Check out my playoff predictions here.
Before we begin the celebration, a reading from the book of Halberstam:
"It was clear at the end of the season that he would not be coming back. He and Snyder had a meeting. 'I think we should change coaches,' Snyder said. 'I think we should too,' Ramsay said. 'How do we do it?' Snyder asked. Ramsay sensed immediately that it was a question of the deferred money and that Snyder wanted him to quit in anger so that he could avoid paying it. 'Well, I think you should go ahead and announce that there's going to be a coaching change," he said.
So it was that Jack Ramsay left Buffalo, neither fired nor rehired. Stu Inman, looking for a coach, had seen the final game of the Washington playoff series, and asked Ramsay about coming to Portland. The first thing Ramsay thought of was not how far west Portland was, it was no longer near Japan; the first thing he thought of was that Bill Walton played there and Walton lived by speed."
--Breaks of the Game.
Here's to new beginnings everybody.
Today's Festivities:
Chicago at Boston, 12:30
Celticsblog: "Just in case the world hasn't met Rajon Rondo yet, they are about to get a steady dose of reminders that the kid is grown up. Its no longer about "potential" with Rondo. He is, hands down, one of the best point guards in the game. He can dominate a game without taking a shot outside of 3 feet but don't look now, he's also adding that 12 foot jumper that everyone said he needed. Rondo's already a star, it just may take these playoffs for everyone to notice."
Celtics Hub: "Can the Bulls stop the Celtics? I don’t see it. Derrick Rose cannot guard Rajon Rondo, and nobody on the Bulls can guard Paul Pierce–especially not with John Salmons nursing a gimpy groin. The Bulls starting shooting guard, Ben Gordon, is not tall enough at 6′3” to effectively check Ray Allen. Perk could average 12 points a game given the size advantage he’s going to have and his recent uptick in offensive activity; he averaged 11-9 in March, a career month, and he’s only slowed down a bit this month. He’s put up a KG-esque 16-9 against Chicago this year. I mean this sincerely: Perk can be a weapon in this series."
Blog a Bull: "So while we've seen in the past where Thomas and Noah are completely thrown off their games against Garnett, this series can provide a chance for them to finally give it to the Celtics. For Noah to crash the offensive glass instead of picking up fouls. For Thomas to force the Celtics to foul him instead of settling for a jumper while Tom Thibodeau grins.
Both have made strides this season, though it wasn't exactly a breakout campaign for either, and questions remain in terms of how they can handle themselves against the elite teams. But Noah's certainly gotten stronger (literally, even) after a bad offseason and start to the year, and Thomas keeps showing more and more reasons to even consider not trading him for Amare Stoudemire, which is more than can be said the season prior. Thomas in particular can really raise his status with a great playoff performance."
Roomofzen note: respect Perk or get your feelings hurt.
Detroit at Cleveland, 3:00
Cavs News: "The point is that even when the Pistons were a legitimate contender they never had much success guarding James—and this year’s Pistons are not nearly as good defensively (or offensively) as the 2006 and 2007 versions were, while the Cavs clearly have a much more talented and deeper roster than they did back then. The Pistons still have a fine midrange shooter (Richard Hamilton), a good wing defender (Tayshaun Prince) and their rotation of bigs—including Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess and Jason Maxiell—can do some damage but overall the Pistons do not match up well with the Cavs, who won three of the four regular season meetings. Detroit’s lone victory against Cleveland came all the way back on November 19 and the since banished Allen Iverson played a prominent role, scoring 23 points on 8-16 shooting; that was during a stretch when Detroit won four out of five games–including victories over the Cavs and Lakers—by featuring Iverson and Rasheed Wallace in screen/roll actions that were very tough to defend: give Iverson space and he would jet to the hoop but give Wallace space and he would drain three pointers (3-6 from long range versus Cleveland in that game).
Fortunately for the Cavs, the Pistons inexplicably abandoned the idea of using Iverson effectively, tried to turn him into a sixth man and later asked him to stay away from the team for the rest of the season. With Iverson out of the picture, young guards Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum have to shoulder heavy responsibilities, though Prince or Hamilton can also assume some playmaking duties."
Need4Sheed: "I have my own bright spots here and there like the surprising and refreshing play of Will Bynum, the heart and determination of Antonio McDyess, Rip Hamilton’s return to the starting lineup, the defense of Arron Afflalo and iron man Tayshaun Prince, but all those things just don’t add up to what it takes to beat (and I hate saying this) a powerhouse like the Cavs.
The Cavs are 66-15 and have won 18 of their last 20, and like I mentioned before have lost just one at home. The series starts with the first two games in Cleveland. LeBron has dominated Detroit in the playoffs and to this day he’s responsible for my worst memory of the Palace (remember that fateful game 5). Add in the Cavs defense, the calls they get and it’s a recipe for disaster."
Roomofzen note: Pistons will lose game 1 by double digits and then steal game 2. That's their style.
Dallas at San Antonio, 8:00
Mavs Moneyball: "The Mavs are peaking in only one way: Their offense has evolved into such a deadly weapon that it is overcoming troublesome weaknesses on defense. As you look at the last ten games of the season, it is clear that Rick Carlisle has achieved what Mavs fans desperately needed after the last three playoff series: An offense that is not only potent but varied in its attack and difficult to stop even with the preparation you see in a seven game series.The Mavs are not peaking at all on defense. They are better than they were during the entire season, but they are just as inconsistent and far from dominant or even very good. This has been hidden by the devastating effectiveness of the Mavs offense, but make no mistake: The defensive flaws are still there."
Pounding the Rock: "But the facts remain that the Mavs, those stupid, ugly, dirty, foul-mouthed, devil-worshiping, gun-running, heroin-trafficking, Ozone-ruining, wife-beating, animal-abusing, child-pornography viewing, non-recycling, Grisham-reading, drunk-driving, seal-clubbing, Holocaust-denying, binge-eating, Taliban-supporting, ESPN-viewing, GOP-voting, puppy-murdering, Christian rock-listening, reality television-loving, Jagermeister drinking* Mavs are relatively healthy while my Spurs are without the services of one Emanuel David Ginóbili, our talisman, fourth quarter savior and resident force of nature.
While Ginóbili has spent most of this season in a jacket, delighting crowds with his comic timing and romantic flair, he’s generally been more valuable in the past as a postseason assassin. In losing him the Spurs are missing their only penetrator besides Parker, their peskiest defensive playmaker, their most clutch free throw shooter and just a guy who manages to make the momentum turning play more often than not. We at PtR would contemplate sacrificing a carnal evening with Mila Kunis for a healthy Manu Ginóbili (in the end we’d still probably opt for the former, but at least we’d have contemplated it)."
Roomofzen note: Any team that sent Devin Harris and two first-round picks away for Jason Kidd in the twilight of his career does deserve to get out of the first round. I believe this with every fiber of my being.
Houston at Portland, 10:30
Blazers Edge: "The problem for the Blazers is the Rockets have more experience, more defense, and more potential for physically punishing play. If this series is only going to be ground and pound it looks good for Houston. Portland cannot and should not abandon the high percentage offense, interior bulwark defense, and strong rebounding style that got them this far. But the Blazers need to throw in some tempo-changing wrinkles of the variety we saw late in the regular season. They cannot simply walk the ball up, try to match their offense against a set Houston defense, allow Houston to do the same at the other end, and expect to sustain an advantage. Here's the mantra from the Blazers' end of things for this series:
'The slower we go, the faster we lose.'"
The Dream Shake: "Yao Ming struggles with one brand of center: a small, agile post player with a low center of gravity and quick feet. Luckily, Portland suits up two giant slow people in Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla. While Oden and the Pryz may be solid low-post defenders and great shot-blockers, they play the kind of old-school, post-on-post defense that Yao thrives against. No post player in the NBA has a better post move arsenal than the Ming Dynasty, and his will be on full display for the duration of the series.
Brandon Roy is one of the best young talents in The Association, but Houston has two shutdown defenders in Shane Battier and Ron Artest that serve as the perfect remedy for Roy. Remember, in the first meeting, Roy was guarded by an ailing Tracy McGrady, and was able to have a good game. This time around, he’s going to struggle with not one, but two premier perimeter defenders known collectively as "White Pills" rotating on and off of him."
Roomofzen note: I really think the matchups favor Houston in this one, which is why I picked the Rockets to win this series. The game that Dream Shake mentions, in which T-Mac attempted (in his own special way) to defend Brandon Roy was THE ONLY game in which the Blazers defeated the Rockets this season. And, they needed Roy to hit an improbably buzzer-beater to pull it off. I know everyone is high as can be on Portlant right now, but I just don't see it. Houston will advance.
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