Dolfan in NYC Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Miami vs Indiana starts Sunday at 3:30 Ugh... so many ulcers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 As bad as the Pacers have looked, they still have room for confidence going into this, just because of home court and how that's played out against the Heat the last two seasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mco543 Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Clearly the NBA doesn't view the Clippers as a premiere team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Mann Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 And now, the Final Four everyone objecively predicted in October. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougN Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Yeah, but I think the chances of a 4-0 sweep by the Heat in October was highly implausible and now, I'd be surprised to see Indiana take one game. It's so strange to see the Heat improve so much over how they were in the regular season and the Pacers be the complete opposite. As for the West, Parker's injury is going to dictate the series for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mco543 Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 I'd be astonished if the Heat sweep Indy, or get it done in less than 6 games. Indy is built for the sole purpose of beating Miami, almost to the point of negligence in regards to beating anyone else. I fully expect Hibbert to turn into 1967 Wilt like he usually does against Miami but hey if Miami can get it done in 4 or 5 then I'll certainly be one happy camper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie M. Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Picks! Went 5 for 8 in the first round. 3 for 4 in the second round. Miami in 6, San Antonio in 7. I think home court means Indiana manages to get one of the first two and Game 5 but Miami finishes it off before going back for Game 7. Not super confident in the Spurs pick because OKC gives them lots of trouble. I just have a hard time relying on OKC's supporting cast and that Clippers series was very weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy LaRue Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 SA/OKC is a coin flip. Indy will play hard against Miami, but I think the Heat get them in 6. As far as the Finals Commish Silver wants to see-- 1) OKC/MIA: the dream scenario. A rematch. Durant vs LeBron. Midwest vs South Beach. Reigning MVP vs Reigning Champion (and still the best player, eff this year's MVP trophy! ) 2) SA/MIA: An even better eematch! Legacy of Tim Duncan vs the current legacy builder in LeBron. The King vs UnderDuncan. Grumpy old Popovich vs eternally young Spoelstra. The one matchup where each side actually respects each other. 3) OKC/IND: pretty dull, outside of Durant/Westbrook. 4) SA/IND: the sound you hear is the off-click of everyone's remote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Spurs in 6, and why the hell not, I'll call the upset, Pacers in 7. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie M. Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 I remember posting that if Indiana made it to the Conference Finals, they'd likely have sorted all their issues out yet here we are and I'm not sure they've figured anything out. Nobody is fighting anyone, though, so there's that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRGoldman Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Part of me thinks that the Indiana/Miami series comes down a huge amount to game one. I think no matter what is going on in the Pacers locker room, they are going to go all out on their home floor in that game one. If Miami wins that one, I can see it being over very quickly. If Indiana wins, I think we might have a series on our hands. If Parker is not 100%, I think OKC will win in 7. BLR, can you clarify what you mean in your finals rankings when you say that Spurs/Mia is the only match up where both teams respect one another? I'm not sure I agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy LaRue Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 I don't think any of the teams left hate each other outside MIA/IND, but SA/MIA feels like two teams who get each other and therefore, have true respect for what the other has accomplished. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig H Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Miami/Indiana reminds me of those Bulls/Knicks series from the 90s. I'm guessing the Heat wins, but who knows. I couldn't give a shit either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougN Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 I would love to see the Pacers beat the Heat, but I just don't see it getting done and not because Heat's this unbeatable team. I have OKC and MIA winning the conf finals, but for the hell of it, here are ll the possible scenarios for the Finals and my picks: OKC/MIA - I see OKC taking this one in 6. OKC having home court advantage is big in this series and the Thunder have more to support Durant than the Heat have to support LeBron. OKC/IND - OKC all the way, strong possibility of a sweep. I don't think it will do bad ratings only because of Durant. Might not do KILLER ratings though. MIA - Depends on Parker, but I could see the Spurs beating the Heat in 5 or 6 only because the Heat team this year is not better than last year whereas the Spurs team is better especially players like Leonard. SAN/IND - Burgundy's right - this has the makings of one of the lowest rated Finals which is sad. Spurs in 5 here. A smart team like the Spurs can easily dismantle the Pacers. Also, I feel very strongly that either Parker or Manu is going to get SERIOUSLY hurt in one game and that's going to cost them the series. I have a feeling it happens in OKC. I beat Parker sits out Game 1, plays Game 2, and gets injured in Game 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sydneybrown Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Thunder announced that Serge Ibaka is out for the rest of the playoffs with a calf injury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Serge Ibaka is out for the post-season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Can the Thunder beat a Parker-less Spurs without Ibaka? Nick Collison is going to play a lot... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sydneybrown Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Can the Thunder beat a Parker-less Spurs without Ibaka? Nick Collison is going to play a lot... I think the chances of Parker not playing are approximately zero. It's more a matter of how effective he will be when he does play. Thunder can still beat the Spurs, but barring a Pacers miracle, I think they'd get slaughtered in the Finals now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Comedian Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 And now, the Final Four everyone objecively predicted in October. Yeah, and after they hyped this playoffs as the year anyone could win. Hey Silver, now that you've righted the league's wrongs regarding Sterling, you think maybe you could do something about the NBA's ridiculous aversion to parity? Football has "any given Sunday" as a tradition, in hockey a hot goalie can change everything, and baseball is the ultimate streak sport. Make the playoffs, you got a shot at the title. In the NBA? If you're not a 1 or 2 seed, your chances are marginal. If you're not a top 4 seed? Your chances are nil. And they think they're gonna surpass the NFL someday because concussions? Make the average person give two fucks about your playoffs first. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Short of forcing teams to not have two of the 10 best players in the NBA, how do you get parity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedmc Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 I'm sure Dan Gilbert has some ideas on this subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomAct Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 Don't show obvious favoritism to the big market teams? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 Because Miami, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and Indianapolis are the big market juggernauts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mco543 Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 I don't know why people hope for parity in the NBA anymore. The NBA has had parity once in their entire history; the 1970's. It will never ever happen again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomAct Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 San Antonio and OKC have succeeded in spite of everything, honestly. They have excellent management and created an environment where these guys won't bolt for larger cities. We'll see if OKC is still relevant when someone flashes all of that in front of KD and Westbrook. The NFL is constructed to make sure no one holds any sort of stranglehold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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