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For a unique season that was only 66
games and only started on Christmas Day, the Playoffs couldn’t have come any
sooner. After a prolonged work stoppage, the 2011-2012 Season began with the
Dallas Mavericks raising their Championship Banner and the target placed
squarely on their backs. Dirk Nowitzki carried the Mavs to the title, but
that’s all in the past now as the 2012 NBA Playoffs are here and the stakes are
at their highest.
Eastern Conference
The Chicago Bulls were on their way to
slamming the Philadelphia 76ers and claiming a 1-0 lead in their Best-of-Seven
series when the worst news possible happened: Derrick Rose suffered a torn ACL
that effectively ends both his playoff campaign and his participation in this
summer’s London Olympics. The good news is that this Bulls squad has already
been playing without Rose, Richard Hamilton, and even Luol Deng for different
parts of the regular season. The Sixers started the season hot and were even in
contention for the Atlantic Division crown until a late swoon barely got them
the eighth seed. Even without Rose in the lineup though, most expect the Bulls
to drill Doug Collins’ boys with ease.
The glamorous pick throughout the
season, the heavily favored
Miami Heat were strong
enough to grab the second seed despite Dwyane Wade missing chunks of the season
due to injury. LeBron James arguably had his most complete season ever and
might have just won his third Most Valuable Player award in the process. New
York already lost the sensation that was Jeremy Lin as the season wound down,
then Iman Shumpert injured his ACL in Game One of the Playoffs. After surviving
the firing of Mike D’Antoni and the promotion of Mike Woodson to head coach,
the Big Apple dreamed of playoff wins and upsets. Highly unlikely with James
firing on all cylinders, but the Knicks are still dreaming.
Frank Vogel coached the Indiana Pacers to a surprising 42 wins, earning
them the third seed and a first round encounter with the Dwight Howard-less
Orlando Magic. While thoughts of a Pacers sweep was talk of the town, Jason
Richardson, Jameer Nelson, and the rest of Stan Van Gundy’s crew instead pulled
off a Magic upset in Game One. This won’t be as easy as previously thought so
Danny Granger, David West, Paul George, and the other Pacers better wake up if
they want to advance.
Only separated by one win, the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks renew
acquaintances after their last battle four years ago. The Hawks won the first
game this time but Josh Smith’s stellar performance was overshadowed by Rajon
Rondo’s bumping of a referee in the dying minutes, something that will surely
lead to some kind of disciplinary action. Without Rondo and with Ray Allen
still nursing an ankle injury, this may be the last time we see this version of
the Celtics on the hardcourt.
Western Conference
The San Antonio Spurs took the
top seed in the West near the end of the regular season after periodically
resting ageing stars Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. Even as Tony Parker inserted
himself into MVP discussions, the memory of 2011, when the Spurs became just
the third number one seed to be eliminated in the first round, lingers heavily
on their minds. They’ve got a tough assignment in the Utah Jazz powered by Al
Jefferson and Paul Millsap, but most don’t expect a repeat of last year’s
upset.
Kevin Durant won his third straight scoring title this year but he wants
much more. Tagging up with Russell Westbrook and James Harden to lead the
Oklahoma City Thunder, they’ve been the favorites in the West even before the
season began. This young and deep nucleus drew a tough out in the defending
champion Mavericks (as proved by their needing Durant to bail them out as time
expired) but the Thunder should dethrone Dirk Nowitzki’s veteran crew in the
end.
Even with Mike Brown now at the helm and despite Kobe Bryant missing
some time to heal an injured shin, the Los Angeles Lakers still earned the
third seed out West. Andrew Bynum finally became a force on both offense and
defense, something the rest of the NBA has been fearing for years. Though Metta
World Peace is still serving his seven-game suspension for elbowing James
Harden, the Lakers will likely stomp over Ty Lawson and Danilo Gallinari’s
Denver Nuggets for an eagerly anticipated match with the exciting Thunder.
After blowing a 27-point lead in Game One, the Memphis Grizzlies will be
hard-pressed to get their groove back against the Los Angeles Clippers. It’s
the kind of loss that can destroy a team’s morale and it will be up to Zach
Randolph, Rudy Gay, and Marc Gasol to make sure they get back on track.
Otherwise, Chris Paul will lead the Clips’ dissection of these Grizzlies.
With Derrick Rose going down, the path to the Finals just got a lot
easier in the East, particularly for the favored Miami Heat. Over in the West,
teams seem more bunched together as the veteran quintets make some last pushes
in the face of the hungry young guns. All eyes are on the NBA Playoffs once
again after the lockout, and that is the best news of all.
Posted at 04/30/2012 11:00 PM | Updated as of 04/30/2012 11:00 PM
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