Well, the Mavs were swept by the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. On the one hand it was frustrating, especially since three out of the four games really could've gone either way, but at the same time I am relieved to see this tumultuous season finally come to an end!
This year will be remembered as the first time in which Dirk began to show his age; his shots just weren't where they have been in previous seasons. The good news is that he and his shooting coach are using the off-season to completely readjust his game in order to optimize his on-court performance in response to the physical wear and tear, which accompanies a player of his age. With that in mind, I am confident that Dirk won't be leaving the spotlight anytime soon!
Of course, this year was marred by the pathetic performance of Lamar Odom. Odom, who seemed more interested in the amount of airtime he received on the E! network than on ESPN this year, was an utter disappointment and really threw a wrench in the Mav's season. The Mav's traded away valuable ballplayers in order to procure Odom, with the expectation that he was worth the money and was going to deliver the goods! I understand that he had personal issues at the beginning of the season but the effort that he put forth, or lack thereof, was inexcusable and the way he behaved when he finally left the team was classless and disgusting to any fan of the game, Maverick or not.
So with the Mavs out of the playoff picture, I have decided to root for the Spurs. I must admit that I have a lot of respect for a team that can keep the same core group of players together for so long, especially in this day and age where teams seem to swap players every other week. The Mavs are certainly guilty of this to some degree but are nowhere as bad as the Heat. Really, at this point I'm not rooting for any team, I'm just rooting against the Heat. Someone had better beat them!
Here are the match-ups for Round Two:
Eastern Conference
Pacers vs. Heat
My prediction: Heat in 4
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76ers vs. Celtics
My prediction: 76ers in 6
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Western Conference
Lakers vs. Thunder
My prediction: Thunder in 6
(Click on image to enlarge)
Clippers vs. Spurs
My prediction: Spurs in 5
(Click on image to enlarge)
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