Playoff Match-ups

I would be happy with any of the following two scenarios. Couple of things before I list them. I would prefer Lakers playing Utah in 2nd round as opposed to the 1st round so that they are all banged up before a possible matchup with the Spurs, Also, I like the odds of Spurs playing and comfortably winning against Houston rather than playing New Orleans, as Parker, our only 100% fit star, could dominate the PG matchup. I would rather not see CP3 in the playoffs. Portland would be a tough 1st round matchup, but we should be able to win that series in 5-6 games. I am hoping for an easy semifinals so that Timmy and Manu can save their energy to destroy the Fakers in the finals.

With that said, here is my list:

Senario 1

1 – lakers
2 – spurs
3 – nuggets
4 – rockets
5 – hornets
6 – trailblazers
7 – mavs (i would prefer them not making the playoffs – I hate them. PS: I live in Dallas)
8 – Jazz

Scenario 2

1 – lakers
2 – spurs
3 – rockets
4 – Jazz
5 – hornets
6 – nuggets
7 – trailblazers
8 – mavs

My ideal scenario is very close to NamSpur’s #2 above. Only difference is i would switch out denver with portland. so it would be…

1-lakers
2-spurs
3-rockets
4-utah
5-hornets
6-blazers
7-nuggets
8-mavs

right now, i think any team 2-8 could wind up anywhere, so this is all blind speculation at this point. but i do think it’s possible that the nuggs could slip to 7.

i like this scenario because we get denver in the first round, a team that we have destroyed in years past in the playoffs, and i don’t believe that chauncey has made that big of a difference. we get to watch the mavs crushed in round one, and we get to see the jazz and the hornets play in round 1, pitting CP3 vs. Deron Williams. while i believe that CP3 is the better player, for whatever reason, Deron owns him, and i think the jazz would prevail in this series. the other matchup—houston vs. portland—would be tough for me, because i’d prefer to play houston in the second round, but, living in portland, would be pulling hard for my other team, the blazers.

in the second round, that would put the lakers against either the jazz or the hornets, both tough and/or physical match-ups for them that could stretch them a few games longer than they would like, possibly even 7 games. also, that gives us either houston or portland in the second round. both fine teams, but both teams that would at that point be playing over their head. houston would be so happy to have that first round monkey off their backs, and probably wouldn’t expect to go much further. portland would be playing in their first playoffs as a young team and would also probably be very happy just to get out of the first round.

then it’s spurs-lakers, the western conference finals that we all want and deserve. (of course, i’d be happy to see somebody besides the lakers, but i don’t see that happening short of kobe’s leg falling off).

does anybody else find it annoying that people think the jazz are the only legitimate threat to the lakers when they can’t even win a game on the road? according to somebody (probably hollinnger), they haven’t beaten a team that was more than 2 games over .500 on the road all year. um, that’s bad. you have to win on the road in the playoffs. unless you’re the 2007-08 boston celtics.