Sports Talk with MC

by MC

No, I’m not talking about Yi Jianlian, Yao Ming, or anything Asian for that matter.

It’s time to break down the brackets for the Eastern Conference for the 2007 NBA Playoffs!

Eastern Conference:

Detroit Pistons (1) vs. Orlando Magic (8)- After what has seemed like forever, the oft-injured, yet impeccably classy Grant Hill is going back to the postseason. If you asked me, his maturity on and off the court is a shot of a adrenalin in a league that has constantly been marred by incidents of utter stupidity over recent time (the New York/Denver brawl? my goodness). Great to see you “back”, Grant.

This year, Hill and his Magic will make their way to Detroit for a date with the East’s best team. On paper, the Pistons have been touted to totally ravage the inexperienced Magic. Still, don’t expect Dwight Howard and co. to just lay down and die. Howard could give the older and less mobile C-Webb fits in the paint, and in the open court. Grant Hill will make things interesting, going head to head against the rangy Tayshaun Prince, one of the most underrated all-around ballers in the NBA. Darko Millicic can be a factor inside, assuming he can come back from a recent injury. Trevor Ariza, or maybe even Jameer Nelson, could work together in giving Richard Hamilton fits off screens. Hedo Turkoglu will be given the green light to do what he does best- score. All in all, this should make for a competitive series, right?

Wrong.

Orlando has made a killing off of being inconsistent this season. After a 13-4 mirage to begin the campaign, they experienced a steady decline and eventually fell all the way down to 8th place, and at one point, were even out of the playoff picture courtesy of the dysfunctional Knicks and Pacers. Dwight Howard’s been good, but one has to wonder whether he is actually underachieving. Imagine what a summer honing his offensive game could do? He’d be Shaq (or at least, baby Shaq) in no time. Grant Hill’s body has still tended to rebel against him at times, and for me, Brian Hill’s still given Darko too little court time. The same goes for rookie JJ Redick.

The Pistons simply have to work through Rip, Chauncey, Tayshaun, and CWebb to get by in this series. Their defense and heady play must be the exact opposite of what Orlando will churn out. Both aspects of their game have to be stable, perseverant under duress, and ready to rise to the occasion at the drop of a hat.

Based on the track records of the players, coaches, and teams involved, there no reason why the discerning NBA fan shouldn’t think Detroit can finish off the Magic “while getting their hands dirty”, in the process.

That’s just the way they’d like things to go down, really. “Boom!” goes the dynamite.

My Pick–> Pistons in five.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2) vs Washington Wizards (7)- It’s truly a shame that Gilbert’s on the shelf. Really.

Had he not gone down like he did, we’d be billing this series as one that would have great potential towards contributing footage to “NBA Hardwood Classics”. King James is clutch. Arenas is Hibachi Man. Butler’s out too.

So, instead of this becoming a big time series that ESPN would love to dote on, this looks like it’s about to become the Cleveland Cavaliers versus the Atlanta Hawks….in blue.

Oh well. No use crying over spilled milk. Kill ‘em Z. Kill ‘em King. Kill ‘em…uh, Anderson. Haha.

My Pick–> Cleveland in 4.

Toronto Raptors (3) vs New Jersey Nets (6)- Anthony Parker is BACK in the NBA!

The Toronto Raptors have been the surprise team of 2006-2007, notching 47 and winning the Atlantic. The Nets have been as up and down as a President responding to accusations about his/her latest scandal. Jason Kidd has been impressive, and Vince Carter has still settled for 20 foot jumpers way too many times. Jefferson hasn’t quite been himself this year due to injury. Nenad Kristic is an up and comer whose season was derailed early by the fragility of the human body. The real trump card for NJ has been, well, Bokie Nachbar.

Nachbar, an ex-Hornet and Rocket, has been an aggressive scorer for the Nets all year. He’s a deft passer and a decent slasher, plus he’s a consistent gun from beyond the arc. If NJ wants to win this series, he’s got to play big.

If the Raps want to win, Chris Bosh needs to work his magic inside and the Raps need to run, run, run-without forgetting to defend the wings, and clamp down on Jason Kidd’s tendency to rev up his team’s transition engines and to slash with reckless abandon. You make Kidd stay outside and shoot J’s, and you would have made it easier for your team to win.

Assuming he’s healthy enough to play, rookie Andrea Bargnani will play a major role in helping Toronto advance. Like Dirk Nowitzki, he keeps typical bigs off balanced because of his range, and his quickness and improving strength will allow him to travel towards the hoop for easy scores once in a while. Point guard TJ Ford will be looking for him and Chris Bosh for points in the heat of a fastbreak. 

Euro star Anthony Parker is another fellow who can, and should, rack up the points in this series due to focus given to Bargnani and Bosh. Leave him open on the perimeter, and, more often than not, you will pay.

This battle will come down to poise, and will. I think it will go seven games, and whoever can play through the pressure, whoever can play smart, and whoever will be able to be better from the perimeter (New Jersey playing good from deep is essential; Toronto, not so much, because the have Bosh), will triumph.

My Pick–> Toronto in 7 (would have had a shot at going 6 had Garbajosa not been sidelined).

Miami Heat (4) vs Chicago Bulls (5)- This is the series, I think, everyone who has their eyes on the East, is watching with the greatest amount of interest.

Although the Heat are the defending champs, they haven’t looked like it a lot of the time this year. Jason Williams, Shaquille O’Neal, Dywane Wade, Jason Kapono, and Gary Payton have all flirted with the inactive list. Alonzo Mourning is still intense but is not getting any younger. Eddie Jones still has game, but is no Kobe Bryant. Wade has not quite been Wade since his shoulder injury.

It’s ironic that the Heat’s team symbol has a fireball in it. Why? Because the Bulls are set to “play with fire”, and well, they seem like the one team that’s best equipped to “handle the heat”.

Ben Wallace will be the immovable object that will meet Shaquille O’Neal, the unstoppable force. Deng, Hinrich, Duhon, and Gordon will not only be the gunners who will fuel the Bulls’ offense from the perimeter, but will also be those who will seek to give Wade a beatdown every time he seeks to go to the rim. Andres Nocioni should give Udonis Haslem a run for his money in terms of mental and physical toughness, plus the Bulls’ drive and kick offense, in itself, should give the aged, slow, Miami perimeter defense, hell.

If Chicago can get hot from the outside early, force Wade into difficult, or, perimeter shots, challenge Shaq, and have Miami rely on guys like Walker and J-Will to lead them to victory, then the Bulls have a chance. Miami, on the other hand, needs to flex their championship muscle and stay agressive on offense. They need to pace their players’ minutes too, as these guys aren’t exactly the Clippers from early this decade in terms of age. The Heat need to get everyone involved, but still, play off O’Neal and Wade, but not too much, so as to not make things predictable.

There are so many variables in this series (and in any big time playoff tiff, for that matter), it’s crazy. The eventual Eastern Conference champion (and NBA champion) could come from this battle, and it wouldn’t be so remote a thought to think that this might be Miami’s best (and last) chance to win a title for a long time, considering the circumstances. Look for bodies to fly, heads to turn, people to trash talk, and coaches to be ejected, in this one. It’s going to be one wild ride.

At the end of it all, the team that is willing to sacrifice more, will win. As cliche as that sounds, that bit of giving doesn’t always happen in every high stakes game. It’s actually uphill for both teams- Miami against itself, and the Bulls against the imposing shadow of an experienced, defending champion Miami team. That’s what makes this matchup intriguing, the fact that it epitomizes, across the board, the phrase,

“It’s not just about skill. It’s about will.”

My Pick–> Chicago in 7, with almost all games being barnburners (easily, this will probably be the most exciting series of the opening round)

That’s all for my predictions, folks. Time for us to sit back, relax, and enjoy the action! See you in round 2!

(Hopefully round 2 will not include Don Nelson. Hehe.)

-MC