OK, so SU is not totally enthused about this year’s playoffs. I have shared my lack of interest in this year’s NBA season and several of you have weighed in to show why I should be more jazzed. I am prepared to get involved and stick with the long slog over the next 2 and a half months til the season ends in mid-June. As we know, the 1st round takes about 2 weeks as teams play every 3-4 days. SU’s thoughts on what you should keep an eye on as well as our fearless predictions:
- Golden State vs. Portland: these teams do not like each other and Portland is very cocky. This is a good series to watch in the first round. True rivals with bad blood. No Big Papi big hugs here.
- Houston vs OKC: a mano a mano match up of Harden and Westbrook should be entertaining. This could be the all-time battle of ball control players. Definitely worth a look.
- Milwaukee vs. Toronto: this is the SU special for a possible upset. Jason Kidd has the Bucks playing well. They are a threat.
I don’t see anyone beating Golden State out west. They will advance to the finals without any stress. I don’t think Cleveland makes it to the finals this year – keep an eye out for the Wizards. And the Cleveland loss opens the door for the Carmelo trade in the off season. SU is feeling strongly about this and I don’t care if the move makes sense. This is about playing with your friends and superstars calling the shots. But Golden State will win it all in the end come summer. Just not sure my interest level can hang in there for the long journey.
Big admission of the day: SU watched the last half period of the Rangers opening playoff game the other night. End to end action; few stoppages in play. Good stuff. SU also did a comparison of regular season records between the NHL and the NBA. Did you see that the Islanders at 41-29 did not make the playoffs? Neither did Tampa Bay at 42-30. Compare that to the NBA where .500 record teams are in the mix. Very odd.
Yankees have righted the ship with 4 straight wins as a variety of players are contributing. Greg Bird is torturing me – he just needs to get untracked. Love the way Aaron Hicks has taken advantage of his chance to play and SU hopes he can light a fire under Ellsbury or at least threaten some of his playing time. There is nothing better than a little competition to make guys uncomfortable and play a little harder. SU has even watched some Met games of late and they are hitting now with Cespedes in the middle of one of his torrid streaks. I must say his home runs are not cheapies. I am still struggling staying awake for a full Yankee game but I am down to 1 brief nap per game now which is an improvement over my early season average of 2 per game. Yankee games are soooooo long and slow moving.
OK, any thoughts about NBA playoff champs? Anyone ready to go with an upset? And NHL fans: rather than always complain that SU ignores hockey, here is your chance. Plenty of room to comment.
Sports Update Intergalactic 
The won-loss records you cited for the Islanders and Lightning are skewed by the NHL’s fraudulent accounting system, which counts a shootout win the same as a regular win but doesn’t count a shootout loss the same as a regular loss. In reality, the Lightning were 42-40 and the Islanders were 41-41, the very essence of .500 teams.
Shep, interesting point. I did not pick up on that in looking at the standings. Shows my neglect of hockey.
I was going to comment on NHL Tie Loss but see that I was beaten to the punch. The league should award 3 points for a win, 2 for a Tie/win and 1 for a Tie/loss. A shootout is a fun way to end the game but it is not a real win. Love to hear comments from Hockey fans.
Harden VS.Westbrooke is the only interesting matchup in the first round. Basketball is a total boar for 90% of the game. Try watching the NHL playoffs. Guys are giving 110% from the drop of the puck until the last second. It is the best spectator sport in the world. This is from a total baseball geek.
Yanks showing some promise with the 2 young pitchers doing well. Judge looks like a player, glad I was wrong. Maybe the reason everyone falls asleep during Yanks games is the announcers. It is painful to watch compared to Ronnie, Kieth and Gary with the Mets. A world of difference.
Good point about Yankees announcers. Amazing that this team in a major market has had such uninspiring announcers for so long.
Radio: Sterling is entertaining but needs a partner who offers real baseball insight. Waldman is not that person. His best match was his first few years in the early 90s I think when Jay Johnstone was there.
TV: The YES team is always rotating and I don’t really like it. Michael Kay is annoying…not as bad as on his radio show but I can’t believe he’s the voice of a top franchise like the Yankees. I like O’neil. He has good insight and personality. I’m OK with Cone but no personality. Not sure why Flaherty is there at all. He’s fine but not enough Yankees history to make it worth having him. If you’re open to people who aren’t Yankees legends, you can do better than him. I’d say the same about Singleton.
1. Pretty sure if Mike D’Antoni had adopted this offense with Lin in NY he would have been quite successful… What I like about the Rockets is not their star players but those that fill the gaps and play their role. Speaking of the Knicks – I think Carmelo ends up in LA with either the Clips or the Lakers.
2. Not enough basketballs to go around in Oakland. I think that is going to surface at some point… especially since they have been so successful without Durant. Klay Thompson is saying (or not saying) all the right things. He’ll be jacking up 3’s for Dallas in two years.
3. Everyone has Washington in the second round without playing a game. The Hawks are not good, but Milsap and Howard actually are very good and there could be a surprise here.
4. For some reason I don’t like the Celtics / Bulls matchup for the Celtics, but of course I have to factor in Stevens’ intelligence. I think the Bulls steal at least one of the first two games but then Boston’s ball movement and talent take over against those players on the Bulls roster who are 45 years old and playing on one leg.
5. LeBron is going to have to take it to another level this year. After all his work on the campaign trail and effort put into complaining about every foul call I just don’t think he has it in him.
6. I think Kawhi Leonard is the best player in the NBA and I actually think he has another gear. The problem is that the rest of the team does not. They need Parker to step it up for the Spurs to have a chance… but they still may be a player short. Many of their players are “good” but they are “old” too. I want to think Ginobilli, Mills, etc. can help them compete.
7. I am excited to see the Sixers and Joel Embid in their first playoff series in years… I think they can make a run and his presence in the middle will be felt. Oh, wait.
8. I like the job that Kidd has done with the Bucks. I think they are still two years away though, but when they get there they will be exceptional. They are the team of the future, but for this year Toronto will be a tough opponent.
8.5. I also am a huge fan of Quinn Snyder and the Jazz. They’ll be competitive in this year’s playoffs but won’t make it happen… but Snyder will continue to get the most out of his players and with the addition of a few critical and effective “role players” he is going to make it happen sooner rather than later.
9. Russell Westbrook will learn that rebounds off free throws are not “free” in the post-season and their first round opponent (Houston) knows they only have to shut down one player… whereas Houston actually has a lot of other options outside of Harden. I know that Westbrook “wants to win more than anything”… but it just feels like his intent is more self-centered than team-centered. You get the feeling Donovan would prefer for him to move on so he could actually coach (similar to Stevens’ situation in Boston).
I actually am excited for the NBA playoffs. Not as excited as I was back when Jordan was playing in the 90’s, but there is still some excitement here.
Round One Winners:
Golden State
Utah
Houston
San Antonio
Boston
Atlanta
Milwaukee
Cleveland
Round Two:
Golden State
San Antonio
Boston
Cleveland
Conf. Finals
Golden State
Cleveland
Finals
Golden State (6)