NBA playoff predictions and discussion

[milehigh]

A six game Boston Denver final would be great, with Denver clinching the series on their home court.

Followed by another parade through the city a few days later.

With the Avalanche doing well in the NHL play offs there could be a double celebration is Denver.

[SamH]

Kenny and Chuck think Gordon will be guarding Edwards, that will be interesting to see. They split the season series 2 each, but the Suns swept Minnesota with an average winning margin of 16, so that might not mean much!

I'm going to say Denver in 7.

[SamH]

What a game between the Knicks and sixers! The sixers looked like toast, down 96-90 with 28 seconds left, but a 4 point play and a deep 3 from Maxey saved them. What a player he is. I could see them winning game 6 at home too now, as the Knicks will be quite deflated after that. Gotta love playoff basketball!

[milehigh]

LA Lakers have fired coach Darvin Ham after losing to Denver in the first round of the playoffs.


He is the fourth coach to be fired after losing to Denver in the play offs.

[SamH]

I can't see how changing the coach will help - next year AD and LeBron are another year older. Losing to Denver isn't the problem, it was finishing 7th. But the west is loaded, I don't see them getting any better than 6th next season.

Meanwhile I'm delighted to see the Clippers out. So James Harden, where are you going to force your way to next and no show the playoffs?

So I've got:

Knicks 4-1 Pacers
Celtics 4-1 Cavs (same if its magic)
Thunder 4-3 mavs
Nuggets 4-3 Wolves

[milehigh]

It's always easier, and cheaper, to blame the coach, when its actuas
lly the players under performing.

A lot of truth in this clip from Charles Barkley  www.facebook.com/reel/450872974090057

Some good series of games if youu're predictions are right.

[hayesboy]

I didn’t see that coming. Nugs slapped about on their own court.
Bullied out of their offensive flow.

I’m pretty confident they will adjust but that staple Joker to Gordon mini lob (that destroyed the Lakers) was totally taken away by the twin towers of Wolves.

Murray needs to do something to counter Edwards firepower too.

I think Wolves topped out and Nugs underperformed. I still think 4-2 Nugs once they break the seal on the Wolves defense.

[SamH]

I think Denvers lack of bench production will be exposed too in this series, it needs to improve I feel. Especially if Murray has a leg injury.

For me the Pacers and Knicks is really intriguing. I've said Knicks in 5 but it feels like a changing of the guard here. I can see them filling out the top 3 seeds next year with Boston while the Bucks and 76ers fall off a bit. Be interesting to see if they can challenge the Cs, because I don't think either will this year.

[milehigh]

After two painful defeats, I have to compliment the Minesota coaching staff on designing a defensive scheme that totally shut down the Denver offense. Obviously Been led by the former Denver GM and having two former Denver assistant coaches gave them a unique insight on what was needed.
Teams have come back from 2-0 down before, the the style and magnitude of Minesota's dominance so far suggests it not likely in this case.

Whoever wins this series has to be favourites to will overall.

[hayesboy]

A lot of typos in their Milehigh...emotions still running high?
I'm gobsmacked. G2 was worse than game 1. Instead of figuring out the Wolves defence (without Gobert!!) they seemed to shrink away from it.
To be honest Reid seemed to be giving Joker fits, whereas in G1 Joker was not individually bothered by Gobert.

I have only had a chance to watch the extended highlights so far. Murray and Reggie Jackson need to step it up though from what I have seen.

[SamH]

80 points, ouch. It's certainly going to be tough for Denver from here, needing 2 on the road. Minnesota have come on so much since last year.

[tallerman]

I am here for ant man winning it all!

[SamH]

He's a great player to watch, he is the whole package now and entertaining with it. I always like to have a 2nd favourite team, where I am allowed to change like the wind as things happen. Right now, I'm in a tie between the Wolves and Pacers.

[robh92]

Bad news for the Knicks, as they announce that Mitchell Robinson will miss the rest of the post-season. Brunson is playing at an all time level, but can your really win a series with a six-man rotation? I'm not so sure.

[SamH]

It really sucks for the Knicks to have lost Randall and now Robinson. I like what I've seen from him so far, he's got that kind of old school enforcer feel about him, that is sadly lacking in the league now (and I don't mean thugs like Draymond Green, Pat Bev or the Morris brothers).

[SamH]

Good game 1 for OKC, sounds like Doncic might be carrying an injury - he certainly didn't play well anyway. If he doesn't play well Dallas have no chance.

I was disappointed SGA didn't grab the MVP but the voting was pretty one sided in favour of Jokic. 3rd one in 4 years is impressive, not done since LeBron won 4 in 5 years. Hard to split them as they play different positions, but it was interesting that Shaq, as a big man, actually thought SGA should have got it. He normally champions bigs!

[milehigh]

It really should have been 4 in 4 but a lot of media negativity, and bltent racism, from some of the media last year.

I feel the right choice was made this time, Jokic is averaging, almost, a triple double every game, he doesn't miss many games, and has won the MVP, & Play offs MVP, with out having anover all-star of all NBA player in the team.

Nuggets produced a couple of cool videos after it was anounced, including one narrated by his wife, about him as a person.


www.facebook.com/share/p/pKNJGbmbsYnEdKFx/

[hayesboy]

Certainly my favourite player to watch at the moment is the Joker. Strange that we were just agreeing how Denver has the best starting 5 in the NBA but you are almost dismissive of the other 4 players in championing his MVP credentials? Perhaps though that is the formula for sustained success. 1 MVP and 4 very good players who are just below/on cusp of ASG or All NBA teams? Anyway. He is a superb player who really impacts winning, makes his team mates better and plays a style of basketball that is very easy on the eye.

I'm struggling with the blatant racism comment about last year though I'm afraid? Just to clarify you are suggesting he did not win it as he is white? European? Serbian? Certainly an interesting take on things and not one I have heard before. What are you basing that on?

Donic, SGA, Brunson, Giannis, Edwards all had excellent seasons too. Hard to split them really.

[SamH]

I dont think it was racism but I do feel Embiid got the nod last year because some folk thought it was his 'turn' and some others perhaps had Joker MVP fatigue. Same reason Karl Malone used to win it sometimes instead of MJ and why Kobe won in 2008 (time was getting on and he hadn't won it yet, we can't have that now can we, given his global superstar status - sorry Chris Paul, who should have won it that year!)

I think if there was a racist element to it Joker wouldn't have come a close 2nd nor won it again this year?

[milehigh]

There was a lot in the media, including a leading ESPN analyst, it was reported widely at the time.

You are right, there are a good group of exceptional players at the moment.

Not disregarding the other Denver players at all, just pointing out that none of the main rotaion have ever been selected for the all star game or the All NBA sides, Colin Braun & Payteon Watson were not even selected for the rising stars game this year, which when you consider their key role in the rotaion for a championship winning side is unusual.