The NBA Playoffs: Part Two

Eastern Conference 1. Atlanta Hawks (aka Utah Hawks): Chris and I have been talking about this team. They are the Utah Hawks haha. Three of their players came from the Jazz. First and foremost Paul Milsap. I was so disappointed when he was traded. He was such a good player for the Jazz but I am glad where he is at. Then there is Kyle Korver and DeMarre Carrell. In game two the trio combined for 38 of the hawks 96 points. The Hawks are very impressive team. They have an incredible coach who has led this team from mediocre to amazing! No surprise that Mike Budenholzer (isn't that a cool last name) got Coach of the Year. He gave a lot of credit to his mentor and college Gregg Poppovich. I would too working along side him for nearly 20 years. I am happy for all the success they have had and I hope they move on to round two by beating Deron Williams and the Nets. They have a 14% chance of winning the Title.

2. Brooklyn Nets: It's very unfortunate that the Nets lost Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. I am happy for Garnett going back to his old team. Deron Williams, who used to be on the Jazz is not stepping up to the plate for the Nets. Players like Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson have been the stars with the team along with Jarrett Jack. Brooklyn got a great player with Jack, who formerly played at Golden State. Jack comes off the bench and always plays hard and he has definitely been an offensive asset for the Nets. I don't think the Nets will win a game in this playoff series unfortunately. The Hawks are just stronger. The Nets have a 2% chance of winning it all.

3. Toronto Raptors: Toronto had a pretty good season ending their record at 49-33 and also ended in 4th place in the Eastern Conference. They are against a really good Washington team who have a lot of playmakers who can get it done. Toronto have some good players on the team including DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, and Patrick Patterson. However, Lowry's health. A back injury sidelined him for nine games and then he had a shin contusion which left him unable to play in the last six minutes. Unfortunately they are down 2 games to none and the worst thing is they lost both games at home. They have home court advantage and they blew it. They need to come out in game three and play amazing if they want any chance of beating the Wizards. They have a 13% chance of winning it all.

4. Washington Wizards: The Wizards picked up Paul Pierce from the Nets which was a good deal for them. The Wizards have offensive weapons such as Bradley Beal and John Wall to help them out. They have been very productive on the court and they all play very unselfish as well. John Wall alone had 17 assists with the total amount being at 26 assists. These Wizards have been a surprise to me. They have been playing very effective and well and if they keep playing like they are they will have major success in the next rounds to come.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers: There were so many happy people when King James announced that he would be coming back to Cleveland. They also added Kevin Love in the mix with Kyrie Irving. This trio has been very entertaining to watch. You can't really compare this trio with the Heat which included James, Wade, and Bosh. I think the Heat's trio was better than Cleveland's but they are still good. Kyrie Irving has proved himself and I believe he will be a future Hall of Famer himself. He has performed at a high level of basketball. I think Cleveland has a really good chance to make it to the Finals. They have a 46% chance to win the whole thing.

6. Boston Celtics: I honestly didn't think the Celtics would make the playoffs. Brad Steven's team sure proved them wrong. They have one of the youngest starting lineups in the playoffs. Their starting lineup includes Brandon Bass, Tyler Zeller, Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, and Evan Turner. Unfortunately they have to play the Cavs. So far they are down 3 games to 0 to Cavs. I think its a great accomplishment to get this far but I just don't think they will make a comeback against the Cavs. They are just better in terms of offense and defense and have more experienced players on the team. They have 1.1% chance to win it all.

7. Chicago Bulls: I admire Derrick Rose so much. With all the injuries he has had it would be very easy to be discouraged and give up. But he has had a firm determination and has come back and helped his team get where they are at. He has a lot of good players that play along side him including Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, and Jimmy Butler. Jimmy Butler has been very impressive in the playoffs. I watched him play against the Bucks and he just lit it up at home for the Bulls. The fans loved it. I think the Bulls have a better chance than most teams to reach the finals. I have them a 32% chance of winning the whole thing.

8. Milwaukee Bucks: It has been fun to see Jason Kidd as a coach. I think he has done very well so far and I think he will have a good career as a coach. It was very unfortunate to see Jabari Parker get hurt earlier on and have to miss the rest of the season. They traded for Michael-Carter Williams, who played for the 76ers. Honestly, I thought he was a better fit for 76ers. I think he would have done great there. This last game though he did pretty good with 19 points and 9 assists, 1 assist shy of a double double. A lot of the attention has been on the big man Giannis Antetokounmpo (try saying his last name 5 times fast). He hasn't been as consistent on offense but he has been really good on the rebounds and has dished out assists to his teammates. I don't think they will even get past round one so I have their chances of winning the whole thing at 5%.