Topsy-Turvy

Throughout the course of the last week, I’ve been watching with great amazement as several teams in the NBA have really turned the tables on the so-called favorites. (Yes, this is a sports posting, so if you were looking for something social or political, check back in a couple of days.) I actually can’t believe some of the things I’ve witnessed, so I’ll give my mid-first round NBA playoffs perspective.

How bout them Bulls? I sat and watched with my mouth wide open as the Chicago Bulls took an insurmountable 3 games to none lead over the defending NBA Champion Miami Heat, eventually sweeping them like dust under a rug. Honestly, I thought the Bulls would win the series in 6 games, but a sweep was not on my radar at all. Wow!

As for wow, I can’t remember the last time there were 3 opening round sweeps. I certainly can’t remember the last time there were 3 opening round sweeps in one conference. But, that’s what happened this past weekend in the Eastern Conference. The #1 Pistons and #2 Cavaliers cleaned house against the Orlando Magic and the Washington Wizards, respectively. Reminds me of the good ole’ days, when the top seeds did what you expected them to; make light-work of their opening round opponents. I think these sweeps must be part of an NBA conspiracy to make me not believe that the league is rigged.

The only series that is competitive in the East is the Toronto Raptors vs. the New Jersey Nets. I thought that Toronto would win that series in 6 games, but now that they’re down 3-2, it appears I may be wrong. Honestly, they looked as young as they are, and the Nets look like the veteran squad they are.

On to the West…

It would be accurate to invoke the cliché “wild, wild west.” Seriously, when the Denver Nuggets and the Golden State Warriors opened up series’ against the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks with wins, my eye brows were raised. Everyone suspected that Denver might pose a problem for the Spurs with Carmello and A.I. leading the Nuggets’ charge, but did anyone really expect to see the Warriors play like champs versus the Mavs?

I know I didn’t.

And of course I knew that Golden State beat Dallas each time they played this year. Yes, I knew that Don Nelson was coaching Golden State against the Dallas team that he largely cultivated, and against a coach (Avery Johnson) that he was mentor for. But I just knew that all the pre-postseason (if I can call it that) talk about how the Warriors gave the Mavs trouble all year long was going to be the fuel to push the Mavericks to dominate the Warriors. Honestly, I picked Dallas to win the series in 4 games; maybe 5.

Boy was I wrong! And seriously, Dallas is lucky to still be playing in the postseason. Golden State should have put them away Tuesday night. Maybe Dallas will pull out the series in 7, but if they do, it won’t be easy.

So here’s how I see the playoffs finishing. In the West I expect Houston to close out Utah in game 6, San Antonio to put Denver to rest in game 5, and Phoenix to put Kobe and the Lakers out of their misery in 5 (maybe 6). And yes, I’m jumpin’ ship and saying that Golden State will end the Dallas Mavericks great season. My only fear is that the Warriors are too tired to keep up their game play, since they are functioning with a short 8 man rotation. But I think they’re tenacious enough to do it. With Dallas out (should they lose), I totally expect the Spurs to win the Western Conference, barring injury, because they are the most effective team at keeping the Phoenix Suns’ Steve Nash out of the paint. If you keep Nash out of the paint, you prevent him from dominating the game. If you stop Nash, you stop the Suns (hint to all teams playing against teams with dominant guards; keep them out of the paint).

In the East, I think the Pistons will have their hands full with the upstart “Baby Bulls.” The Bulls play with a passion and an intensity that maybe only Golden State is playing with in this season’s postseason. They play like they have something to prove while the Pistons play like they’ve already won the game just by stepping on the court. I don’t think the Bulls are a better team than the Pistons, but they play with enough heart to beat them at times. That said, I still think the Pistons will win the series in 6, maybe 7 games, and end up playing the New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals. To get there, I think the Nets will take 7 games in disposing of Lebron and the Cleveland Cavs, because the Cavs are a weak #2 seed in my opinion.

Ultimately I think we’ll see a repeat of the 2005 NBA finals with the Spurs beating the Pistons in 6. Yes, to those that know me this may seem like sacrilege, but even though I am a die-hard Pistons’ fan, I think they are a much softer team with Flip Saunders as coach than they were with Larry Brown or Rick Carlisle. The Spurs are just as tough today as they were 2 years ago.

I must say that with the topsy-turvy nature of these playoffs, this may be the best NBA postseason I’ve seen in a decade, and I can’t wait to see how it plays out!

-Maelstrom