What's up people? Time for a last week of the season edition of the Roundup. The playoffs are almost here, so it's time for a last look before we get to the Playoff Preview, which I'll have up towards the end of the week. I've got some editorializing to do first, then on to more objective topics.
Why I'm not mad about the Western Conference
Enough with the "we've got to fix the playoffs" nonsense, OK? I'm tired of hearing people cry about the possibilty that a near 50-win team may get shut out of the Western playoffs while a couple of under .500 teams get to compete in the Eastern bracket. It doesn't matter, OK? You want to know why? Real simple:
The Warriors had no shot of winning the West
As an eighth seed, the Warriors would be facing Lakers in the first round, which means they'd be going home after the first round. Now I know that the Warriors pulled of the big upset last year as an eighth seed, but I can guarantee you that wouldn't be happening this time around. Kobe Bryant does have the psychological deficiencies that Dirk Nowitzki does when it comes to big games, and wouldn't get rattled by some Stephen Jackson roughhousing. The two most beatable teams in the Western bracket are going to be Houston, because the shorthandedness they've been able to deal with during the regular season will eventually do them in, and Dallas, for the same reasons they were beatable last year. Whoever got the eighth seed won't be facing either of those teams in the first round, so you can forget about them pulling an upset. And even if they did, the Warriors aren't good enough to get through three rounds and to the Finals. My point here is that I don't consider it a tragedy if a team gets legitimately shut out of a playoff that they have no chance of winning anyway.
The Warriors wouldn't win the East if they were in it, either
Who really thinks that the Golden State Warriors would win the Eastern Conference if they were over there? Anyone who does needs to call me about this oceanfront property in Nebraska I'm selling. I'll give a real good price on it, honest.
There is no way on God's green earth that a size and defensively challenged team like Golden State would win a seven-game series against either Boston or Detroit; they'd also have a hard time with either Cleveland or Orlando, and they'd likely be extended to six or seven by the Wizards or the Sixers. When you flat out stink defensively, it allows anyone to stay close with you (see the 150 points that Seattle put up on Denver recently) no matter how bad they are. Again, you can't win three playoff series against increasingly better teams when you have a serious deficiency at either end of the floor. In the East they'd be out as soon as they met Detroit or Boston, which would be in the second round. Again, no chance of winning the conference just like the West. So please, spare me the whole 'they'd be a high seed in the East' argument. It wouldn't help them any in the long run.
'What If' Time? A couple of What Ifs? to ponder; events that changed the entire fabric of the season that weren't the direct result of an injury or personnel decision by a GM.
What if the Celtics won the lottery? Remeber, the Celtics tanked the last half of last season in an effort to get Oden or Durant in the lottery. Their win now strategy didn't come into fruition after they ended up with the fifth pick instead of the first or second. Had they gotten either one of those picks, it's highly unlikely that Ray Allen would be a Celtic now. The Garnett deal may have still happened, though, because Kein McHale was still looking to deal him and the pieces the Celtics gave up for him would have still been there. A Celtic lineup with the same crew they have today but with Durant swapped for Allen may be just as good as the current outfit, and one with Durant at the two and the guys they traded for Garnett still there would have likely been a playoff contender, but not a championship favorite. Now if they'd drafted Oden, who knows. If they'd dealt for Garnett afterward then you'd have a low level playoff team with Garnett, Pierce and the other guys they have now minus Ray Allen. If they'd drafted Oden and not traded for Garnett, than Danny Ainge would be dowining shots and beers along Hillary Clinton.
What if Stephen Jackson hadn't missed the first seven games? Jackson had been suspended for the first seven games of the season, because of events from the year before. The Warriors lost six of them, and when you consider that they will finish no more than three games out of the final playoff spot (two games plus the tiebreaker advantage the Nuggets have over them), just going .500 in those games would have gotten them in. Then we'd serioulsy be talking about the breakup of the Nuggets, George Karl getting fired, and playing up an angle about an L.A. boy (Baron Davis) returning to the city to play the local team in the postseason. Now we're wondering if the Warriors are just another Don Nelson conconction that's entertaining to watch but lacking in substance.
Playoff Preview!
Coming in a few days. Until then....
A lot of hate for the Warriors
I'm not hatin on them, it's just that I'm tired of people crying about teams under .500 making the playoffs in the East while a 48 win team in the West won't make it over there. If the Warriors had a real shot at winning either conference I might agree, but they don't so it's not like including them in the playoffs would actually affect who the NBA champion ends up being.