2011 NBA Playoffs

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 19 Apr 2011 08:42

Thoughts? Questions? I haven't watched that many games, but I'm following pretty closely nonetheless.

Random thoughts:

1. Lakers and Spurs both lost game 1s at home over the weekend, despite holding the top two seeds in the West. I still don't think the Hornets can beat the Lakers in this series, but Memphis has a chance against San Antonio.

2. The Nuggets lost to the Thunder on the road in game 1, because the officials blew a call. The league even released an announcement today saying the call was wrong, but it doesn't change the outcome of the game. That sucks.

3. It's way early in the playoffs, but even so I'm surprised that there's no real frontrunner to come out of either conference. I like the Bulls in the East, but who knows.

Zeb Jackson · Post by **Zeb Jackson** » 19 Apr 2011 08:54

I dont have much faith in the pacers to beat chicago, but i think it would be awesome to have the number 1 seed taken out. Either way im going for the heat!

h0ag3yb3atZ · Post by **h0ag3yb3atZ** » 19 Apr 2011 15:49

Rose is a monster.....

Celtics all day. They take the series 4-2 against NY.

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 20 Apr 2011 14:27

I watched the second half of the Celts-Knicks game 2 last night, and I have to say that was one of the best playoff games I've seen in several years. That was also probably the best individual performance (Carmelo went for 42-17-6 and kept his team in it til the final seconds) I've seen since LeBron beat the Pistons in 2007 in that insane Game 5.

Zeb: If you want to see a #1 seed get taken out, root against the Spurs. I think the Grizz are a bigger threat to them than the Pacers are to the Bulls.

Kevin: I like the Celts, but you got to worry a bit about their lack of size. Shaq is injured, J.O. doesn't show up half the time, Jeff Green has done nothing to impress me since he showed up, and Big Baby isn't gonna bang with 7 footers. The Celts are having trouble with the Knicks, a team that doesn't even have a real center. How are they gonna deal with teams with real bigs, like the Lakers/Thunder out west, or Hawks/Magic in the East?

Corey · Post by **Corey** » 20 Apr 2011 14:37

I like the Celts, but you got to worry a bit about their lack of size. Shaq is injured, J.O. doesn't show up half the time, Jeff Green has done nothing to impress me since he showed up, and Big Baby isn't gonna bang with 7 footers. The Celts are having trouble with the Knicks, a team that doesn't even have a real center. How are they gonna deal with teams with real bigs, like the Lakers/Thunder out west, or Hawks/Magic in the East?

Nah, the Celtics size wont hurt them. Besides the Magic nobody in the East has a center and the Magic might lost. Well Joakim Noah but he sucks. Who else is there in the East? Jarred Jeffries? Horford? No he is like 6' 9" and would get shut down by Garnett, Davis, and Green. Rando not being able to shoot combined with their age is going to hurt the celtics.

Who would have thought the Nuggets would actually have a chance after trading Melo?

h0ag3yb3atZ · Post by **h0ag3yb3atZ** » 20 Apr 2011 18:40

C-Fan wrote: Kevin: I like the Celts, but you got to worry a bit about their lack of size. Shaq is injured, J.O. doesn't show up half the time, Jeff Green has done nothing to impress me since he showed up, and Big Baby isn't gonna bang with 7 footers. The Celts are having trouble with the Knicks, a team that doesn't even have a real center. How are they gonna deal with teams with real bigs, like the Lakers/Thunder out west, or Hawks/Magic in the East?

Ya I'm not too big on O' Neal either, especially now that everyone is on his nuts cause of his defense in the first playoff game, hes definitely a stiff. It's sad because before the Perk trade, it seemed like a lot of people had them pegged to win it all this year. I'm just holding out for another miracle like last year.

It's good their already up two games, but I'm pretty worried about the next bracket. if they continue to play like they did at the end of the seaso and the beggining of the post season, not sure how realistic beating the Heat (assuming they beat they beat Philly) will be.

fatbagger · Post by **fatbagger** » 21 Apr 2011 20:51

The Sonics will win it all. no explanation, anyone who knows who is on the team knows why.
I think it's probably gonna be the bulls out of the east but I could see the heat beating them.
Either way the Sonics match up well with everyone. + they are more talented than everyone. + they play as a team and are settled in there identity. + Durant is clutch. + there bench never ends.

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 22 Apr 2011 10:03

Love how you still call them the Sonics. But yeah, I think it was an incredibly good move on their part to trade Green for Kendrick Perkins. I've never been that impressed with Green, and now the Thonics have a big with a proven record of matching up well defensively against the Lakers.

Heat-Celtics will be a great series. If Shaq doesn't come back or Green doesn't start playing well, I think the Heat could take that.

Corey · Post by **Corey** » 22 Apr 2011 10:10

Amare and Chauncey are hurt.

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 22 Apr 2011 21:48

Wow. Ray Allen with 8 threes, in the same game that Rondo gets a 15-11-20? 20 assists is a Celts playoff record, and also the first time since 1991 that a player gets 20 assists in the playoffs (Magic was last to do it). Sick.

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 27 Apr 2011 13:54

Random thoughts on 1st round series.

Bulls beat Pacers 4-1. Looks like Rose is healthy, and the rest of the team is still defending well like they did in the regular season. That said, a lot of these games were closer than I'd like for a #1 seed with 60+ wins against a #8 seed with less than 40 wins. I can still see them making the East finals, but I have less faith in them than I did before the playoffs started.

Celtics beat Knicks 4-0. Mostly just happy the Knicks got swept. I've disliked the Knicks my entire life, and the fact that Amare left my Suns for them gives me even more reason to root against them. Celts looked better with Perkins in the middle, and that could hurt them down the line. Looks likely they'll draw the Heat in the next round, which I think they match up well with. I'll worry about the Celts when they run into a team with solid bigs (Orlando, Lakers, OKC).

Lakers lead Hornets 3-2 The Lakers have looked old and slow, and the Hornets have put up an admirable fight, but at the end of the day NO just doesn't have enough size to beat the Lakers 2 games in a row at this stage. I hope I'm wrong, cause I hate the Lakers, but I'd be surprised if they lose this one. Even if the Lakers advance though, they're likely going to face the Thunder. That's a terrible matchup for them this year, since Chris Paul just showed the world how vulnerable the Lakers are to speedy point guards. The Thunder put up a great fight last year, and this year Westbrook is better (and Derek Fisher is even older), and the Thunder also acquired a guy who has a proven track record of defending the Laker bigs.

Frank_Sinatra · Post by **Frank_Sinatra** » 28 Apr 2011 11:06

Go Bulls.

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 02 May 2011 05:57

1. Carved out time on Sunday specifically to watch the Heat-Celtics game. My reward? A referee thinking it's his job, and not the players, to decide the outcome of the game. Pierce's ejection was positively Donaghy-esque. Beyond being a terrible call and deciding the outcome of the game, it made me feel like I wasted my time watching up to that point. Very bad taste in my mouth. Lots of iffy officiating in that game.

2. In the first round I was rooting for the Grizzlies because I just wanted to root against the Spurs (I'm a Suns fan, and they're our mortal enemy). I watched a few of their games on TV and was impressed with their hustle, and athleticism. I caught the 4th quarter of their game 1 against the Thunder, and it struck me that I really enjoy watching them play. I think the series with the Thunder will be very tight and good.

Frank_Sinatra · Post by **Frank_Sinatra** » 03 May 2011 10:49

Even though the Hawks game last night was kind of painful, I'm not too worried. The Hawks played almost a perfect game & the Bulls still caught them. They did look like a much better team than the regular season though.

I think the Bulls should still win this series, but the injuries are starting to change my mind about how deep they can go into the playoffs.

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 05 May 2011 06:40

Wow, the Lakers are down 0-2 against the Mavs...and now they're playing the next two games on the road, and likely without Artest in Game 3. Dallas has to be smelling blood now.

Since my Suns didn't make the playoffs, I've been watching them "rooting" for three things to happen, in the following wish list order:

1. The Spurs to lose.
2. The Lakers to lose.
3. The Knicks to lose.

So far, these playoffs have been great. The Spurs lost to an eight seed in historic fashion, the Knicks were swept in the first round, and the Lakers may not even make the conference finals. Now I just need to find a team to root for...

Zeb Jackson · Post by **Zeb Jackson** » 05 May 2011 07:46

if i may make a suggestion

h0ag3yb3atZ · Post by **h0ag3yb3atZ** » 05 May 2011 19:55

get out of here^

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 07 May 2011 08:33

Lakers are down 3-0! Wow, I really thought they'd rally to at least make it 2-1 at this stage. They're in trouble...in the history of the NBA, no team has ever come back from being down 3-0 in a series, much less when that team started with homecourt. Yikes. Or rather, whoo!

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 08 May 2011 15:46

Lakers are swept! They lost game 4 by close to 40 points!

Wow, suck it Lakers.

h0ag3yb3atZ · Post by **h0ag3yb3atZ** » 09 May 2011 05:59

YA!

Any Kobe or Phil Jackson interviews come out yet? they must be bullshit.