NBA Playoff!

[jesus19]

I dont tjink so about indiana, the bullsa are probably the worst matchup for them, there inner line is toguher but i hope indiana defense will do the job

[rivdee]

Agreed. Indiana doesn't want that 1st round matchup

[Durant35]

Gonna be tough to beat the Heat, but I think Oklahoma City has a good chance this year. Guess we'll see what happens.

[wwwrungood]

Heat are a bad matchup for OKC and I think OKC has no chance to win. Maybe a game or two but I think OKC would be an easier matchup. A harder matchup for the Heat would be a team like the Spurs or Nuggets. Everyone thinks the Heat will walk to the finals and win a championship but I dont think its going to be that easy. If the Heat are playing at their best, they are tough to beat. But they aren't always playing at their best.

[foofighter]

celtics will beat knicks

[hiyosilver]

Lakers all day baby!!!!

[DuckU408]

I cant believe the dubbs are in the playoffs. No more draft Lottery baby....

[hitmeup]

as ive said on most of the nba threads about the same thing... gooooo clippers

[DuckU408]

Key players: Klay Thompson and Andrew Bogut. When Klay Thompson shoots well, the Golden State Warriors win. It?s almost that simple. Curry and Lee are about as consistent on the offensive end as any high-scoring duo in the NBA, but Klay Thompson is a shooter, and a young shooter at that. At age 23, and in his second NBA season, Thompson?s long-range shooting has determined the fate of many Golden State games this year. In wins, Thompson shoots 44% from distance, dropping in 17.9 points per game, compared with 33% in losses, accounting for a scoring average of 13.9. Thompson?s season, like the Warriors, has had its mountainous peaks and its desolate valleys. The valleys came in November and again in February (29% and 32% from the arc) while the peaks were sustained through the deep winter months, putting up a mark of 45% in December, 40% in January, and back up to 44% in March.

With the exception of Jarrett Jack, the Warriors are not a drive-and-kick team, and rarely draw double teams, which puts pressure on Curry and Thompson to take threes whenever they have open space. While this works for Steph because he is arguably the best pure shooter in the NBA (hop here for SI?s Chris Ballard?s excellent Steph Curry profile, and the importance of Jarrett Jack?s play-making as a complement to Curry?s game.), Thompson could benefit from a wing player with penetrating ability. Despite his occasional flashes, Harrison Barnes is nowhere near ready to play the minutes he?s been forced into because of Brandon Rush?s absence. Mark Jackson has to find a way to run Thompson off of Bogut picks and get him space in the half-court, similarly to how Garnett was consistently able to open up shooting space for Ray Allen during Boston?s playoff runs. Thompson doesn?t have Allen?s innate maneuverability, but has the size to ward off smaller two-guards.

On the other side of the ball, Andrew Bogut is a force under the basket, and his presence will be especially critical against Denver?s penetrating ability. Bogut?s length and his Gasol-like ability to stretch out and avoid jumping for up-fakes drives would-be lane-slashers crazy. If Bogut can keep his stamina, and avoid foul-trouble, the Warriors will have a legitimate chance of upsetting the Lawson-impaired Nuggets. Keeping Denver?s Faried off of the glass is next to impossible, but Bogut, Lee, and pretty much every Warrior on the court, must make it a priority.

[Daredeviljo]

I sincerely wish that the raptors would make the playoffs just once in this millennium!