Here we are a week into the playoffs, two teams have already bowed out and a few are very close to it. Some of the series have had quite a few surprises, while others have been as predictable as a Manu GInobili flop when breathed upon by a newborn child. Let’s take a look at the series one at a time and see how my predictions panned out.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets
Russell Westbrook. What a loss. The Thunder were a major favorite to make it all the way to the finals, and potentially win it all (they wouldn’t have). Now, they are in a bit of a scramble. I predicted they would win the series in 5 games, and that still looks like it will hold true, but those deep playoff chances are now in as much trouble as a backboard during a Dwight Howard free throw. In all likelihood Kevin Durant will carry his team to the conference finals, anything beyond that will be a bonus, Westbrook’s loss changes the team that much. It wont be just his stats that will be missing, but the Thunder will be forced to play a different style than they are normally comfortable with.

San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers
That didn’t take long. Once Kobe went down we knew the Lakers were on borrowed time. Apparently we didn’t know just how short lived their playoff experience would be. The Spurs are a very good team and I can not profess my respect for Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan enough. They simply know how to win and as we’ve seen, they know how to close out a series. I predicted five games, they only needed four. Note to GMs everywhere, Dwight’s not worth the money. He wants a max contract but can’t win a single playoff game, no thanks.

Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors
David Lee, David Lee, we don’t need no stinkin’ David Lee. Chicken, beef, goat, even vegetable, all good forms of curry, but right now, that Steph Curry is as good as it gets. We are watching a future superstar in the making. How does Denver respond? I predicted the Nuggets to win in six and I can clearly say now, I was wrong. Denver wins game five, Warriors close it in six with that insane crowd behind them every step of the way. The Nuggets depth has always been their strength, are we now seeing that they lack that one player who can take over a game, methinks perhaps so.

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Memphis Grizzlies
It’s getting tight in here… LA came out strong and did their job at home, barely. Once the series shifted to Memphis it started to get interesting. I predicted the Grizzlies in six and I am standing by it like Ray Allen does the three point line. The Grizzlies are a… grizzly team. They’re tough, the Clippers aren’t, that’s what this series is going to come down to.

Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Varsity against Junior Varsity.

New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics
Ok, this is the one I was a bit off on. I kind of picked the Celtics to win in seven games. Doesn’t look like that ones going to happen. The Celtics look lost on offense to put in nicely, the loss of Rondo is so clear in this series and it has cost the Celtics dearly. I expect  the Knicks to win at home in game five and end the series, once JR Smith and his elbow (who showed a major lack of intelligence in game 4) comes back, the Knicks will most likely have too much offense for the Celtics to handle. However, if the Celtics somehow are able to muster a victory at MSG, they’re going to win in seven. So that’s kind of a half change of mind. I expected more from the Celtics, and hate hearing from every broadcaster everywhere that KG and Pierce are done, it’s just silly. A victory or loss in ONE game can not determine the entire future of your franchise. The Knicks have been very impressive this series, if Carmelo keeps playing like this and they keep hitting their threes, they’re going to go far. Far being until they play Miami.

Indiana Pacers vs. Atlanta Hawks
Who are these guys and what have you done with the Atlanta Hawks? I predicted the Pacers in five, and much like Shaq shooting a decent looking free throw, it ain’t happening. I thought the Pacers size and the emergence of Paul George would be far more than the Hawks could handle, that does not appear to be the case. I still think the Pacers will pull this one out, but it may go seven.

Brooklyn Nets vs. Chicago Bulls
This one is ending Thursday. The Bulls are a gritty team with a great coach, add that to the performance they are getting out of Nate Robinson and the Nets don’t stand a chance in game six in Chicago. I predicted the Bulls in six and that’s what is going to happen. Don’t be surprised if tomorrow night’s game is not a close one. The Nets have to many “are they” players. Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez are all good players, but “are they” stars? Are they top 5 players at their position? Lopez probably, but he won’t be enough to get it done. Now the Bulls as presently constituted dont even have “are they” players, they have “are not” players, but they are a dictionary example of the sum being greater than the parts.
Bonus**** Just to do you a favor, I’ll kill the suspense, Rose isn’t coming back this year.

This is the current state of the playoffs and it is ever changing, check back and see what happens next.

It’s time to introduce a new feature to Off Court Issues named, “Calling Glass.” Anyone who has ever played basketball knows what the term “Calling Glass” means and is very familiar with how and when to use it. It all has to do with the bank shot. If you don’t know what a bank shot is then perhaps you are here by mistake (hint, hint, this is a basketball blog). OK, OK, fine, somehow you may not know what it is, so I’ll let Mr. Duncan show you how it’s done. Now Tim visits the bank quite often and always intentionally, many other players… not so much. The vast majority of the time you see a bank shot in NBA basketball, or really any basketball for that matter, it was accidental. This is where “Calling Glass” comes in. No matter who you are playing with, if you intend to shoot a bank shot, as the ball is leaving your hands, you must say, “Glass.” If you do not say, “Glass,” well then your shot was suspect and presumed accidental. Your entire life will subsequently be called into question, as it should be. Save yourself the trouble, call “Glass” or just admit you got lucky. For the purpose of blogging I am now using the term to announce a prediction(s). So it’s time to call “Glass” and predict the first round of the NBA playoffs.

#1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. #8 Houston Rockets
This series could be very interesting in that there are a few subplots going on. Of course the major subplot is James Harden facing his former team. Houston is a really fun team to watch with a very bright future, multiple high scoring games are expected from the bearded one, and I expect emotions to be high in this series. However, the Thunder are going to trounce the Rockets. Durant and Westbrook will run rampant, as they often do. This series will never be in doubt, although I do expect the Rockets to win at least one game. Put the brooms away, there will be no sweep.

Winner: 5 games

 

#2 San Antonio Spurs vs. #7 Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe’s out, their backs are against the wall, they’re playing like scrappy underdogs, will the rejuvenated Lakers continue their emotional journey without their fearless leader? No. Man, this series would have been monumentally more interesting if Kobe was involved. His loss will be too great, Dwight folds in the spotlight time and time again, Nash is injured (although at this point Blake might be the better option anyways), oh yeah, and the Spurs are really good. A playoff tested Spurs with the best coach in the NBA will prove to be insurmountable for the Lake Show. Spurs in 5.

Winner: 5 games

 

#3 Denver Nuggets vs. #6 Golden State Warriors

This series will be fun to watch, in fact it will most likely be the most exciting series of the first round. In the end Denver will prove to be too deep, but Steph Curry and the Warriors will not go down easily. Just remember kids to set your VCR’s for these games, make sure your VHS cassettes are set to Extended Play and your tracking is adjusted, it’s gonna be fun. This is also the series I see as most likely to go the distance.

Winner: 6 games

 

 

#4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. #5 Memphis Grizzlies
A believer in the Clippers I am not. Chris Paul is a great player and has the grittiness to grind out a playoff series, but the rest of his team will fade when the going gets tough, and against the Grizzlies it will get tough. I picture Blake Griffin having a very bad playoff experience once he realizes he can’t dunk his way into the next round, the Grizzlies will play better defense than your run of the mill Kia. Sorry “Lob City,” Memphis has two seven footers in the paint.

Winner: 6 games

 

 

#1 Miami Heat vs. #8 Milwaukee Bucks
Four blowouts in a row.

Winner: 4 games (maybe less)

 

 

 

#2 New York Knicks vs. #7 Boston Celtics
The Knicks are hot. Carmelo is smoldering. The Celtics are old and the Knicks have home court, you do the math. There are a multitude of reasons why the Knicks are going to win their first playoff series in over a decade. The Celtics are going to win. I know what your’re thinking right now, there’s no way this could happen and you are reading the words of a lunatic. This is my playoffs upset and I’m sticking to it. The Celtics will grind out seven games and will tighten up on defense, the Knicks rely to heavily on one player and three point shooting. These are two things that typically fade in the playoffs. Everything is pointing to the Knicks advancing, but they wont because the Celtics might be the best seventh seed ever.

Winner: 7 games

 

 

#3 Indiana Pacers vs. #6 Atlanta Hawks
The Pacers have fallen back a little as the season has progressed and aren’t quite as good as initially thought. They’re still good enough to beat the Hawks. George, West and Hibbert will carry Indy to the next round and it probably won’t be too hard for them.

Winner: 5 games

 

 

#4 Brooklyn Nets vs. #5 Chicago Bulls
Brooklyn’s going to get some playoff games in their inaugural season, it’s not often that happens. Unfortunately for them, they won’t be hosting playoff games in the second round. Words can not express how impressed I am with the Chicago Bulls. Allow me to point out again that DERRICK ROSE HAS NOT PLAYED ALL SEASON. Despite his absence they still made it to the postseason. A great coach and tough defense will carry the Bulls to the next round. The Nets just don’t have, for lack of a better term, it. Brooklyn will be the team most unprepared for the raised intensity level of the postseason and it will indeed cost them their playoff lives.

Winner: 6 games

 

 

These are the predictions of Off Court Issues and they are final. If you disagree, I’d love to hear why. These playoffs should be pretty interesting, other than Miami there is no clear runaway top team. They’re going to win it all again but leading up to that day should be pretty interesting.

Much has been written about the 2012-2013 Lakers and let’s face it, there’s a lot to talk about. The team made a few blockbuster movies during the offseason when they acquired Steve Nash and Dwight Howard, but so far they have yet to live up to the standards that so many placed upon them. I must commend them for their removal of Mike Brown, albeit it may not have been the most cordial of dismissals. Five games is a fairly small sample to use as your timetable when considering the termination of your head coach. However, it was the right decision. Mike Brown is not a good coach. While in Cleveland, he celebrated a much overrated tenure under the stewardship of a guy named Lebron James. Now, those Cleveland teams weren’t what a lot of NBA pundits would have you believe they were. They were not deep teams, and for the most part were not comprised of good players surrounding Lebron. I mean come on, remember when Mo Williams was an allstar simply by being associated with Lebron? I digress, back to the Lakers, Mike Brown was an extremely bad decision in the first place, which was later rectified by his removal. When faced with the decision of whom to choose as Brown’s replacement there were really only two primary candidates. The first, was none other than Phil Jackson, 13 year coach of the Lakers and 11 time overall NBA championship coach. The other guy was Mike D’Antoni.

The Lakers chose D’Antoni.

Unfortunately, for the rest of this article it’s going to seem as if I think everyone involved with the Lakers’ current situation is overrated, but hey, such is the case. Phil Jackson is overrated. Let me repeat that. Phil Jackson is overrated. Has Jackson ever had any ounce of success with a team that wasn’t absolutely stocked with the NBA’s best players? Of course you can say, “Well who has?” Look at Popovich’s Spurs right now. Do they have any business being as good as they are? Look at how Doc Rivers has held his Celtics together time and time again. Look at the Bulls, THEY HAVEN”T HAD DERRICK ROSE ALL SEASON! Yet Tom Thibodeau has them at the 5th seed in the East. When Phil’s teams aren’t absolutely stacked, he’s a pretty mediocre coach. Having said that, the Lakers were absolutely foolish not to put him in the driver’s seat once Brown was dismissed. Jackson just works with the Lakers and almost more importantly, he works with Kobe. Too much importance is often placed on chemistry, but not in this case. The Lakers have a lot of egos, none larger than Mr. Bryant’s, this is Phil’s craft, managing personalities. He may not be an X’s and O’s mastermind, but Phil will keep the ship afloat. The idea that the Lakers passed on Phil Jackson to this day perplexes me.

Mike D’Antoni is supremely overrated. Mike D’Antoni’s Suns teams were a lot of fun to watch. They had a ridiculously fun style to behold, with a group of likable players, none more so than his point guard Steve Nash. For three years they won their division and twice made it to the Western Conference Finals, D’Antoni was also coach of the year for the 2004-2005 season. I forget though, how many championships did they win? How many finals appearances did they have? Oh yeah, none. Sure championships aren’t the only measure of success, unless of course you’re talking about the Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA franchise with the second most banners, 11 in all (That’s right 11, not 16, sorry Lakers fans you don’t get to count the championships in Minneapolis, the team made the poor decision not to change the name clearly centered around the Great Lakes region in Minnesota, you don’t get points for lack of creativity. How many banners do the Thunder have, none, but Seattle has one and that’s where the team came from. Game. Set. Match). Let’s not even discuss the mess that was his tenure with the Knicks, who needs defense anyways right?

The recent Lakers teams have been so successful due to their huge height advantage over their opponents. That guy named Kobe didn’t hurt either. What does D’Antoni decide to do, play Pau Gasol very limited minutes, at points almost benching him. Great thinking Mike! D’Antoni has since changed his stance and Gasol is getting on the court when healthy, but these are the kind of mistakes that cost games. These are adjustments Jackson would have known not to make, thus placing the Lakers in a more favorable playoff seed. D’Antoni is in love with Steve Nash and so were many NBA fans… 5 or 6 years ago. Nash is not going to be the wheel and deal point guard of old and running the offense through him is a mistake. Nash is still a great shooter though, and this should be his most used asset.

Kobe’s gonna Kobe. Let him do what he does. Forget all the nonsense of him playing point guard, defending point guards, all of it, he’s a 2 guard and one of the best players in the NBA. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.

Which brings us to this guy…

He only gets the little clown nose because, although a distraction, he is still putting up decent numbers, not superstar numbers by any means, but solid. Anyone surprised by Dwight’s near bipolar mood swings and withering in big moments, should be ashamed of themselves. He want’s the glory and the fame but will never do what it takes to earn it. Yet still, Dwight is not the main issue here.

Mike D’Antoni, I’m surprised he has lasted as long as he has. I’ve said before, and I still say that the Lakers will make the playoffs. They could even potentially give the spurs a little trouble, not the Thunder, but make no mistake about it, they will lose that first round series.  That’s when the fun begins for Lakers fans. Phil Jackson will be available and you better believe he will let that be known to Mitch Kupchak. The Lakers made the mistake of giving D’Antoni a 3 year deal, however, money has never been a concern for the Lakers. Will they cut their losses on the deal, sign Phil and make one more run before Kobe fades off into NBA history? Only time will tell, but I can’t lie I really hope they do, it’s just more interesting that way.