Playoff Preview:Jazz vs Nuggets

(4) Jazz vs (5) Nuggets

The tale of two momentums. Utah is playing as well as any team in the league. They are not considered a good defensive team but they are pretty damn good establishing their tempo and also versatile enough to adjust to other temps when they have to. They have a great leader in Deron Williams and one of the better coaches out there. About Sloan, do we take him for granted? I mean if he wasn't Jerry freaking Sloan he would have at least 3 COY awards in the last 10 years. How did this happen?

Oh well, the other -Denver - is sinking as a rock. They totally lost their mojo when coach Karl went down and lost their toughest guy when KMart went down. Their are getting Martin back but no their mojo. I'm impressed how a team with Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups can look so off in an important stretch of the season. I liked this team. For my money if they had gone for an extra big in February ( Camby, Thomas, Collison ) they would have been right there with the Lakers ( even higher considering how the Lakers are playing these days) but they did nothing and now they look like a first round exit. What a shame.

Utah have their own issues with injuries. Kirilenko won't play this series and Okur still hurt but he is scheduled to be in uniform. Carlos Boozer got his rib cage hurt or something like that. He is a big guy, I'm not even considering him being injured. How much of the momentum was killed by their last game lost of the season, the ass kicking Phoenix gave them, at home no less.

Denver and Utah are 500 road teams. Denver has come advantage and without Utah's Kirilenko there is really nobody who can stay with Carmelo. To be honest this is a toss-up and I'm thinking of giving the series to Denver just caused of the Kirilenko injury and the fact that I'm relying on Chauncey to have a good series matching somehow the damage Deron Williams is going to inflict on them.

Basketball Gods prediction: Nuggets in 7

Win Scale (From 1: "The refs gave them that game. Are they really this bad?" to 10: " This is the best team ever! Make me yours" ) 6

NBA Playoffs Day 37

Welcome Back, Mr Big Shot. Again Billups didn't played that good but he put the nail in the coufin and now the Pistons are back on track. Just remember that I called a game 5 victory for the Pistons..just remember it.

Since game 2 of the Western Conference Finals every game is a "critical" game for the Spurs. They need both games at San Antonio to make this a competitive series after blowing away game 1. They need as much as Manu as the can get. If the Spurs eventually can win this series they would have comeback twice from a 0- 2 hole. I know that obvious right now but what If this guys pull it of. This Spurs. I mean everybody is burrying this guys and handing them a cane in the first chance they have. How many experts had the Spurs in the Finals. How many experts have the Spurs in Conference Finals. That's why I love this 2008 Spurs. They just keep coming at you
(I know, I know that myself give up on them in the New Orleans Hornets but I read too much Hollinger. My mind is weak. Sorry).

Pd: If you add those two paragraphs together you'll realized that I'm also rooting for a Pistons - Spurs Finals.

NBA Playoffs Weekend 6

Celtics - Pistons

It is so cool to finally see KG playing and being a factor in a playoff game that I' ve renewed my seasong long desire of witnessing KG holding the Larry O'Brien trophy. I still believe the Pistons are going to take this series just 'cause the have a thicker skin. Unless you are John Hollinger you have to give some importance to experience. About the only thing that could derrail the Pistons - besides a KG going all MJ on them - is that little issue with Chauncey's hamstring, Stuckey did a marvellous job running the offense against the Magic but this Celtics team - with this Celtics' KG - is a different beast. Now, do you prefer Billups' leadership although he ain't 100% healthy or Stuckeys' energy and risk a turnover here and there that could cost them another home game. I'd ride Billups as long as I could, if he's hurting my team I'll pull him off. But you don't leave a guy like Billups off the game if he can't play. This is the Conference Finals, there's no tomorrow.

Spurs- Lakers

Let me get this straight. If Manu plays as he can play, the Spurs win. If Manu shoots 3/13 they lost. This is nothing new we already have know the effect that Manu's bad games have on Spurs' offense. They just can't generate enough offense without him. Plain and simple. The need him to be at least at threat -which he hasn't been the first two games - for the Spurs to have a "fluid" offense. That game 1 is REALLY REALLY going to hurt, the blew a golden oportunitie and they should have been up 2 -1 right now. This Lakers ain't the Hornets. They need tons and tons of Manu

Overview: Pistons vs Magic

After a very doubtful first round survival agains the Sixers the Pistons are now rolling. I have two points of concern here regarding the Pistons:

1. They got outplayed the first three games by a younger less experience team
2. Chauncey Billups have been regular at best. For his own standards that's it.

Slowly but surely all those concerns are now history. Orlando was a team with the same youth going on for them but with a lot more of firepower and a inside monster that just went Wilt Chamberlain against Chris Bosh and the Raptors. All that just went puff against the Pistons' D and so far in these playoffs they are the only team that have shut down a quality oponent. I've said it before, I'll say it again. The Pistons are the team to beat. Orlando got a pride win but this series was clear from the get go. They never had a chance not with Howard being underSupermanesque.

Whose fault is it? You could argue that Jameer Nelson that a chance of taking control of the series when Chauncey went down. For those who knows Stuckey they were never worried about that whole situation.

NBA Playoffs Day 17, 18 and 19

Yeah I Know, I've falle a little behind but that doesn't mean I have something to say...


Everybody is talking about that Billups 3 at the end of the third quater in the Pistons - Magic game 2. Whatever is legal or not there was only a 2 point game after it and the Magic actually held the lead at some point of the fourth quater. Simly put the Pistons were the better closer.

San Antonio got pounded again in game 2. Yeap the Spurs stink so far.

The first Celtics-Cavs game sucked. I didn't even saw it. Good Lord, Lebron 2 for 18. Those are Larry Hughes numbers

And yesterday...

Finally Orlando defeated Detroit but they needed an Billups' injury and a career game from Rashard Lewis. I've heard that the cause of Detroit' past playoffs dissapointments was Chauncey. That his numbers always come down this team of year. I love the guy Detroit play basketball but I don't like the Pistons' attitude. They normally come out with public statements that make them look way too cocky and just looking down to their opponent. Is it mind games? It it team policies? Whatever it is I think they need to show some respect to the game and the other team no matter how unexperience or crappy they are.

And then... Kobe got his MVP and Boozer stayed home. LAL 2 - 0.

Second Round: Pistons vs Magic

2. Pistons (59-23) vs 3. Magic (52-30)
Regular Season Series: TIED 2-2
Point Differencial: DET +3.0


If the Pistons want to to prove their "we are better when our backs are against the wall" theory one more time in this series the new Superman and the rest of the Magic might push you through that wall. Once again the Pistons face a team that likes to run and not to fond to defense. Not exactly a recipe for playoffs success but they have a monster for a center who comes from having a monster series (22.6 ppg, 18.2 rpg) and he can easily dominate any matchup.

This Pistons encarnation is a lot more deep that last year's. They can now throw a more mature Maxiell and a fresh Ratliff -joining Rasheed Wallace and Antonio Mcdyess - at Howard direction. Their defense is not going to anything but sweet (If you defend somebody sweetly you have issues. Look at yourselft in the mirror). Take this to the bank: Howard is going to spend a ton of time in the free throw line. He didn't played well in the regular season facing this guys (17.3 ppg, 10.8 rpg) and in some of those games Ratliff wasn't even there.

The last couple of games Detroit showed some revitalization of their offense. Rip Hamilton and Prince found their groove on those games and Billups had his moments. All their numbers are very close - that's the Pistons way - but Billups really look like he was missing a step or two and he wasn't defending no Chris Paul, he was guarding 32 year old Andre Miller.

This teams matchup pretty well and Detriot's team defense, home court advantage and experience gives them them the upper hand as long as they are focus and show up to the games.

Orlando's offense doesn't go through Howard, he still not that polished. Lewis, Turkoglu and Nelson need to be effective and efficient. Nelson averaged 4 TO per game (and 4.8 apg) against a poor defensive team if he doesn't take better care of the ball the Pistons will eat him alive. Two of their 2 main shooters were money in the regular season but struggle in the first round. (Both Hedo and Lewis had made over 40% of their three point attemps. Against Toronto Hedo shot for 11% and Lewis for 25%). They need to wake up 'cause Howard is not going to have the same freedom he had against Bosh and Toronto "team defense".


X Factor: Somebody in the Hedo/Lewis combo won't be defended by Prince. He needs to exploit that matchup against either Mcdayess or Maxiell. That Magic needs to find his shooting touch and some fire on his belly if Orlando wants to continue

Basketball Gods' Prediction: DET 4-2.

Ps: I'd put them in five but I'm giving them a "night off

Overview: Pistons vs Sixers

I'm still worried. It took them 6 games -3 straight wins - to eliminate a 40 -42 team that plays no defense and have no clear go to guy. Those 3 straight wins could be signs of "back in track" but Chauncy Billups had not been that steady hand we have seen in previous years.

Philly did their thing. They run, they weren't afraid of the Pistons (kudos to Andre Miller and Mo Cheeks for that) and they believed in themselves. Even that Andre Igoudala didn't have a good series the Sixers never roll and died (thanks to Mo Cheecks). The ugly part happened when the Pistons turned it on, specially Sheed. If those Pistons had played every game it would have been a 4 game series and that was the lesson of this series the Pistons have attentional issues or some basketball synonym. That could cost them later in their playoff run.

Whose fault is it? Igoudala could have had a better series (13.2 ppg, .333 FG%) but the rest of the Sixers pick up the slack for him. They are eliminated because the other team was better. At least for four games.