Post by Jahallstar on Jul 9, 2010 10:57:43 GMT -5
1 Indiana Pacers
vs
#8 Chicago Bulls
Key Match-up : Darko Milic vs Al Jefferson
Injuries : Pacers - NONE , Bulls - Kosta Perovic (game 1)
Season Series : Tied 2-2
Pacers** 104, BULLS***** 93
BULLS***** 126, Pacers** 112
Bulls***** 125, PACERS** 120
PACERS** 112, Bulls***** 95
Outlook : The Indiana Pacers find themselves in a familiar spot. They are once again the #1 seed in the Eastern conference. They did look a little more shaky at times this year than they have in the past though. The Chicago Bulls are looking to exploit that and shock the world in the first round. The genearl thought around the league however is that will not happen. The Bulls are led by superstar Al Jefferson though. He has the ability to take over a series. The one big problem though is the Pacers have Darko in the middle. Darko can shut down any big man in the league. Overall the key for the Bulls is to hold their own on the boards. The Pacers are the best rebounding team in the league and if they dominate there this might be a quick series. As shown during the regular season the Bulls will have to score tons of points to win this series. The Pacers have 4 players who could go for 30 points any night and the Bulls will have to keep up with that. I don't really see that happening though. If Ronald Murray can keep pace with Redd I think this could be a series. That just might be to much to ask of him though
Prediction : Pacers in 6
#2 New Jersey nets
vs
#7 Atlanta Hawks
Key Match-up : Chauncey Billups vs DeShawn Stevenson
Injuries : New Jersey - NONE , Atlanta - NONE WOW!!
Season Series : Hawks 3-1
HAWKS 107, Nets 106
HAWKS 104, Nets 100
NETS 121, Hawks 78
Hawks 113, NETS 106
Outlook : Wow this is a first round series? If the Hawks were not injured all year long I would not be suprised if this ended up being the ECF. The Hawks did suffer injuries all year long however and this is a first round matchup. The New Jersey Nets have really taken off since adding Dirk. Dirk and Billups both know this might very well be their last chance to add an extra ring to their collection. The Hawks don't want to let that happen though. With Azuibuke returning the Hawks have all the firepower they need to go toe to toe with the Nets. The Hawks frontcourt does leave a little to be desired though. They added Lemarcus Aldridge before the trade deadline and that should help them out some. They won't have to rely purley on the 3 point shot now. This series is simple though. It comes down to Stevenson vs Billups. If you take these two out of the equation I think the Nets would win without much doubt. Stevenson will have to outplay Billups and will his team to victory. Frontcourt advantage Nets..Swingmen even..Pointguard is TBD. I see this game going to 7 games. In the end though home court advantage will probably be key. This could go either way...however...
Prediction : Nets in 7
#3 Orlando Magic
vs
#6 New York Knicks
Key Match-up : Josh Smith vs Blake Griffin
Injuries : Magic - NONE , knicks - NONE
Season Series : Knicks 3-1
KNICKS 95, Magic* 92
KNICKS 117, Magic* 111
Knicks 113, MAGIC* 95
MAGIC* 100, Knicks 91
Outlook : It is time for Perry to take his spot amount the elite. Regular season numbers are nice and all but in UOSL it is all about the playoffs. This is a very interesting matchup. Iggy and Perry will probably cancel eachother out. Both are legit superstars and will fill up the stat sheet. I must admit. When I first looked at the Magic's roster this season there is no way I thought they would put up so many wins. They have meshed well together though and have suprised most in the league. In this series Josh Smith will have to bring it really strong. He will be taking on youngster Blake Griffin and Smith will have to thoughly dominate the matchup. Andrew Bynum has never really lived up to his potential and up to this point Smith has been able to pick up the slack. The Magic in general have an advantage on the boards, however it is not by much. The PG battle is very low key. Quinn Cook is just a rookie and this might be to much for him at the moment. He could relish the pressure though. Julius Hodge has been given a 2nd/3rd shot by the Magic. If either of these two can step up and have a big series it could be what puts their team over the top. This is another nailbiter that I think will go 7 games...
Prediction : Knicks in 7
#4 Milwaukee Bucks
vs
#5 Miami Heat
Key Match-up : Tyson Chandler vs Eddy Curry
Injuries : Kicks- NONE , He - NONE
Season Series : Tied 2-2
BUCKS** 104, Heat* 68
BUCKS** 100, Heat* 97
HEAT* 121, Bucks** 119
HEAT* 89, Bucks** 88
Outlook : Can you get a bigger confidence boost than the Heat got the last 2 games of the season? They defeated their 1st round opponent the Bucks in back to back days to come flying into the playoffs. On paper the Bucks should win this series. They have the mega star in Dwayne Wade and a pair of young future stars in Monroe and Leslie. The Heat however do have some very good players on their roster. And in Miami Heat tradition they play great defense. I'm sure Wade and Monroe will have some good games this series. The big matchup in my eyes however is Eddy Curry vs Tyson Chandler. Chandler is there for one reason. Play great defense. Curry is there to score points. Whoever comes out on top in this battle will probably dictate who wins this series. This series could go either way. A lot depends on style. If the Heat can get the slow down ball control offense type of pace they will have a great shot of knocking off the Bucks. In the end however I think that Wade might be to much for the Heat in a 7 game series where the Bucks have home court. Much like the Nets / Hawks series I think home court in game 7 will take this.
Prediction : Bucks in 7
