Pinoy NBA - Basketball Blog

2008 Playoffs - First Round Predictions (West)

trebs — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 12:16:41 +0000

So much has been said about how uber-ultra-super-competitive the Western Conference is. Heck, half of the first round matchups look like conference matchups already. Let’s get down to the predictions, shall we?

LA Lakers (1) vs Denver Nuggets (8)

A disgruntled Kobe Bryant can still do a lot of damage. Now that he seems happy and contented wearing the Lakers Jersey, he’s just at an even higher level. The Nugs might have all that explosive (and unpredictable) firepower, but LA gets things done one a more consistent basis. The Lakers will take this series in 6 games.

New Orleans (2) vs Dallas (7)

The Mavs brought in the aging Jason Kidd to help them with their campaign and Dirk Nowitzki Wolverine-d his way back from an injury just in time to get them a playoff spot. Chris Paul may be in his first playoff appearance, but it won’t matter much as he dominated Kidd (and just about any other PG) all year. Hornets in 6.

San Antonio Spurs (3) vs Phoenix Suns (6)

The Suns built themselves to be the anti-Spurs by acquiring Shaq. The defending champs might look a tad slower this year but they turn into different creatures in the post-season. This was a match destined to happen and looks to go all the way to sudden death. Phoenix will finally beat San Antonio in 7 games.

Utah Jazz (4) vs Houston Rockets (5)

The 22-game win streak is already in the NBA history books. So is Tracy McGrady’s lack of playoff success. T-Mac has to step up big time in this series to turn it into a tight contest. But given the fact that Utah is better in more positions (especially at the 1 and 4), they could dispense of Houston in 6 games.

2008 Playoffs - First Round Predictions (East)

trebs — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:29:54 +0000

Ah, the playoffs. A lot of people say that this is the start of the true NBA season. Now that the matchups are finally set after a wild homestretch, it’s time for PinoyNBA to check the crystal ball. Lets start off with the Eastern Conference matchups. Note that I’m not even mentioning regular season matchup results. That don’t mean crap in the playoffs.

Boston Celtics (1) vs. Atlanta Hawks (8)

The Hawks got into the post-season thanks to the Wizards. Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson both have some playoff experience to lead them but let’s face it, the C’s are the best team in the league and will swat their first-round opponent like a fly. Celts in 4.

Detroit Pistons (2) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7)

The Pistons are a been-there-done-that club that don’t seem to get bothered by playoff pressure anymore. Sure, they were demolished by LeBron last year but Igoudala ain’t no LBJ. I’d say Pistons in 5. They will lose a game because Rasheed Wallace’s head ain’t screwed on properly.

Orlando Magic (3) vs Toronto Raptors (6)

The Raps don’t have anyone in the middle to stop Superman. Plus he’s got one of the top Most Improved Player candidates (Turkoglu) and the highest-paid 3rd option in the NBA (Lewis). Sorry Bosh & Co., Orlando gets this in 6.

Cleveland (4) vs Washington (5)

Now where have I seen this matchup before? The Cavs really didn’t get better with the trade that brought in Ben Wallace. I liked Gooden better. Yes, it’s the beard over the afro. We’ll see the best of LeBron in this series (hopefully some devastating slams in DeShawn Stevenson’s face) but I see the more-balanced Wizards squeaking by in a down-the-wire battle. Washington in 7.

Stay tuned for the Western Conference picks.

Hawks and Nuggets In, Pacers and Warriors Out

trebs — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:20:20 +0000

The dust has hardly settled. But at least now, we know which teams have had their seasons practically ended. The outcome of today’s games wrote out the cast of the upcoming playoffs, though we’ve yet to see how the final matchups play out. The Denver Nuggets and the Atlanta Hawks had their playoff berths handed to them respectively by the Phoenix Suns and the Washington Wizards.

In a must-win battle in the desert, the Suns woke up from a pathetic 3rd quarter to kick the Warriors out of contention. Why Don Nelson benched Baron Davis in the second half is the subject of interesting theories. The Big Cactus and his elderly buddies can now have some time off. C’mon Coach Mike, give the Gorilla some PT!

Meanwhile, the struggling Pacers were unceremoniously eliminated by the Wizards’ practice team. As a result, the Atlanta Hawks get a chance to face the Celtics in the first round. They’re not likely to win, but there’s definitely a boatload of learning experience in store.

In other news, the Bulls and the Bucks locked horns and put together the NBA’s first Non-AllStar Game in which the two vacation-bound clubs scored a total of 286 points. Ramon Sessions (who?) had 20 points and 24 (what??) assists.

Who are the NBA’s Best 23 and Under?

trebs — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:53:10 +0000

ESPN recently ran a public poll to rank who among the league’s players 23 years of age and under would you like to build a franchise around. The graphic below shows how this blogger’s votes compared with the general opinion.

Of course, LeBron James is crowned King of the Young Turks by the fans. The writers’ roundup result proclaims likewise. Clearly the most talented in the bunch and he’s very much a league fixture already. If scientists would genetically engineer a basketball player, they would need samples of LeBron’s DNA.

Following James, in my view would be Chris Paul. When Steve Nash retires, CP3 will most probably be my favorite player. This kid is playing out of orbit. He’s currently averaging 21.5 points, 2.7 steals and around 200 assists per game. The Hornets’ floor general has eyes at the back of his head and the soles of his shoes.

Third on the list is one of the NBA’s best young centers. Dwight Howard is a monster in the paint, racking up 21.2 points and 14.5 rebounds this season for the improved Orlando Magic. Rounding out my top 5 are Brandon Roy and Carmelo Anthony. Both are very versatile players and can definitely carry a team but I think Roy’s game is a tiny bit more complete than Melo’s.

Almost Had a Heart Attack

trebs — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:15:47 +0000

I nearly had a heart attack a few minutes ago after learning that this will be Steve Nash’s final season. The Phoenix Suns’ 2-time MVP will reportedly chase his dream of playing professional soccer.

… Then the date hit me. Can breathe now.

Western Wildness

trebs — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:06:30 +0000

As of this post, there are already three (L)Eastern Conference teams that have their playoff berths sealed. But we all know the real action and the drama will be in the West, where only the fates know how the playoff landscape will turn out. SI.com’s Jack McCallum sizes up the possibilites.

There are just so many factor to consider. With Dirk injured, the Mavs are hard-pressed to maintain decent rankings. One more T, and Kobe could be suspended for an important game. The Suns would like to avoid the Hornets and everyone else would like to avoid the Warriors. Crazy crazy season, that’s what it is.

End of the Road for C-Webb

trebs — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:00:53 +0000

Chris Webber’s is finally calling it quits. The former member of the Michigan Fab Five will formerly announce his retirement on Wednesday morning as announced by the Golden State Warriors. While he never won a championship, Webber leaves the game with an impressive career average of 20.7 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, joining only five other players in NBA history to notch at least 20-9-4. Four of them are already enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The other one is Kevin Garnett, who we all know will be there one day. As for Webber, who knows?

Pick and Roll - March 24, 2008

trebs — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:59:46 +0000

Philly love for AI - Those Philly fans sure know how to thank their former franchise player. It was like The Answer never left town as the crowd gave him a resounding 1 minute 5 second ovation as he was introduced in a Denver Nuggets uniform. While his new team lost the game, I’m pretty sure AI went home a happy man that night.
Less Nash is more? - Bright Side of the Sun observes how the Suns are becoming less Nash-dependent these days, varying their playmaking focus from Shaq, Grant Hill and Boris Diaw. Us run-and-gun addicts need not fret because they are still scoring the way they used to. There are just more ways to do it without ol’ Steve dishing the rock.
Dirk down - a nasty spill leaves Dirk Nowitzki with a leg and ankle injury that will sideline him for at least two weeks. Enough has been said about the Western race and the Mavericks can’t afford to mope the loss of their MVP. Paging Mr. Kidd… if there’s ever a time to show that mojo everyone’s been talking about, it’s right now.

Texas Takedown

trebs — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 10:42:26 +0000

The smoke has cleared and the Boston Celtics are ones left standing. The gang of green capped their dominant visit to the Lone Star state by beating the Dallas Mavericks 94-90. While everyone is talking about how tight and competitive the Western Conference is, the C’s came in and reminded the league that the best team in NBA right now is in the East. San Antonio, Houston and Dallas, aka The Texas Triangle are all playoff contenders and Boston dismantled them all. It’s not just Boston’s Big Three but everyone else around them is contributing well and showing the same swagger. Winning games does that to you.

Rockets Grounded

trebs — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:59:07 +0000

It was fun while it lasted. Just when I was having my own 1-0 streak in game predictions, the Boston Celtics stopped the Houston Rockets flat ending their 22-0 run. The C’s showed why they are the best team in the NBA by locking down on defense leading to a 94-74 rout of the seemingly unbeatable Rockets. Tracy McGrady acknowledged this himself stating that it was the best defense he’d ever seen.

While the ride ended in an unceremonious crash landing, the Rockets can only hold their heads high for they’ve put their stamp in the NBA’s history books. No one expected such a feat coming from them, especially after losing Yao Ming to injury midway through the streak. They simply need to put this one game behind them and look forward to the playoffs.