NBA Playoffs 2012 Thread Round II

[ranger]

Round III Matchups

Western Conference:

San Antonio Spurs(1) vs Oklahoma City Thunder (2)
Spurs lead regular season 2-1

Eastern Conference:

Miami Heat (2) vs Boston Celtics (4)
Celtics lead regular season 3-1

My Third Round Predictions:

Spurs (1) vs Thunder (2)
-Spurs are winning this series one way or another.  I can't really tell if this is going to be a blowout series, or a hard grueling fought battle, but all I know is, San Antonio is winning.  The games they played against each other in the regular season, San Antonio dominated, even without Ginobili.  They have no answer for Parker, and the Spur's one weakness (inside presence) can't be abused by the Thunder, as Ibaka and Perkins aren't exactly the best frontcourt out there.  Jumpshots from Durant and Westbrook are the glory and bane of the Thunder, and San Antonio's surgical playstyle is going to abuse every single exploit OKC has.

Miami (2) vs Celtics (4)
-I'm going with the Green Machine people.  The Celtics dominated the regular season series against Miami, and despite Lebron and Wade just coming off a hot game finisher, how do they expect to win a series now without Chris Bosh?  Besides Wade and Lebron, this team lacks the firepower against the aging but Hall of Fame worthy Celtics.  Allen, Rondo, KG, Pierce plus valuable roleplayers like Bradley are going to overpower the Heat.  This is going to be a hardfought series, but my gut goes with the Celtics.

Spoiler: Round 2 Matchups and Predictions

Round II Matchups

Western Conference:

San Antonio Spurs (1) vs Los Angeles Clippers (5)
Spurs lead Regular Season 2-1

Oklahoma City Thunder (2) vs Los Angeles Lakers (3)
Thunder lead Regular Season 2-1

Eastern Conference:

Boston Celtics (4) vs Philadelphia 76ers (8)
76ers lead Regular Season 2-1

Miami Heat (2) vs Indiana Pacers (3)
Heat lead Regular Season 3-1

My Second Round Predictions:

Spurs (1) vs Clippers (5) CORRECT
-Spurs are simply just too good.  Clippers are all banged up with CP3 and Blake Griffin hurting in different areas.  Luckily the Spurs skipped out on Memphis, as the only weakness San Antonio has is size.  Spurs matchup very well with the Clipps, and unless CP3 exerts massive star power, I can see this being a sweep.

Thunder (2) vs Lakers (3) CORRECT
-This is going to be a grueling series, I can see this going to game 7.  Harden and Artest's second tango will be TV gold, but I see the Thunder winning this one out.  Thunder are going to look to run, and take advantage of the Laker's tiredness coming out from an exhaustive game 7 series with the Denver Nuggets.

Celtics (4) vs 76ers (8) CORRECT
-Despite my appreciation for the 76ers, the C's coming at full force with their big 3 + Rondo will just be too much to handle for the inexperienced and young 76ers.  It's merely a mismatch in talent and experience.

Miami (2) vs Pacers (3) CORRECT
-I love the Indiana Pacers - they have no true superstar, much to the dislike of David Stern, yet they are the 3rd best team in the Eastern Conference.  They lead a solid well-rounded attack from the help of David West, Paul George, Danny Grainger, Leandro Barbosa, George Hill, and Roy Hibbert.  There's nothing to dislike about this Pacers team, but Miami is just too star-studded and driven to lose this series.  Indiana will put a valiant effort, but LBJ is going to use his will to win this series.

Spoiler: Round 1 Matchups and Predictions

Round I Matchups

Western Conference:

San Antonio Spurs (1) vs Utah Jazz (8)
Spurs lead Regular Season 3-1

Oklahoma City Thunder (2) vs Dallas Mavericks (7)
Thunder lead Regular Season 3-1

Los Angeles Lakers (3) vs Denver Nuggets (6)
Lakers lead Regular Season 3-1

Memphis Grizzlies (4) vs Los Angeles Clippers (5)
Clippers lead Regular Season 2-1

Eastern Conference:

Chicago Bulls (1) vs Philadelphia 76ers (8)
Bulls lead Regular Season 2-1

Miami Heat (2) vs New York Knicks (7)
Heat lead Regular Season 3-0

Indiana Pacers (3) vs Orlando Magic (6)
Magic lead Regular Season 3-1

Boston Celtics (4) vs Atlanta Hawks (5)
Celtics lead Regular Season 2-1

Games start 4/28/12 on ESPN, TNT, ABC

My First Round Predictions:

Spurs (1) vs Jazz (8)  CORRECT
-This is going to be a sweep folks.  The only time the Spurs have lost to Jazz in the entire regular season was due to Coach Pop resting his starters.  This team is too efficient, too deep, and too experienced to lose to the Utah Jazz.  While Utah has a nice big lineup, they are still the worst team in the playoffs at guarding the 3-pnt line, which San Antonio thrives on, especially now with the Jazz starting 3 big men in their lineup.

Thunder (2) vs Mavericks (7) CORRECT
-No Tyson, no Barea, and the Thunder have improved.  Harden might be shaken up after that elbow to the head, but Durant, Ibaka, and Westbrook are too athletic and talented to lose to an aging and struggling Dallas team.  Unless Dirk goes insane every game along with an X-factor with Jason Terry, this will be all OKC.

Lakers (3) vs Nuggets (6) INCORRECT
-My upset series.  The Lakers are in a strange position, Kobe has sat out the past games due to an injury, Bynum has been acting like a knucklehead, and the team plays completely differently w.o their star player in the game.  With Kobe coming back, there might be something to worry about.  The Nuggets have the length to match the Lakers, and possess athletic energetic players to create an upset.  I'm going with the Nuggets, call me crazy.

Grizzlies (4) vs Clippers (5) INCORRECT
-The Grizzlies are good.  And they will be one of the best teams in the NBA for many following years.  Last year's upset with them against San Antonio wasn't truly an upset.  Memphis was never truly an 8 seed, as they are much better than that.  Especially now with HCA, Memphis will abuse the Clipper's frontcourt line and be very physical.  Blake Griffin will have his hands full with Marc Gasol and Z-Bo, along with his first ever NBA playoff appearance.

Bulls (1) vs 76ers (8) INCORRECT
-This will be a tough series.  The two best defensive teams in the NBA face off.  Rose has been hampered with injuries, and the Bulls are another team that acts completely differently with their all star  on and off the court.  I can see this game going to 6-7 with Phillie's talented coach in Doug Collins and their hardworking blue collar players.  Andre Iguadala will have to shine against Luol Deng, but Rose will win this series in the end.


Heat (2) vs Knicks (7) CORRECT
-2003 draft anyone?  Lebron, Wade, Melo.  All return in this series.  The Knicks have a small chance of beating the Heat, they will need to heavily rely on the Lebron vs Melo matchup, and Amare returning to his former self after injury.  Another key matchup is Bosh/Tyson.  These players need to be the x-factor for their respective teams.  I wouldn't be too surprised if NY knocks out Miami, but I'm still going with the star-studded South Beach.

Pacers (3) vs Magic (6)  CORRECT
-Most underrated team in the NBA.  The Indiana Pacers have no true star, but so much talent with Paul George, Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert, George Hill, the list goes on.  The Magic are a live by the 3, die by the 3 team.  With no Dwight, this series probably won't last long with only Ryan Anderson carrying the load.

Celtics (4) vs Hawks (5)  CORRECT
-Rajon Rondo is currently the best "true" PG in the NBA.  He doesn't need to score to impact the game. Pairing him up with Ray Allen, KG, and Paul Pierce, this team is always devastating in the post season.  The Hawks are talented, but they have never succeeded in the playoffs and I just don't see them beating the Celtics.

And last but not least, who wins it all?
My guess is pretty obvious.

Spoiler:

[Jd-]

I'm impressed with this topic.

How I see the first round going:

West
Spurs over Jazz — No possible other outcome
Clippers over Grizzlies — Can't believe I'm expecting the Clippers to win
Lakers over Nuggets — I don't like to root for the Lakers, but they'll win this
Thunder over Mavericks — I expect the Mavs will win one game, but no more than that

East
Bulls over Sixers — I'll be surprised if the Sixers ever get the lead outside of the first two minutes
Celtics over Hawks — How I wish the Celtics would lose this...
Magic over Pacers — The Pacers best not win this--they're likely to, but I have a long-standing distaste for them
Heat over Knicks — I like the Knicks, but not that much

[kei]

I barely watched NBA games this season (damn lockout), but here are my predictions (with results! ):

WEST
Spurs over Jazz: 4-0. Utah has no chance.
Thunder over Mavs: 4-2. Dirk and Terry will manage to win 2 games, at most.
Lakers over Nuggets: 4-2. The Lakers have a better team, enough to win against Denver.
Grizzlies over Clippers: 4-3. I think the Grizzlies are a settled and solid team, the Clippers not (even though they have good players).

EAST
Bulls over Sixers: 4-1. The Sixers are a young, talented team. The Bulls are championship contenders.
Heat over Knicks: 4-2. I think that the Heat are going to win without making a big effort.
Pacers over Magic: 4-3. I'm being nice by giving 3 games to the Magic but, actually, I don't know how are the Pacers playing.
Hawks over Celtics: 4-3. It's a technical draw for me, but I want the Hawks to win. They deserve it .

[dilbertschalter]

prediction: spurs are frauds (as always). will post some others later, maybe.

[ranger]

prediction: spurs are frauds (as always). will post some others later, maybe.

you prob haven't seen a single spurs game this season

Crazy 1st day, the lockoff sure is taking it's toll. Condolences to Bulls fan and Illinoisians..and I guess NYN knick fans but it's not like you guys had a legitimate shot :x

Man, Dallas is such a darkhorse, played better than OKC like the entire game until the very end.  Gonna be a gooood series.

[Beastly]

West
Spurs over Jazz 4 games —No explanation IF this was Suns vs Spurs I can see Suns winning like 1-2 games.
Grizz over Clipps — If Zbo plays like the Zbo of 2011 playoffs then it's over, both Zbo and Griff can't defend expect a high scoring game. Tony Allen= one of the best defender in the league maybe he can stop CP3.
Lakers over Nuggets — WKFSKFAKKSFAKSFKAS Lakers maybe. 7 games.
Thunder over Mavericks — Kid Clutch just delivered today. Thunder in 6 games.

East
Bulls over Sixers — Bulls in 6, Rose out of the Season.
Celtics over Hawks — 5-6 games, Cs winning this one.
Pacers over Magic —Who cares anyway they will just lose to Heat in 2nd round but Pacers over Magic no Dwight
Heat over Knicks — Heat sweeps or Knicks steal one but if Novak and JR Smith gets hot, then 6 games.

[dilbertschalter]

prediction: spurs are frauds (as always). will post some others later, maybe.

you prob haven't seen a single spurs game this season

Crazy 1st day, the lockoff sure is taking it's toll. Condolences to Bulls fan and Illinoisians..and I guess NYN knick fans but it's not like you guys had a legitimate shot :x

Man, Dallas is such a darkhorse, played better than OKC like the entire game until the very end.  Gonna be a gooood series.

hey, i've seen like 3, that's more than 0.

[dilbertschalter]

nice work grizzzzzz, nice work.

[kei]

Unbelievable...

[ranger]

HOLY SHIT CLIP SHOW

nice work grizzzzzz, nice work.

lool.

[dilbertschalter]

HOLY SHIT CLIP SHOW

nice work grizzzzzz, nice work.

lool.

i hope you realize when this was posted, i think.

[ranger]

HOLY SHIT CLIP SHOW

nice work grizzzzzz, nice work.

lool.

i hope you realize when this was posted, i think.

you got cocky son, a game is never over

[Jd-]

West
Spurs over Jazz — No possible other outcome
Clippers over Grizzlies — Can't believe I'm expecting the Clippers to win
Lakers over Nuggets — I don't like to root for the Lakers, but they'll win this
Thunder over Mavericks — I expect the Mavs will win one game, but no more than that

East
Bulls over Sixers — I'll be surprised if the Sixers ever get the lead outside of the first two minutes
Celtics over Hawks — How I wish the Celtics would lose this...
Magic over Pacers — The Pacers best not win this--they're likely to, but I have a long-standing distaste for them
Heat over Knicks — I like the Knicks, but not that much

I think that's 8 for 8 through Game 1.

[dilbertschalter]

HOLY SHIT CLIP SHOW

nice work grizzzzzz, nice work.

lool.

i hope you realize when this was posted, i think.

you got cocky son, a game is never over

i posted this after the game was over!

[Beastly]

Oh Rondo suspended in Game 2 this is sad. Still