Monday, May 27, 2013

San Antonio Spurs @ Memphis Grizzlies Game 4 Predictions

The Spurs have a 3-0 lead. No NBA team up 3-0 has EVER lost (107-0).  I think that the Spurs Big Three (Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli and Tim Duncan) will be too much for the Grizzlies. My analysis/hypothesis is that Tim and Tony will absolutely dominate the game and the Grizzlies just won't be able to figure it out until it is too late. This series the Grizzlies have been beaten EVERYWHERE. The Spurs guard play, post and forward play has been better than the Grizzlies. Another area where San Antonio has been better at is coaching. I believe that Gregg Poppovich is the best coach in the game and that is why San Antonio will be in the NBA FINALS!

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES 92, SAN ANTONIO SPURS 100

That is my prediction for the game tonight... 



 


Review of the Miami Heat @ Indiana Pacers, Game 3 of Eastern Conference Finals 2013

Review of the Miami Heat @ Indiana Pacers game 
(Game 3, 5/25/13)

STARTING LINEUPS

Miami Heat

PG Mario Chalmers
SG Dwyane Wade
SF LeBron James
PF Udonis Haslem
C   Chris Bosh

Indiana Pacers

PG George Hill
SG Lance Stephenson
SF Paul George
PF David West
C  Roy Hibbert

After watching the first two games, most of us either thought that Indiana would win the series. But, after this game MANY of us have doubts about if Indiana still even has a shot. Here is what I think Indiana didn't do a good job on:


1. Bad shot selection. Too many threes for the Pacers. They took the same amount of threes as the Heat.

2. Defensive Paint. They didn't dominate the paint. Miami outscored them in the paint by 16 whooping points. The Pacers only scored 36 of their 96 in the paint.

3. Awful Ball Movement. They didn't move the ball around well. Most of the time it was one pass, then a contested shot.

I think that if the Pacers can fix these things, they still have a great chance to take this series from the defending champs. Right now, I'd give the Pacers about a 40% chance of winning this series. The Pacers have proven that a team can be built through the draft. 3 of 5 of the Pacers starters were drafted in 2010. (Paul George, Roy Hibbert and Lance Stephenson). The Pacers have also drafted well, because they only have one player drafted in the top nine. (DJ Augustin).

Another thing that the Pacers need to do well is contain LeBron and D-Wade. These two, this series, have combined for about 46 points a game.

I think that Indiana will take Game 4 and Game 5 but Miami will bounce back and win the final two games and the series. 

Here is a little bio on each of the Pacers five:

PG George Hill 
George Hill is injured right now with a toe problem. He still is playing and starting for Indiana but is not as effective as he would be without the injury. George was drafted 26th in 2008 and is the 2nd oldest Pacer starter. He went IUPUI and played there for all four years but was injured for part of one season.


SG Lance Stephenson
Lance is 6'5 and is a good defender and shooter. Lance was definitely one of the steals of the 2010 draft. He was drafted in the 2nd round, pick #40. He attended the University of Cincinnati. He was drafted by Indiana.  


SF Paul George

Paul is one of Indiana's best players if not the best. He is 6'8 and can play either shooting guard or small forward. He is a good three shooter, is very athletic, and is Indiana's difference maker. He was drafted 10th by Indiana in 2010. He was selected out of Fresno State. This season he was selected MIP, or Most Improved Player. He was named to the All-Star Game this year.

PF David West
David is the oldest starter in the Pacers starting lineup. He is about 6'9 and is a key player to winning this series against the Heat. David West was drafted 18th by the Hornets (to be the Pelicans) in 2003. He played for the Hornets for eight years and then opted out of his contract and signed with the Pacers in 2011. He is a good mid-range shooter, a good rebounder and is very strong.

C Roy Hibbert
Roy was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in 2010 with the 18th pick and was traded to Indiana on draft night. Roy is the biggest guy on the floor, being 7'2. He is a good rebounder, and good at defense and on the inside, but is lacking in speed, quickness, agility and is also lacking vertically.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Boston Celtics @ Orlando Magic: Game 5

The Boston Celtics are leading the series 3-1 but Rajon Rondo one of the Celtics best players is playing with back spasms. My favorite team is the Celtics so I memorized their starting lineup. Rajon Rondo plays the point guard, Ray Allen plays the shooting guard, Paul Pierce plays the small forward, Kevin Garrnett plays the power forward, and Kendrick Perkins is the center.

Even though I like the Celtics, I think the Magic are going to win Game 5 by six.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Lakers @ Suns

The Lakers have one of the biggest lineups in the NBA. I think it is an advantage for them. Their big gus are All-Star Pau Gasol and center Andrew Bynum. Bynum is playing with knee tendinitis. Lamar Odom is not as tall as Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, but still pretty big.

LA's best player is Kobe Bryant, and he was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Kobe plays the shooting guard position, and averaged 27.3 points per game in the NBA this year. He's the difference-maker for the Lakers.

Gasol was traded from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Lakers, and he was selected to the All-Star Game this year. Odom is one of the best 6th men in the NBA, and Ron Artest is one of the best defensive players in the league. He's nasty on D, and he adds toughness to the Lakers. Bynum is the center in the Lakers lineup and he missed a few games in 2010 due to his knee injuries.

The Suns are one of the most under-rated teams in the NBA and Jason Richardson is one of the most under-rated players. J Rich, as he's called by me, is a key. When he doesn't score 20, the Suns lose about the half of the time. When he does hit 20, they usually win.

Phoenix's two main stars are Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. Stoudemire plays rough. He's athletic and he flies. Nash hustles as much as anybody in the NBA. In game 3 of this series, he broke his nose but kept playing anyway.

PREDICTION: Lakers big men take over, LA 103, Phoenix 96 - LA goes up 3-1