NBA Hit List, 5.8.07
Maybe they can get a read on Jersey…Be honest with yourself; there’s no way you thought both of last year’s NBA Finalists would get pieced out in the first round. Now that we’ve cut the playoff field in half, these Hit Lists are getting harder and harder. One game can realistically move a team from 1 to 8, and vice versa. And have you noticed how many superstars are sitting at home now? D-Wade, Shaq, Dirk, ‘Melo, Iverson, T-Mac, Yao, Kobe, Arenas … they’re dropping like flies. Going into Tuesday’s action, here’s how the League stacks up:
8. Chicago Bulls — Luol Deng, meet Stardom. Now meet Tayshaun Prince. Say good-bye to Stardom for a while.
7. New Jersey Nets — The Nets could get swept in this round or they could give Detroit a little somethin’ in the Conference Finals. We really don’t know how to read this team anymore.
6. Golden State Warriors — We thought they’d have a little letdown coming off the Dallas series, but Game 1 in Utah saw the Warriors right out there throwing blows like they did in the first round. They came up a little short to start, but we think GS wins at least a couple games before it’s all said and done.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers — Tayshaun Prince, Josh Smith … Sasha Pavlovic? Believe it. If the Cavs end up winning this series, Sasha’s huge block on J-Kidd will be replayed over and over again as a turning point in Cleveland’s season.
4. Utah Jazz — We agree with Barkley: Deron Williams will be a household name by the end of the Warriors/Jazz series. So should Carlos Boozer, for that matter.
3. Phoenix Suns — Even in defeat, they almost played a perfect game. Game 1 easily could have went one way or the other.
2. San Antonio Spurs — So much is being made about Steve Nash’s bloody face possibly costing Phoenix Game 1 that no one’s giving Tony Parker credit for raining buckets on Nash (32 pts) and taking him out with the head-butt.
1. Detroit Pistons — Doesn’t look like anyone in the East (or the West for that matter) can stop them.
May 9th, 2007 at 8:16 am
Mich & Tele says:
Aaaaaahahahaha. You dorks put Detroit behind CLEVELAND and UTAH all throughout the regular season – I’m not going to gloat about how high you ranked Dallas, not many people saw that coming. But regardless, this looks quite a bit different from the rest of the lists you’ve been publishing over the last year. In fact, this is the first Hit List I’ve seen in a while that ranked Detroit greater than #4, behind an assload of Western Conference chokers. I suggest you learn how to say one very simple phrase from here on out: “We were totally wrong.”
Sniff you jerks later.
May 9th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
Doug says:
For those outside of Cleveland, who have not heard the 2007 slogan of “rise up”, and who have only a passing familiarity with the cavs staring five in double figures evrey game, I can understand the reluctunce of the media to have a cleveland sports team front and center in the national spot light.
The cavs are playing mentally tough basketball only rivald this “second season” by Detroit and Phoenix
May 9th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Austin Burton says:
The Cavs have LeBron — the media would collectively love for them to be front and center, it’s just that they haven’t played an intriguing opponent yet. Trust, if Arenas would’ve been around for the Wizards series, it would have received more attention.
Mentally tough? Cleveland blew big second-half leads against Washington on the regular.
May 9th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
howie says:
1.Phoenix
2.Detroit
3.San Antonio
4.Cleveland
nuff said!