Of the thirty teams in the NBA only three remain, one is already resting up for the Finals, the other two are locked in what is shaping up to be a terrific series. Let’s pretend we’re NBA refs reviewing a play and spend way to long over analyzing everything we’ve seen.

San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies
That took a surprisingly short amount of time. Are the Spurs that good or did the Grizzlies choke that bad? There’s no question that the Spurs are the better team, but are they four-game-sweep better? Memphis sure thinks so. Disappointment is an understated emotion that many Memphis fans may be feeling after seeing their team crumble in the spot light. San Antonio is playoff tested and in all reality a very good team, the rest they will have before the Finals will be invaluable, they just might be a favorite to win it all. The Grizzlies moving forward will be fine, they’re going to have to resign Tony Allen, and they will, after that not much will change in the offseason. However, Memphis is a franchise that has long valued money over competitiveness, see Rudy Gay, should they decide to not retain Allen this is the furthest this iteration of the Grizzlies will have made it.

Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat
The Spurs wrap up was the aperitif, this is the main course. When we think of Conference Finals past we think of heavy weight slugfests, full of twists and turns accompanied by feats of basketball heroism. This series has that. In the interest of full disclosure, I suppose I should admit my true feelings about this match up. I so want Miami to lose. Don’t we all? On one side you have the Pacers, a solid team with a traditional lineup that doesn’t have a true star and gets by with size and defense. On the other side you have the petulant one and a bunch of jump shooters. Was that an exaggeration, you better believe it, but it isn’t that far from what Miami has devolved into. Wade, though injured (HE’S ALWAYS INJURED!), is capable of creating his own shot and taking it to the basket, but so often now he isn’t “B” to Lebron’s “A”, he’s actually more of a “C.” He isn’t Westbrook to Durant, he’s Kevin Martin. Bosh has become little more than a perimeter shooter, once in a while he’ll venture into the paint, but Roy Hibbert’s there and Boshasaurs don’t like Roy Hibberts. Speaking of Roy Hibbert, there are few things I appreciate more than a big man that plays like one. You can have your Bosh, Bargnani, Gallinari, if you’re a big man, post up and get in there and rebound, you’re team will be better for it. Just a reminder Frank Vogel you were indeed wrong leaving Hibbert on the bench in the end of game one’s overtime. This series should be at 3-1, advantage Pacers, but Vogel outsmarted himself and chose to play Miami’s game rather than forcing them to play his. Much like the #1 seeded Mavericks outthought themselves against the #8 seeded Warriors in 2007, when you have size and the other team doesn’t, you use it to your advantage, you don’t play small ball.

Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier should be on their 12th and 13th respective mortgages due to the massive debt accrued by countless flopping fines. Shane in particular has become embarrassing, flopping is cheating and should be treated as such, it is not part of the game, period. Battier has reached that odd point in a player’s career when his role becomes three point shooter/flopper, he is not a defensive specialist anymore. Now to Miami’s sixth, seventh and eighth men, the referees. Let’s get one thing clear, most NBA referees are embarrassingly bad on a nightly basis, regardless of the teams they are officiating, however, when Miami is playing they really get involved. Miami has the best player in the NBA, they don’t need any more help, and side note, he actually does commit fouls. All that having been said, Lebron is a monster. When he is on the court, it is always  a matter of time before he takes over the game. Now that he has improved his low post game he is a near unstoppable offensive player, add that to his stellar on the ball and help defense and he is impossible to deal with. If Indiana is to beat the Heat, they are going to have to play two near perfect games, Lebron will not be eliminated by anything less than the best. Paul George must play consistently good basketball, he can not be an afterthought, he must be a nightly contributor. Hibbert and West must continue their great play and the Pacers must continue to kill Miami on the glass. If Indiana can do these things, they can beat the Heat.
Pacers in 7

We are officially deep into the playoffs now, the challengers have been whittled down to just four (really just one, teams that don’t have Lebron can’t realistically be considered championship challengers). Enough with the pleasantries, let’s make like Chris Paul and dive on in.

Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls
That sure was fun. This series was one that seemed closer than it actually ever was. The Bulls have a ton of heart (excluding Derrick Rose) and play true team basketball. It’s unfortunate that we may never see this team at full strength as there are sure to be changes in the offseason. Boozer will most likely be gone as has been rumored for years and Nate Robinson is sure to depart for greener pastures, it is not coincidental that green is the color of cash. Miami is going strong, sure Wade is injured and not producing at his normal level but at least he’s looking really stupid doing it! This is Lebron’s team and no one is going to stop him from winning a championship.

Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks
Good series, but more or less played out as expected. The Pacers have a ton of size and are a very balanced team, the Knicks conversely are a textbook example of a top heavy team. Carmelo is a monster offensively, but once you get past Baltimore’s native son there is a huge drop off. JR Smith is and always has been a streak player, when he’s on you’re in trouble, when he’s off he will lose you games. The Knicks are in trouble moving forward, they are well over the cap for a couple more years with a team that just isn’t a legitimate contender. Even if they are able to somehow deal Stoudemire they won’t get close to fair value in a trade. Unfortunately for ATLANTA native Shelton Lee (some people know him as “Spike”), this season was the peak of this iteration of the Knickerbockers.

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Grizzlies agree with R. Kelly in reverse order, they don’t see anything wrong with grindin’ you and bumpin’ you out of the playoffs. If the Grizzlies were a player at your local court they would be the guy that no one wants to play against because win or lose he is going to put you through the ringer. They also happen to be good at basketball. The belief that Kevin Durant is the second best player in the NBA is shared by many an NBA fan, however, in this series we saw just how large the gulf is between numbers one and two. Try as he might Durant was incapable of putting his team on his back and carrying them into the promised land of the Western Conference Finals. Something tells me this series may have played out differently if Mr. Harden was still playing in OKC, but alas we will never know what could have been. As for the future of the Thunder, they’ll be fine… As long as Westbrook is able to return sooner rather than later and playing at his superlative level. They’d better perform, I hear Seattle is looking for a team…

San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors
It got interesting there for a minute, then the Spurs remembered who they are and what they are capable of. This is a team that will not be caught off guard, they will not be tricked into playing a style of basketball that is not up to their usual level of execution. The clock is officially turned back and the Spurs are here for the Playoff long haul. Golden State has to now be everyone’s second favorite team. They are a ridiculously fun team to watch with the best crowd in the NBA. If you’re a Warriors fan, there isn’t much to worry about. If David Lee comes back early and healthy, the Warriors are going to be a force very soon. The backcourt is strong as is the front court, young players on good contracts who just got some playoff experience. Look out after next season when all their bad contracts come off the books and they will have a ton of money to spend on free agents. Golden State is going to be a title contender in the coming years.

Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers
I want this to be a good series. It could be a good series. It won’t be. Everything is there on paper as to why the Pacers will be a competitive opponent for the Big 1 (yep, I’m subtracting Wade and Bosh, they’re no longer the Big 3), but they won’t be, Lebron is that much of a force. Sure the Pacers are going to kill the Heat on the boards but in the end the crab dribbler will just be too much for them. I’ll come out and say it, nothing would be more interesting for these Playoffs than for the Heat to lose, I just don’t see it happening. Lebron will carry the bulk of the offensive load and the perimeter shooters will do their job. If Norris Cole is able to continue his hot shooting, it’ll be over that much sooner. If Indiana had a true number one option I might feel differently, faith in Paul George’s ability to take over the Eastern Conference Finals, I do not have.
Miami in 6

San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m a game late, shoot me (unless you’re Gilbert Arenas). This is going to be one great series. These are two very evenly matched teams that play terrific team defense and have loads of players to throw at each other. When it’s all over though, Tony, Tim, Manu and Gregg will stand victorious, they just have that championship pedigree. Memphis will push them to the brink but the Spurs will not be denied their return to the Finals. I love what both of these teams do and it’s unfortunate that they both can’t advance, both teams have size, great point guards and grind out styles, this is a Finals worthy series. There is no one particular reason why the Spurs will win, but hey one team has to win four out of seven.
San Antonio in 7

It’s been a bumpy road but we’re almost there, the Finals are in sight. Check back and see what happens as the games unfold.

 

Right now you’re probably reading this dismissing all of my basketball opinions. That’s fine, but hear me out. Lebron James is hands down the best basketball player in the NBA, at least since Brian Scalabrine retired. Alas, the poor “White Mamba,” he never got a chance, it was all politics that kept him down. If you were redrafting the entire NBA, Lebron would unquestionably be that #1 pick. But wait, I’m sorry, the award is for the most valuable player, not best player. Of course the argument can be made, and judging by the MVP voting it obviously was, that the best player is by default the most valuable. Sometimes this is indeed the case, but not this year. Unlike a situation where British Petroleum steps up and sponsors the “BP” award for best player, the MVP selection requires a little more than pointing a finger at the best player and proclaiming him the leagues most valuable player. Much was made of the fact that Lebron’s MVP title fell one vote short of unanimity (it would have been the first time ever), almost as if it was a slight upon James himself. Such blasphemy to place different values on player’s merits and to choose for yourself rather than to hop aboard the hype train as it pulls away from the station (it’s a one way ride from Cleveland to Miami).

It’s important to remember that the best player in the NBA has not alway won the MVP award. Karl Malone and Charles Barkley both won the award ahead of Michael Jordan when in the primes of their careers, a time when Jordan was clearly the best player in the league. When Steve Nash won the award in back to back seasons, no one would debate that he was a better player than Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and a long line of players. He was, however, the most valuable player in the NBA, he made the Suns what they were and he was invaluable to them. Such is the case with Carmelo, he drives the Knicks, he is their offensive cornerstone. Sure his defense isn’t exactly at a Charles Oakley level, let’s be honest it might not even be at a one armed Charles Oakley level, but that’s not his role. Carmelo is an extremely one dimension player, but this season he mastered that one dimension and carried his team to win the Atlantic division and a #2 seed in the playoffs.

A good measuring stick for MVP potential is to imagine the candidate’s team without him, how would they fair? The Knicks have some nice players, Chandler, Shumpert are good, solid pieces, but how good is the rest of the team really? Raymond Felton had a breakout year, but how many of his baskets were a result of help defense being played on Carmelo opening up driving lanes? JR Smith, the very well deserved sixth man of the year, a purely offensive player albeit a good one. By the very definition of Smith’s award though, he is literally the best player not good enough to start an NBA game. This may be simplifying it a bit, but there is some truth to this notion. Stoudemire, this might be the one time that a team is actually better without a star player, his stagnant, lane clogging offense is a fly in the ointment of the Knicks current game plan. Prigioni and Kidd benefit greatly from Carmelo’s presence, if not for him these two would most likely be on a bench or out of the league. Without Carmelo the Knicks do not make the Playoffs, that is a valuable player.

If you were to remove Lebron from the Heat, they still have a 20 point per game scorer in Dwyane Wade, a 17 point per game scorer in Chris Bosh and a very solid roll player in Ray Allen. Without Lebron the Miami Heat are a shell of their current selves, but they’re still a pretty good team. Sure Miami went on a 27 game win streak (which is absolutely insane), but unfortunately that’s a stat that will be lost through the years. Coming in second place is never memorable no matter how much we think it will be. It’s not a scoring title and it’s not a championship, it’s a statistic and you don’t get trophies for stats, at least you shouldn’t.

When Derrick Rose won the MVP award ahead of Lebron in 2011 he was a great player, not better than Lebron though. In 2011 Derrick Rose had a breakout season and made the Bulls a contender, sounds like someone else I know… Perhaps the most disturbing trend developing along side of Lebron’s dominance, is the notion that to not deem him fit for the trophy is to deny him some unalienable right. He’s the best player in the NBA, he is most likely going to win his second championship in a row, we don’t have to bow down and default to his greatness whenever possible.

The first round is over and only eight teams remain, seven have fallen (the Bucks don’t count) and are now faced with a plethora of decisions in the off season. Let’s take a look at the teams in order of ranking.

Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Did they even play in the first round? Their series was over before it started. Three of the four games were televised on NBATV and not on the big stations making it seem as if this series was being played in North Korea and we were not welcome to view it. Those of us that did see them play saw a team that is going to win back to back championships. The Heat were already an easy pick to win it all, couple that with the glut of injuries effecting the NBA and it’s almost unfair how easy their road is going to be.

The Bucks have a very unfavorable situation awaiting them this summer. Of course Jennings and Ellis will make the most money by remaining in Milwaukee, however, that requires them to remain in Milwaukee. Who in their right mind purposely plays for the Milwaukee Bucks? Whomever the Bucks hire to be their new GM had better hope that Ellis and Jennings are unaware that there are actually 29 other teams in the NBA. The Bucks are going to lose at least on of the two and continue to mire in NBA obscurity. But hey they have Ersan Ilyasova and he is easily the most underrated player in the NBA.

New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics
They did it, they finally got out of the first round. Got interesting for a minute though didn’t it? Give the Knicks their credit, it got real interesting in the fourth quarter of game six, but they held off the Celtics and Carmelo came through in the clutch. Carmelo and JR Smith get all the attention, but Iman Shumpert was the key to New Yorks advancement into round two. His defense was stellar and he came up with multiple key shots to keep the Knicks out of touch.

The Celtics have perhaps the most interesting situation facing them of any team in the NBA this offseason. What do they do with KG and Pierce? Are they too old to compete? The Celtics have multiple players who are worth more to their franchise than to other teams around the NBA. They will never receive fair value in a trade and therefore their best bet is to retain the services of their aging players and go at it again with a healthy Rondo. It’s disappointing the fourth quarter Celtics didn’t show up for more games, I’m looking at you Avery Bradley. Reports of the Celtics demise have been greatly exaggerated, as long as they are able to cut back KG and Pierce’s minutes and get them some serious rebounding help that is.

Indiana Pacers vs. Atlanta Hawks
The Pacers did their job, it took them a couple of hiccups in Atlanta to realize they are the vastly superior team, but in the end the cream rose to the top. The Pacers are probably the closest thing to a sleeper team in the playoffs. They lack a true star, but have a number of players that can contribute on any given day that ends in “y”.

The Hawks have a few decisions to make this off season, but I think, much like Jason Kidd after a long night of drinking, they will be in the driver’s seat. Devin Harris will be back if the Hawks want him, there will not be a long line of suitors for his point guard services. Josh Smith is where it gets interesting, much was made at the trade deadline of his shaky status with the Hawks, yet he remained in Atlanta. I don’t see a lot of teams that will be willing to offer Smith a max contract, and that is what he has said he is seeking. Who wouldn’t offer a player with above average but not star-level stats, who is not your man in the clutch and has proven time and time again an inability to take over a game let alone a series, a max contract? Did I mention that he suffers from a deep rooted delusion that he is a good three point shooter?

Brooklyn Nets vs. Chicago Bulls
Man the Bulls have heart. Forget healthy, does anyone on that team have a recognizable pulse? Just when you thought they couldn’t withstand any more injuries, here comes mister flu walkin’ through that door. Yet they still managed to beat the Nets on their home court in a game seven, this is not a team to take lightly.

The Nets are stuck as is. They currently have almost 90 million dollars locked up in guaranteed contracts for this next season, and over 60 million of that is locked up in bad contracts (Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, and Joe Johnson are all overpaid). They may be able to move the expiring contract of Humphries at the deadline, but other than that I don’t see a lot of movement with this squad.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets
OKC got the job done without their star point guard, Kevin Durant is just that good. They played their game and other than losing Westbrook, this one went pretty much by the books, aside from a few scares here and there of course. Kevin Martin stepped up and proved his worth, I still think the deeper into the playoffs they go, the more they are going to miss James Harden. OKC is a fun team with likable players, the fact that the team was stolen from Seattle, and it was, is the only thing preventing them from being everyone’s second favorite team.

The future is bright for the Houston Rockets. Don’t be surprised if Dwight Howard heads south this summer, the Rockets have a lot more ahead of them than the Lakers do. I am not a fan of offering Dwight max money but that is what he is going to get. Houston is one of the few places that I think he would work out, his ego and personality really are that much of a problem. Even if Houston stands pat, I am confident Daryl Morey will swindle a legitimate piece from some unsuspecting GM in return for a pair of Hakeem Olajuwon’s game worn Etonics.

San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers
The Spurs are a basketball machine, put games in, victories come out. They have to now be the favorite to come out of the west. The Lakers were not much of a test for Timmy and his boys and the rest is going to hep them quite a bit.

The Lakers, oh the Lakers. Hope you’re ready for the Dwightmare part 2 Lakers fans! The entire immediate future of the Lakers hinges upon whether they will be able to resign Dwight or not. I’d put it at 50/50 if Dwight stays or heads to Houston. Forget all this nonsense about amnestying Kobe, it will never happen, don’t be surprised at all if Bryant comes back way earlier than expected as well. I’m sure every second he isn’t playing Kobe is seething, knowing his is losing games from his storied career.

Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors sure do love them some upsets. You have to love this team. They even wheeled out David Lee for a game for nothing more than to give their crowd something to cheer for and inspire the team. Inspire them it did. Curry is turning into a star as we speak, and that is hands down the best crowd in the NBA.

Denver will have an interesting off season. They are another team in the driver’s seat, they have so many good movable contracts. The question is, will they move them? If LA falls back and the Spurs age (they inevitably will), that potentially moves the Nuggets up to the #2 spot in the west if healthy. They’re going to have a lot of decisions to make.

Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls
I’m getting tired of saying the Heat are going to win a championship. That doesn’t keep it from being true though. Chicago will win a game, maybe two, in this series, but it will never be close. The Bulls are the Heat’s foil (when it’s not the Celtics), they broke the streak, they play tough and have never been intimidated by them. Oh those injuries… It’s likely to assume that the Bulls will be missing at least one player in each game this series, not even including Rose, who does need to get up off the bench and man up.
Miami in 5

New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers
The Knicks showed toughness (and remarkable immaturity) in their first series and Carmelo’s ability to be clutch, but Indiana will be too much. They have very differing styles, however, I believe the Pacers are capable of playing multiple game plans, the Knicks have one, default to Carmelo, shoot threes. Rebounding will be the key to this series in that it will become much more difficult for the Knicks. Indiana has size and an actual point guard, two things the Knicks didn’t face against Boston. It will be up to New York to adjust quickly and hope to outscore the Pacers, which they will do at least once.
Pacers in 6

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Memphis Grizzlies
OKC just barely got game one under their belts, but I do not like their chances moving forward. Durant is a monster, but much like King Kong he will fall when facing numerous individually weaker opponents. The Grizzlies are going to throw too much at the Thunder, they have the size and they have the grittiness. It will not be easy, but the Grizzlies will advance to the Western Conference Finals.
Grizzlies in 7

San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors sure are a plucky group of underdogs, capable of anything right? Not if anything includes beating the Spurs in a seven game series. Every game of this series will be interesting, until the fourth quarter, that’s when the grind sets in. The Nuggets don’t have the pedigree and coaching that the Spurs have. San Antonio will not be caught off guard and they will not fall to a lesser team.
Spurs in 5

Well you are all set for the playoffs past, present and future. Check back as things change, and if the playoffs up until now are any example, they’re going to change more than Dennis Rodman at a bridal dress sale.