Ok, so maybe I was wrong about the excitement of the second round. Not all of us are blessed with psychic ability of a Nostradamus. (Or is it Nastradamus?) So in spite of my wealth of basketball knowledge, my predictions might've been a little off. (Boston in 5?) What we learned in the second round was that the Lakers can pounce on an opponent with the relentlessness of Lil Wayne over a mixtape, or completely disappear like Killa Cam after the 50 cent beef. We attained that Denver and Cleveland are playing with a ferociousness as a unit that I believed until recently was only possessed by Kobe Bryant. It's true that Dallas and Atlanta were both inferior teams, yet they were still professional athletes. They were thoroughly outplayed in every asset of the game and were never given a chance to counter. The Orlando and Boston series caught me off guard; I didn't expect the Magic to have a shot. Not even against a Celtic team missing their heart, soul, spirit, and very identity. Its like watching Run DMC perform without Jam Master Jay, just ain't the same.(I completely understand why they refused to perform at Rock&Roll Hall of Fame) But even without Garnett patrolling the paint, or Leon Powe coming of the bench trying his best to be the Big Ticket's understudy, I still couldn't give it to the Magic. I can't put my finger on it, but they are missing something, or some things. Well I was wrong, and that's why they play the game and I sit bent over my laptop writing about it.
Now we've arrived at the conference finals with two very intriguing match ups, well, maybe just one. I still don't respect the Magic even after their convincing victory. I'm not sold on Turkoglu being their primary weapon when the game is on the line. Rashard Lewis is one dimensional and the Cavs' defense is just too good to allow him to get into his comfort zone launching threes. Howard is a beast, a monster, freak of nature, but is a he really the go to guy he claims to be? He still gets most of his points on put backs, alley oops, and passes right at the basket. Yeah, his post moves have improved, but he isn't there yet. I'm predicting Cavs in 5, maybe 6 if they get overconfident.
The Denver/Laker series on the other hand can be compelling, but if the Lakers play to their ability the series won't be as close as people think. Denver is a great team, they are one of the most balanced squads in the league. They have a abundance of talent and a great mix of offensive and defensive players. But the match up is still in the Lakers favor. The Nuggets' defense has improved, but its not at the level of Houston's. So although they are very active, offense is still their driving force. Before the game tonight I already felt that the Lakers would have a much easier time getting into their offense and establishing themselves. Until Melo started guarding him, Kobe was matched up against smaller players all night. He will punish those players in the post. The Lakers overall have too many options in the triangle to attack Denver. They were able to squeak a win out tonight without even playing their best ball. There wasn't too much to learn from game one and both teams will make necessary adjustments, but Kobe and the Lakers have more advantages. Obviously both teams can play better, but Denver was a whole lot closer to their ceiling than the Lake Show. Look for the Lakers to try to establish Bynum and Gasol early next game while trying to put the clamps on Melo to stop him from killing them early(He played excellent by the way.)
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