We had some thoughts on this weekend’s hockey playoff action earlier this morning, so this edition of the Weekend Recap is going to have its hands all over the basketball, just like Dwight Howard.
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Because of work, I wasn’t able to watch as much of the action from the opening weekend of the NBA playoffs. One I was able to watch in its entirety was Game 1 of the Bulls/Pacers series.
The Pacers, perhaps one of the most underwhelming teams on paper with Josh McRoberts, Tyler Hansbrough, Greg Foster, and Mike Dunleavy showing team president Larry Bird’s preference for vanilla ice cream, hung in for most of the game.
They led by 10 with under three minutes to go. Then Derrick Rose decided to take over. The way he controlled the game was awe inspiring. The Pacers knew that they were running iso plays for Rose, hell everyone knew, and he was still able to score at will. Then he drew the defense before kicking to Ashton Kutcher for the go ahead three, giving the Bulls their first lead with under a minute to play. The game reminded me of a bigger, stronger older brother playing his scrawny younger brother in the front yard. It was close because the Bulls let it be close. Then when they realized the outcome in doubt they focused and took over. It was instantaneous and the Pacers were left dejected, because for a brief moment they had convinced themselves they could win.
Not a good sign for the Pacers chances, but no one really gave them much of a shot against the Bulls, so maybe a moral victory was their ceiling.
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I got to watch the beginning of the Heat/Sixers game and was a little shocked to find the entire arena dressed in white. Even someone as fashion retarded as I am has heard the rules about wearing white before Memorial Day and after Labor Day. I knew, with the ridiculous “Fan Up” campaigns earlier this year, that Heat fans didn’t give a shit about watching basketball. I assumed they at least cared about fashion.
The Sixers put up more of a fight than I thought they would, but if the refs are going to be ticky tack every time Lebron and D Wade drive to the basket, they are in trouble. They initiate contact better than anyone in the league and if you can’t stand your ground without drawing a whistle, you have no shot of beating the Heat.
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Some other quick thoughts about the opening weekend of the NBA playoffs:
The Magic destroyed the Hawks in the first round last year. In the first game of this year’s rematch the Magic got 46 points and 19 rebounds from Dwight Howard, and lost. At home. It’s a seven game series so losing one game at home isn’t necessarily a harbinger of doom, but wasting one of the best playoff performances by your best player is troubling. Derrick Rose is his team’s best player and he single handedly willed his team to victory. Howard is inarguably the Magic’s best player, so if his best effort isn’t good enough to beat a Hawk team that stumbled down the stretch, Orlando is in trouble.
The Grizzlies have a tricky team. They can beat you inside and outside and have the added advantage of being over looked on a daily basis. Has to provide some motivation right? That being said, this series will be really competitive but the Spurs will win in 7 games. The toll will hurt the Spurs chances of getting past the winner of the Thunder/Nuggets series, which is great for basketball fans because the Spurs are boring to watch. 
Can we get Chris Paul in a big market team that actually plays on TV? After a few injury plagued years where his teams struggled, Paul is back. At his best he is one of the most entertaining players to watch in the NBA. If you are going to miss the next game in the Lakers/Hornets series make sure to record it. The brief clips of Paul destroying the Lakers on Sportscenter were so good I have watched them every hour and still can’t get enough. Plus it showed, as I said, that the Lakers might not be good enough defensively to make a deep run in the playoffs. If you don’t have DVR or TiVo, well you are probably living in a cave in Montana building pipe bombs and don’t care about sports anyway.
While you are recording the Lakers/Hornets go ahead and add Thunder/Nuggets to the list as well. It was the most entertaining game of the opening weekend from start to finish. Kevin Durant seems to have that different gear that all great players have when the playoffs come around. Durant and Westbrook being pushed by a Nuggets team that plays Rucker Park style ball is must watch tv.
I’m proposing a new sports term. It’s called Celticing. It refers to a team coasting through periods of time, such as regular seasons, quarters of playoff games, ect, and then turning it on at the last second when it really matters. In order to qualify you have to have high expectations, loads of talent, and a rabid fan base that turns on you, and then loves you again with equal fervor. I’m already looking forward to the Red Sox Celticing.
I’m not as excited for the Blazers/Mavericks series. One is an injury plagued team that always over achieves but doesn’t have the talent to get over the hump. The other has been one of the best teams over the last decade and has consistently laid eggs in the playoffs. Eh. With many of the other matchups being Adriana Lima, this 3 vs 6 matchup is like Courtney Cox. Sure she is still hot enough to warrant some attention, but we have all been watching her for a long time and we know what she brings to the table. We are ready for something new and this year’s NBA playoffs has a whole bunch of Adriana Limas.
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Happy Monday Everyone!
—–Corey
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