UConnSwag11
Storrs, CT The Mecca
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Get the 6th seed!
Let's go bobcats!
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UConnSwag11
Storrs, CT The Mecca
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Bobcats win. Kemba with 22-7-8
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Deadspin had a good article today that sheds some light on why Kemba might have a low shooting percentage: http://regressing.deadspin.com/which-nba-players-are-best-late-in-the-shot-clock-1563759412/+kylenw
Basically, he's one of the best in the league when it comes to creating offense late in the shot clock.
Basically, he's one of the best in the league when it comes to creating offense late in the shot clock.
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Get out your brooms.
Good christ the eastern matchups are terrible.
Good christ the eastern matchups are terrible.
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Maybe I'm over-thinking things, but I feel like there's a chance the Bobcats could drag this one out to six. The Heat are not playing good basketball, and the Bobcats have been a pretty damn good team since about the one third mark. Al Jefferson is a legitimate match-up nightmare for the Heat, and the Bobcats quietly have one of the best defenses in the league. Of course the Heat could also win every game by 15+ but if they decide to sleepwalk through this one like they have the last two months of the season, it won't be easy.
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I think this goes 5 at best. But more likely the Heat and Pacers sweep their first round matchups. I also wouldn't be surprised if the Chicago had the Washington matchup in hand really quickly.
The only matchup that has some promise is the Toronto-Brooklyn one. Indiana-Chicago and Brooklyn-Miami has a little more juice, but even those feel like they'll disappoint.
The West, though...just wow. Clippers-Warriors will just be a blast. Houston-Portland will be good. OKC-Memphis promises to be a bloodbath, and San Antonio will beat Dallas, probably in a few games (5), but they're old rivals, so I expect the games to be close. And then the second round? I mean, whoever makes it out of the first round could legitimately make it to the Finals and win the whole thing.
Doubtful.. they'll play their normal lineup with Chalmers/Cole taking turns defending him.. if a game gets close late or if Kemba is just going off, then you might see LeBron guard him.
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Clips/Warriors took a hit with no Bogut, Warriors will still score but the interior D takes a major step back and I don't see how they stop the Clips. But yea, the West is must see TV, besides watching for just Kemba the only other EC playoff matchup that is intriguing to me is Nets/Raps.
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Maybe I'm just not as sold on the Heat as everybody else. I know they're the favorite for obvious reasons, but they've been playing pretty ordinary basketball for over three months now, and that on/off switch is a lot less reliable than people realize. It isn't as if the Heat have walked to the title the last couple years, they've been pushed to the brink consistently, even in the east, and with Wade, Bron, and Bosh having another few thousand minutes of mileage, their role players aging, etc., I just don't see them playing in the finals this year.
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Wade is their problem. If he's the Wade he still can be, they'll get to the Eastern Conference Finals pretty easily. If he's not, and it's all on LeBron, they'll still get there (although, if the Nets win, they seem to give them problems), but it will very difficult.
I think they lucked out in having Chicago on the other side of the bracket. That team wouldn't beat them, but would beat them up, and make it a much more physical series than Brooklyn would, and so they'll likely catch the Pacers a bit beaten up.
But I always keep in mind that they'll have the best player on the floor in every series, unless they play the Thunder (and then it's a toss-up, but I'd probably still go with James even if Durant deserves the award this year). They have about a 50-50 chance, I think, of playing in the Finals this year.
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That sounds about right, though I'd go 40 or 45%. What you say is true - the Heat aren't firing on all cylinders, and the inconsistency of Wade (at least relative to what he can be) is holding them back. I have no idea who supplants them in the East, though. I haven't bought into the Brooklyn hype, even though they've been playing good ball. If there's going to be a team that can exploit the Heat's age, it's not going to be a team that's even older than they are. It's just too much of a chore for Chicago to score. I've been riding the Indiana bandwagon for a long time, but they've completely come unglued at the seams. I think they'll get it together and dethrone the Heat in the conference finals, but I'm not in anyway confident in that declaration.
Its a great opportunity for Kemba if he wants to take that next step in his career, build some national recognition, and better his game by facing the best player in the NBA. Its the first playoff experience for Kemba and could be the last one for Ray.
intlzncster
i fart in your general direction
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Why is it that the NBA can't be more balanced? It feels like the least balanced professional sport. JMO of course.
Wade only played in 54 games this year so he should be pretty fresh for the playoffs. And they've looked ordinary because they rarely play the same lineup 3 games in a row. I think they played something like 20 different lineups this year. Spoelstra was extra cautious with even the most minor of injuries and sometimes just for rest purposes. The only real constants have been LeBron and Bosh. Everybody else has been in and out of the lineup. If Wade is healthy, they're going to the Finals, and not having to play Chicago will help a lot. They're gonna beat Charlotte and their 2nd round opponent more than likely in 5 games. The Nets regular season success doesn't mean anything to me. They were all close games and Wade didn't play in 2 of the 4 games. To be honest, I don't see them advancing past the Raptors. I could see Chicago beating Indiana.. when it comes down to crunch time, the Pacers still have trouble scoring.
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Bobcats aren't winning the series but it would be nice to see Kemba have a great series since he seems to get left off the young PG discussions even though his numbers are basically right there with them. He's gotta avoid the ugly games in the national spotlight though, no 3-15, 5-21 shooting performances that he seems to throw up with frequency.
Well yeah will most likely not win a game let alone the series. Hopefully Kemba will put up a good showing he's gonna need to have a triple double every game for the Bobcats to even have an outside shot. Getting experience is one thing getting experience going up against the best player in the NBA is a whole other animal. Winning in the playoffs is a right of passage and you must overcome failure to do it, even MJ and Lebron had to go through failure in the playoffs. Just hoping Kemba can get some national recognition and you must go against the best to better your game and take it to that next level. A good showing from Kemba will get him into future all-star games especially next years all-star game which is in MSG.
Ray Allen is starting to come around this could be it for him.
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