Saturday, May 8, 2010

NBA Playoffs: 2nd Round Predictions

I think I made 2 mistakes in my 1st round predictions. There were not any surprises in the predos, and I discounted the oldies.
The main surprises to me are the Spurs, Jazz and the Celtics level of play. I had 6 correct outcomes, the 2 wrong predictions being the San Antonio beating Dallas and Utah beating Denver. I really expected more out of the Dallas Mavericks, and the absence of George Karl is the main reason behind Denver's exit.

Here are my predictions for the 2nd round after 2 games in each series:
Western Conference:
  • LA Lakers - Utah: 4-2. Deron Williams is having an exceptional year for the Utah Jazz, and I can't say enough about the job Jerry Sloan is doing. In the first round they beat a Denver Nuggets team with more talent, but with a coach who had no idea what he was doing. This time they're facing 2 of the best players in the world in Kobe and Gasol coached by Phil Jackson.
  • Phoenix - San Antonio: 4-2. I have been really impressed with the Spurs. Gregg Popovich is a real master. I like their spread offence that has Tim Duncan cutting through the lane, and opening up space for Ginobili and Parker dashing. The Suns are too quick for them though, and are this year's real surprise.
Eastern Conference:
  • Cleveland - Boston: 4-2. I am still discounting the Celtics. I believe the game 2 win was a fluke. Cleveland will make defensive adjustments and go through. The Cavaliers are a great defensive team and apart from Rondo who does not have an outside shot, Boston do not have a player who can beat you 1 on 1. The NBA style of play needs someone who can force a double team. Lebron is too strong defensively for Paul Pierce and Garnett's better days are behind him. Within the remaining teams, only the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns have a more international style of play, that does not depend on post up play.
  • Orlando - Atlanta: 4-1. Watching the Atlanta Hawks is disappointing. They're a lazy team defensively, and don't always look like they know what they're doing offensively. They have too much reliance on individual talent. This is not a well coached team. On the other hand I don't really think Dwight Howard is a legitimate superstar, but he's a force nonetheless and they have a very good team and a good entertaining coach in Stan Van Gundy. 
My prediction of an easy way to a Cleveland-Orlando eastern final is still holding up. Orlando are looking really strong at the moment, but the Cavaliers have the strongest squad I have ever seen for an NBA team and I expect them to be in the finals. In the West, with Denver and Dallas out of the way, you would expect the Lakers to sail through to the finals, but they will have a very intriguing series with the Suns because Phoenix is a very quick team with an unusual style of play.

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