NBA Playoffs are about to start...
I was going to have some sort of comprehensive preview for the NBA playoffs, but there's really not going to be much drama in the first round. This could be one of the most hideous playoffs to watch ever; I'm hoping that the NBA comes to its senses and brings us back to Best-of-Five first round series, where teams would be scared of facing the Wizards, the Lakers, and the Clippers.
That's not happening, so I thought maybe it would be nice to consider the MVP candidates. I won't do this, though, mainly because Bill Simmons already did it, and although his criteria is crazy (seriously, is Kobe really the number one pick in a huge NBA pickup game over LeBron?), he already did it.
However, in reference to Kevin Garnett, Simmons is a bit off. He asks, "How was his (KG's) supporting cast worse than Gasol's crew in Memphis, or even Chris Paul's team in New Orleans?"
Geez, Bill, I think if I were going to have a pickup game, I'd probably take a team with Eddie Jones, Bobby Jackson, Mike Miller, Shane Battier, and (gasp) Lorenzen Wright over a team with Ricky Davis, Marko Jaric, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, and Rashad McCants. I suspect I'd probably win. I'll even take the team with Kirk Snyder and David West over any team with Ricky Davis- this guy shot on his own goal in a game once to try to get a triple-double. He is certifiably impossible to win with. This is why Boston traded him for Wally Szczerbiak, knowingly observing that Ricky Davis would kill Wally in any sort of basketball-related competition. The Wolves have paired Garnett with both Davis and Sprewell, which should violate some sort of law somewhere. Tweaking anyone who's OCD is never a good idea.
Still, I have to agree with most of Simmons' logic, although you would think at least one Spur would be his Top 10 for MVP.
So, which playoff series are worth watching?
You can probably scratch Pistons/Bulls from the list. Also, you might want to scratch Bucks/Heat- the Bucks might win one game, but they probably won't win more than that. You'd like to think the Kings could beat the Spurs, but reality suggests otherwise.
The Wizards have the season lead over the Cavs, as do the Pacers over the Nets. I'd like to think the Nets will win, but the 4/5 series is a tossup.
The Lakers have Kobe. The Suns score too many points. At least one of these games will be memorable, but the Lakers don't have much of a chance.
Memphis doesn't have enough scoring to beat Dallas. Gasol isn't as good as Nowitzki.
So, with all this in mind, you should watch the Nuggets/Clippers- both teams have unstable personalities, and there should be some drama.
That's not happening, so I thought maybe it would be nice to consider the MVP candidates. I won't do this, though, mainly because Bill Simmons already did it, and although his criteria is crazy (seriously, is Kobe really the number one pick in a huge NBA pickup game over LeBron?), he already did it.
However, in reference to Kevin Garnett, Simmons is a bit off. He asks, "How was his (KG's) supporting cast worse than Gasol's crew in Memphis, or even Chris Paul's team in New Orleans?"
Geez, Bill, I think if I were going to have a pickup game, I'd probably take a team with Eddie Jones, Bobby Jackson, Mike Miller, Shane Battier, and (gasp) Lorenzen Wright over a team with Ricky Davis, Marko Jaric, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, and Rashad McCants. I suspect I'd probably win. I'll even take the team with Kirk Snyder and David West over any team with Ricky Davis- this guy shot on his own goal in a game once to try to get a triple-double. He is certifiably impossible to win with. This is why Boston traded him for Wally Szczerbiak, knowingly observing that Ricky Davis would kill Wally in any sort of basketball-related competition. The Wolves have paired Garnett with both Davis and Sprewell, which should violate some sort of law somewhere. Tweaking anyone who's OCD is never a good idea.
Still, I have to agree with most of Simmons' logic, although you would think at least one Spur would be his Top 10 for MVP.
So, which playoff series are worth watching?
You can probably scratch Pistons/Bulls from the list. Also, you might want to scratch Bucks/Heat- the Bucks might win one game, but they probably won't win more than that. You'd like to think the Kings could beat the Spurs, but reality suggests otherwise.
The Wizards have the season lead over the Cavs, as do the Pacers over the Nets. I'd like to think the Nets will win, but the 4/5 series is a tossup.
The Lakers have Kobe. The Suns score too many points. At least one of these games will be memorable, but the Lakers don't have much of a chance.
Memphis doesn't have enough scoring to beat Dallas. Gasol isn't as good as Nowitzki.
So, with all this in mind, you should watch the Nuggets/Clippers- both teams have unstable personalities, and there should be some drama.
posted by mike at 9:54 PM
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