#1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #8 Detroit Pistons
The Cavs are making their fourth consecutive postseason appearance, and this year marks the first time in franchise history they are a #1 seed. The Pistons have made the postseason eight years in a row, which is the third-longest active streak in the NBA. This is not the same Pistons team that we have seen in years past. I have said all season that the biggest mistake this team made was trading away Chauncey Billups. They traded the heart and soul of their team for Allen Iverson, who by the way is hurt and won’t be playing in the playoffs. Smart move Joe Dumars! I’m sure Piston fans are happy with that! I forgot to mention Cleveland is led by a guy named LeBron James, maybe you have heard of him? LeBron led Cleveland to a 66-16 record, and also led his team in total points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals, which is a feat accomplished by only 3 other players in NBA history. Cleveland’s record at home this year was an astounding 39-2, and the last time the Cavs played the Pistons in a playoff series was 2007, when LeBron single handedly beat Detroit and led Cleveland to the finals. The point is, Detroit has nothing that can stop LeBron, and this Cleveland team is on a mission to win the title. As great as Detroit has been in the past, their time is up. Maybe if they still had Chauncey Billups I would reconsider my pick, but I don’t see any way how Detroit makes this series interesting.
Pick- Cavs in 4
#2 Boston Celtics vs. #7 Chicago Bulls
The Celtics received horrible news today when they found out that Kevin Garnett’s knee might keep him out of the playoffs. The good news is KG’s absence probably won’t have any effect on the outcome of the Celtics first round matchup against the Bulls. In the 25 games KG has missed this year, the Celtics have a record of 18-7, including a 12-2 record in the final 14 games with losses coming at Orlando and at Cleveland. Leon Powe has been a solid replacement for KG, and lets not forget this Celtics team still has the best defensive mindset of any team in the NBA. The Chicago Bulls are a very young team, and have improved a lot over the past few weeks. The additions of John Salmons and Brad Miller have done great things for this team. The problem is even without Kevin Garnett, the Celtics have rolled through Eastern Conference opponents this year, with the exception of Cleveland, and Chicago probably will be no different. Look for this to be a learning experience for Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, and the rest of the Chicago organization.
Pick- Celtics in 5
#3 Orlando Magic vs. #6 Philadelphia 76ers
This to me is the one matchup where an upset is very possible. The Sixers have played very well this year, even with the loss of Elton Brand early on in the season. Theo Ratliff, Samuel Dalembert, and Reggie Evans are all very capable of playing physical down low with Orlando sensation Dwight Howard. While Rafer Alston has played well for the Magic since he was acquired at the trade deadline, Orlando will miss their All-Star leadership of Jameer Nelson. Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu have been great complements to Howard this year, but the Sixers are very capable of playing great defense on those role players. I like the backcourt of Andre Miller and Andre Igoudala for Philadelphia, and Thaddeus Young has made his case to be the most improved player in the NBA this year. The key for Philadelphia will obviously be whether or not they can contain Dwight Howard. Howard has shown he is capable of having games where he can score 20 or more points and grab more than 20 rebounds, however he has also shown he can disappear on any given night. I like the Sixers chances of shutting down Howard, and I like Philly’s role players better than Orlando’s, however I am still going with the Magic based on the fact that they have steamrolled through opponents this year even when Howard hasn’t been at his best. I won’t be surprised if Philadelphia wins this series, but I look forward to seeing a Magic-Celtics showdown in the second round.
Pick- Magic in 6
#4 Atlanta Hawks vs. #5 Miami Heat
This will by far be the most entertaining series of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. It will be a high-flying team in the Hawks against a high-flying one-man show in Dwyane Wade. The Hawks are a great home team but are a horrible road team. Look for this series to go on home court advantage most of the way. The thing is, I see Miami being able to win one in Atlanta because of Dwyane Wade, which is why I am picking the Heat to win this series. The last time Miami was in the playoffs in 2006, they won the NBA Championship due to one of the best performances in playoff history by Wade during which he averaged 34.6 points per game in 6 games. He should be the MVP this year even though it will be LeBron as he took a Miami team that won 15 games last season under his wing, and led them back to the postseason almost single handedly. Wade can take over a game whenever he wants, and I don’t think Atlanta has what it takes to slow him down. In any case, this will be a fun series and I expect this one to go all the way.
Pick- Heat in 7
Western Conference preview to come tomorrow
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