The Trailblazers got a giant something-for-nothing from Michael "Air" Jordan and the Bobcats this trade deadline, finding magic in the vines with the acquisition of Gerald Wallace in exchange for player scraps and nose-bleed draft picks. Gerry Wallace is the ultimate all star glue-guy, bringing toughness to every pinpoint and angled bounce of the game. As LaMarcus Aldridge continues his first-team style domination on a nightly basis, and as Portland throws out one of the thickest rotations in the NBA, a first round showdown with OKC, Dallas, or the Lakers would definitely give ticket holders their money's worth. If lightning strikes twice, and at exactly the right moments, Portland's shot to blaze an upset trail all the way to the Western Conference Finals suddenly finds itself on the radar. They may hide camouflaged, slightly near the neutral zone, behind a wooded area with some shovels, but Portland is on the radar nonetheless.
This season's Old Memphis Grizzlies are the 2007 Golden State Warriors of 2011. San Antonio, Dallas, and the LA Lakers are all dancing around in their top seeded penthouses, crossing their fingers that Memphis, who sat on the outside looking in for the majority of the year, finishes as somebody else's first round counter-seed. Consider this promise that Rudy Gay will soon slide back to his early season form, refreshed and poised from his time on injury leave, back with mental vengeance tattoos as one of the team's top two options. Unlike last year's Grizzlies, the bench rotation has shaped up nicely, and with the reacquisition of Shane "Two Brain" Battier rounding out the ultimate collection of defensive minded glue guys, Memphis has a solid plethora of defensive toughness to compliment the offensive weapons. At 6 and 5, the Grizzlies hold a winning record against the Spurs, Lakers, and Mavs, and they certainly have our attention as a possible upset candidate heading into the playoffs.
The Nuggets are currently our 5th place darlings, and after trading Carmelo Anthony and his chinchilla fur coat collection for depth, offensive production, and potential, they find themselves with a talented, unselfish, and deep roster. While they don't yet have the chops to win a series against LA or Dallas, if they can hold onto that 5th seed, they should find a chance against the Thunder (who with all their stardom and solidness have never won a single playoff series). Although the Nuggets probably don't have the experience nor the resources to maintain their current pace for 5th place, they've grabbed our attention and have the ability to challenge in the first round, unlike whoever finishes in 8th (probably either Phoenix or New Orleans). Can Denver get four wins against LA or the Mavs? I suppose we shouldn't rule it out, since we're talking about Dallas here, but it seems highly unlikely, especially against the Lakers. Nugget supporters are lucky though, believe it or not. A major transition has begun and with it comes smooth sailing right off the bat. The Nuggets bring a togetherness to their games, and coach George Karl leads it by example (some say by hosting team dinners at top rated restaurants).
The 2011 NBA Playoffs should bring extra excitement right from the start, with at least 50% upset potential in the first round match-up arena (guaranteed!), we officially recognize 3 of the lower 4 playoff teams as barn burning tunnel rats, flying under the radar with potential for lengthy playoff runs. Keep a close eye on team records as these ever-important games unfold. Memphis and Portland are underdogs with teeth, and they could easily find themselves in 5th and 6th, making the race for 2nd between LA and Dallas all the more bone chilling! It's Halloween in March, only in the NBA!
No comments:
Post a Comment