Joe Soriano
O.J. LewisNBA Conference Finals Preview
May 14th 2010 16:28
It's that time of year again. Time to watch some great basketball and hair-rising games. It's time to watch The Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic battle it out for a spot in the finals against either the Phoenix Suns or Los Angeles Lakers. It is also time for sportswriters and bloggers all over to send in their predictions and insight on these matchups.
East
Magic and Celtics
The Celtics look like a great team. Their bench is deep with Nate Robinson, Tony Allen, Marcus Finley, Glen Davis, and Rasheed Wallace. Rajon Rondo has been incredible in this year's playoffs. He is probably the best point guard still playing, and Paul Pierce is the best small forward still in it. Pierce is the team's top passer while Rondo is the best passer and perimeter defender. Rondo is doing a great job of all-around play.
Shooting guard Ray Allen is dropping in threes. The final member of the big three, Kevin Garnett, is much healthier and is playing way better defense. The only reason why people doubted the C's in the regular season was health concerns. Right now they are healthy and dominant. If anyone can stop Dwight Howard, Kendrick Perkins is one of those guys. He plays tough defense.
The Celtics do a great job of just playing basketball. They play a great half-court offense, their pick-and-roll is very effective, they play incredible defense, and the team on a whole has a great pass-first mentality.
Last year, Jameer Nelson was a very key component on the team. They somehow made the finals without him. That shows how good this team is. Nelson is great, and newly acquired Vince Carter can still score.
Rashard Lewis is a great shooter and can keep the defense honest with his inside and outside versatility. Dwight Howard is the best center, best rebounder, best shot-blocker, and best defender in basketball. He is stellar and shows good power on the inside. Howard is spectacular defensively, and great offensively. D-Howard is so hard to stop.
I like to call Rajon Rondo Ra-Ro. That is his new nickname from me. So if ESPN ever takes that one, I can remind them and say that I have it in print. Bottom Line: I think the Celts show good veternship and win this one in 7.
West
Lakers and Suns
To a lot of people this seems to be the less interesting series. The Suns happen to be my favorite team so I take it as an insult.
The two bigs at seven feet tall for Los Angeles are a nightmare to match-up against. It is already challenging enough to get past two of the top defenders in the league in Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest, but Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum don't give breaks either.
The weak link defensively is Derek Fisher, but that's only because of his speed. That is where Steve Nash and even Goran Dragic can try and break loose.
Offensively I think Bynum is very dealable because of his knee injury, so I think Robin Lopez or Jarron Collins can take him out of the game. Pau Gasol is a big problem because he is so strong on the inside and can pull up a mid ranger.
Artest takes a lot of bad shots, but his strength makes him a solid defensive guy. However, him and Grant Hill both play stalwart defense so I don't see either one of them getting anything going. We all know that Fisher is clutch and decent, and that Kobe is just Kobe. Bryant is the best player left in the playoffs, ahead of Dwight Howard.
Lamar Odom is a versatile shooter and is extremely valuable off the bench. DJ Mbenga provides toughness. Luke Walton is a horrible player in my mind. Shannon Brown is decent, and I think that Jordan Farmar is a great player off the bench. I am a fan of Farmar's.
Jarron Collins is a good presence on the inside, but he is dreadful offensively. Amare Stoudamire is the best power forward in the game. He is a pretty good defensive player thanks to new coach Alvin Gentry, while his offense is incredibly dominant. You can't foul him either because he can hit free throws unlike Dwight Howard.
Grant Hill is an excellent defender and can hit threes. Jason Richardson is a top notch dual threat. He can shoot jumpers, and he is incredible on the inside. J-Rich drives and is the best in-game dunker in the league. His hangtime is unmatched. Richardson plays pretty good inside D, but his stealing ability is what makes him a great defender.
Steve Nash is the best passer in the league, and he won the skills competition this year. Nash is one of the greatest free throw shooters of All-Time, has mastered the kickout, can drive and attack the rim, and has an All-Time great fadeway with a famed regular jumpshot. Nash is the ultimate offensive weapon and game manager.
Goran Dragic was always known as a top prospect in the NBA. He is a very good backup point guard. Leandro Barbosa is one of the best bench players in the league. He is incredibly fast, racks up steals, is a good driver, can pass, and can hit a jump shot with a great free throw shot as well.
Jared Dudley has developed into a star off the bench. Dudley plays stingy defense and has a great three ball. Louis Amundson is a solid player that is rarely talked about.
Channing Frye used to be dubbed a bust in league circles. Now he is the best three point shooting center. Frye can shoot and has turned into a good defense guy off the bench.
Bottom Line: As much as I love the Suns and as good as they are, they can't beat Kobe, Gasol, Phil Jackson, and the LA Lakers. I just don't see it. They will, however, make it an incredible must-see series that also goes into seven games. I love basketball. Lakers in 7.
East
Magic and Celtics
The Celtics look like a great team. Their bench is deep with Nate Robinson, Tony Allen, Marcus Finley, Glen Davis, and Rasheed Wallace. Rajon Rondo has been incredible in this year's playoffs. He is probably the best point guard still playing, and Paul Pierce is the best small forward still in it. Pierce is the team's top passer while Rondo is the best passer and perimeter defender. Rondo is doing a great job of all-around play.
Shooting guard Ray Allen is dropping in threes. The final member of the big three, Kevin Garnett, is much healthier and is playing way better defense. The only reason why people doubted the C's in the regular season was health concerns. Right now they are healthy and dominant. If anyone can stop Dwight Howard, Kendrick Perkins is one of those guys. He plays tough defense.
The Celtics do a great job of just playing basketball. They play a great half-court offense, their pick-and-roll is very effective, they play incredible defense, and the team on a whole has a great pass-first mentality.
Last year, Jameer Nelson was a very key component on the team. They somehow made the finals without him. That shows how good this team is. Nelson is great, and newly acquired Vince Carter can still score.
Rashard Lewis is a great shooter and can keep the defense honest with his inside and outside versatility. Dwight Howard is the best center, best rebounder, best shot-blocker, and best defender in basketball. He is stellar and shows good power on the inside. Howard is spectacular defensively, and great offensively. D-Howard is so hard to stop.
I like to call Rajon Rondo Ra-Ro. That is his new nickname from me. So if ESPN ever takes that one, I can remind them and say that I have it in print. Bottom Line: I think the Celts show good veternship and win this one in 7.
West
Lakers and Suns
To a lot of people this seems to be the less interesting series. The Suns happen to be my favorite team so I take it as an insult.
The two bigs at seven feet tall for Los Angeles are a nightmare to match-up against. It is already challenging enough to get past two of the top defenders in the league in Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest, but Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum don't give breaks either.
The weak link defensively is Derek Fisher, but that's only because of his speed. That is where Steve Nash and even Goran Dragic can try and break loose.
Offensively I think Bynum is very dealable because of his knee injury, so I think Robin Lopez or Jarron Collins can take him out of the game. Pau Gasol is a big problem because he is so strong on the inside and can pull up a mid ranger.
Artest takes a lot of bad shots, but his strength makes him a solid defensive guy. However, him and Grant Hill both play stalwart defense so I don't see either one of them getting anything going. We all know that Fisher is clutch and decent, and that Kobe is just Kobe. Bryant is the best player left in the playoffs, ahead of Dwight Howard.
Lamar Odom is a versatile shooter and is extremely valuable off the bench. DJ Mbenga provides toughness. Luke Walton is a horrible player in my mind. Shannon Brown is decent, and I think that Jordan Farmar is a great player off the bench. I am a fan of Farmar's.
Jarron Collins is a good presence on the inside, but he is dreadful offensively. Amare Stoudamire is the best power forward in the game. He is a pretty good defensive player thanks to new coach Alvin Gentry, while his offense is incredibly dominant. You can't foul him either because he can hit free throws unlike Dwight Howard.
Grant Hill is an excellent defender and can hit threes. Jason Richardson is a top notch dual threat. He can shoot jumpers, and he is incredible on the inside. J-Rich drives and is the best in-game dunker in the league. His hangtime is unmatched. Richardson plays pretty good inside D, but his stealing ability is what makes him a great defender.
Steve Nash is the best passer in the league, and he won the skills competition this year. Nash is one of the greatest free throw shooters of All-Time, has mastered the kickout, can drive and attack the rim, and has an All-Time great fadeway with a famed regular jumpshot. Nash is the ultimate offensive weapon and game manager.
Goran Dragic was always known as a top prospect in the NBA. He is a very good backup point guard. Leandro Barbosa is one of the best bench players in the league. He is incredibly fast, racks up steals, is a good driver, can pass, and can hit a jump shot with a great free throw shot as well.
Jared Dudley has developed into a star off the bench. Dudley plays stingy defense and has a great three ball. Louis Amundson is a solid player that is rarely talked about.
Channing Frye used to be dubbed a bust in league circles. Now he is the best three point shooting center. Frye can shoot and has turned into a good defense guy off the bench.
Bottom Line: As much as I love the Suns and as good as they are, they can't beat Kobe, Gasol, Phil Jackson, and the LA Lakers. I just don't see it. They will, however, make it an incredible must-see series that also goes into seven games. I love basketball. Lakers in 7.
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