Welcome To The 1980's

Well the Finals are set. Boston vs. L.A. Sometimes I wonder if we will ever see a non-L.A. or S.A. champion. Other than a Miami and Detroit oddball set of winners, all we've seen in the past 20 years has been Lakers, Spurs, Rockets and Bulls winning it all and its just DAMN depressing. Perhaps this is why the NFL is the most popular sport in our country. Anyone can win it all on any given year (with or without cheating). All my complaining aside, I will watch this series with great interest. Paul Pierce vs. Kobe, Pau vs. KG, great bench vs. great bench. It's a good match up of the best basketball talent in all of the world. Most in the U.S. would argue that the NCAA Final Four is the epitome of basketball. I argue that if you want basketball talent, you watch the NBA. If you want basketball hustle, college is the way to go. It is interesting though that the basketball offering more hustle does play a third less games than the other.

Enough blabbering, I need to make some predictions. In the regular season, Boston dominated the Lakers twice by an average margin of victory at 15 points. Throw that stat out the window immediately as Pau Gasol happened to be playing in Memphis while those 2 games took place. Another thing I want to touch on is that I constantly hear that if Kobe wins this title, he will have done it by himself. Or that L.A. is the favorite in this series. This could not be farther from the truth. Pau Gasol is easily one of the top 5 big men in the league as seen from his performance against Tim Duncan. Not only can he score in many different ways, but he passes even better than Shaq did in his prime. Throw in Lamar Odom, one of the most versatile players in the league and 3 spot up dead eye three ball shooters (Rad, Sash, Farmar) and Kobe clearly has more help than any of those champion Jordan Bulls teams. I did predict the Pistons to win it all over the Lakers, but I did not foresee Rip hurting an elbow, and Billups pulling a disappearing act. Defense wins championships, and Boston brings it like a 1980's LT Giants squad. GO CELTS!

Boston in 6

"You're 11 minutes late, the office handles absences"

Alright Mrs. Campbell, here's my essay. I know I'm a little late, but I've got a good excuse because I've been somewhat busy landing a spacecraft on Mars*. Although I guess I'm more than 10 minutes late so it's technically an absence and I should just go to the office. Oh yeah, since it sounds like Davis isn't going to leave GS, I decided to write about something else.

Soul-Sucking Fiends: The San Antonio Spurs
By Michael Pugh

It's hard to stay very engaged in the playoffs when the exciting teams keep losing. No matter how many times your hear analysts say "defense wins championships," it doesn't make it any easier to accept, and even though I know that they are simply trying to win, and doing an annoyingly good job of it, I find myself channeling all my anger at the Spurs. Watching your favorite teams face the Spurs is like playing Magic cards or boat racing against Jim, there are two inevitable truths: they will beat you, and they will do it in the most unexciting yet effective way. Too many times have I seen San Antonio take my basketball dreams and slowly and methodically grind them to death. Which brings me to my thesis: the San Antonio Spurs are the dementors of the NBA, slowly sucking all the avidity and joy from you until you are left a broken shell of a person, unable to imagine ever enjoying the sport of basketball again.
Rather than writing a body for this essay to back up my claim, I submit only pictural evidence. Below is a picture of Time Duncan hitting that disgusting, pigeon-toed three pointer from an angle you may not have seen before. I believe it speaks for itself.


* Check out this photo. Look at the guy on the far right leaning against the console...it's me! And yes, I did single handedly land the lander on Mars, that's why I'm so prominent in the picture.

Since It Is Also Hockey Season...

I thought I could post a short video on our nation's 8th favorite sport.




NHL Star Called Up To Big Leagues To Play For NFL Team

MJ-G'd

-I apologize for the 40 hour work week... i will do what i can to make up for a busy-poot. I am going to Uruguay for a week tomorrow, but when i come back i'll have a good post

- A once time mid-day espn fanatic on lazy summers, I know my PTI's, ART, and especially the absolute worthless piece of shit, 1st and 10.
My back to the future list of who i would go back in time to murder for the good of mankind would have to be 1. Skip Bayless 2.George Bush 3.Iggy Pierson-Pooh 4. Patrick O'Bryant 5.The perez's for burning the Buick

Despite Skip Bayless being my least favorite person on the face of the earth, whenever Jemelle Hill was on his showcase, she consistently out-did his exploitive fabricated stupidity. Well thanks to Boston Sports, we have a kind critique of one of her pieces for page 2 espn... which makes me think of how obsolete page 2 is now obsolete with such an expert blogosphere on the internet these days... Ironically, Bill Simmons contract extension is going to look eerily similar to Emeka Okafor's which he he constantly rips on. Time to face the music Bill, you are relegated to CelticsBlog

- Welcome to Isla Vista Joakhim Noah

- Heard a critique that last year OJ Mayo went from being an "put out of position at SG deemed biggest let-down at the beginning of the NCAA season" to best player in best conference in america." We're looking at a star here folks.

-I watched Hoop Dreams for the first time last week, can't even begin to describe how special it is...

-I want your opinion poot but biggest bust in this years draft? De'andre Jordan.
Andrew Bynum succeeded because of his unbeatable circumstances amongst a basketball guru-god, kobe bryant, and kareem. D'Andre? Every bunch of Draft years have their fads... The last few years it has been finding the new Dirk, Now it's the search for Deron and Paul, and the aforementioned prototypical Bynum. Will probably continue for a while with his success in the coming years...

-Ironically, with Bargnani's stinkiness, the Dirk age may slowing down significantly, but an interesting take on a CAL boy's unfair American rep. Can't find the article but Ryan Anderson could be dangerous in the NBA.




Hasta luegito varones....

Bill Walton Out For Season

Just as he did many times throughout his playing days, everyone's favorite ginger is out for the rest of post season basketball with a severe back injury. His son Luke left us some commentary...
"There was a period where he would get up at 5 in the morning, roll over on the floor, and stay there the rest of the day," Walton says. "He couldn't do anything. I felt so bad for him."
I also feel bad for Mr. Walton and his presence will be missed during the NBA finals. His soliloquies on Brian Shaw's greatness and discussions with John Wooden or The Greatful Dead will be absent from my ears and it saddens me greatly. Here is a sample of some of the brilliance that will be missed...

Ridiculous Upside

I am sorry Alex, while you are lounging around on Argentinian beaches all day with your laptop, checking out las chicas and flexing your pectorals at them with a savvy look of lust on your face, the rest of us have been working 40 hours a week. Sadly, when I do have time to internet it, I must blast through TrueHoop and Ball Don't Lie, while listening to 50 minutes of The Basketball Jones and Good Knowledge with Gary Radnich and Tony Bruno. This hasn't been leaving me with a lot of time to contribute. Fear not though, as my summer school classes begin next week and my schedule opens enough to allow me time to contribute to this epic blog.

A note to the writers: word on the street is that up to 10 people other than the 3 of us actually read this blog with some regularity. We will soon be considered up there with elite blogs such as TrueHoop, BDL, Blowtorch, Deadspin and Hardwood Paroxysm.

So I feel like jumping on a completely different tangent. My friend Ken decided to move to Las Vegas to pursue a career as a professional poker player. He is living out of The Sahara for the next couple weeks before attempting to find an apartment. He sits down at a poker table at The Bellagio and looks over to the person sitting next to him. It's a large black man but he doesn't really make out who it is because he is wearing sunglasses INSIDE a casino. (I guess that's what the great ones do) After about an hour of concentrating on his poker, he finally takes off his glasses to get a good look at who is sitting next to him. To his surprise, it is our very own Frank Thomas of the Oakland Athletics. Ken asked him why he was playing poker when he is set to make 9 million dollars this year. Frank's reply was that his wife (who is allegedly hotter than all hell) is obsessed with blackjack so he plays poker to pass the time. Between one of my friend's meeting Al Harrington at a Vegas nightclub, and this incident, I think it is about time for me to take a little trip to Vegas. Maybe I can meet up with Reggie Miller and pour some Grey Goose down some girl's throat.

I thought that everyone would be interested in a new blog started by a respected writer in the blogging community named Matt from Hardwood Paroxysm. It's called Ridiculous Upside and it focuses entirely on the future of the NBA, including in depth analysis on NBDL, Euro, and College Basketball players.

This video reminded me of time we went to Ukiah to watch Jackass The Movie and they wouldn't let me or Alex into the theater. I eventually got in despite the ID fiasco but Alex was not allowed into the Jackass theater because they were checking tickets. I forget which movie you saw instead, but I am sure it was a gem. Hopefully this video will lighten your mood...

Buddha and the Heir of Jelly-Bean

It's has happened once already... a young man seemingly sent by the gods, was ready to plunge in molten lava an unstoppable man eating cyborg. Chris Paul took it to 7 and we know he will have innumerable more shots to do it again, but here we sit once again at a 2-0 World Vs. San Antonio lead, and I think to myself, am i naive enough to expect it to happen again?

Yes... I do, and it is absolutely disgusting to think that the Lakers will get Andrew Bynum back next year. A caller on the Basketball Jones said today that the reasons why dynasties are so great is because it provides so much passion to see them fall. Well... Tim Duncan and company will keep coming back year after year for this trophy and I definitely won't count them out, but its easy to see with this cast, Kobe is going to make the second half of his career possibly the most successful in NBA history.

Poot... and Sir Michael especially... you are failing to contribute to this blog, therefore, I, Kim Campbell, are assigning you a 4 paragraph essay on how much it hurt ever bone in your body to hear that Baron and Monta are inquiring into the New York Knicks and their new coach Mike D an Bony.

And if you're tardy you can go talk to Judy or Rebecca in the office...

The Lottery

The lottery/draft is my favorite part of my favorite sport. The innocent world of college basketball clashes with the big bad NBA, and from there we not only look for our respective team needs, but also the future of our cinderella darlings we've seen nurtured since Dick Vitale first called them Diaper Dandies, (ACC only).

It all began for me when shooting baskets on a May evening, my father running out the door ecstatic that the warriors got the first pick of the '95 draft (then during the conference final half). "What's the lottery?" I asked. I would come to learn that the ping-pong balls signify a beautiful process of selection which unlike the NFL and NHL drafts, rely on rabbit foots and clovers, and not ultimate loser-dom.

The NBA Draft, head to toe, is a scroll of hope for any NBA fan. The Ginobili's, Monta's, and Boozer's will always stay fresh in our minds as to why the second round can be just as important as the first, but in all seriousness the draft is as much a franchise maker as it can be a breaker... Golden State '95 Joe Smith, Marvin Williams '05

To me however, this whole process begins with Big Monday, the Maui Open/Jimmy V Classic, Big East, Conference Tourney Brackets, roaring arenas, and of course, Jay Bilas, Andy Katz, Doug Gotlieb, and everyone's favorite, Steve Lavin. Here we begin our infatuation with all the college youngsters who tear up the hard-wood in winter, show us their true form in spring, and then dare to take their frat pool jumping/groupie loving/salary earning ego's to the temple of basketball hierarchy, where Sam Cassell posts you up, and Gary Payton calls you a white boy.

It is here, where the magic ends. Our little Rudys often get lost on the bench, are reduced to role-players, or go to see Harold and Kumar with Gilbert Arenas and lose game 7 to the Cavs (thank you Nick Young). Innocence is lost in the big leagues, and despite this well-known fact, many freshman are entering this merciless business.

So now, Jay Bilas, we are ready for your descriptions of player's "up-side" and incredible "length", and we will not be daunted by Stephen A. Smith's dwindling yet still obnoxious analysis on a league he doesn't follow. We are ready for the Lopez twins to set back 2 franchises, along with Mayo, Rose, Beasley, and Alexander to make a few... Yes, We are ready for the NBA Draft.

Ironically, as I am sitting here, watching Tim Legler and Stephen A. Smith, on a bootlegged feed, to my hair-pulling reaction, he has started changing his channel and decided on Sundance film. Hey, at least it's better than Chinese or Argentine broadcasting of a game.

This just in Chicago #1... I'll leave it to you Poot

We got a month to figure this out...

Early Conference Finals Picks

Just finished watching the Spurs do there thing to the Hornets which wasn't very fun at all. To be completely honest, most of the second half was spent watching a Dateline NBC Special with my roommate called "Murder, At 45 Feet..." a fantastic piece of journalism I might add. On to my picks for next round.

Detroit vs. Boston

I saw too many flaws in Boston's game vs. the Cavs and I think that Detroit will exploit every one of them to their fullest. Detroit is an even better defensive team, and Tayshaun can defend Pierce even better than Lebron did. Everyone knows Rasheed loves a challenge, so I can see him stepping up his D on Garnett. With a combo of Rip, Stuckey and Afflalo chasing Ray Allen around, I think they will irritate his already broken jump shot even more. My championship pick from the very beginning prevails.

Prediction: Detroit in 6

San Antonio vs. Los Angeles

Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I greatly despise these two teams for various reasons. Personally, if both of these teams lost, I would be happy. This series will rehash my Red Sox vs. Yankees feelings which could result in remotes or assorted small objects being thrown through my television. As far as basketball goes in this series, I think it will take 2 games for the Spurs to figure out a way to guard Kobe Bryant. Same scenario as with Chris Paul in the Conference Semis. At this point, the series will turn to San Antonio before Pau Gasol leads a valiant effort to secure the Lakers a place in the finals. Key match up that I will be watching...Derrick Fisher vs. Tony Parker. Kobe, Pau, Duncan, and Ginobili will get theirs. But which of the 2 point guards will come up big? The one that does holds the key to this series.

Prediction: Lakers in 7

Reggie just being Reggie!

Law and Order

-Reggie Miller like you would never imagine. Link

-Mr. Clutch's response to the images on The Dan Patrick Show




-Someone needs to make a sound board, this is ssoooo bad...

Dan Patrick: Have you seen the pictures on the internet?
Reggie Miller: You talkin to me?
DP: Yeah
RM: YEAH! *bewildered 60 yr old woman*
DP: The Vodka... have you seen those pictures?
RM: yyeeaaahhh *subdued muppet*
DP: Who's taking the pictures?
RM: I have no idea... *sensual whisper*
DP: How did they end up on the internet?
RM: DO I REALLY CARE? *sarcastic teenage girl

If only Roger Clemons had mastered Reggies subtle voice cues, maybe they would have dropped his charges

Cavs-Celtics Game 7

S.A. Spurs...The NBA's Gingers

Cartman said it best on his Ginger project. Ewww, sick, gross. Thats what the Spurs make me feel like when I watch them. Robert Horry is a dirty dirty player too. Some people are saying that he couldn't have meant to injure David West last night but I disagree. He is too smart of a player, and the extension of his hands deep into David's lower back on a completely unnecessary back screen is just too much evidence for me. I'm going to spend the next 3 days praying that the Hornets can win game 7, but I have seen this scenario play out many times in the last 9 years, and I sadly think that the Spurs are going to squeak this one out.


Update: I was thinking you should add a stick of salami to the title page.

Ass-Stalking

I remember last year hearing that lil romeo signed on to play USC basketball and I was a little perplexed... was it the fame or skills that got him into this desirable position.

Apparently Master P, after having befriended all-american recruit Demar Derozan, called Tim Floyd and told him that he could have Derozan if he signed his son also. 2 full-ride scholarships for 1 future nba'er. Nick Young, Gabe Pruitt, Lodrick Stewart, OJ Mayo, Demar Derozan, "Oh no Tina, i don't need a girlfriend".


* Why is Wally still in the league? To be Lebron's ass-stalker? He seriously has to be the worst player on one of the most nauseatingly boring teams. Which brings me to the question, is anyone ever going to be able to co-exist with Lebron successfully?


*Cocaine Blunts & Hip Hop Tapes

-Solid Hip-Hop/Rap Blog for new releases

Feliz Cumpleaños Señora Wakefield

Alex, that collage is awesome! It’s like a Where’s Waldo of our senior/sophomore year!

I love the pictures of Iggy (or at least his stunt double). Iggy is a HUGE Cowboys fan and, given the chance, he would attack Baron Davis’s ear.

I also think you really captured the essence of Nate…A’s hat with Pacer earrings, chewing on whatever he can get his hands on (a bottle in this case), next to a case of mixed donuts! (“I only like the chocolate kind…unless you piss me off, then I’ll lock myself in the car and eat them all.”)

And Nate, there’s so much more to that picture than just the Whammy Stick. Alicia, Karren, and Brad send their love ;) I can’t believe you still have that picture Al, it has to be your facebook profile pic.

Anyways, hope you had a great 21^st!

P.S. I still think you should forget working with wine and become a graphics artist.

From Smilez to Mayo

This epic blog needed a fitting banner, however, it will need to have made to it some adjustments before it's ready for primetime...

*Probably already read this but check this OJ mayo analysis...

* The first thing that jumped out was OJ's lack of flexibility and single leg stability when going through the dynamic stretch. Having a powerful body and a man's build I expected the body control and range that matched a scorer of that type (most prolific scorer’s possess and master these exercises)

* He was a pleasure to coach and I took the time to run him into the ground for about an hour and a half. His skill set has solid with the natural problem that young talented powerful players fight. Those problems were the ability to change speed, lowering the hips on moves, decelerating to finish, and core rotation coordination. With dead legs OJ continued to fire NBA threes with ease while he screamed at his partner for ending his efforts early.

* OJ Mayo’s career should fall somewhere between Kobe and Ray Allen. He is not afraid of work and loves a challenge. For those who question his college career remember that his worst game of the year was against Russell Westbrook who is also a lottery pick. Compared to Rose you have to take a long look at supporting casts an the answer lies within.

This article seems pretty revealing in the fact this guy has trained with him, obviously can see he isn't super man, but realizes how insane of a scorer he is going to be... I don't know if you have read this mock draft yet, but it is the best i have seen so far... http://veganfishtacos.wordpress.com/2008/05/06/new-nba-mock-drafts-and-draft-board/

It goes on to say that Bayless and Gordon are highly over-rated, and although he has kyle singler in his top 10 which is ludicrous, he's got Mayo, Curry, James Harden, and Kevin Love, and Blake Griffin in the top 11.

Kevin Love will be an asset to and with James Harden and Blake Griffin tearing up the Pac 10 and Big 10 respectively, these will be big time players in the league...

The big point I want to make is with the D'Antoni era in New York beginning... they've got some big choices to make in the draft... Mayo should go to New York, Lebron is coming in 2010, and while Mayo is learning the ropes next year, they will have a semi-shitty record and along comes Mr. Curry to man the point.

New York Knickerbockers
2010-2013 Squad

Pg: Stephen Curry
Sg: OJ Mayo
Sf: Lebron James
Pf: David Lee/Ronaldo Balkman
C: Jerome James... no idea, don't care, they'll trade for josh smith

Won't happen but it can't hurt to dream... Love Pain Misssstakes... It's Poot's World

The New Homepage

Thanks to Alex, the birthday boy, we have a new incredible picture headlining the blog.  It says, "It's Poot's World, We're Just Living In It," so I guess I will officially change that to the title of the blog.  We now look like an official blog!  I mean, check out what Basketbawful's website looks like.  P.S. If anyone knows how to center that picture on the front page, please go right ahead and do it. You all know my username and password.  Some of my favorite pictures on this collage of excellence are....

+ Mike's old Buick Century (RIP): Drove the 3 of us around Boonville for a year, and the 2 of you, much longer.

+ NHL Hitz man: The greatest video game not known to man.

+ Free Birdman logo next to a Yoohoo bottle: The two are unrelated, and bland looking, but they mean so much.

+ Mugshot of Smilez and Southstar: Wow, where did you ever find that picture? Nothing says Thug Life quite like "Love, hate, mistakes, TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK IS GOIN' ON!!!!"

+ Brian Butch crying with his dislocated elbow: Sadly I don't hate him as much as I used to after meeting him, and having him coach one of my adult league basketball games.  He's actually a really nice guy.

+ Alex holding the Whammy Stick: The cause of at least 37 conflicts at the Pugh residence.  

AHHHH, They all have so much meaning and a long story behind them!  Thank you Alex for increasing the beauty of the homepage by 500%.

A Tribute To The Birthday Boy, And Josh Smith

Happy Birthday young Alex. I don't exactly remember what we did for your birthday, but I think I might recall a birthday dinner made by Mrs. Wakeman, of tacos or burritos at your house. Mike or Alex, clarification please.

On a completely different note, I was looking over the season stats on espn.com and I couldn't help but notice that Josh Smith from the Hawks was in the Top 5 for both blocks and steals. That seemed a little odd to me. You usually see a Top 5 of guards for steals, and bigs for blocks, but this SF had managed to top both of the lists. I also noticed that he was able to contribute on the glass and dish out his fair share of passes.

Which leads me to my visit to basketball-reference.com. I was wondering, how many players have put together a type of season like this, one where they load up the stat sheets with blocks, steals, assists and rebounds (he also averages 17.7ppg). The site has a cool little device that allowed me to put in the conditions for the type of year I wanted to see. Mine were: Find players that have had > 270 assists, > 660 rebounds, >225 blocks and > 120 steals in one NBA season. It searched through NBA history and found only 5 seasons where only 3 different players have ever racked up this range of stats in those large of amounts. These 3 players are Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, AND Josh Smith. Here are the results if you are interested.

His season was of the caliber that gets you into the Hall of Fame. I watched a couple of Josh's high school games, and knew that I was seeing something special athletically. I just didn't realize he also had the NBA mind to back it up. It takes a lot of angle reading, timing, and athleticism to put yourself in good position to rack up a fair share of blocks and steals, and Josh can do it with the best of them. The thing that makes Josh more intriguing from the other two players on this list is that he is a SF. With Hakeem and David, they were thrown in the middle of the paint near the basket and asked to swat everything away. The steals they accumulated came mostly from bad entry passes to big men. Not an incredibly athletic feat. Josh comes from help position to get a majority of his blocks, and steals. His timing must be impeccable, and his athleticism, world class.

What impresses me just as much, is that he did it at the age of 22. He hasn't even come close to reaching the peak of his NBA career (assuming he stays away from major injuries). To top everything else off, he rebounds, and he hands out assists. This spectrum of statistical dominance has never been seen before from any position other than centers. And when it was seen by centers Hakeem and David, they just happened to end up in the Hall of Fame. So I guess what I am trying to say is that Josh Smith is a one of a kind player, something this league has never seen before in its history. He combines the brains with the brawn, and puts it to work on the defensive side of the floor. This summer, with Josh as an unrestricted free agent, look for him to get PAID.

Here are the 10 blocks he had against Dallas in one game. Notice how he comes from help side defense for a majority of them...

Playoff Notes

+ Boston is doing an amazing job on Lebron but I do not foresee them holding him down much longer. A lot of his misses would either be off of bad bounces, or he would miss jump shots right after missing shots that got a bad bounce. Mostly just a series of unfortunate events resulting in a massive bout with frustration. Don't get me wrong, I think Boston plays great team defense, they just won't be able to hold down the King much longer.

+ It's fun to watch Chris Paul go to work because your natural instinct is to watch the guy holding the ball. And on an average Hornet possession, he has the ball 50% of the time. Next time you watch the Hornets, keep an eye on Tyson Chandler. He is so smart without the ball, his rolls off of pick and rolls are beautiful, and he is always trying to jockey for offensive boards. A true joy to watch.

+ I like Dwight Howard, but I can't get myself to watch the Pistons play the Magic on any regular basis. Because of this, the only solid analysis I can give you is that Billups' injury looked painful.

+ Lakers vs. Jazz has been fun to watch, but I keep thinking that both teams will just turn off their "defense switches" for extended periods of time. Athletes like Ronnie Brewer and even the great Kobe, will stop moving their feet, and settle for sub par defensive possessions. This disappoints me a little, because I know both teams are capable of so much more. If you love streaks of constant scoring, this series will sometimes bring you a hint of the old Suns-Warriors games.

One Word To Describe The Playoffs...

Kevin Garnett creeps me out. Thoughts?

Second Round Predictions

Nate, you're slacking! The second round is about to start, but no predictions yet. Your first round record is looking pretty good (6 out of 7 so far). You only got 3 out of 8 right on the number of games, but I guess the 76ers and Hawks kinda surprised everyone in that regards. Anyways, here's my second round picks:

Utah vs Los Angeles:
Utah has better defense and is more consistent than Denver (particularly at home), but LA is the better team and I think they showed in the first round how focused they are in this playoff run. Lakers are going to protect their home court and split with the Jazz in Utah.

LA in 5

San Antonio vs New Orleans:
This is a hard series to predict. The predictions I've seen online give the series to San Antonio because of their clear advantage in playoff experience. Maybe I'm letting my personal preferences influence my prediction, but I can see New Orleans winning this one. Like the Suns, the Hornets are a more athletic and skilled team than San Antonio. I think San Antonio was still able to beat the Suns because they exploited key weaknesses in the Suns defense and showed more determination and focus in closing out games. The Hornets have a better defense and, from what I've seen, do a better job finishing close games (they have an excellent record for overtime wins). San Antonio does have much more playoff experience, but I think New Orleans is showing they are already comfortable playing at this level (particularly Paul, who is so central to their offense).

The Spurs will probably piss me off again and prove me wrong, but with home court I say
New Orleans in 7

Orlando vs Detriot:
I haven't followed the Eastern Conference as closely and in particular haven't seen Orlando play much, but what I have seen was impressive. Still, it's hard for me to imagine them beating Detriot, especially since the 76ers finally seemed to kick them into gear.

Detriot in 6

Cleveland vs ?:
I'll wait to see who they are actually playing.

I Want To Do Bad Things...