NBA Conference Finals is arriving. The Eastern Conference already settles their business and it set for Chicago vs. Miami. However, on the Western Conference, things are spicing up. Oklahoma City and Memphis will have to play a Game 7 to determine who will move on to face the Dallas for the Conference Finals. So who’s going to win?
Let’s start with the Eastern Conference. Honestly, I think Miami is going to own Chicago. The matchups look more in favor for Miami and after all, Miami does have three mega super stars: Wade, LeBron, and Bosh. And I’m sure LeBron and Bosh are dying to get closer to their first championship ring.
The fun is on the West side though. Oklahoma City and Memphis will play Game 7. Down to the final stretch, it is hard to say who will move on. Of course my prediction from previous post was that OKC will carry it on because they have Durant and I feel they are the more talented team. However, when we take a deeper look at the Grizzlies, they went from under dogs’ seed 8 to upset the top team and now battling it out to get into the Conference Finals. The Grizzlies overall have more momentum, but can Zach Randolph really do it all? It was an extremely exciting game just a few nights ago when the teams went into triple overtime just to determine the winner. I must say, this is the most exciting series in playoffs this season so far. Most of the match ups so far either has been blow outs or one sided wins. This one on the other hand is actually a challenge for both team, home and visiting because when it comes down to game 7, the pressure is on both sides. Of course there is more pressure for the home team OKC, but it seems the whole world is rooting for the under dogs this time around. Who will get the clear to go next round? We will have to see today on ABC.
After reading this Something Will Be Missing From This Years Final blog post, I didn’t realize that this year really will be missing Kobe, Shaq, and Duncan from the finals. It is going to be the first time missing these three since 1998. Lets reminiscence for a moment from all the memories they bring us for the last century and more.
Wow, how time flies. I still remember the 1997 season when it was Kobe’s second season and he won the dunk contest that year, which was the same year that I started following on basketball and getting really into it. Till today, it already has been 14 years since I been a fan.
The 1998 season was dominated by the Spurs, led by Duncan and Robinson. This was the year when the Michael Jordan era finally ended after winning 3 champions in a row. And Jordan never came back to win a championship after this year, he played a couple more seasons and soon retired.
1999 came and it was finally the Los Angeles Lakers turn to win their Championship. The dynamic dual Kobe and Shaq dominated the entire league and was unstoppable. They were on top of the world for the next three seasons, therefore having a three-peat of championships. Their biggest rivalry during these three seasons was both the Spurs and the Kings. The Eastern Conference was at their weakest and was no competition at all.
2003 came, and the Lakers failed to go to the Finals this year. However, the Spurs bounced back from previous seasons of getting defeated by LA, and routed them to get to the Finals. Duncan here wins his second championship ring.
2004 was a dramatic year for the Lakers. They acquired veterans Payton and Malone and made another championship run, with their help; Lakers did get back into the finals. However this is the same year that Kobe got hit with the sexual assault case where during playoffs, he will always have to fly from Colorado to wherever the game is after all his court hearings. It was exhausting for him and the team. The team also had drama, the whole thing regarding Shaq and Kobe not getting along, which player is being a showboat, which player is running the team, whose team is it, other players hitting on teammates wife, etc. Drama was happening all year long in the locker-room for the team that year. And finally when they got to the finals to face Detroit, the entire team just couldn’t hang on; they only won 1 game in that series. More events happened that season even after the finals, their coach Phil Jackson decided to resign after that year, Shaq parted from Kobe, he left to go Miami, and Peyton & Malone retired. Kobe was left all alone on the Lakers. To add more drama, this is a mini clip of one of the playoff games when it was LA vs. Spurs.
2005, Kobe all alone, first time in his career did he miss the playoffs. This year, the strongest in the West went back to the San Antonio Spurs. They faced Detroit from the East and Duncan earned his 3rd ring.
2006, Lakers led by Kobe re-entered the playoffs this season; however they didn’t make it pass first round. Shaq on the other hand, after joining with Miami has teamed up with Dwayne Wade and went on a trip to the Finals and won it all this year. They faced the rising stardom team Dallas.
Its year 2007, neither Shaq nor Kobe made it to the finals. If it’s neither of them, then of course it is Duncan who has gone again. This time around, his team was battling out LeBron James Cavaliers. The Spurs pulled out the victory, leading Duncan to another championship.
2008, Lakers team is done with their re-build mode. This time around, Kobe is not alone anymore; he has Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum by his side. With their help, the Lakers finally in three years got back into the NBA finals. But sadly, very sadly, they got defeated by the Boston Celtics.
2009 and 2010, back to back year, Kobe took his team to the finals and won it both times. In his career, he now has 5 championship rings.
Now to the present, 2011 season, sadly Kobe did not make pass round 2 in the playoffs, therefore he will not be heading to the finals. But just looking back the past 13 years, I guess we can all say that the Spurs and Lakers have been consistently competitive. They make it to the finals almost yearly and even if they fail, they somehow bounce back within seasons. So for the past 13 seasons, it seems like we have been seeing the same faces over and over and might need a change, but however, these athletes work hard to reach the level they are at now.
The talks been going around saying, it is an official end to both these dynasties, both Duncan and Kobe. I highly disagree because understanding how Kobe is as an athlete; he will not give up and let his career go that easily. In this article Defiants Kobe Doesn't See Overhaul In Plans, having to end season early after being routed by Dallas, Kobe believes they will bounce back to the Finals next year. Let’s go Kobe! Show the world, you don’t just talk, use your action to prove it. We will be awaiting for the 2012 season and see what you have for us.
After Round 1, several teams have advanced. But of course if someone is advancing, it means someone fell off the ladder as well.
My predictions for Round 1 were on and off. For the East I was right about which teams to advance aside from Orlando, they got wiped out. Therefore I was 3 for 4. However, I was a little off on how many games it will take each team to advance.
For the West, my prediction was only 50 50. I was only right about half the teams, I only got LA and OKC. This time I will only predict who will win the series and not how many games it will take. So hard to predict how many games it will take a team to finish up a series. Let’s see how on my predictions will be for Round 2!
Eastern Conference
Chicago [1] vs Atlanta [5]: Chicago did great in Round 1; however I think that the momentum from Round 1 will carry over for the Hawks after beating out the Magic’s. Atlanta been in playoffs yearly and it seems to be that this year all their chemistry is there as a team. Although Chicago does have runner up candidate Derrick Rose, I don’t think his team will last long in the playoffs. I still think Atlanta will have an edge over Chicago, so we will see Atlanta in the Eastern Conference Semis.
Miami [2] vs Boston [3]: One of the better match ups in playoffs so far. Because both teams are so talented, it is forecasted that whichever team win this series for sure will advance to the Finals because I believe that both Miami and Boston is definitely able and capable of taking out Chicago or Atlanta. With Miami’s big 3, and Boston’s solid playoff appearance, I think Boston have a little edge. Their edge will be chemistry, experience along with a bit better defense. It will take an amount of games, but I think Boston will pull it out at the end.
Western Conference
Memphis [8] vs Oklahoma City [4]: After a HUGE upset in Round 1, Memphis advanced to the second round. They are definitely the biggest underdogs in the playoffs right now. It was definitely unexpected, uncalled for that the Grizzlies actually made it to the second round and took out the regular season #1 the Spurs. But its Round 2 now, I don’t think Grizzlies will pass Round 2. With Durant and Westbrook leading OKC, OKC have a easy road to the Western Conference Semis.
Lakers [2] vs Dallas [3]: This is the first time that these consistent playoff teams have to match up against each other. Although Dallas is good, Lakers are better. Without bias, I definitely think Lakers will beat out the Mavericks and advance to the Semis. It might take more games than expected, however, Lakers somehow will always pull something out their pockets when it counts most.
