After seven months and 82 games of regular season basketball, the NBA playoffs finally start today. I’m so excited because my favorite team, the Brooklyn Nets, is in the playoffs for the first time since the 2006-2007 season. They are squaring up against the Chicago Bulls in the first round. I think the Nets have a good opportunity to win this series.
For starters(no pun intended), Joakim Noah might not be playing in Game 1 tonight. He has a lingering foot injury which leaves him doubtful. The Bulls are also most likely not going to get Derrick Rose back for this postseason. The Bulls won’t be as effective on the fast break and don’t have a low post shooting threat in Noah.
Another interesting series in the Eastern Conference is the 2v7 matchup. This is the New York Knicks versus the Boston Celtics. The Knicks are coming off their best season in years. Also, Carmelo Anthony is playing at a very high rate after taking the scoring title from Kevin Durant averaging 36.9 points and 9.9 rebounds per game while shooting a stellar 53.8 percent from the field. This earned “Melo” the Eastern Conference Player of the Month award.
Boston is coming off the whole marathon bombing tragedy. The question is if they will be able to bounce back strong. I think that answer is yes because the whole city of Boston is behind their team. Boston and New York has always been an intense rivalry for all of sports. If Boston can steal one game at Madison Square Garden, this series could prove interesting. I believe that behind the motto, “Boston Strong”, The Celtics can win both games at home.
Much excitement is on the Eastern Conference playoff series’. You still can’t ignore the Western Conference. I believe the Western Conference has four great series in store for the NBA and its fans.
One of my favorite series is coming up. It’s the San Antonio Spurs against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers and Spurs have had a great rivalry over the years. A little less than ten years ago, the Lakers rallied from down 2-0 to beat the Spurs in six games in the Conference Semifinals. That series was known for the miraculous antics of Derek Fisher in Game 5 where hit what was known in history as “The 0.4 Shot”.
It’s going to be tougher for the Lakers now down the road. They barely made an eight seed, even after the season ending loss of Kobe Bryant to an achilles tear. The Lakers have dealt with many injuries, but this one is very serious. They lost their leader and now have to rely on Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol. Steve Nash is questionable to come back, but the Lakers need him.
The 3v6 matchup in the west is also intriguing. The Warriors are going to square off against the Denver Nuggets. This series is marked by two story lines. The first is all-star snub Stephen Curry. He recently broke Ray Allen’s single season record for three pointers and has brought life to a dull franchise. The other big story is the Nuggets in general. They’ve been playing extremely good basketball of late and they finished the season with an outstanding home record of 38-3! That’s right! 38-3! They only lost three times at home this season. Home court advantage is always a key role in the playoffs and I would say the Nuggets are safe in that category.
Other premiere series in the Western Conference are the 4v5 and the 1v8 series. The 4v5 series involves the Clippers and Grizzlies respectively. This is going to be a neck and neck matchup that could go seven games. The other series involves James Harden, a potential Most Improved Player of the Year, returning to OKC for a playoff series with his former team.
Works Cited:
Raskin, Alex. “New Jersey.” The Star-Ledger. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.
“NUGGETS: 2012-13 NUGGETS SCHEDULE.” NBA.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.
