NBA Playoffs 2011

It is mid April and that means the NBA playoffs, something that I always look forward to no matter where I am in the world! Being a Lakers fan, of course I want them to win it all for a 3Peat, but I’m not as confident as I have been in years past. There are a number of intriguing match-ups, mainly in the West that will be very interesting to watch, not only for the present, but also for the future of the NBA.

I’m not going to break down each series as many pundits are doing this but let me focus in on a few series and add my predictions to the fold. In the East Chicago and Miami will definitely win their first round series. The Celtics-Knicks series should be great. The Knicks have a lot to prove with the Carmelo trade and I would expect this series to go to seven games.

My feeling is that the Celtics made a major mistake by trading Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder who are poised to continue to be a dominant team in the West for some time to come. The Celtics seem to be fading, but many people have written them off too many times. New York will make a lot of noise in this series and may even win with their young legs. If it does go down to seven as I’m predicting, watch for the Celtics mystique to take over.

The Magic-Hawks series is somewhat of a mystery. Both of these teams have played well, but the Hawks seem to lack a good point guard, whereas the Magic just don’t seem to be complete, especially with the injury to JJ Redick. Even with their mid-season trade they just haven’t seemed like the Magic that reached the finals two years ago. I would expect that Dwight Howard will dominate in this series and I’ll go with the Magic.

Ultimately in the East it should come down to the Bulls and the Heat. The Heat do have a lot to prove, but can a team with three players beat a complete team? How much will playoff experience count? I’m not entirely sure at all.

The West seemed to be a lock for the Lakers a bit over a week ago when they were cruising. What happened is anyone’s guess. One hears that they can turn it on and off depending on their opponents, but I’m not so sure. Injuries will play a key role in how far they advance but at least in the first round they should have no problem beating the Hornets, who have suffered after a strong start. The Spurs will take out Memphis fairly quickly, so look for both teams to advance to the second round.

The two most intriguing series are Portland-Dallas and Oklahoma City-Denver. I would really like to watch every game of these two series. I’m happy that the Lakers finished second in the West instead of third because I don’t think that they would have gotten by Portland. Although Dallas has been playing very well and has been very consistent throughout the season Portland will give them a tough battle.

The late season addition of Gerald Wallace makes Portland a very tough team. One can only imagine how great they would now be if Greg Oden wasn’t such a bust. It is too difficult for me to make a prediction but the winner will face Los Angeles with the Lakers having home court advantage.

The Thunder-Nuggets series will be a classic. The Thunder are going to be great for years to come and should be a dominant force in the West, if they are able to avoid injuries. The people of Seattle are unfortunately missing a lot due to the Thunder moving to the mid-west, but so be it in the world of professional sports. The Nuggets are a much improved team since trading away Anthony and Billups.

They seem to be more a team and don’t depend on any one player. They have a lot of young legs and the Knicks who they acquired in the Anthony trade are jelling well with the other players. I think that the Thunder should survive this series although I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Nuggets end up winning.

Unlike the East I’m not too sure who the final two teams in the West will be. It would be great to see the two heavyweights the Lakers and the Spurs play in the Western conference finals but they may have both already had their day. The Lakers want to send Phil Jackson out a winner and if they do this will have been their toughest playoffs during the past three years.

It is a great time of year and I’ll watch it all from my laptop in New Delhi! Long live the NBA!