Just like the old days, I conducted a live chat with my readers Friday afternoon to preview the upcoming NBA playoffs — and to defend my vote of Chris Paul for MVP. For more on that you can read this column.
We will have more chats throughout the course of the playoffs, which I will alert you to through Twitter and Facebook.
Thanks to all those who have been visiting the site, please check back every day, and much gratitude for your support of independent, non-corporate journalism. We will be striving in the weeks, months and years ahead to make this the best basketball commentary Web site anywhere. -CS
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2:12
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Good afternoon from New York. Will start this baby in 5 minutes. |
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2:15
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2:19
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I thought someone might ask, Adam. Ever hear that expression “‘I’ve seen this movie before?” Crazy things happened when these teams face each other in the playoffs, and I expect this year to be no different. The Heat have been a bad road team given the amount of talent they have on their team, and even if they win one at MSG, I can still see the Knicks winning two down in Miami. The pressure is all on the Heat. Nobody is giving the Knicks a shot (except colleague Jim Park). The Knicks have the 3-point weaponry to win four times. They have been a different team under Woodson, and J.R. Smith and Novak are going to be the keys for them. Carmelo has been playing out of his mind, too. I could go on and on, but when Game 7 arrives, the Heat are going to feel the pressure more than the Knicks will, and the Heat will wilt. |
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2:19
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2:21
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My pick is the San Antonio Spurs, and I have become convinced that they are going to do so with ease. That team is loaded deep, they’re scoring like I’ve never seen a Spurs team score before, and they’re scoring with ease. We always see the Spurs roll into the playoffs with a head of steam, but never quite like this year’s version. I have them defeating the Bulls for the title in 5 games. |
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2:22
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2:24
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Mario, when it comes down to them playing the Spurs in the conference finals, they are going to find themselves outsmarted by a very savvy team and a very savvy coaching staff — sort of like last year against Dallas. It’s going to be a good series, but homecourt means a lot for both of those teams, probably moreso for the Thunder, and San Antonio has 4 games at its place. Check out that series preview (accessible off homepage) to find the one writer on our staff who thinks the Thunder are getting offed in the first round. |
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2:25
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2:26
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The coaches pick All-Defensive teams, and the GMs pick the Executive of the Year. If there was a media vote for the latter, it would be R.C. Buford for getting Jaz, Diaw and Mills. |
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2:28
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I knew Dragic always had it in him (first covered him at EuroBasket 2009), and he may have gotten my vote if the Rockets hadn’t fallen apart like a house of cards. What Dragic needed was an opportunity, and he was a studly player after Lowry went down. But Novak went from marginal 15th man to a guy who LED THE LEAGUE in 3-point accuracy while taking a ton of them (see column for further explanation). He was a huge part of Knicks’ late surge. |
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2:29
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2:30
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Truthfully, I see Thibs easing him back in a little more than many might expect. He still has some rust from missing all those games, and Watson can get plenty of burn to make the transition back easier for Derrick. No need to burn Rose for 38 minutes against that joke of an opponent. I have the Bulls sweeping. |
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2:31
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Comment From Jacob Noble –
I don’t think his Chris Paul MVP is that far fetched, but thanks for Moke for directing me here to chat hoops for a while!
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2:34
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The CP3 vote is not farfetched at all. Look what he has done for that team, and look how strongly he has finished the season. LeBron’s team is a better team, talent-wise, and their 18-15 road record worked against him in my book. But I still put him second. His numbers speak for themselves and are phenomenal. But his value to his team (operative word in this award is “valuable”)? CP3 was worth more to the Clips. |
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2:35
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2:36
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I have them getting past Clippers in first round, but then they will go against my pick for the title, and that’s where they’ll get beat. Their front line will be a load for the Spurs to deal with, but their lack of 3-point shooting will be a big part of their undoing. And as I said before, the Spurs are clicking on all cylinders so well offensively right now, it is a bit scary to see. |
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2:37
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2:39
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Mr. Plashcke at the LA Times was more offended than I was. The Kobester said the scoring title means nothing to him, and I believe him. Methinks Mr. Plaschke is going to be getting the cold shoulder treatment from Mamba for the forseeable future. Kobe even told Broderick Turner of the LA Times that he was an enemy when the paper shifted Turner from the Lakers beat to the Clippers beat. |
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2:40
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2:42
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The TV timeouts are so long during the playoffs, it gives an advantage to the teams that do not have quite as much depth. But that being said, coaches tend to stick with their rotations in the playoffs until they are FORCED to adjust them, and the best coaches make the best adjustments sooner rather than later. Bigger question for me adjustment-wise is whether OKC goes with what worked in their last game against Dallas, taking Ibaka off Dirk and letting him dominate the boards and the paint. Blv Serge had 10 blocks in that game. |
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2:42
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2:44
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No that Dwight has a contract for next season, he can be traded at any time up until next season’s trade deadline. I think the Nets’ chances of getting him might hinge on whether they keep their pick in the lottery (needs to be Top 3, or it goes to Portland). I do know that Brooklyn is where Dwight wants to be. Can’t blame him either. |
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2:44
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2:46
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I don’t think Billy Hunter will survive this. It’d be one thing if he still had Derek Fisher on his side, but their rift combined with the revelations about family hiring (and the amount of money spent on those hires) is going to be too much for him to overcome. |
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2:47
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2:48
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Agreed about the spikes. He needs to learn to control that. But not all of them come off weak side. Dude defends guys straight up quite well. And he has an astounding number of blocks for a PF. |
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2:48
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2:49
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It’s Kobe, Rachel. Guy is in the gym every morning before sunrise. |
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2:49
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2:51
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He did very well (although Shump was Donnie Walsh’s pick), but if Dolan hadn’t pulled the plug on D’Antoni I don’t think we would have seen Novak become such a key contributor. The smith signing was his best move, IMO, because JR is going to be a very, very dangerous weapon in the playoffs. Not many guys in the league can reel off 7, 8 or 9 straight 3s like he can. |
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2:51
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2:53
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Major. That’s the Lakers’ lockdown guy. But I have L.A. winning that one in 7, and I believe Metta is going to be a big reason why. That Nuggets team is very explosive offensively. They’re going to have all sorts of trouble with Bynum, but I believe Manimal can neutralize Pau on the glass and match him on the scoresheet. |
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2:54
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2:55
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They have been a horrid team for six weeks now. They are way outclassed by the Bulls. That is a sweep. (If I need to mea cupla in the next chat, Anthony, I will personlly mention you. |
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2:55
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2:57
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I’m going with the US over Spain in a game every bit as good as the gold medal game in Beijing, which will be hard to top. Ibaka adds a measure of athleticism that they’ve never had before, and Americans are going to have a hard time on the boards is Spain goes big. Also, after seeing Navarro come through so big-time in final three games of Eurobasket in Lithuania (I was the only American journalist there), I have mad respect for his game and think he can get at least 20 against the US. |
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3:00
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Thank for stopping by to chat, and please check out all the playoff previews (with predictions) on the home page ofsheridanhoops.com. We shall continue chatting throughout the playoffs, and I promise to give better notice through Twitter and via the home page. Still learning some of the technical aspects of this gig, still need to learn more. 🙂 Be sure to follow us on Facebook (facebook/sheridanhoops) and subscribe to our newsletter (sheridanhoops.com/subscribe). Over and out. |