By Justin Powell
ProBasketballNews.com
(Editor's note: This is the first of Justin Powell's two-part NBA playoff preview)
The playoffs are about to begin, meaning there’ll be more series breakdowns and predictions on the Internet during the next few days than there are quality porn sites.
My job is to make this set of breakdowns and predictions stand out from the rest, without resorting to using photos of naked women. (I already asked my editor, and he said no -- sorry).
In a feeble attempt to keep this thing interesting,
I’ll be talking about one key player to keep an eye
on in every series. Some of these players might
be awesome, some might be terrible. I really can’t
tell you any more than that because I haven’t
picked them yet. That’s what the next 15 minutes
are for.
To further complicate matters, I realize that discussing a key player from each series isn’t incredibly groundbreaking or original, so I’ll also include a short sentence or two about the food item the winner of the series most reminds me of. I’m doing this in large part because I’m completely starving right now, and I think writing about McNuggets and booze sounds more exciting than writing about McGrady and Boozer.
On to the breakdowns!
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Lakers-Nuggets
The Lakers finished the season by winning eight of nine to claim the top spot in the West, and even without Andrew Bynum, they’re one of the best teams in the league. Denver has a couple of great scorers, but I don’t think anyone really expects the Nuggets to challenge for an upset here.
Key player: J.R. Smith, G, Nuggets.
Sure, I could say someone for the Lakers, but unless Kobe gets injured, they’re gonna win. Their players aren’t the focus here. Plus, everyone expects Carmelo Anthony and A.I. to play well. The key for the Nuggets to win a couple of games and push this series somewhat deep is for a third guy -- like a Smith -- to step up and hit some shots. Smith averages about a point every 90 seconds he’s on the court, and he’s more than capable of putting up 25 or 30 on any given night. If he can get hot from beyond the arc and help the Nuggets eclipse 115 in a couple of games, maybe the Lakers will have to sweat this one out.
Prediction: Lakers in 5.
Food: Sushi.
I’ve never been to L.A., but I’m pretty sure they eat a lot of sushi there. I think I saw that in an episode of Entourage. On a quick side note, I think a basketball movie featuring Johnny Drama as the coach and Turtle as the point guard would be absolutely hilarious.
Hornets-Mavericks
A lot of people I talked to today are picking the Mavericks simply because they have more playoff experience. That’s a mistake. The Hornets are good. They’re young, yes, but also good. Chris Paul is one of the best players in the league, and the supporting cast can more than hold its own. Given their final record, they’ve obviously played well pretty much the entire year, and these recent struggled (losing three of their last four) are nothing to worry about.
Key player: Jason Kidd, G, Mavericks.
You’d think the pressure would be on the younger guy -- the one who hasn’t been here before. But it’s not. Chris Paul has a long, great career ahead of him, and not much is riding on this series for him. Kidd, on the other hand, was traded to Dallas to win THIS season. He was supposed to put the team over the top. And the Mavericks gave up a pretty good young point guard (Devin Harris) to get him. If Kidd can’t match Paul in this series (and he won‘t), the Mavericks are going to lose, and a lot of people in Dallas will be regretting that trade.
Prediction: Hornets in 7.
Food: BBQ ribs.
New Orleans is mostly known for jazz, and almost every summer I go to a jazz and ribs fest, so this one is sort of by association. Normally I wouldn’t think BBQ ribs and sushi would sound good together, but I’m so hungry that right now that sounds like an excellent combination.
Spurs-Suns
This is the first-round series everyone wants to see. For my money, this is the Western Conference Finals. The Spurs haven’t looked incredible this year, but come playoff time, they get the job done. Their brand of basketball works. As for the Suns, they struggled for a while once Shaq came over, but they started picking up steam down the stretch, and they have too many good players not to be competitive.
Key player: Manu Ginobli, G, Spurs.
This is in no way a criticism of Tim Duncan or Tony Parker (who are both outstanding talents), but Ginobli is the Spurs’ most important player. He’s the most versatile, he’s often the guy asked to come up with plays in the clutch, and he’s the most frustrating player for the other team to try to defend. There’s no easy way to guard him. All three of the Spurs’ stars are critical -- losing any of Duncan, Parker or Ginobli would be a death blow -- but Ginobli also is the one most in question right now. Sure, if he had to, maybe he could have played in those three recent games he missed with a strained left groin -- but just how healthy is he? He hasn’t scored 20 points in a game since March 28. If he’s not scoring 20 night in and night out against the Suns, that could spell problems for Duncan and Co.
Prediction: Suns in 6. (Huge series for Amare Stoudemire).
Food: Steak fajitas.
I know Phoenix is a growing city, and it’s certainly not a desert town, but it still sort of has that desert connotation. And when I think of deserts, I think of cacti. And when I think of cacti, I think of steak fajitas. Probably just because there’s a few cacti (most likely fake) in the local Mexican restaurant I frequent.
Jazz-Rockets
Everyone knows about the streak. Winning 22 games in a row is amazing. The Rockets proved they can play without Yao Ming. But since that streak ended, they’re just 9-7. That’s not terrible, but it’s not good enough to win a series in the West, either. And against the Jazz -- easily the most physical team in the NBA - - the Rockets really could have used Yao. They’re about to get beat up.
Key player: Carlos Boozer, F, Jazz.
Luis Scola and Shane Battier are very good players, but let’s be honest, they just don’t match up with Boozer’s inside presence. Boozer needs to dominate the paint in this series, and he will. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t average 25 points and 15 rebounds per game against Houston.
Prediction: Jazz in 5.
Food: Hot pretzels.
I really don’t know all that much about Salt Lake City, but the word salt makes me think of hot pretzels. And I think I’ve just come up with the perfect dessert for a sweet four-course meal.
The Eastern Conference breakdowns are coming tomorrow. Hold your breath.
Justin Powell is the assistant editor of Pro Basketball News. He can be reached at pkmpowell@yahoo.com.
