Hoops

2011 NBA Playoffs - Discussing the Match Ups

Fantastic write up AK-47. Overall I think we can gear up for an exciting playoffs across the board.

Just to weigh into the Magic v Hawks series, I don't think the loss of Gortat as backup will hurt the Magic too much in this series as the Hawks really dont have anything spectacular in the centre position anyway. Magic to win in 5, maybe even 4.

Billo,
yeah last year it was extremely one sided, however the Magic roster was very very different. Add Turkoglu, Richardson and Arenas and minus Gortat, Pietrus and Carter and whilst that doesn't appear to change much losing Gortat to back up Howard, Pietrus to successfully contain Joe Johnson, and Carter to provide some extra offense leaves some big holes. The 3 guys Orlando lost have all been deep in the playoffs and know what it takes to get to the finals. Only Turkoglu has had any deep playoff experience out of the 3 additions, Richardsons offense has been quite good but he regularly goes missing on D which is not going to cut it in the playoffs and Arenas just hasn't worked in Orlando. The Hawks also have the regular season series 3-1 over the Magic so I feel like they match up well against them. Having said this I'm very open to being proven wrong and really just hoping for a good series!

Anonymous '419,
I don't think Jason Collins will guard Dwight as I doubt the Hawks will change their starting line up to allow Jason to come in and guard Dwight. I have no doubt that Jason will come off the bench to do so, but the initial match up and one to watch I think will be Horford on Howard.

aussie boomers,
The Bucks struggled with consistency and missed out on the playoffs, however not by much!
Bogut missed the last 2 games of the regular season to get under the knife, he seemed to really be struggling and even said that he couldnt wait to have surgery. I haven't heard anything as to how long he will be out for but I imagine he'll be back for training camp.

Guys I must admit, I don't know that much about the NBA. Did Milwaukee miss out? Whats the story with Bogut now, will he have surgery? How long until he returns to the court?

Nice write up AK. I'm super excited for the playoffs, there are quite a few teams that could take the title and i'm hoping for a Bulls/Thunder finals series!

My predictions are:

West

Spurs 4 - Grizz 2
I think the Ginobili injury is a really big deal, he has been fantastic all season however with or without him the spurs will still get it done.

Lakers 4 - Hornets 0
The lakers easily for mine, to many weapons. Chris Paul will have to go into God mode for the to pull out a win and I just can't see him getting enough help from his teammates with West out.

Blazers 4 - Mavs 3
This series will be close, both teams are fairly evenly matched and this could go either way. I'll pick Portland based on my love for Patty!

Thunder 4 - Nuggets 2
Another great matchup. Durant & Westbrook will rise to the occasion and get the Thunder to the 2nd round for the first time!

Bulls 4 - Pacers 0
Indiana have no business in the playoffs, they don't even come close if they were in the WC. Bulls by heaps.

Heat 4 - 76ers 1
The Lebrons will be too strong, I like the 76ers and think they will be competitive but the heat are just too strong. I'm looking forward to Iggy V LeBron, both similar style players, obviously LeBron is much better but should be entertaining anyhow.

Celtics 4 - Knicks 1
I don't know what it is but I still don't rate the Knicks. The Celtics are too good of a team to be pushed by a the Knicks. Melo & Amare will score plenty but beyond that I can't see the C's having to many worries.

Magic 4 - Hawks 3
Dwight v Al is huge. Both squads have shown flashes but have been slightly dissapointing. I'll take the Magic in 7 with both teams taking all their home games.

What time is the game vs New Zealand on Fox?