12/26/24
April 19, 2002
posted by catatonic to basketball at 01:14 PM - 3 comments
I'll throw some predictions out here... ROUND ONE: NETS/PACERS: Nets in four. Nobody is sold on the Nets yet but dang if they don't play well together. CHARLOTTE/ORLANDO: Charlotte in five, they just have the Magic's number, and they'll find a way keep themselves on tv and cheese off the NBA bigwigs. BOSTON/PHILADELPHIA: Philly in five. Iverson finds a way. But just barely. DETROIT/TORONTO: Detroit in five. I dunno. SACRAMENTO/UTAH: Sac Kings in three. DALLAS/MINNESOTA: Mavs in four. Sorry, Wolves. LAKERS/BLAZERS: Lakers in four. I'll probably regret not saying Lakers in three, but that double-OT Blazers win a week or so ago was really fun to watch. I know I'll probably be disappointed, but if this series is anything like that game, it'll be fun fun fun to watch. SAN ANTONIO/SEATTLE: Spurs in four. Tim Duncan is just one man, hence the one Sonics victory. ROUND TWO SACRAMENTO/DALLAS: Mavs in six. Put me down in the Kings doubters category. LAKERS/SPURS: Lakers in five. Tim Duncan is just one man, hence the one Spurs victory. I mean, David Robinson hasn't improved his Shaq-handling ability, right? And what would happen if Popovich put Duncan on Shaq? Would he just get mauled? Anyway, Spurs don't got it. Again. NEW JERSEY/CHARLOTTE: Nets in seven. I have no feel for the Hornets whatsoever --how often were they on tv? So I'm picking the beloved Nets in a long series. DETROIT/PHILADELPHIA: Philadelphia in seven. Lots of drama. Are the Sixers more or less banged up then they were last year? I'm thinking, not that much more banged up. So they should be able to struggle upwards into the Conference Finals, right? I guess. Again, I can't go against the x-factor of Allen Iverson, but, then again, the Sixers also have the z-factor known as Derrick Coleman. I dunno. ROUND THREE DALLAS/LAKERS: Western Conference finals, de facto NBA championship. I'm sure we've all read the stories about Don Nelson's Crazy Plan to counter Shaq not with somebody who could defend Shaq --there is no such person-- but with a bunch of guys who could score more points than Shaq and Kobe and the rest of the Lakers. "It's a crazy plan...but it just might work." But I have to puss out and pick the Lakers. Picking the Mavs seems like a clear road to a crushing disappointment. So: Lakers in seven. Hopefully, it's a good series. Better than Kings/Lakers, believe you me. NEW JERSEY/PHILADELPHIA: TURNPIKE SERIES! WOO HOO! Sixers in seven. In a weak East, I just think Iverson will find a way. Unless he's hurt and my flimsy predictions collapse under their own weight. But: Sixers in seven. ROUND FOUR: CHAMPIONSHIP LAKERS/PHILADELPHIA: Lakers in six. Second verse, same as the first. Check the Sportsline guys, the Eastern Conference confirms Gouldian theories of evolution by producing a different winner every time. The West is more Dawkinsian as the Lakers inexorably make their march to the top in five of six sets of playoff guesses. There you go.
posted by Justin Slotman at 03:50 PM on April 19, 2002
NETS/PACERS: N.E.T.S Nets, Nets, Nets CHARLOTTE/ORLANDO: I like both these teams. Since Orlando still has a home court, I'll take them in five. BOSTON/PHILADELPHIA: Boston in five. Iverson isn't ready to play. DETROIT/TORONTO: Detroit sweeps. SACRAMENTO/UTAH: Kings in five. Utah wins its home games. DALLAS/MINNESOTA: Mavs in three. Not going to be stopped. LAKERS/BLAZERS: Blazers in five. Fuck the lakers. SAN ANTONIO/SEATTLE: Spurs in four. 2nd rnd Nets/Magic: Nets with lots of Kenyon Martin Detroit/Boston: Boston in 5. Mavs/Kings: Mavericks. That's Mr. Diggler to you. Blazers/Spurs: Blazers in seven. 3rd round: Nets/Boston: Jason Kidd in 6 Mavericks/Blazers: Mark Cuban in 5 Dalas over New Jersey in 7. NBC is happy to say goodbye to the NBA with a Dallas/Newark final.
posted by pastepotpete at 02:51 PM on April 20, 2002
Unless Shaq gets injured, the title stays in LA.