2011 NBA Playoffs

[Troy]

Eastern Conference
Chicago - 4 vs. Indiana - 1
Orlando - 2 vs. Atlanta - 4
Boston - 4 vs. New York - 0
Miami - 4 vs. Philadelphia - 1​

Western Conference
San Antonio - 2 vs. Memphis - 4
Oklahoma City - 4 vs. Denver - 1
Dallas - 4 vs. Portland - 2
L.A. Lakers - 4 vs. New Orleans - 2​

Conference Semi-Finals​

Eastern Conference
Chicago - 4 vs. Atlanta - 2
Miami -4 vs. Boston - 1​

Western Conference
Memphis - 3 vs. Oklahoma City - 4
Dallas - 4 vs. LA Lakers - 0​

Conference Finals​

Eastern Conference
Chicago - 1 vs. Miami - 4​

Western Conference
Oklahoma City - 1 vs. Dallas - 4

NBA Final
Dallas vs. Miami​

It is that time of the year again, NBA Playoffs. Some first round have already happened and Chicago and Miami are both looking solid. Rose is a star and will take Chicago deep into the Playoffs.​

Who do you think will win each match-up and each conference?​

 

[TheGoldStandard]

I'm hoping the Hornets beat the Lakers. But the way the NBA is, it won't happened. I really believe the league is fixed and the Lakers will get their way.

 

[Troy]

You may get your wish since New Orleans beat the Lakers in the first game of their series. There was another upset with Memphis beating San Antonio. Hopefully there will be some upsets so that we don't just get the regular teams making it to the next round.

 

[Big Red Jericho Punk]

I am really excited for the playoffs so I will recap the action after every day. Bulls haven't looked good so far but they escaped against the Pacers. My upset pick before the playoffs started was the Magic beating the Bulls in 2nd round but the Magic have looked bad so far. Other than Howard and Nelson, nobody showed up as the Hawks beat them. I still have confidence in Orlando since Atlanta will always be just a good team never a great one since Joe Johnson isn't a number one scorer for a great team. The Celtics Knicks game was incredible, Boston had the great comeback from 12 points down and it was Allen who burned them. I used to a huge Melo fan, but already a few months in NY and I have grown a hatred for him. He is pretty overrated, Bullips had a poor game too. The Heat ( the team I have rooted for ten years now) won their first one although the beginning of the game scared me. I am missing the game tonight due to work but I expect the Heat to win. Bosh has really played well since being called out for being soft.

In the West, I am pulling for Hornets being a huge Chris Paul fan ( I have had his jersey since 07). Paul played out of his world against the Lakers and needs to do that this series for them to have a chance. David West was a huge loss for the Hornets and the Lakers are loaded. The Thunder and Nuggerts should be a fun series but I see Thunder getting through. Denver struggles on defense and Durant is unstoppable. Thunder's defense has really improved with Perkins in the starting lineup so I don't expect Denver to light up the scoreboards. I like the Blazers and would take them in an upset, but not against the Mavs. They look different this year and I expect them to be a tough out. Now the craziest upset so far was the Grizzlies in my book. I know Manu was out, but Memphis is a strange team. Career disappointments such as Zach Randolph and Mike Conley has stepped up and Marc Gasol is one of the best young players. I still see Spurs going to next round but Grizzlies are going to be tough. They won't lay down, now only if they had Rudy Gay.

 

[Dademo]

I was very glad to see the Spurs and Lakers get upset by the 8th and 7th seeds in the Grizzles and the Hornets. Very good playing from Chris Paul and for Memphis, Zach Randolph and Mike Conley. Marc Gasol as well. Totally pulling for upsets there. The Spurs are a team as I see overrated and although I don't agree with Charles Barkley ever, I agree with him there. Without their closer Manu Ginobli they aren't going to do well against a young Memphis team. Especially with Tony Parker who I think is overrated and takes too many shots.

As for the Hornets and Lakers, although I'm hoping the Hornets can upset the Lakers, I don't think they will win the series. I feel like the Lakers just need to make sure not to leave Chris Paul open and not give him mismatched matchups, I mean, why is Pau Gasol guarding Chris Paul?

the Knicks and Celtics game almost gave me a heart attack. I mean some of the refs made some bad calls against the Knicks but I won't nitpick that, because it can be seen from another perspective that the fan didn't. As for Carmelo Anthony, I don't think he's overrated, I just think he's a ballhog. I mean in the last 7 minutes of the game, the ball was never passed to Amare Stoudemire who had like two dunks in a row and was hot shooting his jumper. Now Chauncey Billups who didn't play necessarilly well last night, but is someone who I find a crucial part to this team is out, and Toney Douglas will start. I'm very high on Toney Douglas, but I'm worried about him calling plays and I feel like he'll be pressured to pass to Carmelo, even when he's cold. We'll see tonight.

As for the Bulls and Pacers, this Pacer team has me going for sure. They almost beat the Bulls in game one. Now watching Game 2 they came close again but came up short. This makes me wonder how the Bulls will against other Eastern Conference teams especially the team who I think really is the best team in the Conference the Miami Heat. So the Pacers are down 0-2 but I can see them taking at least one game in this series, even at home.

I don't think the first Heat game was anything to worry about. I feel like the pressure from the press and criticism was just giving the generally new Heat team, (new from the start of the year at least) and in the playoffs for the first time together, just some jitters, but they got over them fast as shown this past day when they blew them out in Game 2.

As for both 4/5 Seed series', I find them very interesting but I see the Hawks and Thunder taking both.

Not really interested in the Mavericks and Portland but I can see that going to six games with Dallas taking it.

Note this posting 12 AM Tuesday night.

 

[Dademo]

Also, I see the Miami Heat defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals 4-2.

 

[Big Red Jericho Punk]

Wow first off great thoughts Dademo, but no way is the Thunder going to finals. They have two legit scoring options and no I don't buy that Ibaka and Perkins can take Green's load. They will be tough defensively, but at most they make it 3rd round. They are just too limited. I do think Spurs are overrated but never count them out. They shocked when they upset my finals pick from last year the Mavs.

Last night I didn't watch a lot, I caught like five minutes of the Heat game because when I got home the game was already over. Heat have control and I expect them to finish this series at longest five, but a sweep would be sweet. Let the Knicks Celtics duke it out and Miami relax. I love what the Pacers are doing, I was always a huge Granger fan and Collison could be the next Rondo. I can see them taking one home game, but the issue is with the Pacers they have no interior presence. They could use another big man that can score if they want to make a run. Hibbert and Hansbrough aren't the answers.

Now tonight is going to be really good. As like everyone who likes the NBA and doesn't care for Hawks or Magic, the Knicks Celtics game is on tonight. Bulliips is a huge lost and I would be concerned with Douglas running the point. Dademo you know your stuff man, I couldn't agree more. Hopefully Douglas stays out of foul trouble because Anthony Carter on Rondo is scary... might as well get my man Andy Rautins out there. I do like Boston in game 2 but you never know. Amarie needs to be the focal point though, because Melo isn't getting the job done. Celtics have no answer for him out of all their big men with O'Neal who can get hurt in any second with those knees, Garnett who isn't that explosive as he once was, then Davis who is one of the most overrated players in the NBA today. I do like Boston, but Knicks can get back in series on Friday.

Hawks Magic is the series I care least about, I hate both teams especially the Hawks. If the Hawks win tonight which I seriously doubt, then the series is in their hands with home court coming their way. The other series is Portland Dallas, the two teams I find really interesting out of the Western Conference. I really like Dallas in series, but Portland can pull off anything.

 

[Dademo]

So the Celtics beat the Knicks and I'm stunned. Or should I say, were handed another game, because I honestly think some of these calls the refs make are horrible, but maybe that's just frustration from this loss. I mean, Paul Pierce on Carmelo Anthony? Am I the only one who saw him foul Melo at one point? Also what about KG's moving pick yesterday?

Well, there's no point in complaining, just need to hope that the Knicks can tie it up at 2-2 with two wins, because I seriously think they can beat this Celtic team, but this only really makes me dislike the Celtics, I really don't know why I just have always had a hatred for them and this increases it. But it's all just rage.

Anyways, how about Carmelo Anthony? He had a great 4th Quarter this game and I was very impressed with him. I actually thought he should have tried to get the least bit open to take the game winning three instead of giving freakin' Jared Jeffries the ball. With Chauncy and Amare out I think we did pretty well, hopefully we can get Chauncy for game 4 and and Amare back for the next game.

Speak about Jared Jeffries, he hit the lead layup but before that leaves his position covering KG and he gets the dunk. Small stuff like that, like if KG never got that dunk, we would have probably won.

And don't even get me started on Mike D'Antoni.

If the Celtics win, I can't wait for the Heat to destroy them. That's going to be fun to watch.

 

[TheGoldStandard]

Dademo, the referees in the playoffs are always questionable. In my opinon, the league already has their championship game figured out. They will get what they want, and make sure it happens.

 

[Big Red Jericho Punk]

Well Knicks Celtics put on another classic game. It had a bitter ending though and I do feel bad for the DIEHARD Knick fans not the Knick fans that became fans a few months back. First off, I don't think that was moving pick yesterday. Douglas simply tripped accidently. Anyway the story of the game was Rondo controlling everything and Knicks having no answer. Bullips was seriously missed and Amarie getting hurt killed. For the Knicks to make the game interesting with guys like Bill Walker, Shawne Williams, Roger Mason, and Jared Jeffries playing huge minutes is remarkable. For Rondo to score 30 was remarkable, but Carmelo who shot decent and score 42 was even better.

A huge dud nobody is talking about is Bill Walker. The guy went 0 for 11, that is unheard of. I don't expect him to play big minutes anytime soon, yet they don't play Fields. I take Fields any day over Walker. Toney Douglas failed to step up too just going 2 for 9, the Knicks really didn't shoot well but rebounded well. Pierce and Allen did their thing, while KG had to battle hard for points. Jermaine O'Neal had no impact so the game was different. I am just in awe of D'Antoni how he plays Jeffries and Walker for huge minutes in key moments over Turiaf and Fields. Jeffries blew it and Knicks were robbed of an unbelievable performance with barley an NBA quality roster.... more on the rest of the results tomorrow.

 

[Dademo]

Well this was just a disgrace. The Knicks did not have one really good run all game this game, and this was just embarrassing. How the hell do you come off two close victories and come home to the garden only to get blown out? Poor show of defense by the Knicks this game and this was just a badly played game by the knicks. No team has ever came back from a 3-0 defecit and the knicks won't do it. That's pretty much a fact at this point.

 

[Troy]

I updated the first post with the current standings.

In the Eastern Conference things are clear except for the Orlando/Atlanta series and I can't see any upsets in the other series.

In the Western Conference things are a bit harder to read at the moment since it is much more even. I am hoping that Oklahama City can make it through to the next stage.

 

[Big Red Jericho Punk]

Quick Roundup Of Series so far before I head out for family time on Easter..

Spurs are in trouble and it took me till 2nd quarter of last night to realize what kind of mis match this is. The last thing the Spurs needed to play against is a young more athletic team. That has been on display with the Grizzles having more athleticism and more youth speed than them. Guys like Allen, Conley, and Gasol have been impressive and given Spurs serious problems. I can seriously see the Grizzles pull a Warriors 2006 here and be an 8th seed to upset 1st seed. Game 4 is must win for Spurs. Lakers should take over the series against the Hornets. They have simply too much talent against them and can neutralize Paul. What also helps LA is how much they punish the size challenged Hornets who only have Emeka down low. Blazers have done the unthinkable and won yesterday after being down 23. We have seen before how the Mavs have choked in the playoffs. Brandon Roy has finally got his game back and that can be a huge problem. I enjoy both teams so I knew this series would be epic. Now the most unlikely thing is how the Thunder are the only team in the West with a 3-0 lead. I thought Denver could give them a run, but Thunder's defense has stopped the run and gun Nuggets. Ibaka came up huge yesterday and have really taken it to Denver.

In the Eastern conference, Indiana finally gets the win they deserved after coming up short three times. It's a bit alarming that Boozer and Noah have struggled against an Indiana front line that isn't very good. The series has been really physical and enjoyable. Atlanta has proved me wrong and have given Orlando a really tough time. A win in game four would be huge to go up 3-1. Joe Johnson has shook off his playoff struggles from the past and has done great this series. This series has had the first fight with Jason Richardson and Zaza Pachiula suspended. Richardson is a huge loss despite playing horrible in the playoffs. The Celtics absolutely smashed the Knicks on Friday, I was in front of MSG and never seen anything like it. People were shooting around and their was like a festival in front of MSG. With all the hype, the Knicks pulled a dud in their first playoff game in eight years. Allen and Pierce shot them out of the gym with little help on defense. Rondo had his way and Melo faltered once again. D'Antoni should really be fired, it's just not a good mix. The Heat won a tight one on Thursday to go up 3-0. They didn't play well at all, but Wade rescued them with a monster game. The Heat are on right now, but Philly is once again off to a roaring start. Even if the Heat lose, I expect them to close this series in Game 5 at home.

 

[Dademo]

Yeah the Spurs didn't prepare to play against a young and fast team like the Grizzles. I'm pulling for the upset there but even if Memphis loses the series the Grizzles have a great young team who could make a great run next year and maybe the 6th or 5th seed if you ask me.

I thought the Nuggets would keep up with the Thunder too but I was wrong.

Ad for the Knicks, I've been telling my friends that each game will either be close, or be a blowout, and unfortunately, we got blownout bad. Now I'm siting here waiting for 3:30 to come in the my Stoudemire jersey hoping that we can at least live to fight one more day, or live to play in game 5 at least.

The Hawks and Magic game was a great game that came down to the wire and Jamal Crawford hit a sick 3 to win the game, that was awesome. The controversy between Richardson and Pachulia was weird but it sucks because although I didn't watch that entire game, I heard that Pachulia was being a big part of that Hawks team before he got thrown out of the game. Richardson will be missed from the Magic but like you said Big Red he hasn't been doing well in the playoffs.

 

[Dademo]

Well the Knicks are out but what did I expect really? They are generally a new team since they was formed halfway through the season. But that's no excuse. The knicks weren't ready for a playoff run and they were overhyped by a bunch of New Yorkers who suddenly became Knick fans when the Carmelo trade went down. They made a quick run at the end though. Glad we made it to the playoffs and I'm pumped for October. Hoping we can get our hands on Greg Oden or Tyson Chandler on the off-season and if we're going to resign Chauncy for next year than after next year go for Chris Paul.