NBA Playoffs
May 9, 2007
The month of March is all about the NCAA, it is all about college basketball. Now don’t get me wrong, I think the NCAA has wonderful betting opportunities, just make sure not to forget about the big league. I am talking about the NBA and the fact that four Eastern Conference teams and five Western Conference teams have made it two the playoffs.
In the east it seems that the Central division is the strongest. Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago secured themselves a spot in the postseason. The Atlantic division is rather weak and the Raptors are another team from the east to secure themselves a spot in this division.
The Southwest Division has always been the strongest and this year things have not changed at all. All three Texas teams made it to the postseason. Dallas is in first place with a comfortable 9 game lead, San Antonio is in second with a 15 game lead, and Houston is in third place. The Phoenix Suns and the Utah Jazz also played well in the Southwest Division.
There are plenty of teams to talk about. All of them have a chance of winning, just that some teams have better chances than other. So I will not bother you with other information about these teams that have little chances of making it. Even Miami’s chances do not look that good if Dwayne Wade is not on top of his game.
So let’s get to the point. Phoenix and Dallas were the main contenders in the west the last time you looked at the NBA. The east on the other hand was wide open. The best record in the Eastern Conference is currently held by Detroit, but it is a slim margin. San Antonio and Houston also played well enough to be themselves viable NBA Finals contenders. The Rockets have proven themselves to be the most dominant team in the NBA. And with Yao Ming’s return from Houston, the Rockets’ odds look pretty good.
Things are not as complicated in the east, it is still up for grabs. All the teams have pretty much the same chances of getting to the NBA Finals. The Pistons and the Heat are the favorites, but only because they have experience on their side. The third best record in the Central Division is held by the Chicago Bulls, but the best record against Central Division teams at 11-4 this season. Detroit is just one spot above the Pacers, with 7-6 against the Central. The Bulls look good at home, but on the road their play is not consistent, which makes me think that they have slim chances of making it to the NBA Finals.
Detroit is placed below Cleveland within the division. Cleveland’s record of 9-5 surpasses Detroit’s. Last season Cleveland did pretty well, they actually won a playoff series. But from what I can recall, this year they won against one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. Not to mention that James has knee tendonitis. The Pistons have a good defense, are experienced, and overall they do not play too shabby. Miami has a secret weapon in Shaq, the player with unmatched experience and the Eastern Conference’s most dominant player. Washington will have a hard time against Miami if Shaq does not suffer serious injuries. The Pistons will surely have to face Miami in the Conference Finals if there are no serious injuries.
So this is it. It seems that things are just the way we predicted in the beginning of the season. In the west the main contenders are Dallas, San Antonio, and Phoenix. In the east the main contenders are Miami and Detroit. These are the main teams in the NBA. All the focus is on them and all other teams simply do not have good enough chances of winning. People may try to draw your attention to these other teams, but personally I don’t think it is worth it.
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