NBA Update- Play-off Edition
It’s About Time
After approximately six months of watching your favourite teams hustle and bustle for a chance to challenge for the ultimate league title, that chance is finally here. All 30 teams (15 in each conference) have played their 82 games and as is customary the top eight teams from both conferences will now challenge for their respective conference titles all in hope of getting to the 2010 NBA Finals. There has been upsets, heartbreaks and immense competition over the course of the regular season (in the East the Chicago Bulls secured their place in the play-offs on the last day over the Toronto Raptors) but now it’s time to see what surprises the play-offs can bring. Here is a small preview of the match-ups in the 2010 NBA Play-offs that began last Saturday.
Eastern Conference
1st Cleveland Cavaliers vs 8th Chicago Bulls
For the second consecutive season, the Cavs have managed to finish the league with the most wins of all the top teams. In the play-offs, they will face up against the team that narrowly secured the eight seed the Chicago Bulls. While the Bulls were a part of one of the most competitive NBA series ever (a seven-game thriller against the Celtics last season), the depth of the Cavs should see them having a much easier passage through to the next round. The Cavs hold a 1-0 lead in the series after defeating the Bulls 96-83 on Saturday.
2nd Orlando Magic vs 7th Charlotte Bobcats
Last season’s losing finalists have boosted their starting line-up with veteran Vince Carter and as such believe that they now possess enough quality to clinch the elusive title. The Michael Jordan-owned Bobcats, however, after making a fairytale run to clinch a play-off spot should be looking to take their season beyond the first round.
3rd Atlanta Hawks vs 6th Milwaukee Bucks
One of the more consistent teams in the past four to five years; the Hawks improved on last season’s finish to replace the Boston Celtics in the top three. The Bucks on the other hand have been bolstered significantly by rookie Brandon Jennings and mid-season signee John Salmons and have been one of the more talked about teams in the East. This match-up should provide excitement with the Hawks already leading the series 1-0 after a 102-92 win.
4th Boston Celtics vs 5th Miami Heat
Sub-par is nowhere close to describing the regular season the Celtics this time around. Their activities in the trade market have seemed to do more harm than good as their additions have yielded little to no results. The Heat were the best team in the East heading into the play-offs so they may have something to say despite losing 85-76 at home last week.
Western Conference
1st Los Angeles Lakers vs 8th Oklahoma City Thunder
The defending champions were lucky enough to have starting centre Andrew Bynum return to the starting line-up for the play-off series. His contributions were made evident from the get-go, as they have so far helped the Lakers to a 1-0 series lead after an 87-79 win. The Thunder does possess the league leader in points in Kevin Durant so they should not be taken lightly.
2nd Dallas Mavericks vs 7th San Antonio Spurs
Jason Kidd is a man on a mission. He has led the Mavs to second in the conference where they have the Spurs. This will be the second consecutive season the teams have met in the first round of the play-offs and so there has been rivalry building from last year; this series may be the most exciting of the West.
3rd Phoenix Suns vs 6th Portland Trailblazers
The Suns possess the assist leader of the 2009-2010 regular season in veteran Steve Nash. Having one of the most prolific benches in the league, they should make light work of the Trailblazers who have been constantly plagued by injuries all season. Still, their defeat of the Lakers without Brandon Roy for most of the game means that they cannot be counted out.
4th Denver Nuggets vs 5th Utah Jazz
The Carmelo-Anthony-led Nuggets were in the battle for second place with their first-round competitors but both failed to endure to the end. In this series both teams will be hoping to make amends of last season and prove that they have what it takes to claim Western Conference supremacy.
*Results as of Sunday