A Standing O: NBA Playoffs Talk

Last Saturday night I was heading home from the bars when it started to rain. I put my head down and started hoofing it to get home. All of a sudden I knocked into a really large person and looked up to see Blake Griffin staring back down at me. I got over my initial shock, apologized and went on my way. Since the Knicks failed to win a game in these playoffs, that was about my personal excitement in these NBA playoffs. But as usual, Alex O has many more insights to give in this post:

http://www.burdandkeyz.com

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Pretty exhilarating stuff if you have been able to watch a lot of these games.

This was a great regular season of NBA basketball: The ups and downs of the “talents from South Beach”, the amazing MVP worthy year of Derrick Rose, the surprise year by the veteran Spurs, the Melo-drama, Blake Griffin!!!

A) Unfortunately the Knicks are no longer in the party. It seems they blew their load in the first 2 games and left us all wondering “what if” they closed out those games. Now we Knicks fans have chock full of teams (nemisi?? Is that the plural of nemesis?) to root against: Heat, Celtics, Bulls, & Lakers.

B) I for one was rooting for Chris Paul and the Hornets to topple the Lakers. Is it possible that the Knicks (who just picked up Chauncey Billups option for next year) could trade Burps for CP3 since their contracts are a match--- both making $14M and free agents after next year? I guess it depends on the owner of the New Orleans Hornets who is……… David Stern/NBA. Maybe the toast from LaLa/Melo’s wedding will come true?!?

C) The action I have seen these playoffs been extremely entertaining, and I missed Durant’s end of game performance that sent the Denver (Old Knicks) Nuggets packing. I did see Ibaka have a couple of nasty blocks early in the game. There is little doubt that I agree with Bill Simmons that to win the NBA crown you must be able to protect the 6 feet around the bucket. I also missed the improbable 5 points in under 5 seconds that extended the Spurs vs. Grizzlies series. I was very bummed that game was not on TNT last night. Grizzlies go home and are a 2.5 point favorite to complete the 8 beats 1 seed rarity. It is 9 pm Friday night---- only game on that night since Heat and Thunder took care of biz last night. I recommend all hoops fans to youtube the play Darell Arthur of the Grizzlies made in game 4 where he blocked the shot then chugged downcourt full speed and finished an amazing alley-oop.

D) Could I possibly root for the Bulls? Maybe. They got the heart strings going with Noah’s Gramps seeing him play for the first time ever last night. Below is the description of another amazing play from game 4 of Bulls/Pacers--- described by Michael Wilbon:

Rose said of lobbying to go back into the game even with four fouls, "I told him I wouldn't foul anymore."


Yes, Gibson actually scored the first basket of the Bulls' most important stretch of the season to make it 63-57, but it was Rose's 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 66-57 and set the stage for perhaps the play of the series. Roy Hibbert, the Pacers' rapidly improving 7-foot-2 center, was close enough to the basket to attempt a layup over the 6-11 Noah, except Rose decided, even with his 11-inch height disadvantage and four fouls, to try to block Hibbert's shot.


And Rose did. It came as such a shock, seeing a 6-3 guard block the shot of a 7-2 center, that the reaction was a momentary silence. People needed the replay above on the big screen to believe what they thought they saw.


Personally I did not know what I saw, since it happened so fast, until they showed the replay in slow-mo. Derrick Rose is a special player, and he may make me root for the Bulls in the East.

E) Out West so far the Thunder (my pre-playoff pick) advanced, and tough series continue everywhere else. I think the Lakers benefited by Phil Jackson’s tactical move of tanking the stretch to lock in a New Orleans match-up instead of Shane Battier and the Grizzlies (who finished hot), the move will prove wise. Just ask the Spurs as they are lucky to make it to game 6.

F) Last night you had two home dogs: 1)Atlanta +2 at home vs. Magic (Hawks covered an advanced) 2) New Orleans Hornets +6 at home vs. Lakers. (Lakers covered and advanced) The late game last night was the Mavs +4 at the Rose Garden in Portland (Mavs covered and advanced)

G) The series the media has been waiting for will begin on Sunday in Miami as the Celtics come to town. The Heat are favored by 5 in game one even though Boston has had their number all year. I think the Heat will win as they have the 2 best players and the Celtics are obviously not the same team defending the six feet around the rim without Kendrick Perkins. I am guessing Miami in 6, and then the series I want to see…. The Eastern Finals Chicago vs. Miami ! No doubt it will be a battle and extremely physical. I wonder if Jimmy Buffett will get thrown out of the arena this year?

H) Miami vs. Boston              Atlanta vs. Chicago
 Dallas vs. the Lakers             The Thunder wait on the Grizzlies or Spurs

We can only assume that round 2 will be even more exciting than round 1 has been, even though we lost some of the more intriguing players: Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and of course:

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