Saturday, April 20, 2013

NBA First Round Playoff Predictions



Eastern Conference

Miami Heat Vs Milwaukee Bucks

This will probably be the most boring matchup of the playoffs because The Bucks have absolutely no chance against The Heat! Hell I bet Coach Spo could sit Lebron, D Wade and Chris Bosh for the entire series and it would still be a sweep!

Heat over Bucks 4 Games

New York Knicks Vs Boston Celtics

The Celtics have spent most of this season injured and have really had a pretty shitty season compared to seasons in the past few years. It seems everytime they get it going they get hit with another injury and they start to slump again. The Knicks on the other hand have had a great season despite all their injury problems. Carmelo has been playing out of his mind and is having the best season of his career and even through his own injuries he’s led this team straight into the playoffs as a legitimate contender. The Knicks have a solid bench too which has been a big help and JR Smith is also having a career year. The Knicks have been on a tear since The All Star Break and are probably the healthiest they’ve been since the beginning of the season and with all The Celtics injury problems I don’t feel like this is even going to be a competitive series. I think The Knicks will run away with it!

Knicks over Celtics 5 games

Indiana Pacers Vs Atlanta Hawks

The Pacers have been one of the surprise dominant teams out in The East, they’re young, fresh, fast, can score a lot of points, and play well on the defensive side. I feel like this team is a legitimate threat to The Miami Heat in The Eastern Conference because they’re overlooked and are deep enough to keep up with the best. Atlanta has been up and down all season and basically just backed their way into the playoffs. This should be a quick and easy series for The Pacers they own The Hawks in just about every single category.

Pacers over Hawks 5 games

Brooklyn Nets Vs Chicago Bulls

This is going to be the only good matchup in The First Round from The Eastern Conference. The Bulls haven’t missed a beat even though their team leader Derrick Rose has been out all season since he tore his ACL about a year ago and he still isn’t back. There’s a possibility he could make a return sometime in the playoffs but there is no need to rush him back since the team is playing so well. Carlos Boozer is having a great season and The Bulls are still one of the top defensive teams in the league, the thing that will hurt them is Joakim Noah’s injury. Him being out does hurt them defensively and if they don’t get him back I don’t think they have a shot at a Championship. The Nets have had a much improved season led by Derron Williams who is also having a great season. If Noah comes back strong I feel like The Bulls should win the series easily, but if he does not that will make things a lot more interesting. If The Bulls allow The Nets to get on a roll offensively they don’t have a chance. I think The Bulls are a better team, especially on the defensive side, and will win the series in the end.

Bulls over Nets 6 games

Western Conference

Oklahoma City Thunder Vs Houston Rockets

There’s a lot of hype surrounding this game because James Harden was traded before the season from The Thunder to The Rockets. This turned out to be a great thing for The Rockets because dude is having a career year, but The Thunder obviously have not suffered so far from this trade. Kevin Durant is having yet another great season and so is Westbrook and I think the Thunder are ready for another run at The Championship! I really don’t think this is going to be a good series and I think The Thunder will run away with it, The Rockets aren’t even in their league right now.

Thunder over Rockets 5 Games

San Antonio Spurs Vs Los Angeles Lakers

This season has been one of the worst seasons for me as a Lakers fan to watch. All the injuries, the switching of coaches, the horrible play, the drama surrounding Dwight Howard’s contract, and the final straw was the injury to Kobe Bryant! I honestly didn’t give a shit if The Lakers made the playoffs because I really just want this season to be over with. I mean come on without Kobe this team is in no way a Championship calibur team. I know a lot of Lakers fans are getting their hopes because we’re playing The Spurs who have been struggling lately, but come on people let’s not kid ourselves…our Lakers are done! A lot of people are counting The Spurs out right now because of their current struggles, but honestly I think that’s the way they like it and I think when they’re under the radar they play better and want to prove people wrong. Tim Duncan is having a great season and I will never count The Spurs out when this guy is out there playing at such a high level. Tony Parker is having a tough time coming back from his ankle sprain and Manu has also been dealing with injury issues, which is why this team is slumping, but I think they have lucked out by playing The Lakers because The Lakers are lucky if they can win two games in a row. This should be a decent series but The Spurs will win it.

Spurs over Lakers 6 games

Denver Nuggets Vs Golden State Warriors

The Warriors have been one of the surprise teams out West, they have been lighting up teams on offense and Stephan Curry has been having a career year! The Nuggets have silently been beating down teams and even had their own winning streak going, but ESPN was too busy hanging on The Heats nuts to even notice. This should be a fun matchup to watch with two teams that can get it going on the offensive side, but I think where The Nuggets have the edge is on the defensive side. The Nuggets are a team with scrappy guys who go hard in the paint and I think that is where they will beat The Warriors in this series.

Nuggets over Warriors 6 Games

Los Angeles Clippers Vs Memphis Grizzlies

This is probably going to be the best matchup in The Western Conference in the first round. Both of these teams matchup well against eachother especially in the paint. Memphis has been going strong since the start of the season, even with the trade of Rudy Gay they are still playing well. The Clippers have also had a great season and look like a team that is ready to contend for a title, Chris Paul has this team looking great and Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan have been holding it down in the middle on offense and defense. The Clippers have looked like a team on a mission this season and I feel like they could win The West if they continue to play at this high pace. The Grizzlies have been hit by injuries and I feel like it will hold them back in the series. I give the edge to The Clippers in this matchup but it will be a fun one to watch, The Grizzlies over the last couple of seasons have made the playoffs very interesting and I expect them to do the same this year as well.

Clippers over Grizzlies 7 games

Sunday, April 7, 2013

NCAA Basketball National Championship Prediction



Michigan Vs Louisville

This year’s NCAA Torunament has been full of some crazy moments and great games and now here we are at The National Championship. Both of these teams have had great seasons and played the most consistent basketball compared to all the other teams ranked in the Top 25. Louisville has been dominant during this tournament by owning each and every opponent that they have faced up until the Wichita St game. Louisville’s strength is on offense but they can lock it down on defense when they need to, while Michigan is the opposite their strength is their defense but their offense can catch fire. Michigan has the player of the year a spectacular point guard, Trey Burke, who has led this team in scoring and is the obvious leader of the team. I think the edge in this matchup will go to Louisville because their overall schedule from the regular season up until this point has been more tough than Michigan’s. Louisville dominated more teams in the Top 25 during the regular season and have been extremely focused and dominant during this tournament. Also Rick Pitino is a great coach and seems to have his team focused and ready to win it all. This should be a good matchup since these teams are similar, but Louisville has had to overcome a lot this season and I think they will end up with the win.

Louisville over Michigan 66-63