April 17, 2010 (Part 1); NBA Eastern Conference Playoff Preview

The real action in the NBA will start tomorrow morning Manila time as the 8 teams from each conference are set to battle for the right to be called champions.


The NBA Playoffs 2010 has finally come!


And now I'm here to preview the matchups, starting with the 1-8 clash between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls.


Last year, the Chicago Bulls pushed the then-defending champions Boston Celtics in a decisive seven-game series, wherein both teams showcased their talents. We also saw the brilliance of then-Rookie of the Year, Derrick Rose, as he broke the previous record for the highest scoring output by any rookie in his playoff debut, scoring an amazing 36 points, edging out Lew Alcindor (later on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).


This year would be different for the Bulls though. First off, they lost Ben Gordon to the Pistons, John Salmons to the Bucks and Tyrus Thomas to the Bobcats, ergo the scoring total would swagger off a bit, good thing guys like Kirk Hinrich, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng have since stepped up their game to compensate the loss of those players.


They also got Ronald "Flip" Murray and Hakim Warrick from the trade, two players who are known for their scoring off the bench, and to provide energy down the stretch.


And energy is what they need for the Cavaliers, who finished with the best record in the East and the entire NBA with a 61-21 win-loss record, mostly due to their superstar forward LeBron James, who is having the best season of his NBA career, averaging 29.7 PPG, the second highest scoring output this year, behind the Thunder's Kevin Durant, who finished the regular season with a 30.1 PPG average.


The matchup to watch for in this series is in the point guard position, between D-Rose and Mo Williams. Mo could somehow stop the speed of D-Rose, and to deny the pick and roll. So let's all tune in for all the developments in this series.


Now, let's turn our head to the 2-7 matchup featuring the Orlando Magic and the Charlotte Bobcats.


As most analysts have said, the Orlando Magic is the only team that could beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Well, maybe true, but we could only determine it once they've matched up, given that they (Cavs and Magic) move on to the next round.

And even with the departure of Hedo Turkoglu to Toronto, the Magic haven't really lost their swagger, mostly because of the arrival of another superstar by the name of Vince Carter.

He averaged almost 17 PPG, complementing to Dwight Howard's 18.3 PPG average. He provided a big help to the team, who are known to be a threat from the outside.

Jameer Nelson, JJ Redick and Rashard Lewis should continue to shine from the outside. Nelson should also continue to spark the team with his decision-making skills, as the point guard.

The Bobcats on the other hand, are entering the playoffs for the first time in their franchise history. Larry Brown's system has finally sinked in to the players.

Gerald Wallace became an All-Star. Raymond Felton and Stephen Jackson are playing good basketball and things are looking up in Charlotte.

It also means one thing: Michael Jordan is being a good owner.

But, Michael's not a player anymore, so it won't matter. His players should be ready for the pressure of the playoffs.

Jackson has already won a championship with the Spurs before, so he knows how to handle things in the postseason, and that would help him with his matchup against Vince Carter in the 2 position.

Their big guys (Diaw, Ratliff and Chandler), should make Dwight Howard's job hard by containing his inside game with stiffling defense, or even by using the Hack-a-Dwight system, by sending him to the line more often than not, and as we all know, D-12 is not a good shot from the charity stripe.

Now, let's switch sides to the 3-6 matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Hawks, since the '03-'04 season, have steadly increased their wins, winning 53 games this season to grab the 3rd spot in the East. They've made the Playoffs for the past 3 seasons, but the thing is, they simply cannot move past the first round.

In the '08 Playoffs, they lost to the eventual champions, the Boston Celtics in seven games. In last year's Playoffs, they were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

So what lies beneath all the playoff woes of the Hawks? One answer: the players. They don't deliver that much during the postseason. It's like it's enough for them just to have made it to the postseason, which is a wrong mindset by a team.

They should all perform their very best, just like what they do in the regular season, or if not, the better. And I believe that if Jamal Crawford continues to do what he's doing off the bench, the Hawks will fly over the Bucks in this series.

Crawford, who is the leading candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year honor, has been playing great for the Hawks this season, complementing the run-and-gun style of the team. Joe Johnson should show consistency down the stretch. They need him to step his game up since it's Playoffs time already. Enough of being scared and all, just show 'em what you got J-J!

The Bucks on the other hand, should expect a much better scoring average from John Salmons. After losing Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut to injury, he is the lone scoring machine left in the team.

Ever since his arrival from the Bulls, his scoring average went uphill. From 12.3 PPG in his 51 games with the Bulls this season, he did a 19.9 PPG for the 31 games he played for the Bucks. For sure he would make this hard for the Hawks, since he's not just a one-dimensional two guard. He could penetrate his way inside, shoot in the perimeter and a pretty decent outside game, so this series should be exciting as well.

And now we're down to the final series in the East, featuring the 5th seeded Miami Heat going up against the 4th seeded team, the Boston Celtics.

Miami Heat has Dwyane Wade, a player who could singlehandedly lead a team to victory. He has this energy which is infective. Once he's hot, suddenly all his teammates get hot as well!

Dwyane Wade will be spectacular as usual. The thing is with his supporting cast. Jermaine O'Neal and Michael Beasley should perform. Also keep an eye on Quentin Richardson, who is money from downtown!

The Celtics on the other hand, are not as good as they were during the first half of this season. They're up and down this past few weeks, and they can't do that once they play Miami. The Big 3 of Pierce, Garnett and Allen should outperform their counterparts so as to dominate the game.

I'm not sure of Ray-Ray though. Since he's appointed to guard D-Wade, I guess with the age, Ray would tire off early on because of Wade's movement from one place to another, so that's my only doubt for the guys in green.

Rasheed Wallace and Kendrick Perkins should be a force to reckon with come the playoffs. They will thrive against the likes of Jamaal Magloire and Joel Anthony.

So there you have it! We're done previewing all the games for the East!

Tomorrow, the Playoff action will begin with these games, staring at 3:00 AM Manila time.

3:00 AM East 1st Round Game 1: Bulls @ Cavaliers LIVE on ABC
5:30 AM East 1st Round Game 1: Bucks @ Hawks LIVE on ESPN and BTV
8:00 AM East 1st Round Game 1: Heat @ Celtics LIVE on ESPN and Solar TV
10:30 AM West 1st Round Game 1: Jazz @ Nuggets LIVE on ESPN

So there you have it! You guys have just been fed!

God bless you guys! Stay safe! Peace out! The Wizard was here...:)

Comments, questions and suggestions are highly appreciated! :)