Miami in 6 against Dallas - OKC and Chicago just didn’t have enough to knock off these conference champions, and conference final predictions were off by one game each (in OKC’s favor and Miami’s favor). Now for the finals, I really want the Heat to lose to the Mavs, as I am still a Dallas homer, but realistically speaking Miami should win the series. Chris Bosh, Lebron James, and Dwayne Wade finally have the chance to prove to the world what they have planned since July of last year, as the Big Three are playing their best basketball at the best time of the year. Miami is a 4.5 line favorite on Vegas for Game 1, and if they continue their dominance this series will be another repeat from 2006. This is a killer for Dirk, who really was unstoppable in the OKC series. In the end, defense will be the difference, and the eastern conference has been tenacious in the backcourt while the western conference has lacked a consistent defensive stance throughout the playoffs.
Kobe Bryant > Kareem Abdul Jabbar font size mean Kobe statue instead?
With the end of Finals brings: more Finals!
Freshmen year is OFFICIALLY over, this means I will probably lose some mayorships in foursquare. But then again, I can gain some mayorships as well! Let’s go—
Reflections&Predictions:
Miami in 6 against Chicago - The Bulls will take the next game at home, making it 2-0 against the Heat. But Chicago will go through their mid-series slump that seems to always happen to them (note Atlanta), and Miami will capitalize emphatically (note Boston). The first game was not pretty at all for the Heat, but the Heatles will never give up and take this series in 6.
Dallas in 4 against OKC - with the fall of the defending champs, this blogger here will be a homer all the way for the Mavs. Dallas will continue their absolute dominance in the western conference finals, although it may not be completely apparent in game 1. Dallas’ layover may have hurt them more than it benefited them, as the Mavs got into a sleek rhythm that the Lakers just could not stop, mucho kudos. The matchups between OKC-Dallas are very similar to LA-Dallas, with Durant replacing Kobe and Westbrook replacing fisher. OKC just won’t be able to get over the hump, and this year has too much going for Dallas (3-point shooting, overall fg percentage, veteran pg/sf, excellent benchplay) for the Thunder to come through.
LMAO
Phil Jackson: ‘This Has Been a Wonderful Run’ (by AssociatedPress)
We love you and everything you’ve done coach. No one will ever come close to what you’ve been able to do and accomplish, so, congrats. May your next come-back be filled with even more championships :P
Here we go..
to the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Here are some reflections on the first round and predictions for the second round:
Chicago in 5 against Atlanta - Carlos Boozer should thank Atlanta in the first round for eliminating Dwight Howard and co. For Atlanta, it wasn’t a pretty win every time, but the Hawks got the job done (against my prediction). Both teams in this series face injuries, with Boozer’s toe and Heinrich’s hamstring. Look for Chicago to get caught once in Atlanta, but win the series convincingly to go on to the eastern conference finals.
Boston in 7 against Miami - We didn’t have any game 7’s in the first round, and I predict this will be the only game 7 reached in the second round. The C’s are also battling injuries, but their playoff experience should pay off in the end. The Heatles will make this series tough and physical, making this matchup the most interesting in the second round. The two teams have a combined 80 All-Star appearances from 6 players on each side.
OKC in 6 against Memphis - OKC will have to prove that they can win in Memphis in order to win this series, unlike what happened to the Spurs. Even after the Thunder’s total domination of the Nuggets in the first round, Kendrick Perkins is going to have to step up and show his worth against Zach Randolph’s recent surge. Enter the Durantula and Serge Ibaka; OKC’s big men will just be too much for the cinderella Grizzlies to move on the western conference finals.
Los Angeles in 6 against Dallas - The Lakers will drop the first game due to question marks on Kobe’s ever-swelling ankle. However, Dallas just doesn’t have what it takes to move past the 2-time defending champs; Dallas will blow at least one more big lead due to the surges of the Lakers front. If the Lakers can eliminate their turnovers and grant less second-chance opportunities, then LA fans should be able to rest easy.
Let the playoffs begin!
It’s that time of year again, and the matchups this year are as interesting as they get. Let’s take a look at some predictions for the 1st round of the 2011 NBA playoffs:
Chicago in 4 against Indiana - I realize this is one game late, but Chicago is already starting to gel together with the addition of Boozer in their line-up. The first-half was a bit rocky for the Bulls, but the favorite to win the east did not disappoint by putting a feisty Indiana team away in Indianapolis for Game 1. Chicago should win this series despite with moving parts around.
Miami in 5 against Philadelphia - Miami fans have waited all year for this, and they could not be any happier. All those empty first-half seats are stuffed with white-clad season-holder fans, and the Big 3 and crew won’t let their home crowd down. Philadelphia steals one in at home, but this should be a breeze of a series for Miami.
Celtics in 5 against New York - The only game New York has a chance is at home, reason being a) the recent late regular-season loss to Boston should get the Knicks fired up, and b) Shaquille O’Neal is still sitting out with a calf injury. The C’s, however, with their veteran-clad team should still prevail against the still-work-in-progress Knicks.
Orlando in 6 against Atlanta - This is a tough series to predict, given both teams’ poor history in post-season play. In the end, I have the Magic not being as mediocre as the Hawks, but D-Howard and crew will have to muster some inspiration to get there.
Now for the wild wild west:
San Antonio in 4 against Memphis - The Spurs have been diligently waiting for their chance to shine in the playoffs, and the stars of the team will be having a ball with top-notch execution of offense and defense.
LA in 5 against New Orleans - With Bynum’s bone bruise, watch for the Lakers get caught a bit flat. Kobe gets another T, this time calling the ref a Justin Bieber, causing thousands of pre-teen girls to protest outside Kobe’s LA mansion (ok, maybe not).
Portland in 7 against Dallas - Another post-season dud, the Mavericks just can’t seem to get it done in the post-season. This is my only upset for the first round, although other underdogs may come up to surprise me.
Oklahoma City in 6 against Denver - Only a 5.5 Vegas line favorite at home, the Thunder should trade blows with another surprise team after the NBA All-Star Game.
So there you have it! :D
Killing time…. Tsiet!!!
Pray pray pray for Japan Japan Japan.
Love listening to the Social Network album after just visiting Harvard Yard. Standing on Red Crimson campus where Facebook all began is quite the awe-inspiring experience.
Besides Harvard, got to see Government Square and the rest of Hamlet on a nice brisk afternoon walk w high school classmate George Li. For the record, BU (“saafety schoool!” :P) has some amazing high-class dorms. Mucho jelly right now. But not really. Unless they pull a UNI on Kansas in a few days. THEN I will be mucho jelly.
Meanwhile, watching the Lakers beat up on the Magic after a lackluster 1st half always a plus. Lakers working their defense after halftime by jacking up the turnover ratio way in their favor. This game getting out of hand as the Lakes pull ahead by 14 with 6:33 left in the 4th.
Best of the best
This post is dedicated to, you guessed it: the victors! Let’s start with the Terriers—BU just clinched their first NCAA tournament bid since 2002 with their American East Conference Championship 56-54 win over Stony Brook. Can’t be a better time to visit BOSTON over sb, supaaa excited!!!
Some final clinches to the sought-after dance:
Princeton (Ivy) with Davis’ game-clincher over Harvard in OT. Go Tigers!
UCSB (some conference I don’t remember), did you know it takes 4 hours and 53 minutes to drive from San Jose to Santa Barbara (just 47 minutes more than NYC-BOSTON)?
UConn (Big East) wins a heartbreaker for Louisville in da Garden.
Akron (MAC), fiery finish ending in scuffling.
Washington (Pac-10), what a buzzer-beater by Isaiah Thomas, wow.
San Diego St (Mountain West), it’s the year of the Aztecs, come at a perfect time before … the apocalypse? o.O
Memphis (Conference USA), go tigers again!
Kansas (Big 12), one of the favorites to go all the way.
And six others that I don’t want to stay up for on ESPN to show… g’night for now tumblr.
I hail from the great state of Iowa. I was born in Princeton, NJ and I have lived in Santa Monica, CA. I follow the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Los Angeles Lakers.
