NBA Playoff Picture Begins to Clear For Cavs, Bulls, Pistons, and (ugh) Pacers

The 2009 NBA Playoff picture is now cleared up.  View the NBA Playoff TV Schedule and Matchups.  The Playoffs start this weekend. Follow the link for great deals on Cleveland Cavaliers Playoff Tickets from StubHub

We have not done a whole lot of regular season NBA coverage here at MSF, but that is about to change now that the NBA Playoffs are almost here and Cavs playoff tickets are about to become the hottest commodity in the Midwest.

I certainly do not consider myself a die-hard NBA fan by any means, but I love the playoffs. And while I am not officially a Cavs fan (I grew up a Bulls fan, but that love faded when MJ retired), they are the team I watch and root for over any others. Obviously, this year’s NBA playoffs are shaping up to be pretty exciting for fans of the Cavs and LeBron.

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A few quick dates and links of note, and then we’ll break down the playoff matchups if the season ended today.

• April 15: Last day of NBA regular season
• April 16: Playoff rosters set
• Start Date: NBA Playoffs begin on April 18
• Up-to-date playoff picture at NBA.com
• NBA season calendar
• StubHub: NBA Playoff Tickets
• StubHub: Cleveland Cavaliers Playoff Tickets
• StubHub: Chicago Bulls Playoff Tickets
• StubHub: NBA Playoff Tickets

Once the final playoff seedings and the schedule is announced, we will post an in-depth NBA playoff preview. For now, here are the matchups if the NBA Playoffs started today. Season series in parentheses:

Eastern Conference Projected Playoff Matchups:

– #1 Cleveland Cavaliers v #8 Detroit Pistons (Cavs 3-1)

– #2 Boston Celtics v #7 Chicago Bulls (Celtics 2-1)

– #3 Orlando Magic v #6 Philadelphia 76ers (Magic 3-0)

– #4 Atlanta Hawks v #5 Miami Heat (Hawks 2-1)

Charlotte is currently 2.5 games behind Detroit for the final playoff spot, while the Pacers are 4.0 games back. Neither is eliminated yet, but their odds are obviously very low.

Cleveland, currently 4.0 games up on Boston, is looking solid for the #1 seed and home court advantage in the East, and also is 1/2 game up on the Lakers for home court advantage throughout the playoffs.

Only one game currently separates the Celtics and Magic for the 2nd spot, and the Bulls and Pistons are separated by only 1/2 game for the 7th spot; so both of those slots are still very much up for grabs with most teams having four or five games remaining as of today.

Western Conference Projected Playoff Matchups:

– #1 Los Angeles Lakers v #8 Dallas Mavericks (Lakers 3-0)

– #2 Denver Nuggets v #7 Utah Jazz (tied 2-2)

– #3 San Antonio Spurs v #6 New Orleans Hornets (NO 2-1)

– #4 Houston Rockets v #5 Portland Trail Blazers (Rockets 2-1)

The Lakers, with their 10 game lead over the Nuggets, have the Western Conference #1 seed wrapped up. Only 5.5 games total separate #2 from #7 right now. With 2.5 games separating current #2 Denver from current #5 Portland, there is still a lot of jockeying that could take place in the upper half of the Western Conference seeding. With Dallas up 4.0 games on Phoenix, their spot looks pretty solid.

In the end, as we all know, the cream almost always rises to the top in the NBA Playoffs. If anyone but the Lakers emerges from the West, it will be a huge upset. Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando are obviously the heavy favorites in the East, with most people thinking the Cavs are a Finals guarantee because they have the best player in the East (and maybe the entire NBA), while Boston is fighting age and injury and Orlando still lacks deep playoff experience.

We got our Lakers-Celtics Finals last season, which satisfied the appetite of NBA traditionalists. This year, I’m hoping for Cavs-Lakers so we can see the two best players in the world go mano-a-mano for what undoubtedly would be a hotly contested, competitive, and highly entertaining six or seven game series.

We’ll see how the next week shakes out and be back next week with our official NBA Playoffs preview post, and then breakdowns of the individuals series. Until then, what is your Finals prediction? Do you think anyone other than the Cavs and Lakers have a prayer?

The comment section awaits…

Rush’s 29 Points Aren’t Enough: Bulls Defeat Indy, 112-106

Indiana Pacers Have the Miami Heat’s Number at Conseco

(Editor’s Note: My apologies for the delay on this article being posted.  We had a little miscommunication on the source of the quotes and my head has been buried six feet deep in March Madness stuff.)

The record is moving up a notch. The Pacers are climbing up that mountain to steal the flag that leads them towards an eighth seed spot in the playoffs, barely beating the Bulls. Can they do it? It’s going to be tough but the Pacers are literally inching closer towards a playoff spot, I am not kidding here now.

With four games behind the Bulls, the Pacers have eight more games to prove they are contenders for a playoff spot. With Chicago at 34-38 and Indiana at 30-42, it will be such a close fight for the eighth seed.

Fans, the Pacers need to get this playoff spot. We need Indiana to make a playoff spot. It’s been four years since they haven’t made a spot in the playoffs. That’s 2005 and right now it is 2009. Do you realize how long that really is? We need hope.

This recap is one of my favorite I have written. Please read:

It came down to this one shot. But Dwayne Wade, he just missed. For a split-second, it looked liked it was going in for sure. It didn’t.

“I thought it was (going in) for a quick second, then I saw he shot it a little to the left and that’s why it rolled out,” said Danny Granger after the 90-88 win over the Miami Heat. “Fortunately, he missed it.”

This very close win marked the Pacers’ 17th straight home-court win over the Heat, 14 in the regular season and three in the playoffs.

Even though D-Wade has been averaging about 30 points per-game, he only had 21 today. It was still consistent but the thing that wasn’t satisfying was that he was 5-24 from the field, including 2-11 in the second the second half according to some sources.

“I thought it was (going in) for a quick second, then I saw he shot it a little to the left and that’s why it rolled out,” said Danny Granger, who led Indiana with 28 points. “Fortunately, he missed it.”

Indiana went on a 13-1 run in the fourth quarter, after a four-point deficit. The Pacers pulled out a very tight and close win and despite the fact they went scoreless in the final four minutes of the game, which can really kill you in an important game like this.

Even though the Heat haven’t beaten the Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse for more than seven years, it also marks that Dwayne Wade has never won in there, too.

“I don’t know why we are so dominant here against them, I really don’t,” Granger said. “But it’s a good streak.” Let’s hope it never ends. Hope is a key word for the Pacers. Hope is what we need Indy.

After T.J. Ford helped out the Pacers to a 87-80 lead, it brought more havoc to the Heat as Granger drilled a shot from downtown to make it a comfortable 10-point lead. The Heat rolled back to an 8-0 run, while former Pacer, Jermaine O’Neal, contributed to it with his two points.

“It’s just one of those nights, man,” Wade said. “Naw, I got a lot of good shots. I’ve played against the Pacers many times, so I know how to play against them. I just missed a lot of shots I normally hit. It’s just one of those nights.”

If the Pacers keep this up, I can assure you that they can make a playoff spot and beg that Bulls go on a losing streak, no disrespect to you Bulls fan out there (sorry MJ).

Pacers fans, hope is really what we need. And that is a big word. Can we make the playoffs? Can we go to the NBA finals? There is only one word to that answer. And you all know what it is.

That is, my friends, is HOPE.

Pacers-Bobcats: Pacers Pummel Bobcats, 108-83, While Jack Scores 31

Even though Indiana still has a shot at making the playoffs, they are 29-42, three games behind the Bulls for the eighth seed. The Pacers proved themselves once more as they literally pummeled the Bobcats, 108-83.

After being benched last night in a 94-92 loss to the Mavericks, Jarrett Jack re-payed it by leading the Pacers with an astonishing 31 points. Jack made 13-of-14 shots and piled on six boards. He also made all of his four free throws along with his stellar performance.

Danny Granger brought on the heat, helping out Jack and the Pacers with 21 points. Brandon Rush added his tidbit with his 15 decent points scored. And if you don’t even believe me that the Pacers killed the Bobcats, they outscored them in the third quarter by a score of 33-9!

This whopping win snaps the Pacers’ nightmare five game losing streak. Even though they have lost six of their last 10 games, they are improving and this will help them into the future.

Even though the Bobcats got pummeled, Boris Diaw helped out the team with his 15 points in a “brutal performance,” according to what NBA.com said. The Bobcats were looking to have the eighth seed right to them if they beat Indiana, but failed.

They were only one game behind the eighth seeded Chicago Bulls before the game. The after game was hell for them.

Entering the third quarter, you’ll see on TV that the Charlotte fans were screaming “boos” to the ‘Cats as they went 3-19 in shooting, and let Jack do his thing. That was also when the Pacers outscored them, 33-9.

Jack only missed one shot, which was a 3-pointer, but he still brought hell to Raymond Felton. Jack was just constantly dribbling through Felton and sinking the shots.

The Bobcats 9-3 record went down into a slum. Gerald Wallace was considered a “bust” in the game. He was averaging 25 in his last three, but then went 1-4 shooting today and only had three points.

Raja Bell did a little better. But it was only a little. He had seven points and was 3-9 shooting. Bell also had an embarrassing air ball during the game.

And for Felton, even though he was failing defensively, he was also failing offensively. He only hit three of his 13 shots. That was the worst out of all of the teammates I have mentioned.

The Pacers were doing great. After winning a lot of games, they were one game behind the eighth seed. But after that disastrous five-game losing streak, they slumped down to four games behind the eighth seed.

Even though the Pacers were dominant in the third quarter, Ford and Jack weren’t. They had an on-court argument which led Jack to the locker room and the teammates had to separate them.

“Something happened between all of us,” Pacers’ Jim O’Brien said before the game. “We dealt with it and it’s behind us.”

Even though the argument happened, they still pulled out a win. The Bobcats really couldn’t do anything overall. The Pacers beat out the Bobcats in every statistic pretty much.

The Pacers are now 29-42. Can they make the playoffs?

Can they beat out Chicago and grab the eighth seed?

What a steal that could be. Let’s hope that happens. Hope. That is what we need, Indiana fans.

Pacers 108, Bobcats 83 (F) – Watch more

Jarrett Jack photo credit: AP Photo/Donna McWilliam

Hoosier State Beat: Pacers Problems, IU Wins, Ball State Undefeated, and Gary Brackett Injury Update

I haven’t had a chance to sit and organize my thoughts lately, but there are a few things to be shared. This seems to be the time and place to do it.

First off, what is going on with the Pacers?

Just a week or two ago I was writing about how they were on the verge or something special and how I could see them being one player away from greatness. Since then all hell has broken loose and they have gone 2-6.

Sure, Danny Granger is the next big thing, sure they are a young team, but how long can we keep saying the same old thing over and over again? Come guys, give me some material.

Hopefully this hell week (Lakers, at Boston, at Cleveland, then Boston again in Indy) will show me that spark they had to start the season.

The Colts on the other hand are on a winning streak, they are also on an injury streak. I don’t have this %100 confirmed (I would place it as a %70 – %30 right now) but someone in the know mentioned to me that Gary Brackett is done for the season. They didn’t say if that included any playoff run or not, but the regular season may be over for one of Indy’s defensive captains.

Indiana University saw victory at Assembly Hall on Sunday, but they also saw Verdell Jones carted off the hardwood. He was taken to the hospital for a quick once over and released.

While I am happy to see the Hoosiers get a win, I am much more happy to see Jones is ok. Watching someone get carted off the football field is expected, but when it happens in basketball it usually leads to something more serious, I’m glad it was all precautionary with Jones.

Also, I love Tom Crean.

Undefeated Ball State will be entering the M.A.C. Championship game on Friday to face Buffalo. I don’t claim to know much about Buffalo, but what I do know is that if BSU can pull this out and get our first ever MAC championship we deserve a BCS bowl bid. Ok, maybe not deserve, but if we don’t get it, and a BCS conference team that is ranked lower then us does, then the current BCS deserves to be blown up and re-imagined.

I’ll be back later this week with an early look at UFC 92 and hopefully some good Pacer news.

The Demise of Isiah Thomas – What happened Zeke?

I recently blogged on the topic of Pistons GM Joe Dumars, a former guard for Detroit, and the perception that he is a genius. This got me to thinking about his partner in the backcourt for those Pistons championship teams of the late eighties….the great Isiah Thomas.

As you know, in October of this year Isiah Thomas was taken to a New York hospital after being founded unconcious in his home. The incident was ruled as a “accidental overdose of a prescription sleeping pill”. This was just another scar on the post NBA career for Thomas. The real surprise in this particular incident is that he insinuated that his 17 year old daughter was actually the patient. Why he would try to throw his 17 year old daughter under the bus when it could easily be proven otherwise? Furthermore…what the hell happened to Isiah Thomas?

Isiah Thomas has some staggering statistics as a player. He attended Indiana University for two years under Bob Knight. He was on the 1981 National Championship team and was named the Most Outstanding Player for the NCAA tournament that year. He then left and was drafted with second pick of the 1981 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons. He was a force right away as he made the NBA all rookie team. He continued to dominate at the point throughout his career and even lead the Bash Brothers teams to two championships in the 1988-’89 and 1989-’90 seasons. Here is a rundown of some of his statistics from Basketball-Reference.com:

- NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player (1981)
- NBA All Rookie Team (1982)

- 12x NBA All Star (every year from 1982-1993)
- 3x All-NBA First Team (1984-1986)
- 2x NBA SEcond Team (1983,1987)
- 2x NBA Champion (1989,1990)
- NBA Finals MVP (1990)
- U.S. Olympian (1980…never played because of the boycoot, but, was named to the team)
- J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (1987)

He also scored 18,822 points had 9,061 (9.3 pg) Assists and 1,861 Steals in his career. He is the Pistons career leader in the following categories: games played, points, steals and assists. He is fourth all-time NBA in assists.

These are staggering statistics that led to him being chosen as one of the top 50 players of all time for the 50th anniversary team. He was also named to the Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

He retired as a player in 1994. This was when his career did a 180 and took a turn for the worse.

First, he bought in to the expansion Toronto Raptors franchise becoming a part owner and VP. He was run out of town over disagreements with management. He then tried a forray into broadcasting.

The real trouble started when he bought the CBA in 1998. The league later went into bankruptcy and no longer exists. Isiah Thomas has been given a lot of the blame for the leagues demise. The big reason for this is that he turned down a profitable offer from the NBA to turn the CBA into a development league for the NBA. Thomas declined. The NBA later created the NBDL as a farm system for the NBA which basically made the CBA obsolete.

Thomas was then hired on to replace Larry Bird as the head coach for the the Indiana Pacers. This was Isiah’s first try at head coaching and he was given a stacked team. The Pacers had just won the Eastern Conference title and were poised for more success. But, Isiah never got them out of the first round of the playoffs. They had the talent, but Isiah just wasn’t experienced enough for head coaching. It’s hard to believe that he couldn’t get a team with young talent in Ron Artest and Brad Miller and a veteran leader in sharp shooter Reggie Miller out of the first round of the playoffs. This led to him being replaced in Indiana as head coach.

In 2003, he moved on to destroy the New York Knicks franchise, where he was named President of Basketball operations. He also became head coach in 2006. By the time he became head coach in New York he had helped them amass the highest payroll in the entire NBA…..and the 2nd worse record. On top of that, there were allegations of sexual harrasment and racism by a Madison Square Garden employee.

To me, not many have fallen harder than Isiah Thomas after his career as a player ended. I think bad decision after bad decision may have finally taken its toll. He has won chamionships as a player, dazzled fans with his insane ball-handling abilities and could get to the hoop like no other point guard of his time. But, he fell from an NBA All Star (and personally one of my favorite players) to the the brink of death.

He ripped apart franchises and even destroyed an entire league. All of this finally culminated this Fall with him throwing his 17 year old daughter under the bus for his “accidental overdose”. This is a tragic epilogue to an exciting and dominating NBA career, and it should be a warning sign to current NBA players to not bite off more than you can chew when your playing career is over.

[tags]isiah thomas, nba[/tags]

Indiana Pacers, Danny Granger Start Strong in 2008, Beat Boston Celtics

Two games into the season and I am psyched about my return to the Pacers. As of right now they are 1-1 but they could be 2-0. The opener against Detroit showed that the team doesn’t quit; that’s important in a long NBA season.

They fought hard, keep getting close and losing it, but then they would fight right back. A six point loss in the Palace isn’t exactly a black mark on any season.

Then came Saturday night, and while I seem to have made a DVR mistake, I hear they hustled all 48 minutes and managed to beat down the defending NBA champs. I seem to remember a year ago Boston only suffered maybe 3 double digit losses and now we have handed them their first of this NBA season

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Indiana Pacers and I Await New Beginning Tonight Against the Detroit Pistons

Like many people, I’ve lost touch with the NBA over the last few years.

Once Reggie retired from the Pacers, I felt the team lost its heart and I lost my emotional attachment. A lot has changed with the organization since that last playoff run with Reggie. Who am I kidding, a lot has happened with the team since “The Brawl” and much of it hasn’t been good.

What I have decided to do now, is start over. They way I see things, the Simon brothers have taken a renewed interest in this team, Larry Bird has realized the problems within, and between the three of them they are re-starting this organization.

If the last few Pacer seasons had been the Batman Forever and the Batman and Robin for this franchise, then this season is Batman Begins.

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2008-09 NBA Season Preview

Just so everyone knows. The NBA season starts this week…and not in February as is commonly assumed.

The off-season free agent period was pretty boring except for a few moves. But that’s okay considering the next two are going to be bloodbaths.

Some playoff teams in the East (Cleveland and Philadelphia) got a little bit better in the off-season free agent period. Some (Detroit and Boston) got older.  The West looks to be just a tough and grueling as last year.

Some of the bigger questions this year:

1. Can Boston repeat? (sure…they could)…or are they too old (probably)?
2. Is Kobe still the best player in the NBA? (nope).
3. Will the coaching changes in Dallas and Phoenix take them to the next level? (No)
4. Will Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley win the Rookie of the Year award? (No)

Here is my top 8 in each conference and my pick for postseason conference champions and the NBA champion:

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