Chapman: Bulls, Heat to meet in East finals; Pacers to fall short
By JOSHUA CHAPMAN
ISL Correspondent
Note: Chapman wrote this before Saturday’s games began.
Ah, the playoffs are here once again! It is time to crown a champion from the pool of 16. While the West is a gauntlet of great teams, the East (or as some call it, the “Leastern Conference”), presumably has 2 teams worthy of getting to the Finals: the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers. Will the two heavyweights meet up? Or will someone else crash the party? Let’s find out!
Quarterfinals
#1 Indiana Pacers vs. #8 Atlanta Hawks
Indiana has had a nightmare end to the season. The Pacers have gone 8-13 over their last 21 games, have had guys call each other out for being selfish, and just aren’t playing good basketball right now. They were able to get a nice win over the Thunder, but haven’t been able to rely on their center, Roy Hibbert. Their opponent, the Hawks, haven’t exactly been world-beaters, going 12-13 since March 1. Still, Atlanta has given Indy fits this year; thanks to new power forward Paul Millsap and a criminally underrated, speedy point guard in Jeff Teague. They also have one of the premier marksmen in the game in Kyle Korver. It Atlanta was at all legitimate or was hot at the end of the year, they might’ve been able to pull off the upset. Indiana has more talent and therefore will win the series. Don’t be surprised if Atlanta takes one in Indy though.
Prediction: Indy in 6
#2 Miami Heat vs. #7 Charlotte Bobcats
Can we all give it up for Charlotte for a minute? Seriously, Steve Clifford is a legitimate Coach of the Year candidate and Al Jefferson should get some love on MVP ballots. He probably won’t, but he should. Nonetheless, it’s a classic case of bringing a knife to a gun fight: Charlotte simply doesn’t have enough firepower to compete with the Heat. The Heat will probably look to get Dwyane Wade going in this series, knowing that from here-on-out, the road doesn’t get any easier. Look for Charlotte to steal Game 3 at home, with the energized crowd behind them. Anything after that would count as a minor miracle.
Prediction: Heat in 5
#3 Toronto Raptors vs. #6 Brooklyn Nets
Let the Kentucky-Brooklyn comparison start here. Like the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team, Brooklyn came in with a lot of star power and high expectations, but stumbled early on. They are rolling right now, going 20-11 since the All-Star game, the second best after the Chicago Bulls. They also intentionally (but they’ll never admit it) tanked their last two games to get the matchup with Toronto. But let’s not sleep on Toronto. They’re a young, athletic team that plays with each other. Their biggest weakness is their youth: they really don’t have anyone on their roster with playoff experience. I think Paul Pierce and the other vets find a way to pull this series out. Look for Toronto to steal one on the road though, possibly Game 4.
Prediction: Brooklyn in 6
#4 Chicago Bulls vs. #5 Washington Wizards
The Bulls shouldn’t be here. Not after losing their best player in Derrick Rose and trading away their silent captain in Luol Deng. Sure, you can chalk it up to a weak Eastern conference, but home court advantage? That’s special. Since the All-Star game, the Bulls have gone 21-9, best in the conference. DJ Augustin, former Raptor and Pacer, has averaged 15 points a game, becoming a key player off the bench. The Wizards present a challenge for the Bulls however. John Wall and Bradley Beal might be the most athletic backcourt in the league and both have elevated their games this year. Still, the Bulls look to be on a mission. The Wizards will put up a fight and win Game 4 with their backs against the wall, but ultimately, it’ll be too little, too late.
Prediction: Bulls in 5
Semifinals
#1 Indiana Pacers vs. #4 Chicago Bulls
I don’t trust the Pacers at all right now. I don’t trust them to walk my grandmother across the street, to watch my dog for a weekend or to win playoff basketball games. They’re playing way below their talent level and aren’t playing team basketball. The Bulls, on the other hand, are playing together and playing above their talent level. On paper, the Pacers should win this in five, maybe even four. But as we all know, the game isn’t played on paper. This is a case of two teams trending in two opposite directions, and I’m picking the team trending upwards. Am I biased? Undoubtedly. But I also trust what I’m seeing and what I’m seeing is a talented team playing bad basketball. The Bulls inability to score will cost them a few games, but that’s to be expected. It won’t be the prettiest series to watch, but that’s how the Bulls like it.
Prediction: Bulls in 7
#2 Miami Heat vs. #6 Brooklyn Nets
This is what Brooklyn wanted, right? After all, they blatantly tanked the final two games of the season so that they could wind up in the Miami Heat bracket. But there was a method to their madness: the Nets swept the season series with the Heat, 4-0. Now granted, it’s just the regular season and we all know how seriously the Heat treats the regular season. Still, Brooklyn does bring some problems to the Heat. I expect Miami to find a way around it though. They still have the best player in the world playing for their team. Still, expect Brooklyn to put up a fight, maybe even stealing one on the road early.
Prediction: Heat in 7
Conference Finals
#2 Miami Heat vs. #4 Chicago Bulls
If you had told me that it would be Bulls vs. Heat in the conference finals at the beginning of the series, I wouldn’t have thought much of it. Now had you said that they got their without Derrick Rose, I would’ve dismissed the entire notion. Now they make it without Rose and Deng? I would’ve recommended you for an insane asylum. Hypothetically, if they make it this far, they’d be clicking on all cylinders. But this is where the journey ends and they run into the buzzsaw known as the Miami Heat. The Bulls will be able to hang around in this series, but once again the Heat end the Bulls season.
Prediction: Heat in 5
So there you have it. The Heat go to their 4th straight Finals appearance. Do I necessarily like it? Of course not, I’m a Bulls fan. But the way I see it, Miami has the best chance to go back to the Finals. We’ll see if they can beat the best in the West.
