The anthem "Let The Good Times Roll" by The Cars is the best song to start anything. So here we are on Friday, April 16and there is going to be a NBA playoff quadruple header tomorrow and suffice it to say that the good times are about to roll.I am going to add to the good times by combining pop culture quotes with a first round NBA playoff preview. If it doesn't work then I will quote Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as to why:"Humans are the third smartest species on Earth."1. The "History Is Gonna Change" SeriesDid you know that the Cleveland Cavs have never beaten theChicago Bulls in the playoffs before? They had guys like Ron Harper, Craig Ehlo and Gerald Wilkens to guard Michael Jordan and even with those epic NBA stars, the Cavs still couldn't handle that two guard out of Minnesota Vikings
North Carolina.They say that only Dean Smith could stop MJ, whoever they are that is.The Cavs now have Lebron James, Mo Williams, JJ Hickson, Antawn Jamison and Shaquille O'Neal in the starting five and the deepest bench in the league led by Anderson Varejao and Delonte West.So like Marty McFly told Principal Stricklandin Back to The Future, "History is gonna change."The Bulls will win Game3 and lose the series infive.2. The "So Hot Right Now" SeriesKevin Durant is coming off a MVP caliber season and leading the Oklahoma City Thunder into a tilt with the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. Phil Jackson noticed that the youngster had a very good season and pulled some zen on him.Then everyone on the sports chatter side broke down whether Durant responding toJackson through the newspaper was a good idea.I thought quoting Zoolander would be a great dichotomy for the thoughtfulJackson and it was Durant that Mugatu told all who would listen that is "So hot right now."The Thunder will take two games and the Lakers take the series in six.3. The "Won't Get Fooled Again"SeriesCharlotte is in the playoffs for the first time and they get a series with the super deep and talented Orlando Magic. I do like the coaching matchup of Larry Brown over Stan Van Gundy but other than that, I like everything about the Magic.Orlando had trouble last year in the first round with Philly butthey "Won't get fooled again" this time around.The Who sang about the old boss being the new boss and as of right now, in the East, that is the Orlando Magic.I would like to say the Bobcats can win a game in this series but that probably won't happen as the Magic will run through them in four games.4. "The Dude Abides" SeriesIn a Texas sized match-up, I chose a quote from The Big Lebowski, a California movie. Dallas and San Antonio are an honest to goodness rivalry ina NBA that does not want to market team rivalries.The NBA has never known what to do with the Spurs. They have been one of the best teams assembled and haverings it backup.However, they do not have the star power of the MJ Bulls, the Magic Lakersor the Larry Celtics.The Mavs biggest star is their megalomaniac (I use this term in the nicest, fuzziest New England Patriots jersey
way possible in this case) owner Mark Cuban.Dirk Nowitzki is the best player in the series and the teams are very even. 'The Dude abides' a Maverick series win in six tough games.5. The "Man With No Name" SeriesThe good news is that the Hawks will not play Cleveland in the second round. Milwaukee is back in the playoffs and they have a good core of young talent led by Brandon Jennings.The bad news is that the Hawks will play Orlando in the second round. Andrew Bogut is out for the playoffs.Like Clint Eastwood walking through the Old West, the Hawks could be called a "Man with no name." Sure they have Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Mike Bibby but there whole is greater than the sum of their parts thanks to the great coaching of Mike Woodson.The ugly is that the Hawks will sweep the Bucks.6.The "Just A Bit Outside" SeriesPhoenix is playing better defense and is a surprise three seed out West. Portland has battled injuries all year and now Brandon Roy is out for the first round.This series could be a wild thing to behold. The Suns might just try to outscore the Trail Blazers. The Trail Blazers might not have the depth to run with the Suns so they might try to keep the games under 100 points.If Harry Doyle was calling this series he would say that the shot was taken "Just a bit outside" of the three point line often.The Trail Blazers will win Game three at home and lose the series in Game five.7. The "Shot of Adrenaline to the Heart" SeriesLike Happy Gilmore said about his grandma, the Celtics are old. They started fast this year then they struggled through the last half of the season. The Heat are a team bereft of talent. They have some nice young pieces, they have Dwyane Wade but they are not a serioustitle contender.It is hard to call Boston a serious title contender right now.In a series where both teams are lying on the living room floor of Lance's house in Pulp Fiction with Vincent about to give a "Shot of Adrenaline to the heart" to one of them, I'm going to pick the Heat in seven lackluster games.8. The "I've Made A Huge Mistake" SeriesEvery playoff team in the Western Conferencehas 50 wins. The Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz both were around the two seed for most of the year and now they meet in the four-five match-up.So these two teams get to pound on each other for what looks like a seven game series then they get to face the Lakers in round two.Like every character in Arrested Development said at one time or another (and to put both teams intoa singular form), "I've made a huge mistake."Game seven will be in Denver and that is good enough for me to take the Nuggets.The NBA playoffs are a real long grind so any team, especially in the West, that can close New Orleans Saints jersey
out their first round series early will be in great shape for round two.I have a few weeks to think of a gimmick for the second round preview. I usually just make fun of my wrong picks but I might have gotten them all right this time around.The force is with me as you can tell.
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29 Dec 10 What Makes The NBA Playoffs So Special?
内容: Yes folks, this is that time of the year. The NBA regular season just wrapped up, and the playoffs are already looming large. The excitement is palpable and you can almost feel the electricity in the air as 16 teams, some luckier than others, but all equally deserving, embark on the quest for the Larry OBrien Trophy. 16 teams for title? Is it that wide open? Or is it a mirage (for most of them, obviously)?The NBA is the most predictable of all major American and European sports leagues. Just looking at the stats, the evidence suggests that if youre New York Giants jersey
seeded in the top three in your respective conference, the odds at winning it all are overwhelmingly favorable. Indeed, since the NBA expanded its playoffs to the current 16-team format in 1984, on only one occasion has a team ranked outside the top three of its conference gone on to win it all. The odd man out? The 1995 Houston Rockets, who were seeded sixth in the Western Conference. What about runner-ups, then?The only team not ranked in the top three in its conference to ever reach the NBA Finals in that span of nearly three decades is the 1999 New York Knicks who would become the first No. 8 seed to knock out a No. 1, the Miami Heat, on their way to the finals. However, one could argue that the seeding during the 1998-99 season was misleading at best, or irrelevant at worst, since it was a lockout-plagued campaign trimmed down to only 50 games.Therefore, the facts give further relevance to the NBA regular season and more credence to the scheme of home-court advantage. Yet, despite the predictability factor, you would be hard-pressed not to concede that the NBA playoffs are as exciting, dramatic and spectacular as those of any major American and European sports league. Why is that? This is the how that makes all the difference. One of the ingredients that make the playoffs special is the intensity. During the playoffs, NBA players give it all out on both ends of the floor. They play like there is no tomorrow as they understand that every possession counts. Youll see them heroically diving for a ball or fearlessly taking a charge with no regard for their body integrity, as bumps and bruises and sweats are to serve the greater good and inspire the team to the ultimate victory. The margin for error is also quite slim; as they say, Win or go home! (TNT playoffs coverage slogan)The tournament is also about matchups. In any battle, the side that can dictate the pace and impose its will has already done 50 percent of the task; the other half is only about execution. This is true in military strategy, and even more so in basketball. This is where X and O come into play. Anyone who seen the movie 300 knows what Im talking about. The only way the 300 Spartans were able to block the Persian army of more than one million soldiers, is through rational and efficient use of terrain, which translated into force multipliers. That is exactly what every coach strives to achieve in trying to dictate the pace of the game and create mismatchesto their advantage against New York Jets jersey
their opponents. Thereby, a coach of a young athletic team will try to push the ball and speed up the pace to get easy buckets in transition as opposed to the one who has an older more experience team who will try to slow the pace down and get into half-court set-ups where speed and athleticism are neutralized and where fundamentals and defense rule supremely. This constant quest for that competitive edge and the clash of contrasting styles just enrich the chess-like mind game. That confluence of fortunes only translates into smart basketball strategies and tactics.Moreover, the one or two days' rest is a game-changer. No back-to-back games or jet lag while the opponent was resting. Every team is on equal footing. This reduces the risks and hazards, and hence randomness, which are very influential in some inexplicable wins and losses during the regular season. Furthermore, the rest also allows coaches to make adjustments; that ability not only to identify and adapt to the opponent game plan, but also to develop a response to the sole purpose of thwarting and disrupting the opposition strategy. In other words, it the purest form of advanced tactics.Above all, the playoffs confer glory and immortality. More than a competitive sport, the NBA is an entertainment to which the playoffs are the climax. Therefore, as such, it is driven by star power. To begin to understand how paramount star power is to a sport, imagine how a once mainstream sport like heavyweight boxing has stumbled into the abyss of irrelevance. The chief reason is plain and simple: lack of star power. Since the infamous Dark Ages of the late 70s, the NBA has never lacked the zest and flair that capture the imagination of both dedicated and casual fans. There were Magic and Larry in the 80s and Michael in the 90s. With less flair but equal efficiency, Shaquille and Tim took over the noughties. Now this era belongs to Kobe and LeBron. The playoffs offer them the grandest stage to shine in front of a worldwide audience riveted to Oakland Raiders jersey
their every move. Think of it as a movie where the leading roles are already cast. The only thing missing here is the drama that is yet to unfold as we already know the best of the best shall prevail.As regular season brilliance builds an All-Star, playoffs success defines a superstar and NBA Finals achievement enshrines a legend.So let the journey begin!N.B.
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