it's bracket time!

[pinkizdead]

With the heat's loss, i'm predicting the seeding is going to stay stagnant for the final few games.

So let's get to it!

here's my backet, 2011 NBA Playoffs Bracket - ESPN

east
round 1.

1-bulls v 8-pacers= chicago in 6
4-magic v 5-hawks= magic

3-heat v 6-knicks/76ers=heat 6
2-celtics v 7-76ers/knicks= celtics 5

round 2

1-chicago-4-magic= chicago in 6

2-celtics v 3-heat= heat in 7

round 3

1-chicago v 3-heat = chicago 6.

 

[X]

Yeah, I'm pretty much down w/ exactly what you have.

 

[bleacherbum54]

I like yours except i like the Celtics over Miami.

 

[pinkizdead]

Wester conference

first round

1-San antonio v 8-grizzlies = San antonio in 5

4-thunder v 5-denver = thunder in 7. it's really hard not to pick denver

2-lakers v 7-portland = lakers in 5

3-dallas v 6-hornets= dallas in 7

round 2
1-San Antonio v 4-Thunder= San Antonio in 6

2-lakers v dallas= lakers in 4

WCF
1-San antonio v 2-lakers = lakers in 6.

Even though it's not gonna happen , bulls beat lakers in 4.

 

[Crystallas]

Bulls def Pacers in 5
Heat def Knicks in 6
Celtics def Sixers in 5
Hawks def Magic in 7

Bulls def Hawks in 6
Celtics def Heat in 5

Bulls def Celtics in 6

_______

Spurs def Grizzlies in 7(yes 7)
Lakers def Hornets in 4
Mavericks def Blazers in 7(wow, lots of 7s)
Thunder def Nuggets in 7(yup)

Spurs def Thunder in 6
Lakers def Mavericks in 5

Lakers def Spurs in 6

No Finals prediction yet

 

[pinkizdead]

Is there a reason, myself included, that we don't trust the thunder? They matchup against the spurs really well. westbrook > parker, harden< ginobli, durant > jefferson, ibaka greater than or equal to blair, perkins < duncan ( but it's not like either perkins nor ducan is going to kill the other in the post). I like bonner, neal, mcdyes, and hill more than thabo, nazr muhammed, maynor, collison, and cook, but i wouldn't say the bench of either team is weaker.

Are we just distrustful of the thunders youth, not buying the thunders chemistry, or do we just think the spurs are better?

I don't think i trust durant in the playoffs to be able to get it done against popovich.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

I will re-wise this when I know how it ends up for sure:

Chicago def. Indiana (4-1)
Miami def. New York (4-1)
Boston def. Philadelphia (4-1)
Orlando def. Atlanta (4-1)
San Antonio def. Memphis (4-1)
L.A. Lakers def. New Orleans (4-0)
Dallas def. Portland (4-3)
Oklahoma City def. Denver (4-2)

Chicago def. Orlando (4-2)
Boston def. Miami (4-2)
Oklahoma City def. San Antonio (4-2)
L.A. Lakers def. Dallas (4-1)

Boston def. Chicago (4-2)
L.A. Lakers def. Oklahoma City (4-3)

L.A. Lakers def. Boston (4-3)

...but don't hold me to any of these. I will predict each series again before Game 1 of each.

 

[Crystallas]

Is there a reason, myself included, that we don't trust the thunder? They matchup against the spurs really well. westbrook > parker, harden< ginobli, durant > jefferson, ibaka greater than or equal to blair, perkins < duncan ( but it's not like either perkins nor ducan is going to kill the other in the post). I like bonner, neal, mcdyes, and hill more than thabo, nazr muhammed, maynor, collison, and cook, but i wouldn't say the bench of either team is weaker.

Are we just distrustful of the thunders youth, not buying the thunders chemistry, or do we just think the spurs are better?

I don't think i trust durant in the playoffs to be able to get it done against popovich.

Durrant hasn't put it into that extra gear often this year. He did it in the worlds, and I don't discount him at all for being able to do it. Just you wait, he'll go off. Now can OKC win a series against the likes of the Spurs or Lakers? It's totally possible, just not likely.

 

[bleacherbum54]

I like OKC out west

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

I almost guarantee that the Thunder would beat the Spurs in a best-of-seven series.

 

[Crystallas]

I almost guarantee that the Thunder would beat the Spurs in a best-of-seven series.

If they had home court, then I would agree. Somehow at home, they get the whistles like nobody else in the league. I just don't see it when the Spurs have HCA.

Now if they nab the #3 spot and play Portland, I would much rather see that rematch against the Lakers in the semi's. Nugs vs Spurs or Mavs vs Spurs just seems like a better series as well.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

If they had home court, then I would agree. Somehow at home, they get the whistles like nobody else in the league. I just don't see it when the Spurs have HCA.

Now if they nab the #3 spot and play Portland, I would much rather see that rematch against the Lakers in the semi's. Nugs vs Spurs or Mavs vs Spurs just seems like a better series as well.

Who is going to guard Durant? The Spurs just don't have defense like they used to have. Home-court advantage barely even matters at all when it comes to teams this good. Usually the better team walks away as winner in a seven game series and I just don't see the Spurs as the better team.

And by round 2, San Antonio's legs are probably going to be gone. By Game 3 in OKC, they will wish the Thunder had homecourt advantage.

 

[Crystallas]

Everything you're saying about this years Spurs, reminds me of what people were saying about last season's Celtics. Do you really believe this suddenly off-and-on Spurs team is out of gas? I think its strategy more than weakness.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

Everything you're saying about this years Spurs, reminds me of what people were saying about last season's Celtics. Do you really believe this suddenly off-and-on Spurs team is out of gas? I think its strategy more than weakness.

They ran out of gas last year and were swept by the Suns with largely the same roster... you better believe it's going to happen again. They did finally manage to get R.J. established to improve the offense, but their defense simply isn't very good. Oklahoma City is probably better both offensively and defensively than the Spurs just because of Westbrook, Durant and their frontcourt of Perkins and Ibaka... then Harden and Sefolosha to combat George Hill and Gary Neal... DeJuan Blair is a beast and has improved from last year but he doesn't seem comfortable playing big minutes at all.

The reason the Spurs had such a dominant regular season was Manu Ginobili was finally healthy for the first time in at least three years. That will definitely help the Spurs. But is he or Tony Parker a more explosive player than Durant or Westbrook? Or as good? Not really...

These Spurs of RJ and hurting TD aren't the same Spurs of Bowen's bag of dirty tricks and MVP TD.

 

[Crystallas]

Fair enough, but I still think the Spurs can take the Thunder this year.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

Fair enough, but I still think the Spurs can take the Thunder this year.

I'll never say never... but this is pretty close to never for me. The Spurs run a great offense, always taking what the defense gives them, and have rebounding. But the Thunder compete with them exceptionally in that regard. The other thing that I think is going to hurt the Spurs is the same thing that might hurt the Bulls... depending on too much depth in the regular season. If they roll with 10 guys against another great team's top 7-8 guys in the later rounds... I don't like the odds for the Spurs.

 

[Anytime23]

I'll never count out the spurs...unless it's against the Lakers.

Bulls over Pacers in 5
Bulls over Magic in 6
Bulls over Celtics in 7
That's my homer EC bracket. I could see us being upset by the Magic in the 2nd round in a hard 7 game series.

 

[Chi-Town Brahma]

A little crazy on my part for predictions, but I'm crossing my fingers! :lol:

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

A little crazy on my part for predictions, but I'm crossing my fingers! :lol:

God, that is my dream outcome!!

 

[Anytime23]

That would be my dream bracket if the Heat lost in the first round. Actually, my dream bracket would be the Heat in 8th with us sweeping them in the first round.