Personally the playoffs this year have been pretty amazing. Mostly the Mavs-Spurs series but I think the Cavs-Pistons series and Suns-Lakers were also really good. Now we're on to the Conference Finals and these matchups will be great if all teams involved play to their potential. But after the opening games of each series something strange has happened: both road teams have won Game 1.

Heat vs Pistons
I watched the Heat/Suns game with one of my friends who was just back from college. We both agreed we wanted the Heat to win and that we hate Rasheed Wallace. But I was amazed to see the Heat win the first game of the series. I mean, the Pistons are the Pistons and you expect them to defen home court (especially early). But Flash proved to be too much and the Heat won this game handily.

Though the score was 91-86 the Heat won this game by more than that. So many people have commented on the Pistons depth. And everytime I hear that I'm left scratching my head. To me, depth doesn't mean a guy you can put in who won't screw up for a few minutes. To me, depth means if one of your starters goes down you can put someone off the bench in his place and not lose too much.

The Pistons don't have this. If Chauncey Billups goes down and can't play Game 2 who replaces him? Lindsey Hunter? He may be able to give Billups some needed rest but he can't carry the team all game like Chauncey can. What about Ben Wallace? Who replaces him? The only real depth they have is when they take Rasheed out they can insert McDyess but he's so hot-and-cold these days starting him over an injured Rasheed is no guarantee (I was tempted to say guaran-Sheed but I restrained myself).

Suns vs Mavs
I didn't watch most of this game. Why you may ask? Because I was watching the season finale of Lost. But the whole time I would flip to the game during commericials. Then watched like the last 4 or so minutes of the fourth quarter.

At first the Suns seemed to be playing their game, taking a sizable lead and running like they're apt to. Then as I kept checking in the Mavs were getting closer. Then the Mavs took the lead. And they did this while playing the Suns game. They too were running down the court and getting quick baskets. The Mavs were also exploiting the Suns style by intercepting the required quick inbounds pass.

However, the Suns came back and then took the lead with .5 left. Unless you're Derek Fisher and you're playing the Spurs this means the game's over. It was really disheartening to see the Mavs take control of the game, seemingly beating the Suns at their own game, and then lose it in the end like that. Of course, I often get angry when my team loses and I was wondering if the Mavs would be swept. Now, I don't think that will happen but I can believe more now than before that they may lose this series.

So the question must be asked. Will the Suns, Heat, or both win their respective series? 81% of the time, teams that win Game 1 win the series. Those are some pretty good odds. But are the Suns and Heat really better than the teams they played? Or, as the series grinds on, will the Mavs and Pistons retake their roles as favorites?

Now we've got three game sevens to look forward to. One is tonight between the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers. The next two are on Monday night in Pheonix and San Antonio respectively.

The Cavs shocked everybody when they actually won not one but two games. The biggest surprise was when they stole a game in Detroit and went up by one game on the team many NBA "experts" had stated would win the title easily and were "quite frankly" bored with the game.

Then LeBron James came alive and the kid some say is the next Michael Jordan (haven't heard that before) lead his team to a three game win streak. Of course, the Pistons won game 6 in Cleveland but they were certainly on the ropes.

Next, we've got the Clippers and the Suns. This series has gone back and forth. Neither team has won back to back games and it will be interesting to see who steps up on Monday. The Clippers have a serious shot at defeating the Suns but Pheonix's firepower could be too much. I think the Clips are the most likely underdog to pull off the upset. How amazing would a Mavs-Clips Western Conference finals be? I mean just over five years ago neither of these teams were near the top of the heap. Now, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to see them in the next round.

Finally, the Mavs-Spurs. I think this will be the most competitve of the three game 7's, based solely on the way this series has played out. The Mavs stole a game in San Antonio by blowing out the Spurs in Game 2 but that was clearly a fluke. Now, they'll have to prove they have the ability to bounce back from two striaght loses and win on the road. The Spurs are clutch, especially in elimination games, and have the killer instinct that experience provides.

I think that's what the Mavs lack and what will ultimately cost them this series. They've had their chance to knock the Spurs off but just couldn't push them over the edge. If they lose Monday it'll be a bitter pill to #### and may help them develop that instinct for next year. However, a win on Monday would help more and this series will make them better for the next round.

I haven't broken down the numbers but statistically one of these road teams has to win right? I mean I read that something like only 18% of road teams have won game 7's. So that's less than a quarter of the time. We've already had one other seven game series (Pheonix-Lakers) so there's one. We've got three more so the numbers are looking a little better. It's still tough for a road team to win an elimination game but I think the Clippers and Mavericks, especially, have a fair shot at winning their games. I wouldn't put it past the King and a returning Hughes to win in Detoit, either, but I think that's the least likely victory.

Clippers win, Spurs win, Pistons win.

In the spirit of labeling teams I've decided to hand out some awards/titles for the teams in the early part of the NBA season. While we've got plenty more basketball before all the good teams reveal themselves and the flops rear their ugly heads, I think the beginning of the season has been fairly interesting.

Surprise Team of the Year:
Los Angeles Clippers
If you thought the Clippers would lead the Pacific Division please raise your hand. If you're raising your hand use it to slap yourself now because you're a liar! Granted a few die-hard Clips fans really thought "this is the year" but haven't they been thinking that ever year for the last, well forever! Everyone thought Sam Cassell was being traded to the Clippers to continue to smoulder in defeat and then quietly move from team to team until retirement. Suddenly, the Clippers are the elite team in LA and the Clippers are looking, if not good, at least not so bad.
In the running: New Jersy Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves

Biggest Bust Team of the Year:
New York Knicks
I had trouble with this one. The Kings were supposed to be at least as good as they were last year and still one of the best teams in the West (they're not). Then I almost selected Indiana because they finally get themselves into some real championship talk and then one player goes and ruins their chances (apparently). This seems to be a pattern and I think they'll be better without Artest. But I think the Knicks take the cake. The Knicks, while not supposed to be the second coming of the Bulls or anything, were supposed to be one of the better teams of the season. Maybe, we were giving Larry Brown too much credit (the Pistons are doing better without him) or maybe the Knicks just aren't as talented as they appear on paper. At any rate I expected a lot more from the new New York Knicks.
In the running: Sacremento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets

In Your Face Experts! Team of the Year:
Pheonix Suns
When Amare Stoudemire went down the league's leading mouths preached doom and gloom for the Suns. Even those that felt the Suns had a chance said they would struggle to stay at .500. They said the Suns would have to hope they could remain either at .500 or just below it when Amare got back. Well, I belive the Suns are above .500 now. I also believe they're playing some pretty good ball with out they're most dynamic player. The Suns have proven while they're not terribly deep they're certainly deeper than one player.
In the running: Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers

We're Gonna Crash! Team of the Year:
Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers
They do every year. They start strong with AI leading the charge. Then he gets hurt and the team plummets. Why? Because they're so used to Iverson controling the ball when he's not there their chemistry is so off they can't rebound (figuratively speaking). They struggle scoring and somehow there's a mental block whenever Iverson isn't in the game. This isn't a knock on Iverson, he actually has quite a few assists in addition to his points (though I still think he tries to create too much for himself). Just like always this team will wear out and may slip out of the playoff hunt.
In the running: Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Seattle Sonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, NOklahoma City Hornets

Championship Team of the Year:
Dallas Mavericks
Mainly because I'm a Mavs fan. But beyond that the Mavericks have actually developed a fairly stingy defense. They've beaten the best of the East (Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers) and have the second best record in the league. They were winning convincingly without Jerry Stackhouse. While he's not neccessarily a differnece maker he adds even more depth to the Mavs bench which is oh so important come playoff time. The Mavs finally look like they may have the right combination of Offense and Defense. It would be a great all around series between the Pistons and Mavs as both teams have improved on their "weaknesses" and appear as solid all around teams.
In the running: San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat

So there you have it! My fake, completely biased yet strangely supported awards/titles what have you. Agree, disagree? Have a category I should have had or want to know why some of the "In the running" teams are there? Well, just leave a comment and I'll get back to ya.