And then there were 4…..
Ok, so this is a hair late to put out since game 1 in the East Finals already took place, but I haven’t changed my mind on anything.
The stage is set. We’re down to the last four teams in the playoffs. And what a stage it is. In the East, it’s the Celtics and Pistons renewing their playoff rivalry of past years, back in the late 80s and early 90s. It’s the matchup everyone wanted. It’s the matchup everyone was hoping for. And what a mammoth of a matchup it will be.
And in the West, it’s the Lakers and Spurs. Everyone has been knocking on the Spurs because of their age. But you know what; the Spurs are one of the most consistent teams out there. 11 straight years of appearing in the playoffs. 4 rings in that span too. And just won a game 7 on the road! Only the second road win all of last round. You can’t count out the Spurs one bit. And then the Lakers! Kobe is MVP, and has stepped up his game to another level this year. He is sharing the ball. He is leaning on his teammates. He is making his teammates better. And the Lakers have probably the deepest bench in the NBA right now. Who am I picking? Well, first let’s go through each teams run to this point. I will then comment on the key matchups and give you my winners from there.\
Pistons: The Pistons may have had the easiest road to this point of all teams, but it wasn’t easy by any means. The up and coming Sixers played them tough, taking two games. The Sixers are a few good role players away from being the next big thing in the East. The Pistons next faced the Magic, whom I thought would be a tougher test. Dwight Howard is a beast and his best years are still ahead of him. But the Magic lacked some scoring beyond Howard. Yeah, Hedo Turkoglu can score, but he doesn’t always show up and there is not much after him. Rashard Lewis wasn’t the type of player they were expecting. Even with Billups being out, the Pistons moved on easily. The Pistons have some good scorers and excellent role players and are doing it without a true superstar on their team, a staple of Detroit basketball.
Celtics: Where O, where do I begin?! They were supposed to sweep through the Hawks and have a lot of rest for whomever was next (I said the Wizards, but it was the Cavs). Instead, they went to a game 7 with the Hawks (who I don’t think should have even been in the playoffs to begin with. But that’s a blog for a different day). And then they went on to face the LeBron Cavaliers whom also forced a game 7. Paul Peirce came up HUGE in game 7, nearly matching him point for point, but it was enough for the C’s. But in the past two series, they could not win a road game after having the best road record in the regular season. This could be really bad against the Pistons, but their tough D should be up to the task.
Spurs: Old. Bad end to the season. Slow. Too many youngs teams ready to replace them. Give any excuse on why the Spurs probably wouldn’t do well in the playoffs and I have probably heard it. But the Spurs have left their doubters in the dust. They ran through the Suns in 5 games. Fought valiantly for 7 games against the Spurs. And they did it behind more of Ginobli and Parker, rather than Duncan. If they can play the half court game, they are super tough to beat. They can run, but not all night. They can be explosive, but don’t always have to be. They are a very disciplined team and will fight tooth and nail for every point. They are sound and fundamental. Yes, that may be boring to some, but its how the Spurs win and have won their 4 championships.
Lakers: Its good to see them this far and its all about Kobe but its not all about Kobe at the same time. Deepest bench. Steal of the season in Gasol. There’s Kobe…and then there’s Kobe. This may be the most complete team in the playoffs. They are on a roll, though it has been a rough trip. They have a lot of quality role players. And they play excellent team defense. They gotta protect home court bc it will be super tough to win in San Antonio.
Lakers over Spurs in 7: I am a Spurs fan. I love Duncan, Parker and Ginobli. Popovich is a great coach. They have a lot of success in recent years. There is no love lost between these two teams. Each time they meet in the playoffs, there are great games, and some have been decided in literally the last second. The Lakers have the bench, the three point shooters and the slashers, and of course, Kobe. The Spurs have those type of people too, but they lack in a bench just because they are old. There is a lot of youth in LA and Kobe has brought them along nicely. I see Kobe being guarded by a mixture of Bowen, Ginobli, and Finley, depending on who is on the court for both teams. Parker and Fisher will face off, and a great matchup that will be. Duncan and Gasol will probably neutralize each other, though they should get their points. Odom could be the X-factor for this series. If he is on, the Lakers will be even tougher. Each team will win at home. The team that wins on the road will have it in the bag most likely. But I don’t think that either team will pull it off, leading to 7, and Kobe taking the last shot to put the Spurs away.
Celtics over Pistons in 7: Yep, ANOTHER seven games for the Boston Celtics. If they couldn’t win on the road against Atlanta and Cleveland, I do not expect them to against Detroit. Detroit is probably the epitome of team defense. That is their staple, their strength. Boston has a really good team defense too, so this might be a low scoring series. Garnett should get his points. Billups will be the key for the Pistons. Ray Allen desperately needs to find his game in this series. Pierce needs to continue his performance from game 7 of the Cavs series. Doesn’t have to be 40 points, but he has been here before, as well as Allen, so they will be key. Rondo will have his hands full with Billups, but it will be a great learning curve for the young point guard. If the current trend keeps going, the Celtics will win in 7. If Detroit does by chance win in Boston, I will declare the series over. Detroit wins. But I really don’t see that happening, so Celtics win and KG finally gets to the NBA Finals.
See ya when the Finals are here!
