#8 Milwaukee vs. #1 Miami 
Do I have to dedicate more than three sentences on this series? I do? Ok, here’s my best shot.
Miami’s quest for its third championship – and the second of the seven-plus titles the LeBron James-era Heat will possibly win, according to the infamous proclamation he made in his arrival in Miami – starts with what should be an easy series with Milwaukee.
It was another MVP season for LeBron James, who led the Heat to a franchise record 66 wins – 27 of those coming in a row – and has elevated his game, somehow, to an even higher level. Because of James’ stellar play, it allowed Dwyane Wade to hold back something in reserve during the regular season to do his best in the post-season, as well as allowing head coach Erik Spoelstra to mix and match with the frontcourt and find the best players to play alongside Chris Bosh to address their weakness on the front line, but all the while continuing to win games.
Chris Andersen has been a great addition, and remember that Mike Miller, whose back resembled that of an octogenarian by the time he hit seven threes in the title-clinching game vs. OKC, is healthier to begin these playoffs and playing very well (12.1 pts, 5.1 rebs, 3.7 asts, 3.2 threes made in April) . To go along with Shane Battier and Ray Allen, the three-point line is another worry for Heat opponents. Also, the combination of Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole doesn’t get as much acclaim for its productivity than it should. The curse of playing with LeBron, I guess…although you’re blessed with him making you a much better player. You’ll take that tradeoff.
So how do I hype up a team that finished the season six games under .500 and ended the campaign losing 15 of its last 20? Well, you don’t. But I will say that the combination of Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings are powder kegs, and a Herculean effort from either (or both) is definitely within the cards. The shame of it all is that Ersan Ilyasova and Larry Sanders are more than capable to exploiting the Heat’s defensive frontcourt vulnerabilities, as they are both excellent rebounders and Ilyasova having the ability to stretch the defense and hit threes.
That’s definitely more than three sentences about this series. Unfortunately, the NBA won’t go back to having the winner of a first-round series only having to win three games and keeping the best-of-seven series format for every round. They should make a special exception in this case.
Prediction: 
in 4 games
#5 Chicago vs. #4 Brooklyn 
Before talking up the Second City/First City showdown, something to get off my chest. I’m a Brooklyn native, and never, never NEVER have I chanted, bellowed or screamed while someone stepping on my foot “Broook-linn” like you hear at the Barclays Center. Nope. Not while in East New York…nor Flatbush, Sunset Park or Bay Ridge. Ralph Kramden would not be caught dead shouting that out of his bus on his route through Bensonhurt (although imagine how funny that would be if he tried!). The annoying “holding the syllables long enough so you can’t breathe” chants are reserved for playoff hockey games when average goaltenders give up soft goals. So save your “Broook-linn” incantations for when the Islanders become residents at Barclays very soon.
Ok. Rant over. We’re talking basketball, right?
This should be the Nets series to lose, with the only problem being that they easily can do just that. Deron Williams has been on fire lately, and the obvious advantages he has over Kirk Hinrich and Nate Robinson should only allow D-Will to thrive even more. Joe Johnson has always been a reliable playoff performer, although he won’t be in as many isolation sets as he was when he was the man in Atlanta. Down low, Brook Lopez had a career year, and there’s no problem putting a game(s) on his shoulders to win.
But this also was a team that has to fire its coach to kick the season into gear, and experienced stretches of inconsistency throughout the season to make you leery of their staying power.
Outside of Lopez, frontcourt scoring is a serious concern. Reggie Evans, while being one of the most efficient rebounders in the NBA, is a free-throw liability, and he needs to be on the court for this team to have any real edge and toughness. By the way, his insertion into the starting lineup highlighted a steep decline in a bench unit that lit up the league to begin the season, only to rely as heavily on their starters than anyone in the East.
Toughness is in abundance for the Bulls, and they needed to have that to go through a full season without Derrick Rose, and now dealing with the nagging injuries to Richard Hamilton, Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah. It’s a shame Noah’s plantar fasciitis is really bothering him to the point he may not play in Game 1 and is (severely?) compromised going forward in the postseason. On any, and many given nights, Noah can be the best player on the floor, and the Nets lack of real beef inside would have been punished even more than it will be, teaming up with Carlos Boozer. Noah was the team’s leading rebounder, shot blocker and would have been the team’s leading assist man without the injury.
More importantly, Tom Thibodeau teams rarely go down without a fight, with or without Rose. You only have to go back to last season’s first round as evidence, when the Bulls – after Rose tore his ACL in the Game 1 win against Philadelphia – were free throws away from forcing a Game 7. That’s when then Bull C.J. Watson thought it was a good idea to give up the rock and let Omer Asik (and his 46 percent free-throw shooting) ice the game at the line late in Game 6. Two missed free throws and Andre Iguodala’s subsequent series-clinching free throws with 2 seconds remaining, and the Bulls went up in a plume of smoke. Now that he’s a Net, Watson should do the same, with Evans playing the role of Asik. It would only be fair, right?
Prediction: in 6 games.
#7 Boston vs. #2 New York 
*Prologue: Our heartfelt thoughts, condolences and well wishes go out to everyone in Boston, Cambridge, Watertown and the entire state of Massachusetts affected by this week’s tragedy at the Boston Marathon and the subsequent pursuit and capture of the suspects in the crime.
Where’s Rick Pitino when you need him?
“Larry Bird’s not walking through that door, fans. Kevin McHale is not walking through that door and Robert Parish is not walking through that door.”
So they’re not (nor is Patrick Ewing, Eddie Lee Wilkins or Trent Tucker), but what a series that should be in store between the two long-time Atlantic Division Rivals.
The Knickerbockers had their best season since the Jeff Van Gundy era, and all the pessimists (myself included) just waited for the real Knicks – the post Van Gundy teams filled with woe and melancholy – to show and finish somewhere around .500. But Mike Woodson, faced with questions and possible dilemmas all season long, seemingly pushed every right button all season long:
“This team is too old.”
“Once Amar’e’ Stoudemire comes back from injury, chemistry will be an issue.”
“Carmelo Anthony can’t carry a team to the next level and make his teammates better.”
The age issue was never a factor, especially given the core players (Anthony, J.R. Smith, Raymond Felton) are under 30. Tyson Chandler is 30 on the dot. Amar’e’, to his credit, was a team player and took to his bench role well, when he was healthy enough to do so, and give the second unit – which might be the best part of what the Knicks front office has assembled for this season – even more bite.
And then there’s Carmelo Anthony, the 2012-13 NBA MVP in a LeBron James-less world. His move to the four spot not only created mismatches on the floor for him, but allowed all of the great shooters around him to be free for open shots.
Routinely one of the worst offenses in the NBA, New York ranked third on offensive rating (111.1 points per 100 possessions).
Here’s all you need to know about the Boston Celtics season to give you an idea of the roller coaster ride it has been: they stagger to an under .500 start a little more than halfway through the season (20-23), then Rajon Rondo – the NBA’s leader in assists – tears his ACL, only for the team to roll off seven straight wins (including wins vs. the Heat, Clippers and Lakers), then have that streak snapped by the Charlotte Bobcats.
Rondo just makes the game so much easier for everyone else on the floor for the Celtics, and every easy(ier) shot that aged superstars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett takes will be better for the team. In his absence, Avery Bradley is the man asked to do, at the very least, a decent Dennis Johnson impression to keep the C’s afloat at point guard. While not the creator like Rondo is, Bradley might be more of an offensive scoring upgrade and more than has the ability to step up his game and make life hard on the Knicks, especially with his good perimeter defense.
Despite that, the X-factor by far in this series is Jeff Green (with J.R. Smith a close second). His potential has been talked about more than his actual results on the floor, but with good reason (from being overshadowed in Seattle/Oklahoma City by Kevin Durant to his absence from the game for a year because of a heart ailment). He can score 40 in any given game (and has this season) and can slow down good scoring forwards defensively. Simply put, if he’s one of the top three players in this series (assuming Carmelo Anthony and Paul Pierce are one and two), Boston has a great chance to pull off the upset.
This is the 15th playoff series between the two NBA ever-presents, with the last two of those (2011, 1990) having ended with the road team winning the clinching game. For some reason, I have an inkling it will be three series in a row between these rivals that ends in that fashion.
Prediction: 
in 7 games
#6 Atlanta vs. #3 Indiana 
This season started, at least in the Eastern Conference, with the Miami Heat and everybody else. Not too much changed during this season to go against that thought process, but you always heard that the team that could/would/should give the Heat the biggest problem on its way to their eventual stop in the NBA Finals is the Indiana Pacers. They’re talented on the wings, they have big men that can do work inside and they gave the Heat the biggest run for its money last season.
Danny Granger was lost for the season early on with a left knee injury, but it did allow the über-talented Paul George to emerge from his shadow and blossom into a legit NBA star, which might have been a blessing in disguise for the Pacers.
And David West, when healthy, is always a plus to have on the floor, from his shooting touch to his toughness inside to being the emotional leader on the team.
With that said, I have some doubts in the frontcourt, especially with Roy Hibbert. I’m not sold that he’s someone that is able to dominate inside on a consistent basis to make teams pay. I do concede that he had amazing series vs. Miami in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season (12.3 points, 11.5 rebounds 2.5 blocks). The points total needs to increase in the post season for the Pacers to really make a run, and he averaging just 11.9 points in the regular season – and that’s without Danny Granger having played only five games this campaign – is a little alarming.
Although not as alarming as the way the Hawks ended their season, losing five of their last seven games, including an embarrassing national television home loss to the Toronto Raptors last week. The team is better than the teams that entered the playoffs the past few seasons, going away from the isolation basketball that Mike Woodson oversaw when Joe Johnson was the man in Atlanta. Josh Smith, for all his critics, had a career year, and you know what you’re going to get with Al Horford, which is consistency. Almost as important, Jeff Teague emerged as a legitimate point guard in this league. The battle between Teague and Pacers point guard George Hill could decide the series, especially in Teague plays to his potential and is able to decidedly outplay the Pacer points (which he is definitely capable of doing).
