2009 NBA Playoffs

[TFoA]

Well, it's that time of year again: ING GO TIME.

Philadelphia had to win on the last night of the season to avoid playing the Celtics in the first round. That honor goes to the Chicago Bulls. That also means that the 85-86 Celtics still hold the record for best regular season home record at 40-1, since Cleveland fell to 39-2 with the loss.

But we're not here to talk about what happened in the regular season, we're here to talk about the playoffs, where anything can and will happen. In the NCAA's, a 16 beating a 1 has yet to happen. In the NBA, it's happened 3 times in the past 20 years, with the Nuggets pulling it off in 94, the Knicks beating the Heat in 99 on their way to the NBA Finals, and the Warriors taking out the 67-win and then-defending Western Conference Champion Dallas Mavericks. The Jazz beat the Nuggets and Mavs in both situations. Therefore, the Jazz are hoping that their karma of taking out giant killers will help them to slay their own giant as they have the unenviable task of facing the Los Angeles Lakers.

Both sides of the bracket seem to be top heavy, with most people predicting a Cavs/Lakers showdown in June. However, crazier things have happened, as previously said.

So yeah, make predictions, talk about the matchups, talk about the games, talk about what upsets may occur, and whatever else comes up on your mind.

[nyk]

EASTERN CONFERENCE Round 1:

(1)Cleveland vs (8)Detriot (CAVS in 4)

(2)Boston vs (7)Chicago (CELTICS in 6)

(3)Orlando vs (6)Philadelphia (MAGIC in 6)

(4)Atlanta vs (5)Miami (HEAT in 6)

WESTERN CONFERENCE Round 1:

(1)L.A. Lakers vs (8)Utah (LAKERS in 5)

(2)Denver vs (7)New Orleans (HORNETS in 7)

(3)San Antonio vs (6)Dallas (SPURS in 5)

(4)Portland vs (5)Houston (BLAZERS in 7)

EASTERN CONFERENCE Round 2:

(1)Cleveland vs (5)Miami (CAVS in 6)

(2)Boston vs (3)Orlando (MAGIC in 7)

WESTERN CONFERENCE Round 2:

(1)L.A. Lakers vs (4)Portland (LAKERS in 6)

(3)San Antonio vs (7)New Orleans (HORNETS in 7)

EASTERN CONFERENCE Finals

(1)Cleveland vs (3)Orlando (CAVS in 6)

WESTERN CONFERENCE Finals

(1)L.A. Lakers vs (7)New Orleans (LAKERS in 5)

NBA Finals

(1)Los Angeles Lakers vs (1)Cleveland Cavaliers (LAKERS in 7)

[PittsburghSucks]

EASTERN CONFERENCE Round 1:

(1)Cleveland vs (8)Detriot (CAVS in 4)

(2)Boston vs (7)Chicago (CELTICS in 7)

(3)Orlando vs (6)Philadelphia (MAGIC in 5)

(4)Atlanta vs (5)Miami (HAWKS in 7)

WESTERN CONFERENCE Round 1:

(1)L.A. Lakers vs (8)Utah (LAKERS in 5)

(2)Denver vs (7)New Orleans (NUGGETS in 7)

(3)San Antonio vs (6)Dallas (MAVS in 6)

(4)Portland vs (5)Houston (BLAZERS in 7)

EASTERN CONFERENCE Round 2:

(1)Cleveland vs (4)Atlanta (CAVS in 5)

(2)Boston vs (3)Orlando (CELTICS in 7)

WESTERN CONFERENCE Round 2:

(1)L.A. Lakers vs (4)Portland (LAKERS in 7)

(6)Dallas vs (2)Denver (NUGGETS in 5)

EASTERN CONFERENCE Finals

(1)Cleveland vs (2)Boston (CAVS in 6)

WESTERN CONFERENCE Finals

(1)L.A. Lakers vs (2)Denver(NUGGETS in 6)

NBA Finals

(2)Denver Nuggets vs (1)Cleveland Cavaliers (CAVS in 6)

[Saintsfan]

In the east!

Cleveland bt Detroit

Boston bt Chicago

Philly bt Orlando (Always good to throw one upset in there!)

Miami bt Atlanta (Playoff experience winning out there!)

semis

Cleveland bt Miami

Boston bt Philly

Eastern Finals

Boston bt Cleveland (Just because!)

In the west

Lakers bt Jazz

Rockets bt Blazers

Spurs bt Mavericks

Hornets bt Nuggets

Semis

Lakers bt Rockets

Spurs bt Hornets

Western Finals

Lakers bt Spurs

NBA Finals

Lakers bt Celtics (in 6)

[Jigga]

My prediction...the NBA playoffs will last roughly as long as the NHL playoffs, yet the CCSLC Puckhead Brigade will bitch and moan about how they hate the NBA playoffs because they takes so long.

I want the Lakers to win it all, but I just see this being LeBron's year. Plus, if it will keep him in Cleveland, I'm all for it.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Denver is a 2 seed?

Man, I've been way out of NBA this year. They still have no chance at a championship, right?

[eRay]

What really bothers me is the reports coming out today that Doc wouldn't be surprised if KG missed all of the Playoffs. As a Cetlics fan I know we can endure without him, but in the Playoffs? IDK. The worst part is that KG refuses to go to games when he is out because he would want to play too much. C'mon Kage, sit on the bench and give the team some energy and leadership. Assuming KG misses only the first round match-up, my predictions look like this...

EASTERN CONFERENCE Round 1:

(1)Cleveland vs (8)Detriot (CAVS in 5)

(2)Boston vs (7)Chicago (CELTICS in 6)

(3)Orlando vs (6)Philadelphia (MAGIC in 4)

(4)Atlanta vs (5)Miami (HAWKS in 7)

WESTERN CONFERENCE Round 1:

(1)L.A. Lakers vs (8)Utah (LAKERS in 6)

(2)Denver vs (7)New Orleans (NUGGETS in 6)

(3)San Antonio vs (6)Dallas (SPURS in 4)

(4)Portland vs (5)Houston (ROCKETS in 7)

EASTERN CONFERENCE Round 2:

(1)Cleveland vs (4)Atlanta (CAVS in 5)

(2)Boston vs (3)Orlando (CELTICS in 7)

WESTERN CONFERENCE Round 2:

(1)L.A. Lakers vs (4)Houston (LAKERS in 5)

(3)San Antonio vs (2)Denver (SPURS in 7)

EASTERN CONFERENCE Finals

(1)Cleveland vs (2)Boston (CELTICS in 7)

WESTERN CONFERENCE Finals

(1)L.A. Lakers vs (3)San Antonio (SPURS in 7)

NBA Finals

(3)San Antonio Spurs vs (2)Boston Celtics (SPURS in 7)

As a fan I want my Celtics to go all the way, of course. But these predictions are made as if I was betting on the games.

[Cujo]

According to reports, Doc Rivers is saying Kevin Garnett may miss the entire postseason with a knee injury.

Cakewalk for Cleveand?

[Audiodrama]

According to reports, Doc Rivers is saying Kevin Garnett may miss the entire postseason with a knee injury.

Cakewalk for Cleveand?

You'd need a shotgun to keep him away from the entire postseason.

He'll be back. Give it till the East Finals.

[NEW.ERA]

Outside of the Raptors I've payed a bit attention to the NBA this season but like most Canadians I'm caught up in the NHL Playoffs but I like to follow the NBA Playoffs as well so these are my predictions.

Eastern Quarterfinals

#1 Cleveland over #8 Detroit in 5

#5 Miami over #4 Atlanta in 7

#3 Orlando over #6 Philadelphia in 6

#2 Boston over #7 Chicago in 4

Western Quarterfinals

#1 LA Lakers over #8 Utah in 6

#4 Portland over #5 Houston in 7

#3 San Antonio over #6 Dallas in 5

#7 New Orleans over #2 Denver in 7

Eastern Semi-Finals

#1 Cleveland over #5 Miami in 7

#2 Boston over #3 Orlando in 6

Western Semi-Finals

#1 LA Lakers over #4 Portland in 5

#3 San Antonio over #7 New Orleans in 6

Eastern Finals

#1 Cleveland over #2 Boston in 7

Western Finals

#1 LA Lakers over #3 San Antonio in 6

NBA Finals

#1 Cleveland over #1 LA Lakers in 7 (This will be the best series we've seen since whenever there was a good NBA Finals, 98 maybe?)

[Jigga]

According to reports, Doc Rivers is saying Kevin Garnett may miss the entire postseason with a knee injury.

Cakewalk for Cleveand?

You'd need a shotgun to keep him away from the entire postseason.

He'll be back. Give it till the East Finals.

The way they've played without KG, there's no guarantee the C's will get there.

[Epiphanic]

The first thing I thought of when I saw the bracket was, "the Jazz still use that alternate logo?" I haven't seen that thing since the team was purple and gold.

Since I'm here, I take a guess:

East:

CLE over DET in 6

ATL over MIA in 7

ORL over PHI in 4

BOS over CHI in 5

CLE over ATL 5

ORL over BOS 7

CLE over ORL 6

West:

LAL over UTA in 6

HOU over POR in 6

SA over DAL in 5

NO over DEN in 5

LAL over HOU in 4

NO over SA in 7

LAL over NO in 7

Finals:

CLE over LAL in 7

[TFoA]

Denver is a 2 seed?

Man, I've been way out of NBA this year. They still have no chance at a championship, right?

Yes. Somehow they got the 2 seed in the west. They for some reason came out on the good side of a 3-way tiebreaker with Portland and San Antonio. I guess Portland got the 4 since they weren't a division winner, and San Antonio got a 3 because of...something. idk. Too complicated.

The first thing I thought of when I saw the bracket was, "the Jazz still use that alternate logo?" I haven't seen that thing since the team was purple and gold.

I think they brought it back and recolored it as a patch a year ago, and then just decided to keep on using it as an alternate. I love it, it's a sweet logo.

And now my predictions:

EAST

CLE over DET: Cleveland's too good, and it's the end of an era in Detroit.

ATL over MIA: Atlanta's one of the best home teams in the NBA. They aren't going to lose at home. They will, however, lose on the road. HCA is the only reason why Atlanta will beat them. I have no faith in the Hawks clinching a series on the road.

ORL over PHI: Could be a tough series. I think Philly matches up well with them. However, Orlando has improved its defense with their offense. Orlando wins.

BOS over CHI: Because KG will not play, this is going to be a tough series for the C's. They're a good team without KG, but they don't have that killer instinct without him. They will deal with Rose and the rest of the Baby Bulls, but it'll be closer than most expect, since these C's have been known to be surprised in the 1st round.

CLE over ATL: Atlanta's not going to beat Cleveland in Cleveland, and they're going to drop a game in Atlanta. Therefore, Cleveland wins the series.

ORL over BOS: The Orlando Magic have OWNED Boston all year. Boston may or may not have KG going into this series. I highly doubt that they will. The championship defense stops here. Orlando's offense & their defense led by Dwight Howard will be too much, and the Magic will finally make a deep playoff run.

CLE over ORL: Once again, I just don't see Cleveland dropping a home game until the finals. As long as that happens, they aren't going to lose a series. It'll definitely be tough, though. But I have no faith in Orlando going into Cleveland and doing what it takes to win. This will be a very exciting series, but Cleveland will come out on top just by LeBron taking over when it counts.

WEST

LAL over UTA: The Lakers have the best offense in the league. Utah's defense can be pedestrian at times, and in the games that they've played, they've showed no signs of beating them. The Jazz will take a couple, but that's it.

POR over HOU: I'll just say this: Portland's better than Houston, Houston's not going to make the 2nd round as long as they believe that they are jinxed (which they probably do.). However, it'd be hilarious if Houston actually made the 2nd round but T-Mac didn't since he was injuried. Woah man. But yeah, Portland's gonna win.

SA over DAL: The Spurs are getting older, but they're still good. The Mavs are getting older, but they're declining. The Mavs peaked 2-3 years ago and lost their chance. They aren't going to make a run when they have to face the Spurs in the first round, especially considering how soft they've played in the playoffs as of late.

NO over DEN: This could go either way...but I'm leaning towards the Hornets, just because they have been playing better ball lately. The only reason that Denver's a 2 is because they started hot, slowed down, then finished hot. The only reason that N.O.'s a 7 is because they started slow, got tuned up, then finished hot. Plus, I leanred last year not to bet against Chris Paul unless it was a sure thing. This ain't.

LAL over POR: This has the potential to be an upset. Athletic teams like Portland have given the Lakers fits all year. This is going to go 7. However, the Lakers will benefit from HCA advantage and take the series.

SA over NO: I'll just say it: I have no faith in the Hornets beating the Spurs in the playoffs. They're just too good.

LAL over SA: If they had Ginobli, then I'd have the Spurs edging the Lakers on the "odd-year" theory. However, I can't seriously pick the Spurs to beat the Lakers in the playoffs without a 100% healthy team. The Lakers will edge them out.

FINALS

LA over CLE: I know, it seems like it's rigged...but these are seriously the two best teams in the NBA. I'm picking the Lakers because they should have no reason to be scared of Cleveland's HCA: The Cavs went 39-2 at home this year, you know that they lost one game against the Sixers in a meaningless game (for the Cavs, at least). Who was the other team that beat them at home this year? That's right: The Lakers. Kobe gets his 4th ring.

[StarrDogg]

Can the Spurs win the title without Manu Ginobli?

[TFoA]

Can the Spurs win the title without Manu Ginobli?

...

It's bad that I forgot about that. Now I've gotta rethink all of this.

EDIT: Revised picks.

[BigEd76]

The Sixers will be lucky to win one game in their series.

As for the Finals, David Stern will rig it to give us LeBron vs Kobe...

[epper]

'Bron-'Bron Gets His, Kobe Sulks Again.

[TFoA]

Garnett WILL miss the first round, possibly the entire playoffs.

Guess it's time to make some more revisions.

[oddball]

My prediction...the NBA playoffs will last roughly as long as the NHL playoffs, yet the CCSLC Puckhead Brigade will bitch and moan about how they hate the NBA playoffs because they takes so long.

I want the Lakers to win it all, but I just see this being LeBron's year. Plus, if it will keep him in Cleveland, I'm all for it.

They do take so friggin' long. The NHL could play a 5 OT game in the playoffs before the 7:30 pm playoff game between whatever Eastern Conference teams ends, because each team has 50 million time outs and doesn't use them until the end. The end of the game and the calling of time outs after every basket made is another reason I prefer hockey over the NBA.

[Jigga]

My prediction...the NBA playoffs will last roughly as long as the NHL playoffs, yet the CCSLC Puckhead Brigade will bitch and moan about how they hate the NBA playoffs because they takes so long.

I want the Lakers to win it all, but I just see this being LeBron's year. Plus, if it will keep him in Cleveland, I'm all for it.

They do take so friggin' long. The NHL could play a 5 OT game in the playoffs before the 7:30 pm playoff game between whatever Eastern Conference teams ends, because each team has 50 million time outs and doesn't use them until the end. The end of the game and the calling of time outs after every basket made is another reason I prefer hockey over the NBA.

Hey, puckhead, take that to the NHL thread...get "ooot" of here. Besides, I'm talking about the length of the playoffs, not of a single game. Hockey games bore me to tears...especially now that the shootout is gone, but I'll watch...as long as Ovie's around....