Hello friends! Just like I did the other night with the Stanley Cup Playoffs I am going to post a 2 part preview blog previewing the 1st round of the NBA Playoffs! So with that here's part 1 of the NBA Playoff preview with my preview of the Eastern Conference 1st round matchups!
(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (8) Indiana Pacers
For the 1st time since the 1996-1997 season the Bulls own the outright best record in the NBA and oh by the way they went on to win the NBA Championship that year! Now in 1997-1998 they finished tied with the Utah Jazz for the league's best record however Utah had the tiebreaker by winning the head to head with Chicago that year but the Bulls still won the NBA Championship that year! Now on to this year's team which bolsters the league's MVP (in my opinion) in Derrick Rose, the Coach of The Year (in my opinion) in Tom Thibodeau, and the big offseason acquisition in Carlos Boozer! For the 1st time in all these years Bulls fans have a reason to be excited because this Bulls team has a realistic chance to reach the NBA Finals they are that good! As a matter of fact my partner in crime Mike Flecha has already gone on the record and said that he has the Bulls going to the NBA Finals! Now before I give my pick let me just say that I am not expecting a 7 game instant classic like these 2 teams had back in the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals. Why? Because Chicago is going to win this series in 5 games because I could honestly see Indiana win a game in Indiana but it will be all D-Rose all the time for da Bulls!
Winners: Chicago Bulls 4 games to 1
(4) Orlando Magic vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
This is a rematch of last year's 2nd round series when Orlando swept the Hawks 4 straight and winning each game by an average of 25.3 Points Per Game! Talk about a beatdown. Anyways I expect this rematch to have the same outcome as last year's series as I like Orlando to win this series in 6 because I can see Atlanta stealing a game or 2 in Atlanta but as long as Dwight Howard is around Orlando is going to be tough to beat in these playoffs!
Winners: Orlando Magic 4 games to 2
(3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) New York Knicks
OK now this is the series that almost all diehard NBA fans are looking forward to the most! Because you have the Knicks big 3 of Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and Chauncey Billups going against the Celtics big 3 of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett! But other than Melo, Amare, and Chauncey who else do the Knicks really have to beat Boston? No 1! Boston on the other hand has Rajon Rondo a triple double machine! So because of that and their past experience I like Boston to win this series in 7 hard fought games but the only way New York can win this series is if they steal a game or 2 in Boston and in all honesty Boston is a very tough place to win especially in the Playoffs!
Winners: Boston Celtics 4 games to 3
(2) Miami Heat vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers
No team in NBA history has had bigger expectations than the Miami Heat! Because anything less than a championship will be deemed a failure and then some! When LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh are on the floor together they average as a combined unit at least 75-80 points per game! So with that I like Miami to win this series in 5 as Philly could steal a game in Philly but the big 3 will be too much in this 1 but let's see how this team does against the top echelon of the East in Boston and then maybe Chicago in the later rounds! But for now the overhyped and overrated Heat win this series in 5!
Winner: Miami Heat 4 games to 1
OK friends those are my thoughts on the East matchups now stay tuned for my West preview which is coming up in a short short! Bye bye for now!
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