NBA Playoff Matchups in the West
Sunday, April 18th, 2010
Ah, the Western Conference. Some people still say this is where it’s at.
And with good reason too because in the West, it doesn’t matter what seed you are because any one of these Western Conference teams can go on and win the NBA championship. In the 2010 NBA playoffs, it’s more or less the same story.
Heck, Kevin Durant, the youngest player ever to win the scoring title this season, will be playing from the no.8 seed with the rest of the Oklahoma City Thunder. You see, these guys could go on and advance to, probably the second round of the playoffs. The problem is, they will be on a head-on collision with the no.1 seed Los Angeles Lakers.
That’s right, it’s the defending champions for the Oklahoma City Thunder. That’s probably why NOBODY expects them to get past the Lakers in the first round other than them Thunder players and their mommas.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for Kevin Durant and the season he had but when you pit him against Kobe Bryant? They don’t call him the Black Mamba for nothing.
The no.2 seed Dallas Mavericks take on the no.7 seed San Antonio Spurs in what is sure to be an exciting Texas shootout. Some people say the Mavericks, since the All-Star break, have supplanted the Denver Nuggets as the biggest threat to the Lakers in the West but since the Spurs caught fire late in the season, people are starting to reconsider that notion.
I mean, this is the San Antonio Spurs we’re talking about, the model of consistency in the NBA. And with a healthy Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili once again leading the charge, you can’t deny that the Spurs is one team to watch out for.
But if there’s one team that can be considered the team that can be considered the ”darkhorse” if you will to beat the Lakers in the West, it would have to be the no.3 seed Phoenix Suns.
The Suns clicked at the right time and…
2009 NBA Playoffs Preview: West
Monday, April 20th, 2009
I guess you can call it the wild and wackier side of the postseason.
Yep, unlike the Eastern Conference, seven of the eight seeds in the West for the 2009 NBA Playoffs were not determined yet until they played the last game of the regular season.
While everybody knew the Los Angeles Lakers will remain on top of the field, nobody knew which teams will occupy seeds two to eight. But now that the dust has cleared and the 82-game regular season finally came to a close, we already have the seedings complete.
Playing the top-seeded Lakers are the no.8 seed Utah Jazz. This might be a tougher series than the Lakers expect. Sure, the Jazz have a big problem with winning games on the road this season, but at 33-19 against conference opponents, Utah is still a tough nut to crack in the West. And as good as the Jazz are in the West, they are even better at home.
The rejuvenated Denver Nuggets, led by their court general Chauncey Billups, will take on the New Orleans Hornets as the overall no.2 seed in the conference. Nobody anticipated how good of an impact Chauncey Billups will have on Denver but can he outplay CP3?
Even though the New Orleans Hornets can only muster seed no.7, Chris Paul still remains as a solid candidate for MVP. It’ll be nice watching Chauncey take on CP3. And while Denver appears to be the more talented team on paper, it’ll still be a shocker if they can get past the Hornets to get to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in quite a while.
A good ol’ fashioned shootout in Texas is next as the no.3 seed San Antonio Spurs take on their state rivals, Dallas Mavericks, to kick off their postseason campaign. Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry will be put to the test as they take on arguably the most consistent team in the NBA.
However, as good as the San Antonio Spurs have been in years, they’re starting to show the effects of the wear and tear they accumulated playing in the league together. Can their old wheels still be fast enough to keep up with the run and gun pace of the Dallas Mavericks?
Last but certainly not the least, we have the no.4 seed Portland Trail Blazers playing the no.5 seed Houston Rockets.
The Blazers are arguably one of the most exciting teams to…
NBA Basketball Betting Preview for the 2009 NBA All Star Game
Thursday, February 12th, 2009
The 2009 NBA All Star Game which will be held at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona is just a few days away. The 2009 All Star Game would be yet another basketball gambling delight as this would feature the NBA’s top basketball players of the year with the exception of players that were left out of the fray.
Kobe Bryant would be appearing in his 11th All Star Game and is a favourite to win this year’s NBA All Star game MVP award. With the way the Los Angeles Lakers are playing it would not be a surprise if Kobe Bryant goes home with the award.
On the other end of the court would be Kevin Garnett who would be playing in his 12th NBA All Game, yet would not be a favourite to win the MVP award. LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers is the reigning All Star MVP and is next in line on the polls to take the award.
Notable NBA Players are…
The 2009 NBA All-Star Game is Set
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
The representatives for both the Eastern and Western Conference were finally determined.
With the 2009 NBA All-Star Game only a few more days away, we finally learned who among the league’s top players will be representing the two conferences for the mid-season classic.
And since this year’s All-Star game will be in Phoenix, let’s start with the two guys who’ll be representing the host city on February 15, Suns forward Amare Stoudemire, who was voted in as a starter, and Suns center Shaquille O’Neal, voted in as a reserve by NBA coaches.
You read it, Shaquille O’Neal is back in the All-Star game, moving past NBA greats such as Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Jerry West to land in second place in the all-time All-Star appearances made by an NBA player. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was selected 19 times, still leads everybody.
The 2009 NBA Western Conference All-Stars will be led by reigning NBA MVP Kobe Bryant. He will be joined by New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul in the West’s starting backcourt.
Rounding up the Western starters are Tim Duncan and Yao Ming, joining Stoudemire in the frontcourt.
Joining Shaq as a reserve for the 2009 NBA Western Conference All-Stars include Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Chauncey Billups, Tony Parker, Brandon Roy and David West. The Western Conference will be coached by the Lakers’ Zen Master Phil Jackson.
For the 2009 NBA Eastern Conference All-Stars, defending NBA champions Boston Celtics will have two representatives with Kevin Garnett starting at the…
It’s a wild wild West in the 2008 NBA Playoffs
Monday, April 21st, 2008
Yes, the wild wild West is where it’s at in the postseason.
With the regular season finally over, the seedings in the West were finally finalized for the 2008 NBA playoffs. And in case you’ve been living under a rock, Tinseltown is back on top after the Lakers won the Western Conference title for the first time since the 2000 playoffs.
That means, the Los Angeles Lakers will enter the playoffs as the no.1 seed. They will face the no.8 seed Denver Nuggets in a best-of-seven, first round series to kick-off their playoff campaign and with Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony killing some of the momentum his team gained after he was charged with DUI, the Lakers are definitely looking quite good to have their way in this playoff match-up.
Of course, Denver Nuggets guard Allen Iverson will still be focused as he prepares himself for a match-up with Lakers star Kobe Bryant. But then again, let’s not kid ourselves with the idea that Denver will actually shock L.A. in the first round.
No.2 seed New Orleans Hornets will face the no.7 seed Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks had a statement game against New Orleans for the final game of the regular season, winning 111-98 when J-Kidd had a massive triple-double of 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Of course, the New Orleans Hornets are hoping for a different tune especially after winning Game 1. But I STILL won’t be surprised to see the Dallas Mavericks knock off the no.2 seed in the first round.
No.3 seed San Antonio Spurs renew their playoff rivalry with no.6 seed Phoenix Suns once they meet again in the first round. The last time they played a series in the playoffs, Suns star Steve Nash was on the receiving end of a shoulder block from Spurs vet Robert Horry. That ended with the Spurs moving on and the Suns taking an abrupt exit from the playoffs.
This time though, the Phoenix Suns will have…
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