A LEGEND IS BORN II

NBA Playoff Predictions
Get Your Tips In, Earn Points, Your Virtual Player Reaps The Benefits

Get your tips in guys for each playoff series and earn points that you will be able to use on your virtual player in this Association! Please participate even if your player has not appeared in this Association because it will be worthwhile. All rewards will be announced at the completion of the Postseason.

How This Works?

The playoff matchups will be posted in a series-by-series playoff preview. You will then be given some time to post your predicted outcome of each series. Don’t forget to choose the winner and amount of games won by each team.

Scores will be accumulated and posted prior to the commencement of the next round.

What Implications Does It Have For You?

All the points accumulated, no matter if you finish first or last, will be able to be used on your virtual player. How that will happen will be explained at the completion of the postseason.

And if you do not have a virtual player part of this association, don’t forget that there are still spots available for additional rookies in future Draft Classes!

Scoring System

General Scoring

If you pick the winner of the series - +10 Point
If the winner has a worse record than their opponent - +5 Points
If you correctly pick the amount of games won by each team - +5 Points

Bonus Predictions

Before the first round begins, pick:

The teams contesting the NBA Finals
The eventual champion
Pick the Finals MVP

If this happens, you will receive 10 points for each correct guess but you lose 5 points for every incorrect guess. Therefore, you can potentially earn 40 points but can also lose 20.

Other

If you come first in the competition - +50 Points
If you come second in the competition - +25 Points
If you come third in the competition - +10 Points

Now that you are aware of this competition, please start positing your predictions!

An example of how to vote will be posted below this post.

How To Make Your Predictions
An Example Of How To Submit Your Predictions For the Second Round

Note that this is for the Second Round only. Please follow this template! Thank you.

Second Round Predictions

Hornets beat Stealth 4-2
Nuggets beat Blazers 4-3

Pistons beat Celtics 4-3
Hawks beat Heat 4-2

Leaderboard: Name | Points | Tiebreaker*

1. ratrac | 90 | 8
2. Valor | 90 | 7
3. The X | 85 | 8
4. homicide1550 | 85 | 7
4. KlemenPipic | 85 | 7
4. Martti. | 85 | 7
5. thierryhenry50 | 80 | 7
5. puttincomputers | 80 | 7
6. C-77 | 80 | 6
6. nba_baller | 80 | 6
7. lamrock | 70 | 7
8. mark. | 70 | 6
8. newc | 70 | 6
9. StupidBoy | 65 | 5

* Tiebreaker – If two or more people have the same amount of points, the tiebreaker is decided by how many series you correctly picked.

Round 2 Predictions

Western Conference
Hornets Beat Stealth 4-3
Nuggets Beat Blazers 4-2

Eastern Conference
Pistons Beat Celtics 4-2
Hawks Beat Heat 4-3

good luck against the reigning NBA Champs, i reckon you can at least take them to game 7

Last edited by Valor on Tue Jun 02, 2009 9:10 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Hornets in 6
Nuggets in 6
Pistons in 6
Hawks in 7

Second Round Predictions

Hornets beat Stealth 4-3
Nuggets beat Blazers 4-2

Pistons beat Celtics 4-3
Heat beat Hawks 4-3

Man, this has been HOF material ever since it started, and if Andrew doesn't induct it, we are going to start a riot

Cough *best association / dynasty ever * cough

Second Round Predictions

Hornets beat Stealth 4-3
Nuggets beat Blazers 4-2

Pistons beat Celtics 4-3
Heat beat Hawks 4-3

Second Round Predictions

Hornets beat Stealth 4-2
Nuggets beat Blazers 4-2

Pistons beat Celtics 4-1
Hawks beat Heat 4-3

Stealth beat Hornets 4-3
Nuggets beat Blazers 4-2

Pistons beat Celtics 4-2
Heat beat Hawks 4-3

That's bullshite i'm only on the sixth place on the leaderboarf
Stealth Beat Hornets 4-3
Nuggets beat Blazers 4-1

Pistons beat Celtics 4-3
Heat Beat Hawks 4-3

Second Round Predictions

Hornets beat Stealth 4-2
Nuggets beat Blazers 4-2

Pistons beat Celtics 4-1
Heat beat Hawks 4-3

Looking great. Ive been busy lately but still catching your association every now and then. This is HOF calibre for sure, should be a Wayne Gretzky-like lockdown

So i havent predicted in here yet, but I hope I can earn some points for my alter ego of Alba Berlin

Hornets - Stealth 3-4
Nuggets - Blazers 4-2
Pistons - Celtics 2-4
Heat - Hawks 1-4

Leading the predictions so far Thanks for the shoutout, keep this going, have been busy lately, so haven't had time to reply, but still following.

Second Round Predictions

Eastern Conference

Detroit Pistons vs Boston Celtics - 3:4
Atlanta Hawks vs Miami Heat - 3:4

Western Conference

New Orleans Hornets vs Seattle Stealth - 4:2
Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers - 4:2

wow i'm pretty good in predictions
here are new ones:
New Orleans beat Seattle 4-2
Denver beat Portland 4-2
Detroit beat Boston 4-3
Atlanta beat Miami 4-1

Stealth beat Hornets 4-2
Nuggets beat Blazers 4-3

Pistons beat Celtics 4-2
Hawks beat Heat 4-1

I think its still not too late for my rookie to improve huh...

So ill predict:

Stealth beats Hornets 4-3
Nuggets beats Blazers 4-2

Pistons beats Celtics 4-3
Heat beats Hawks 4-3

Can Seattle Take Advantage Of Depleted Hornets Front Court?
Playoff Second Round Preview: 1. New Orleans Hornets (58-24) vs. 5. Seattle Stealth (50-32)


By Woody Hannes
ESPN.com Junior Writer

The New Orleans Hornets face a stiff challenge in the bigger Seattle Stealth if they play as poorly as they did in the first round. Woody Hannes presents an in-depth position by position analysis.

Centre: Leon Powe vs. Brad Miller. Powe was brought in midseason via a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers after Tyson Chandler went down. The former Celtic is grossly undersized in this matchup but he makes up for it with his hustle. His numbers don’t jump out at you, 8.6 ppg and 4.8 rpg, but he is the kind of player whose efforts don’t appear on the stat sheet alone. Miller, who ran into some trouble against the Lakers’ Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, will savior this matchup against the shorter Powe in which he at least has a chance of holding his own – for what energy Powe may have more of, Miller makes up in savvy and height. Edge: Even

Power Forward: David West vs. David Lee. David West is the better player in this matchup. He averaged 17 ppg and 7 rpg for the regular season and as Chris Paul has struggled, the young forward has often been his team’s best player. If West were more consistent, he would be a shoe-in All-Star. Lee was signed by Seattle to boost their rebounding activity but his first season in Seattle saw his double digit rebounding numbers drop to 7 a game. He has been a non-factor in these playoffs as he struggled against All-Star Pau Gasol. Edge: Hornets

Small Forward: James Posey vs. Kevin Durant. Durant has not needed to score as much as he did in the regular season because his teammates have stepped up during the playoffs but when the team did need a boost, he delivered. Capable of scoring 30 on any given night, it’s strange to see him scoring at a clip of just 23.9 per game. However, don’t forget to take into account that he was hurt up until Game 3. Posey, a championship winner with the Celtics and then the Hornets, will have his hands full with Durant. Edge: Stealth

Shooting Guard: Morris Peterson vs. Reshawn Tyson. Morris Peterson has become a deadly shooter for the Hornets and is shooting close to .500 from both the field and behind the arc. He averages a healthy 13 ppg for the Hornets and is capable of lighting it up on any given night. Reshawn Tyson had not started a single game for the Stealth until the first round of the playoffs. It seems that he is in George Karl’s starting five right now; not because he is playing good as a starter but because Jeff Green and Adam Morrison help solidify an otherwise ineffective bench. Edge: Hornets

Point Guard: Chris Paul vs. Jason Kidd. The two top assists-getters in the NBA come face to face in the second round. Jason Kidd never faced Jordan Farmar as the Lakers’ starter suffered a season-ending injury. Kidd thus never was tested against Farmar’s light feet which would have given us all a preview of how Kidd may fare against the even quicker Chris Paul. Paul has struggled in these playoffs though; the 2009 MVP is only averaging 16.7 ppg and is shooting at .386 from the field and .307 from behind the arc during the postseason. He is still putting up 12.3 apg and 3.0 spg to make up for his poor shooting. The question is not whether Kidd can do the same in getting his team mates involved – the veteran dished out 15 dimes in Game 1 and 16 in Game 7. The question is whether Kidd has the legs that can keep him in front of Paul? Probably not. Edge: Hornets

Bench: Peja Stojakovic, Julian Wright, Mike James vs. Adam Morrison, Jeff Green, Sebastian Telfair. Stojakovic is dangerous from off the bench as he can still shoot the rock as well as he did earlier in his career with the Sacramento Kings. He averages 15 ppg off the Hornets bench. Wright is the team’s best perimeter defender while Mike James is a reasonable fill-in when Paul needs a rest. However, Seattle has far more depth than the Hornets. Morrison is shooting the lights out in the postseason and has turned his back on any of the ill feelings he held towards the club earlier in the season. Morrison is averaging 16.7 ppg, 6 more than his regular season average. Jeff Green has taken going to the bench with professionalism and often comes into the game playing at PF and doing a bit of everything. Sebastian Telfair has proven to be a reliable floor general, giving Jason Kidd valuable resting time on the bench. Guys like Chris Wilcox, Jamaal Magloire, Trevor Ariza, and Rocky Akonnor all have their roles on the team and always deliver whatever they are told to do. The Stealth bench often outscores and outhustles opposition benches and they will be needed if they are to cause an upset of the Hornets. Edge: Stealth

Coaches: Byron Scott vs. George Karl. Scott is young but he has done a lot in his short time as a head coach. Scott has won Coach of the Year before, coached the Western Conference All-Stars, and coached a title winning team. He has also coached this Chandler-less side to another first seeding in the Western Conference. George Karl has a lot more experience than Scott but has never won a championship. Karl has shown this season that he does have his own uncanny ability to get the best out of his players. Edge: Even

Intangibles: Hornets’ experience, home court advantage vs. Stealth’s size. The Hornets have all of the pressure as they try to continue to march on towards defending last season’s crown. It’s their experience of the past three seasons that will help them in this matchup the most, and it's worthy to note that everyone has a ring on this roster. Even Powe and Posey won one each with the Celtics in 2008. They also have two things that Seattle don’t which is home court advantage and the league’s best defense left in the postseason. It will remain to be seen whether Seattle can use thier extra size to their advanatge but it's doubtful whether that would be a series-winning difference. Edge: Hornets

Result: Hornets in 6

Preview looks good The Hornets must show why they are the defending champs.

You have the edge on the boards. Miller can shoot over Powe all night long. Durant has a strong defender against him in Posey but still can score 20 each night. Further he cant be exploited on the defensive end. I guess the backcourt is causing some trouble ... but CP3 is struggling. I think the Stealth will make it definitely! Watch out Mo-Pete and Peja from beyond the arc and try to have a hand in every shot they take and youll make it!

Good luck !

Second Round Predictions

Hornets beat Stealth 4-2
Nuggets beat Blazers 4-2

Celtics beat Pistons 4-3
Hawks beat Heat 4-3

Oh and Yao getting All NBA First team over Dwight... ewwwwwwwww! I actually vomited a little bit when I saw that.

Does Sean Marks still play for the Hornets?!?

I see you winning this series. Your bench is stronger and you have the height advantage, which the Hornets cant compensate only with their hustle.

X, Sean Marks does not appear to play for the Hornets anymore.

And guys, Game 1 has been played and I will wait another day so that anyone who wants to can post their predictions!

And you guys liked the preview because I'm really happy with how neat it turned out! All I need is a picture lol

Tyson Leads Stealth To Game 1 Triumph

Preview | Box Score | Recap


Kevin Durant and Chris Paul were the ones watching for a change.
Reshawn Tyson soars through the air for a huge slam dunk.

1 May, 2010

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – For a rookie to not have started a single regular season game, then have a disappointing first round performance, and then receive a roasting through the media - Reshawn Tyson sure did prove he had some guts.

“Any other player wouldn’t have responded like Ty did tonight,” Karl said, “What he did out on the court proved that he is going to be one heck of a player.” Tyson scored 21 points and added team highs of 5 rebounds, 11 assists, and 6 steals whilst playing stifling defense on the Hornets’ opposition point guards Chris Paul and Mike James.

“He’s been judged pretty harshly recently by the media and also other players who are obviously envious of his talent,” Jason Kidd stated, “He deserved to play this well tonight, just to silence the critics.” Adam Morrison added, “We knew Ty could score but to be the playmaker – we really did not see that coming. And did you see him playing defence on Chris Paul? I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”

In Tyson’s star performance and best of his career thus far, he showed why he was drafted with the third pick in the past season’s NBA Draft. Although he was stuck to the bench all season, he still averaged 10 ppg and once he was given the chance to start and prove his worth; he finished Game 1 of the second round of the playoffs a winner.

“I never understood,” Tyson admitted after the game when question on his lack of playing time and opportunity, “But I guess what Seattle has done for me is to bring me up slowly. And now that I am getting more accustomed to the NBA game, I’m getting my chance to play.” When questioned on whether he’d like to play PG full time, the rookie replied, “I will leave that to Jason. I don’t want to step on his toes; he is and will always be our starting point guard.”

Tyson looked like he was on his way to another shocker as he opened the game with a handful of wild shots and was 1 for 5 from the field at the end of the first quarter. With Kidd in foul trouble though, Tyson was surprisingly called upon by Karl to replace him. Tyson answered the call and made 8 assists in the first half but was still shooting at 4 for 12. The former Tar Heel ended the game with his scoring numbers as impressive as his assists after scoring 13 in the fourth quarter and finishing with a respectable 21. He exited the game for good with 2:41 left after hitting a free throw.

It was not all good news for the Stealth though as Kevin Durant came down with an injury after a collision with New Orleans’ Morris Peterson in the third quarter. Durant never returned to the match as he helped off the court and into the dressing rooms. Durant had scored 20 points on perfect shooting. David Lee added 16 points; Adam Morrison scored 15 from off the bench; and Jason Kidd finished with 12 points and 7 assists.

Chris Paul’s numbers still looked great on paper as he notched up 19 points and 9 assists but Game 1 proved that statistics can be deceiving. Paul was in foul trouble early, turned the ball over 5 times in his limited playing time, and was a total non-factor in the game. Tyson harassed him into bad positions which led to errant passes or passes to his team mates in not so ideal spots. It was also when Paul was on the Hornets’ bench when Seattle made most of their damage. It didn’t help that his team mate Mike James crumbled under Tyson’s defensive pressure and shot 3 for 11 from the field.

David West was the Hornets’ best player with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Fellow starters Morris Peterson and Leon Powe failed to impress though. Peterson was 4 for 12 from the field and 0 for 7 from behind the arc while Powe was 2 for 7 from the field. Peja Stojakovic scored 10 fourth quarter points when the game was all but decided.

“We came out wanting to be aggressive,” Paul stated, “I guess we came out a little bit too hard. We need to watch our fouls out there.” Hornets’ coach Byron Scott echoed Paul’s comments, “With Chris out of the game, we were definitely handicapped and it mattered a lot when there was no one out there directing our offence.”

The Stealth are going to go into Game 2 confident with Chris Wilcox declaring a win, “We’re going to win Game 2 and go home and wrap up the series there.”

Notes: David Lee and Chris Paul both notched up 2 personal fouls early in the game. They both had 4 by halftime, limiting their effectiveness for their respective teams… Tyson had a magnificent stretch to end the first quarter in which he was the key to an 8-0 run. He had assists on easy shots by Kevin Durant, Jamaal Magloire, and a layup of his own after picking the ball of Mike James with brilliant defense and quick hands. He assisted Adam Morrison who scored at the buzzer to tie the game 20-20 to end the first quarter… Chris Paul nailed his own buzzer beater too at the end of the second quarter. His three pointer had the home crowd on their feet as New Orleans entered the halftime break trailing by 15…

Quarter-by-Quarter Team Score

Seattle (Away) 20 – 29 – 27 – 38 – 114
New Orleans (Home) 20 – 16 – 22 – 23 – 81

Jordan Player of the Game

Reshawn Tyson
21 Points
11 Assists
5 Rebounds
6 Steals
8-17 FG
0-3 3PT
5-6 FT

Key Performers

Seattle Stealth (Leads Series 1-0)

K Durant 20 pt, 2 reb, 2 ast, 8-8 FG, 1-1 3PT, 3-5 FT
D Lee 16 pt, 5 reb, 8-9 FG
A Morrison 15 pt, 4 ast, 6-8 FG, 3-5 3PT
J Kidd 12 pt, 2 reb, 7 ast, 5-9 FG, 1-3 3PT, 1-1 FT
B Miller 6 pt, 4 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 3 blk, 3-6 FG

New Orleans Hornets

C Paul 19 pt, 9 ast, 5 TO, 6-9 FG, 1-3 3PT, 6-7 FT
D West 20 pt, 11 reb, 2 blk, 10-17 FG
J Posey 11 pt, 4 reb, 2 ast, 4-8 FG, 1-4 3PT, 2-2 FT
P Stojakovic 10 pt, 4-10 FG, 2-6 3PT
M James 8 pt, 3-11 FG, 0-8 3PT

Last edited by Fresh8 on Sat Jun 06, 2009 12:19 am, edited 1 time in total.

Playoff News

Durant Injured: Day-to-Day

May 2, 2010

SEATTLE (AP) – Kevin Durant’s injury in the Stealth’s Game 1 win against the Hornets has been diagnosed as a strained MCL. Team doctors have told the NBA’s leading scorer that the injury will take up to a fortnight to fully heal. However, the All-Star forward has told teammates and coaching staff that he will attempt to play through the injury.

Durant was having a quiet but efficient night and had scored 20 points on perfect 8 for 8 shooting in the first three quarters of the game. George Karl was disappointed about his star’s bad luck, “I was about to take him off for the night but he got hurt first.”

Read More…

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Celtics Beat Pistons By 4

May 2, 2010

DETROIT (AP) – The Detroit Pistons fell 76-72 to the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of their playoff series. In a repeat of last year’s second round series in which Detroit came out on top 4-1 winners, this one started with the same kind of physicality seen in 2009. “It’s like both teams picked up where they left off,” Kevin Garnett said, “I bet they (Pistons) missed us. They got us last year so it’s our turn to beat them.”

Garnett made up for an off-shooting night with superb defence and cleaned up on the glass with 15 rebounds. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce knocked down big shots down the stretch and each scored 20 and 19 points respectively.

Allen Iverson was big with 29 points and tried to carry the team on his back as the next best player was Rasheed Wallace with just 10 points and 7 rebounds. Rip Hamilton was completely shut down and held to 5 points while the Pistons bench’s usually effective shooting touch just was not there on the night.

Read More…

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Heat Topple Hawks In Atlanta

May 2, 2010

ATLANTA (AP) – A 37-21 fourth quarter from the Miami Heat saw them turn around a game that looked like it would give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. Dwyane Wade scored 22 of his 30 points in the final quarter and led his side back into the contest to win 104-91.

The Heat’s Michael Beasley finally played a good game in the postseason, scoring 17 while Mario Chalmers added 16 points and 10 assists. For the Hawks, Joe Johnson led his team with 26 points, Al Horford was solid with 17 points and 10 assists, and Acie Law added 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Read More…

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Blazers Begin Second Round With Exciting Overtime Affair

May 2, 2010

DENVER (AP) – Carlos Boozer came up big in his first game back from injury as the Portland Trailblazers took care of a resilient Denver Nuggets team in overtime. Boozer had 22 points and 9 rebounds whilst leading five other players scoring in double digits. It wasn’t Boozer who won the game in the end however; those honours belonged to Steve Nash. Nash hit a clutch shot to keep his team ahead 114-112 with 1.1 seconds left.

Nash finished with 10 points and 10 assists but shot 3 for 15 from the field. Brandon Roy added 12 points on 5 for 18 shooting. Jerryd Bayless and Travis Outlaw made up for the poor shooting of Nash and Roy by scoring 19 apiece. Ramon Sessions also had the hot hand late in the game and finished with 13 points without missing a shot.

Chauncey Billups finished the game with 24 points and 10 assists including a three pointer to force overtime. The Nuggets had to claw their way back into the game in the fourth quarter and succeeded thanks to some big shots made by Andrew ‘The X’ Watson. Watson finished with 31 points and 9 rebounds. He rained down five threes including three in the fourth quarter.

Despite his hot shooting, Watson was a decoy in the final play of the fourth period that led to Billups’ game tying shot. He did, however, get rewarded for his efforts on the night at the end of the game where his coach awarded him with a potential game winning three point attempt that fell just short of the hoop. “You win some and you lose some,” the sharpshooting rookie stated. Team mate Carmelo Anthony did not play well, finishing with 12 points and 6 rebounds.

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