Quest for the Best: 2011-12 NBA Playoff Predictions – NBA Finals

Well, we're here now.

I must say I didn't expect one of these teams to be here--that team being the Oklahoma City Thunder. It sort of felt like the year the Spurs would get back to the finals. (And given the circumstances, I might have picked them). But considering way back in February, I thought the finals would be OKC versus Miami I'm not surprised it turned out this way. I'm no oracle, though--a lot of people thought this match up was forthcoming.

Picking a winner is a much more difficult decision, though.

OKC is young, fast, and talented. Although their total team age is probably one of the league's youngest, they do have savvy and experienced veterans in Derek Fisher and Kendrick Perkins on the roster. Durant is the best pure scorer in the league. Even though Westbrook is streaky and unpredictable, he's explosive. Then of course you have Serge and Thabo, a few defensive stoppers and the Thunder's X-Factor, James Harden. In this series, with all the other match ups in this series somewhat balancing out, I think the Thunder will go as he goes in this series.

And then there's Miami.

James is coming off arguably his most impressive Conference Finals yet--then again, that could be the vividness effect at work considering we just "witnessed" it. (Pun intended). Bosh is well-rested, Battier and James Jones have begun to Heat up and Chalmers is playing with confidence. Erik Spoelstra, who is likely one of the leagues most underrated coaches likely has quite a few tricks up his sleeve, too. On Miami's end, of course Dywane Wade will be the key decider in closing out the finals and sealing the deal.

A lot of factors that people don't always place top of mind--turnovers, made FT's, offensive rebounding, etc--will play a factor, but this series will come down to poise. Whichever team has the most of it, gets the prize. I think that team will be Miami, in 6 games.

Thanks for reading.

Quest for the Best: 2011-12 NBA Playoff Predictions – Conference Finals

As Skip Bayless said last night on Twitter prior to the Spurs, OKC game--"The NBA playoffs are about to start". I honestly thought the Lakers and Bulls (caveat), would've put up more of a fight, but nevertheless, here we are. Some familiar faces, and some fresh faces. Some teams have hall of fame coaches. Each team has multiple champions. Every team has future hall of fame players. So I guess it's only right that these four teams meet in the middle.

West
Oklahoma City Thunder v. San Antonio Spurs

I can't lie--I couldn't pick the winner of this series until the closing seconds of the 1st quarter when Ginobili drained a fall-away three-pointer with the buzzer going off. I always pegged the series to be at least 6 or 7 games, but every time I said out loud "Spurs in 7" or "Thunder in 7", I felt uncertain. It's an uncertain pick all the way around, but when I saw that shot go down it reminded me of a key in this series. Whomever performs the best overall and at the right moments between Ginobili and Harden will earn a trip to the NBA Finals. At that moment, I was reminded that Harden is still 22, and Ginobili is still one of the best players this league has to offer. Oh, not to mention Greg Popovich.

San Antonio Spurs in 7

East
Boston Celtics v. Miami Heat

The Boston Celtics are on their last hoo-rah! This is it for "The Big 3 + Rondo". (Just sounds better than the big 4. If everyone's big, no body's big). Rondo has gained a ton of my respect, despite lack of ability shoot with Ray Allen on his team in practice for the last ~5 years. His bravado alone has been impressive.

But then there's the issue of Wade--playing his role of Batman admirably as expected. Will he keep it up? I think so. But how much does Boston want retribution on their last journey as one? Certainly more than they're willing to speak about.

Bosh or no Bosh--I actually think Lebron wants a ring more than anybody. The monkey on his back is a full-grown gorilla at this point. Maybe Wade and company can help him pry it off.

Miami Heat in 6

Quest for the Best: 2011-12 NBA Playoff Predictions – Semi-Finals

The conference semi-finals are here--and if the first round was at all a sign of things to come, this round is going to be insane.

West
San Antonio Spurs v. Los Angeles Clippers
Game 7 against the Grizzlies ended with Chris Paul closing the 4th quarter with four bench players--(Reggie Evans, Eric Bledsoe, Kenyon Martin and Nick Young). The Clips wrapped up the series after a historic rally from down 24 with 8 minutes left. All the while, CP3 had a hip flexer, Blakey Blake with a hyper-extended knee, Caron Butler with a fractured hand and Billups on the sidelines. Impressive series against a gritty Memphis team.

But then there's the Coach of the Year, Greg Popovich and the savvy, still extremely talented Spurs--Parker, Duncan and Ginobili. There's no denying they're on a mission, either. Deeper than ever before, and with a major coaching advantage (in my humble opinion), home court advantage should be the final difference in this series.

Oklahoma City Thunder v. L.A. Lakers
Unless OKC meets Miami in the finals, this just might be the best playoff series this season.

Oh, the storylines.

Perkins back again versus the team that took the Celtics' Championship hopes away back in '09. James Harden versus Metta World Peace (MWP) after their "encounter" earlier in the regular season for which MWP was suspended for 7 games. An angry (assumed) Kevin Durant after losing out to Lebron for MVP--he's got something to prove. Not to mention all the Laker storylines, with Kobe's legacy, Bynum's attitude and Gasol's toughness. And oh, Derek Fisher is playing against the Lakers in a playoff series.

East
Boston Celtics v. Philadelphia 76ers
This series could very easily be over in 4 games. I'm predicting five because the Celtics are old, (even though Rajon Rondo doesn't think it matters).

...It should've been Chicago...They could've been contenders...they could've been somebody.

Miami Heat v. Indiana Pacers
Lets get on with it already...

Well, lets give Indiana some credit first. They're pretty good. Hibbert and West is the kind of match up down low that could give Miami some trouble--but this is Wade, LBJ, Bosh and company. Save any injuries on Miami and this series should end accordingly in 5 games or so.

West			East
(1) San Antonio	V	(5) L.A. Clippers	(4) Boston	V	(8) Philadelphia
San Antonio in 7			Boston in 5
(2) Oklahoma City	V	(3) L.A. Lakers	(2) Miami	V	(3) Indiana
Oklahoma City in 6			Miami in 5

Thanks for reading.

Quest for the Best: 2011-12 NBA Playoff Predictions – Round 1

In the West, if you switch San Antonio and OKC and you switch Dallas and Denver and you remove Houston and replace them with Utah—then I was perfect.

In the East, if you drop Orlando from #4 to #6 and you drop Philly from #5 to #8 and you bump Boston from #7 to #4 and Atlanta from #6 to #5 and you New York from #8 to #7—then I was perfect.

Let’s just say my predictions were a little farther off than I anticipated.

We’ll get it right this time, though. =P

The playoffs are here. I will say no more.

West			East
(1)     San Antonio	V	(8) Utah	(1) Chicago	V	(8) Philadelphia
San Antonio in 5			Chicago in 6
(4) Memphis	V	(5) L.A. Clippers	(4) Boston	V	(5) Atlanta
L.A. Clippers in 7			Boston in 6
(3) L.A. Lakers	V	(6) Denver	(3) Indiana	V	(6) Orlando
L.A. Lakers in 5			Indiana in 6
(2)     Oklahoma City	V	(7) Dallas	(2) Miami	V	(7) New York
Oklahoma City in 6			Miami in 5

Thanks for reading

The Sporacle's NBA Predictions for 2011-12 (Part 2 of 3)

With the trade deadline having passed, the Dwight Howard fiasco all settled (for this season that is) and teams prepping and getting healthy for the playoffs, this seemed like a good time to post an update on my playoff predictions and how I see things panning out the rest of the season.

1,498 games down and we're ~73% through this shortened 66-game season. The sun is setting on this wild, compressed, yet thoroughly awesome season and playoff time a.k.a. Christmas for a month in April is coming.

Here's how I see things netting out.


Individual Merits

Rookie of the Year	Kyrie Irving
Most Improved Player	Ryan Anderson
6th Man of the Year	James Harden
Defensive Player of the Year	Dwight Howard
Coach of the Year	Frank Vogel
MVP	Kevin Durant

I've made a few changes here after the season has progressed.

My sixth man pick changed from Louis Williams to the bearded-one a.k.a James Harden. If there's one true starting guard that's coming off the bench, it's Harden.

I almost switched my Coach of the Year pick to San Antonio's, Greg Popovich, but I think the Pacers have picked up some big wins--and for such a small market team, they've done a terrific job.

Lastly, in this past Sunday's dismantling of Miami,--Lebron's best chance to make his case for MVP--he came up a bit lame in a less than inspiring performance versus Kevin Durant.

NBA Playoff Predictions

Eastern Conference

1	Chicago
	No Change
2	Miami
	No Change
3	Indiana
	No Change
4	Orlando
	Ever since Dwight confirmed he's staying in Orlando at least until next year, Orlando has picked up it's level of play. I guess a little focus is all it takes sometimes.
5	Philadelphia
	Doug Collins and Philly have progressed and with the emergence of "Ohio State Evan Turner", they might cause a little scare for a top seed come playoff time.
6	Atlanta
	Atlanta for some reason feels less and less imposing as the time goes on. It cost them two spots in my playoff predictions.
7	Boston
	Boston is still sitting at #7 but I get the feeling that this is "Boston's last stand" and Miami better take them seriously or they'll be in for a long series.
8	New York
	With an new semi-emphasis on defense, I don't really know what to expect out of this New York team come playoff time.

Western Conference

1	Oklahoma City
	No Change
2	San Antonio
	With the return of Ginobili (and the unfortunate loss of  TJ Ford out for the season), the Spurs still look strong. Most importantly, coach Popovich is doing a terrific job of resting his veterans. Should be energized come playoff time.
3	L.A. Lakers
	Kobe is very much a different person than I expected under Mike Brown. Humble, timely and a very willing teammate at times--even though he's breaking usage rates records. Playoff time is Black Mamba time.
4	L.A. Clippers
	With Billups out for the season, their chances are severely depressed, but after what Chris Paul did with the Hornets last year I can't count them out.
5	Memphis
	The Grizzlies of are the same team they were last year, plus Rudy Gay. With Randolph getting healthy for playoff time, things are looking up for the Grizz.
6	Dallas
	No Change.
7	Denver
	The Nuggets don't particularly scare any playoff teams, but they always play with a "nothing to lose" attitude--which for a 7-seed is exactly what should do.
8	Houston
	Not sure how Houston has made it's way into the playoff hunt. But honestly, they'll probably be the only team to be swept in the 1st round if they face OKC.

NBA Finals Predictions

Eastern Conference Champions

Miami Heat

Western Conference Champions

Oklahoma City Thunder

2011-12 NBA Champions

Miami Heat

The Sporacle's NBA Predictions for 2011-12 (Part 1 of 3)

744 games in and we’re 37% through the 2011-12 NBA Season.

Considering we're a bit past a third of the NBA season, it seemed like a good time to make some playoff seeding and individual accolade predictions.

This season has been great so far. Fast-paced, unexpected and full of good story lines. (I'm thinking they should make this lockout-to-build-hype strategy a regular thing).

Take a look at these here predictions and see if you think The Sporacle knows what he's talking about.

Individual Merits

Rookie of the Year	Kyrie Irving
Most Improved Player	Ryan Anderson
6th Man of the Year	Lou Williams
Defensive Player of the Year	Dwight Howard
Coach of the Year	Frank Vogel
MVP	Lebron James

NBA Playoff Predictions

Eastern Conference

1	Chicago
	The Bulls have developed a special rapport. They click as a unit. They're hungry. Barring injury, they should wrap up the #1 seed this year.
2	Miami
	Miami is deeper than ever and healthy up and down for the first time in a while. That's a scary thought for the rest of the league.
3	Indiana
	Last year, when the Pacers played Chicago in Round 1, I warned that it wouldn't be an easy series. The Pacers are well built and well coached. They'll be a tough out come playoff time.
4	Atlanta
	The Hawks to me are the same Hawks they've always been (minus Jamal Crawford)--good but not good enough. A great regular season team--not much of a playoff threat.
5	New York
	I'm just going to say it--Jeremy Lin just may turn the Knicks season around. (But I don't really mean that). New York is talented, but until they learn to play some "D", they're a one-and-done team.
6	Boston
	Old, slow, and broken down--yet still resilient, experienced and probably going to be a nuisance to eliminate in the playoffs this year.
7	Philadelphia
	Philly has kind of surprised me this year, even after last years impressive showing. Doug Collins has done a phenomenal job.
8	Orlando
	Assuming Dwight Howard is actually in Orlando after seasons end, the Orlando Magic should have the privilege of being swept in Round 1.

Western Conference

1	Oklahoma City
	The Thunder should've beaten the Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals last year, but they just weren't quite experienced enough--or there was some "destiny" in play. This year, they are.
2	L.A. Clippers
	What a difference a trade makes. Add Chris Paul, Caron Butler, Chauncey Billups and Mo Williams to a team with well, Blake Griffin and you've got yourself a legitimate playoff team.
3	San Antonio
	They're like the Celtics of the East but they've figured out a way to preserve their aging players, surround them with young talent and let the youth feed off the experience of the greats. Still contenders.
4	L.A. Lakers
	After Kobe's vampire, steroid knee injections in Germany, he's a new man--a lot like the Kobe of old shooting more than anyone else in the league. The Lakers are weaker, but they're still the Lakers.
5	Portland
	Add Jamal Crawford to a team that's been consistently strong the past few years; subtract the inconsistencies of injury (Brandon Roy and Greg Oden) and you've got a dangerous playoff team.
6	Dallas
	Jason Kidd has been the most disappointing fantasy player this year. Having had him on two fantasy teams (before cutting him for Jeremy Lin) made it worse for me, personally. Although, the Mavs are still a playoff calibur team.
7	Memphis
	Memphis is the same team that bounced the #1 seed Spurs in last years playoffs + a healthy Rudy Gay. Once they get Zach Randolph back, I'm curious to see how they'll gel.
8	Denver
	This is an example of what having a team full of "pretty good" players on your team can create. They're fast, young and talented, but without a real star player.

NBA Finals Predictions

Eastern Conference Champions

Miami Heat

Western Conference Champions

Oklahoma City Thunder

2011-12 NBA Champions

Miami Heat