The 2014 Playoffs thread

[fairweatherfan]

Kinda hoping for Durant-LeBron Pt 2 to be honest.  Spurs and Pacers just don't do much for me, especially Indiana.

[Rondo9]

And after all these years...CP3 fails to make it past the second-round, AGAIN.

I wonder what will be the excuse this time.....

[86MaxwellSmart]

The Clippers situation is very shaky....all it's gonna take is one of 2 things for them to be OUT of the playoffs next year.
 Sterling Dragging the League and his team through the mud---and he WILL.
--and/or CP3 getting injured---C's Might be looking at a Lottery Pick.

[SparzWizard]

As long as you still got LeBron James in the playoffs, nobody can stop him. He can only stop himself. Roy Hibbert, Paul George don't have what it takes to stop Miami even though they look like they could. And with Chris Bosh being able to knock down 3's lately, they are in for a full of surprise.

Heat in 5. Pacers win Game 1...before falling apart.

The OKC Thunder is on a roll. Durant with his MVP title with still something to prove. Westbrook playing next to him makes things more dangerous for opposing teams. Tony Parker coming back from an injury. Spurs are just a bunch of old men at the end of the day. They can't stop the explosive youth of Durant/Westbrook/Ibaka.

OKC in 6. Spurs win the first two before losing the next four...same outcome as 2012.

[Rondo9]

They still have Blake Griffin though......

[Ogaju]

CLIPPERS DONE...

I guess the front running Doc Rivers still needs Garnett and Pierce to win him a championship.

Let's be honest, it was really Alvin Gentry that blew it.

Yes it was. He is the brain on that bench. Can we get a squat fist pump.

[CelticSooner]

As long as you still got LeBron James in the playoffs, nobody can stop him. He can only stop himself. Roy Hibbert, Paul George don't have what it takes to stop Miami even though they look like they could. And with Chris Bosh being able to knock down 3's lately, they are in for a full of surprise.

Heat in 5. Pacers win Game 1...before falling apart.

The OKC Thunder is on a roll. Durant with his MVP title with still something to prove. Westbrook playing next to him makes things more dangerous for opposing teams. Tony Parker coming back from an injury. Spurs are just a bunch of old men at the end of the day. They can't stop the explosive youth of Durant/Westbrook/Ibaka.

OKC in 6. Spurs win the first two before losing the next four...same outcome as 2012.

That's a tough series to predict for me. Spurs just won't away quietly no matter the age of their best players. Spurs have the coaching advantage and Thunder the talent advantage. Could see it going either way.

[j804]

^spurs over miami for the championship this year

[dasani]

Hmm...shocked Doc couldnt get more out of this Clippers team. #sarcasm. 

[Moranis]

well with all the drama it still ended up 1 v 2 in the East and 1 v 2 in the West.

[slamtheking]

I'm thinking Heat in 5.  Indy's been too inconsistant in the playoffs despite pulling it together against Washington.

not sure who I want coming out of the West.  SAS has the experience and better depth but OKC's top 3 can offset Miami's top 3.  OKC just doesn't have the depth to handle Miami's other players.

tough call on that but I think Miami ends up beating whichever one wins simply because those guys have had a tougher road to the finals --> scenario much like the early 80's with Lakers having the easy playoff matchups compared to the Celtics and Sixers beating on each other (and having to go through a tough Milwaukee team too)

[CelticG1]

Good news for the clippers is that after 3 years of playoff failures and excuses they still have plenty of excuses this year to exempt Chris Paul that people will love to jump on.

1. Chris Paul was playing injured!! (like every year)

2. Donald Sterling! Etc.

3. They got screwed by the refs in game 5!

Im sure there are others. Maybe new coach? New players? Bad match up?

Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are completely overrated

[D.o.s.]

CLIPPERS DONE...

I guess the front running Doc Rivers still needs Garnett and Pierce to win him a championship.

Let's be honest, it was really Alvin Gentry that blew it.

TP 


I wanted a Clips win to see that series go to seven -- that was probably the best set of games of the entire playoffs (even if they completely destroyed my sleep schedule).

Re: Paul, I think JVG summed it up pretty well when he said that Paul's one of the greatest players of the era, and his lack of postseason success doesn't diminish his greatness at all -- it illustrates how hard is is to make it to the conference finals in the playoffs, especially in the West.

The first and the second seeds are the only teams left. That speaks volumes.

[saltlover]

I've said for months that I would take any team who made the playoffs in the West, 1 through 8, over whoever came out of the east.  I still think that, although my prediction is a lot less bold now that it's just the top 2 teams out west.

Only exception is if the refs give it to Miami, although OKC has been pretty favored by the officials in the playoffs so far.

[CelticG1]

Doc Rivers saying he is under contract and expects to be back?

Yeah thats believable. And what does under contract have to do with anything??