Month: April 2006 (Page 13 of 20)

The NBA playoffs start Saturday. Here are the first round matchups:

EAST

#1 Detroit vs. #8 Milwaukee
#2 Miami vs. #7 Chicago
#3 New Jersey vs. #6 Indiana
#4 Cleveland vs. #5 Washington

WEST

#1 San Antonio vs. #8 Sacramento
#2 Phoenix vs. #7 LA Lakers
#3 Denver vs. #6 LA Clippers
#4 Dallas vs. #5 Memphis

There is a severe dropoff in the quality of the East once you get past the top four teams, so I think the first round will go according to plan on that side of the bracket. Washington probably has the best chance of all the lower seeds to win the series, but I think LeBron will lead his team to the second round.

The West is a lot more dicey. The Grizzlies, Clippers, Lakers and the Kings are all capable of pulling a first round upset and I wouldn’t be surprised to see any of those teams in the second round. The top of the West is not as dominant as it once was and I really think Sacramento, who has won 19 of their last 27, has a great shot to beat the Spurs. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili are banged up and they will have their hands full with Ron Artest, Mike Bibby and Brad Miller.

The Suns have only won 11 of their last 21, so they aren’t playing their best ball right now. That said, they rested Nash a bit towards the end, and went 7-3 in the last ten games he played. Phoenix hopes to force the Lakers into an up-tempo game where they hold a distinct advantage in firepower. I think Kobe will win a couple games on his own, but the Suns should advance.

With the screwy seeding system, the #6-seed Clippers actually hold home court advantage over #3-seed Denver. What’s the point of seeding if the lower seeded team gets home court? This should be an interesting series, but I think LA holds the advantage, despite a lackluster finish to the season.

Dallas is better than Memphis, but the Grizzlies are deep and feisty and should take a couple games in the series. If they find a way to contain Dirk Nowitzki, they will have a shot, but the big German has gone for 28/9 in the four games against Memphis this season, so I expect he’ll have a big series.

For a complete playoff schedule, click here.

In the market for a talented power forward with soft hands? How about a small forward with a bad jumper? If so, the Trailblazers may want to talk with you.

After a series of disciplinary actions levied by head coach Nate McMillan, Zach Randolph and Darius Miles expressed uncertainty over whether or not they want to remain with the team.

The gist of Miles’ and Randolph’s complaints are twofold: They don’t like playing on what has turned out to be the NBA’s worst team; and they don’t care for the discipline meted out by first-year coach Nate McMillan.

An almost certain topic in Miles’ discussions with team personnel will be his relationship with McMillan, who says he probably won’t play Miles for the second consecutive game tonight.

The two never meshed as McMillan prodded Miles for more effort and production. Miles distanced himself, complaining of an unresponsive right knee that underwent minor surgery in December, and a reduced role that featured him coming off the bench.

The friction between McMillan and Miles intensified in the last month of the season. Miles was benched for missing a shootaround March 23 in Phoenix, saying he overslept, then last week he was sent home from Los Angeles after he changed into street clothes during halftime of a game against the Clippers.

“It’s got a lot to do with the front office,” Randolph said. “A lot to do with (general manager) John Nash, (team president) Steve Patterson, you know, they put this team together.”

Randolph also alluded to what has become a tenuous relationship with McMillan. Randolph has been kicked out of a practice, late to five shootarounds, and was suspended one game after leaving the Rose Garden during the third quarter of Saturday’s game.

Beyond being disciplined for his tardiness, Randolph said he had a difficult time adjusting to McMillan’s demanding, detail-oriented ways.

“(Management) thought (Maurice) Cheeks wasn’t a hard coach, or didn’t demand nothing, so I guess that’s what the people in the front office told (McMillan),” Randolph said. “So he came in with the attitude where, I don’t know, he thought he’s got to be hard. Like Sarge. So it’s been tough, because I ain’t never had . . . I always had coach Cheeks, who is more of a players coach, and I was accustomed to his actions and ways. Now it’s just a lot different.”

These guys don’t know how good they have it. All they have to do is show up on time and play basketball, yet they are missing shootarounds, practices and team meetings. They think it’s “hard” playing for Nate McMillan? I’d like to see Bobby Knight coach them for a season or two.

This much we know:

1. The top four seeds in each conference are set. It’s Detroit, Miami, New Jersey and Cleveland in the East and San Antonio, Phoenix, Denver and Dallas in the West.

2. With their win over the Clippers last night, Memphis clinched the #5 seed and a first round date with Dallas this weekend. The loss gave the Clippers the #6 seed and a home-court first round matchup with Denver. These are the only two first round matchups that are set.

3. With a win over Seattle, the Lakers can clinch the #7 seed in the West. A Laker loss makes Sacramento the #7 seed and forces Kobe and Co. into a first round matchup with the Spurs, while the Kings get the Suns.

4. If Washington beats Detroit tonight, they will clinch the #5 seed in the East. A loss would send them into a tiebraker situation if either Indiana or Chicago wins.

I thought it might go like this.

The top four seeds in the West are set. San Antonio has clinched the #1 seed and home court advantage throughout the conference playoffs. Phoenix is the #2 seed, winning the Pacific Division for the second consecutive year. Denver is tops in the Northwest and has clinched the #3 seed. That leaves the Mavericks, the second best team in the conference and the third best in the league, as the #4 seed.

Unfortunately, the division winners are given the top three seeds in each conference, with the next best team getting that #4 slot. In this case, the Mavs have six more wins than Phoenix and 16 more than Denver, but are seeded below them. This means that the Mavs will likely face San Antonio in the second round of the playoffs if they beat the #5 seed in the first round.

So who will they play? Well, that’s another problem. Right now, the Grizzlies are the #5 seed with a 47-33 record. The Clippers are one game behind them at 46-34, holding down the coveted sixth seed. Oh yeah, the Clippers and Grizzlies play tonight. If the Clippers lose, they’ll wrap up the sixth seed, but if they win, it will come down to the season finale for each team on Wednesday.

Because of this quirky seeding system, the Clippers and Grizzlies are playing in a game tonight that both teams would be better off losing. The #6 seed gets the Nuggets while the #5 seed has to play Dallas. If both seeds manage to win, the #6 seed will get the Suns or Lakers in the second round, while the #5 seed will likely play San Antonio.

As the LA Times put it, this is a no-win situation. I’ve said it before, but anytime you put a team in a position where losing on purpose helps them, you’ve got a problem. The NBA should guarantee division winners a seed in the top four and home court in the first round. That would give Dallas the #2 seed and we wouldn’t have games like the Clippers/Grizzlies matchup tonight. I’m going to tune in just to see what happens. Players never want to lose, but will they put forth maximum effort knowing that a playoff route through Dallas and San Antonio awaits the victor?

I doubt it. You better get on this one, David Stern.