East

1 Bulls vs 8 Pacers

What is there to say about this game? The best team in the league is going up against a team that was five games under .500. Prediction: Bulls in 4. MVP: Derrick Rose.

2 Heat vs 7 76ers

Andre Iguodala and the rest of the Sixers' players are very athletic and should be able to stick around with the Heat. If you're not a top four seed though, you won't bother the Big Three too much. Prediction: Heat in 5. MVP: Dwayne Wade.

3 Celtics vs 6 Knicks

The Knicks won't be able to stop Doc Rivers's prolific half-court offense. Rajon Rondo will break out of his slump and own Chauncey Billups. Carmelo Anthony will keep things close, but the C's are the defending Eastern Conference champs for a reason. Prediction: Celtics in 6. MVP: Rajon Rondo.

4 Magic vs 5 Hawks

This is easily the best series of the four in the East. Al Horford has really improved on the defensive end, and he won't get destroyed like last year against Dwight Howard. The Hawks are more athletic than the Magic, but I think that the all-around talent of the Magic gets them by. Prediction: Magic in 6. MVP: Dwight Howard.

West

1 Spurs vs 8 Grizzlies

Even though Manu Ginobili isn't at full strength, I don't think that really matters much in this series. He's probably only going to miss one game anyway, and the Spurs are still going to be great without him. The Grizzlies are a pretty good team, but the savvy Spurs take this in 5. MVP: George Hill.

2 Lakers vs 7 Hornets

Chris Paul is going to cause a ton of problems for the Lakers, but the Hornets can't cause the defending champs too much trouble. The talk of a Lakers' collapse will have to wait another round. Prediction: Lakers in 5. MVP: Pau Gasol.

3 Mavericks vs 6 Trail Blazers

This is my upset special right here. Although Dirk and the Mavs are a great team, no doubt, I love the Trail Blazers and their efficient-but-not-sexy brand of basketball. Guys like Gerald Wallace, Marcus Camby, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Miller, and even Brandon Roy (in a limited bench role) are playing well off of eachother- gee, that sounds a lot like the Spurs. Prediction: Blazers in 7. MVP: Gerald Wallace.

4 Thunder vs 5 Nuggets

I love what the Nuggets have done since the Melo trade, but it all ends here against a really good Thunder team. Their interior is good enough to match up with K-Mart and Nene now that they have Kendrick Perkins. I don't think the Nuggets have an answer against KD, and I see him going off. Prediction: Thunder in 6. MVP: Kevin Durant.

Hey Danilo, Remember Griffin's Dunk? Things Are About to Get Worse vs. The Durantula

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NBA, Celtics, Rajon Rondo, Doc Rivers, Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, 76ers, Andre Iguodala, Bulls, Derrick Rose, Hawks, Al Horford, Heat, Dwayne Wade, Magic, Dwight Howard, Mavs, Dirk Nowitzki, Grizzlies, Hornets, Chris Paul, Spurs, George Hill, Manu Ginobili, Nuggets, Danilo Gallinari, Kenyon Martin, Nene, Thunder, Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Durant, Blazers, Gerald Wallace, Brandon Roy, Marcus Camby, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Miller, Nicolas Batum, Lakers, Pau Gasol, NBA Playoffs

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3/9 Hoop Talk: Coaching Extensions and The Big Games

March 9th 2011 16:05

Yeah, Hoop Talk is a new thing where I'll just start talking about basketball. I'll start with some topics and work my way through the news of the day- sort of. Anyway, George Karl got a three year extension, no surprise because Karl is an icon in Denver. Nate McMillan got a two year extension. He is a great coach that manages players well, he has great strategies, and he deserved like a five year extension. McMillan is one of the best coaches in basketball, and his team plays very efficient basketball.

Kobe Bryant just topped Moses Malone for sixth on the all-time scoring list with his 26 points against the Atlanta Hawks. I called the winner- easy- but I also called the MVP- Andrew Bynum. He of the 16 points and 16 boards with 3 blocks on 8-10 shooting had a boom-roasted kind of day against Atlanta. Bynum was easily the most efficient player on the court in that game. Only Zaza Pachuila could even think about challenging him on the boards. Bynum was easily the most dominating defensive player in the game. He was impressive- as usual- in the paint.

I want to talk about the Portland-Miami game, and that's it for game reviews for today. The Blazers took this one 105-96, and they were the better team heading into this game anyway. All the Heat drama aside, the Blazers have the better roster when you look at it bit by bit. Dwayne Wade and Gerald Wallace both played some impressive defense, and both of them were the MVPs of their teams. LeBron was also good, but the Blazers proved something that I have been saying all year long. You can't win without depth.

6 players on the Trail Blazers scored double digits compared to just 3 such players for the Heat. Brandon Roy was ruthlessly efficient in the 23 minutes he played. Roy shot 3-3 from beyond the arc too. He showed us again what we are missing as fans. Overall, it was a game won by depth even though LeBron James and Dwayne Wade were incredible. They need other people to step up. By the way, Mario Chalmers's ten points was the other double figure point total for Miami.

You can look at box scores to get game analysis, so it's time to just take a small part of this post to just rambling about basketball stuff. I love how the Celtics have secured a playoff spot already, even though the top team out west- San Antonio- has the better record. It sure goes to show you that the superstar flow to the Eastern Conference doesn't change the fact that the Western Conference is still far better and more competitive.

Did you know that Quinton Ross is the most inefficient player in the NBA? This one guy named LeBron is the most efficient. Marcus Camby is the best rebounder in the league this year- Love is second and Howard fourth. Jamal Crawford is the worst. Go figure. Joel Przybilla is the most turnover prone player, but James Jone is the least. Neither of them handles the ball much- Jones handles the ball the least of any player in the league that gets significant playing time- so the stats are a little bit skewed, but interesting all the same. Przybilla has also missed a chunk of the year with an injury.

Joe Called It

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NBA, Celtics, Quinton Ross, Hawks, Jamal Crawford, Zaza Pachuila, Joel Przybilla, Heat, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, James Jones NBA, Mario Chalmers, Dwight Howard, Spurs, George Karl, Blazers, Gerald Wallace, Nate McMillan, Brandon Roy, Marcus Camby, Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, NBA Analysis

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Reviewing the Gerald Wallace and Celtics' Trades

February 25th 2011 16:19

The Boston Celtics traded Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson for a 2012 first round pick, Nenad Kristic, and Jeff Green. The Oklahoma City Thunder were the winners in this deal. Green really won't fit anywhere on Boston, and Kristic sucks. The pick is for 2012 from a trade that the Thunder acquired from the Clippers. It is a solid first round pick, but it's the best thing Boston got.

Boston did a good job of getting rid of Robinson, but they traded the best piece in this deal by trading away Kendrick Perkins. The Thunder now have a big to pair with Nick Collins and the others that can help stifle the Lakers. This makes them better in a matchup against LA. Boston got the short end of this stick, which is a surprise considering they have the best GM in Danny Ainge. Maybe he knows something that we don't. It wasn't a terrible deal for Boston, but it sure wasn't a good one.

The C's also traded Luke Harangody and Semih Erden to the Cavs for a 2013 2nd round pick. This is a trash deal that really doesn't matter for either team, but I like this deal for Cleveland. They get two average prospects that are worth more than a 2013 second rounder that will most likely net Boston close to nothing. Ish Smith and Shane Battier were traded to the Grizzlies for Hasheem Thabeet, a future first rounder, and DeMarre Carroll. Battier is a star defender, Carroll and Smith are scrubs, and Thabeet looks like a bust. The first rounder is alright, and it is enough to make this deal even. I am fine with what both teams got. There was no clear winner in this deal.

The Thunder acquired Nazr Mohammed from the Charlotte Bobcats for DJ White and Morris Peterson. Mo-Pete is an expiring contract and White is solid, but I love how the Thunder upgraded in the frontcourt with this deal by getting a rugged interior defensive player. Both teams did well in this deal. Mohammed is an underrated player. The Suns got Aaron Brooks from the Rockets for Goran Dragic and a first rounder. Brooks can become a star, and Dragic is a solid player as well. What makes this a fair deal overall is the first rounder. I like this deal for both teams, but I think it was better for the Rockets because they got rid of a headcase and got a nice pick for the future.

This was the deal of the day, and it was a deal that was surfaced in many rumors. Gerald Wallace was traded to the Blazers for Joel Pryzbilla, Dante Cunningham, Sean Marks, a 2011 first rounder, a 2013 first rounder, and cash. The picks are nice and so is the salary dump, but Pryzbilla was the only useful player they got. Wallace was Charlotte's best player, and he will certainly blossom on the Blazers. I can't wait to see his debut game with Portland. I thought the Cats could have milked out a little bit more.

The Celtics made one of the most garbage deals of the night. They traded Marquis Daniels to the Kings along with cash for a mere second round pick for 2017. That's right, 2017. As you already know, the longer into the future the pick; the less valuable the said pick is. Daniels may be injured, but he's a decent scorer and a player that I love. He will put up some nice numbers on a Kings team that will let him shoot. The Kings got some cash added to it, and they walked away with a nice deal.