NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs Picks

Sorry for being late on this one but I had a lot of stuff this week plus the weather got nice in Eau Claire so I wanted to enjoy that. Here's the East and I will finish the West before I begin to join the outdoors again.

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detriot Pistions- Look down the page and see my article about LeBron James if you are curious, like I said in that article LeBron is playing out his mind this year and everyone around him is very successful. The Pistons do have a tough squad but I feel there is no chemistry on that team whatsoever. LeBron had 38 or so today already, the Pistons I think take one. I think its time to give Joe Dumas the boot because we wouldnt be talking about this with Chauncey Billiups. CLEVELAND in Five.

(4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Miami Heat- This is hands down the best series in the East. Most people are taking the Heat because of the play of Dwayne Wade all year but does he have enough around him? Thats a big question mark right there and who on Miami's team will be able to cover Josh Smith? I really couldnt see Jermaine O'Neal being able to keep up with Smith all game long. Al Hortford play has been great down the stretch lately as well. The other thing with the Hawks is a lot of their young guys have been there before unlike Mario Chalmers and Beasley. Heres the thing because of Wade's play, he will carry them in a great series. MIAMI in seven.

(3) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers- This is an awful series that I will probably watch a couple minutes of at best because the only thing exciting about the Magic is Dwight Howard. The thing to watch with Howard is does he have that playoff intensity? He hasnt shown it in the slightest at least last year and if they were to lose, he will be putting himself in Tracy McGrady range. The Magic have enough to get them by the Sixers . ORLANDO in six.

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Chicago Bulls- Another series in the East that I will watch a good amount and I was going to write an article on Kevin Garnett's absence from the playoffs how it will hurt them especially against the Bulls who have a lot of size. Before today's events (Bulls won game 1) , I really like the Bulls who are 14-6 down the stretch and Derrick Rose proved today he isnt afraid of big game atmosphere. If Ray Allen struggles, the Celts are in big time trouble. I believe in Jesus Shuttlesworth and believe the Celtics will rite this ship. BOSTON in seven.

On to the Western Conference

-Charlie.

NBA Midseason Report: Eastern Conference

Here is the Eastern Conference who I believe is the better conference this year so its the top spot for the midseason report. Same stuff as we did in the West Here we go....

1. Boston (44-11)- The Good: Paul Pierce- You really could say any of the big three but I will go with Pierce. He has added some real swagger to him this year. I was always on his bandwagon from the start and my buddies just hated him. The Bad: Big Baby Davis/Tony Allen- I have listen to enough Bill Simmons to know how much Celts fans hate these two guys. Outlook: I believe they will be the NBA Finals again but they need a consistent Eddie House to be successful in the playoffs.

2. Cleveland (41-11)- The Good: Mo Williams- I could easily say Lebron but Mo proves to me that he is better when he has a superstar to play off. He doesnt look selfish anymore. The Bad: Wally Szczerbiak- He is such a tool and really just needs to leave. I am sick of Wally's World. Outlook: They could just one more player but they seem content with who they have. Lebron vs. Celts in the Conference Finals should be special.

3. Orlando (39-14)- The Good: Hedo Turkoglu- Dwight Howard is an obvious choice but Tukoglu has been great for the Magic right now. He jsut came out of nowhere. The Bad: Mickael Pietrus- Another bad free agent signing, hasnt done much for the Magic. Outlook: Dwight Howard could carry a team to the conference finals but needs Turkoglu to show up night in night out in the playoffs.

4. Miami (28-25)- The Good: Dwayne Wade- I tried to stay away from the big names but he deserves it. He is third in the MVP voting unfortunately because LBJ and Kobe are on another level. The Bad: Shawn Marion- He just proved once again what a cancer he is in the NBA. Outlook: Maybe its my D-Wade bias but I think they could be the four seed.

5. Atlanta (31-22)- The Good: Joe Johnson- He continues to be one of the most disrespected players in the game. Johnson has been the catalyst for the Hawks. The Bad: Al Hortford- He has been decent this year with 10 and 8 but still a disappointment for this year. Outlook- They are the team most likely to fall off this second half, i just dont see them that high by the end of the year.

6. Detroit (27-25)- The Good: Rodney Stuckey- He is slowly becoming a great player that jsut needs to learn how to play defense. The Bad: Allen Iverson- He is killing Rip Hamilton career game by game and its a reason why Stuckey rising. Outlook: They will be in the playoffs but nothing better than a 5 seed.

7. Philadelphia (27-26)- The Good: Andre Igoudala- Very good player whose been the star on a balanced team this year. Iggy will be good for a very long time. The Bad: Elton Brand- The only contract worse than Beno Udiah; he has been a disappointment to say the least. Outlook: They will be a playoff team but somewhere in the 6-8 range that wont do much in the playoffs.

8. Milwaukee (27-30)- The Good: Ramon Sessions- My buddy Doz was dead on about this guy. He knew last April that he would be a stud. Best call Dozer has made in a long time. The Bad: Injuries- They could be contending for the 6 seed if they had Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd were healthy. Just a bad break overall for the Bucks. Outlook: I think they have enough to make the playoffs but they will probably get just destroyed in the first round.

9. New Jersey (24-31)- The Good: Devin Harris- Even as a Marquette fan, I am happy for a guy from Wisconsin for being so successful. He has had an All-NBA first team. Brook Lopez a close second. The Bad: Vince Carter- Might be heading to Houston tomorrow but he is now washed up, nothing really left in the tank. Outlook: May push for the playoffs but probably come up short.

10. Chicago (24-30)- The Good: Derrick Rose- He was the right call for the first pick of the draft and he has such a promising future for the next ten years. The Bad: Tyrus Thomas- He is easily the most hyped player that hasnt lived up to a top five pick. Outlook: As they made a move to get Brad Miller, it will not help whatsoever.

11. Toronto (21-35)- The Good: Chris Bosh-He has had a solid year and now is building quite the career plus he is the forgotten player of 2003. The Bad: Jamario Moon- I know he is off to Miami but everyone thought he was the next big thing last year which he isnt. Outlook: The most disappointing team in the Eastern Conference; there is no reason why they shouldnt be in the playoffs.

12. New York (22-31)- The Good: David Lee- He wasnt a dominating center at Florida and has just blossomed into a great center. One of the best rebounder in the NBA. The Bad: Stephon Marbury- Could this be anyone else? Just been a cancer to his team. Outlook: Another lottery year just waiting on Lebron.

13. Indiana (22-34)- The Good: Danny Granger- The most underrated player in the NBA right now. People dont realize how good this kid because he plays on a horseshit team. The Bad: Mike Dunleavy- Hasnt done much this year because of being hurt but he falls under the "Duke Curse." Outlook: They have some tools to become a good team and have a very balanced scoring team right now. The Pacers could be very good in the next couple years.

14. Charlotte (22-32)- The Good: Boris Diaw- He has been a shining star in the Phoenix-Charlotte trade. Diaw has proven to be a good player in a different system. The Bad: Adam Morrison- Sorry Owen but he was the number three amounting to absolutely nothing now in LA. Outlook: Just another year with the lottery with hopes that next year they could be in the playoffs next year.

15. Washington (12-42)- The Good: Antwan Jamison- He has done well for the Wizards who havent done anything this year. The Bad: Gilbert Arenas- Agent Zero makes over 100 million dollars and hasnt played a quarter, such a shame. The Outlook: Well lets hope for a good draft pick position.

Well thats it until the playoffs.

-Charlie.

NBA Preview: Eastern Conference

Well its already the NBA season again where who knows what will happen. I will rank teams from the best to the worst in the east and give you my thoughts on all of them.

1. Boston Celtics- Can it really be anyone other than the Celts? They bring everyone back minus James Posey and they are poised to make another run at the title. Also another thing to watch for this year is the maturity of Rajon Rando at the point guard.

2. Detriot Pistons- I think 2 through 5 is a complete toss-up despite the new coach in Michael Curry, I think the Pistons have the most expeirence out of any of the teams that will be mentioned and Rodney Stuckney is the 6th man of the year this year, sorry Manu.

3. Orlando Magic- They are number three because they are in final conference in the East, otherwise that would belong to the Cavaliers (more on them in four). The Magic are the best team in the Southeast conference with a good guard play and Dwight Howard controlling the middle, they should run away with the Southeast.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers- I think it will be battle all year between the Cavs and Pistons for the second spot in the east and I dont think Lebron will be MVP this year although I think his three-point shot has improved. Just remember Mo Williams is now your point guard, he is no different than the other shoot-first PGs you already have.

5. Philadelphia 76ers- This team could be the second-fourth seed but I dont think they are good enough to challenge the Celts for the Atlantic title. They have a really good makeup of players in Elton Brand, Andre Miller, and Andre Iguodula to name a few but Brand has to stay heathly, and the same goes for anyone else. A big injury could derail this team.

6. Toronto Raptors- Almost the same concept goes for the Raptors as they have an addition in Jeremaine O'Neal whose oft-injuried is a concern but if they do stay healthy this team will be a force. I think Jose Calderon is underrated as a point guard and they have the best tandem of big men in the east.

7. Miami Heat- I am very high on the Heat this year and maybe its my own bias hoping my boy Dwayne Wade is going to have an MVP-like year after his performance in the Olympics and that Michael Beasley, Shawn Marion is enough to get this team to the playoffs. I think they might be better than this but it will depend on if they can find a soild point guard out of Mario Chalmers and Shaun Livingston.

8. Atlanta Hawks- This is truly a crapshoot from 8-12, anyone of these next four could be in the playoffs but I think its going to take at least a .500 record to it. To me, I like the makeup of the Hawks with Josh Smith, Joe Johnson and others. Espically Smith, I was very high on him last year and I think he will show you why he needs to be in the conversations of superstar players.

9. Chicago Bulls- With the addition of Derrick Rose this year and getting Vinny Del Negro as their coach, the Bulls may be a playoff team but they have no force down low with Drew Gooden or Joakim Noah also you wonder how Del Negro will keep all the guards happy. I dont see much out of the Bulls this year.

10. Washington Wizards- Now they are missing Agent Zero once again for almost the whole year and in my opinion, the East is better than last year so they will not be able to get by without him this year. Caron Butler and Antwan Jamison are good players but they arent superstars which maybe is a reason why they can never get by Cleveland or the first round.

11. Charlotte Bobcats- Oh would you look at this? Larry Brown is again coaching and I am sure I will have a couple articles berating this prick when he wants his entire team to be traded away, they have yet to win a game in the preseason. They have the make-up of a low-seed playoff team but that will probably not happen. DJ Augustin will be great for them off the bench.

12. Milwaukee Bucks- I know you are asking yourself where is the Bucks preview? No go, I really cannot put together a Bucks' analysis since I cant watch most games in Eau Claire and frankly, I really cant call myself a loyal Bucks fan. I always hope they do well but I dont pay that much attention, kind of like some Brewers fans I know. I think they could make the playoffs but they play in a tough Central divison.

13. Indiana Pacers- The Pacers have a okay squad TJ Ford, Danny Granger, and others. But they dont have that great of coaching and the big men suck as well. The Central once again, is one of the tougher division in the East so they or the Bucks will find themselves at the bottom.

14. New Jersey Nets- Oh but they have all these tools! Yeah, yeah. Yi isnt that good, Vince Carter is close to being washed up and Devin Harris/Josh Boone are both good young ball players for them. But they are really making way for one Lebron James.

15. New York Knicks- Whats good about the Knicks, just wait til 2010 to make that push for LeBron. Sure Mike D'Antoni will help but nowhere near what they might expect.