Eastern Conference

Detroit Pistons (1)
Cleveland Cavaliers (4)

Miami Heat (2)
New Jersey Net (3)

Western Conference

San Antonio Spurs (1)
Dallas Mavericks (3)

Pheonix Suns (2)
L.A. Clippers (6)

All the favorites advanced in round 1 (yes the Clippers were favored despite being a lower seed). Whats going to happen?

what everyone thought it would be.

spurs vs suns and heat vs pistons

spurs v pistions in final

I'm in an NBA playoff pool and I've got

Mavs vs Clips

Pistons vs Heat

Pistons over Mavs in finals

Pistons
Heat
Spurs
Suns

Spurs and Pistons will meet again in the finals.

Pistons
Heat
Spurs
Suns

Pistons
Suns

Suns

Pistons over Cavs in 5 (no soup for you LeBron)

Heat over Nets in 6 (Hopefully refs let players play this series, could be fun to watch)

Mavricks over Spurs in 7 (going with the upset, guess I'm just feeling balsy)

Clippers over Suns in 7 (another upset, but I think the clippers are a more complete team than the suns)

If you shoot 60 percent from the field and have an 18-for-22 performance from Elton Brand and STILL lose by 7, I think you should be severely concerned.

Suns in 5. Once Phoenix starts doubling Brand on the catch, rather than after he's made his first move (he's too strong and creative around the basket for that to be effective, as we saw tonight), the Clippers can shoot those 18-foot jumpers all night. I don't even know why I'm giving them credit for one win.

Eastern Conference

Detroit Pistons - 4
Cleveland Cavaliers - 1

Miami Heat - 4
New Jersey Nets - 3

Western Conference

San Antonio Spurs - 4
Dallas Mavericks - 3

Pheonix Suns - 4
L.A. Clippers - 3

4-3 is whatz it gone be

Suns shot the same %. There was over 250 points scored in the game. I don't think the suns can do that every game, but I think Brand can continue to preform the way he did tonight, he is to much of a beast inside for any Suns defender to handle.

Suns shot 55 percent, not 60, which isn't far off from their season average. If the Clippers insist on playing at the Suns' tempo, they WILL lose this series, and they WILL lose it quickly. With Kaman and Brand on that roster and Thomas and Stoudemire currently absent from the Suns', there's no excuse whatsoever for playing a style of basketball you can't possibly succeed at. If they're going to win this series, they have to take the same mentality the Lakers did in the first three games of the opening series and pound the ball inside. It would help if Kaman took the ball strong to the hoop instead of using the patented Kwame Brown "shoot cutesy jump hooks" offensive strategy.

Brand will shoot over 50 percent for the series, no doubt, but he's not going to miss 4 out of 22 shots every night. Please.

The Suns are still very much in danger this series if Dunleavy pulls his head out of his behind and slows the game down, playing to the Clippers' strengths. If they don't, the Suns will score 120 every game this series.

With the Suns defense, Brand is perfectly capable of shooting over 60% for the series. Your right about the rest, it's a matter of who executes the gameplan. Lakers had the right idea, just failed to close them out.

Have to like the way the Mavericks played last night. Game 3 should be interesting. The Pistons are proving why teamwork > than superstars. The Heat are like a team with an identity crisis. Jeffersons health could decide the heats/nets series. Where did Jason Kidd buy his new jumpshot?

mavs vs. clippers
heat vs. pistons

mavs vs. pistons
pistons win

Well you still gotta have talent. While the Cavs have the better star, the Pistons still have more overall talent. That's the reason their winning. You can have the best teamwork in the world, but it wont mean anything unless you have a great amount of talent.

The Pistons may not have a superstar (future hall of famer), but all of the starters are very good players. They arent perenial All-stars, but each guy is good for a few appearances. They're basically as close to superstars as you can get without actually getting there.

It's an amazing team really. And they're going against the trend. Almost every team that ever won the title had a superstar player. If they win the title this year, they will definately be considered a great team historically and people will wonder how they ever did it without a single superstar payer. I dont consider any of those player Hall of Fame caliber, but they might still get in of course.

I agree with you pretty much. I think Ben Wallace and Rip Hamilton could get in some day. Wallace is the yearly favorite for defensive player of the year and dominates that side of the court along with solid rebounding. He is the ultimate blue collar player, I really like his game. Rip is so underrated it's rediculous, he is the 2k version of Reggie Miller/Ray Allen and gets no respect, sad when he does more to fit in with his team than either of those guys ever have.

Mavericks vs Spurs

Last nights game 3 had an amazing 4th quarter. The Spurs made the run and took the lead back, and then the Mavs kept coming back with clutch play after clutch play when it looked like the Spurs had all the momentum. Dirk's ankle got twisted, and Duncan had another amazing game (minus fouling out). Harris looks like he can break any Spurs defender down off the dribble, I wonder if he is going to keep attacking.

Was anyone else wondering why after setting a high pick where a guard would switch off onto Dirk why he didn't make a dash for the post to use his height more effectively?

Anyway, Game 4 should be good. I believe Duncan was quoted as saying it was a must win for the Spurs.

Mavs won last night, so my picks are lookin pretty good right now. Lets go Clippers.

Careful...rasheed already had to eat his words, don' t underestimate the cavs. Pistons look like they might pay for it...

While I am semi-impressed with the Cavs winning two games at home, there is no way they can beat Detroit in Detroit. Until a home team loses a game, the series is just going the way it is supposed to.




So umm... yea the Heat are looking pretty good right now.

This is the Mavs year, in 6 games to win the championship. I don't think we will have a 7 game series. Yes, this is an insane pick. But I will stick with it.

Mavs/Spurs - Mavs in 5
Mavs/Suns - Mavs in 6
Mavs/Pistons/Heat - Mavs in 6

Don't flame until I brick.

Wow, as a Spurs fan this is tough for me to admit, but those of you who picked the Mavs to win may have been spot on. The Mavs have been tough. The last two games have been really close and exciting to watch. The Spurs now have a huge hole to climb out of, but I'm not sure if they can with the Mavs shoveling dirt on them. It ain't over yet, but I think the fat lady is warming up.

Come on 7 game series...

What an AMAZING win for the cavs!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cleveland never relented, this not the same team I watched all year. The D was OUTSTANDING, pretty much from everybody. Detroit was beat at their own game, now 3 straight times. Right from the opening tip, Cleveland WANTED it more.

I'm extremely suprised by the Cavs win. I thought the Pistons would take care of business. The championship is wide open at this point. There's been some great games this year and I think its gonna get better.

Absolutely

What great games tonight

Wow, I'm eatting my words about the Cavs not being able to win in Detroit. They really are peaking at the right time, they look light years ahead of what they were doing in the regular season.

Truth

I definitely thought after game 1 the series was over. The Cavs looked entirely lost. Great heart on their part.

With the Suns defense, Brand pretty much had his way the remainder of the series, scoring at will, because they couldn't match up with him and he's too solid in the low block...and he shot 51% in Games 2-7 combined. In fact, it took a 16-26 game tonight just to get over 50 percent for the series, excluding Game 1.

My hat's still off to the Clippers though. I counted them out much too early, and other than the bookend games of the series, they were the better team. Hopefully Sterling keeps the pieces around and they can make another run next season.

Yea, took a Raja pulling a three out of his butt to send one game to OT or the Clippers move on. The 4 days of rest between game 6 and 7 was a joke though.

Still, both teams should be happy they got as far as they have, I don't see how the Mavericks don't come out of the west now though.