Superman… The Man of Steel… The Big Aristotle… Oh, you thought I was talking about Dwight Howard for a second? No way. The former Orlando Magic headache and soon to be swept from the playoffs center is quickly approaching free agency. As the summer hits so does Dwight and many think he is the future of the Lakers organization.
THATS HILARIOUS!
Sorry Nate, but Dwight Howard is not a franchise player. In my opinion he will retire with one less ring than my wife, zero.
The NBA playoffs have finally kicked it into high gear. While reading some favorite sites I came across Austin’s pick’s (nice post and thanks Austin) and realized I needed to do the same.
So far Lebron has been a monster, Steph Curry has outshot his father, and the Celtics are aging before our eyes! I still can’t figure out how they convinced KG to play with a walker…
I know that I am a few days behind in terms of an unbiased prediction, but I promise none of the outcomes to date would have changed my picks.
Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Guess what… No one in their right mind including Brandon Jennings would pick the Bucks to upset the Heat. You’d have a better chance seeing Tim Tebow throwing out routes to Bigfoot on a Jets team with a winning record. I commend Jennings for not making a mockery of the college game, but think his prediction of Bucks in 6 is laughable.
Get out your brooms! Heat in 4
Knickerbockers vs Celtics
Carmelo has hiked up his knickers and really played great this season. Winning the scoring title is a big deal if you enjoy the Allen Iverson types that just get buckets. Although I will never pick a ‘Melo led team to hoist any banner, they should beat the aging Celts.
The Celts are a good team, but they simply don’t match up well with NY. Unless they find the fountain of youth, the Celts are going to receive a first round bounce.
NY in 5
Pacers vs Hawks
I haven’t been sold on Atlanta all year long. That being said, their second leading scorer Josh Smith has a bum leg. The Hawks don’t have enough depth and talent to replace such a player on their already weak (opinion) roster. They can steal a game or two, but Indy should be able to take care of this series pretty easy.
Indy in 5
Nets vs. Bulls
Insert favorite Jay Z lyrics here. Annnnnnd that is about all the singing the Nets will do because they are not going to beat the Bulls. No, D. Rose is not coming back (unless they play the Heat) but this defensive-minded team is tough, gritty, and do the little things right. This will be a much tougher series than some think, but Chi Town will be able to move on.
Bulls in 6
OKC vs. Rockets
Fear the Beard? Naaaa, fear a very hungry Kevin Durant. Durant will score in bunches these playoffs and wont only beat you in Doodle Jump, he will beat you on the court as well.
This is my pick to be the best series of round 1.
OKC in 6 (but hopefully 7)
Lakers vs. Spurs
Everyone is begging Kobe to step onto the court. No longer Tweeting and too hurt to play, it will not happen until next year and the lakers have to rely on Dwight Howard. Riiiiiiight… Once called a poor man’s Shaq, he will never be Shaq and if teams continue to ask him to be #1 then he will never have a title either. The Lakers are in trouble!
Spurs in 5 (but could be an ugly sweep)
Nuggets vs Warriors
Originally from North Carolina I love the Curry family. I grew up watching Dell in the Hive and love watching sons Steph and Seth tear it up! Steph Curry is a true superstar in the making! He hit more shots beyond the arch this year than anyone in history and is nothing but lights out! That being said, the Nuggets are TOUGH!
My crystal ball says that Steph will make this a series, but Denver will eventually pull away.
Nuggets in 6
Lob City Clippers vs. Grizzlies
Seed wise this should be a great series, but the Clippers have a great insurance agent and point guard in Cliff/Chris Paul. Having an on floor general is huge and he will be the difference in this series. Watch out for LA’s best basketball team, the Clippers.
Clippers in 5
I am very excited for these NBA playoffs. I am officially on the anyone but the Heat bandwagon and will be rooting as such for the next month. Stay tuned at TKCSports as we continue to make picks and enjoy sports the whole way!
Earlier today I broke down the Eastern Conference’s big three teams and who “should” represent the East at the season’s end. Who I thinks going to win may surprise you.
As I look int the crystal ball and try to pick the West, it is much more cloudy. I could go several different ways… I could pick the Thunder, Clippers, or Trail Blazers but you would question my sanity. Instead I am going to go a more traditional and intelligent route.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder have an impressive duo of Batman and Robin that are almost as good as any in the league. Durant and Westbrook are the key to this team. The rest of the team will play a key role in winning, everything will go through Durant. As teams force the team to go elsewhere, it will be interesting to see how Westbrook deals with the pressure. Last season he had career numbers, if he does it again then this will be a very tough team to beat down the stretch. This team can beat the Lakers in a series! This team is made for the regular season. Durant will put up spectacular numbers but in the end they are still weak at other positions making this a suspect team in crunch time situations. They are one or two players away, but the team of the West in the future.
LA Lakers
All of the magic, gam, and lights couldn’t keep Kobe happy over the past few weeks. Trade talks and hurt feelings have tore deep into this team and has Kobe on an island all alone. Suddenly this team looks very average! The lack of Mr. Khloe may not seem like a lot, but in the end it may end up being the reason this team doesn’t get Kobe another ring.
The Lakers need a big man as bad as Santa needs reindeer. If they can not make a move or two, then they will get swept by the Mavs or upset early in the playoffs by a young hungry team that smells blood! Pay attention, this could be the beginning of the end for Kobe and his hall of fame career. He has no Shaq, no Phil, and no Lamar. Time to see just how good Kobe is!
Dallas Mavs
Who woulda thunk it. In the year that Miami played Yankees and purchased a world championship, the Mavs stole a title. The funny 
thing is, the Mavs may be the best non-talked about champions in the history of the league. Ready for pure comedy? They got better!
This team added both Lamar Odom and Vince Carter. Vince hasn’t been his high flying self in some time, but still adds strength to this deep roster. Lamar if nothing else ads a post presence as wells someone that really thirsts to destroy the Lakers. That in itself is an unmeasureable intangible that will be key as the Mavs try to repeat.
Prediction:
I am not one to ever predict back to back winners. It is extremely hard to do and I really don’t think the Mavs have the strength to take everyone’s best shot all season long. I just don’t see them staying healthy down the stretch and being able to repeat as champions. That being said, I am picking them to repeat out of the West. Confused?
The Lakers and Thunder are now one in the same. They both have a superstar up front and shave a solid number two to back him up. The supporting casts for both of these teams is okay but no longer anything special. Either team is susceptible to an upset early in the playoffs, especially the Lakers with their on and off approach to competing.
That means I have Dallas and Miami in the Finals. Not much of a stretch but it is the most likely scenario.
TKCsports 