The NBA Playoffs!

The NBA Playoffs are here. Yay!! We just got done from a very entertaining March Madness in college basketball. Let me just say I was happy with the result, because I love Coach K. Wisconsin clearly deserved it more though. They hadn't won the title since 1941. Anyways, back to the NBA Playoffs I am going to breakdown every team in the playoffs and give you my take on their team in general and what chances of them winning the whole thing. Western Conference 1. Golden State Warriors: I have to say the Warriors are my favorite team in the playoffs, including both Western and Eastern Conferences. I am in love with Curry and Thompson, (The Splash). They bring a certain energy and their 3 point shooting is off the charts. Except they have been a little shaky with their 3 point shooting right now. They are both combined from two games so far 13/36 which is 36 percent. They also have a great bench to support them. Steve Kerr has done a phenominal job. I love him. He was a great player as much as now as he is a coach. The Pelicans have come back and gave them a run for their money but they battled back to win those games.Plus their fans are some of the most loyal you get. Now they have to play in New Orleans which will be hard. The question is will they get a sweep of them or will it go to a game 7? Can't wait to see the results. According to ESPN they have a 48% chance to win the whole thing. That would be awesome to see.

2. New Orleans Pelicans: So can this young team with Jimmer Fredette compete for an upset against the #1 seed in the Western Conference? Anything can happen its the playoffs. It's sad to see that Fredette doesn't get to play as much. We don't get to see his talent that he showed us at BYU. When I think of the Pelicans I think of Anthony Davis. He is a monster on the court. He is very consistent with his game. Sure every player will be off games. They are human. No one is perfect. Game 1 he was amazing. First playoffs and he sure hasn't disappointed. The only thing is there are players that have had off and on injuries. Jrue Holiday in particular. I was surprised to see when he was traded from the 76ers to this team. He is a really good player and I am looking forward to see what he does in the future. The Pelicans, in my opinion only have like a 12% to win it, if they can even get by Golden State.

3. Portland Trail Blazers: The Portland Trail Blazers have a lot of talent on their team. But they just haven't performed to the best of the abilities. They lost by 14 points to Memphis. I thought the outcome would have been closer. I am big fan of Damian Lillard. I wish I would have watched him in college. He led a Weber State team to the NCAA Tournament, the last year he was there I believe. Correct me if I am wrong? I am glad that he was picked to be an All-Star. I was shocked that he didn't get in to begin with but glad that he was finally picked. Then there's LamMarcus Aldridge. He is the main star on the team. Look at his numbers from game one. He had 32 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, and 4 blocks, (numbers similar to Anthony Davis). They sure are the underdogs in this series, but maybe they will bounce back and play better so they can go on to round two. Their chance of winning is 13.3% in my opinion.

4. Memphis Grizzlies: The Memphis Grizzlies are very good, seeing first hand when they played the Jazz. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol are a talented duo. They can hit shots inside as well as taking jumpers. They have a fantastic bench to help them out as well. They have Jeff Green, who was traded from Boston, Mike Conley, Ben Udrih, and Courtney Lee to name a few. They sure are the favorites. After two well near perfect performances by the Grizzlies we will see and find out if they will Sweep the Blazers. I would have to give the Grizzlies a higher chance of winning the whole thing about 19.8%.

5. Houston Rockets: When I think of the Rockets I think of two players. The first one is James Harden and the other is Dwight Howard. James Harden has come a long way to being in contention for the MVP. He deserves it as he has played outstanding. I think it will be between Harden and Curry. He came from Oklahoma City, being part of a team with Westbrook and Durant to coming to a team that needed someone like him to light up their team. He hasn't disappointed. Then there is Dwight Howard, a guy who started out with the Orlando Magic from 2004 to 2012. He did a lot of good with the Orlando Magic but started to get frusterated and chose to leave. He ended with the Lakers which was horrible. He didn't like it there and was only there for one season. He now currently is with Houston and I think this is the right fit for him. He works with the team really well and they have had a lot of success. They have looked good so far against Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks. Let's see if they keep the ball rolling. If the Rockets keep playing like they do they could contend at the Western Conference Finals. They have a 22% chance of winning.

6. Dallas Mavericks: There's so few NBA basketball players that have been loyal to one team. Dirk Nowitzki happens to be part of these. He has done so many great things with his team. He is a future Hall of Famer for sure. He's 36 years old and he still has it. I truly admire and respect him. I have nothing to say bad against him. I am so happy he won the Finals in 2011. There are many great NBA players who didn't earn the title including players like Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and John Stockton. Nowitzki has a lot of talented players playing along side him. One of them is Monta Ellis. I best know him by his circus shots. They were incredible to see and he is a good Point Guard in general. Rajon Rondo, another player traded from Boston. Honestly I don't know what his future holds with the team. He has gotten in several arguements with Coach Carlisle, which have ended up with him sitting on the bench. I am happy that Amare Stodemire is finally healthy enough to come back. I think he is very underrated and with all the injuries he has faced, its great to see him back on the court. Unfortunately the Mavericks are struggling against the Mavericks. I know that won't be the case when they are at home. They should be able to win those. Dallas, Dallas, Dallas unfortunately they won't win at all. Their chance of winning is at 10%.

7. Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers are a force to be reckoned with. They also have a lot of talented players on the team. Blake Griffin is definitely the Dunking Machine. He can compete offensively and defensively. He has a good Point Guard in Chris Paul. He plays smoothly on the court. DeAndre Jordan, on the other hand is so good on Defense. He should have won Defensive Player of the Year but Kawahii Leonard won it. Very interesting! The Clippers beat the Spurs bad by fifteen however the second game wasn't the case. The Spurs fired back and won 111 to 107. The series is tied one to one. Most other team series have been 2 to 0. This is one series that I think will go to seven games. The Clippers have a strong chance to win it all. I would give them a 24% chance.

8. San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs are lucky enough to have one of the best Coaches in the history of the NBA, Gregg Popovich. I would like to see him smile more. At least he expresses more emotion than Bill Belicheck. Look at these stats. His career wins are 1022 and his losses are 470. That's just incredible! He has one five NBA Titles and has been NBA Coach of the Year three times. The team in general, no one has a veteran team like the Spurs. Manu Ginbobli, Tony Parker, and Tim Duncan have been the glue to the team. They have played for years and there's not a better trio in the NBA than them. Tim Duncan is another veteran player who has played for one team only and that's going to stay that way. He's 37 or 38 years old so he is definitely going to retire soon.He is another player that I am happy for because he deserves all the success he has had. Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker are two players that stepped up and helped Tim Duncan get the NBA Championships. They all played together as team. Like the motto says, "There is no I in Team." As much as I like the Spurs I really want to see another Western Conference team in the Finals (hint hint the Warriors). This series is exciting and it will be very inrigiing to see how it ends. I think the Spurs definitely have a bigger chance than anybody to win it again. Their chances of winning is at 49.9%

I will post my next blog on the Eastern Conference teams. Enjoy! Thanks for the support.