Wow. Three posts in and I've already caused a mini-firestorm up in here. Or I hit a raw nerve with Bulls and Suns fans. Either way, very cool stuff.

Raps-Nets

Another series I haven't been able to follow closely. I blame the following factors, in no particular order: a) the Pacific time zone b) the schedule programmers for the playoffs, for putting all the games on NBATV and having them at the same time as other, better series' games. Seriously, didn't they do this to the Nets in the first year last year too? Is it so wrong to want to see the best PG of this generation without missing other games?

Anyway, I thought the Nets would come out on top in this series, mainly because the Raps don't play a lick of defense and aren't a good enough rebounding team to capitalize on the Nets' donut roster (nothing in the middle). I did catch game 4. in time to see the Nets blow Toronto out of the water. Kidd and Carter were getting in the lane pretty much at will, and Chris Bosh was settling for too many jumpers. I really like Bosh's game, and he already shows more leadership than the guy he's most often compared to, KG. But in this series, and in general, he needs to get inside and mix things up more. He's got a great hook, shows flashes of great post up moves on the regular, and it would be a shame for him to fall in the tradition of big guys who jump-shot themselves straight into a "soft" label a la CWebb.

With all that said, I think Toronto's going to win tonight. New Jersey's playing well, but which Vince Carter is going to show up? The deer-in-the-headlights version of games 1 and 2? Or the dominator that owned his former team in the Meadowlands? I'm betting probably somewhere in between, leaning towards the former. I've always admired his dunks (he's the best I've ever seen), but Vince seems to lack the killer instinct of his elite wing peers (namely Kobe, TMac, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen). Thats why I thought the deal bringing him to Jersey would work so well, because JKidd's leadership could overshadow Vince's shortcomings and let him just play loose. 

But things haven't really taken off for the Nets like I thought they would. Before the season, I thought this was the year we'd see New Jersey bounce back to its title-contending ways in the East, even picking them to represent in the finals. Instead, we got an ugly, out of sync mess. And that was before KRS(tic)-One was out for the season. Granted, RJ was dealing with some injury issues, but that's no excuse for them to open the season 11-18. We'll see if they can pull it together in the playoffs, but I'm not optimistic.

The Nets will pull it together enough to win this series though, and I see them clinching it in game 6. That means Cleveland-New Jersey in the second round, which is just a bad matchup for the Nets. More on that next time.

And I haven't forgotten about my MVP manifesto. Suns fans, who didn't seem to enjoy my "pretty-boy" crack yesterday, are going to love it.