. The Spurs role players have played well all season (Kawhi Leonard, Gary Neal, Matt Bonner, Tiago Splitter, and Danny Green). The Spurs are known for their trademark great defense, which is the reason they are such a great team. Poppovich, one of the greatest coaches ever, has managed his team better than any other coach in the NBA over the last few years, and this season is no exception. He's made sure his team can adapt to any playing style their opponent throws at them. The difference maker for the Spurs is always Manu Ginobili. Manu has been injured for majority of the season, but if he can step up and play like the Manu of 05' and 07' the Warriors will be in trouble. This series could possibly be a classic with two very talented teams, and two great point guards battling it out. I'm going with the Spurs. SPURS WIN 4-3
