[Jan H]

Well, I guess someone should start it, seeing as it might be June before anyone does.

Random thoughts:

Barring injuries, the Lakers and Spurs appear to be on a collision course for the Western Conference Finals. Just one number for you Spurs fans, and get ready for the decimal: .04

The Suns' abject failure in this series points to the folly of mid-season trades that fundamentally alter the thing that makes a team successful, a lesson that the Mavs will also soon learn unless they can win in NOLA, which I don't see happening.

The Pistons can and still probably will win their series with Philly, but man do they need a new coach. Can anyone say 'Larry Brown'?

The Celtics will moonwalk to the Finals. I think whomever comes out of the West will win it all, though.

[Scott Merryfield]

Quote:

The Pistons can and still probably will win their series with Philly, but man do they need a new coach. Can anyone say 'Larry Brown'?

I have a better chance of being the next coach of the Pistons than does Larry Brown. There is no way owner Bill Davidson would ever re-hire Brown after the way he left last time.

The Pistons are an aggravating team to watch. They take their opponents too lightly way too often and think they are a better team than they really are. This is why they can never be considered as good as the old Bad Boy Pistons -- that team came to play every night.

[Brandon_T]

I heard a great saying the other day. The Pistons are the best team at giving 100%, 50% of the time.

[Andy Sheets]

If the Pistons could just maintain their focus consistently, they'd be the current championship dynasty instead of the Spurs. I can't remember the last time I saw such a good team unravel so often simply because they're not mentally into the game.

It's too bad Golden State fell out of the playoffs because they'd be a lot more fun to watch than Denver. And Marcus Camby's second place DPOY finish is a JOKE. That guy doesn't shut people down - he's a stat-padder.

I'm hoping the Rockets can get their stuff together to push Utah to the limit. They're playing hard but their lack of height is killing them inside and it doesn't help that the Jazz play more like a rugby team than a basketball team. Ugly series to watch.

[Walter C]

Big problem with Larry Brown, if hired, he expects to be the GM as well as head coach.

I am surprised that the Sixers won 2 games in the series so far. I thought they would have been lucky to win 1 game at home.

Just as surprising, the Celtics losing a game to the Hawks. I thought they would steamroll their opponents, and be like "Next!"

[Jan H]

So much for the Celtics' moonwalk. I've only seen Atlanta play one other time this year, when they beat the Lakers, and I was impressed with the sheer number of young studs they have. They are definitely a team on the rise. If only they had drafted Chris Paul like they should have, they'd be perennial championship contenders by now.

I don't get why the Wizards won't shut up about LeBron. This guy is killing them, and yet they still talk smack. Guys like LeBron feed off of that stuff. Stupid.

[Scott Merryfield]

Apparently Larry Brown has been hired as the new coach of the Charlotte Bobcats. What's the over/under on how many months he'll stay in the job?

[Patrick Sun]

I am shocked that Atlanta took 2 games from the Celtics. If they pushed the Celtics to a game 7, it could get scary for the Celtics.

[Kirk Tsai]

Larry Brown might be a very good coach, but I wouldn't want him near my franchise if I were an owner or GM. How many times has he thrown his team under the bus?

Before the playoffs, I thought of the Celtics as the favorites to win it all. True, the Western conference is much stronger than the East, but the Celtics and Pistons arguably were the two best teams of the league this year; plus the West teams would have to duel it out and make each other suffer. Now, both the Celtics and Pistons are in a dogfight, and the championship seems like anyone's to grab.

I'm still guessing for a Lakers vs. Celtics Finals--David Stern is praying everyday for that--but now I think that series would be very close instead of the Celtics being a favorite.

[Jan H]

The Celtics are now one game away from the most shocking upset in professional sports history since...New England lost to the Giants in the Super Bowl three months ago.

But, really, if the Celtics lose (which almost certainly won't happen), it would be the biggest upset in NBA history. Oh, well, one can hope, my admiration for KG aside.

The Lakers now play the Jazz in the 2nd round. Utah will certainly provide a sterner test than Denver, who were absolutely wretched in the first round. I'm not sure if the Lakers were that good, or if the Nuggets were that bad. We'll see.

The Pistons did what they do. They play to the level of their competition. They way the Celtics are playing, that might be good enough to get the Pistons to the Finals, but Orlando is no joke. Still, you have to like Detroit in this series.

The Wizards are the worst team ever in relation to the amount of talk they spew forth versus their results. I'm amazed LeBron was able to walk out of the building under his own power. The league should fine the Wizards' organization $100K for stupidity, incompetence, and reckless endangerment.

The Spurs/Hornets series will be a doozy! I'm looking forward to watching that series as much as my home team Lakers versus the Jazz.

This has been an incredible year in the NBA!!!

[Andy Sheets]

I'm loving the Atlanta/Boston series. I think Boston will win it but man would it be great if they didn't

Unfortunate that the Rockets lost tonight but I'm incredibly proud of the team. A bunch of cripples and rookies pushed the Jazz as hard as they could. Hell, if Alston hadn't gotten injured again in the first half, they might have even stayed in the game tonight and made it go seven. OTOH, rumor is that McGrady, Alston, and Battier might all need surgery, so it's probably for the best they're going home instead of putting more pressure on those bad legs. Heal up and hopefully stay healthy for an even better run next season.

I look forward to the Jazz trying that "physical" play with the Lakers. Somehow I don't think they'll get away with fouling the league MVP and his sidekicks multiple times every play without whistles blowing. Kobe might get 50 free throws a game.

[Jan H]

Kudos to the Rockets, indeed. Byron Scott deserves Coach of the Year, but Adelman was right there on his heels, and deservedly so. Can't really fault McGrady this year. Yao would've made the difference, I think.

Go HAWKS!

[Scott Merryfield]

I think Orlando will give the Pistons some problems. Detroit's big men will have trouble matching up against the Magic's small lineup. The Pistons big advantage, though, is in the back court. Orlando has no one to match up well against Billups and Hamilton. This series will go at least six games.

I cannot see Boston losing to Atlanta, but I didn't see this series going anywhere near 7 games, either. Are the Celtics starting to wear down after their starters played so many minutes in the regular season?