NBA Power Rankings #1

1. Memphis Grizzlies 15-2
2. Golden State Warriors 14-2
3. San Antonio Spurs 12-4
4. Dallas Mavericks 13-5
5. Houston Rockets 13-4
6. Toronto Raptors 13-4
7. Portland Trailblazers 13-4
8. Los Angeles Clippers 11-5
9. Chicago Bulls 11-6
10. Washington Wizards 10-5
11. Miami Heat 9-7
12. Cleveland Cavaliers 8-7
13. Phoenix Suns 10-8
14. Atlanta Hawks 9-6
15. Milwaukee Bucks 10-8
16. Sacramento Kings 9-8
17. New Orleans Pelicans 7-8
18. Denver Nuggets 8-8
19. Brooklyn Nets 6-9
20. Indiana Pacers 7-10
21. Orlando Magic 7-12
22. Utah Jazz 5-12
23. Oklahoma City Thunder 5-12
24. Boston Celtics 4-10
25. Minnesota Timberwolves 4-11
26. Los Angeles Lakers 4-13
27. New York Knicks 4-14
28. Charlotte Hornets 4-14
29. Detroit Pistons 3-14
30. Philadelphia 76ers 0-16

Pacers' George out for season; Giants' Wilson retires

Indiana Pacers Forward Paul George will miss all of the 2014-15 NBA season with an injury to his leg that he suffered during a scrimmage between the US team for the 2014 FIBA World Cup. On a play in which he went for a chase down block against Houston Rockets Guard James Harden, George landed the wrong way and his foot bent sideways like a snapped twig. The injury is bad for the Pacers, considering they already lost their best on-ball playmaker, Lance Stephenson, to the Hornets in free agency. They also lost 6th man Evan Turner to the Celtics. Remaining starters George Hill, David West, and Roy Hibbert will need to step up, as well as newly-acquired C.J. Miles, and Damjen Rudez if this team wants to contend for a playoff spot. The good news for Pacers fans is that George's injury was a clean one, and he is expected to make a full recovery, with his left leg expected to be even stronger than it was before the injury once he returns. It's still a devastating blow to a team that, until the injury, had strong championship aspirations. 

New York Giants running back David Wilson has announced his retirement from the NFL. Wilson, 23, was told by doctors that it would be unsafe for him to play due to lingering neck issues prior to his third season. 

Paul George talks about what he can improve on next year

Indiana Pacers Forward Paul George has said recently that he will play more physically next year, and take more contact. He also said he would be working on his post moves to potentially compliment 7"2 Center Roy Hibbert. This would help the Pacers' offense significantly as Hibbert was the only menacing threat in the paint last season, save for an aging veteran in David West, who usually resorts to a midrange pick-and-pop shot instead of getting dirty in the post. What George is doing sounds a lot like what superstar Lebron James did after leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010. He redefined his game so that he not only was a decent jump shooter and great at getting to the rim, but he put on weight and developed more of a post game. And after doing so, what happened? That's right. He won two championships. Do it, PG. Work on that post game. And if George does succeed, he'll have the physicality to no longer let James push him around, a big weakness in Indiana's defense last year. 

Early 2014-15 NBA Predictions

EAST 
Playoffs
1. Indiana Pacers
2. Chicago Bulls
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Atlanta Hawks
5. Washington Wizards
6. Toronto Raptors
7. Miami Heat
8. Charlotte Hornets

Round One
Indiana Pacers 4-1 Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls 4-3 Miami Heat
Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1 Toronto Raptors
Washington Wizards 4-3 Atlanta Hawks

Round Two
Indiana Pacers 4-2 Washington Wizards
Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1 Chicago Bulls

Round Three
Indiana Pacers 4-2 Cleveland Cavaliers


WEST
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Los Angeles Clippers
3. San Antonio Spurs
4. Houston Rockets
5. Memphis Grizzlies
6. Golden State Warriors
7. Portland Trailblazers
8. Phoenix Suns

Round One
Oklahoma City Thunder 4-0 Phoenix Suns
Los Angeles Clippers 4-1 Portland Trailblazers
San Antonio Spurs 4-2 Golden State Warriors
Memphis Grizzlies 4-1 Houston Rockets

Round Two
Oklahoma City Thunder 4-3 Memphis Grizzlies
San Antonio Spurs 4-2 Los Angeles

Round Three
Oklahoma City Thunder 4-2 San Antonio Spurs

FINALS
Oklahoma City Thunder 4-2 Indiana Pacers

Lebron returns to Cleveland

We all remember when Lebron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Sumner of 2010, and in doing so alienating himself from his hometown of Akron, and angering the entire state of Ohio. But now, after four years and two championships, James is going back to Cleveland, which has welcomed him with open arms, after their complete and total irrelevancy the past four years since James' departure. Here's what James said in a letter announcing his return:

"When I left Cleveland, I was on a mission. I was seeking championships, and we won two. But Miami already knew that feeling. Our city hasn’t had that feeling in a long, long, long time. My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question. But what’s most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio.

"I’m not promising a championship. I know how hard that is to deliver. We’re not ready right now. No way. Of course, I want to win next year, but I’m realistic. (He knows he's probably not going to be able to beat Indiana next year. Sorry, I had to.) 

"I’m ready to accept the challenge. I’m coming home."

Top 50 Players in the NBA: #50

50. Derrick Rose/Kobe Bryant 

I was torn on this one. 

While Derrick Rose is a top-5 player when healthy, he has missed most of the past two seasons with a nasty knee injury. He suffered a torn ACL in the 2011-12 playoffs and sat out the entire 2012-13 season. Then shortly after returning in the 2013-14 season, tore the ACL in his OTHER knee. Now, no one knows what to expect from him. But before he tore his ACL the first time, Rose was the best Point Guard in the NBA, and had just won the league MVP award, the first time a Point Guard had win the award since (blank). 

Kobe Bryant, meanwhile, has finally relinquished his throne as the NBA's best player to Lebron James. After going out with a torn achilles in Game 4 of a 4-0 first-round playoff loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2012-13 playoffs, Bryant rehabilitated during the offseason, and said he would be ready to go by the opening game. However, he did not play until the middle of the season. When he finally got on the court he looked, obviously, rusty. After a few ugly games, the 37 year old tore his achilles AGAIN and missed the rest of the year. No one knows what he could bring the table were he fully healthy, but he could be a top-10 player for sure. 

I can't say much about either one of these guys' game's, because it's been so long since they last played. They certainly deserve a spot in this list, but until they both come back HEALTHY from their respective injuries, it's unclear exactly WHERE they should be placed. 

NBA Finals Preview

We finally know which two teams will be in the NBA Finals, which begin on Thursday, June 5th. It will be a rematch of last year's Finals, in which the East's Miami Heat just barely defeated the West's San Antonio Spurs, coming back from down 3-2 and a 5-point deficit with 28 seconds left in Game 6. Now, the Heat are looking for a third straight title, and the Spurs are looking for revenge.

Miami Heat 

The Journey 

The Miami Heat began the year as the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. They seemed to have greatly improved themselves in free agency by signing Forward Michael Beasley and Center Greg Oden, two players who were thought to have a chance to make significant contributions off the bench. But the two averaged just 9.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in the 24.3 minutes combined to play per game. Worse than that for the team, semi-star Dwayne Wade missed 28 of the team's regular season games with injury. They were also one of the oldest team's in the league, and many people questioned whether or not they would be fresh enough to win the Eastern Conference for a third-straight year. Miami finished the season a measly 11-14, including a three-game losing streak to end the season which prevented them from getting the East's coveted #1 seed. However, they showed no signs of fatigue once the playoffs rolled around, sweeping the #7 seeded Charlotte Bobcats [who later changed their team name to the Charlotte Hornets] in 4 games, with superstar Lebron James averaging averaging 30 points per game. In the second round, it seemed they would face a formidable challenge against the Brooklyn Nets, whom they lost 4-0 to in the season series. Before the season, it was mused that the Nets could potentially upset Miami should they meet in Round Two of the playoffs. But Miami's biggest weakness is their lack of interior defense, and the Nets' best post-player, Brook Lopez, missed the series due to a broken foot. The Heat won both games by an average of 16.5 points. Traveling to Brooklyn for games 2 and 3, the Nets finally broke through and won Game 3 104-90 thanks to a team effort in which six Brooklyn players scored in double-digits. Game 4 would also be played in Brooklyn, and the Nets would have a chance to tie things up with the defending-champs. But it did not happen, as James scored a playoff-high 49 points in a 102-96 victory, which made up for the fact that the rest of the team scored just 53 points combined. The Heat managed to edge out the Nets in Game 5 96-94, despite 34 points from Brooklyn Guard Joe Johnson, to close out the series. Then, came the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers were no strangers to Miami, they'd been the team that eliminated Indiana in the past two seasons. in the Conference Semifinals in 2012, and in a thrilling 7 game series in the Conference Finals in 2014. After Dwayne Wade missed so much time with health issues, and Indiana Forward Paul George blossomed into a potential MVP candidate, the Pacers felt like this was the year they would overtake the Heat. And they certainly played like it in Game 1. Six Pacers players scored in double digits, and Indiana shot 50 percent from the field en route to a 107-96 Game 1 victory. But the Heat came storming back in Game 2 behind 22 points from James and 23 points from Wade to tie the series 1-1 with an 87-83 win. As the series headed to Miami for an important Game 3, it was announced that Pacers star Paul George  had suffered a concussion due to a play in which Dwayne Wade's knee hit his head. He did play in Game 3, however, he was not himself and shot just 5-of-13 from the field as the Heat won commandingly, 99-87, to take a 2-1 series lead, making Game 4 virtual must-win for Indiana. They did not answer. James and Center/Forward Chris Bosh combined for 57 points and Indiana Center Roy Hibbert, Miami's supposed "kryptonite," was held scoreless. The Pacers did manage to win Game 5, but it was too late. The Heat destroyed Indiana 117-92 in a closeout Game 6, at one point winning by as many as 40 [40!!!] points against the 56-26 Pacers. Now, they've established themselves as the best team in the East, and will look to win their third title in three years. Standing in there way…

San Antonio Spurs 

The Journey 

The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the best team's in the league for a long time, but they have not enjoyed the spotlight as much as the more glamorous Lakers or Celtics. They've won 4 championships under Head Coach Gregg Popovich, and now he's looking for a fifth. After a crushingly heartbreaking loss to the Miami Heat in last year's NBA Finals, San Antonio kept intact the same core, a core that continues to defy what we think of aging players. Star Tim Duncan is 38, semi-star Manu Ginobli is 36, role-player Matt Bonner is 34, and star Tony Parker is young at 32. The Spurs are the first team in NBA history to claim the best regular-season record despite not playing any players more than 30 minutes per game. That's a main reason why this team continues to contend every year, Popovich doesn't overwork his guys, and often lets them skip the second game of back-to-back games, citing an "injury" that is not really there. It also helps when you have one of the best bench-units in the league. Forwards Boris Diaw and Marco Belinelli, and Center Matt Bonner all average over 40 percent shooting from three-point range. Guards Patty Mills and Manu Ginobli average a combined 22.5 points per game to lead the backcourt off the bench. The Spurs have a large collection of players that can go out and give you 30 minutes of good basketball, and overall the San Antonio is an incredibly efficient team, with five players shooting over 50 percent from the field. Although the Oklahoma City Thunder are a much younger team than the Spurs, a 19-game winning streak towards the end of the season helped them earn the #1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. In the first round of the playoffs, it seemed the Spurs would easily be able to beat the washed-up Dallas Mavericks, who had the #8 seed and a 49-33 record. After narrowly defeating Dallas 90-85 in Game 1 with 27 points and 7 rebounds being provided by Tim "The Big Fundamental" Duncan, San Antonio dropped the next game to the Mavericks 113-92, despite the 27 points poured in by Manu Ginobli. Heading to Dallas for Game 3, the Spurs narrowly lost a heartbreaker, 109-108. The sky was supposedly falling in San Antonio, but then the Spurs came back and just barely beat Dallas, 93-89. They won Game 5 109-103, before losing 113-111 Game 6. That set up a crucial deciding Game 7. But it was not as close as some thought it might be, San Antonio led 35-23 at the end of the 1st quarter, and 68-46 at halftime. They handily defeated the #5 seeded Portland Trailblazers in 5 games in the Conference Semifinals. They beat the rival Thunder in Games 1 and 2 of the Conference Finals by an average of 26 points, then traveled to Oklahoma City and lost Games 3 and 4 by an average of 11 points. They closed out OKC easily though winning Games 6 and 7 by an average of 16.5 points to seal their ticket to a second-straight Finals and a rematch with the Miami Heat. 

Match-ups 

Backcourt 

The Heat have an above-average backcourt led by Mario Chalmers and Dwayne Wade. However, Wade missed 28 games with a knee injury, and Chalmers has taken a step back from last year. Meanwhile, Tony Parker and Danny Green of the Spurs have been playing just as good if not better than last year. It will be an interesting matchup here, and it will be necessary for Chalmers to cancel out Green, who can get hot from three-point range at any time. Wade versus Parker will also be interesting. Parker is instrumental in orchestrating San Antonio's offense, while Wade is a dominant off-the-ball scorer. If they cancel each other out, the advantage will most definitely go to the Heat, since Parker is San Antonio's leading scorer. But it probably won't be enough. Wade, Lebron James, and Chris Bosh are the three most consistent scorers on this Heat team, and no one else can consistently put up big numbers. If San Antonio took away one of the Heat's top scorers, at the expense of giving backup Point Guard Patty Mills more points, they would happily do that. 

Frontcourt 

This is also an interesting matchup. The Heat have arguably the best frontcourt in the NBA with Lebron James, Udonis Haslem/Shane Battier/Rashard Lewis, and Chris Bosh. The Spurs, too, have a great frontcourt trio of Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, and Tiago Splitter. Leonard is an excellent defender, and was recently named to the All-NBA First Defensive Team. He could potentially disrupt Lebron James' offensive game, as he did inconsistently give James headaches in last year's Finals. This year, the 22-year old is a year older and a year better. In order for the Heat to win this series, James will have to average at least 30 points per game, with more than one 40-point explosion. And on the other side, the Heat have no answer for Tim Duncan, the greatest Power Forward in NBA history. Though Lebron James' mystique gives the Heat the slight edge in this category, it should be very close. 

Bench 

The Spurs have one of the best bench-units in the NBA, with Guards Patty Mills, Manu Ginobli, and Cory Joseph, Forwards Marco Belinelli, Aron Bynes, and Boris Diaw, and Centers Tiago Splitter, Jeff Ayres, and Matt Bonner. The Heat also have a deep bench, but as I elaborated on earlier, San Antonio has the best bench in the league. 

Coaching

C'mon, we all know who the better coach is. Miami's Erik Spoelstra is a good coach, but San Antonio's Gregg Popovich is the greatest coach in NBA history. 

Overall this should be a great series. But I see the Spurs winning the rematch. Danny Green gets hot, and Lebron James struggles as San Antonio wins Game 1. 

Series Prediction: Spurs in Six 

Game 1 Prediction: Spurs 109-102 Heat 

  

The Pacers offseason to-do-list

Another lost season, another lost cause. After getting BLOWN OUT by the Miami Heat 117-92, a game in which they were down by as many as 40 points, the Indiana Pacers will be headed home in the Conference Finals again, and this is the third straight year that they were eliminated by the Heat. One thing I don't quite get, though, (besides the Pacers absolute lack of effort,) is the headline on espn.com. It reads: "For a third straight year, Miami ended Indiana's season. Friday's blowout also signaled an end to the rivalry."

What?!?! The Indiana Pacers are NOT just going to fade away and wither. Maybe they would if they had an average team President. But they don't have an average President, they have Larry Legend, the greatest Small Forward of All-Time, and also one of the greatest basketball minds of All-Time. He's the one that drafted Paul George and Lance Stephenson. He's the one that signed David West. He is the person that keeps this team relevant. 

Without him, even in today's weak Eastern Conference, the Pacers would likely be lottery-bound. But The Legend has an interesting predicament here. There's no way the Pacers are beating the Heat with their current core unless they improve their offensive game, and they also MUST improve their bench which is deprived of everything but frustration. Does he keep Lance Stephenson, the annoying hothead, who sometimes can't control himself?

If I were Larry Bird, I would think long and hard about whether or not to keep Stephenson. He's a good player and has potential, as witnessed by his incredulously frustrating inconsistency and occasional dominance, but is he worth $8-12 million dollars a year? That would definitely hinder what they can do to their bench. 

Also, right before the start of the playoffs, a story broke that Stephenson and 6th Man Evan Turner, (who is supposedly the "insurance" in case they can't re-sign Stephenson, even though Turner was benched in the Conference Finals,) got into a practice-floor fistfight. As in, a brawl. This sounds dangerously like the former Ron Artest, and as the Pacers have learned from past experiences, that kind of guy on a playoff-team never works out. Especially when he's the star.

There is also the matter of Roy Hibbert. He had an outstanding first half of the season, being one of the best Center's in the league, but then, in the second half of the season and the playoffs, Hibbert was frustratingly ineffective. He did have a few monster games (Game 2 against the Wizards and Game 1 against the Heat,) but besides that, he played like a bench-warmer, and had 5 games in which he was scoreless, which SHOULD NOT happen to an All-Star who makes $15 million dollars a year. The Legend is going to have to decide whether to keep Hibbert or look to trade him.

Then, there are two more things. 

One, George Hill. He is actually a pretty effective 6th Man, at SHOOTING GUARD. Unfortunately, the Pacers have Hill in the starting lineup and at POINT GUARD, a position he cannot play efficiently, since he is not a great ball-handler. What Indiana really needs is a true Point Guard, but they may not have the cap-space to sign one in free agency, and don't have many assets with which to acquire one in a trade.

The other thing is, of course, the infamously, mediocrely deflated bench. Basically, what Indiana needs to do is completely rebuild the bench, from the ground up. A full rebuild is needed when it comes to the bench. 

Why Paul George Could One Day Be A Top-Two Player

Watching Paul George play, if you're a Pacers fan, is excruciatingly frustrating. You see, George often mistakes himself for Lebron James. When he does so he starts to delve into 1-on-1 isolation plays on offense, but when guarded by James, and already being just an average shooter, George will take many mid-range jump-shots that clank off the rim and into the hands of an obliged and waiting Heat player.

One day, George may be near the level James is at offensively. He may get there...one day. But it is not his time yet. He is just a young 24-years old, still not fully equipped with the skill and stamina it takes to guard the best player in the world almost every possession, and carry the bulk of the offensive burden.

We could say, George is just a younger Rudy Gay. But that would not be accurate. Rudy Gay was an inefficient shooter, just like George currently is. But, Rudy was also always known (and rightfully so) for being an inexplicably bad defender. That is not the case with George, one of the best defenders in today's game, despite his youth.

Rather, George is more of a rich man's Kawhi Leonard. They are both lockdown defenders, and are both inconsistent, though good, shooters. The most frustrating thing with George though, is not all the Rudy Gay type isolation monstrosities he shoots. 

No, it is that George will occasionally and randomly rip off a Lebron-esque hot-streak where he simply cannot miss a shot. We saw one of those random outbursts in Game 5 against Miami, when he scored 21 of his 37 points in the 4th quarter. That's the most points in the 4th quarter of a playoff game since a guy named Reggie Miller. You know, that guy that is one of the 10 greatest NBA players of All-Time? 

We saw a hot-streak from George similar to the one in Game 5 against the Heat (though not as spectacular), in Game 4 against the Wizards during Round Two of this year's playoffs. When George caught fire and started hitting those jump-shots that he normally misses, you just knew there was no way Indiana was losing that game. 

The challenge for George as his promising career continues to unfold dramatically, is if he can sustain those runs of excellence, and if he can exude them consistently. Because if he improves his offensive game, the sky is the limit. 

Lance's World, II

                  I got it, coach.

All-NBA Team Picks

1st Team 

Guard, Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)

Guard, Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers)

Forward, Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) 

Forward, Lebron James (Miami Heat) 

Center, Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls)

2nd Team 

Guard, James Harden (Houston Rockets) 

Guard, Goran Dragic (Phoenix Suns) 

Forward, Paul George (Indiana Pacers) 

Forward, Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers) 

Center, Roy Hibbert (Indiana Pacers) 

3rd team 

Guard, Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors)

Guard, John Wall (Washington Wizards)

Forward, Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks)

Forward, Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves) 

Center, Dwight Howard (Houston Rockets) 

All-Rookie Team 

Guard, Victor Oladipo (Orlando Magic)

Guard, Michael Carter-Williams (Philadelphia 76ers) 

Forward, Giannis Antetukuempo (Milwaukee Bucks) 

Forward, Mason Plumlee (Brooklyn Nets)

Center, Gorgieu Deng (Minnesota Timberwolves) 

All-Defensive Team 

Guard, Tony Allen (Memphis Grizzliies)

Guard, Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls)

Forward, Paul George (Indiana Pacers) 

Forward, Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs) 

Center, Roy Hibbert (Indiana Pacers) 

Lance's World

If Paul George doesn't play on Saturday against the Heat (concussion), there's almost no way the Pacers can win.

Almost. 

I know what you're probably thinking: "How could they possibly win without Paul George, their best player?" I've got two words for you: Lance. Stephenson.

I wrote an article about the hot-headed Indiana Guard's transformation from bench-warmer to X-factor, which you can find here (link).

Right now, the Pacers' slogan is: "In Lance we trust." That's what really scares me. Last year Lance was an inconsistent, though still solid, starter for this Indiana team. Now? He's carrying the burden of not only stopping one of the most explosive scorers the game has ever seen, but also with the load of carrying the offense. 

You see, last year, when Lance played well Indiana mostly won, but even if Lance had a bad game they could still win. That is most certainly no longer the case. Even if Paul George plays, and plays well, there's no way the Pacers can survive if Lance gives them two klunkers in games 3 and 4. But Lance is different than your average inconsistent young Guard.

Because when he's at his best, he's on the same level as Lebron James and Kevin Durant. He's just never sustained it for a full game, let alone multiple games. The only way I could see the Pacers winning game 3 or 4 if George is out, is if Lance finds a way to sustain those unique outburst of excellence that he inconsistently exudes and takes the team on his back to put up 40-60 points and spur the team on until George gets back. 

The terrifying thing for Pacers fans is that Lance is arguably the most unpredictable player in the NBA. He could game out in Game 3 and go off for 60 points, or score 0 points and shoot 0-for-12 from the field. At this point, neither one of those would surprise me. As scary as it is to Pacers fans, this is Lance's game, and he's going to be the deciding factor as to whether or not Indy will go back home tied up at 2-2, or down 3-1.

It's all on Lance Stephenson. And as I've learned through his frustrating inconsistency, the only person that can stop Lance Stephenson is Lance Stephenson. 

Eastern Conference Finals: Game 2

In case you didn't know, the Indiana Pacers crushed the Miami Heat, 107-96, on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. Tonight is a critical game for Miami. If they drop down 2-0, then they'll need to win both of their games in Miami, something that has not happened in a playoff series against Indiana in the I-Was-A-Heat-"Fan"-Before-Lebron era. 

Two years ago these teams met in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, with the Heat as the #2 seed and Pacers as the #3 seed. After winning game 1, the Heat dropped games 2 and 3, before winning three straight games and taking the series, 4-2. Then the next year, they narrowly defeated the #3 seeded Pacers in 7 games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Overall, in their playoff series' against each other, the Heat have gone 4-2 at home. 

So falling back 2-0 in this series would be a potentially series-ending blow, because the odds are that they're not going to win both of their games in Miami. With that said, Indiana is not going to shoot 51.5 percent from the field in Game 2, and they're most certainly not going to have over twice as many free-throws than the Heat in Game 2. 

One of the underrated reasons why the Pacers won Game 1 so easily: ball-hog Forward Evan Turner was out with strep throat. Veteran Rasual Butler played some of Turner's minutes, but it really opened things up for Guard Lance Stephenson to be the primary ball-handler and orchestrate the offense for the second-unit much like he did during the team's red-hot first-half of the season. It seems as if the Pacers are better without Turner. The only problem is, if Indiana benches Turner completely, it will result in Turner becoming a locker-room cancer to a team that cannot afford any distractions. I expect Lebron James to put up 35+ points Tuesday night, and the Heat to go back to Miami tied up 1-1. 

Prediction: Pacers 82-87 Heat 

Western Conference Finals Preview

Game 1: #2 seed Oklahoma City Thunder @ #1 seed San Antonio Spurs 

Editor's note: Oklahoma City Forward Serge Ibaka will miss game 1 due to injury, and he is out indefinitely. 

Matchup's

Point Guard 

Tony Parker (Spurs) vs. Russell Westbrook (Thunder) 

Advantage: Parker 

Shooting Guard 

Danny Green (Spurs) vs. Thabo Sefalosha (Thunder) 

Advantage: Green 

Small Forward 

Kawhi Leonard (Spurs) vs. Kevin Durant (Thunder) 

Advantage: Durant 

Power Forward 

Tim Duncan (Spurs) vs. Nick Collison (Thunder) 

Advantage: Duncan 

Center 

Tiago Splitter (Spurs) vs. Kendrick Perkins (Thunder) 

Advantage: Splitter 

Bench 

Key Thunder Bench Players: PG Reggie Jackson, SG Caron Butler, C Steven Adams 

Key Spurs Bench Players: PG Patty Mills, SG Manu Ginobli, C Boris Diaw 

Advantage: Spurs 

Coaching 

Gregg Popovich (Spurs) vs. Scott Brooks (Thunder) 

Advantage: Spurs 

Overall total: Spurs: 6 Thunder: 1 

Series Prediction: 

Even without Ibaka, this should be a great series. Because of their overall athletic superiority, I could see the Thunder pushing this to seven games and maybe even advance on. But to do so they'll need Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant to play their best every game, something they haven't been able to do so far in a series in their time together. The Spurs, meanwhile, have everything they need to advance to the Finals yet again. They have team work, unselfish play from their stars, and also get a solid contribution from their bench. Coached by one of the best leaders of all-time, they don't lack the mindset or experience. The only thing that could keep them from reaching the Finals for the second straight year is the amazing athleticism of Oklahoma City. Before Ibaka got hurt, I had the Thunder in seven games. But now I don't think that's going to happen, not with the rim-protection they're giving up without him, not to mention that he's their third-option on offense. 

Spurs in 6 

Game 1 Prediction: 

The Spurs hit open shots, get out to a big lead early while taking advantage of the Thunder's weaknesses while they try to adjust to playing without their #1 defender. Oklahoma City attempts a comeback, but San Antonio's stellar bench outplays OKC's own significantly and Kevin Durant & company realize they are no longer playing the Clippers, and that they cannot go down early against San Antonio and hope to win the game. 

Spurs 117-88 Thunder 

This Is It (Eastern Conference Finals Preview)

This is it.
 
We've known all year what two teams would be here. Yet I, as well as many others, started having doubts. After the Pacers' game 5 loss to the Hawks, I was convinced: Indiana and Miami are not going to see each other in this year's playoffs, despite how inevitable it seemed at midseason. But then the Pacers managed to grit out two straight wins against Atlanta to move on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals and one round away from a rematch with the team that sent them home the year before. Four wins away from a rematch with Lebron James and the Miami Heat.

But then it looked, once again, as if they would not even get a chance to try and put out the Heat. Lucky for them, after a 102-96 loss to the Wizards in game 1, Roy Hibbert ripped off a monster two-game stretch in which he averaged 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks on 16-of 22 shooting. Paul George, the heir to Lebron's "throne," erupted in game 4 for 39 points to give Indy a 3-1 series lead that they would not relinquish. Now, after Miami handily defeated Brooklyn in 5 games, it is the series that we have anticipated since before the season started.

I originally picked Indiana to win this series-for-the-history-books, but flip-flopped between them and Miami to reign in the East all year. Now, it's finally time. It's time to see whether the Pacers can use their home-court advantage to BEAT THE HEAT. It's time to see whether Dwayne Wade and Lance Stephenson will cancel each other out. It's time to see whether Roy Hibbert can dominate in the paint. And it's time to see who moves on to the NBA Finals.

We know who the NBA wants in the Finals, you can't watch these teams play (especially in Miami) and not know that. But the NBA doesn't always get what they desire, they just always get it when it comes to the Heat. Stiff-necked Heat-wagons who don't believe me, allow me to enlighten you: what do you think the NBA would rather have? Indiana, the smash-mouth, grind-it-out, team that is held together by the strings of immense toughness and defense? Indiana, the 17th best offensive team in the league, a team that struggles to get a shot off and wins games by holding their opponents in the low eighties? That Indiana team playing San Antonio/Oklahoma City in the Finals?

Or would the NBA rather have Miami, the team looking for a three-peat, the team that has the best player in the world, the team that has more bandwagon fans than true fans, the team that makes ratings go sky-high. Which team do you think the NBA would rather have? It's not rocket science to notice that playing in Miami gives the Heat a more-than-significant advantage. So for the Pacers, it's not 5-on-5, but 5-on-8. Because, come on, does a casual basketball fan want to see an 83-82 slug-fest or a 116-115 shootout in the Finals?

Last year one of the main reasons Indiana lost in game 7 of the Conference Finals was because the game was played in Miami, where the Heat feed off of the adrenaline of their "fans" and the helping-hands of the "zebras." That's not to say that the Heat weren't a better team last year, they were. But this year they're a year older, and with last year's core intact, a year older. The Shane Battier from the Grizzlies is not walking through that door. The Ray Allen from the Celtics is not walking through that door. And neither is the Dwayne Wade from the 2005 Finals.

While most of the world is picking Miami, if the Pacers play their best basketball, it's theirs to lose. Unfortunately, they've gotten into a habit of not playing their best [or even near their best] basketball, especially at home. Owning a modest 8-5 record so far in the playoffs, the Pacers have just a 3-4 record at home in the playoffs, after going 35-6 at home during the regular season. But it's not just the playoffs, the Pacers' rough stretch
dates all the way back to midseason. After a scorching-hot  41-13 record over the first-half of the year, Indiana stopped doing everything they did well. They stopped getting hustle offensive-rebounds [offensive-rebounds will no doubt play a big part in this series,] they stopped playing unselfish, team-basketball, and biggest of all, their defense stopped being the stingy, we're-tougher-than-you group they were over the first half of the season.

Players such as Paul George and Lance Stephenson started going out of their way to fill up their own stat sheet. Stephenson and newly-acquired Forward Evan Turner got into a fistfight and had to be separated by teammates. Roy Hibbert publicly called some players "selfish." And no one knew how to fix their problems. Most people think that this semi-collapse was caused by the Pacers trading away veteran-leader Danny Granger at the trade-deadline. I think it was a combination of three things.

One, The Trade. As I mentioned earlier, Indiana traded Danny Granger to the Philadelphia 76ers for Evan Turner right before the trade-deadline. Losing Granger, a glue-guy, was a crushing blow to a Pacers team that had been guided by Granger's experience and leadership. But this alone would not have been enough to make the Pacers stagger to a near .500 record over the season's second half.

Two, The Release. To make the trade for Turner work salary-wise, the Pacers also had to take on the contract of Center Lavoy Allen, who has seen little action since becoming a Pacer. To do so, this meant Indiana had to release a player. Guard Orlando Johnson was the scapegoat. And while Johnson got most of his minutes while Granger was out with injury, he was still a solid member of the team, and losing him hurt.

Three, The Injury. Backup Point Guard C.J. Watson, another veteran-leader, was ruled out with injury at around the same time Granger was traded and Johnson was released. When he finally returned, Indiana was already struggling, and on the brink of mediocrity. Then Watson injured his hamstring. He ended up not returning until shortly before the playoffs. Losing three guys at the same time, while gaining two new ones at the same time was the main reason why the Pacers limped to a 15-13 record over the final half of the season.

The Heat, meanwhile, have had the worst regular-season of the Big 3 era. That's not to say it was bad, just mediocre by their standards. They too, like Indiana, struggled during the final stretch of the season, and staggered into the playoffs. But unlike Indiana, they have not looked vulnerable so far in these playoffs, with a dominant 8-1 record through the first two rounds.

We now know that, despite all the rest he had this season, Dwayne Wade's knee is never going to be the way it once was, and that he and Lance Stephenson basically cancel each other out most of the time. The thing Miami needs to do to win this series is to pressure Indiana's ball-handlers, especially Point Guard George Hill, who is naturally a Shooting Guard and has weak ball-handling for his position. Pressure is one thing the Pacers do not like, and they have shown that by turning the ball over way above the league-average when pressured, especially when they play the Heat. If Miami is forcing turnovers, or the Pacers are simply being carelessly sloppy, there is no way Indiana takes this series. The same thing goes for if the Heat can not get the three-ball to go down, and at least "contain" the fearsome duo of David West. If Indiana is does not have a signifigant advantage on rebounds, and their bench does not at the very least stay nearly as productive as Miami's, they may be able to make this series competitive, but will not be able to win it.

These teams don't like each other, and they would each like nothing more than to send the other one home. Case in point: Pacers Guard Lance Stephenson recently said, "I think his [Dwayne Wade's] knee is messed up, so I've got to be extra aggressive. My plan is to make him run. Make his knee flare up or something. I'll do anything as much as possible." This is going to be a great series, and it would be shocking if it didn't go to 7 games. Whoever takes game 1 will likely win the series, and I see Indiana barely winning it on Sunday, 88-86, with more effort and anger than the Old Heat. It's time for Indiana to realize their goal of BEATing THE HEAT, fully and finally remove themselves from the Malice at the Palace, and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since a guy named Reggie Miller retired all at the same time. Oh yeah, this Indiana team...is ready. 
Prediction: Pacers in Seven  

A Quick Rundown of the Second Round of the NBA Playoffs [so far]

It's Wednesday, and that means more playoff basketball in the NBA. Here's a recap of last night's games, as well as a preview of tonight's:

May 6, 2014

#6 seed Brooklyn Nets @ #2 seed Miami Heat 

Nets 86-107 Heat 

The Heat are the preliminary favorites in the East, thanks in large part because they have won back-to-back championships and their biggest competition in the East, the #1-seeded Indiana Pacers, lost to the Washington Wizards in Game 1 of their second-round match-up. Some people, [not including myself,] thought that the Nets had a great chance of beating Miami in this series, and a big reason was because of their sheer veteran-leadership. This is an old roster stacked with veterans, such as former Celtics and future Hall-of-Famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Although I saw this series being competitive, I didn't see the Heat losing BEFORE the Conference Finals so I picked Miami in 7 games. And although it IS just one game, it looks like I thought too highly of the Nets. They got BLOWN out Tuesday night, and to a team that they have openly admitted that they "hate." After a competitive Round One series against the Toronto Raptors, which they just barely won in 7 games, this old group of guys past their prime just doesn't seem to have the energy to be consistently competitive against a younger Miami squad. 

Game 1 MVP: Heat Forward Lebron James, 22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists  

Updated series prediction: Heat in 5 games 

#5 seed Portland Trailblazers @ #1 seed San Antonio Spurs 

Trailblazers 92-116 Spurs 

When I first looked at this series for my Round Two predictions, my first thought was, "This is going to be a great series." Well, so far it hasn't exactly been that way. The Spurs came out and absolutely DOMINATED in the 1st quarter, outscoring the Blazers 29-16 in the first period of play. Then in the 2nd quarter, they outscored Portland by 13 points AGAIN, 36-23. And while the Trailblazers actually outscored San Antonio in the second half, the 26-point lead was too much for them to overcome. Going into to this series my gut told me to pick Portland, while my head told me the logical thing to do was to go with my head and pick the Spurs. And I'm sure glad I did. 

Game 1 MVP: Spurs Point Guard Tony Parker, 33 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists

Updated series prediction: Spurs in 6 games 

May 7, 2014 

7:00 PM ET 

#5 seed Washington Wizards @ #1 seed Indiana Pacers 

Wizards lead series 1-0

This is it. Game 2. A must-win for the Indiana Pacers. In Game 1 the Wiz held All-Star Center Roy Hibbert to 0 points and 0 rebounds and a plus-minus of -17. Stars Lance Stephenson and Paul George shot a combined 8-of-30 from the field. And it helped the Wizards that Forward Trevor Ariza shot 6-of-6 from three-point range and second-year Guard Bradley Beal poured in 25 points. If the Pacers are going to win Game 2, they have to get out to the three-point line and shut down the three-ball, make sure they get good shots on their offensive possessions and that Stephenson and George are not just popping 30 contested jump-shots, and they MUST GET ROY HIBBERT GOING. He's been a non-factor thus far in the playoffs averaging just 4.3 points per game. I originally picked the Wizards to win this series in 6 and I'm sticking by that. 

Prediction for tonight's game: Pacers 97-93 Wizards 

9:30 PM ET

#3 seed Los Angeles Clippers @ #2 seed Oklahoma City Thunder  

Clippers lead series 1-0 

Originally I picked the Thunder to win this series in 7, but after losing 122-105 at home, I'm not so sure if I made the right choice. Kevin Durant scored 25 points, but had a whopping -26 plus-minus. What is plus-minus? The point-differential of a player's team when he is on the floor. That means Oklahoma City was outscored by 26 points when Durant was on the floor. That's just not an acceptable playoff-performance from a guy who recently won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Although, it also helped that the Clippers' superstar Point Guard, Chris "CP3" Paul, knocked down 8 three-pointers. I don't see CP3 going off for 32 points again Wednesday, and after winning the MVP Award, Durant will be hungry. 

Prediction for tonight's game: Thunder 107-98 Clippers 

 

Updated NBA Playoffs Prediction

The First Round of the NBA Playoffs are over, with the Spurs, Thunder, Clippers, Pacers, and Nets beating the Mavericks, Grizzlies, Warriors, Hawks and Raptors, respectively, in 7 games. The Miami Heat won against the Charlotte Bobcats in 4 games, the Washington Wizards defeated the Chicago Bulls in 5 games, and the Portland Trailblazers upset the Houston Rockets in 6 games. Now, here are my "updated" playoff predictions:

EAST 

Conference Semifinals 

#5 seed Washington Wizards over #1 Indiana Pacers in 6 games

Game 1: Wizards 

Game 2: Pacers 

Game 3: Wizards 

Game 4: Wizards 

Game 5: Pacers

Game 6: Wizards 

Series MVP: WAS C Nene 

#2 seed Miami Heat over #6 seed Brooklyn Nets in 6 games 

Game 1: Heat 

Game 2: Nets 

Game 3: Heat 

Game 4: Heat 

Game 5: Nets

Game 6: Heat 

Series MVP: MIA F Lebron James

Conference Finals 

#2 seed Miami Heat over #5 seed Washington Wizards in 6 games

Game 1: Heat 

Game 2: Wizards 

Game 3: Wizards 

Game 4: Heat 

Game 5: Heat 

Game 6: Heat 

Series MVP: MIA F Lebron James 

WEST 

Conference Semifinals 

#1 seed San Antonio Spurs over #5 seed Portland Trailblazers in 7 games 

Game 1: Trailblazers 

Game 2: Spurs 

Game 3: Trailblazers 

Game 4: Spurs 

Game 5: Spurs 

Game 6: Trailblazers 

Game 7: Spurs

Series MVP: SAS C Tiago Splitter 

Oklahoma City Thunder over Los Angeles Clippers in 7 games 

Game 1: Thunder 

Game 2: Clippers 

Game 3: Thunder

Game 4: Clippers

Game 5: Thunder 

Game 6: Clippers

Game 7: Thunder

Series MVP: OKC F Kevin Durant 

Conference Finals 

#1 seed San Antonio Spurs over #2 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in 7 games 

Game 1: Thunder 

Game 2: Spurs 

Game 3: Spurs

Game 4: Thunder 

Game 5: Thunder 

Game 6: Spurs 

Game 7: Spurs 

Series MVP: SAS G Tony Parker 

NBA FINALS 

Game 1: Spurs 
Game 2: Heat 
Game 3: Heat 
Game 4: Spurs 
Game 5: Heat 
Game 6: Spurs 
Game 7: Spurs 
FINALS MVP: Spurs G Tony Parker 
NBA CHAMPIONS: San Antonio Spurs




The NBA Awards have been announced, here's who took home the league's most prestigious awards: 
League MVP: Oklahoma City Thunder SF/SG/PF Kevin Durant 
Defensive Player of the Year: Chicago Bulls C Joakim Noah 
Rookie of the Year: Philadelphia 76ers PG Michael Carter-Williams 
Coach of the Year: Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs 
Most Improved Player: Phoenix Suns PG/SG Goran Dragic 
Sixth Man of the Year: Los Angeles Clippers SG/PG Jamal Crawford

 

NBA Playoff Power Rankings

1. #2 seed Miami Heat [lead Bobcats 2-0]
2. #5 seed Portland Trailblazers [lead Rockets]
3. #5 seed Washington Wizards [lead Bulls 2-0]
4. #4 seed Los Angeles Clippers [lead Warriors 2-1]
5. #7 Memphis Grizzlies [lead Thunder 2-1]
6. Atlanta Hawks [lead Pacers 2-1]
7. Dallas Mavericks [tied with Spurs 1-1]
8. Brooklyn Nets [tied with Raptors 1-1]
9. Toronto Raptors [tied with Nets 1-1]
10. San Antonio Spurs [tied with Mavericks 1-1]
11. Oklahoma City Thunder [trail Grizzlies 2-1]
12. Golden State Warriors [trail Clippers 2-1]
13. Indiana Pacers [trail Hawks 2-1]
14. Houston Rockets [trail Trailblazers 2-0]
15. Chicago Bulls [trail Wizards 2-0]
16. Charlotte Bobcats [trail Heat 2-0]

Current Playoff Predictions

Round One 

Indiana Pacers over Atlanta Hawks 4-3

Original Prediction: Pacers in 5

Miami Heat over Charlotte Bobcats 4-1

Original Prediction: Heat in 5

Brooklyn Nets over Toronto Raptors 4-3

Original Prediction: Nets in 7 

Washington Wizards over Chicago Bulls 4-1

Original Prediction: Bulls in 6

San Antonio Spurs over Dallas Mavericks 4-2

Original Prediction: Spurs in 6 

Oklahoma City Thunder over Memphis Grizzlies 4-3

Original Prediction: Thunder in 7

Los Angeles Clippers over Golden State Warriors 4-2

Original Prediction: Clippers in 6

Portland Trailblazers over Houston Rockets 4-1

Original Prediction: Rockets in 6 

Round Two 

Washington Wizards over Indiana Pacers 4-1

Original Prediction: Pacers in 6 

Miami Heat over Brooklyn Nets 4-2

Original Prediction: Heat in 5 

San Antonio Spurs over Portland Trailblazers 4-2

Original Prediction: Spurs in 6

Oklahoma City Thunder over Los Angeles Clippers 4-2

Original Prediction: Clippers in 6 

Conference Finals 

Miami Heat over Washington Wizards 4-1 

Original Prediction: Pacers in [sigh] 7

San Antonio Spurs over Oklahoma City Thunder 4-2

Original Prediction: Spurs in 6 

FINALS 

San Antonio Spurs over Miami Heat 4-3

Original Prediction: [sigh, sigh, sigh…] Pacers in 6 

Finals MVP: PG Tony Parker, Spurs 

Original Finals MVP Pick: SF Paul George, Indiana Pacers 

What does Larry Legend have to say to the team he built?

Editor's note: When this title references Larry Legend, it means Larry Bird. 

                  (Larry Bird)

Pop it Paul:

Paul George hindered the Pacers' efforts against the Hawks by taking many shots like this one. 

The #1 seed in the East, the 55-27 Indiana Pacers, lost 101-93 to the 37-45 #8 seed Atlanta Hawks in Indiana. The Pacers were out of sync all game, at one point dropping down by 20 points. The Hawks were at the top of their game, with Point Guard Jeff Teague scoring 28 points. Teague was too quick for anyone on the Pacers and scored in the lane at will. Paul George was continually popping long-isolation 2-pointers, while Lance Stephenson took multiple 360 layups with three players on him that ended up getting stuffed. Roy Hibbert and David West were no-shows, and Frank Vogel could simply could not get the defense onto the explosive Teague or get Lance and George to PASS the ball. The reason I think that Lance was such a flat-out ball-hog is that he is trying too hard to prove to people that he was wrongly snubbed from the All-Star game. PG-24's reason for being a selfish ball-hog: with all the talk during the beginning of the year about Paul George for MVP have given George a puffed-up head and he is forcing shots, trying to force a takeover of the game, rather than letting the game come to him. And if I was Larry Legend, and I was in THAT demoralized, head-hanging locker room I would flat out let the Indiana guys HAVE IT. This is what I envision he will likely say (without the foul language:) 

"Paul, pass the ball! You look like Carmelo [Anthony] out there! You might be a budding star, but you're no superstar. It's a team game. 

"Every one of you can be replaced. Even you, Paul. Even you, Roy. 

"Lance!!! You have teammates!! Pass the ball!!!!!

"David, we need more out of you. You have to play like the veteran-leader that you are. 

"Roy! You didn't show up tonight! Where were you? We were playing against the Hawks tonight, but I didn't see you're defense. Actually, I didn't see any OFFENSE from you either. You might win Defensive Player of the Year, but you can STILL be replaced. 

"George [Hill], you played the best out of anyone in our starting lineup, but you have to step it up and be more of a leader on the court. It's time to earn your 8 million dollar contract. 

"If you have a problem with Frank [Vogel], then I'll show you where the door is. Frank is going to be the coach of this team next year, so if your not OK with that, then maybe you shouldn't be here. Because tonight, you sure weren't playing like you wanted to be here. So next game, you'd better play a whole lot better if you want to be here next year." 

The NBA Playoff Picture

In the NBA, all 8 playoff spots have been locked up, and now we just have a few more battles over seeding remaining in the season's final days. Below is the current standings and my projections as well as my award picks for the year.

Eastern Conference

1. Indiana Pacers 

Current record: 55-26

Prediction: 55-27

With their last game of the season being Wednesday at home against the 23-57 Magic, the Pacers have no reason to play their starters against Orlando seeing as how they've already clinched the #1 seed in the East. Which is relieving for Pacers fans since their starters desperately need rest. 

2. Miami Heat
Current record: 54-27
Prediction: 55-27
Although the Heat have nothing left to play for in the regular-season, they should be able to grind out an ugly win against the 18-63 76ers in their season-closer. Right now, getting the Big 3 healthy for the playoffs is a bigger concern though.
3. Toronto Raptors
Current record: 48-33
Prediction: 49-33
With Wednesday night's showdown in New York against the nothing-left-to-play-for Knicks looming, the Raptors have as good a chance of securing the #3 seed [and thus avoiding Brooklyn in round one] as they do of losing it. They own the tiebreaker over the Bulls, with whom they are tied in the win-loss column, and a win against New York would give them the #3 seed.
4. Chicago Bulls 
Current record: 48-33
Prediction: 49-33
The Bulls should win their last game of the season Wednesday night against the Bobcats [who are settled in as the East's #7 seed], but even then it is unlikely that they will get the #3 seed. I don't see Toronto pulling off a huge blunder and settling for a first-round matchup with the dark-horse Nets.
5. Brooklyn Nets 
Current record: 44-36
Prediction: 45-37
Although technically they haven't yet mathematically clinched the East's #5 seed, they will likely win one of their two final games against mediocre New York and Cleveland. But here's an interesting question: Would you rather have the #6 seed? If they got it they would have an easier first-round matchup against Toronto and [if they won the series] would [almost definitely] face rival Miami in the second-round. The same Miami that are looking for a three-peat and the same Miami that Brooklyn swept 4-0 in the season-series.
6. Washington Wizards 
Current record: 43-38
Prediction: 44-38
The Wizards have what should be an easy-win in their last game of the season Wednesday night against the 25-56 Celtics in Boston. Why is getting the #6 seed so important? Because with it Washington can avoid facing the Heat in the first-round, and rather face a more-winnable Toronto.
7. Charlotte Bobcats 
Current record: 42-39
Prediction: 42-40
The Bobcats were in position to snag the #6 seed a few weeks ago, but a hot-streak by Washington has put them back down to #7 in the East. Even if the Wizards lose, it'll be tough to win against a Chicago team that still has quite a lot to play for. Although they'll likely be defeated handily by Miami in Round One of the playoffs, it has been a breakthrough year for a team not expected to make the playoffs anyway.
8. Atlanta Hawks 
Current record: 37-44
Prediction: 37-45
The Hawks lost one of their best players [Josh Smith] in free agency, but added a player that has proven to be just as good if not better than Smith in first-time All-Star Paul Millsap, and the Hawks were headed for the #4 seed in the East. Then their two best players [Millsap and Center Al Horford] went down to injury and they struggled greatly. Now they've limped to the finish-line and just barely made it to the playoffs. They might have been better suited purposely missing the playoffs and settling for a lottery-pick, because the odds of them beating Indiana in Round One are…not exactly great.

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals 

Indiana Pacers [55-27] over Atlanta Hawks [37-45] 

Game 1: Pacers 

Game 2: Pacers 

Game 3: Hawks 

Game 4: Pacers 

Game 5: Pacers 

Miami Heat [55-27] over Charlotte Bobcats [42-40]

Game 1: Heat 

Game 2: Bobcats

Game 3: Heat 

Game 4: Heat

Game 5: Heat 

Washington Wizards [44-38] over Toronto Raptors [49-33] 

Game 1: Raptors

Game 2: Wizards 

Game 3: Wizards 

Game 4: Raptors

Game 5: Raptors 

Game 6: Wizards 

Game 7: Wizards 

Chicago Bulls [49-33] over Brooklyn Nets [45-37] 

Game 1: Bulls 

Game 2: Nets 

Game 3: Bulls 

Game 4: Bulls 

Game 5: Nets 

Game 6: Bulls 

Eastern Conference Semifinals 

Indiana Pacers [55-27] over Chicago Bulls [49-33] 

Game 1: Bulls 

Game 2: Pacers 

Game 3: Bulls 

Game 4: Pacers 

Game 5: Pacers 

Game 6: Pacers 

Miami Heat [55-27] over Washington Wizards [44-38] 

Game 1: Heat 

Game 2: Heat 

Game 3: Heat 

Game 4: Wizards 

Game 5: Heat 

Eastern Conference Finals 

Indiana Pacers [55-27] Miami Heat [55-27]

Game 1: Pacers 

Game 2: Heat 

Game 3: Pacers 

Game 4: Heat 

Game 5: Pacers

Game 6: Heat 

Game 7: Pacers 

Western Conference 

1. San Antonio Spurs 

Current record: 62-19

Prediction: 62-20 

The Spurs are the only team in the league to win 60 games this year, and they will have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. If they make it to the Finals, that is. 

2. Oklahoma City Thunder 

Current record: 58-23

Prediction: 59-23 

It would take the Thunder losing their final game [an easy win against Detroit], and the Clippers winning their final two games for OKC to somehow slip out of the #2 spot in the West. In other words, they're locked-in as the #2 seed. 

#KDForMVP 

3. Los Angeles Clippers 

Current record: 56-24

Prediction: 57-25

As I stated above, it would take some unforeseen calamity for the Thunder to slip down to the West's #3 seed. With games on consecutive nights coming up, the Clippers will go 1-1 in their final two games. 

4. Houston Rockets 

Current record: 54-27 

Prediction: 54-28

The Rockets are locked-in as the #4 seed, and that should be the deciding factor in their Round One series against the Trailblazers. However, home-court won't matter at all if they can't get starting Point Guard Patrick Beverly [torn meniscus] healthy for the playoffs. 

5. Portland Trailblazers 

Current record: 53-28

Prediction: 54-28 

The Blazers' last game of the season, against the Clippers, will most-likely be a game in which neither team has anything to play for. And it'll be on national television. But the Clippers will be on the second-night of a back-to-back so I see Portland winning it in a somebody-has-to-win contest. 

6. Golden State Warriors 

Current record: 50-31 

Prediction: 50-32

Locking up the #6 seed was huge for this team, but their chances of upsetting the Clippers took a devastating blow when starting Center [and defensive-anchor] Andrew Bogut went down with a broken rib that will likely sideline him for the entire playoffs. 

7. Memphis Grizzlies 

Current record: 49-32 

Prediction: 50-32 

8. Dallas Mavericks 

Current record: 49-32

Prediction: 49-33

These teams have fought hard through the entire season and they managed to knock a deserving Phoenix Suns team out of playoff-contention. They will play each other Wednesday night in Memphis in a game that will decide the #7 seed in the West. In my book, the game being played in Memphis gives the Grizzlies an advantage. 

Western Conference Quarterfinals 

San Antonio Spurs [62-20] over Dallas Mavericks [50-32] 

Game 1: Spurs 

Game 2: Mavericks 

Game 3: Spurs 

Game 4: Spurs 

Game 5: Mavericks 

Game 6: Spurs 

Oklahoma City Thunder [59-23] over Memphis Grizzlies [50-32] 

Game 1: Thunder 

Game 2: Thunder 

Game 3: Grizzlies 

Game 4: Grizzlies 

Game 5: Grizzlies 

Game 6: Thunder 

Game 7: Thunder 

Los Angeles Clippers [57-25] over Golden State Warriors [50-32]

Game 1: Clippers 

Game 2: Clippers

Game 3: Warriors 

Game 4: Clippers 

Game 5: Warriors 

Game 6: Clippers 

Houston Rockets [54-28] over Portland Trailblazers [54-28] 

Game 1: Rockets 

Game 2: Trailblazers 

Game 3: Rockets 

Game 4: Trailblazers 

Game 5: Rockets 

Game 6: Rockets 

Western Conference Semifinals 

San Antonio Spurs [62-20] over Houston Rockets [54-28]

Game 1: Rockets 

Game 2: Spurs 

Game 3: Spurs 

Game 4: Spurs 

Game 5: Rockets 

Game 6: Spurs 

Oklahoma City Thunder [59-23] Los Angeles Clippers [57-25] 

Game 1: Clippers 

Game 2: Thunder 

Game 3: Clippers 

Game 4: Thunder 

Game 5: Clippers 

Game 6: Clippers 

Western Conference Finals 

San Antonio Spurs [62-20] over Los Angeles Clippers [57-25]

Game 1: Spurs 

Game 2: Spurs 

Game 3: Clippers 

Game 4: Clippers 

Game 5: Spurs 

Game 6: Spurs 

NBA Finals 

Indiana Pacers [55-27] over San Antonio Spurs [62-20] 

Game 1: Pacers 

Game 2: Spurs 

Game 3: Pacers 

Game 4: Pacers 

Game 5: Spurs 

Game 6: Pacers 

Finals MVP: IND SF Paul George 

Award Picks 

Most Valuable Player [Top 5]: 

1. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder 

2. Lebron James, Miami Heat 

3. Paul George, Indiana Pacers 

4. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors 

5. Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves 

Defensive Player of the Year [Top 5]: 

1. Paul George, Indiana Pacers 

2. Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers 

3. Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls 

4. Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets 

5. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs 

Most Improved Player [Top 5:] 

1. Lance Stephenson, Indiana Pacers 

2. Goran Dragic, Phoenix Suns 

3. Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns 

4. Eric Bledsoe, Phoenix Suns 

5. Isaiah Thomas, Sacramento Kings

Coach of the Year [Top 5:]

1. Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs 

2. Tom Thibodeau, Chicago Bulls 

3. Frank Vogel, Indiana Pacers 

4. Terry Stotts, Portland Trailblazers 

5. Rick Carlisle, Dallas Mavericks 

Rookie of the Year [Top 5:] 

1. Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic 

2. Michael Carter-Williams, Philadelphia 76ers 

3. Trey Burke, Utah Jazz 

4. Tim Hardaway Jr., New York Knicks 

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

6th Man of the Year [Top 5:]

1. Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers 

2. Nick "Swaggy P" Young, Los Angeles Lakers 

3. Taj Gibson, Chicago Bulls

4. Manu Ginobli, San Antonio Spurs

5. Jeremy Lin, Houston Rockets 

Least Valuable Player Compared To Their Contract [Top 5:] 

1. Gilbert Arenas, Free Agent 

Salary: $20,300,000

2. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers 

Salary: $30,453,805

3. Amare Stoudemire, New York Knicks 

Salary: $21,679,893

4. Deron Williams, Brooklyn Nets 

Salary: $18,166,430 

5. Kevin Garnett 

Salary: $12,433,735