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Comments on First Round
Can you say upset? I have to give it to the Warriors for pulling off one of the biggest upsets in NBA history. An 8 seed beats a 1 seed and not any 1 seed, but the team that had the best record in the regular season. This goes to show how important records really are. Besides the Mavericks falling, what happened to the dominant West? There were three sweeps in the East, yet there were none in the West. On the bright side, the basketball only gets better from here.

Round 2 Predictions Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

Bulls vs. Pistons
Fate brought these two strong rivals together in just the second round. The Bulls, making the playoffs for the first time since Michael Jordan’s departure, play against the experienced Pistons, who won it all in 2004. This is truly going to be a spectacular series. Each match-up is going to be a blast to watch. For the Point Guards it’s Chauncey Billups for Detroit vs. Chris Duhon for Chicago. This one should be hands down. Chauncey averaged 7 assists per game in the regular season and has tremendous leadership abilities. He can slow it down, score, assist, and anything you want him to do. For Center, it’s Ben Wallace vs. Chris Webber. Ben Wallace, being multiple times defensive player of the year, should be able to contain Chris Webber. Chris Webber still hasn’t played like he used to before the flu got to him. For guards it’s Ben Gordon vs. Richard Hamilton. Although Ben Gordon was explosive against Miami, the Heat simply didn’t have anybody that could guard him. Richard Hamilton isn’t the best defensive player, but should be able to out play him with his offensive capabilities. For forwards, it’s Tayshaun Prince vs. Luol Deng. Again, Luol Deng was a beast against Miami, but Miami did not have anybody that could guard him effectively. If anybody can guard Luol Deng, it’s going to be Prince. Don’t let his size trick you; he has averaged 1.4 blocks per game with 14 points per game. However, Luol Deng has averaged 19 points per game and has been known to score more than 30. This match-up will be an interesting one to see. In the last position, Rasheed Wallace against Kirk Hinrich. Rasheed is just a much better player with his monstrous 3 pointers. Kirk is definitely not to be overlooked, but he is no match for the experienced ‘sheed. In the bench department, the Pistons have it hand down. With big names like Jason Maxiell, Carlos Delfino, Antonio McDyess, Lindsey Hunter, Ronald Murray, and Dale Davis, Pistons have an amazing bench. In the end, it’s going to be a fun and competitive series to watch, however experience always wins in playoffs. My prediction: Pistons in 6.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New Jersey Nets
You have to give to the Nets for beating the Toronto Nets, even if it was just a one-point victory. However, their success will be short-lived. I don’t think they have the ability to stop the Cavaliers. In the Point Guard position it’s Eric Snow up against Jason Kidd. Kidd averaged a whopping 9 assists per game and 13 points per game. Eric Snow only average 4 points per game and is still developing. Jason Kidd has this match-up under control. In the Forwards, it’s Lebron James against Richard Jefferson. Do I really need to talk about this match-up? Lebron is one of the best offensive players in the league. Nobody can guard him. Enough said. In the guards, Vince Carter will dominate whoever the Cavaliers put on them. He averaged a monstrous 25 points per game with 5 assists per game. In the shooting guards, it’s Larry Hughes against Mikki Moore. Both players are erally well rounded and this match up will be fun to watch. As the Power Forwards it’s Drew Gooden vs. The Jason Collins. Drew Gooden is a good well-rounded player averaging 11 points with 9 rebounds. On the other hand, Jason has only averaged 2 points with 4 rebounds. Definitely, the Cavaliers have this match-up. In the bench, with the Cavaliers’ Varejao, the Cavaliers will beat the Nets in bench. Overall, this match up will be a very close series, but Lebron James and the bench will give the Cavaliers the edge. My prediction: Cavaliers in 7.

Western Conference Semi-finals
Spurs vs. Sun
This is a highly debatable match up. Many people think the winner of this match up will go on to win it all. I don’t fully believe in this, but there’s definitely a good chance it will happen. I think this whole series will boil down to whether or not Steve Nash will deliver. If he plays like how he did against the Lakers, the Suns will shine. However, if he ends up choking like Dirk Nowitzki, the Suns have no chance. In the Point Guard positions it’s Steve Nash vs. Anthony Parker. Although Anthony Parker has been known to explode offensively, he is no match for the 2 time MVP. Nash averaged a monstrous 11 assists per game with over 20 points per game. In the forwards it’s Stoudemire against Tim Duncan. Wow is this a great match up. NBA’s finest forwards going against each other. Their stats are neck and neck. Even Stoudemire is hungry to get on to face Duncan. “It’s a clash of two of the best power forwards and centers in the league meeting in the playoffs,” he said. “It’s definitely a huge matchup. It’s going to be a battle. It’s going to be a showdown. I’m ready and my team is ready.” It’s going to be the finest match ups in the playoffs. In the small forwards, there is Shawn Marion against Bruce Bowen. Even though Bowen’s threes are killer, Marion has this match up locked up. He’s averaged 18 points per game compared to Bowen’s 10. In the guards position, it’s Boris Diaw against Manu Ginobili. This one should be hands down. Manu Ginobili has this match up locked up. For a foreigner, he can really shoot well averaging 17 points per game. Finally, in the bench, the Suns definitely have an edge with Barbosa. He wasn’t named the best 5th man for nothing, averaging 18 points per game from the bench. Overall, this will be the most exciting series in the second round. However, the Suns’ Steve Nash, Stoudemire, and Barbosa will lead them to a victory. My prediction: Suns in 7.

Golden State Warriors vs. Utah Jazz
Bravo to both teams beating both the Mavericks and Rockets while being the underdog. After this match up, the winner will have a real hard time in the conference finals. In the forwards, it’s Jason Richardson against Matt Harpring. Jason Richardson has been an on court success and will easily beat Matt. Jason has been averaging 16 points per game and was the real leader that led his team to one of the biggest upsets of NBA history. In the guards, it’s Monta Ellis against Deron Williams. This should be definitely a great match up to watch. Both players are very skilled and highly capable of being superstars one day. I will leave this match up to fate. In the centers, it’s Al Harrington against the Carlos Boozer. Carlos Boozer definitely has a slight edge over Al Harrington with his offensive skills. However, the winner of the match up is hard to determine because of the intangibles. This is also one of the many neck to neck match ups in the playoffs. For the bench, I haven’t really followed these two teams well enough to tell you which bench is better. However, I do think this match up will be a very close one, but the Jazz due to the match ups will come out victorious. My prediction: Jazz in 7

This second round has some of the most intense match ups yet. Featuring probably the best basketball played until the finals. Enjoy watching!

 

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