NBA Playoffs 2009 Simulation
"It's Amazing"
"It's Amazing"
Eastern Conference
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons
(4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Miami Heat
(3) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Philadelphia Sixers
(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Chicago Bulls
Western Conference
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Utah Jazz
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Utah Jazz
(4) Portland Blazers vs. (5) Houston Rockets
(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks
(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (7) New Orleans Hornets
Western Conference Preview
Best Team in the Conference - Los Angeles LakersIt doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this one out. The Lakers have the NBA's best player and arguably the NBA's best leader. They have an assortment of talented big men in an NBA that suffers from far too few talented big men. They also have the NBA's deepest bench. Combine those factors with the stinging memory of just how the Boston Celtics closed them out in last year's NBA Finals and will be hard to find another team in the Western Conference that is any better.
Team Most Worthy of Not being in the Playoffs - Utah Jazz
The team that faced the Los Angeles Lakers in last year's Western Conference Finals, is simply not the same team from a season ago. Key players like Carlos Boozer have either been injured or under-productive. They're not as good defensively as they were in 2007-08. More than that, the Jazz have not played with the same consistency that helped get them to a high seed in the playoffs last year. They will be an easy-out for the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.
Upset Special - Mavericks over the Spurs
While the Mavericks have shown the tendency to completely disappear when the pressure is on, the San Antonio Spurs do not have the offensive fire-power to beat the Dallas Mavericks. Add G Manu Ginobili to the Spurs lineup and they are a Championship contender. Remove him and they become just another team in black and white jerseys. The rest of their aging roster will not be able to fill Manu's void.
Mavericks in six games.
Most Important 'X' Factor in playoffs - Lamar Odom
If Odom can be the player that he has been off of the bench this season, in the playoffs, he could make the Lakers virtually unbeatable. If he's the player that folded under pressure in last season's playoffs, then the Lakers will have to find contribution from others. Odom has the potential to make other teams' benches look like garbage squads.
Team to make it to the Finals - Los Angeles Lakers
Let me repeat this: young, talented, motivated and oddly while being so young, experienced. Combine those factors with the fact that they have the best player on the planet playing for them, the Lakers could open a lot of eyes by beating the West easily, again.
Eastern Conference
Best Team in the Conference – Cleveland Cavaliers
About a month ago this might have been a closer call as the Bostin Celtics would have been in the mix. But with Kevin Garnett’s knee injury apparently keeping him from missing not only one game but also perhaps the entire playoff season it’s an easy choice. The Cavs have the second best player on the planet in LeBron James, who I think should be this year’s MVP winner. Anytime you lead your team in so many categories and average 28 ppg., seven rebounds and seven assists along with first team All-NBA caliber defense you are special and that’s what he did this year. Kobe Bryant is still in my opinion the best pure player in the league but Lebron was the best player this season.
PG Mo Williams has brought a tremendous dimension to this team as well running the show, finishing plays at times and allowing Lebron to be that much more of a multidimensional threat. The addition of Joe Smith is an underrated component come playoff time as is the interior defense and overall toughness of veteran big man Ben Wallace.
This team has depth, chemistry and focus coming into the playoffs. Combine that with home advantage throughout the playoffs and I don’t see how this team doesn’t get the NBA Finals.
Team most worthy of not being in the Playoffs – Philadelphia 76ers
This might be an unpopular pick in the Delaware Valley however having watched this team play on several occasions throughout the year I feel comfortable making this choice. PG Andre Miller is one of the most underrated players in the league, getting it done in the most understated way you can imagine. After losing big free agent pickup Elton Brand early in the season the Sixers found a way to stay competitive in the Easter Conference and make the playoffs for the second consecutive year. But C Samuel Dalambert is a liability on the floor most nights, lost on offense and plagued with fouls or just plain out of position on too many nights. $80 million man Andre Iguadala has talent and I think he’s still finding his way in this league but is a terrific scorer in the open court. Thaddeus Young is in my mind a more fluid Iguadala and seems to grow leaps and bounds every time he steps on the floor.
The fact that there are virtually no consistent outside scoring threats on this squad will hurt them. Looking at the matchups in the first round series against the Magic is a microcosm of my overall point about the Sixers. They are a slight disadvantage in several key position matchups and don’t quite have the overall pieces in place to win against a balanced playoff type team. They’ll play hard in round one, but it won’t be enough.
Upset Special – Hawks over the Heat
When you look at the seedings you might not think a number four (Hawks) beating the Heat at Number five is an upset. But I think when you look at the Heat and the guy they will be counting on to carry them in All-world guard Dwayne Wade it’s natural to assume the Heat should pull this out. Wade made a strong case for MVP this season, his bounce back campaign. With multiple 40 and 50 point games this year, Wade simply took his team from winning 15 total games last year to a solid playoff team this year. The Heat have that bonafide star on their side.
However when you look at the overall matchups between these two teams, this is a series the Hawks have an excellent chance of pulling out. Check the stats and you’ll see the Hawks have played very well defensively against Wade this year. This is a team that took Boston to a Game seven in last year’s playoffs. F Al Horford will make his presence known in this series and watch out for G Joe Johnson, one of the most underrated stars in this league. He’ll have a say in who wins this series without questions. The Hawks do a great job of switching and creating confusion on the defensive side of the ball and with long, athletic bodies like Josh Smith, Horford and even Marvin Williams will help disrupt drives to the basket by Wade.
I’m going with Atlanta in this series.
Most Important ‘X’ Factor in playoffs – Ben Wallace
He only played in 56 games this year, missing significant time with a broken leg. He’s never been much of a scorer or playmaker but he’s always had a presence in this league. Playoff basketball means defense, rebounding, half court execution and making it difficult to score for your opponent. Having won a title in Detroit, Wallace has been a master at all of those things for a long time. Don’t look at the box score to understand his impact on the game. He’ll bump you, block shots, rebound, start the break and just make you work for everything you get. This is his time of year.
Team to make it to the Finals – Cleveland Cavaliers
For all the reasons stated above combined with the loss of Kevin Garnett to the Celtics makes the path to the Finals pretty much a guarantee for the Cavs. Garnett is the most indispensable player on the Celtics as he provided leadership particularly on defense. The Celts are still a tough team but with Cleveland playing the way they are at home this year and what should be the league’s MVP on their side I don’t see how they don’t play themselves into the Finals.
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