John Hollinger provides this breakdown.
Here is the one-minute summary:
(1st round) Boston in 4, Detroit in 5, Orlando in 6 and Washington in 6 in the East, and the Lakers in 5, New Orleans in 7, Utah in 6 and Phoenix in 6 out West.
(2nd round) Boston in 4, Detroit in 7, and the Utah in 6, New Orlean in 7 out West.
(Conferene Finals) Boston in 5 and Utah in 7.
(NBA Finals) Boston in 6.
As to the addicted fans, here is the long version.
In the 1st round, the reasoning on Phoenix (over Spurs) is mainly that they've built their team to face the Spurs. Shaquille O'Neal has done extremely well defending Tim Duncan over the years. And Phoenix has shown that they could beat Spurs in the regular season.
In the 2nd round, the Utah-Lakers series should be the true conference finals. Based on offensive efficiency rating, Utah is the second best offence team in the league. They have a winning record of 37-12 in 2008. And they have won an astounding 18 games by more than 20 points.
For the Hornets-Suns 2nd round matchup, New Orleans might be even more exhausted after going seven against Dallas, but Phoenix doesn't match up nearly as well with the Hornets -- and New Orleans has home court. This is another series that looks to be about dead even.
That sets up Chris Paul vs. Deron Williams in the conference finals. Even though Paul might get the better of the matchup individually, but Williams has better teammates, so Utah rolls to the Finals in six.
Back East, Detroit will win over Orlando in a grueling seven. Meanwhile, the suffocating defence of Boston will dismiss Washington in four. That sets up a much-awaited conference finals battle between Boston and Detroit. Both teams match-up well in most aspect, with a slight edge to Boston's bench and Sam Cassell. Boston will win in five easier-than-expected games.
The 2-3-2 format and Utah's dominance at home will keep things interesting for a while, but mostly it will allow the Celtics to celebrate a title on their home court after knocking off the Jazz in six.
Showing posts with label Playoff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Playoff. Show all posts
Friday, April 18, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Play-off Projection
With two more months to go before the post-season, let's project the possible play-off match-up for the Celtics.
Below is the current seeding of each team in the East, and their W-L records,
__1. Boston 41 - 9
__2. Detroit 39 - 13
__3. Orlando 33 - 21
__4. Cleveland 29 - 23
__5. Toronto 28 - 23
__6. Washington 25 - 27
__7. New Jersey 23 - 30
__8. Philadelphia 23 - 30
__-----------------------
__9. Atlanta 21 - 28
_10.Chicago 21 - 31
_11.Indiana 21 - 32
_12.Milwaukee 19 - 34
_13.Charlotte 19 - 34
_14.New York 15 - 37
_------------------------
_15.Miami 9 - 42
Celtics' first round match-up could be any team ranging from the Nets, currently No.7, to the Knicks, currently No.14. With several possible trade scenerios in working trying to beat the deadline, it could have major impact to number of teams (Nets, 76ers, Bulls, Knicks) and their chance for the last two play-off spots. The Hawks, currently No.9, have a very good chance to get in with the new addition of Mike Bibby.
The second round match-up will be very interesting in several aspects. Firstly, my projection is that the Cavaliers (currently No.4) will eventually overtake the Magics for the No.3 seeds. And if the Celtics can maintain their No.1 seed, they will have the advantage to avoid playing the Cavs and then the Pistons (currently No.2) in the next round, and take on a relatively weaker team instead.
Secondly, which relates to above, the Cavs currently has the best chance among the East to beat the Pistons in the play-off, as they have done it last year. I know that the Celtics like their chance too, but there is a number of uncertainty against them. One is the match-up with Chauncey Billups individually, and also with the Pistons' play-off experience. So, if the Celtics can maintain their lead over both teams and forcing them to face each other in the second round, there will be a chance for the Celtics to by-pass the Pistons all together. Even if the Pistons beat the Cavs, it should wear them down a little.
As a Celtics' fan, i will take that.
Below is the current seeding of each team in the East, and their W-L records,
__1. Boston 41 - 9
__2. Detroit 39 - 13
__3. Orlando 33 - 21
__4. Cleveland 29 - 23
__5. Toronto 28 - 23
__6. Washington 25 - 27
__7. New Jersey 23 - 30
__8. Philadelphia 23 - 30
__-----------------------
__9. Atlanta 21 - 28
_10.Chicago 21 - 31
_11.Indiana 21 - 32
_12.Milwaukee 19 - 34
_13.Charlotte 19 - 34
_14.New York 15 - 37
_------------------------
_15.Miami 9 - 42
Celtics' first round match-up could be any team ranging from the Nets, currently No.7, to the Knicks, currently No.14. With several possible trade scenerios in working trying to beat the deadline, it could have major impact to number of teams (Nets, 76ers, Bulls, Knicks) and their chance for the last two play-off spots. The Hawks, currently No.9, have a very good chance to get in with the new addition of Mike Bibby.
The second round match-up will be very interesting in several aspects. Firstly, my projection is that the Cavaliers (currently No.4) will eventually overtake the Magics for the No.3 seeds. And if the Celtics can maintain their No.1 seed, they will have the advantage to avoid playing the Cavs and then the Pistons (currently No.2) in the next round, and take on a relatively weaker team instead.
Secondly, which relates to above, the Cavs currently has the best chance among the East to beat the Pistons in the play-off, as they have done it last year. I know that the Celtics like their chance too, but there is a number of uncertainty against them. One is the match-up with Chauncey Billups individually, and also with the Pistons' play-off experience. So, if the Celtics can maintain their lead over both teams and forcing them to face each other in the second round, there will be a chance for the Celtics to by-pass the Pistons all together. Even if the Pistons beat the Cavs, it should wear them down a little.
As a Celtics' fan, i will take that.
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