With Dallas out of the picture and the Spurs already seizing home-court
advantage from the Suns, San Antonio has to be considered an overwhelming
favorite right now to win the championship. Consider this: The Spurs played the
No. 2 team on this list, Golden State, twice after Baron Davis came back in
March. Keep in mind the Warriors are 18-4 in their other games with Davis since
then. But against the Spurs they lost twice by a combined total of 50 points.
Not that I needed any convincing after watching the Spurs methodically rip
the heart out of a very good Denver team last week, but the numbers back up what
I've been thinking since training camp tipped off -- this is San Antonio's
tournament to lose. And thus far, the Spurs don't seem inclined to lose it.
Maybe no one watches the East playoffs. I understand the West is the much, much better conference (even though the top seed got knocked off by the eighth seed and two of the top four teams going into the playoffs are out). It seems people forget the past so quickly. Miami won the championship last year, and Detroit two years before that - with largely the same players as this year! Sure the Pistons have gotten older, but their style of play is a little bit quicker than what it was a few years ago.
The Pistons have scored over 90 points every game this post season, over 100 in two. They swept the Magic who are an up and coming young team with man-child Dwight Howard. The Bulls swept the defending champs in the Heat. Now the Pistons are making quick work of Chicago. If the Pistons can keep Chicago from winning one at home and close the series out on the road again, they begin looking like a tougher and tougher opponent for whoever comes out of the West.
One quick note: If you aren't watching the Golden State Warriors play this postseason, you should be. Their reckless style is the most fun I've seen in pro basketball. Rare isolation plays; fast breaks with any of the five players bringing the ball up the court; huge crowd-lifting (or killing) jumpers and threes. A playground style that's probably as much fun to play as it looks.
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