Round 1 of the Playoffs

Here we are, begins today!!

Obviously, I think the Knicks are legitimate title contenders...but let's take a look at the current matchups for Round 1.

First, how I rank the teams offensively and defensively.

Offense
Miami
Oklahoma City
New York
LA Clippers
Denver
Houston
San Antonio
LA Lakers
Brooklyn
Golden State
Atlanta
Memphis
Indiana
Boston
Milwaukee
Chicago

Defense
Indiana
Memphis
San Antonio
Oklahoma City
Chicago
Boston
Miami
LA Clippers
Atlanta
Denver
Milwaukee
Golden State
Houston
New York
Brooklyn
LA Lakers

These rankings alone give you an idea of what my expectations for the playoffs are like...the Knicks' struggles with defense will unfortunately prove problematic. They have to really play to their strengths and hope Carmelo is healthy to play some good bball for the whole postseason.

As I think about the playoffs, my predictions are anticlimatically bland... but let's take a look at the matchups.

Eastern Conference
Miami Heat (E1) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (E8) 

The Bucks have benefited from a weak bottom half in the Eastern Conference. The only advantage I can see on the Bucks' side is their low amount of turnovers (28th out of 30 in turnovers), but the Heat have the manpower to stifle the Bucks and the Heat will probably prevent the Bucks from making the best use of their possessions. The Heat dominate on the offense and have a slight advantage defensively. The only way the Bucks could win is if Miami's Big Three (James, Wade, and Bosh) all had to sit out of ~3-4 games due to injuries.. very unlikely scenario, Heat will move on to Round 2 for sure.

Prediction: Heat in 4

New York Knicks (E2) vs. Boston Celtics (E7) 

In many ways, these two teams have relied on opposite strategies to achieve success.. the Celtics (which have been a stalwart in defense for the past few years) and the Knicks (Carmelo's shooting talents) will make for a very interesting matchup. New York-Boston (for any sport) makes for a fun rivalry. Partially due to Rondo tearing his ACL and due to Ray Allen leaving the Celtics, this team isn't as formidable or fast as it was last year.. assuming the Knicks stay healthy during Round 1, there shouldn't be any problem. Knicks make it to Round 2 but Celtics will likely win 1 or 2 games.

Prediction: Knicks in 6

Indiana Pacers (E3) vs. Atlanta Hawks (E6) 

Gritty and dirty defense from the Pacers will propel this team to Round 2 in the end.
The Hawks really need to shoot efficiently in order to win, while better than the Pacers in that respect, the Pacers will stop the Hawks from getting much opportunity.

Prediction: Pacers in 6

Brooklyn Nets (E4) vs. Chicago Bulls (E5) 
Like the Pacers, the Bulls are known to be stifling. But the Bulls have been losing strength as the season has been going on, while the Nets have been on the upswing ever since they switched coaches. The X factor is clearly Derrick Rose, who has a slight chance of playing at some point in the postseason.. if it's not by Round 1, I think the Bulls will be out and the Nets move on in a very close matchup.

Prediction: Nets in 6, but Bulls in 7 (if Rose returns).

Western Conference

Oklahoma City Thunder (W1) vs. Houston Rockets (W8)
The Rockets are a really good team, fast-paced and young, and have a lot of potential to be a "dark horse team" but too bad for them that they are playing OKC in the first round. James Harden and his beard won't be enough to get the Rockets past the Thunder. Both teams have similar strengths, but the Thunder are better than the Rockets offensively and defensively.

Prediction: Thunder in 5.

San Antonio Spurs (W2) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (W7)Ah, the Lakers..turned from the "clear title contender" to "they're happy just to make it to the playoffs" team. With Kobe out, I don't think the Lakers have any chance of making it past the Spurs. It probably won't be a sweep but it won't be good enough.... even if the Lakers prove to be cohesive and consistent without Kobe, it won't be enough to win. I think Dwight Howard will perform admirably well in the playoffs, showing that he  is capable of being the leader of his team..  my prediction is that all of the games will involve Dwight getting a double-double. But the Lakers have been a mess, this is a team which probably wouldn't have made it past San Antonio even if Kobe could play.

Prediction: Spurs in 5.

Denver Nuggets (W3) vs. Golden State Warriors (W6)
Stephen Curry has been showing how valuable of an asset he is to the Warriors when he is at full health. The Nuggets and Warriors are both speedy teams which should make for a fun matchup. I think the Nuggets' depth and long lineup of "pretty good players" will give the Nuggets the edge in the end.

Prediction: Nuggets in 6.

Los Angeles Clippers (W4) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (W5)
It's a damn shame that the Grizzlies had to trade Rudy Gay.. a damn shame.. the Grizzlies were looking incredible before then, the Clippers are another team which appeared to had reached its peak at the beginning of the season. This is going to be another incredibly close matchup. The Grizzlies are still tough on defense and the Clippers still have Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.. I am going with the Clippers to pull off a win after 7 games.

Prediction: Clippers in 7.

We're in for another fun playoffs season for sure!

One more thing though.. while this didn't really affect my predictions, I'll bring up the teams which seem overseeded/underseeded..in terms of team quality.

Eastern Conference
Overseeded: Chicago
Underseeded: Atlanta, Boston

These three teams are pretty close in terms of quality, I would rank them Atlanta/Boston/Chicago, especially when looking at the end of the season. The other teams seem seeded appropriately in terms of quality, with the Knicks and Pacers being very close but with differing talents. Knicks get an edge due to their recent impressive winning streak.

Western Conference
Overseeded: Denver, Golden State
Underseeded: LA Clippers, Houston

Preview of the playoffs

The Eastern Conference has been set, the Western Conference has seven out of eight set. The Jazz and Lakers are fighting for the 8th spot. The Lakers are the more likely one to get the 8th spot now but with Kobe out..who knows what will happen?

I hope Kobe gets better ASAP, obviously he won't be back in time for the playoffs..but maybe for the beginning of the 2013-14 season.

Even if the Lakers make it to the playoffs, do they have a chance of winning even one game against OKC or San Antonio.

Let's look overall.

Ranking the 17 Teams Overall
#1: Thunder
#2: Heat
#3: Spurs
#4: Clippers
#5: Nuggets
#6: Knicks
#7: Pacers
#8: Grizzlies
#9: Rockets
#10: Lakers
#11: Nets
#12: Warriors
#13: Hawks
#14: Celtics
#15: Bulls
#16: Jazz
#17: Bucks

Ranking the 17 Teams (Offense)
#1: Heat
#2: Thunder
#3: Knicks
#4: Clippers
#5: Nuggets
#6: Rockets
#7: Spurs
#8: Lakers
#9: Nets
#10: Warriors
#11: Jazz
#12: Hawks
#13: Pacers
#14: Grizzlies
#15: Celtics
#16: Bucks
#17: Bulls

Ranking the 17 Teams (Defense)
#1: Pacers
#2: Grizzlies
#3: Spurs
#4: Thunder
#5: Celtics
#6: Bulls
#7: Heat
#8: Clippers
#9: Hawks
#10: Nuggets
#11: Bucks
#12: Warriors
#13: Knicks
#14: Rockets
#15: Nets
#16: Lakers
#17: Jazz

Game on!!
The Knicks are definitely legitimate title contenders!!

NBA Power Rankings: 43rd Edition

Rankings!

At least the Knicks are definitely in the playoffs...

#1: Oklahoma City Thunder (1st in West, 1st in Northwest)
#2: Miami Heat (1st in East, 1st in Southeast)
#3: San Antonio Spurs (2nd in West, 1st in Southwest)
#4: Los Angeles Clippers (3rd in West, 1st in Pacific)
#5: Indiana Pacers (2nd in East, 1st in Central)
#6: Denver Nuggets (4th in West, 2nd in Northwest)
#7: New York Knicks (3rd in East, 1st in Atlantic)
#8: Memphis Grizzlies (5th in West, 2nd in Southwest)
#9: Houston Rockets (6th in West, 3rd in Southwest)
#10: Los Angeles Lakers (7th in West, 2nd in Pacific)
#11: Golden State Warrirors (8th in West, 3rd in Pacific)
#12: Boston Celtics (4th in East, 2nd in Atlantic)
#13: Atlanta Hawks (5th in East, 2nd in Southeast)
#14: Brooklyn Nets (6th in East, 3rd in Atlantic)
#15: Chicago Bulls (7th in East, 2nd in Central)
#16: Dallas Mavericks (9th in West, 4th in Southwest)
#17: Milwaukee Bucks (8th in East, 3rd in Central)
#18: Utah Jazz (10th in West, 3rd in Northwest)
#19: Portland Trailblazers (11th in West, 4th in Northwest)
#20: Toronto Raptors (9th in East, 4th in Atlantic)
#21: Washington Wizards (10th in East, 3rd in Southeast)
#22: Minnesota Timberwolves (12th in West, 5th in Northwest)
#23: Philadelphia 76ers (11th in East, 5th in Atlantic)
#24: New Orleans Hornets (13th in West, 5th in Southwest)
#25: Detroit Pistons (12th in East, 4th in Central)
#26: Sacramento Kings (14th in West, 4th in Pacific)
#27: Cleveland Cavaliers (13th in East, 5th in Central)
#28: Phoenix Suns (15th in West, 5th in Pacific)
#29: Orlando Magic (14th in East, 4th in Southeast)
#30: Charlotte Bobcats (15th in East, 5th in Southeast)

Not many games left... and the Eastern Conference seems pretty much set on who is playoff bound. The West is where things are still interesting.

How is everybody doing with March Madness by the way?

And yes, despite Miami's ridiciously awesome streak, I still have the Heat at #2...

NBA Power Rankings: 42nd Edition

No Amare, no Melo, no Tyson today... against the Clippers at home?
We need a miracle to win today...


On to the rankings!
#1: Oklahoma City Thunder (1st in West, 1st in Northwest)*
#2: Miami Heat (1st in East, 1st in Southeast)
#3: San Antonio Spurs (2nd in West, 1st in Southwest)
#4: Los Angeles Clippers (3rd in West, 1st in Pacific)
#5: Denver Nuggets (4th in West, 2nd in Northwest)
#6: Indiana Pacers (2nd in East, 1st in Central)
#7: New York Knicks (3rd in East, 1st in Atlantic)
#8: Memphis Grizzlies (5th in West, 2nd in Southwest)
#9: Houston Rockets (6th in West, 3rd in Southwest)
#10: Los Angeles Lakers (7th in West, 2nd in Pacific)
#11: Boston Celtics (4th in East, 2nd in Atlantic)
#12: Atlanta Hawks (5th in East, 2nd in Southeast)
#13: Golden State Warriors (8th in West, 3rd in Pacific)
#14: Brooklyn Nets (6th in East, 3rd in Atlantic)
#15: Chicago Bulls (7th in East, 2nd in Central)
#16: Dallas Mavericks (9th in West, 4th in Southwest)
#17: Utah Jazz (10th in West, 3rd in Northwest)
#18: Milwaukee Bucks (8th in East, 3rd in Central)
#19: Toronto Raptors (9th in East, 4th in Atlantic)
#20: Portland Trail Blazers (11th in West, 4th in Northwest)
#21: Washington Wizards (10th in East, 3rd in Southeast)
#22: Philadelphia 76ers (11th in East, 5th in Atlantic)
#23: Minnesota Timberwolves (12th in West, 5th in Northwest)
#24: New Orleans Hornets (13th in West, 5th in Southwest)
#25: Cleveland Cavaliers (12th in East, 4th in Central)
#26: Detroit Pistons (13th in East, 5th in Central)
#27: Sacramento Kings (14th in West, 4th in Pacific)
#28: Orlando Magic (14th in East, 4th in Southeast)
#29: Phoenix Suns (15th in West, 5th in Pacific)
#30: Charlotte Bobcats (15th in East, 5th in Southeast)

*: Doesn't represent current standings, only relative to my power rankings.

MVP of the day goes to Tim Duncan: 30 points, 12 rebounds, 5 blocks.
Duncan had two great win-saving blocks in the last minute of the game.

As Gregg Popovich said, "Tim saved our ass," "He obviously carried the whole night for us. He was great. It shouldn't have to be that way."

Selection Sunday is today. It's kind of embarrassing how little I know about college basketball this year.. oh well.. time to do more research outside of the ACC.

NBA Power Rankings: 41st Edition

No comment on the Knicks except I hope everyone is well again soon.

The rankings
#1: Oklahoma City Thunder (1st in West, 1st in Northwest)
#2: Miami Heat (1st in East, 1st in Southeast)
#3: San Antonio Spurs (2nd in West, 1st in Southwest)
#4: Los Angeles Clippers (3rd in West, 1st in Pacific)
#5: Denver Nuggets (4th in West, 2nd in Northwest)
#6: Indiana Pacers (2nd in East, 1st in Central)
#7: New York Knicks (3rd in East, 1st in Atlantic)
#7: Memphis Grizzlies (5th in West, 2nd in Southwest)
#9: Houston Rockets (6th in West, 3rd in Southwest)
#10: Los Angeles Lakers (7th in West, 2nd in Pacific)
#11: Atlanta Hawks (4th in East, 2nd in Southeast)
#12: Boston Celtics (5th in East, 2nd in Atlantic)
#13: Golden State Warriors (8th in West, 3rd in Pacific)
#14: Brooklyn Nets (6th in East, 3rd in Atlantic)
#14: Chicago Bulls (6th in East, 2nd in Central)
#16: Dallas Mavericks (9th in West, 4th in Southwest)
#17: Milwaukee Bucks (8th in East, 3rd in Central)
#18: Utah Jazz (10th in West, 3rd in Northwest)
#18: Toronto Raptors (9th in East, 4th in Atlantic)
#20: Portland Trailblazers (11th in West, 4th in Northwest)
#21: Washington Wizards (10th in East, 3rd in Southeast)
#22: Minnesota Timberwolves (12th in West, 5th in Northwest)
#23: Philadelphia 76ers (11th in East, 5th in Atlantic)
#24: New Orleans Hornets (13th in West, 5th in Southwest)
#25: Cleveland Cavaliers (12th in East, 4th in Central)
#26: Detroit Pistons (13th in East, 5th in Central)
#27: Sacramento Kings (14th in West, 4th in Pacific)
#28: Orlando Magic (14th in East, 4th in Southeast)
#29: Phoenix Suns (15th in West, 5th in Pacific)
#30: Charlotte Bobcats (15th in East, 5th in Southeast)

There's still another month of the season!

Let us see where the playoff standings currently are at.

Eastern Conference
#1: Miami
#2: Indiana
#3: New York
#4: Brooklyn
#5: Chicago
#6: Atlanta
#7: Boston
#8: Milwaukee
Western Conference
#1: San Antonio
#2: Oklahoma City
#3: Memphis
#4: LA Clippers
#5: Denver
#6: Golden State
#7: Houston
#8: LA Lakers

[Bolded teams clinched playoff berth.]

You can look above at my power rankings to get an idea of how I see these teams doing in the playoffs if these were the final standings..but there are also factors to consider such as how teams have been performing recently.

NBA Power Rankings: 40th Edition

The Knicks did just fine against the Jazz without Carmelo Anthony or Amare Stoudemire.

Getting to the injuries, hopefully we see Melo back on the court sooner rather than later...Amare is out for six weeks though. This means the earliest he will be back is April 20. By then, the regular season will be over and the postseason would have just started. 

Without Amare, what will the Knicks' record be when the season ends?

22 more games. We'll know soon enough.

The rankings!
1.) Oklahoma City Thunder (1st in West, 1st in Northwest)
2.) San Antonio Spurs (2nd in West, 1st in Southwest)
3.) Miami Heat (1st in East, 1st in Southeast)

4.) Los Angeles Clippers (3rd in West, 1st in Pacific)
5.) Indiana Pacers (2nd in East, 1st in Central)
6.) New York Knicks (3rd in East, 1st in Atlantic)

7.) Denver Nuggets (4th in West, 2nd in Northwest)
8.) Memphis Grizzlies (5th in West, 2nd in Southwest)
9.) Houston Rockets (6th in West, 3rd in Southwest)
10.) Los Angeles Lakers (7th in West, 2nd in Pacific)
11.) Boston Celtics (4th in East, 2nd in Atlantic)
12.) Atlanta Hawks (5th in East, 2nd in Southeast)
12.) Chicago Bulls (5th in East, 2nd in Central)
14.) Brooklyn Nets (7th in East, 3rd in Atlantic)
15.) Golden State Warriors (8th in West, 3rd in Pacific)
16.) Milwaukee Bucks (8th in East, 3rd in Central)
17.) Toronto Raptors (9th in East, 4th in Atlantic)
17.) Utah Jazz (9th in West, 3rd in Northwest)
19.) Dallas Mavericks (10th in West, 4th in Southwest)
20.) Portland Trailblazers (11th in West, 4th in Northwest)
21.) Washington Wizards (10th in East, 3rd in Southeast)
22.) Minnesota Timberwolves (12th in West, 5th in Northwest)
23.) Philadelphia 76ers (11th in East, 5th in Atlantic)
24.) Detroit Pistons (12th in East, 4th in Central)
25.) New Orleans Hornets (13th in West, 5th in Southwest)
26.) Cleveland Cavaliers (13th in East, 5th in Central)
27.) Phoenix Suns (14th in West, 4th in Pacific)
28.) Sacramento Kings (15th in West, 5th in Pacific)
28.) Orlando Magic (14th in East, 4th in Southeast)
30.) Charlotte Bobcats (15th in East, 5th in Southeast)

NBA Power Rankings: 39th Edition with Knicks commentary

Since my last post, there have been four Knicks games, games which I want to talk about as I anxiously watch the Knickerbockers on their quest to win the title.

Knicks won their last two away games and lost their last two home games.. but the away games were Detroit/Cleveland and the home games were Miami/OKC. The Knicks didn't have any awful games, in my opinion, though. They only lost to the Thunder by 1 point on Thursday.

New York v. Miami (March 3)
This was the Knicks' chance to end the Heat's ridiculous winning streak.. not a bad game for the Knicks but it wasn't enough. The X-factor though is clearly Jason Kidd. If it wasn't for Kidd's impressive performance, I bet the Knicks would have lost by 10+ points to the Heat instead of 6.

Knicks MVP: Carmelo Anthony
[#2-#5: Jason Kidd, J.R. Smith, Tyson Chandler, Amare Stoudemire]

Heat MVP: LeBron James
[#2-#5: Dwayne Wade, Shane Battier, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen]

This game could have easily gone the other way..Knicks could have beaten the Heat, but with LeBron playing at the level he's been playing at near consistently every game.. it is tough.

New York v. Cleveland (March 4)This was a must-win for the Knicks and despite a lousy start and Melo's unfortunate knee injury in the second quarter, the Knicks pulled through to win the game.

Marreesse Speights and Kyrie Irving could have spoiled this "must-win" game. Speights did very well as a starter in particular... Knicks fans would have blamed him if the Knicks lost.

Knicks MVP: Amare Stoudemire (took on a very important leadership role)
#2-#5: [J.R. Smith, Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton, Steve Novak]

Cavaliers MVP: Marreese Speightts
#2-#5: [Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Shaun Livingston, Luke Walton]

Amare led the frontcourt and a solid backcourt helped the Knicks in securing a victory.

New York v. Detroit (March 6)Yet again, another must-win. The Pistons had their own woes with big men Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe out due to injury.
If you want to see a game where the Knicks practically satirize their inconsistency, watch this game and see the Knicks go from good to bad to good to bad to good all in one game.. thankfully, the Knicks finished with good and won by 10 points.

Knicks MVP: Raymond Felton
#2-#5: [Amare Stoudemire, J.R Smith, Jason Kid, Iman Shumpert]

Pistons MVP: Jose Calderon
#2-#5: [Jason Maxiell, Kyle Singler, Jonas Jerebko, Brandon Knight]

New York v. Oklahoma City (March 7)If the Knicks' loss to the Heat was disappointing, this was disappointing times 10.
New York really had a chance at a home victory against Oklahoma City.. they did. This game went back and forth like crazy but at the end.. the Thunder just had more will to win. Kevin Durant, Kevin Martin, Serge Ibaka, and Russell Westbrook brought in 73 of the 95 points against the Knicks.
Props to J.R Smith, if it wasn't for him, the Knicks would have lost by more than one point for sure.

Knicks MVP: J.R Smith
#2-#5 [Amare Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd]

Thunder MVP: Kevin Durant
#2-#5 [Kevin Martin, Serge Ibaka, Russell Westbrook, Reggie Jackson]

From this week, I am convinced that Jason Kidd, if healthy, will make a big difference in how far of a run the Knicks make into the playoffs.

I hope Carmelo is alright for tonight's game against the Jazz.

The rankings!
#1: Oklahoma City Thunder (1st in West, 1st in Northwest)
#2: San Antonio Spurs (2nd in West, 1st in Southwest)
#3: Miami Heat (1st in East, 1st in Southeast)
#4: Los Angeles Clippers (3rd in West, 1st in Pacific)
#5: Indiana Pacers (2nd in East, 1st in Central)
#6: New York Knicks (3rd in East, 1st in Atlantic)
#7: Denver Nuggets (4th in West, 2nd in Northwest)
#8: Memphis Grizzlies (5th in West, 2nd in Southwest)
#9: Houston Rockets (6th in West, 3rd in Southwest)
#10: Los Angeles Lakers (7th in West, 2nd in Pacific)
#11: Boston Celtics (4th in East, 2nd in Atlantic)
#11: Atlanta Hawks (4th in East, 2nd in Southeast)
#13: Chicago Bulls (6th in East, 2nd in Central)
#14: Brooklyn Nets (7th in East, 3rd in Atlantic)
#15: Golden State Warriors (8th in West, 3rd in Pacific)
#16: Utah Jazz (9th in West, 3rd in Northwest)
#17: Milwaukee Bucks (8th in East, 3rd in Central)
#18: Toronto Raptors (9th in East, 4th in Atlantic)
#19: Dallas Mavericks (10th in West, 4th in Southwest)
#20: Portland Trailblazers (11th in West, 4th in Northwest)
#21: Minnesota Timberwolves (12th in West, 5th in Northwest)
#22: Washington Wizards (10th in East, 3rd in Southeast)
#23: Philadelphia 76ers (11th in East, 5th in Atlantic)
#24: New Orleans Hornets (13th in West, 5th in Southwest)
#24: Detroit Pistons (12th in East, 4th in Central)
#26: Cleveland Cavaliers (13th in East, 5th in Central)
#27: Phoenix Suns (14th in West, 4th in Pacific)
#28: Sacramento Kings (15th in West, 5th in Pacific)
#28: Orlando Magic (14th in East, 4th in Southeast)
#30: Charlotte Bobcats (15th in East, 5th in Southeast)