4 Quarters - Eastern Conference Finals: Celtics vs Heat

5. Celtcs vs. 2. Heat

1. Can the Heat finally put to bed the "Big 4" of the Celtics Regime? - Think of this for a "perfect" storybook ended to the Miami Heat season: Winning a Championship having gone through the over-hyped Knicks, the bright future of a team who could challenge them in the future in the Pacers and ending the 4-year run of the Celtics "Big 4". Sounds good huh? Yea, this could be a signature series for this team. I am sure there's nothing more that this Heat team wants to do but to be the team that ended the Big 4's going away championship title. This will be a VERY tough task to accomplish.
2. Will Chris Bosh return this series to help out the Heat? - If a close-to-"healthy" Bosh can return in this series, this could pretty tilt the series advantage completely over the Miami Heat. But without Bosh, this could be a tough series to win for the Heat, considering the play of Kevin Garnett during these playoffs.
3. Can Ray Allen finally recover in this series from the ankle injury that sidelined him at the end of season? - If a close-to-"healthy" Allen can play then this could be the advantage the Celtics need to win this series. If Allen can stay on defense and knock down his shots on that ankle, then this could pose problems for the Heat guards. But if his ankle isn't up to par, this could be the straw that breaks the Celtics back, for good.
4. Under/Over: 60 ppg in this series that James and Wade can average scoring combined? - This is important because who else will score the Heats points if these two can't average 60 points a game. This was important in the last 3 games vs. the Pacers and it will be important in this series. Remember it is 2 against 4 in this series.

The "X" Factors - Rondo vs Chalmers. Since Avery Bradley is out for the reminder of the playoffs, this is the other non-Wade vs Allen X-factor I can think of. Mario Chalmers has to show up these round of the playoffs in order for the Heat to complete dominate this series. Without Bosh, the Heat would love to have someone step up to be the 3rd scorer, so why not Chalmers? I mean Rondo for the most part will hold up his own in this match-up, but to make it harder for Rondo would be the fact that Chalmers is consistant in his scoring.

Series Prediction - Heat in 7

4 Quarters - Western Conference Finals: Thunder vs Spurs

2. Thunder vs 1. Spurs

1. Could this be the best Spurs team under the Popovich-Duncan Era? - Well this is the deepest and youngest team under Popovich. As far as the best, this may rival the '99 team largely because that team won during a shorten season, just as this team would if they we're to win it all. I guess the only way to answer this question is the ask it again, after this series and after the NBA Finals. Stay Tuned.
2. Will the Thunder take the step of being the new alpha team of the Western Conference? - This could be the year that the Thunder could put themselves as the "team to beat" for the next few years in the Western Conference if they can get past the Spurs, who use to be that team that everyone had to beat in the West.
3. Durant/Westbrook vs Duncan/Parker - These match-ups can and most certainly will help decide this series. The Spurs are not Parker's team to command, but the old veteran Duncan is still playing at an high level during these playoffs so be careful not to count him out as of yet. As for Durant, he is the scoring leader of this team and most be able to get at least 25 points in each game for the Thunder to have success int this series, but Westbrook could be the overall key for this team advancing or going home. He must play at an high-level in order for this team to be champions.
4. With this being 2012, can the Spurs win a championship in a even-numbered year? - Tricky question, considering that the Spurs won in 99, 03, 05, and 07. This is 2012, so certainly this would be against their norm for winning. But then again, when you're hot, you're hot.

The "X" Factors - Manu Ginobili vs James Harden. Battle of the left-handed Sixth Men. These two players are pretty much alike in a lot of ways. These two are the 6th man of their teams and this will be the spark that comes off the bench to aid the starters of each team. The question is which one will be the difference-maker in changing this series around for their team. Harden must provide the level of play he did to help win him Sixth-Man of the Year this year in order to keep up with that deep Spurs bench.

Series Prediction: Very tough, but Thunder in 6

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Post Game - East Semis - Sixers vs Celtics

Sixers vs Celtics

(Celtics Win Series 4-3)

1. Can the Celtics finish strong in this series as they did in the last series against the Hawks? - Well the Sixers CAME TO PLAY. This young team push the older Celtics to the limit! On paper, this Sixers team should of been swept by the Celtics. The Celtics dodged a bullet this round.
2. Can the Sixers use their young legs to out-run the old C's Vets? - Well if you can't out-shoot a team, the best way to slow them down is to slow down the game. That's what's the Sixers did and for 7 games, this may have been the ugliest offense we've seen in a playoffs in sometime.
3. Under/Over 4 games: That the Sixers shoot over 45% from the perimeter? - Definitely was under.....Well I said I would take 3 games. Well it's Under 3 as well, 2 games in which the Sixers shot over 45% from outside: Game 3, which they we're blown off the floor and game 4, for which that helped them comeback and win that game. 
4. Iggy vs The Truth: Which of the team leaders will shine the most in this series? - Andre Iguodala came to play and this took a lot of Paul Pierce to guard him. But Iggy's defense against Pierce was phenomenal. Pierce had a tough series, unlike the 1st round against the Hawks, from the suffocating defense of Iggy. 

Next Up: Showdown with the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals

Post Game - East Semis - Pacers vs Heat

Pacers vs Heat

(Heat Win Series 4-2)

1. Team Superstars vs Team Role-Players: Who wins? - At the end of the day, the Heat had something (well two things) that the Pacers just didn't have: Superstars. For a Pacers team, who have a bright and competitive future, will have to find that "go-to guy" in order to make that next step to compete with the Miami's and Chicago's of the Eastern Conference.
2. Under/Over: 30 PPG that Lebron will average in this series? - Well I guess I should of said "even", because James averaged 30 PPG..
3. Are the Pacers the Dark Horse team in the East? - This season, NO. Next season and beyond: YES. 
4. West vs Bosh: This point isn't applicable because of the Bosh injury in Game 1.

Next Up: A trip back to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Post Game - West Semis - Lakers vs Thunder

Lakers vs Thunder

(Thunder Wins Series 4-1)

1. Could this be the last run for one Kobe Bryant? - Big Changes for the Lakers could be in-store for the 2012-13 season. Lets face it, the Lakers as present constituted can't win a championship. Kobe could play a role in who comes and goes from the Lakers, including himself. Even though, the Lakers wouldn't entertain that idea yet right? Right? Well this will make an interesting off-season for the Lake Show. To be continued...
2. Can KD and Westbrook be stopped this time? - Westbrook was the MAN of this series. KD did win game 4 with his game-winning shot, but Westbrook was too much for the Lakers point guards to handle. It's going to be interesting to see if Westbrook can keep up this level of play, cause if he can along with KD's clutch shooting, this team is prime to win the Golden trophy.
3. Battle of the big men: Gasol and Bynum vs. Perkins and Ibaka - Well for the Lakers bigs, the question was could they dominate this series. Answer: NO. This could be some of the reason as to why the Lakers couldn't beat the Thunder. The Lakers bigs are clearly better than the Thunders bigs, but they never played up to their potential.
4. Could the winner of this series be the Representative of the Western Conference in the NBA Finals? -  Well before the series started, I thought that this could be the West's best two teams. Yea I stand corrected, very much so. The winner of this series could be the representative to face and slow down the NBA's best team playing right now: San Antonio Spurs. I still believe that the Thunder could still win, but this will be a tough test for both teams.

Next Up: Showdown at the Alamo against the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals

Post Game - West Semis - Clippers vs Spurs

Clippers vs Spurs

(Spurs Win Series 4-0)

1. Will the 8 days off before this series help or hurt the Spurs? - Well the Spurs is the deepest team in the NBA, so anytime they can get rest, will OVERLY help them out. This clearly helped the Spurs and now they get another 6 days off before the West Finals.
2. How dangerous is this Clippers team now that they advanced into the Western Semis? - Their lack of experience showed in this series and that did this team in big time. The upside is huge, but they have some work to do to before they can become elite.
3. Paul vs Parker Part II - This match up was nothing like the 2008 West Semis, but both players held their own. Unlike in 2008, Paul didn't have the support as he did with the Hornets. Parker has more weapons did he did in that 2008 contest and this was the big advantage he had in this match-up.
4. Old Veterans of the Spurs vs the Younger Players from Lob City (Clippers)? - Well the vets won this match-up, as expected. This sweep should teach the younger Clippers squad and prepare them for future playoff runs, as this Clippers teams, if the core is held together, can be very dangerous in the future.

Next Up: Spurs head to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2008.

4 Quarters - West Semis: Lakers vs Thunder

3. Lakers vs 2. Thunder

1. Could this be the last run for one Kobe Bryant? - Lets face it Laker-Nation, this could be the last few years of Mr. Kobe Bean Bryant as we know him. Being close to 35 isn't much to glee about and with the talent declining with age, one would have to say that this could be the last run for this soon-to-be-Hall of Famer. This series could be the "Changing of the Guard". The almighty Lakers against the up and coming power of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
2. Can KD and Westbrook be stopped this time? - This all depends on if they don't stop themselves (more so Westbrook not handicapping Durant). Lets face it, no one on this current Laker squad can stop neither Durant or Westbrook straight up. This could be a very difficult series for the Lakers if they can't at least contain these two.
3. Battle of the big men: Gasol and Bynum vs. Perkins and Ibaka - Well this could be the series right here. If the Lakers bigs don't play will or dominate the paint, this could be very well be a sweep. Remember, Thunder bigs don't have to dominate this match to win the series, so it's not too much pressure on them. However, defensively is where the Thunder bigs MUST dominate in order to win this series.
4. Could the winner of this series be the Representative of the Western Conference in the NBA Finals? -  Well both teams will not have home-court, so if everything hold serve (no upsets in the Clippers/Spurs match-up) then this could be the ticket for the finals. But we can't make this determination right now, as Chris Bermen would say: "That's why they play the game".

Confidence Picks: Lakers (16) vs Thunder (8)

Series Prediction: Thunder in 6

4 Quarters - West Semis: Clippers vs Spurs

5. Clippers vs. 1. Spurs

1. Will the 8 days off before this series help or hurt the Spurs? - We'll see how this shorten-season will fare for the old team. The whole rest vs rust usually doesn't hurt the veteran Spurs team, at least history holds that to be true.
2. How dangerous is this Clippers team now that they advanced into the Western Semis? - If Chauncey Bullups wasn't hurt, I wouldn't be shy as to call this series a possible upset for the Spurs. But since they don't have too many veterans, I'll call this a close series. The Clippers can be very dangerous, if fate goes their way.
3. Paul vs Parker Part II - Remember 2008 Western Conference Semis? If this is anything like what these two PG's battled to in 08, this will be a GREAT series to watch.
4. Old Veterans of the Spurs vs the Younger Players from Lob City (Clippers)? - This could be the battle of the up and coming contender of the west vs. Old powerhouse of the west. This could turn out to be a pretty good series or a pretty good sweep. I'll take the good series.

Confidence Picks: Clippers (19), Spurs (10)

Series Prediction: Spurs in 6

Post Game - West 1st Round - Clippers vs Grizzlies

Clippers vs Grizzlies

(Clippers Wins Series 4-3)

1. Are the Grizzlies the "Dark Horse" team in the West? - Well if the Grizzlies would of survived, they could of given any of the other 3 teams in the West a tough time. But maybe we've overlooked the Clippers. It's their time to run LA now??? Well is it?? 
2. Can CP3 guide this young Clippers team to win this series? Well as I mentioned before this series started, if CP3 was able to keep a Hornets team from getting swept, then he could make a Clippers teams into the 2nd round. Well okay I made up the last part, but yes CP3 got the job done.
3. Can Z-Bo recapture his dominance as he did last year in the Playoffs? It seems as if he was still trying to get into condition from missing most of the season with that knee injury. He wasn't the same dominate guy as he was last season, but he was effective most of the way. Not utilizing their big men may have cost the young Grizzlies this series.
4. Rudy Gay vs Blake Griffin, which Playoff new comer will shine the most in this series? Both rose up to the challenge, but both didn't make a primary difference in this series.

Next Up: A quick trip to San Antonio for the Western Semis.

Post Game - West 1st Round: Nuggets vs Lakers

Nuggets vs Lakers

(Lakers Win Series 4-3)

1. Well the Lakers miss Metta World Peace in this series? - Well in the words of Kobe, YES. Games 5 & 6 could of been a huge indictment against the Lakers for not having World Peace in the lineup. He's toughness and heart could of ended this series 2 games ago.
2. Can anyone from the Lakers slow down the quickness of Ty Lawson? - Ty Lawson gave the Lakers PG's problems periodically during this series. He really lit the Lakers up in Game 6, which he almost single-handedly won that game.
3. Fastbreak vs. Low Post - George Karl was probably the Coach of the 1st Round, if we had such an award. What he was able to get the Nuggets to do with the Fastbreak vs the Lakers was what saved him from getting swept. The Lakers Big's did not show up often in this series and the best way to off-set bigger players: Make them run more in transition and score while their trailing most fastbreaks. The Lakers could of easily won this series had their big men just dominated the paint in this series.
4. Can Denver end their Playoff jinx against the Lakers? -The Nuggets made this series more interesting then most thought. They had a good chance of winning this series, but the experience factor did them in at the end. Valiant effort nevertheless.

Next up: Showdown with OKC

4 Quarters - East Semis - Pacers vs Heat

 3. Pacers vs 2. Heat

1. Team Superstars vs Team Role-Players: Who wins? Well Team Superstars (Heat) have superstar talent on the roster vs Team Role-Players (Pacers) who have a bunch of role-players. This shall be the test of which makes a team go: Superstar or the Role-Players. One can't do without the other, but in this case it will have to prevail over one another. And I believe that the Superstar (Experienced) talent will prevail over (Inexperienced) Role-players.
2. Under/Over: 30 PPG that Lebron will average in this series? There are not too many Pacers who can stand in LBJ's way. And coming off of a 3rd MVP title, this could bold as a huge advantage for the Heat as they now have the MVP on their team. I am not sure he'll average 30, but 28 and 29 isn't far behind.
3. Are the Pacers the Dark Horse team in the East? Well I would say yes, if they were to play the Celtics or Sixers in this round instead of the Heat. The Heat may be too much for this young Pacers team to cope with. Now ask me this next season, and I'll say yes...regardless of who they are playing.
4. West vs Bosh: Who can win that battle of the forwards? This should be a good match up, Bosh may have the slight advantage considering that he's a few inches taller and can shoot better from the perimeter. But then again West is a beast inside and that could even things out.

Confidence Pick:

Series Prediction: Heat in 5

4 Quarters - East Semis - Sixers vs Celtics

8. Sixers vs 5. Celtics

1. Can the Celtics finish strong in this series as they did in the last series against the Hawks? - Well the C's look anything as they did against the Hawks, then they may be a force to be messed with. Health is the big word in the C's regime over the last 4 years, and when healthy (as they were in 08), they can win the NBA Title. When not healthy (the last 3 years) then they will not win it all. Simple. Of course.
2. Can the Sixers use their young legs to out-run the old C's Vets? - This may have to be the only way this Sixers team can win. They're not a good perimeter shooting team, although they have a good bench, I don't think this will be enough to outlast the Celtics.
3. Under/Over 4 games: That the Sixers shoot over 45% from the perimeter? - Well for Sixers fans they hope it's at least 4 games......but I'll take the under on that, I'll go at least 3 games. In order have a great chance to win the series however, they must WIN all 3 of those games.
4. Iggy vs The Truth: Which of the team leaders will shine the most in this series? - Iggy can be somewhat if a problem for Pierce. If he can shoot the ball constantly from the perimeter. We all know that Iggy can drive to the basket, but if he's perimeter then Pierce could be in for a long series. Now if Pierce is cooking on all cylinders, then this could be a very exciting match-up for these two teams.

Confidence Pick:

Series Prediction: Celtics in 5

Post Game - East 1st Round: Celtics vs Hawks

Celtics vs Hawks

(Celtics Win Series 4-2)

1. Is this the final stand for the Celtics regime that was put together 4 years ago? - In this series, the Celtics veteran presence may have won them this series. In game 2, Paul Pierce and KG played very well and that was without Rondo and Allen. To answer this question, no they'll play at least one more playoff round, if not two more.
2. Are the Hawks a real threat to the big dogs of the East? Let's think about this for a second: The Hawks main core (Horford, Johnson, and Smith) have been with each other since 2008. This team as made it out of the 1st round 3 of those 5 years. However, they have not advance beyond the second round and with being put out this year in the 1st round. With some thinking that this team should of walked into the East Finals now that the Bulls are out, but this team seem to can't play to it's potential. It's clear that this team may have played its last game together as currently constituted, as the Hawks have a laundry list of upcoming free agents.
3. Who's injury situation will hurt the most: Hawks without Al Horford or the C's without Ray Allen? - I'll give this one a push advantage, considering that both players came back and made both teams a little better in this series.
4. Will homecourt be a factor in this series? Again One word......YES! It just cost the Hawks the series.

Next up: Celtics will move to face the Sixers in the 2nd round

Post Game - East 1st Round: Knicks vs Heat

Knicks vs Heat

(Heat Wins Series 4-1)

1. Will the REAL Miami Heat please stand up? - Other then the game 4 letdown, the Heat have been beyond dominate in this series. Dominate enough to make everyone think that this team SHOULD win it all this season. So far, the REAL Miami Heat have come to the playoffs.
2. Can Melo actually lead this team to an upset over the Heat - Melo stuggled in this series, thus the Knicks wasn't able to really play up to par. As the Melo goes, so does the Knicks.
3. Which bench can respond to the pressures that their superstar's collapse down the stretch? -Well some would say that the Knicks would have a better bench, that's if their bench could stay intact. Before game 1, the Knicks only had PG Jeremy Lin on the injury list. By the time this series ended, 3 players we're since added to this list, only Amer'e Stoudemire was able to return after missing game 3 with a hand injury.
4. Will the 1999 1st Round series repeat itself again? - Well no, this series wasn't NOTHING like the 1999 series. 

Next up: Round 2 against the Pacers

Post Game - East 1st Round: Magic vs Pacers

Magic vs Pacers

(Pacers Win Series 4-1)

1. Can the Magic actually make some noise in the playoffs without Howard? - Well the team responded well at home, but no. Howard was the X-factor for the Magic and without him, they have......well had no chance.
2. How dangerous are the Pacers in this series and beyond? - The Pacers are a young and upcoming team with a bright future. The Pacers could make a lot of noise, now that the Eastern Conference Playoff picture is all but wide open.
3. Youth vs. Experience - Youth won. However, the vets on the Magic did show in Game 1 that the Veteran leadership can steal a game on the road. However, the Youth of the Pacers were able to go into a playoff atmosphere and take two very important road games so far.
4. Will this be the last time we see this Magic team as presently constituted? - This could be the last go-around for this Magic team. Huge changes will be made this off-season.

Next up: Pacers will play in the East Semis for the first time since 2006

Post Game - West 1st Round: Jazz vs Spurs

Jazz vs Spurs

(Spurs Win Series 4-0)

1. Will the Spurs repeat last year's performance in the playoffs? - The Spurs played this series as if it we're 1999 all over again. Some say that the Spurs had a "easy" round, but that the playoffs will start for them in the next round.
2. Can the Jazz defend the pick and roll? - Well the Spurs we're just too much of everything for the Jazz. This team was clearly out-matched from the word go. No the Jazz couldn't defend the pick and roll, or anything else at that matter.
3. Can the Jazz win on the road? - Well as I said in the preview, the Spurs are built to win road games. Although the Jazz almost came back and won game 4, the Spurs we're able to hold them off. Yea I know the question stated can the Jazz win on the road. Well for worst road team in the playoffs, two 20+ point blowouts at the AT&T Center should answer this question.
4. Will the Spurs win the NBA title this year, as they did in 1999? - At the rate they're playing, Yes why not. Most likely the only team to stand possibly stand in their way is the team they passed up for home-court advantage, Oklahoma City Thunder.

What's next: A trip the Western Conference Semis

Post Game - West 1st Round: Mavericks vs Thunder

Mavericks vs Thunder

(Thunder Wins Series 4-0)

1. Can the Thunder rebound from their late season collapse? - Yea, the Thunder looked as if they turned on the "switch" in this round. Complete over-match for the one-time defending champions.
2. Will the Mavs defend home court with this team? - No, losing two good close games at home. The Mavs actually had a chance to steal two road games in this series as well.
3. Well the Thunder find a 3rd scorer to complement KD and Westbrook? - James Harden and Serge Ibaka came to play, especially since KD didn't have the greatest shooting percentage in this series. Harden was HUGE in game 4, which he scored 31 points (career high in the playoffs) to clinch the series against the Mavs.
4. Can the Mavs turn it on again, as they did last season in the playoffs? - Well after being swept in this series, it's hard to repeat anything. I'll simply say, NO!

Next Up: Western Conference Semis vs Lakers