2008 Woodie Awards
Focus on Fantasy: 40 games in 40 nights
Danny Epstein
Issue date: 4/23/08 Section: Sports
This week, I'll preview the upcoming NBA Playoffs.
Eastern Conference:
(1) Boston v. (8) Atlanta: Living in the area, I've watched approximately 70 Celtics games this year, including all three beat-downs of the Hawks. The only thing that should give Hawks fans any hope is that Josh Smith has the size to cover Garnett for periods of time and none of the Big Three have been to the playoffs in what seems like a century. The Celtics have way too much for the Hawks, but I'll bet that at least one of the games in Atlanta is competitive. Prediction: Celtics in four
(4) Cleveland v. (5) Washington: This is probably the most intriguing match-up in the Eastern Conference considering all the trash-talk that has been thrown towards "King James" by numerous Wizards players, including the outspoken Gilbert Arenas. The Wizards have more overall talent than the Cavs even with their recent trade with the Bulls. Look for Daniel Gibson to hit some big three points for Cleveland and Arenas to get worn down as the series progresses while recovering from his knee injury. Prediction: Cavs in seven
(3) Orlando v. (6) Toronto: Since neither of these teams appears on national television much, this is a tough one to predict. I'll take Dwight Howard and watch for Turkoglu to have a few big games from the outside to eliminate Bosh and the Raptors. Prediction: Magic in six
(2) Detroit v. (7) Philadelphia: I'm watching this game right now actually and Charles Barkley just called Rasheed Wallace the most talented player ever in NBA history. Ingenious Chuck. Anyways, Philly could make this series fun because they'll run-and-gun up and down the court while the Pistons prefer to slow things down. Look for this to be more competitive than you might think, but the experience of Detroit and specifically Billups will eventually prevail. Prediction: Pistons in six
(1) Boston v. (4) Cleveland: The one-man-show LeBron James versus the Big Three of the Celtics. Although LeBron was able to take out the Pistons by himself last year, I cannot see Doc Rivers letting him beat the Celtics by himself this year. That's good news for all the Celtics fans because Cleveland doesn't have a ton of talent around James. Prediction: Celtics in five
Eastern Conference:
(1) Boston v. (8) Atlanta: Living in the area, I've watched approximately 70 Celtics games this year, including all three beat-downs of the Hawks. The only thing that should give Hawks fans any hope is that Josh Smith has the size to cover Garnett for periods of time and none of the Big Three have been to the playoffs in what seems like a century. The Celtics have way too much for the Hawks, but I'll bet that at least one of the games in Atlanta is competitive. Prediction: Celtics in four
(4) Cleveland v. (5) Washington: This is probably the most intriguing match-up in the Eastern Conference considering all the trash-talk that has been thrown towards "King James" by numerous Wizards players, including the outspoken Gilbert Arenas. The Wizards have more overall talent than the Cavs even with their recent trade with the Bulls. Look for Daniel Gibson to hit some big three points for Cleveland and Arenas to get worn down as the series progresses while recovering from his knee injury. Prediction: Cavs in seven
(3) Orlando v. (6) Toronto: Since neither of these teams appears on national television much, this is a tough one to predict. I'll take Dwight Howard and watch for Turkoglu to have a few big games from the outside to eliminate Bosh and the Raptors. Prediction: Magic in six
(2) Detroit v. (7) Philadelphia: I'm watching this game right now actually and Charles Barkley just called Rasheed Wallace the most talented player ever in NBA history. Ingenious Chuck. Anyways, Philly could make this series fun because they'll run-and-gun up and down the court while the Pistons prefer to slow things down. Look for this to be more competitive than you might think, but the experience of Detroit and specifically Billups will eventually prevail. Prediction: Pistons in six
(1) Boston v. (4) Cleveland: The one-man-show LeBron James versus the Big Three of the Celtics. Although LeBron was able to take out the Pistons by himself last year, I cannot see Doc Rivers letting him beat the Celtics by himself this year. That's good news for all the Celtics fans because Cleveland doesn't have a ton of talent around James. Prediction: Celtics in five
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