Note: This article has been written by Alex Pennycook live on location from Australia, with a note from me at the end of each piece.
Detroit vs. Cleveland
So basically it’s Lebron against the Pistons and I don’t see how he can prevail. I was shocked with the easy time Detroit had with the Bulls, but it’s always the teams that can lock things down defensively that go far in the playoffs so it shouldn’t be that surprising. I wouldn’t say that either team has the clear advantage in the post. My over/under line for Rasheed technicals in the series is 2.5, with a guaranteed 1 for his reaction on one of many bad calls certain to go Lebron’s way. The Pistons have a big advantage in the backcourt and you can expect big series’ from Rip and Billups. Lebron will be the best player on the floor at anytime, but Tayshaun Prince should do a great job at containing him. Also I want to plug this Tayshaun youtube video of him in college (Click Here). Every time he hits a 3 you can count on me saying “He’s not a prince, he’s a king”. The Cavs didn’t show me much in the New Jersey series, so I’ll take the Pistons in 5 (probably will go 6 since Lebron will get a lot of calls down the stretch of a close game that will swing things the Cavs way).
Ex-Raptor Content
Cleveland: I loved Donyell Marshall when he was with the Raps. He played hard, rebounded well, and always seemed to knock down big shots. Sad to see him struggle in Cleveland and although he had a nice game 6 against the Nets, has been pretty bad the rest of the playoffs. I also consider Daniel Gibson a player that should have been on the Raptors since we should have taken him over P.J. Tucker in the second round
Detroit: Toronto has a connection with Piston point guards Chauncey Billups and Lindsey Hunter. Neither stayed in a Raps jersey for long, and probably are remembered by few. Hunter earns credit from me by going to one of my favorite NCAA schools (Jackson State) and testing positive for weight loss drugs this year.
Random Raptor Observation
I still can’t get it out of my head that if Morris Peterson didn’t hit that miraculous half court shot after Michael Ruffin inexplicably didn’t throw the ball high enough to kill the clock, the Wizards would have ended up as the 6th seed and been the Raptors first round opponent. They would have taken them in the first round, learned a lot, and probably would have given the Cavs a real battle in the second round. I know it’s an 82 game season and anything could happen, but the odds of that happening in the Wiz game was so unlikely it drives me crazy at night.
Blake’s Take
The Pistons are breaking out the “Lebron Rules,” a new adaptation to their Jordan rules from a decade ago. Basically the defensive strategy involves fouling James hard every time he’s in the lane so that he’s forced to distribute and settle for jump shots. It worked last year for the most part, and was unbelievable in game 1 (nobody in this game played good, for either team, except The Il-Na-Na Zydrunas Ilgauskas). Losing in 4 or 5 is the best thing that could happen to the Cavs so that the front office doesn’t get complacent with the team they have on the floor right now. Pistons in 5.
San Antonio vs. Utah
Can we still have a consolation Western Conference final with Phoenix and Golden State? I’m still not happy with the Amare/Diaw situation considering they did not affect the situation by leaving the bench, and that Phoenix ended up affected the most with the Big Cheap Shot Bob hit on Nash. It’s a shame that’s how the series will be remembered, but what’s done is done and for the first time ever I can say I’m cheering for the Utah Jazz. Really I’m just praying AK-47 swats a shot right back into Bruce Bowen’s face and that it breaks his nose. While Utah should do a better job of containing Duncan than the Suns did, I don’t see how they’ll be able to handle the San Antonio guards. Manu will be the difference maker in the series and the Spurs will take it in 6. I don’t like the idea of picking against a home team in a must win game 6 (which is why I took the Pistons in 5) but the Jazz don’t have the experience to make this a 7 game series.
Ex-Raptor Content
San Antonio: Apparently Eric Williams isn’t on the playoff roster and I don’t know what happened to him, so we are only looking at the Red Rocket for the Spurs. I know he was a fan favorite for the Raptors, but I never liked him. He’ll barely play in the series unless there is a blowout so I’ll leave it at that.
Utah: A chance for all us Raptor fans to see Rafael Araujo where he’s always belonged, the bench (until his rookie contract expires and he’s out of the league). One of the worst picks in Raptor draft history, and the defining moment, along with the Carter deal, of the Babcock era. While we passed up on Andre Iguodala, the other option was Luke Jackson who is now on the team so maybe we can start to forget.
Blake’s Take
I love the way these teams match up for this series. Utah has a legitimate chance. Tony Parker/Deron Williams is an incredible match up but the key to the guard play will be if Derek Fisher can provide any sort of assistance with Manu Ginobili. The trio of Jazz big men will do three things: take Bruce Bowen out of the game on the defensive end, make Tim Duncan sweat on both ends of the floor in a physical battle, and still leave one mismatch (skill-wise) against the Elson/Oberto platoon. While not the smart or popular choice, I’m taking the Jazz in 7 on the wings of a strong AK-47 game 7.
Final Thoughts
Alex: While it is the most unlikely of the four possible matchups, how great would it be to have the Cavs face the Jazz in the finals after Boozer backstabbed Cleveland’s blind president?