This striker is a bit of a monster

Chapter 282 Prediction of 08-09 Playoff Matches

With the end of the last game of each team, the curtain of the 2008-2009 regular season journey has officially come to an end. There are 14 teams officially ending the journey of this season, and 16 teams are about to compete for the O'Brien Cup. Start a sprint.

In the East, the seventh Chicago Bulls and the No.8 Philadelphia 76ers all lost in the last game.

Therefore, the specific ranking is also out.

No. 66 in the East: Cleveland Cavaliers, 16 wins and [-] losses.

Second in the East: Boston Celtics, 62 wins and 20 losses.

Third in the East: Orlando Magic, 59 wins and 23 losses.

Fourth in the East: Charlotte Bobcats, 51 wins and 31 losses.

Fifth in the East: Atlanta Hawks, 46 wins and 36 losses.

Sixth in the East: Miami Heat, 42 wins and 30 losses.

Seventh in the Eastern Conference: Chicago Bulls, 41 wins and 41 losses.

Eighth in the East: Philadelphia 76ers, 41 wins and 41 losses.

On the west side, with the loss of the Houston Rockets and the win of the San Antonio Spurs, the 3-4 battle was also taken by the San Antonio Spurs to the third place in the West, and the San Antonio Spurs in odd-numbered years have never been It's annoying.

The New Orleans Hornets and the Utah Jazz lost together, allowing the 6-7 competition to end with the New Orleans Hornets ranking sixth.

The most tragic is the eighth competition in the Western Conference. The Oklahoma City Thunder lost, the Phoenix Suns won, and the Portland Trail Blazers, who finished the schedule ahead of schedule, all scored 46 wins and 36 losses.

Relying on a higher winning percentage in the Western Division, the Phoenix Suns finally advanced in a thrilling manner, while the young Thunder and Trail Blazers finally regretted withdrawing from the playoffs.

The specific ranking is as follows:

No. 65 in the Western Conference: Los Angeles Lakers, 17 wins and [-] losses.

Second in the West: Denver Nuggets, 54 wins and 28 losses.

Third in the West: San Antonio Spurs, 54 wins and 28 losses.

Fourth in the West: Houston Rockets, 53 wins and 29 losses.

Fifth in the West: Dallas Mavericks, 50 wins and 32 losses.

Sixth in the West: New Orleans Hornets, 49 wins and 33 losses.

Seventh in the Western Conference: Portland Trail Blazers, 48 ​​wins and 34 losses.

Eighth in the West: Phoenix Suns, 46 wins and 36 losses.

At the same time as all the matchups came out, major sports websites and media including ESPN, Yahoo Sports, and Sports Illustrated also put forward their own predictions and opinions on the 8 matchups as in previous years.

Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 76 in the Eastern Conference) [home] VS Philadelphia [-]ers [away].

Although the operation of the Cleveland Cavaliers' management is still a mystery, LeBron James has undoubtedly reached his peak period. Coupled with the defense provided by the old Pistons brought from Chicago, Ben Wallace, the Cavaliers It is stronger than the year when they lost to the Spurs two years ago. 66 wins are not only the number one record in the league today, but also the best record in the history of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Second, second only to the Los Angeles Lakers, who are also thriving.

And their opponent, the Philadelphia 76ers, entered the playoffs as the eighth place in the Eastern Conference for two consecutive years, but no expert is optimistic that this team can win a victory in the playoffs.

Although they introduced Elton Brand this season, Elton Brand averaged 13.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. I am really sorry for his big contract of more than 8000 million. After a serious injury, this The Beast, who used to fly to the sky, has also become a floor player. In addition, Iguodala, who was established as the new king after Iverson left, although he scored 18.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists, no matter from what point of view. Look, Iguodala is not like a player who can solve problems at critical moments. This overly average or even mediocre team seems to be difficult to go far in the playoffs, so this round of the series is considered to be It was a 4-0 without any suspense.
Boston Celtics ([-]nd in the East) [H] VS Chicago Bulls ([-]th in the East) [Away]

This round of the series is also considered to have the same ending as the Cavaliers and the 76ers. As the defending champion Boston Celtics, although the Big Three are one year older, despite the repeated injuries of the Big Three in the regular season this season , but they still won a 60+ season again, and the Boston Celtics, the No.3 predicted champion, still had a strong impact in the playoffs when the Big Three returned. Will work hard to win a championship.

On the other hand, their opponents, the Chicago Bulls, even though they won the No. [-] pick last offseason and got the future son of the Windy City, Derrick Rose, this is Derrick Rose's first playoff game after all. The quality of the players' playoff attributes is obviously somewhat insufficient.

However, there are still many commentators who believe that the Chicago Bulls may probably win 1-2 playoff games by relying on their impact.

Orlando Magic ([-]rd in East) [H] VS Miami Heat ([-]th in East) [Away]

This is another series with little suspense. With Dwight Howard winning the All-Star ticket and the stable output of data this season, Howard is the only player in the league who can replace LeBron alone. The remarks, coupled with the outside shooters, the Orlando Magic have a strong competitiveness in the East, and there is also the possibility of a real arm wrestling with the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In addition, although the Miami Heat have squeezed into the playoffs, this has nothing to do with Michael Beasley, the second overall pick last year. Beasley's height makes Beasley unable to adapt to the NBA environment in many cases , although they traded Marion for Jermaine O'Neal in the middle of the season, but this O'Neal is not as good as Bio's Neal, with an average of 13 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, he is not even as good as the undrafted Haslemu. Yes, this former All-Star has reached the end of the day, and it is difficult to expect him to have the ability to make a final decision in the playoffs. The only good thing is the team's ace. Playing and stopping for the last season, Dwyane Wade has fully recovered his health. He played 06 games in the regular season and created the most appearances in a single season in his career, and averaged 07 points per game. king.

The shortcomings of the lineup are too obvious. How to limit Dwight Howard is still a huge problem. Neither Jermaine O'Neal nor Udonis Haslem seem to be able to limit Dwight Howard's performance. What the Heat can rely on here is the Flash Wade who once performed miracles in 06.

And the answer given by most of the ball critics is 4-1 or 4-2, which may win one or two games, and it will also give enough face to the season's scoring champion.

Charlotte Bobcats (Fourth in the East) [Home] VS Atlanta Hawks (Fifth in the East) [Away]

The only most suspenseful game here in the East should be the Charlotte Bobcats and the Atlanta Hawks. The two teams have similar records, and the lineups are also half a catty. Both teams are more respectful outside teams, and the forward position They are all equipped with good players. Of course, the Eagles are stronger at the back line. Mike Bibby and this season's All-Star player Joe Johnson can be said to have suppressed Raymond Phil on paper. The combination of Donton + Brandon Roy, the 30-year-old Mike Bibby is in the golden age of a point guard. As a point guard, unless Zhou Lin is compared, otherwise, Xia The Lottery Bobcats are definitely at the level of complete defeat. Brandon Roy and Joe Johnson have vaguely had a 21.4-4.4 situation. Of course, the 5.8-year-old Eagle King with 27 points + 18.2 rebounds + 3.9 assists Still have to slightly press Brandon Roy with 3.2 points + [-] rebounds + [-] assists, but Brandon Roy is still on the uphill road.

The striker position has become the throat of the confrontation between the two teams. Whether Josh Smith can defend Zhou Lin has also become one of the main points of this round of confrontation. Of course, the two teams clashed 08 times in the 09-4 season. The Charlotte Bobcats won three of them, and the only loss was when Zhou Lin was a little bit guarded by Josh Smith.

As for the inside line, the combination of Emeka Okafor and Roy Hibbert (Yi Jianlian) basically has a [-]-[-] situation with the combination of Marvin Williams + Robin Lopez. Injuries are a problem, and Hibbert and Yi Jianlian are playing in the playoffs for the first time, and whether they can have a stable output is also inconclusive.

The result of the game given by ESPN is: 4-3, the Charlotte Bobcats with home court advantage escaped danger!

Compared to the eastern side, except for the undetermined game between the Bobcats and the Eagles, other situations where the strengths and weaknesses are clear, the western side can be described as a mess.

In addition to the Los Angeles Lakers, who dominate the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets, second in the West, only have 54 wins, while the Phoenix Suns, eighth in the West, have 46 wins, and the difference in wins is only 4 games.

Los Angeles Lakers (No. [-] in the Western Conference) [Host] VS Phoenix Suns (Eighth in the Western Conference) [Away]

This is also the fourth consecutive year that the Lakers have met the Phoenix Suns in the playoffs. Unfortunately, the situation of the two teams has completely changed compared to three or four years ago.

The powerful Los Angeles Lakers, the combination of Kobe + Gasol, is getting better and better. This season is also known as the number one favorite to win the championship. After the return of the Utah Jazz, the 34-year-old old fish is still supporting the Los Angeles Lakers with experience The team's organizational line.

Of course, this is also a relatively weak part of the current Los Angeles Lakers team.

Pau Gasol, who has integrated into the system, and the growing Shark Bynum, can be said to be the best combination of inside twin towers in the league.

And Pau Gasol, who is good at coping, let the Zen master Phil Jackson who regained the triangle offense finally found a chance to flex his muscles.

In addition, Luke Walton, Trevor Ariza, and other players with good combat power are sitting on the bench.

And the two heavens of ice and fire are that the Phoenix Suns are going through a painful transition period.

Despite being on the last train of the playoffs, the problems exposed by the Suns are also serious.

The lineup is seriously aging. The 36-year-old O'Neal averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, which is the best regular season data in the past four years. The Suns' doctors can bring O'Neal back to life, but they still can't bring him back to his youth.

Also troubled is Steve Nash, whose 15.7 points + 9.7 assists still put him within the range of the league's first-line point guards, but his degraded offensive ability and already weak defense will further improve in the playoffs. It can be said that the window for Steve Nash to win the championship as a core player has been closed.

In addition, there are injuries. Stoudemire has only played 52 games this season, which is also a new low since entering three years.

For various reasons, it is impossible for the Suns to wrestle with the thriving Los Angeles Lakers.

And this is also a set of matchups that all experts believe will be swept 4-0.

Denver Nuggets (No. [-] in the West) [Host] VS Utah Jazz (No. [-] in the West) [Guest]

The arrival of Billups brought the Denver Nuggets from a playoff team to a championship-level team. His arrival brought order to the chaotic Denver. .

JR. Smith, Nene, Kenyon Martin, Kleiza, and other players form the Denver Athletic Team, not afraid of the devil's home court in the Northwest Plateau.

Of course, the new Utah Shuangsha still possesses great power. This team with average talent but strict discipline and strong tenacity under Sloan's training will create huge obstacles for the opponent.

4-3!

Most ball commentators believe that this will be an extremely difficult matchup. The Nuggets will finally rely on their home court advantage to win this round of the series at the Pepsi Center, but some people believe that the Jazz will play in the first round. Black 7 miracle.

San Antonio Spurs (third in the West) [home] VS New Orleans Hornets (sixth in the West) [away]

This is also a more stalemate playoff format. The San Antonio Spurs in odd-numbered years are terrible. In the last odd-numbered year, they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers and gave James a humiliating 4-0 finals. , The existence of GDP keeps them in the championship queue, and they are also the team with the second odds of winning the Western Conference, second only to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Of course, the New Orleans Hornets are not vegetarian. Chris Paul has grown into the league's number one point guard, putting Nash, Deron, and Kidd under him. When they met the Mavericks in the first round last year, , Everyone thought that the Mavericks would stage a black seven, but unfortunately, Chris Paul, who played in the playoffs for the first time, led his Hornets to a clean 4-1 victory over the Dallas Mavericks led by Nowitzki.

In the Western Conference semifinals last year, it took the San Antonio Spurs seven games to finally get rid of the young New Orleans Hornets. In this year's series, it is still not easy for the Spurs to pass.

The prediction given by experts is still 4-3, and many experts still give the Hornets will win 4-3.
Houston Rockets ([-]th in the West) [H] VS Dallas Mavericks ([-]th in the West) [Away]

The Yao-Mike combination has been unable to break through the shackles of the first round of the playoffs. When the Houston Rockets first formed the Yao-Mike combination, they played the playoffs for the first time against the Dallas Mavericks. With a 2-0 start, Being overturned by the latter, it was a pity to lose the tiebreaker by a big score, and to this day, neither of them has ever been cursed in the first round of adobe.

Of course, since the 67-win Dallas Mavericks were blacked out by the Golden State Warriors, they have suffered a huge blow both psychologically and from the management level. In the past two years, it has been a completely tepid situation.

However, this season's Dallas Mavericks brought in Jason Kidd, a veteran of the team, which can be regarded as strengthening the shortest shortcoming, and Nowitzki is still at his personal peak.

As for this set of duels, the experts gave the score as 4-2 or 4-3. The Dallas Mavericks can win the next game. It is also a set of matchups that are rated as having a high probability of the next game among all playoff matchups.

(End of this chapter)