As most of you probably already know, the 2013 NBA Playoffs are kicking off on Saturday afternoon. If you had asked NBA fans before the season who was going to win the NBA Championship, it's likely that the majority of the fans would have said the Miami Heat or the Los Angeles Lakers. If you asked those same fans that same question this morning, you'd be hard-pressed to hear anyone tell you the Lakers. Instead, the overwhelming majority would probably say the Miami Heat.
Who do you think is going to win the NBA Championship? I won't tell you my answer to that question just yet, but I will break down each first-round series and tell you who I think is going to advance to their respective Conference Semi-finals.
The (7)Boston Celtics and (2)New York Knicks will tip off the opening weekend of the playoffs Saturday afternoon. For both teams, this has been a tale of two seasons. The Knicks got off to an 18-5 start behind superstar Carmelo Anthony. Carmelo stopped Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant from his reign of NBA Scoring Titles by winning the title himself this season. Boston has suffered a rather rough season that saw their All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo tear his ACL to start the new year. Boston went on to defy most logic when they started playing much better after the Rondo injury than they were before it.
Heading in to this series, the only notable injury for the Celtics is the fact that Rondo is out after undergoing surgery to repair his torn ACL. While it's true that Boston is a rather old team, the only other injury of note is that rookie Jared Sullinger is out for the season with back problems. The same can't be said for New York. Anthony sat out the last few games of the season with a shoulder bruise, but it was more more or less just to play it safe. As for Amar'e Stoudemire, there is no timetable for his return after his latest surgery, and it would surprise most everyone if he is ready to go for the start of this series, if at all. Tyson Chandler has a hurt neck that has kept him out for more than a handful of games, and if he doesn't play, the Celtics road to the Eastern Conference Semi-finals becomes much easier.
I am picking the Boston Celtics to upset the New York Knicks here.
It seems like every year the (6)Atlanta Hawks wind up somewhere in the bottom of the Eastern Conference Playoff Standings only to get eliminated in the opening round, and this year is going to be no different. The Hawks will take on the (3)Indiana Pacers, and it's my opinion that this series will not be a long one.
Louis Williams tore his ACL in a January game against the Nets, and the Hawks have really missed him. While I don't think Atlanta would have stood much of a chance at knocking off the Pacers if they had Williams, his play may have made the series competitive. After missing the first couple of months of the season, Indiana's Danny Granger has returned and is playing at the level we're accustomed to seeing him playing at.
I am picking the Indiana Pacers to eliminate the Atlanta Hawks.
There's very little doubt that the (4)Brooklyn Nets versus the (5) Chicago Bulls will be a very highly-contested series. The Bulls were able to work their way to a 45-37 record despite not having the 2010-'11 NBA's Most Valuable Player, Derrick Rose. Rose has been medically cleared to play, but is waiting until he feels "110 percent ready to go" to play. It's being widely speculated that he will be ready to go this series, which is good news for Chicago since Joakim Noah isn't quite 100 percent.
After the Nets were unable to work out a trade for Superstar Dwight Howard this past summer, they settled for acquiring veteran sharp-shooter Joe Johnson. The team was also able to re-sign All-Star point guard Deron Williams to play along side Brook Lopez. As it stands now, Rose (nor anyone for the Bulls) has said whether or not the young phenom is going to be playing or not. If it were determined that he will be playing, then I would feel differently about this series.
I am picking the Brooklyn Nets to eliminate the Chicago Bulls.
I wish there were potential key match-ups to talk about for this series, but as long as LeBron James is in uniform for the (1)Miami Heat, the (8)Milwaukee Bucks do not stand a chance of winning this series, and I'd be pretty surprised if they are even able to win a game. The Heat won 66 games, Milwaukee finished under .500, with a record of 38-44.
I am picking the Miami Heat to eliminate the Milwaukee Bucks.
It shouldn't come as a surprise to most NBA fans that the Western Conference Playoff Standings weren't decided until the very last game of the season when the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets in overtime. While the Oklahoma City Thunder are the West's top seed, there are five or six teams that have a realistic chance to represent the Conference.
As a result of them defeating the Rockets in overtime on Wednesday night, the (7)Los Angeles Lakers earned the right to take on the aging (2)San Antonio Spurs. While most people believe that the Lakers stand little to no chance of beating the Spurs in a series without their All-time Great, Kobe Bryant, I am not among them.
It remains to be seen just how healthy Manu Ginobili's hamstring is, but if you've followed Manu's career at all, you know he is going to give it a go no matter what. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker's injury woes seem to be behind them, which bodes well for the Spurs. As for the Lakers, it's still unknown whether or not Steve Nash is going to be able to play. Even so, Dwight Howard is starting to play like the best big man in the game, and Pau Gasol is finally being used correctly (although with D'Antoni calling the shots, that may change come Sunday). While it wouldn't surprise me if the Spurs win this series, it also wouldn't surprise me if the Lakers were able to pull the upset. I honestly do not know who will win this series. Sorry, there's just no other way to say it. Having said that, I am pulling for the Lakers just for the drama it would create in the Western Conference.
I am picking the Los Angeles Lakers to eliminate the San Antonio Spurs.
Aside from the Nuggets-Warriors series, the (1)Oklahoma City Thunder versus the (8)Houston Rockets is sure to be the most exciting first round series to watch. It's going to be a run-and-gun, up-and-down the court series. While Vegas odds makers give the Thunder a 93 percent chance of advancing, it's going to be riveting watching James Harden lead his Rockets against his old team. That said, I would be shocked if Harden is able to advance his team to the second round of the Playoffs.
I am picking the Oklahoma City Thunder to eliminate the Houston Rockets.
The (4)Los Angeles Clippers are going to have a rematch of last year's first round series in which they defeated the (5)Memphis Grizzlies. At one point this season, it looked as if the Clippers may claim the top seed in the West. Chris Paul missed about a month's worth of games, and Blake Griffin missed a few contests as well, and that essentially killed any shot they had at that.
As for the Grizzlies, they traded their high-paid wing man, Rudy Gay, to the Toronto Raptors in a three-team deal that netted them Tayshaun Prince from the Pistons. Ask anyone who knows me, it's no secret that I am not a fan of Gay. In the long run, I think Memphis made a great move by shipping him away, despite the fact the deal was criticized by a lot of NBA analysts. That said, they do not have the fire power to get past the Clippers, but it wouldn't shock me at all if this series goes six or seven games.
I am picking the Los Angeles Clippers to eliminate the Memphis Grizzlies.
The most exciting series of the first round is going to be the (3)Denver Nuggets versus the (6)Golden State Warriors. There are story lines galore heading in to this series: Is 'The Manimal' AKA Kenneth Faried going to be able to play for the Nuggets? Are the Warriors going to be able to run with Denver in that thin air? Is it possible that in today's NBA that a team can win an NBA Championship without a bonafide Superstar? Is Danilo Gallinari the least likely Ewing Theory candidate of all-time?
I don't know the answer to all of those questions, but what I do know is that George Karl is a great coach and I have not been a believer in the Warriors all season. Yes, Stephen Curry is fresh off of breaking Ray Allen's NBA record for three-pointers made in a season. It's going to take a lot more than that for Golden State to defeat the Nuggets, and I just don't see it happening.
I am picking the Denver Nuggets to eliminate the Golden State Warriors.
One thing is for certain: if you're an NBA fan, the NBA Playoffs are so close that you can almost taste it. I know that I am looking forward to a weekend full of games. Be sure to check back in about a week or two for my NBA Conference Semi-finals Preview.