411's 2nd Round NBA Playoff Roundtable Preview: Spurs/Hornets & Magic/Pistons
Posted by BL Anderson on 05.04.2008
We've got Cusson, Sat, Diaz, Lovell, Leighty, Schmidt...and me previewing the Spurs/Hornets and Magic/Pistons series! What more do you need from an NBA Roundtable on 411mania?!
411's 2nd Round NBA Playoff Roundtable
Hello everyone, I'm BL Anderson and this is 411mania's 2nd Round NBA Playoff roundtable coverage for 2008. We have a big-time list of contributors to this year's column, so let's do the introductions!
From the 411 Forums, and 411 NFL columnist…Sat!
From 411's wrestling section, and author of From the Bowery, Robert Leighty, Jr.!
From 411's Sports section and author of lots of stuff including the Sport's Kids NBA Rankings, the NHL Roundtables, and 411 Sports Fact or Fiction, Ken Schmidt!
From 411's Wrestling section, and Author of Column of Honor and lot's of other columns from various sections of the site, Jerome Cusson!
411's newest NBA columnist and author of The Three Point Play, Blake Lovell!
From 411 sports NBA columnist, author of the On The Sidelines, Porfirio Diaz!
And of course myself, 411's most active NBA columnist…BL Anderson!
Let's get right to it.
BL Okay fellers, let's start with the first match-up in the Western Conference, as the #1 seed Los Angeles Lakers take on the #4 seed Utah Jazz…
Sat Lakers in 5
I see the Lakers winning this series in five games for a few reasons. First, it took the Jazz six games to beat a pretty weak Houston team. I think that means that the Lakers finish off of the Jazz in five games. Plus, I think that the Lakers have too much offense for the Jazz to stop. The Lakers with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and the deep bench will be difficult for the Jazz to stop. I see Deron Williams having a great series, but the Lakers win this series easily.
Robert S. Leighty, Jr. Lakers in 6
Reports are that Kobe won his 1st ever MVP award. He will likely be presented with the trophy before one of the home games in this series. The Jazz could pose some problems for the Lakers, but I expect Kobe, and Gasol to get the Lakers through this series. Gasol has been one of the best mid-season acquisitions in years, and he has taken all the weight off of Kobe. Bryant has his "Pippen" so to speak, and the role players for LA know their role. The Lakers will struggle some in Utah (as most teams do), but they will steal a game there to win this series
Ken Schmidt Lakers in Six
The Jazz are a good team and they proved it last series when they handled the Rockets. This is going to be different though, it is a showdown of contrasting styles. I can see Gasol and Odom shrinking the value of Boozer throughout this series and I don't see enough speed on the Jazz side to shut down Kobe. Deron Williams is the wild card in this one that could make the series go seven but I don't see the Jazz winning in L.A. once and the Lakers should steal one in Utah to win it.
Jerome Cusson Lakers in Seven
The Lakers should be in good shape her for a victory because they have Kobe Bryant and a coach who knows how to win. The Jazz are a very good team, so I expect another highly competitive series from both teams here. Expect a big series from Odom since he seemed to be warming up against the Nuggets. The Jazz are better defensively, but I think home court advantage will be the difference.
Blake Lovell Lakers in 7 games
This could be the best series of the second round. Even though the Lakers are playing well right now, the Jazz have the personnel to give Kobe and company some problems. Deron Williams will have a very favorable match-up with Derek Fisher, as Williams showed exactly how good he could be in Game 6 of the Houston series. Carlos Boozer has a tough battle ahead against Pau Gasol, but Boozer has the strength to rough Gasol up a little bit, and take him out of his comfort zone. Of course no one on the Jazz will be able to stop Kobe. Kobe will be the MVP of the league, and has the potential for a huge series against the Jazz. Ronnie Brewer could play a huge role for the Jazz, as could Jordan Farmar for the Lakers. This series will be a back and forth struggle, as both teams will take advantage of their games at home. But when it's all said and done, Kobe leads the Lakers to a Game 7 win, and a trip to the Western Conference Finals.
Porfirio Diaz Lakers in 7
The Jazz are a great defensive team and will match up well against the Lakers. Ok, maybe the Jazz will match up well with everyone except one, Mr. MVP Kobe Bryant (wrong choice, but that's for another time). The Jazz don't have anyone on their roster that could guard Kobe (although to be fair, almost no one can) and if the Jazz resort to double teaming him, he can just kick it out to one of the many shooters they have on the team. Pick you poison Jazz. This will be the Lakers' first real test of the playoffs and the one to focus on is not Kobe or Gasol, but Odom. He's not exactly a player that comes through when the pressure's on, so this series will test his mental toughness. Gasol will no longer have the luxury of walking into the lane with easy layups. Now he has to battle the duo of Boozer and Okur. Mark this down as a series going to 7 games, with Kobe coming through in the end once again.
BL Anderson Lakers in 6
This is a favorable match-up for the Lakers, as the Jazz, while a good defensive team, don't have the guns that the Lakers have to get stops and execute offensively against the deepness and solidarity of the Lakers team. Kobe Bryant (Who will be MVP) will perform like an MVP, and Pau Gasol Vs. Carlos Boozer is one of the most intriguing match-ups of the playoffs thus far. The edge, I'm sorry to say, goes to Boozer because he has a better chance of stopping Pau Gasol some of the time than Gasol does of stopping Boozer anytime. And Deron Williams will have a great series, as well. The Jazz will put up a fight at home, but all the Lakers will need is one of the Jazz' home games to get the duex in 6.
And what of the other Western Conference 2nd Round Match-up, with #2 Seed New Orleans Hornets facing the #3 seed San Antonio Spurs?
Sat Spurs in 7 games
I think that either team could win this series, so I have to give the edge to the Spurs based on their experience. The Hornets are a fast team and fun to watch, but I expect the Spurs to slow them down. That definitely favors the Spurs. Jason Kidd had a tough time slowing down Chris Paul, but I see Tony Parker doing a better job of it. Finally, it is hard to pick against the defending champion and a team that has played in some difficult series in the playoffs.
Robert S. Leighty, Jr. Hornets in 7
I am going to ride the Chris Paul bandwagon until it reaches the Finals or it falls apart. Both teams had an easier than expected time in the opening round. The Spurs are used to this sort of thing, and will be the favorites. The Hornets were supposed to be too young and inexperienced for the Mavs, but Dallas looked old and slow against Paul and company. Chris Paul is still my choice for MVP, and as I said to start, I'll go with him and the Hornets until they lose 4 of 7.
Ken Schmidt Spurs in Six
Chris Paul took advantage of the old legs of Jason Kidd but Tony Parker is still young and fleet of foot. Don't expect Paul to blow up for 25+ points a game with Parker locking down on him but that goes vice versa for Parker without the Suns playing defense like it was a street ball game. Every game in this series will be incredibly exciting but like I've said a million times the man betting against the Spurs is the dumb man. I'll never do it, Spurs in six.
Jerome Cusson Hornets in 7
I know I picked the Suns to beat the Spurs and go onto the NBA Finals. Boy, do I deserve to pay for that one. I know the Hornets are very inexperienced, but I think they resemble a lot of the other teams remaining. They're not a team composed of stars, but they have a great deal of talent who know their roles. I think Chris Paul and the youthful Hornets will be able to outlast the veteran Spurs using their youth and the New Orleans crowd
Blake Lovell Spurs in 6 games
These are clearly two of the hottest teams in the league right now, with the two hottest point guards in the league. Chris Paul has been absolutely unstoppable so far this postseason, and his match-up with Tony Parker will be the highlight of the series. The match-up in the frontcourt will be interesting as well, as the duo of Tim Duncan and Kurt Thomas go up against Tyson Chandler and David West. The athleticism of West could give Thomas some problems in the open court, as West has been playing extremely well as of late. Although the Hornets continue to prove everyone wrong, it's hard to take them in this series. The Spurs are the defending champions, and until someone beats these guys, I'm not picking against them. They've got the frontcourt, the backcourt, and the experience. That's what you need come playoff time.
Porfirio Diaz Spurs in 5
I really, really want to pick the Hornets. They have the best point guard in the league (Paul), an underrated power forward (West), one of the best shooters in the league (Peja), and a very vigorous bench. Plus they are the most likeable team left in the playoffs. But I learned my lesson from the Suns-Spurs series and will never go against the best team of the decade again, no matter the odds. Spurs are just too experienced, too tough, and have better players, especially Duncan and Ginobili. They also have a greater control of keeping their emotions in check, though that doesn't mean they will allow David West to tap Manu's cheek like he did to Dirk. I will say this; CP3 vs. Parker will be one of better match-ups to watch in the second round. Both of them played against aging point guards in the previous series and both like to drive to the basket, so to see what they do against each other will be a joy to watch. This is the best match-up of the second round, but ultimately the Spurs will win in 5 games. The Hornets are the best story this year but that story will come to an end in this series.
BL Anderson Spurs in 7
The Hornets are playing great basketball right now, and are certainly going to compete heavily for this series. And sure it's easy to say that a team can go 7 games, and pull that game out to win the series. But we are talking about the San Antonio Spurs here...the most efficient, most together, most boring team in the NBA (With the exception of the Knicks and the Pistons). This team can take another team apart, due to 3 great stars, great role players who are happy to perform their functions and will do so accordingly, and a superior coaching staff with Greg Popovich at the helm. Most importantly, this is a team that has been there before, in tough series', facing tough match-ups much like the one that is posed by New Orleans, and have come away victorious. Expect Manu to be huge in this series, because the Hornets don't have anyone that can guard him!
And now over to the Eastern Conference match-up that has already been decided, the #2 seeded Detroit Pistons take on the #3 seeded Orlando Magic. What have we to say about this?
Sat Pistons in 6 games
The Pistons had their troubles in the first round, but I don't think that the 76ers were the ones that were causing problems for them. It was mainly the Pistons that caused those problems. The Magic had a relatively easy time taking care of the Raptors, so they are definitely on their A game. I think the main reason that the Pistons are winning this series is because of their guards and their experience. First, I'll start off with the experience. The Pistons starting rotation has been together for a long time, so that definitely gives them an advantage. I think one of the things that is overlooked is the fact that guard play is very important. The Magic have a great frontcourt, but their guards are really weak. On the opposite side, the Pistons' frontcourt is decent, but they have the better guards. So, I'll take the Pistons in six because of their guards and their experience.
Robert S. Leighty, Jr. Magic in 6
Much like the NO/Dallas series, this features playoff youth against the old guard. The Pistons looked vulnerable against Philly, until they hit the switch and rolled the last 3 games of the series. Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, and co. dispatched of the Raptors quickly, and again, I am going with the inexperienced team. Howard will be too strong in the middle, and that will leave the perimeter open for the Orlando shooters. The Pistons can't sleep-walk through this series, or they will lose more than 2 games. I suspect they will lose 4 of them.
Ken Schmidt Pistons in Seven
In the past 5 halves of basketball the Pistons are destroyed a good team in the Sixers. Dwight Howard took advantage of the Raptors weak defense and inability to guard the three when they collapsed on the young phenom. The Pistons defense is no joke, Lewis and Turkoglu will not get as many open looks and Sheed will be the star. Pistons in the playoffs are on another level but this one will be a tight series.
Jerome Cusson Magic in Six
I've grown tired of people giving the Pistons all kind of love and respect when for the last two years, they've choked at some point in the playoffs. They had no business struggling to beat an inexperienced 76ers team. I think it's going to come back and hurt them in this series with Dwight Howard ready to go and break out. I'm seeing a meltdown and another Detroit choke job. A bonus prediction: Flip Saunders gets fired after this series.
Blake Lovell Magic in 6 games
There's just something about the Magic right now. No, they didn't have a tough first round opponent in Toronto, but Dwight Howard is an absolute beast right now. The Pistons are one of the best defensive teams in the league, but it's hard to pinpoint someone who can effectively guard Howard. Rasheed Wallace will likely get the assignment, although Howard has the clear advantage in that matchup. Let's face it. This series all comes down to the mindset of the Pistons. Do these guys really care all that much? That's a question that will be answered in this series. All the Orlando players are hungry, and want a championship. The Pistons will probably come in overconfident just like they did against the Sixers in the first couple games of that series, which is why the Magic advance.
Porfirio Diaz Magic in 7
The Pistons did seem to be in cruise control for most of their first round series, but with the way they destroyed the Sixers in the last game, they may have finally awoken. Against Orlando, the Pistons have the advantage of having a better back court, a better bench, and an edge in experience. But there is one thing that worries me about the Pistons. They like to ease their way into games and only play hard when their backs are against the wall. They did enough to get past the Sixers, but if they continue to be in cruise control, they won't last long against the Magic. The Magic proved in their first round series that they can match and exceed the intensity of the Pistons and with the talent the Magic have (especially in the front court), they can easily win this series. But the Pistons' experience and back-to-the-wall mentality will push this series to its fullest, where the Magic will score the minor upset in 7 games and earn a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1996.
And that's the roundtable! 411 columnist was delayed, and unable to join us this time. Hopefully we'll be able to get his picks out to you in the follow-up BeatDown, along with the rest of our picks for the first round, with winner of the Celtics-Hawks series taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers, and that will be coming early in the week.
For all of my great colleagues here that participated in this roundtable, I'm BL Anderson, stay safe and take care.
