Rockets vs Blazers preview

ROCKETS

The Rockets (54-38) come into the playoffs as the 4th seed in the Western Conference. Last year they lost to the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs in 6 games. The Rockets are led by their two all stars James Harden and Dwight Howard. The have an up tempo offense that love to score. They were 2nd in the NBA in points per games in 107.7. Also they are a good rebounding team, grabbing 45 a game which was good for 4th in the NBA this year. Their defense is one area of their team that they have to improve on. 

BLAZERS

The Blazers (54-28) come into the playoffs as the 5th seed in the Western Conference. The Blazers are on of the surprise teams in the Western Conference side of the playoff bracket. They have a great back court and their front court players are not bad either. They also like to get up and down the court average the 4th most points per game in the NBA.  They also were the best team at rebounding at 46.4 a game.

STARTERS

PG ROCKETS PATRICK BEVERLY BLAZERS DAMIAN LILLARD 

Beverly is an excellent ball handler but needs to work on his shooting as he is only shooting 41% on the year. He also need to work on passing the ball as he only averages 4 assists per game. Lillard is an up and coming point guard who in a few years could become one of the better ones in the NBA. He can score the ball well as he averages over 20 points a game. His shooting percentage needs to improve a bit as he is shooting just over 42%. 

ADVANTAGE: BLAZERS

SG ROCKETS JAMES HARDEN BLAZERS WESLEY MATTHEWS 

James Harden is turning into one of the best players in the NBA. He can shoot lights out as well as get to the rim. He also leads his team in assists in addition to being their top scorer. He is great at the transition three. Matthews went from being undrafted to become a above average NBA player in almost no time. He shoots the ball well at 44 %. 

ADVANTAGE: ROCKETS

SF ROCKETS CHANDLER PARSONS BLAZERS NICOLAS BATUM 

Parsons is an efficient shooter at 47%. He is an average rebounder averaging about 5 a game. Batum is a veteran player that brings leadership to this team as well as being a good player. He is a good rebounder as well averaging 7.5 a game. 

ADVANTAGE: BLAZERS

PF ROCKETS TERRENCE JONES BLAZERS LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE 

Jones is turning into a good player now that he is actually playing games. His field goal percentage is really high at 54% which means that he is really efficient. Aldridge is a noter one of the blazers players that give them experience and leadership. He has a good mid range game as well as a good post game.

ADVANTAGE: BLAZERS

C ROCKETS DWIGHT HOWARD BLAZERS ROBIN LOPEZ

Howard is the best center in the NBA when he wants to be and is playing his best. His post moves have really improved from the time he entered the league and is always among the leaders in rebounding and blocked shots. Lopez is a sleeper player that is good but goes under the radar most times. He has a good post game as well but is he still isn't the quality of Howard.

ADVANTAGE: ROCKETS

PREDICTION: I expect this to be a close matchup between these two teams. The Rockets were looking to go deep in the playoffs when the signed Howard. The Blazers no one expected them to be this good. I think that Harden will go off and the Rockets will win the series. Rockets in 7.

Bulls vs Wizards preview

BULLS
The Bull (48-34) come into the playoffs as the Eastern conference's 4 seed. Last year they made it to the second round of the playoffs before losing to the Miami Heat. Again they have to deal with Derrick Rose being injured. He is one of the best players in the NBA when healthy but he is almost never healthy. They have a great defense and everyone on their team buys in to playing defense as shown by them being number 1 in the NBA is opponents points per game at 91.8. One the offensive side of the ball they are the worst in the NBA in points per game at 93.7. With Rose being hurt they have to search for offense in other ways and they usually struggle with that. Whether or no they can score enough points to move on will be the main issue for them.

WIZARDS
The Wizards (44-38) come into the playoffs as the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference. The last time the Wizards made it to the playoffs was in 2008 when they lost to the Cavs. The Wizards are led by the up and coming point guard John Wall who is quickly becoming one of the better point guards in the NBA. The offense is average getting just over 100 points per game. They play above average defense at 99.4 points per game. Also they shoot three pointers at a good percentage at 38%. 

PG BULLS KIRK HINRICH WIZARDS JOHN WALL
Hinrich is a good defender with a decent jumper and plays the game well. He is more of a back up guard which we sort of was when Rose was healthy. Wall is an up and coming point guard and has the potential to be one of the better point guards in the NBA. He averaged 19 ppg and 8.8 apg.

ADVANTAGE: WIZARDS

SG BULLS JIMMY BUTLER WIZARDS BRADLEY BEAL
Butler is improving and getting better every season. He was a good jump shot and hustles to everything. Also he is a good rebounder and is a good defender. Bradley Beal is becoming one of the better 2 guards in the Eastern Conference. He can shoot the ball extremely well as well as get to the rim. 

ADVANTAGE: WIZARDS

SF BULLS  MIKE DUNLEAVEY WIZARDS TREVER ARIZA
This matchup is two veterans that both shoot threes. Dunleavey like to come off of screen and get a shot up. Ariza isn't as good at spot up shooting but if he has room he can score. 

ADVANTAGE: EVEN

PW BULLS CARLOS BOOZER WIZARDS TREVER BOOKER
Boozer is an all-star caliber player with an good medium range jumper and a good post game and good rebounding. He should be able to do what he wants with Booker. He doesn't average that much of anything but is a bigger body. He should not cause many problems for Boozer though.

ADVANTAGE: BULLS

C BULLS JOAKIM NOAH WIZARDS MARCIN GORTAT
This is a matchup between possibly the defensive player of the year verses a long time veteran in the league. Noah is brings a ton of energy to the game as well as rebounding and defense. Gortat is decent near the basket and has a good medium range jumper.

ADVANTAGE: BULLS

PREDICTION: This will be a tight contested series that will probably go six or seven games. The Wizards have an lot better offense than the Bulls so it will be interesting to see if the Bulls defense can prevail or not. Wizards in 7. 

Heat vs Bobcats preview

HEAT
The 2 time reigning NBA champion Miami Heat (54-28) come into the playoffs as the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference. They are led  by their big three of Lebron, Wade, and Bosh. They score over 100 points per game and hold their opponents to 97 points per game and can basically shut you down if they want to. The health of some of their players has been a question mark this entire year as well as last year and will continue to be an issue this postseason. Still they have the best shot at winning the title and have the best player in the league in Lebron.

BOBCATS
The Bobcats (43-39) come into the playoffs as the Easts 7th seed. The Bobcats are in the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history and are in search of their first franchise playoff victory. This will be a tough task against the defending champs. They are known for their famous owner Michael Jordan who most consider the best basketball player of all time. The Bobcats need to work on their offense as they only score 97 points a game. However they are good on defense as they hold their opponents to 97 points per game. They are in the middle of the pack in rebounds and assists per game. 

PG    HEAT MARIO CHALMERS  BOBCATS KEMBA WALKER
Mario Chalmers runs the point well in an offense where you doesn't have to do that much except pass the ball to superstars and shoot corner threes. Such a hard job... not. Kemba Walker got known for his run in the NCAA tournament when UCONN won the NCAA championship. In the NBA however he has struggled to kept up the same effectiveness but is starting to turn into a solid player in the NBA. 

ADVANTAGE: BOBCATS
SG   HEAT  DWYANE WADE   BOBCATS GERELD HENDERSON
Dwyane Wade is a part of the Heat's big three star players. He is very good when healthy, but he has been battling injuries the past few years in the league. His health will be a huge factor in whether the Heat can three peat. Henderson is an ok player at best. He averages 14 points a game and has a decent drive to the basket.

ADVANTAGE: HEAT

SF   HEAT LEBRON JAMES  BOBCATS MICHAEL KIDD-GILCHRIST 
James is the best player in the NBA with excellent vision and passing abilities as well as scoring and rebounding. He is an overall well rounded player who can do basically everything from shooting threes to posting up to making amazing dunks. Basically he doesn't have that many weaknesses if any at all. Kidd-Gilchrist is an underachieving player that got too much hype in college and hasn't lived up to the hype and performed to his ability. Lebron will make him look like a college player.

ADVANTAGE: HEAT

PW  HEAT UDONIS HASLEM BOBCATS JOSH MCROBERTS 
Both of these players should be bench players but are starting for different reasons. Haslem starts because he plays well with the other Heat starters. He has a decent mid range jumper and is really physical and plays good defense. McRobberts need to find a bench and stay there and only play like 10 minutes a game instead of the 30 that the Bobcats give him.

ADVANTAGE: HEAT 

C   HEAT CHRIS BOSH BOBCATS AL JEFFERSON
This should be the best matchup at least in with the starters. Chris Bosh was a star for the Raptors before joining the Heat. He is more of a power forward playing center but it does not really effect the Heat that much except for a handful of teams with big front courts. He can post up and shoot the medium and long range jumper. He also rebounds well. Al Jefferson was signed in the offseason by the Bobcats to bring a actually good player to them. He is really good in the post and could use his body to give Bosh some trouble and get him into foul trouble.

ADVANTAGE: HEAT

PREDICTION: The reigning champs verses a team that has never won a playoff game before in franchise history? The team with 3 superstars verses a team that has only two to three good players on its roster? I choose the Heat. Heat in 4.

Spurs vs. Mavericks

SPURS
The Spurs (62-20) come into the playoffs as the number 1 seed in the Western conference and had the best record in the entire NBA this season. Last year the Spurs came within one game of winning the championship. Even though the Spurs are old the just keep winning. They have one of the best coaches in the NBA. With all of their experience and leadership, they make very few errors. Their big three of Duncan, Parker, and Ginobilli just keep producing again and again along with their supporting cast of talented players. Most likely, they are the favorites to make the finals from the Western Conference.

MAVERICKS
The Mavericks (49-33) come into the playoffs as the 8th seed in the Western Conference. Last season this team failed to make it to the postseason. Led by Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs snuck into the playoffs at the last minute to grab the last spot in the west. The Mavs have a good offense scoring 104.8 points per game and share the ball well at 23.6 assists per game. Two things that the Mavs will have to find an answer for are the defense and their rebounding. Their defenses gives up over 102 ppg and they only grab about 40 rebounds a game which is 26th is the NBA.

STARTERS
PG MAVERICKS JOSE CALDERON SPURS TONY PARKER
Jose Calderon is an offense only kind of player. He is a good offensive player with a good three point shot and good passing abilities. Tony Parker will run circles around him, literally. During the 3 games against the Mavs this season, he averaged 23.3 points on over 50 % shooting. Tony Parker has been one of the best point guards in the league in the past decade and in this series he will show why he is great.

ADVANTAGE: SPURS

SG MAVERICKS MONTA ELLIS SPURS DANNY GREEN
Monta Ellis is a shooting guard that lots to drive to the whole and shoot long 2 point jumpers. He is a bad three point shooter and has sometimes during his career had a bad field goal percentage. Danny Green is a shoot threes and give me some defense kind of player. This is probably the only matchup on paper that the Mavs actually have an advantage.

ADVANTAGE: MAVS

SF MAVERICKS SHAWN MARION SPURS KAWHI LEONARD
Both of these players are/were really athletic with Leonard being the better player who is a good defender and an efficient offensive player. Marion likes to shoot threes and has a very awkward delivery on his shoot, but somehow it goes in... sometimes.

ADVANTAGE: SPURS

PF MAVERICKS DIRK NOWITZKI SPURS TIM DUNCAN
This matchup has two future hall of famers battling it out. Dirk has a great jumpshot and seems to have no limit on his range. His step back one legged jumper over the top of the defender is insane. Duncan is a great player with great fundamentals and a good medium range jumper that he likes to bank in off of the glass. He is good in the post also. This individual matchup should be fun to watch.

ADVANTAGE: EVEN

C MAVERICKS SAMUEL DALEMBERT SPURS TIAGO SPLITTER
Dalembert is and older player who doesn't like to get up and down the court and would rather bang with the opponent. His offensive game is not that great but is serviceable. And his defense is not much better either. Splitter is and up and coming player with good defense and a increasingly improving offense. He defensive rating per 100 possessions is 94.5 best on the team and 10 points lower than Dalembert.

ADVANTAGE: SPURS

PREDICTION: The spurs swept the season series with the Mavs this year and I do not see the Mavs posing much of a threat to the reigning Western Conference Champions. The big three of Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan prove to be too much for the Mavs. Spurs in 5.

Thunder vs. Grizzlies preview

THUNDER
The Thunder (59-23) come in as the second seed in the Western Conference and the second best record in the entire NBA. Last year ended in disappointment with an injury to their starting point guard Russell Westbrook and the got beat by the Grizzles in the 2nd round. This year Westbrook is back and ready to get a shot at the Grizzles. The tandom of Westbrook and Kevin Durant, who might get the MVP this year, lead this team into the playoffs in search of their first title. The Thunder like to run and get up and down the court as they score the 5th most points per game in the NBA. They also rebound the ball well as they are 7th in the NBA at 44.7 a game. Anything less than a championship would be a disappointment for this team. 

GRIZZLIES
The Grizzlies (50-32) come into the playoffs as the 7th seed in the Western Conference. They got the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Spurs. They beat the Thunder thanks to the Westbrook injury. The have one of the best frontcourts in Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Surprisingly, they are not a good rebounding team at least statistically. The like to play in the half court and play at a slow pace. Also they play excellent defense and hold opponents to under 95 points a game. If the Grizzles are going to win this series they are going to have to take advantage of the big bodies in the front court. 

STARTERS
PG THUNDER RUSSELL WESTBROOK GRIZZLIES MIKE CONLEY 
Russel Westbrook is one of the best point guards in the league when healthy. He can get to the rim very effectively and has a good jump shot. He averaged 21.8 ppg and 6.9 apg during the season. Mike Conley is one of the most underrated point guard in the NBA. He is really a good player that goes unnoticed sometimes because of all the attention that their bigs get. 

ADVANTAGE: THUNDER

SG THUNDER THABO SEFOLSHA GRIZZLIES COURTNEY LEE
This is the worst match skill use both of these players are not that good of players. Neither really does much and don't average that many points. Sefolsha is a decent defensive player well Lee is more of a shooter that just can't shot that well.

ADVANTAGE: NEITHER

SF THUNDER KEVIN DURANT GRIZZLIES TAYSHAUN PRINCE
Kevin Durant is most likely going to get the MVP award this year. He has a streak of 41 consecutive games of more than 25 points. He is one of the best players in the NBA. He can score in most ways either by getting to the rim of by his jumper. He is really long and can get his shot up over anyone. Prince is a long player also with a good post game for his size. He also plays good defense but is no contest for Durant.

ADVANTAGE: THUNDER
PF THUNDER SERGE IBAKA GRIZZLIES ZACH RANDOLPH
Ibaka or should I say Iblocka as some people call him is really good at blocking shots and was 2nd in the league in blocks at 2.7 a game. his jump shot has really improve in the last couple years.
Zach Randolph is a post player that usually only one hand a lot of the time. He averages a double double in points and rebounds (17.4 and 10.1)

ADVANTAGE: GRIZZLIES

C THUNDER KENDRIC PERKINS GRIZZLIES MARC GASOL
Perkins is an energy kind of player that gives you 6 fouls a game and likes to get in your face. He is short for his position and can get beat by a lot of the bigger centers in the league just like the one he will be going against in this series. Marc Gasol is the other half of the Grizzlies great front court. He like to pound you and score with with back to the basket. He averages 14.6 ppg and 7.2 rpg.

ADVANTAGE: GRIZZLIES

PREDICTION: One thing to watch for in this series is the pace of the game. If it is really fast and uptempo the Thunder are probably doing well. If it is slower the Grizzles are usually doing well. Having Westbrook for this series I think will be the difference as compared to last year when he was hurt. Thunder in 7.

Clippers vs Warriors preview

CLIPPERS
The Clippers (57-25) set a franchise record in wins this year with 57. They have 2 of the top 15 players in the league in Blake Griffin and Chris Paul who many consider the best point guard in the entire NBA. They have the top scoring offense in the entire NBA, scoring 107.9 points per game. Also they share the basketball really effectively averaging the third most assists in the NBA at 24.6 a game. One thing they will have to work on is their defense as they give up over 100 points a game. Also how they function in the half court dominated playoffs will be something to watch for. If you are looking for a fun team to watch Lob City is near the top of the list. 


WARRIORS
The Warriors have one of the best starting backcourts in the entire NBA in Stephen Curry and Clay Thomson aka the "Splash Brothers." Those two players have more threes that the entire Memphis Grizzles team. Also they have one of the best offenses in the league. Surprisingly they rebound the ball very well at 45 a game which is 5th in the NBA. One thing that they will have to be is make up for the presence of their starting center Andrew Bogut who is out with yet another injury. The Warriors also are one of the most fun teams in the NBA to watch. This series will be very entertaining for fans to watch with lots of points threes and dunks.

STARTERS
PG   CLIPPERS  CHRIS PAUL WARRIORS STEPHEN CURRY
This is a matchup of two of the best point guards in the entire league Chris Paul is more of a traditional point guard in distributing the ball around and getting assists first before finding his own shot whereas Stephen Curry is more of a shoot first point guard. Both are excellent at what they do. Paul lead the NBA in assists at over 10 a game. No other player in the NBA averages more than 8.8 a game. He also leads the NBA in steals at 2.48 a game. Curry leads the league in threes made and when he gets hot watch up you might get burnt.

ADVANTAGE: CLIPPERS

SG  CLIPPERS WILLIE GREEN WARRIORS KLAY THOMPSON
Willie green is at average player at best. Klay Thompson should dominate him with his threes and shooting ability I do not see this matchup as much of a contest. 

ADVANTAGE: WARRIORS

SF CLIPPERS  MATT BARNES WARRIORS ANDRE IGUODALA
Matt Barnes is a good player who mainly shoots threes and defense. Iguodala is one of the X factors in this series. He is a pro that brings experience and leadership to this Warrior team. He is one of the best on ball defenders in the league.

ADVANTAGE: WARRIORS

PF CLIPPERS  BLAKE GRIFFIN WARRIORS DAVID LEE
Blake Griffin is the leader of Lob City with exciting dunk after exciting dunk. His post game has really improved throughout his career. David Lee is coming off an injury and he has had a history of injuries so he might not be as affective as he could be. When health is is a really good player with a good jump shot and post game. 

ADVANTAGE: CLIPPERS

C CLIPPERS DEANDRE JORDAN WARRIORS JERMAINE O'NEAL
Jordan is the second half of the main part of Lob City and has some exciting dunks of his own. If you are a smaller player and try to get in his way, he might Brandon Knight you. With the injury to Bogut this puts the Warriors in a bad spot with the old O'neal. One has to wonder what he has left in the tank. 

ADVANTAGE: CLIPPERS

PREDICTION: The season series between the two team was split 2-2 with each team winning both times on their home court. Bogut's injury will hurt them as well as the Clippers bench is better than the Warriors bench as well as the front court advantage that the Clippers have. This should be one of the most exciting series to watch. Clippers in 6.

Raptors vs Nets preview

RAPTORS 
The Raptors (48-34) come into the playoffs as the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference with a young team that does not have that much experience at least in the playoffs. The last time that the Raptors made the playoffs was in 2008 where they got beat in the first round by the then Dwight Howard led Magic. But just because they have not been to the playoffs in a while does not mean that they are not a good team. By their stats there are not a lot of things that jump off of the page. In most of the major statistics such as ppg and rpg, they are in the middle of the pack. However they do get to the free throw line a good amount at 25 free throws a game. Also they make them at a high percentage at 78% which is 5th in the NBA. There defense is actually one of the better ones in the NBA but I think that is due to the other teams defenses not being that good because they still give up 98 ppg. One thing that youth gives you is energy and against the Nets that may be one advantage that they definitely have.

NETS

Unlike the Raptors, the Nets (44-38) have one of the oldest teams in all of the NBA if not the oldest. The Nets made a trade to get two vets with lots of experience who have won the championship before which is what they want to do. One of the players on the Nets, Paul Pierce has played in almost as many playoff games as the entire Raptors roster. When the Nets ownership were putting their roster together, the playoffs is what they were planning for, a team that could win it all. One thing that could hurt the Nets is their lack of rebounding. They rank 2nd to last in rebounds per game. Does Brooklyn have enough left in the tank to get all the way to the final with all of their old players? Time will tell that, and if they can  they could be a team that surprises people and makes the NBA finals or the Eastern Conference Finals.

STARTERS
PG RAPTORS Kyle Lowry NETS Deron Williams
Kyle Lowry is a up a coming point guard in the league. He had a good year in that he averaged 17.9 ppg and 7.4 apg. He is very quick and get to the rim well, but is slightly undersized. He shoots the three well at 38%. Deron William has been having a down year in that he has had the worst ppg and apg since his rookie year. However, he is consider one of the better point guards in the league and is an all star.

ADVANTAGE: NETS

SG RAPTORS DeMar DeRozan NETS Shaun Livingston
DeMar DeRozan is extremely athletic and has some crazy dunks and has been in the Slam Dunk Contest. He get to the free throw line well and makes 82 % of them. His three point shot need to get better as he only shoots around 30 % from beyond the arc. Shaun Livingston is an average player with some length for the shooting guard position. He can post well for a guard and has a good medium range jumper.

ADVANTAGE: RAPTORS

SF RAPTORS Terrence Ross NETS Joe Johnson
Terrence Ross is mainly a scorer and is streaky from the three point line. He only averaged 10 points per game on the year and I do not expect him to do much in this series. Joe Johnson is really a shooting guard playing the small forward position. It always seems that when the game is close and it comes down to the wire He makes the winning shot like 90% of the time. He is definitely good in close game situations late in the game. 

ADVANTAGE: NETS

PF RAPTORS Amir Johnson NETS Paul Pierce 
Amir Johnson is just a big guy with average stats and an average post game he can dunk also. He is just coming off of a recent injury so I do not know how production he will be and his production is not really that much any way. Paul Pierce is a veteran pro with a ton of experience and who knows how to win. He has a good three point shot and a good post up game and gets to the free throw line frequently. Paul Pierce is a winner.

ADVANTAGE: NETS

C RAPTORS Jonas Valanclunas NETS Mason Plumlee
Jonas Valanchunas is a center who stays mainly in the paint which is different from post European players with his height. He does an average job at blocking shots and gets about 1 per game. He has a high field goal percentage at 53% and a good free throw percentage for a big guy at 76%. Mason Plumlee is big and slim for a center. He also is a stay in the paint player with lots of dunks and layups. He also has a great field goal percentage at 66%. One thing he needs to work on is his rebounding as he only averages 4.4 per game.

ADVANTAGE: RAPTORS

PREDICTION: The season series got split with each team going 1-1 at home and on the road. I think that the experience of the Nets will take them through the first round and will avoid the costly mistakes that the inexperienced Raptors will probably make. Nets in 6.

Pacers vs Hawks series preview

Hello all! Welcome to the start of the NBA playoff series previews that I will doing throughout the entire NBA playoffs, one post for each series of the NBA playoffs! Here we go!

INDIANA

Indiana (56-26) comes in as the with the best record in the Eastern Conference and the number 1 seed, but has not had the best ending to the year as they have been slumping to the finish line. During their last 25 games, the Pacers were 12-13, not how you want to finish the season to get momentum going into the postseason. They have one of the top ten to top fifteen players in the NBA in shooting guard/small forward Paul George. Last year the Pacers got to the Eastern Conference championship series before losing to the eventual NBA champion Miami Heat in 7 games. The Pacers have one of the best defenses in the NBA ranking second lowest in points allowed per game at 92.3. Their defense was first in opponents shooting percentage at 42% and were 4th in 3 point opponent shooting percentage at 34.5%. The main problem for them is can they score enough points to get through to the NBA finals. They do have two really good post players in David West and Roy Hibbert who is in consideration for the Defensive Player of the Year Award. Defense is the main thing that carries this team though and if they make it to the finals and possibly win it, it will be because of their great defense.

ATLANTA

Atlanta ( 38-44) barely got into the playoffs and with a losing record. Because of this and other years where teams having losing records getting into the playoffs, some people are trying to change it so that the teams with better records get into the playoffs. However, they got the 8th best record their conference so that means that they are in the playoffs. Atlanta relies a good deal on the three point shot which they take around 26 threes a game which is second most in the NBA. Although they shoot a lot of threes they do not make a good percentage of them at 36.3%. Atlanta also turns the ball over too much at about 15 a game. They do however have some good players like power forward Paul Milsap . If their bigs cannot get Hibbert and West into trouble and they don't make that many three this could be a very short series for the Hawks.

STARTERS 

PG INDIANA George Hill ATLANTA Jeff Teague

Neither of these players are that great, but are good players. George They do what they have to do Hill get about 10 points per game and about 3.5 assists per game which is not good for a starting point guard in the NBA. However the Pacers do not need him to be a star for them to do well. The Hawks however need Teague to be one of their best players especially because the best player is hurt. Teague is averaging 16 ppg and 6.7 apg which is slightly above average for a starting point guard. In this matchup, I expect Teague to have the better series. 

ADVANTAGE: HAWKS

SG INDIANA Lance Stephenson ATLANTA Kyle Korver 

Lance Stephenson was a role player turned pretty good player for the Pacers when he plays well the Pacers usually play well. He is good in transition, plays good defense, and is decent at making threes. Korver is basically a three point specialist who does nothing else. He probably should not be starting, but instead be a bench player at least with his skill set. Korver does happen to be one of the best in the NBA at making threes though and makes them at a rate of 47% which is the best in the NBA. 

ADVANTAGE: PACERS

SMALL FORWARD INDIANA Paul George ATLANTA DeMarre Carroll

Paul George is one of the best players in the NBA with length and can shoot and drive to the basket well as well as play defense well. He averages 21.7 ppg 6.8 rebounds per game and 3.5 apg. He is one of the best all around players in the game and definitely the best player on the Pacers. If the Pacers want to win the title, he will have to play like an MVP for that to happen. Carrell is one of the many three point shooters on this team of many. He will be more thicker of a player for George to guard so if he has any post game he might want to do that. But I do not think that this will be much of a contest – too much George.

ADVANTAGE: PACERS

PW INDIANA David West ATLANTA Paul Milsap

David West is a legitimate pro who is one of the leaders of the Pacers both on and off the court. He is a low post threat with a good medium range jump shot. He averages 14 ppg and about 7 rpg and has been a good player for a long time in the league. Paul Milsap is the Hawks real leading scorer bc Horford got hurt. He is another one of the typically low post power forwards with good size for the position. He can also go out and shoot the three at a decent rate. This position battle I expect to be extremely close with the the edge to West.

ADVANTAGE: PACERS very slightly 

C INDIANA  Roy Hibbert ATLANTA Pero Antic

Roy Hibbert is a really tall center that blocks lots of shots but doesn't get as many rebounds as you would hope for from your starting center. He has a really good hook shot from either hand and side of the post. He was 4th in blocks per game this year with 2.25. Pero Antic is basically a backup center starting bc of injury he has a bad field goal percentage for a center which should be a great amount higher for a center. Additionally he is shorter and not a big as Hibbert and he likes to shoot threes like everyone and the Hawks. Hey probably the water boy for the Hawks probably shoots a lot of threes. Hibbert should dominate this matchup and I don't see much of problem for him.

PREDICTION: Even though the season series was 2-2, I do not see the Hawks posing much of a threat for the Pacers. George and company push their will on the Hawks and move on without too much trouble. Pacers in 5.

NBA Playoff Match ups (First Round)

As I stated in my last post, I will be previewing each series of the NBA playoffs which start on Saturday. These are the match ups for the first round of the NBA playoffs. To get into the playoffs the teams had to have one of the best eight records in there respective conference and are seeding according to their records in their respective conference. The team with the better record/seed has home court advantage for that series. Each series is a best out of seven series, that means win 4 games and you are moving on to the next round. Win four series and you are the next NBA champion. Here are the first round match ups of the NBA playoffs:

In the Eastern Conference, the number 1 seed, the Indiana Pacers (56-26) will be playing the 8 seed Atlanta Hawks (38-44). The number 2 seed Miami Heat (54-39),the reigning NBA champions, will be playing the 7 seed Charlotte Bobcats (43-39). The number 3 seed Toronto Raptors (48-34) will be playing the 6 seed Brooklyn Nets (44-38). And the number 4 seed Chicago Bulls (48-34) will be playing the 5 seed Washington Wizards (44-38).

In the Western Conference, the number 1 seed and best record in all of the NBA during the regular season, San Antonio Spurs (62-20) will be playing the 8 seed Dallas Mavericks (49-33). The number 2 seed Oklahoma City Thunder (59-23)will be playing the 7 seed Memphis Grizzlies (50-32).
The 3 seed Las Angeles Clippers (57-25) will be playing the 6 seed Golden State Warriors (51-31).
And the number 4 seed Houston Rockets (54-28) will be playing the 5 seed Portland Trail Blazers (54-28).

I will be posting the playoff preview with my predictions starting tomorrow please comment on them with your opinions and what your predictions and thoughts are also, thanks.

Mountain Dew Dudes

future posts

Starting on Thursday, when the NBA playoff are set, I will be previewing each series in several posts (one for each series) as well as giving my prediction for each series. Readers and followers and fans of Mountain Dew Dudes and Mountain Dew lovers everywhere you have that to look forward to in the near future.

One and Done NCAA/NBA Basketball Rule: Good or Bad?

As many National Basketball Association fans know, there is a rule that states that a player has to have at least one year of college or international experience after high school before the player can be eligible for the NBA draft. Many NCAA college basketball players choose to leave after one year, For example players like Andrew Wiggins of Kansas. On the other hand there are players like Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State that choose to stay an extra year of college before declaring for the NBA draft. There been a debate whether to leave the rule as it is or to change the rule to require more years in college before being eligible for the NBA draft. Most proponents of changing the rule are saying to have the requirement be two years in college verses the one year currently. 

There are both pro and cons to both sides of this debate. On the side of leaving the rule as it is the NBA gets the players earlier and the players can get started on their careers sooner. On the side of changing the rule to 2 years, for example, the NBA would get better quality player with more experience and better training, college basketball teams would have better opportunities to win championships because they have been trained longer and have better camaraderie between teammate leading to more wins and longer tournament runs. This would lead to better quality teams in the NCAA tournament. Also because the players would be in college for two years they would basically have their associates degree finished which would help them get a job after their basketball career is over or if the NBA just does not work out for them.

In conclusion, the rule should be changed to at least 2 years for the betterment of both the NBA and the NCAA.

How the Brewers are winning on their hot streak

Basically every Major League Baseball "expert" on the major sports sites (ex. Espn, Fox, Cbs, etc) wrote off the Brewers this year. Most of these "experts" predicted that the Brewers would finish around .500 and get 4th in the National League Central behind the Cardinals, Pirates, and Reds. Yet as of right now the Brewers are 10-2 and have the best record in all of baseball. Yes you read that right BEST RECORD IN BASEBALL , and their record is at least 2 games better than every other team. So it asks the question, "How did they get so overlooked?". Well, last year their 3 and 4 hitters in the lineup were either injured or suspended for most of the year. The pitching had an off year and May was a disaster zone month for them. This year with a few accusations during the off season such as Matt Garza and Francisco Rodriguez to sure up the starting and relief pitching, their pitching has the best Earned Run average in MLB at 1.80 and their bullpen has only given up like 4 runs this entire year. Also during this run by the Brewers the offense is scored around 6 runs per game and they have an average around .300 as a team. Also they have been producing with runners in scoring position at a good rate and one of the players their 4th hitter in the lineup, Aramis Ramirez who was injured most of last year is batting around .750 in those situations and has driven in the 5th most runs in all of the NL. Also they have been capitalizing on the opponents miscues especially in their series with the Pirates which they swept. With that sweep of the Pirates, the Brewers have now won 9 games in a row and are going for 10 when they play the Cardinals tonight.  Whether the Brewers can continue this run and get into the playoffs, they will need to sustain their pitching throughout the entire year and prove that this little run is not a fluke. We will see how they do that. 

Until later,

Mountain Dew Dudes