Road to Glory II

[Lamrock]

Beat the Wiz!

[Fresh8]

Finally we reach the playoffs

[Valor]

Beat the Wiz!

Will do

Finally we reach the playoffs

Yes sir playoff preview coming up later today

[Mark.]

Just caught up on the last few pages and im very impressed. Can't wait for the playoffs. So hoping for a Magic v Bulls ECF!

[Valor]

Just caught up on the last few pages and im very impressed. Can't wait for the playoffs. So hoping for a Magic v Bulls ECF!

Hey thanks man, glad to see you popping in
I'm hoping for a good run too, and probably will be meeting Orlando if i get that far

[Valor]

2011 NBA Playoffs Preview: First Round


Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Lakers (60-22) v 8. Sacramento Kings (46-36)

Key Rotation
Los Angeles Lakers: Derek Fisher | Kobe Bryant | Ron Artest | Pau Gasol | Andrew Bynum | Lamar Odom | Shaquille O'Neal
Sacramento Kings: Tyreke Evans | Manu Ginobili | LeBron James | Carl Landry | Solomon Alabi | Jason Thompson | Andres Nocioni

Comment: Due to an unfortunate array of injuries, LeBron James and the Sacramento Kings fell from as high as the 3rd seed in the Western Conference at the start of the season to now being the 8th seed going up against the 2 time defending champion Lakers in the first round. It's the dream matchup, Kobe vs LeBron right from the start and this should be a competitive and interesting series. However, the Lakers ended the season on a tear, winning their last 19 straight games to tie the '08 Celtics and the 2000 Lakers squad for the forth longest winning streak in NBA history. In addition to that, the Lakers have home court advantage. Things look bleak for King James and his fellow Kings as Phil Jackson, Kobe, and the Lakers look to complete their second three-peat.

ESPN Prediction: Lakers in 6


2. Oklahoma City Thunder (53-29) v 7. Dallas Mavericks (46-36)

Key Rotation
Oklahoma City Thunder: Russell Westbrook | James Harden | Kevin Durant | Jeff Green | David Lee | Cole Aldrich | Eric Maynor
Dallas Mavericks: Jason Kidd | Caron Butler | Shawn Marion | Dirk Nowitzki | Troy Murphy | Jason Terry | Joel Przybilla

Comment: One of the pleasant surprises this season, the youthful Oklahoma City finished with a franchise record (not counting their Seattle days) 53 wins as Durant well and truly blossomed into a superstar in the league. They will go up against a tough Dallas Mavericks team that's led by former MVP Dirk Nowitzki and a resurgent Jason Kidd, who led the league in assist for the first time since the 2003-04 season despite being at the advanced age of 38. The Mavericks will look to go at the matchup of Caron Butler on the hurt James Harden as well as relying on Shawn Marion to slow down Durantula. Jason Terry will certainly outplay rookie Cole Aldrich as the team's sixth man and the lack of size for OKC could really hurt them. However, the Thunder have youth, talent and Durant on their side as they look to advance to the second round for the first time.

ESPN Prediction: Thunder in 6


3. Phoenix Suns (51-31) v 6. New Orleans Hornets (47-35)

Key Rotation
Phoenix Suns: Steve Nash | Jason Richardson | Grant Hill | Amare Stoudemire | Robin Lopez | Leandro Barbosa | Goran Dragic
New Orleans Hornets: Chris Paul | Ben Gordon | Al Harrington | David West | Emeka Okafor | Darren Collison | James Posey

Comment: After struggling miserably in the first half of the season, the Hornets went on a heck of a run after acquiring Ben Gordon and Al Harrington in separate deals at the trade deadline and have never looked back since. Climbing the standings at a ferocious pace and ended up with a respectable 47-35 record and a 6th seed in the Western Conference. It's the old vs new as Steve Nash - The former "best point guard in the NBA" - goes up against Chris Paul - The current "best point guard in the NBA". Both teams will look to run and both teams will look to shoot from deep. It's simply a case of who does it better in this best of 7 series. The Suns do have home court and that might be the difference in this exciting series.

ESPN Prediction: Suns in 7


4. Houston Rockets (49-33) v 5. Denver Nuggets (49-33)

Key Rotation
Houston Rockets: Aaron Brooks | Kevin Martin | Trevor Ariza | Antawn Jamison | Yao Ming | Luis Scola | Shane Battier
Denver Nuggets: Chauncey Billups | JR Smith | Carmelo Anthony | Kenyon Martin | Nene | Ty Lawson | DeMarcus Cousins

Comment: Despite having the same record, the Rockets will enjoy home court advantage from winning their division and they have looked fantastic since the addition of Antawn Jamison at the trade deadline. The depth of the Rockets bench is bottomless as they have talent all round while the Nuggets will be hurt greatly by the injury to their "Birdman", Chris Andersen. This is a chance for rookie DeMarcus Cousins to finally shine after being stuck on the bench for most of the season, but can he outplay the Rockets' big men? The Starters, aside from the Yao/Nene mismatch (who isn't a mismatch against the Great Wall?) look pretty equal, so the benches will be the X-Factor in this series. This should be a very close and competitive series and is expected to go to the full 7 games.

ESPN Prediction: Rockets in 7




Eastern Conference
1. Chicago Bulls (55-27) v 8. Washington Wizards (42-40)

Key Rotation
Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose | Dwyane Wade | Luol Deng | Josh Smith | Joakim Noah | Kyle Korver | Anthony Morrow
Washington Wizards: Gilbert Arenas | Shannon Brown | Josh Howard | Chris Bosh | Tyrus Thomas | Andray Blatche | Al Thornton

Comment: The Bulls head into the playoffs following and excellent regular season that saw them winning 55 games and taking the top seed in the Eastern Conference. With Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose combining for around 47 ppg, Noah being all over the boards, Josh Smith's inside presence on the defensive end and some solid bench play in the form of Kyle Korver, Anthony Morrow and Brad Miller, Chicago look to make a deep playoff run and possibily contending for the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Meanwhile, it hasn't been exactly as planned for the Washington Wizards, as injuries to some core players (Mike Miller currently) has hurt their record and seeding. The Arenas-Bosh duo is still deadly, however as mentioned, their sixth man Mike Miller is out for the series and this hurts the Wizards' chances of upsetting the Bulls greatly. They would certainly need to match Chicago's physical board play and somehow stop Rose and Wade to have any kind of hope, something that is easier said than done.

ESPN Prediction: Bulls in 5


2. Orlando Magic (54-28) v 7. Atlanta Hawks (42-40)

Key Rotation
Orlando Magic: Jameer Nelson | Vince Carter | Mickael Pietrus | Rashard Lewis | Dwight Howard | Randy Foye | Marcin Gortat
Atlanta Hawks: Mike Bibby | Kirk Hinrich | Joe Johnson | Ekpe Udoh | Al Horford | Jamal Crawford | Zaza Pachuila

Comment: Easily the most lopsided match up in these 2011 playoffs. Dwight Howard will man-handle any thing the Hawks can throw at them, Rashard Lewis will dominate rookie Ekpe Udoh, Jameer Nelson can run circles around Mike Bibby and the Hawks star Joe Johnson plays undersized at the same position as the Magic's best perimeter defenders in Pietrus and Matt Barnes. The Hawks are undersized and over matched in terms of talent, ability, and experience. This is as one sided as a series can get.

ESPN Prediction: Orlando in 4


3. Philadelphia 76ers (47-35) v 6. Miami Heat (42-40)

Key Rotation
Philadelphia: Louis Williams | Allen Iverson | Andre Iguodala | Elton Brand | Samuel Dalembert | Marreese Speights | Jrue Holiday
Miami Heat: Mario Chalmers | John Salmons | Michael Beasley | Carlos Boozer | Jermaine O'Neal | Quentin Richardson | Udonis Haslem

Comment: It's Run and Gun versus Traditional Half Court set as the Sixers face off against the Post-Wade era Heat. For the Sixers, Allen Iverson has had a nice bounce-back since returning to Philadelphia, teaming up with Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand to form a nice core for the Sixers. As for the Heat, Jermaine O'Neal has officially returned to his All-Star caliber form, teaming up with Carlos Boozer to form a nice Twin Tower duo, destroying opponents on the inside. John Salmons has been a nice addition and Michael Beasley has been developing steadily. This would be an intriguing series to follow.

ESPN Prediction: Sixers in 6


4. Charlotte Bobcats (45-37) v 5. Boston Celtics (45-37)

Key Rotation
Charlotte Bobcats: Raymond Felton | Stephen Jackson | Gerald Wallace | Yi Jianlian | Tyson Chandler | Boris Diaw | Brendan Haywood
Boston Celtics: Rajon Rondo | Ray Allen | Paul Pierce | Kevin Garnett | Kendrick Perkins | Rasheed Wallace | Delonte West

Comment: Charlotte owns the tiebreaker and thus gets home court advantage, but they do have a very tough customer to face and it'll be hard for the young 'Cats to repeat what they did last year - advance to the second round. For the defending Eastern Conference Champions who lost to the LA Lakers in the finals after being up 3-1, the Boston Celtics haven't tinkered much with their roster except several minor deals that have them ending up with a total of 5 point guards. Puzzling but the good news is that if Rondo goes down, they have several replacements to choose from. The old age of the Celtics and their history of being unable to win on the road could be the only concerns for Beantown and the only ray of hope for the Charlotte Bobcats.

ESPN Prediction: Boston in 6

[Fresh8]

I find it funny that David Lee plays for the Stealth.

[Valor]

I find it funny that David Lee plays for the Stealth.

You mean the Thunder

I was surprised to see him sign there in the offseason too

[Fresh8]

I find it funny that David Lee plays for the Stealth.

You mean the Thunder

I was surprised to see him sign there in the offseason too

My bad

Yes, the Thunder.

[Valor]

2011 NBA Playoffs: Eastern Conference Quarterfinals


Lineups Subjected to change



Starting Five

PG. Derrick Rose
SG. Dwyane Wade
SF. Luol Deng
PF. Josh Smith
C. Joakim Noah

Bench

Brad Miller
Kyle Korver
Jason Williams
Anthony Morrow
Kwame Brown
Sun Yue
Sean May

Inactive Rotation

Taj Gibson
Evan Turner

Head Coach: Byron Scott
Injury Report: Taj Gibson - Out (Severe Ankle Sprain), Evan Turner - Out (Broken Ankle), Joakim Noah - Hurt (Twisted Ankle)*





Starting Five

PG. Gilbert Arenas
SG. Mike Miller*
SF. Josh Howard
PF. Tyrus Thomas
C. Chris Bosh

Bench

Shannon Brown*
Andray Blatche
Al Thornton
Craig Brackins
Tim Ohlbrecht
Javale McGee
Shaun Livingston
Mike Miller

Head Coach: Flip Saunders
Injury Report: N/A*

*Changes during series
- Mike Miller return to lineup Link


Game 1 Game Recap
Date/Time: April 19th 2011, 8:00pm
Location: United Center, Chicago IL
Series: Chicago Bulls 0-0 Washington Wizards

Game 2 Game Recap
Date/Time: April 21st 2011, 8:00pm
Location: United Center, Chicago IL
Series: Chicago Bulls 1-0 Washington Wizards

Game 3 Game Recap
Date/Time: April 23rd 2011, 9:00pm
Location: Verizon Center, Washington DC
Series: Chicago Bulls 2-0 Washington Wizards

Game 4 Game Recap
Date/Time: April 25th 2011, 10:00pm
Location: Verizon Center, Washington DC
Series: Chicago Bulls 2-1 Washington Wizards

Game 5 Game Recap
Date/Time: April 27th 2011, 08:00pm
Location: United Center, Chicago IL
Series: Chicago Bulls 3-1 Washington Wizards

Chicago Wins Series 4-1

[Martti.]

The Wizards might be tougher then you think with Arenas and Bosh.

[Lamrock]

They have Gil and Bosh, but you can't lose to a #8 Wizards team again. Time to get out of the first round!

[kibaxx7]

Ah, just remembered Turner's out. That really sucks But yeah, thought the Wiz were a little weaker. I like that Agent Zero-CB4 duo.

[Valor]

The Wizards might be tougher then you think with Arenas and Bosh.

I don't doubt their talent in the starting five, I doubt their ability to play a bench now that Mike Miller's out

They have Gil and Bosh, but you can't lose to a #8 Wizards team again. Time to get out of the first round!

Yes, no second round virgin label on me please

Ah, just remembered Turner's out. That really sucks But yeah, thought the Wiz were a little weaker. I like that Agent Zero-CB4 duo.

Certainly a formidable duo to watch out for, but as i've said, they got no depth

played game 1 and recap will prob come tmr, but i forgot to save the highlights though....

[Clutch]

Agent Zero & CB4... should be an interesting match-up but I think Flash v. Brown is the weak link that will ultimately be their downfall - anyway GL

[Valor]

Wade's 3 at the buzzer gives Bulls 1-0 Series lead



Chicago, IL - This is what the Bulls management had envisioned when they fired Del Negro and brought in Byron Scott, a proven winner.

In the past, former Bulls coach Del Negro will simply let the players try their luck in iso-plays during clutch situations, which often results in losses.

Not anymore.

Down by two with 4.7 seconds remaining, Coach Scott called a timeout and drew up a play to win the game, and when they were unable to execute it properly after 2 seconds, he called another timeout.

This time, it worked to perfection.

With 0.7 seconds left on the clock, Dwyane Wade came off a screen, caught the pass from Derrick Rose, and fired the three ball with Wizards guard Shannon Brown - not Josh Howard, who has been defending him for most of the game - in his face. The ball snapped through the net as the buzzer sounded, giving the Bulls a 93-92 victory over the Washington Wizards in game 1 of this best-of-seven first round series.

"It was a good play for me, coach drew it up to get him (Josh Howard) off me and I got a much better look" said Wade, who finished with a game high 37 points "Derrick's pass was perfect and I just made the basket."

Washington came fighting back after being down by as many as 16 points in the second half and managed to take the lead at the 6:13 mark when Bulls center Joakim Noah tweaked his ankle coming down off a rebound on Chris Bosh's foot, but Chicago kept it close and it was still the 1 point Wizards lead when Noah returned at the 4:05 mark. The two teams traded baskets over and over again until the final tenths of a second when Wade hit the big shot.

"It was close, real close" said Derrick Rose, who had 21 points and 12 assists in the win "They were tough and fought back hard at us. We didn't really shoot well in the second half and got complacent on defense. We've got to do a better job in the next game."

Center Joakim Noah finished with 8 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks despite suffering the injury and upon evaluation, will be available to play in the next game.

"Just a twisted ankle" Noah stated "nothing much"

Josh Smith also came alive for the Bulls, notching a double double of 11 points and 10 rebounds (3 offensive) and matched his season average of 3 blocks. He was a big factor in slowing down Wizards star Chris Bosh, despite the latter's final stat line of 23 points and 11 rebounds.

Gilbert Arenas led the charge for the Wizards, as he poured in 30 points, 12 assists and 6 rebounds in the losing effort. The former Agent Zero (He wears six now) shot 11 for 21 from the field, including an incredible 6 for 9 performance from downtown.

"Gil did everything he could tonight and our guys fought hard" said Wizards coach Flip Saunders "It was a close one and really could've gone either way. We just need to forget about it and move on. It's a long series"

From what went down in this game, it could be a longer series than most anticipated.

Despite being seen as the weak-link. The Wizards bench managed to outscore the Bulls bench 16-8. With rookie Craig Brackins leading the way with 6 points in 8 minutes. The Bulls bench, namely Anthony Morrow and Kyle Korver, struggled shooting. Korver was 2 for 6 from the field while Morrow went an unbelievable 1 for 10. Both shot just 1 for 5 from beyond the arc.

"It was just a bad night shooting for them" said Byron Scott "They'll snap out of it soon"







Dwyane Wade works his magic again, knocking down this game winning 3 pointer at the buzzer

Highlights

[Valor]

Agent Zero & CB4... should be an interesting match-up but I think Flash v. Brown is the weak link that will ultimately be their downfall - anyway GL

They were indeed tough to beat...I need to find a way to slow down Gil, maybe have Wade guarding him

You were right on the money with Flash v Brown becoming their downfall at least for this game.

[Lamrock]

Fantastic win. I bet you were ecstatic after that finish. If it takes that much to beat Washington at home though, you may be in trouble. Either way, congrats. Good luck defending home court again against the Wiz Kidz. Methinks the winner of game 2 will take the series.

[buzzy]

Yeah that had to feel great. Being down two made it better all the more, I bet.

[Fresh8]

Great to read that D Wade scored the buzzer beater! Can't wait for Game 2.

[Valor]

Game 1 Results

[Martti.]

Shannon like to get threes dropped in his face, Ray dropped like 5 of his 8 in his face in game #2-

Anyway, it's D-Wade's house.

[Valor]

Fantastic win. I bet you were ecstatic after that finish. If it takes that much to beat Washington at home though, you may be in trouble. Either way, congrats. Good luck defending home court again against the Wiz Kidz. Methinks the winner of game 2 will take the series.

Hey thanks man, it was definitely surprising how tough this win was, they just kept on coming back even though i had quite a big lead and my bench guys kept bricking open looks. Hopefully things will be easier in game 2, but i doubt it

Yeah that had to feel great. Being down two made it better all the more, I bet.

Yup, it was awesome
I was actually deciding whether to go for the tie or for the win. Nearly all five i had out there could shoot the three well, but I was struggling big time with the long ball during the game. Fortunately i decided to gamble for the win and it paid off

Great to read that D Wade scored the buzzer beater! Can't wait for Game 2.

I can't wait to win the series and advance....these guys are much tougher than i expected and i very well could drop the series as the #1 seed again

Shannon like to get threes dropped in his face, Ray dropped like 5 of his 8 in his face in game #2-

Shannon needs to learn how to use his athleticism to defend on the perimeter

Anyway, it's D-Wade's house.

He's going to have to be the man in this series and take advantage of the mismatch when it's there (the Wizards often put Josh Howard on Wade, which makes it very damn hard to score). Due to the presence of Tyrus Thomas and Chris Bosh, I cannot drive as frequently as i could with Rose and that limits Derrick's game as well as the team's offense a lot.

[Clutch]

With 0.7 seconds left on the clock, Dwyane Wade came off a screen, caught the pass from Derrick Rose, and fired the three ball with Wizards guard Shannon Brown - not Josh Howard, who has been defending him for most of the game - in his face.

did i call that shiz or what?

awesome win! looks like you've got your hands full in this series... didn't know Gilberto had that kind of game still left in him... Rockets aint messing around either which is good to see

[kibaxx7]

Tough game for Anthony Morrow. Agent Zero killed you from beyond the arc, but superb triumph man.