Conference Finals Predictions

Hey everyone, I've been extremely busy lately so I am only just managing to post this. As some of you know, I was planning a update with some historical facts and comparisons of the Boston Celtics, but unfortunately I could not find enough time to complete it. For now, here are my predictions for the Conf. Finals. I have no proof of this, but you will have to take my word on it. I made these predictions before both series started, and so far I seem to be on the right track.

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS:

BOS vs. ORL: Celtics in 6 games.

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS:

PHO vs. LAL: Lakers in 5 games.

(Note: Most of these ideas/predictions were written before the series started, so ignore the fact that some things might be wrong.)

In the East, I feel like the Celtics' experienced squad will continue to dominate at home, but they will also be able to steal games on the road (already done: they stole the first 2 games @Orlando, and their next 2 games are @Boston). The C's can also through tons of players at Dwight Howard in the paint, thus being able to foul almost at will, get Superman 2.0 fouled out easier, and mainly frustrate him on offense with the many bodies or on defense when he has to adjust to situations given to him.

While the Magic have other players to take the weight of Howard's shoulders, they tend to rely on giving him the ball, then if he can't do what he wants in the paint, he kicks it out to an open 3 point shooter. Unfortunately for them however, the Magic are playing one of the best (if not THE best) defenses in the League, and as shown in Games 1 and 2, those shooters are going to have a hard time. Open threes will rarely be seen, if ever.

In the West, this shouldn't even be a contest. I wrote the following after their sweep of the Spurs: "I personally apologize for underestimating the Phoenix Suns so much. I thought they would fight till they lost in the First Round, and then thought they'd do the same in Round Two. I was very wrong. They proved that they could play with the big boys when they swept (yes, swept) the once-mighty Spurs in four bloody games (Steve Nash's eye is proof of the physicality of the games). Good luck with the Lakers, fellas." I stand by my apology, but I seemed to forget the fact that the Lakers are a huge mismatch for this team. Let me elaborate.

L.A. has three 7-footers on their roster, and all 3 play big minutes for the team. Lamar Odom is a huge X-Factor coming off the bench for the defending champs, while Pau Gasol, though deemed soft, is actually quite capable of getting dirty in the paint when needed. We've seen flashes of brilliance from Andrew Bynum, but he hasn't been as aggressive on offense as the Lakers want (of course, he has been playing injured). The Lakers' length and height is way too much alone for the Suns to handle, and then you throw some other players like Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar off the bench (they have been superb so far in the series), and, (cough), some guy named Bryant, and the Suns are either going to be swept or out in 5. I wasn't too sure of a sweep or not, but a series is never over till its over, and Phoenix will surely keep clawing back. Or will they?

All-NBA Teams, MVP Ballot, 2nd Round Results (UPDATED)

Hey guys, I've been real busy the past week and haven't had a chance to post anything between Playoff games and life stuff. I've watched at least a quarter or two of every game, but I haven't missed a single quarter of any Lakers, Boston, or Cleveland games; they're too exciting. I was disappointed by the fact that there was 3 sweeps in the Conference Semis, and it also bothered me that Atlanta put up no fight against the 8-0 Magic. No offense to Orlando, but they haven't been too fun to watch lately (unless you're a fan or really enjoy blowouts).

This post is going to be really long, by the way, because I have a lot of my thoughts that I want to share. First off is the All-NBA Teams. Here are the official teams, and you can find mine below.

2009-10 BasketBlogger All-NBA Teams

FIRST TEAM Position Player, Team (1st Team Votes) Points Forward LeBron James, Cleveland (-) - Forward Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City (-) - Center Dwight Howard, Orlando (-) - Guard Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers (-) - Guard Dwyane Wade, Miami (-) - SECOND TEAM Forward Carmelo Anthony, Denver (-) - Forward Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas (-) - Center Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix (-) - Guard Steve Nash, Phoenix (-) - Guard Rajon Rondo, Boston (-) - THIRD TEAM Forward Josh Smith, Atlanta -- - Forward Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers -- - Center Tim Duncan, San Antonio -- - Guard Joe Johnson, Atlanta -- - Guard Deron Williams, Utah -- -

No problems with the First Team, but on the Second Team, how did they manage to leave off my boy Rajon Rondo??? This kid has led a team stacked with veterans (and three future Hall of Famers) into the Playoffs (which was expected) almost single-handedly. He's also putting up ridiculous numbers in the postseason that not only spell ALL-STAR, but possibly even SUPERSTAR. Remember that he's only 24, too. 

Tim Duncan made that 3rd Team on the official list, but he was listed as a forward. I changed it to center on mine because Timmy was listed as that on the All-Defensive Teams, and I also think that he was more worthy for the spot than Andrew Bogut, who didn't even make the All-Star Team. That shift gave me room to add another player who didn't make the All-Star Team (which he deserved to make), Josh Smith. 

Moving on, here is the official MVP results, while my own MVP ballot can be seen below (I kept it at 10 players):

2010 BasketBlogger NBA Most Valuable Player Voting

Player, Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Total LeBron James, Cle - - - - - - Kevin Durant, OKC - - - - - - Dwight Howard, Orl - - - - - - Kobe Bryant, LAL - - - - - - Carmelo Anthony, Den - - - - - - Dirk Nowitzki, Dal - - - - - - Steve Nash, Pho - - - - - - Dwyane Wade, Mia - - - - - - Deron Williams, Utah - - - - - - Rajon Rondo, Bos - - - - - -

Finally, below are the results of the Second Round (aka the Conference Semi-Finals), and I scored myself with the procedure I used at the end of the First Round. My guesses are on the left, while the act results are on the right. I gave myself 2 points for every correct prediction (exact number of games, team) and 1 point if I got the correct team. The total score is out of 8.

CLE vs. BOS: Celtics in 7 games.  -Celtics in 6 games.   -CORRECT! (1pt)

ORL vs. ATL: Magic in 6 games.   -Magic in 4 games.   -CORRECT! (1pt)

LAL vs. UTA: Lakers in 6 games.  -Lakers in 4 games.  -CORRECT! (1pt)

PHX vs. SAS: Spurs in 7 games.    -Suns in 4 games.     -WRONG! (0pt)

Completely Correct Predictions: 0/4

Completely Wrong Predictions: 1/4

Eastern Conference Score: 2/4

Western Conference Score: 1/4

Total Score: 3/8

I didn't guess anything completely far-fetched, but I didn't hit anything right on the head. I was expecting Joe Johnson to step up for the Hawks after a poor showing against Milwaukee, but he sadly didn't and it led to a second consecutive year of being swept in the Second Round after barely surviving the First (they went to seven games vs. Miami last year). 

The Lakers showed what they are still capable of after also having a hard time with their First Round opponent. Unlike the Hawks, however, they stepped up in the Second Round and great performances by Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Derrick Fisher, and Pau Gasol helped the Lakers prove that they really want another ring this year. Even though the bracket says 4-0, the Jazz fought hard every game and could have came up with at least one win if my boy Wesley Mathews' last second tip in Game 3 was just an inch closer to the rim.

I personally apologize for underestimating the Phoenix Suns so much. I thought they would fight till they lost in the First Round, and then thought they'd do the same in Round Two. I was very wrong. They proved that they could play with the big boys when they swept (yes, swept) the once-mighty Spurs in four bloody games (Steve Nash's eye is proof of the physicality of the games). Good luck with the Lakers, fellas. 

UPDATE: Boston moved on to the Eastern Conference Finals, eliminating Lebron and the Cavaliers. Bron had a slightly off shooting night (8-21 FG), but otherwise he had a superb game, almost getting quadruple-double. He notched 27 pts, 19 rbs, 10 asts, and (!) 9 turnovers. Okay, he could've done without the last part, but the real pain in the *** is the fact that the 61-21 Cavs were eliminated before even reaching the Conf. Finals, which was supposed to be a default. They seemed to lose all hope during the fourth quarter, and with 2 mins left and down by less than 10 points, they didn't even intentionally foul the C's. Is this a sign of the future of the Cavs? Even worse for them, does this prove to Lebron  that he can't win with this team and has to move on? We'll find out soon enough. In the meantime, read this article by John Schuhmann at NBA.com discussing the fact that many of us are forgetting: Boston was the team that was better in the matchup, and they were the ones who actually won the series.

Second Round Predictions

Ugh, late again. The Second Round already started, but again I couldn't find time to post my predictions for it. Well, here you go:

CLE vs. BOS: Celtics in 7 games.

ORL vs. ATL: Magic in 6 games.

LAL vs. UTA: Lakers in 6 games.

PHX vs. SAS: Spurs in 7 games.

I have a feeling that Mo Williams is gonna choke again for the Cavs, even after his impressive 3rd quarter showing in Game 1, and Cleveland won't get a chance to use Shaq for his sole purpose this season: kill Dwight Howard in the paint. Boston seems like they have reverted to their 2008 form, only this time it's Rondo who is leading the team. 

Orlando seems pretty unstoppable at the moment as well. They demolished Charlotte, the league's top defensive team, in a completely one-sided sweep, and Atlanta doesn't seem like much of a challenge now. The Hawks had a lot of trouble with the rookie-led Milwaukee Bucks, who were also missing their top player. Of course, this Atlanta team is still a threat with all of the talent they have, and I'm betting Mike Woodson won't rest till the team moves on to the Conference Finals (highly unlikely, in my opinion).

Lakers vs. Utah should be entertaining at times, but the better team (L.A.) will end up pulling away with the victory. I also can't see the Jazz giving the Lakers much of an inside challenge, aside from Carlos Boozer, now that Andrei Kirilenko will sit for a few games. I wasn't sure whether or not to have L.A. winning in 5 games or 6, but Deron Williams will surely lead his team to more than only one victory in the series.

I think that all the extra rest between games and reduced travel has made the postseason a lot easier for the Spurs than the regular season. Just like Boston, San Antonio has seemed to revert to their championship form, only with some new pieces here and there. Both George Hill and Tony Parker will be critical in this series in determining which team moves on, for they will have the task of stopping Steve Nash. I think that the Spurs, who seem to always be victorious against the Suns, will use their experience, rest, and Big Three of Manu Ginobili, Parker, and Tim Duncan to outlast this tough Suns squad in a very exciting series.

1st Round Results

Welcome to the Conference Semi-Finals, a.k.a. the Second Round. After some exciting games we now have the results of my predictions made before the First Round. My guesses are on the left, while the act results are on the right. I gave myself 2 points for every correct prediction (exact number of games, team) and 1 point if I got the correct team. The total score is out of 16.

CLE vs. CHI: Cavs in 5 games. -Cavs in 5 games. -CORRECT! (2pts)
ORL vs. CHA: Magic in 4 games. -Magic in 4 games. -CORRECT! (2pts)
ATL vs. MIL: Hawks in 4 games. -Hawks in 7 games - WRONG! (1pt)
BOS vs. MIA: Celtics in 6 games. -Celtics in 5 games. -WRONG! (1pt)

LAL vs. OKC: Lakers in 6 games. -Lakers in 6 games. -CORRECT! (2pts)
DAL vs. SAS: Mavs in 7 games. -Spurs in 6 games. -WRONG! (0pts)
PHX vs. POR: Suns in 6 games. -Suns in 6 games. -CORRECT! (2pts)
DEN vs. UTA: Nuggets in 7 games. -Jazz in 6 games. -WRONG! (0pts)

Completely Correct Predictions: 4/8
Completely Wrong Predictions: 2/8
Eastern Conference Score: 6/8
Western Conference Score: 4/8
Total Score: 10/16

This year my predictions were a little weak, but not bad. I only got 4 series correct completely, and I was really wrong about the DAL vs. SAS series and DEN vs. UTA series. In both matchups, the underdog won in 6 games. I'm pretty proud of my prediction of Cleveland over Chicago in 5 games and not 4, like what most people thought. I just had a feeling that the Bulls wouldn't allow themselves to be swept and would steal one at home. What did you guys score using my method?