NBA Playoffs 2011

The NBA playoffs are here, and have brought many questions.

• Will the Bulls win another championship after a 60+ win season, behind Derrick Rose?
• Can the Celtics bounce back from their late season collapse?
• Will the Spurs stay healthy?
• Who is the darkhorse this year?
• Can Carmelo and Amar'e coexist?
• Will Miami's Big three lead them to a Championship?
• Will the Lakers three peat?

In this article, I will be answering these questions with my input.

Will the Bulls win another Championship after a 60+ win season, behind Derrick Rose?

With the likeable MVP in Derrick Rose on their team, should the Bulls be thinking championship? Chicago has had six 60+ win seasons before, and all of those seasons ended in championships. But they did have this guy named Michael Jordan. Will this season be the same? Maybe. There is no yes or no with this team. This is arguably the best Bulls team since the Jordan era. Derrick Rose is playing out of his mind, seventh in the NBA for points per game, with 25.0, and lead his team to the best record in the league.

Answer - The Bulls charge into the playoffs with great momentum. They are the favorite in the East. A star point guard can carry you to a championship, but I don't see them getting past the Celtics, Heat, Knicks, or Magic. The Bulls are a great story, and are very fun to watch, but they won't last in a seven game series with either of those four teams. Derrick Rose's Bulls, are Lebron James' Cavaliers.


Can the Celtics bounce back from their late season collapse?

At the All Star Break, the Celtics were the best team in the league. They had the best record and were the most feared. They had everything on their side, until they made a trade. The trade sent Kendrick Perkins, and Nate Robinson to the Thunder for Jeff Green, and Nenad Kristic. In the Celtics eyes, they were getting healthy. Perkins has been injured many times in his career, and Boston was through with it. Since the trade, the Celtics are 15-12. They head into the playoffs struggling, and at the third seed facing the Knicks.

Answer - Unless Rondo starts playing the way he did before the All Star Break and they get Shaq back, healthy, I don't see them getting past the second round.

Will the Spurs stay healthy?

The Spurs came out of the regular season with the second best record in the entire NBA. They had an elite season leading the league with the best record all the way up to the final week. They led the NBA in three point percentage. But, they accomplished all of this with some consequences. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginoblii each were injured throughout the season. The injuries come with age. Duncan has been in the league fourteen years, and Parker and Ginoblii , twelve years. The Spurs are the oldest team in the NBA, and it shows. But with age, comes experience, and that's why they are a great team this year.

Answer - The Spurs head into the first round without their second leading scorer, Ginoblii. Knowing Manu, he will be back soon. But unless the role players create depth, and be proficient, I don't see them making it past the second round, maybe not even the first.

Who is the dark horse this year?

The Oklahoma City Thunder emerged as a contender in the Playoffs last year at the eighth seed. They almost shocked the Lakers the first round, taking them to Game 7, and creating the loudest arena is NBA history. They were the complete dark horse. A dark horse is a team that no one really talks about as a serious title contender, and just thinks of them as another team in the playoffs. They could also be a team that is recognized as a threat, but again, not a serious title contender. So who's the dark horse this year?

Answer - The Denver Nuggets made the biggest trade of their franchise this year. They traded none other than Carmelo Anthony, as well as Chauncy Billups, to the Knicks for a large amount of players. Everybody thought that with this trade, the Nuggets would get worse, and the Knicks better. Irony occurred, and the exact opposite happened. The Nuggets finished the season a lot better than the Knicks. Denver is a scary team, and anyone who faces them should be afraid. And what a coincidence, they play the dark horse from last year, the Thunder, in the first round. The team that wins that series could go as far as the championship this year.


Can Amar'e and Carmelo coexist?

The Knicks are probably in the worst position of all teams in the playoffs. They face the defending Eastern Conference champions, the Boston Celtics. New York's three best players were not even on the team last year. They are still trying to figure out how to play together. Any team with star power, can be a deep playoff threat; and this team has two, arguably three. Let's go back to the heat. In the final seconds of a close game, who has the ball, Lebron or Wade? Same with this team, Amar'e or Carmelo? 

Answer - Can Amar'e and Carmelo coexist? Yes. But if they wan't to beat the celtics, and have a real oppurtunity to make it to the Finals, they need production from their role players. Also, Billups needs to be the leader of this team. Whether or not Carmelo or Amar'e are the better players, Billups has the experience, and needs to be that leader.

Will Miami's Big Three lead them to a championship?

''I'm taking my talents to South Beach." Those words started it all. A day later, three of the NBA's best players came together to unveil the Miami's version of the Big Three. The Heat started the season number one in the power rankings, but failed to impress. They started the season 9-8. Overhyped, and overrated were words that were used to describe Miami. Then all of a sudden, they caught fire. They won 11 in a row, and 20 out of 21. They went from 9-8 to 29-9. Then they lost five of six, and then won eight in a row. Miami continued this the entire season. Words went from overhyped and overrated, to inconsistent. They finished the season winning fourteen of their final sixteen games. They have complete momentum heading into the playoffs, with the second seed.

Answer - Miami plays out of pure talent. If the Heat stay healthy, and get Haslem back, they can be a real serious contender for the championship. Point guard production from Bibby and Chalmers is a key. If Bosh is consistent, and Lebron and Wade turn on their seasonal playoff modes, I can't see anyone beating them.

Will the Lakers three peat?

Who did you say was the favorite to win the Finals? The Lakers? That's weird, they were the favorite that last couple years. As long as Phil Jackson keeps sitting on a sidelined chair, coaching, and Kobe keeps putting that number twenty four jersey on every game, they will be the favorite. That last couple of years, there hasn't been much competition for them, but this year is different. Every team in the west is a threat. Every team can give the Lakers a run for their money.

Answer - The Lakers are the defending champions. They have one of the greatest players of all time, in Kobe Bryant, and one of the greatest coaches, in Phil Jackson. As many three peats as Jackson has, I don't see him adding any more. Every team in the west can beat the Lakers, but the Lakers could probably beat every team in the west as well. It's all up to being healthy. If Bynum gets injured, or Kobe, the Lakers will go down. But make sure you count all fifteen other teams out before you count the Lakers out.

Prediction - NBA Finals

Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat

Miami Heat in Six.