ROUND 2...WHO REALLY IS THE BEST IN THE WEST??

So it's a wrap in the WEST! Moving onto round 2 are the defending champs, L.A. LAKERS, the youngest team in the PLAYOFFS,..the electrifying THUNDER, the surprising first timers..GRIZZLIES, who I have to say played amazing basketball to beat out the SPURS, and the veteran team of the MAVERICKS.

Round 2 begins with the LAKERS going up against the MAVERICKS. So far this series looks like its one sided as the LAKERS won 2-1 during the season against DALLAS.  The keys to this game is the battle at the point, the MAVERICKS are armed with a line of true pg's in TERRY, KIDD, and BAREA, whereas the LAKERS have BLAKE, and FISH, as the main two. There will definitely a mismatch when it comes to this area and if the MAVS want to win this they should take full advantage on the offensive side. However there is another problem to deal with if they are to win, that's right, you guessed it, the BLACK MAMBA a.k.a KOBE BRYANT! You have to try to contain this dude if your gonna try and have a shot at getting past them. Most likely the MAVS will start of on D with the man to man approach, and as the series progresses we will probably see a couple double traps depending on the flow of the game. Another one of the match ups to look out for is the battle in the paint agains TYSON CHANDLER or BRENDAN HAYWOOD and ANDREW BYNUM or PAU GASOL. PAU had a couple breakout games in round 1 against the HORNETS, but really he wasn't challenged as he will be in this series. CHANDLER is a premier big man, when it comes to altering shots and blocking them. If your coming into the paint against this dude, go HARD! I find that the x factors in this series on the LAKERS is the play of SHANON BROWN, or the 6th MAN OF THE YEAR, LAMAR ODOM. As for the MAVS I'm gonna have to go with JOSE BAREA and JASON TERRY. My prediction for this is the LAKERS in 5 (L.A. WINS 4-1).

The second series between the GRIZZLIES and the THUNDER looks to be one for the ages. The season series between the two teams is 3-1 in favor of MEMPHIS. This being said both teams are coming of wins that were amazing in their own perspective. The GRIZZLIES took out the best team this season, the SPURS, with ZACH RANDOLPH putting them on his back and pushing through to the second round. The last time an 8th seed team beat a 1st seed, was back in 2007 (Golden State beat Dallas). So fast forward 4 years later and 5 games after, the GRIZZLIES get ready to battle it out once again. If you've been sleeping on the PLAYOFFS, the THUNDER of OKC, is one of those teams you don't want to miss out on. By far one of the most athletic squads to run up and down the ball court, especially with their scorers delight..KEVIN DURANT! This boy is straight buckets, and you heard it here first..HE IS THE FUTURE OF THE NBA..by that I mean the greats that played, MJ's, BIRD's, MAGIC's, REED's, ROBERSTON's, KOBE's..yeah one of those dudes. This series is a definite grudge match for the THUNDER, due to the season series being so lopsided . They are going to be on a hunt to prove that they are the better team, thus having the higher seed, and I'm sure no one wants to loose to the team that just beat the best team this year in the NBA. Keys to look out for are strictly in the paint, amongst the big men. With the addition of KENDRICK PERKINS, the THUNDER have size and an authoritative figure that demands respect in the paint. Also lets not forget their 21 year old shot blocker, SERGE IBAKA. The GRIZZLIES are going to depend a lot on Z-BO (Zach Randolph) to carry them through the battle down low. However the guard battle up top is also one to consider. RUSSEL WESTBROOK is by far one of the most underrated guards out there. His lightning quickness and speed is one to marvel at. Not to mention the "pull outta the hat" dunks he puts on. At the point be on the look out for WESTBROOK and CONLEY, its sure to be a heated one between both players. The x factors in this series to me are THABO SEFOLOSHA from OKC and O J MAYO of the GRIZZLIES. My prediction is OKC in 6 (OKC wins 4-2).

ROUND 2..BEASTS IN THE EAST!!

Okay here's what went down, the BULLS beat the PACERS out 4-1 in their series to advance into the second round, where they are going to meet the unexpected HAWKS, who last night beat the highly favorite MAGIC. This series between the two teams is definately going to be a great one. In the regular season the BULLS won 2 out of the 3, both wins blowouts. Statistically speaking the BULLS have a better team, but we could've said the same about the MAGIC, and look where their season wrapped up. Although this remains a key point, we can't underestimate the heart and play of one, JAMAL CRAWFORD! I made this clear in my first analysis between the MAGIC and the HAWKS, that CRAWFORD was going to and will be an x-factor in the series. Other than that the post game between the two teams looks evenly matched out, and with MARVIN WILLIAMS breaking out in these PLAYOFFS, the BULLS are going to want to put a body on him. My prediction for this series is the BULLS in 5 (BULLS win 4-1).

Round 2 between the beasts in the EAST...the 3 headed beast in MIAMI vs. the 4 headed dragon in bean-town. This is a grudge match from last years playoffs, and to make it better, last year the CELTICS knocked off all of the teams that the new trio played for. However this year is something different, the HEAT with LBJ, WADE, and BOSH are not to be tested, or are they? The season series between both teams is 3-1 in favour of the C's. However that one win that HEAT managed to pull of was actually one of the best games I witnessed them play against the C's. If the HEAT turn it up like they did in that game this series is gonna get interesting. However the CELTICS have the man power in all positions, I'm just talking starting 5, not the bench, cause the HEAT bench is way more stacked than BOSTON. I see this series going down to the wire in every game as there are many on the floor that have personal grudges and bragging rights on the line. LeBRON has to thank them for their round 2 exit last year considering he was on the best team that season in the EAST. WADE has his own personal vendetta being demolished  round 1 last year. BOSH has to proove the critics wrong, that he is a huge part of this HEAT team and can go up against KEVIN GARNETT and be proclaimed as one of the best power forwards in the league. For the CELTICS its the same agenda, "they think we don't got it, but we got it!". And so the clash of the titans begin. My prediction for this series is the C's in 6 (CELTICS win 4-2).

..ROUND 1..DAY 2..

last night was one of those nights, you know what I'm talking about..the (8) GRIZZLIES took on (1) SPURS in San An, (7) HORNETS were in HOLYWOOD taking on the (2) LAKERS, the beasts in the East went head to head in the Garden..(3) CELTICS / (6) KNICKS and the night ended with what I'm predicting to be the beginning of new rivals in the West, the (5) NUGGETS and the (4) THUNDER.

 Game 1 between the "ol' school" SPURS and the GRIZZLIES. Man if you asked me last week what I thought of this series I would've said "bring the broom in to sweep the AT&T Center" (also predicted in my playoff pool)..but boy do these GRIZZLIES look focused and ready to make some noise. ZACH "Z-BO" RANDOLPH led his team with 25pnts 14rebs, as did MARC GASOL 24pnts 9rebs and MIKE CONLEY with 15pnts and 10asts. A key note in this game was the absence of RUDY GAY of the GRIZZLIES out after having surgery to his right shoulder, as well as MANU GINOBILI, who was out with a right elbow sprain and is day-to-day. San An was lead by TONY PARKER (20pnts 5asts), followed by "the big fundamental" TIM DUNCAN (16pnts 13 rebs), GEORGE HILL (15pnts 7rebs) and RICHARD JEFFERSON (13pnts 6rebs). Still with most of their starting bench in double figures the SPURS let up and allowed the GRIZZLIES to take a commanding 1-0 lead in the series. The real turning point was the go ahead 3pt shot launched by GRIZZLIES new acquisition of SHANE BATTIER, 10pnts at the 23.9s mark of the 4th. The SPURS tried to tie however HILL's 3pt shot attempt at the 10.2s mark missed and TONY ALLEN rebounded the ball, with desperation the SPURS had to foul to extend the time to hope for a chance that ALLEN would miss his free-throws (which he hit 2-2). Final Score 101-98 (MEMPHIS leads 1-0).

 The second seed LAKERS are coming into these PLAYOFFS not only as one o the favorites to take make it to the finals but also to sweep the HORNETS in this first round. However the HORNETS have something the LAKERS can't match up against is the speed within the comparisons between thePG's. His name..y'all know it..CP3..CHRIS PAUL! PAUL is a proven leader and is without a doubt in the category of best 5 point guards in the game. CP3 had a stellar night against KOBE and the LAKE-SHOW. He had 33pnts along with his 14asts (10 of which came in the first half) as well as 7rebs, my dude was puttin in the work. He was all over the court, making the LAKERS D look like molasses. The HORNETS led through out most of the game and at a point had a double digit lead over L.A. but everyone knows it was a matter or time till the LAKERS made a run, which was mid way into third bringing that lead to 1 going into the 4th QTR. From the start of the 4th New Orleans 10-2 run keeping L.A. in check and still looking to catch up. The closest the LAKERS got from that point on was bringing the lead down to 3 around the 3 minute mark, and allowed New Orleans to take over and pull away with a much needed win away from home. Final score 109-100 (NOH leads 1-0).

BOSTON CELTICS..when you hear these words you think about dominance, legacies, and a huge part of basketball history. The third seed CELTICS are matched up against another team that is pretty much to say the place you would like to play the game of hoops..NEW YORK! The KNICKERBOCKERS a.k.a KNICKS are another franchise that was a huge part of the PLAYOFFS in the late 90's. Ever since the departure of coach JEFF VAN GUNDY and the team of retired vets such as ALLAN HOUSTON, LATRELL SPREWELL, MARCUS CAMBY (still currently playing), that team has lost its face and name within the league, until of recent. The KNICKS signed restricted free agent AMARE STOUDAMIRE in the off-season hoping to land another huge name (LeBRON JAMES), and swung a huge blockbuster deal after the ALL-STAR break to have a chance of making some noise in this years PLAYOFFS by trading for CARMELO ANTHONY and veteran guard CHAUNCY BILLUPS. Getting to the series..this is in my opinion one of the best series to watch in this years NBA PLAYOFFS. In order for the CELTICS to get through this series they need their veterans to step and put the hammer down on the uprising KNICKS, and thats exactly what they did. Lead by the silky smooth sharpshooter RAY ALLEN (24pnt, 6rebs) the CELTICS were put to the test early on in the game. Through most of the game they were down thanks to AMARE STOUDAMIRE (28pnts 11rebs) leading his KNICKS to route to a 10pnt lead over the CELTICS till mid 4th QTR, as the CELTICS went on a run to get the game to 84-85, still down 1. With 12 secs left and the CELTICS with possession RAY ALLEN hit the game winner with a 3ptr that pushed the CELTICS up to 87-85. With time running down NEW YORK opted for the game winning 3 that was taken by CARMELO ANTHONY, who was double teamed and contested during the shot. Final score 87-85 (BOSTON leads 1-0).

This is the other series in the west that is like the CELTICS and KNICKS in the east. The NUGGETS and THUNDER. From the get go you can tell that this is gonna be one of those grudge matches, in the season after the KENDRICK PERKINS trade to OKC, everytime the two teams met there was altercations between PERKINS and the Brazilian center, NENE HILARIO. Nothing failed to disappoint as we did get to witness another one of these head to head stare downs in game 1. The game looked like a boxing match between prized fighters, blow for blow, but keeping it close. The THUNDER's young talented duo of DURANT (41pnts 9rebs) and WESTBROOK (31pnts 6rebs 7asts) combined for 72 of the THUNDER's 107 and they took game 1 of the series with a final score of 107-103. The NUGGETS looked to slow down and looked very gassed out around the final minutes of the 4th QTR. Some NUGGET notables were NENE leading with 22pnts 8rebs, and GALLINARI playing a very efficient game going 6-11 from fg scoring 18pnts. This series is going to be a heated one and I see the NUGGETS coming out and competing harder in game 2.

Till next time NBA'ers!! It's the kid JUMPMAN20 signing off!! PEACE!!

..ROUND 1..DAY 1..

So the first day of the PLAYOFFS are in...and by the looks of it we are in for some crazy series'. Teams that played last night were the (1) BULLS vs. (8) PACERS, followed with (2) HEAT vs. (7) 76ERS, (4) MAGIC vs. (5) HAWKS and concluding the night with (3) MAVERICKS vs. (6) BLAZERS.
 
Overall the PLAYOFFS aren't disappointing..not that I'm saying that it would be but every single game could have been pre-determined as all the higher seeds came out on top except for one exception, the ORLANDO MAGIC.
Even with their star studded center, DWIGHT HOWARD #12, pouring in a game high 46 points and 19 rebounds, the ATLANTA HAWKS pulled of a win in ORLANDO with a final score of 103-93. In the early stages of the game you could tell that there was a definite mismatch when it came to the PG's in NELSON and HINRICH , who by the way had an amazing game (13pnts shooting 60% from the field) since being traded by the WIZARDS. NELSON was held of in the first half not making too much noise, but as always he came alive in the second half, hitting a couple of threes cutting the deficit to single digits, however the HAWKS were resilient and kept countering with 3 balls of their own and picking up a buncha "and 1's" to keep ahead of the home team. It's not a fluke win if anyone is to think how the HAWKS pulled it out cause they did it 3 out of the 4 games this season against the MAGIC. One thing that the MAGIC need to address in order to get through this series is free throws, making them count that is. I mean the difference between the teams was 9.1% which is really on a points perspective a chunk! Hitting free-throws are key, anyone who knows basketball, knows that it's your deal breaker when it comes down to the end of the game. If the MAGIC can turn it around on that note, they should have no problems to get through, aswell they need more productivity out of ARENAS, RICHARDSON, and TURKOGLU.  Three key asserts acquired through the blockbuster trade over the season. Productivity from these three would help them propel through this series. On other notes watch for JAMAL CRAWFORD of the HAWKS as playing the role of the "x-factor"...one phrase "natural scorer", and for the MAGIC...RYAN ANDERSON playing a bigger role to help HOWARD in the paint and stretch out the perimeter shooting.


On to the next...BULLS and their front man running for MVP...22 year old, DERRICK MARTEL ROSE. Man this kid is just 3 years into the league and taking it by storm, to say that the BULLS won on team performance is lightly addressing what mister ROSE brings to this team. With 1:27 to play in the 4th QTR and 99-97 in favor of the PACERS, ROSE took over hitting a jumpshot to tie and then in the next play, penetrating the D kicking out to KYLE KORVER, who hit a go ahead 3. The BULLS pulled of a comeback, winning 104-99.


The HEAT won their game 97-89, they had a slight scare as the 76ERS pushed for a comeback but couldn't pull it of, however they fought hard and THADEUS YOUNG had an amazing performance (20 pnts 11rebs). This series looks like it will be over soon unless the HEAT begin to slip like they did in their last couple games in the season..but then again its hard to say because this is the PLAYOFFS and the "intensity" level has just been "kicked up a notch..BAM!!*(Emeril)


The MAVS pulled of what was a great game between two of the hottest names in the league..the grizzled aged veteran, DIRK "DIGGLER" NOWITZKI who dropped 28pnts along side 10 rebs, and the highly still getting better as the game goes..LaMARCUS ALDRIDGE who had 27 pnts and 6 rebs. This series looks like its gonna be a battle between a strong poised veteran team against a hungry "not about to get out of the first round" TRAIL BLAZERS team.


So far so good..I'd say..the NBA PLAYOFFS are living up to what its been leading up to, with the super trio in south beach to the lighting quick artist in ROSE..can't wait to get my dose of day 2..stay posted..its the kid..JUMPMAN20..PEAACCE!!..