Our East Seed Dont Matter, Just stay ahead of the Lakers !

[danza]

My view is that we will beat (when healthy) all comers in the East regardless of home court.

I think we will need home court to beat the arch enemy however, they have had some nice wins this side of the All Star break and are looking every bit the defending champs. That being said, when we get fully healthy as we saw earlier in the year that this team is capable of some pretty nice ball. I think we are a better team now on paper since the trades I just hope this recent mini slump is not a result of a loss of chemistry. All signs point to tiredness though due to a thin bench. I think we are gonna be right there in June.

[Megatron]

I agree fully.

[anotherbanner]

Agree 100%

[j804]

Shaq or bust, and maybe just maybe throw Rondo in there too 

[P2]

Unless you wish to play Miami followed by Chicago, our seed does matter.

[Chris]

Agree on Chicago.  I am scared to death to lose home court to Miami though. 

The C's are significantly better than Chicago for the playoffs IMO.  The Heat are much scarier, and are a team that thrives off runs, which are always easier to sustain with the energy from the crowd at home. 

[Fafnir]

I want the team to be healthy and playing well going into the playoffs. If they do both of those things they should be the one seed.

We have a game against Chicago that would clinch the tiebreaker and get us one game up on them. Our schedules aren't that different in difficulty. Falling to the 2 or 3 seed wouldn't doom our title chances, but I'd rather have HCA than not.

[Chris]

I want the team to be healthy and playing well going into the playoffs. If they do both of those things they should be the one seed.

We have a game against Chicago that would clinch the tiebreaker and get us one game up on them. Our schedules aren't that different in difficulty. Falling to the 2 or 3 seed wouldn't doom our title chances, but I'd rather have HCA than not.

I agree.  The C's have a very strong chance to get the 1 seed, if they right the ship over the next few games. 

[droopdog7]

I want the team to be healthy and playing well going into the playoffs. If they do both of those things they should be the one seed.

We have a game against Chicago that would clinch the tiebreaker and get us one game up on them. Our schedules aren't that different in difficulty. Falling to the 2 or 3 seed wouldn't doom our title chances, but I'd rather have HCA than not.

I agree.  The C's have a very strong chance to get the 1 seed, if they right the ship over the next few games. 

I largely agree with this idea and have thought this way for a while.  But, with only being two games ahead of the lakers and them peaking the way that they are, it will be no easy task.  We are only two games ahead in the loss column so frankly, we may have to win the east just to stay in front of them.

[KobeShesNotConsenting!]

I've been saying this since day one it's all about LA. Just stay ahead of LA and we're good. miami homecourt does not matter. And as for the bulls, i'll believe it when i see it. If you ask me they're still little brother

[celticinorlando]

you really want to avoid having to play both the Heat and Bulls. I prefer going though orlando and then miami/chicago.

[Chris]

you really want to avoid having to play both the Heat and Bulls. I prefer going though orlando and then miami/chicago.

As much as I am afraid of the Heat, I actually think a series against the Magic would be more physically trying than the Heat.  Howard would really beat up on KG, and they will really have to work hard to stay out on their shooters.  With the Heat, while I think it could be a challenging series to win, we would come out in better shape than we would against the Magic. 

[vinnie]

Lakers only have 4 road games remaining. Unless the Celts right the ship immediately, I think the Lakers will end up with a better record. I also think Dallas could end up with a better record. In the East, I like Chicago for the one, but hope that the Celts can hold off Miami for the 2. Again, though, if they do not immediately right the ship they could easily drop to the 3 spot.

[droopdog7]

you really want to avoid having to play both the Heat and Bulls. I prefer going though orlando and then miami/chicago.

As much as I am afraid of the Heat, I actually think a series against the Magic would be more physically trying than the Heat.  Howard would really beat up on KG, and they will really have to work hard to stay out on their shooters.  With the Heat, while I think it could be a challenging series to win, we would come out in better shape than we would against the Magic. 

This actually makes me wonder a bit.  Anyone think that Orl can pose major problems for Chi and actually beat them?  I know Noah is a good defensive players but he doesn't have nearly the bulk to contain Howard.

And basically, teams that slow down Howard generally have a veri difficult time with the Magic.

[Chris]

you really want to avoid having to play both the Heat and Bulls. I prefer going though orlando and then miami/chicago.

As much as I am afraid of the Heat, I actually think a series against the Magic would be more physically trying than the Heat.  Howard would really beat up on KG, and they will really have to work hard to stay out on their shooters.  With the Heat, while I think it could be a challenging series to win, we would come out in better shape than we would against the Magic. 

This actually makes me wonder a bit.  Anyone think that Orl can pose major problems for Chi and actually beat them?  I know Noah is a good defensive players but he doesn't have nearly the bulk to contain Howard.

And basically, teams that slow down Howard generally have a veri difficult time with the Magic.

Yes, I think they absolutely could.  Noah does not match up well with Howard, and they do not have a ton of depth to handle foul trouble.

Also, Howard's ability to protect the basket will do a lot to take away Rose's drives, and the Bulls may have to rely a little more than they would like on perimeter shooting.