2013 NBA Playoffs First Round Preview

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Well, here we are at the best post-season basketball tournament of the year again.  No, it's not the NCAA Tournament.  It's the NBA Playoffs.  We're set to begin a long series of series that will one day get a combined total of 15 minutes of airtime on the Miami Heat's 2013 Championship Commemorative DVD from Sports Illustrated.  Call now before the games start and you could get a game-worn Chris Bosh Raptors jersey absolutely free!  All you do is pay shipping and handling!  What a deal, I know.  Without
further ado, the Round 1 picks.

East

1 Miami vs. 8 Milwaukee

Key Matchup:  Brandon Jennings’ Mouth vs. The 2013 Milwaukee Bucks

Jennings recently made public his prediction of a 4-2 series win for the Bucks.  It’s that unwarranted/indefensible optimism against a team that went 38-44 this year.

Prediction:  Heat Sweep

2 New York vs. 7 Boston

Key Matchup:  J.R. Smith vs. Avery Bradley

We all know who the Celtics are- A couple old superstars, Doc Rivers at the helm, and a decent group of role players.  And we know who the Knicks are too- Carmelo Anthony’s offense, Tyson Chandler’s defense, and…wait, that’s it.  These two guys are the unsung heroes of these teams- Smith for his streaky but often dynamic offense and Bradley for his stellar D.  The winner of this one-on-one could swing the series.

Prediction:  Celtics in 7

3 Indiana vs. 6 Atlanta

Key Matchup:  Al Horford vs. Roy Hibbert

Each of these teams relies on a borderline elite Center to control the paint.  With the shooting prowess these teams have, I can bet there’ll be plenty of rebounds to be had.  Whomever controls the boards could control the series.

Prediction:  Pacers in 6

4 Brooklyn vs. 5 Chicago

Key Matchup:  Deron Williams vs. Deron Williams

These teams are pretty dissimilar in every way.  The Nets have “stars” and the Bulls have Derrick Rose and Derrick Rose’s Angry Brother Reggie.  Yet the Bulls play great Team D and everyone knows their role.  They’re a great TEAM, they just don’t have much in the way of individuals (Luol Deng and Joakim Noah as your top 2?  No thanks.)  the only thing that can save Brooklyn is a healthy, motivated, in-shape, productive D-Will.  They haven’t gotten much of that in 2 years.

Prediction:  Bulls in 6

West

1 Oklahoma City vs. 8 Houston

Key Matchup:  Angry James Harden vs. The Thunder

Look, we all know the Thunder are going to cruise here.  But the Rockets have a chance to make it interesting if Harden plays as well as he should given that he’s playing the team that traded him because he didn’t give them a good enough chance to beat the Heat to justify keeping him around this year.  I think he’ll swing a game for himself.

Prediction:  Thunder in 5

2 San Antonio vs. 7 Los Angeles (Lakers)

Key Matchup:  Dwight Howard vs. ESPN

So as the Lakers try and win a playoff series on the back of 2 good big men and No Kobe (despite not being able to do it the past two years with 2 good bigs AND Kobe) I’m sure ESPN will make it out to be that it’s all Dwight’s fault the Spurs have a great team and a great coach and the Lakers have Mike D’Antoni and Steve Blake.  As the Spurs high octane offense runs LAL into the ground, someone on ESPN (Skip Bayless, Stephen A. Smith, or Magic Johnson perhaps) will say Dwight just sucks and the Lakers should let him go.  Even though he’s the best Center in the NBA.  Logical, yes.  I don’t want to watch that, but it’s coming.

Prediction:  Spurs Sweep

3 Denver vs. 6 Golden State

Key Matchup: “West Coast” Time vs. “Bed” Time

Look, all I know about these teams is that they score a lot of points.  I never watch them because they always seem to be in that awkward 10:30 start time when they’re on TV.  And if I can’t watch the last 5 minutes of an NBA game I’m certainly not watching any of the first 43 (sorry, in the regular season that’s how it works for me).  So I’m assuming they’ll be on late again.  Which means as much as I love the NBA Playoffs I’m not sure I’ll be able to tune into all these games.

Prediction:  Nuggets in 6

4 Los Angeles (Clippers) vs. 5 Memphis

Key Matchup:  Chris Paul vs. Vinny Del Negro

Chris Paul is clearly the 3^rd best player in the NBA, and if you don’t agree then you don’t like point guard play at its finest.  He’s the best pure point man since Isaiah.  He runs Lob City.  VDN, on the other hand, is one of the worst coaches in the league.  His clock management, play calling, and use of timeouts are comical at times.  It’s almost as hilarious as DeAndre Jordan or Blake Griffin trying to shoot a basketball from outside of 5 feet from the hoop.  If CP3 gets to run the show his way, the Clips can contend in the West.  If it’s VDN calling the shots, the Grizz will be playing in Round 2

Prediction:  Clippers in 6