Another crazy basketball season has ended, but it doesn’t mean the fun stops there. The first round of the playoffs has been very entertaining to watch. Intriguing match ups such as the San Antonio Spurs against Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers versus the Denver Nuggets prove to be the coveted series in the Western Conference. As far as the Eastern Conference is concerned, the series involving the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks and also the Cleveland Cavaliers facing the Washington Wizards will shape up to be an epic match up.
The San Antonio and Phoenix playoff series will be the highly anticipated grudge match. Both are highly regarded to be contenders and go all the way to the championship game. The Spurs and Suns have met the last couple of years and every game has been totally exciting. The match up is also hyped up this time around. Tony Parker against Steve Nash for the guards, and Tim Duncan against Shaquille O’neal for the centers, will prove to be something to watch out for.
Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets match up doesn’t seem to be a favorable series for the Nuggets due to their inability to defend against star players. They have to do their best in order to shutdown Kobe Bryant, practically the best all-around player in the game today. Bryant has also received a much needed help from Pau Gasol, who was acquired from a trade that sent the disappointing Kwame Brown packing to the Memphis Grizzlies. Gasol, a proven all-around player, will taste his first playoff series of his career. The Nuggets have great athletes in Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony, but their defensive game does not compare to their abilities in offense.
The Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks series will be something to watch. Boston has not seen a title come through their town in a while. Now that additions like Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen were added, the Celtics believe they have all the pieces to bring another championship to Boston. The Celtics posted a season record of 66-16, which is the best record in the NBA. The team Boston will be facing in the first round is no push-over. The Atlanta Hawks, known to be one of the worst teams in basketball, has finally emerged to be a threat in the Eastern Conference. Sure, they might be young and inexperienced to deal with the stage that the playoffs will put upon them, but their exciting play will prove to be tough to beat. Rising stars like Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, and Al Horford will bring a level of intensity to the game and hopefully contend against the predicted NBA Champions in Boston.
Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards match up will be an interesting series to pay attention to in the long run. The team from Ohio has had Washington’s number the last three seasons. All series led to an early exit of Washington from the playoffs. This year proves to be another fun-filled series that includes trash talking and physical play. Cleveland has LeBron James, one of the best players in the game today, to lead the team to another run that led them all the way to the championship series last year, but falling to the San Antonio Spurs in four games. The difference for the Cleveland Cavaliers this year is new additions to the team through a last minute trade before the trading deadline. The team added Ben Wallace, a playoff-tested veteran, along with sharp-shooter Wally Sczerbiak and point guard Delonte West. Don’t sleep on the Washington Wizards because they have players of their own to contend with in the series. Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler, are three players Cleveland needs to watch out for in the game. All three are very explosive and can change the outcome of a game in an instant.
Overall, there are other games on the schedule and the series mentioned above are just the beginning of a great playoff season to remember. By the time an NBA champion is crowned in June, many memorable match ups will have been played already. Surely, the 2007-2008 NBA season and playoffs will go down in history as one of the most competitive and challenging season people have ever seen. Be sure to watch the playoffs, because once you start viewing, it will be hard for you to get your eyes away from the television. The NBA playoffs format of 40 games in 40 nights has proven to be the best marketing idea by the NBA.
The San Antonio and Phoenix playoff series will be the highly anticipated grudge match. Both are highly regarded to be contenders and go all the way to the championship game. The Spurs and Suns have met the last couple of years and every game has been totally exciting. The match up is also hyped up this time around. Tony Parker against Steve Nash for the guards, and Tim Duncan against Shaquille O’neal for the centers, will prove to be something to watch out for.
Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets match up doesn’t seem to be a favorable series for the Nuggets due to their inability to defend against star players. They have to do their best in order to shutdown Kobe Bryant, practically the best all-around player in the game today. Bryant has also received a much needed help from Pau Gasol, who was acquired from a trade that sent the disappointing Kwame Brown packing to the Memphis Grizzlies. Gasol, a proven all-around player, will taste his first playoff series of his career. The Nuggets have great athletes in Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony, but their defensive game does not compare to their abilities in offense.
The Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks series will be something to watch. Boston has not seen a title come through their town in a while. Now that additions like Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen were added, the Celtics believe they have all the pieces to bring another championship to Boston. The Celtics posted a season record of 66-16, which is the best record in the NBA. The team Boston will be facing in the first round is no push-over. The Atlanta Hawks, known to be one of the worst teams in basketball, has finally emerged to be a threat in the Eastern Conference. Sure, they might be young and inexperienced to deal with the stage that the playoffs will put upon them, but their exciting play will prove to be tough to beat. Rising stars like Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, and Al Horford will bring a level of intensity to the game and hopefully contend against the predicted NBA Champions in Boston.
Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards match up will be an interesting series to pay attention to in the long run. The team from Ohio has had Washington’s number the last three seasons. All series led to an early exit of Washington from the playoffs. This year proves to be another fun-filled series that includes trash talking and physical play. Cleveland has LeBron James, one of the best players in the game today, to lead the team to another run that led them all the way to the championship series last year, but falling to the San Antonio Spurs in four games. The difference for the Cleveland Cavaliers this year is new additions to the team through a last minute trade before the trading deadline. The team added Ben Wallace, a playoff-tested veteran, along with sharp-shooter Wally Sczerbiak and point guard Delonte West. Don’t sleep on the Washington Wizards because they have players of their own to contend with in the series. Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler, are three players Cleveland needs to watch out for in the game. All three are very explosive and can change the outcome of a game in an instant.
Overall, there are other games on the schedule and the series mentioned above are just the beginning of a great playoff season to remember. By the time an NBA champion is crowned in June, many memorable match ups will have been played already. Surely, the 2007-2008 NBA season and playoffs will go down in history as one of the most competitive and challenging season people have ever seen. Be sure to watch the playoffs, because once you start viewing, it will be hard for you to get your eyes away from the television. The NBA playoffs format of 40 games in 40 nights has proven to be the best marketing idea by the NBA.
