NBA Playoffs 2014

LuckyGent88

Set up for a brilliant finish here.

Durant showing why he is the MVP here in the second half

NufcNavan

Enjoyed watching the Wizards play. They're gonna be around for quite a few years.

ButtersSuki

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Indiana Pacers vs. Washington Wizards (4-2) This is based more on me having zero confidence in Indiana right now than any great belief in Washington. If this is to come off (as Nuri alluded to earlier) Washington have to win at least 1 of the first 2 games in Indiana, which I think they'll do. Also Gortat and Nene will cause them problems they haven't had to deal with in a while. They're playing well and Indiana are playing poorly - my logic is as simple as that. It may even be 4-1.

Miami Heat vs. Brooklyn Nets (4-2)
Really torn on this one. As I previously suggested, if they get a fair deal from the refs I think the Nets are more than capable of pulling off an upset here. Do I think they'll get a fair deal? No. This could even go 7.

San Antonio Spurs vs. Portland Trail Blazers (4-2)
SA will be just too smart for the young upstarts from Rip City.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Clippers (4-2)
Key to this series is Westbrook. If he's on fire and passing, they win. If he shoots first, they lose. The Clipps bigs will not have a free reign like they did agains the Warriors either. Though I don't see it going 7, I wouldn't be hugely shocked if it went either way. One thing I am certain of is the Clipps are glad to be playing OKC and not Memphis. I also wouldn't rule out some "shlaps" in this series either, with suspensions and all that jazz to follow.


All of the above are based on injury-free series, don't see a 7-gamer with the possible exception of Brooklyn and Miami.

3 correct series winners but just 1 correct score, through Brooklyn prob should have taken another game. :rolleyes:

NufcNavan

NufcNavan wrote: »

Semi final predictions:

East:

Pacers 4-2 Wizards. A lot depending on the Pacers carrying their form from Game 7 from the Hawks series, but if they do, they'll protect home court and steal one on the road.

Nets 2-4 Heat. The Nets will cause the Heat problems, but not enough.


West:

Trail Blazers 1-4 Spurs. I think the Spurs will take it to another level in this series.

Clippers 3-4 OKC. KD+Russ > CP3+Blake. Simple as.

Pacers Wiz, bang on the money. Ironically homecourt did not seem to matter in this series though.

Thought the Nets would take one more game but hey ho.

Spurs Blazers called correctly.

OKC through, but disappointed by the Clipper's lack of composure.

All 4 sides correctly picked, 2 called in the right amount of games.

ButtersSuki

Pacers V Heat (4-1)
You have to go on form and for that reason I'm going for Miami (much as I hate them) in 5, they may even sweep.


San Antonio V OKC (4-2)
I think each game will be tough and close, but ultimately I see the experience, consistency and all around team play of the Spurs taking this over the youth of OKC. As I'm predicting close games, I see the Pop factor having a say in some of these games. I know the Spurs were swept 4-0 by OKC during the regular season, but I don't think Pop will be limiting guys to 28mins per game if the game is tight! The only caveat on this call is Tony parker's health - haven't heard any update yet.

So a repeat of last year's Finals looks to be on the cards.

Nuri Sahin

Carcharodon wrote: »

Is that humility :eek:

That'd be a first. Covering all bases is all more like.

Nuri Sahin

Disappointing to see the Washington bow out like that as they've been good entertainment throughout the season especially when factoring how dull the east is in general. They'll look back at Game 2 in Indiana and Game 4 in Washington as a real chance blown, both were bad losses considering how both games played out for three and a bit quarters, but the experience will do them a world of good looking ahead even if it's hard to see clearly at this moment in time. Need to bring in another shooter for off the bench during the off season now and figure out how to play well at the Verizon Center. I think the Indiana series is just an extension on their sketchy regular season form at home. Fair play to the Pacers for holding on. With 8.30 remaining and Washington dragging themselves out from the grave they seemingly spent the first half digging, and going 1 point ahead, momentum had swung it seemed. Washington's final five minute scoring production in tight games when behind would make for interesting reading.

Alfred Borden

Cant really see past Heat and Spurs. Looking ominous now but who knows. Pacers struggling by but match up well with the Heat. Exams done so can finally get back to watching the playoffs

Nuri Sahin

As for OKC, that was a great comeback after being down big in the 1Q. 1-2 Punch (Russ didn't shoot well in the Staples Center again though!) Jackson and Stone Cold Steve Adams were brilliant. Hopefully Ibaka's injury isn't too serious, it did seem to spark the Clippers into life for a brief spell late in the 3rd and early 4th. Scott Brooks is still useless though.

Doc needs to shed the dead weight from the team. I'm looking at Barnes, Dudley, etc. Though the Sterling crap will be dominating a lot of things Clippers this summer one would have to guess.

ButtersSuki

Nuri Sahin wrote: »

Though the Sterling crap will be dominating a lot of things Clippers this summer one would have to guess.

Hell yeah it will. Latest from si.com:

SI.com has learned that Clippers owner Donald Sterling has hired prominent antitrust litigator Maxwell Blecher, who has written a letter to NBA executive vice president and general counsel Rick Buchanan threatening to sue the NBA. The letter, sources tell SI.com, claims that Sterling has done nothing wrong and that "no punishment is warranted" for Sterling. Blecher also tells Buchanan that Sterling will not pay the $2.5 million fine, which is already past due. Blecher ends the letter by saying this controversy "will be adjudicated."

Blecher's letter makes clear what many have anticipated: Donald Sterling will not go down without a fight and that he is taking active steps toward litigation. A letter of this type is considered a precursor to the filing of a lawsuit. Blecher's letter offers no ambiguity about Sterling's intentions.
"We reject your demand for payment," the letter tells Buchanan, who on May 14 informed Sterling by letter that he must pay the $2.5 million fine.
Blecher's letter goes on to identify two basic legal defenses for Sterling.

First, Blecher claims that Sterling has not violated any article of the NBA constitution. The letter curiously references Article 35, which governs players' misconduct, and several other provisions. The NBA is expected to argue that Sterling violated Article 13(d) among other provisions. Article 13 (d) bars owners from violating contractual obligations, including the obligation that owners no engage in unethical conduct or take positions adverse to the NBA. Blecher does not explain how he intends to prove Sterling's racist remarks captured on the secret recording -- followed by Sterling's incendiary remarks to Anderson Cooper about Magic Johnson -- do not give rise to unethical conduct or positions adverse to the NBA.

Second, Blecher argues that Sterling's "due process rights" have been violated by the NBA. A due process claim may sound superficially reasonable. After all, Sterling was banned permanently from the NBA after a mere four-day investigation, without any formal proceedings. If the NBA were a federal agency or a state college, Sterling might have a good argument, as those are public entities that must provide safeguards found under the U.S. Constitution and state constitutions. The problem for Sterling is that the NBA is a private association and is not required to provide due process rights. Sterling, moreover, contractually assented to the NBA's system of justice through various contracts, including his franchise agreement to purchase the Clippers and the joint venture agreement, which indicates the NBA has binding authority over the teams.

Any lawsuit by Sterling against the NBA would face a daunting task, as Sterling contractually agreed to follow the NBA's system of justice. Sterling's failure to pay the fine is additional evidence of his insubordination of league policies. His failure triggers other contractual provisions that can be used by the NBA under Article 13(d) to justify his ouster. It is also possible the NBA could deduct $2.5 million, plus interest, from proceeds the NBA would share with the Sterlings after the league sells the Clippers.

The letter's claim that Sterling has done nothing wrong seems at odds with Sterling's own words to Anderson Cooper. Sterling was unequivocal in the interview, "I made a terrible, terrible mistake." His lawyer, however, appears to believe otherwise. Keep in mind, the NBA will be able to use Sterling's apparent admission to Cooper as evidence.
The real weapon Sterling could obtain through a lawsuit is pretrial discovery, which is the process of each side sharing evidence and deposing witnesses before a trial. Filing a lawsuit does not automatically lead to pretrial discovery, as a lawsuit can be quickly dismissed by a judge on a number of grounds. If a lawsuit advances past dismissal, however, a judge normally commands that each side cooperate in answering questions under oath.
As explained in a previous SI.com article, Sterling could attempt to use pretrial discovery to portray NBA owners as hypocritical. He'd argue that if he is being expelled over bigoted comments, he'd want to know why other owners haven't suffered the same fate over similar statements. Along those lines, Sterling would likely demand that former commissioner David Stern testify about his knowledge of owner misconduct.
The NBA is well-poised to argue that Sterling's pending ouster is mainly due to the impact of his conduct -- which nearly triggered a player boycott, caused sponsors to drop the Clippers and led to critical words from President Obama -- rather than the conduct itself. Still, Sterling could try to damage the NBA on the way out.
Blecher is no stranger to expensive and lengthy litigation in sports. He was a lead attorney for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in successful antitrust litigation against the NFL. The litigation concerned the Raiders relocating between Oakland and Los Angeles. Blecher, who is in his early 80s, is one of small number of attorneys who can say he beat the NFL. He will have an uphill battle to say the same of the NBA.

D2D

Dare_2_defy wrote: »

My Predictions for Round 2:

East:

Heat-Nets - 4-2 Heat win - The Nets are the only team to sweep the Heat 4-0 in the season (the Heat were pretty much going through the motions for most of the season) but playoff basketball is a different story. It'll be interesting to see how close this series really is but I think the Heat are just too good for the Nets

Wizards-Pacers - 4-3 Wizards - Heart say Wizards, head says Pacers. This will be a closer series than what it looks like and I honestly think we could get a Game 7. Pacers are still struggling as a team while the Wizards closed the Bulls out early. Pacers showed signs of what they can do in Game 7 vs. ATL (Hawks just chucked up shots for fun though) but Game 1 will be interesting to see how the Wizards play after the break they've had.

West:

Spurs-Blazers - 4-1 Spurs - Blazers will pick up a win but I think the Spurs will be too good for the Blazers in this series.

Thunder-Clippers - 4-2 Thunder - The closer of the 2 series out West imo. Clippers seems to be rejuvenated after the Sterling fiasco ended while the Thunder struggled against the Grizz. I just think the Thunder has enough to take the series but it'll be close

Correct team in the Miami/Broooooooooooooooooklyn series but out by a game score wise

Way off in the Indy/Wizards series, probably gave Washington way too much credit than was deserved

Out west, nailed both of em!

Dublin Red Devil

Going to stay with my pre-Playoff prediction of an OKC V IND final, Where unfortunetly we come up just short. But I'd love to be dead wrong

NufcNavan

I think George Hill deserves a shout out.

He has gotten a lot of slack for his poor play this season (lot of it deserved), but with the exception of game 5 he absolutely locked down John Wall. Hill plain and simple beat Wall. I mean we're talking about Washingtons best player reduced to averaging 14 ppg on 44TS% and 4 turnovers per game!

Hill wasn't much a factor on offense scoring only 11.7 a game, with 3 assists, but he was efficient while locking up the Wizards best player.

D2D

Predictions for the Conference finals:

East:

Heat-Pacers - 4-2 Heat win - Miami proved that they can dispatch of teams with ease in playoff mode but Indy have the home advantage now. To me, this really depends on which Pacers team shows up tbh. If it's the team that started the series against the Wizards, this series will be over quick. If it's the team that finished the series against the Wizards, then we're in for a great series. I'm going Miami in 6, based on Miami's experience factor and the fact I just don't think this up and down Pacers team can beat the Heat when it counts


West:

Spurs-Thunder - 4-2 Spurs win - Thunder have the youth factor, Spurs have the experience factor. Gonna go with Spurs in 6 (maybe 5). The way the Spurs are able to beat teams without much attention is a credit to them and I think they'll be too much for OKC.

PizzamanIRL

The only East team with a chance of beating a West team in the Finals is Miami.

I'd prefer an Indiana v Spurs final though to make it easier for the Spurs to get their deserved title.

Kawhi Leonard is full sure about going to the Finals, saying somewhere in this post game interview about wanting to play the toughest team in the Conference Finals so they can be prepared for the Finals.

He actually smiled and laughed and showed emotion for a few seconds! I don't believe it :eek:

http://watch.nba.com/nba/video/teams/spurs/2014/05/15/140514leonardmov-3270832?tab=3&p=10

Nuri Sahin

Spurs won't be particularly fussed either way who wins the East.
If it's OKC winning the West, you'd want them to get the Pacers as it's a good match up for them, unlike against Miami, because Scott Brooks is an idiot who'll give Perkins significant (for him) time out on the floor despite Perkins and OKC being straight up murdered when he's' out there on the court in the past, amongst other things of course, ie: being a tactical dunce. Perkins has some use against a few players however, and that includes one Roy Hibbert. But in saying that, OKC is a terrible match up for the San Anontio. I think they've (Spurs) won no games against them since WCF back in 2012. OKC's length, energy and athleticism has always caused them problems, and I've never seen Spurs rattled by a team as much as the Thunder in recent years. Maybe people are voting for the heart in seeing the Spurs win it all by first overturning OKC, but I can't see it tbh.

Kawhi is the X Factor in all of this, but I'm not sure if keeping KD quiet will be enough.

OKC 4-2 Spurs
Heat 4-2 Pacers

Nuri Sahin

PizzamanIRL wrote: »

The only East team with a chance of beating a West team in the Finals is Miami.

I'd prefer an Indiana v Spurs final though to make it easier for the Spurs to get their deserved title.

Kawhi Leonard is full sure about going to the Finals, saying somewhere in this post game interview about wanting to play the toughest team in the Conference Finals so they can be prepared for the Finals.

He actually smiled and laughed and showed emotion for a few seconds! I don't believe it :eek:

http://watch.nba.com/nba/video/teams/spurs/2014/05/15/140514leonardmov-3270832?tab=3&p=10

Won't something please think of the ratings! :pac:

D2D

Conference Finals Schedule (times for us):

Pacers-Heat for the East

Game 1: Heat@Pacers - Sunday May 18th at 8.30 p.m. (3.30 EST) on BT Sports (abc in the States)
Game 2: Heat@Pacers - Wednesday May 21st at 1.30 a.m. (8.30 EST) on BT Sports (ESPN in the States)
Game 3: Pacers@Heat - Sunday May 25th at 1.30 a.m. (8.30 EST) on BT Sports (ESPN in the States)
Game 4: Pacers@Heat - Tuesday May 27th at 1.30 a.m. (8.30 EST) on BT Sports (ESPN in the States)

---If Necessary---
Game 5: Heat@Pacers - Thursday May 29th at 1.30 a.m. (8.30 EST) on BT Sports (ESPN in the States)
Game 6: Pacers@Heat - Saturday May 31st at 1.30 a.m. (8.30 EST) on BT Sports (ESPN in the States)
Game 7: Heat@Pacers - Monday June 2nd at 1.30 a.m.(8.30 EST) on BT Sports (ESPN in the States)



Spurs-Thunder for the West

Game 1: Thunder@Spurs - Tuesday 20th May at 2.00 a.m. (9 EST) on BT Sports (TNT in the States)
Game 2: Thunder@Spurs - Thursday 22nd May at 2.00 a.m. (9 EST) on BT Sports (TNT in the States)
Game 3: Spurs@Thunder - Monday 25th May at 1.30 a.m. (8.30 EST) on BT Sports (TNT in the States)
Game 4: Spurs@Thunder - Wednesday 28th May at 2 a.m. (9 EST) on BT Sports (TNT in the States)


---If Necessary---
Game 5: Thunder@Spurs - Friday 30th May at 2.00 a.m. (9 EST) on BT Sports (TNT in the States)
Game 6: Spurs@Thunder - Sunday 1st June at 1.30 a.m. (8.30 EST) on BT Sports (TNT in the States)
Game 7: Thunder@Spurs - Tuesday 3rd June at 2.00 a.m. (9 EST) on BT Sports (TNT in the States)

ButtersSuki

Nuri Sahin wrote: »

Spurs won't be particularly fussed either way who wins the East.
If it's OKC winning the West, you'd want them to get the Pacers as it's a good match up for them, unlike against Miami, because Scott Brooks is an idiot who'll give Perkins significant (for him) time out on the floor despite Perkins and OKC being straight up murdered when he's' out there on the court in the past, amongst other things of course, ie: being a tactical dunce. Perkins has some use against a few players however, and that includes one Roy Hibbert. But in saying that, OKC is a terrible match up for the San Anontio. I think they've (Spurs) won no games against them since WCF back in 2012. OKC's length, energy and athleticism has always caused them problems, and I've never seen Spurs rattled by a team as much as the Thunder in recent years. Maybe people are voting for the heart in seeing the Spurs win it all by first overturning OKC, but I can't see it tbh.

Kawhi is the X Factor in all of this, but I'm not sure if keeping KD quiet will be enough.

OKC 4-2 Spurs
Heat 4-2 Pacers

I know OKC have won 7 straight at home v the Spurs, what that means in the overall context of this series I'm not sure.

Yes, athetically they cause them all sorts of problems, but I'd imagine they've learned a lot from the 4 game swing in 2012 and the 4 losses this year.

I agree with a lot of what you've said Ade, but not convinced on OKC on a number of fronts:
1. Russ - if he plays a team game, yes, he can seriously hurt the (SA), but equally, he can seriosuly hurt his own team with some of his crazy play
2. Over-reliance on KD. KD's been insane for a couple of seasomns now and also in these playoffs, but they're going to need Jordanesque scoring from him over the series to win it all
3. Coaching. I know you'll be the last person to disagree with me on this. In a POP v Brooks contest, there's one winner and it's not even close
4. A large part of me has to discount all regular season games between the two given how Pop prioritises rest during games in the regular season

All this is moot if Parker's out or gets reinjured btw!

PizzamanIRL

ButtersSuki wrote: »

All this is moot if Parker's out or gets reinjured btw!

I read that he is listed day-to-day so it's not too bad I suppose with 4 days to go.

Nuri Sahin

ButtersSuki wrote: »

I know OKC have won 7 straight at home v the Spurs, what that means in the overall context of this series I'm not sure.

Yes, athetically they cause them all sorts of problems, but I'd imagine they've learned a lot from the 4 game swing in 2012 and the 4 losses this year.

I agree with a lot of what you've said Ade, but not convinced on OKC on a number of fronts:
1. Russ - if he plays a team game, yes, he can seriously hurt the (SA), but equally, he can seriosuly hurt his own team with some of his crazy play
2. Over-reliance on KD. KD's been insane for a couple of seasomns now and also in these playoffs, but they're going to need Jordanesque scoring from him over the series to win it all
3. Coaching. I know you'll be the last person to disagree with me on this. In a POP v Brooks contest, there's one winner and it's not even close
4. A large part of me has to discount all regular season games between the two given how Pop prioritises rest during games in the regular season

All this is moot if Parker's out or gets reinjured btw!

No, no I getcha, man.

1) Russ has been very impressive as a team player and shooting wise though, last night aside in regards to the latter.

2) Think that will always be the case with genuine superstars, to be fair, unless Pop is the one coaching them. The bench will be key for the from an OKC standpoint.

3) You can refer to him as a Tactical Dunce is you wish. In saying that, said Dunce got by Doc and for as long as he's around as the head coach of the Thunder, he'll continue to be bailed out.

4) I largely agree with you, but there's something different about seeing the Nets sweep Miami in hotly contested games that were only a possession or two from being wins for Miami.. and OKC beating down on the Spurs relentlessly to the point where Spurs are made to look very unsure of themselves, that despite KD not really going off neither.

Ibaka and Parker are both injury worries, think the former is more serious. I remember Thabo was out a few months ago with a calf strain and he missed like 20 games during the regular season. Ibaka does a fine job on Duncan more often than not.

death1234567

Dublin Red Devil wrote: »

No doubt the Pacers are capable of getting past Miami

I think there is a doubt to be honest, a huge one. Heat to win it in 6.

stuba

Ibaka out for the remainder of the playoffs with a calf injury! Massive blow for OKC!!

ButtersSuki

stuba wrote: »

Ibaka out for the remainder of the playoffs with a calf injury! Massive blow for OKC!!

Sheeeeeet!

Well that's that. OKC screwed by injury again. Another what if season.

Now I did say I fancied the Spurs in a straight fight anyway, but this removes the straight fight element. Shame.

leggo

Put on an acca at the start of the 2nd round. €5 with a €636 return.

Indiana outright.
Miami in 5.
OKC in 6.
Spurs in..............................6.

stuba

It's massive, talk about 2 years of bad luck with injuries for OKC. Adams will surely fill in but Duncan will prob get him in foul trouble early. Thought OKC were in with a great shout this year, I'm disgusted. Speaking of bets I'd an OKC/Pacers final done before the season started, that's as good as gone now aswell

Nuri Sahin

Fuuuuuuuuuck!

Parker hurt
Ibaka out
OKC and Spurs having played in long series, in OKC's case, twice.
Jekyll and Hyde Pacers team

Heat at full strength and had a bye in the first round when Big Al went down. Sigh

Marc Stein @ESPNSteinLine
In San Antonio today, Pop said he can't hear Ibaka's name without having 11-for-11 nightmares. His absence changes whole series obviously

ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo · 14m
Thunder are +5.7 per 48 minutes with Serge Ibaka on the court this postseason, -2.1 per 48 minutes with Ibaka on the bench.

Soby

Big loss that . As said it's just like Russ last year year all over again

Paully D

Heat and Spurs are going through relatively comfortably for me. I'm hoping that the Pacers will get their early-mid regular season groove back and do the Heat, but realistically it's not going to happen if it hasn't happened over the last month of playoff basketball.

I'd love to see the Heat in the west. Hypothetically, how do you think they'd do facing say, Grizzlies/Clippers/Spurs just to get to the finals or Mavericks/Trail Blazers/Thunder? That would put a lot of miles on your clock before even getting to the finals. In the east they can, in all honesty, play in first gear throughout the regular season and third gear throughout the playoffs and still progress.

Nuri Sahin

Paully D wrote: »

Heat and Spurs are going through relatively comfortably for me. I'm hoping that the Pacers will get their early-mid regular season groove back and do the Heat, but realistically it's not going to happen if it hasn't happened over the last month of playoff basketball.

I'd love to see the Heat in the west. Hypothetically, how do you think they'd do facing say, Grizzlies/Clippers/Spurs just to get to the finals or Mavericks/Trail Blazers/Thunder? That would put a lot of miles on your clock before even getting to the finals. In the east they can, in all honesty, play in first gear throughout the regular season and third gear throughout the playoffs and still progress.

I think you've answered your own question, mate. They can just stroll throughout the regular season when playing in the East. Sure, they more or less gave up the top seed back in February, but for the Pacers spectacular implosion post All Star break they nearly found themselves top seed without playing anywhere near top gear all season except for handful of games I'd suggest.

I think for this reason playing a big impact, we might never see LeBron ever play in the West unfortunately. His body doesn't have to be pushed all too much and can be saved for the Playoffs. Sure, there's less defensive teams which would suit Miami down to the ground when it comes to their transition basketball, but there's a better level of talent out West undoubtedly.