S84 Town Hall 17

[Mike Lowry]

Who will win each series in the 2nd round?
How and/or Why?

Rules: 1 point if you give thoughtful answers, which I will award after the timer ends for responses. The timer ends for responses at the moment the corresponding week's Sim is run.

Note: Use approximately 5 sentences as your bare minimum for 1 point. If you write 3 long, complex sentences, you'll still get a point. If you write 5, 3 word sentences, you will not get a point. Don't @ me.

Due: before any of the series end.

[WigNosy]

Who will win each series in the 2nd round?
How and/or Why?

Rules: 1 point if you give thoughtful answers, which I will award after the timer ends for responses. The timer ends for responses at the moment the corresponding week's Sim is run.

Note: Use approximately 5 sentences as your bare minimum for 1 point. If you write 3 long, complex sentences, you'll still get a point. If you write 5, 3 word sentences, you will not get a point. Don't @ me.

Due: before any of the series end.

Kings. Why? So if they win I can point here and say I was right, and if they lose I can gloat in victory. Just like CWAC, I really don't want to talk about my own team.

Spurs. The Clippers overwhelmed the Lakers with depth; the problem is, the Spurs are deep and talented, and if you shut down one player, someone else will go nuts. There are too many threats on the Spurs to shut down.

Bullets. They have the second-best defense in the league and a top-5 offense (as measured by opponents points per shot) while the Pistons are middle of the road in both. That means the Bullets will play a more clean game than the Pistons and win on that basis.

Bucks. Much as I might like to pick the Bulls, the Bucks' defense has been suffocating again this season, particularly on interior defense where they block shots like crazy. The Bulls will find scoring chances few and far between here and I think the Bucks strangle the Bulls' offense.

[greepleairport]

Blazers v Kings
Blazers. Maybe Wig rightfully doesn't want to jinx himself (let alone talk about his own team and release any of his secrets to having one of the best teams in the league 5 seasons strong), but he's got this one. The Kings aren't the team they have been. They're good, possibly even great, but I think the Sonics exposed a chink in their playoff armor that the Blazers will be able to exploit. Blazers in 6.


Clippers v Spurs
(2:14pm pacific and still no sim? hmph)
Spurs. Clippers pulled off a masterclass against the Lakers and beat one of the most dangerous playoff threats this year. Perhaps the Clippers exposed one of the least dangerous playoff threats, too. History will tell. But i think this series is a referendum on how dangerous the Spurs will be for the next decade more than how good the Clippers are now. Clips are great - especially with an active JNR at the helm - and it's awesome to see them reach their potential, but I think even this young the Spurs are too much for most teams to handle. Give me Spurs in 6.


Pistons v Bullets
Bullets. This is not to write off the Pistons too quickly, like I did in the previous series. This is because the Bullets are that damn good, and their time to prove it is here. No disrespect to the Pistons, but the Bullets are top dog here. Bullets in 5.


Bulls v Bucks
Dammit, I have to go with the Bucks. ...and I hate that! I don't want Doug to be the last repeat champ of old sim league and the first repeat champ of new sim league. But I think he's got a real chance to do it. The Bulls are fully healthy, though, and a problem for anyone, so I don't see this ending quickly. Bucks in 7.

[Mike Lowry]

Clippers v Spurs
I'm going to start here because I would have picked different if the injury to Mitchell never happens.
These Clipps just made light work of the Lake Show lead by Cal Norton Jr. after not even putting in a DC for the first set of games.
I would have liked their chances to push Theus and Mitchell hard into good matchups with Zeke and Kiki, but Kiki don't love them at all and came with a cat fight tactic with the cornea scraping.
Sheeeesh!!!!!
So Spurs in 4

Blazers v Kings
This is where I'm still waiting for a body to drop - like, off a ladder into a pile of nails and broken glass.
That Lister Boy is pretty big, and Cureton is strong for his size, but Alvan Adams running around with that 0 foul rating strikes me as most likely to enter the ring with a 2x4.
I did say earlier in the season that this may be the year the Blazers get it done though.
I think the balance and consistency are well established.
I don't have node access, but I'd like to see where teams are on the cohesion meter.
I suspect Portland would be amongst the top tier.
Give me Blunt Trauma in 6

Bulls v Bucks
Love that the Bulls stole one on the road!!
Mostly because I match up better against the Bulls in my opinion.
Problem is, they're both loaded, and they both have an assassin on the roster.
I see two players that make or break this series.
Terry Tyler finding a way to shut Natt down could be the key, but I see a higher likelihood of Mo Cheeks exposing some development gaps in Doc Rivers' game, and getting the Bulls to the next level.

Pistons v Bullets
I REALLY like this Pistons team!!
I think they match up well with my Bullets in regards of potential.
And their depth is more talented than my own.
I think I have a few of the top performers in the match up at this point though.
The Pistons are a young team that's still wet behind the ears - with similac on their breath.
If they can maintain their nucleus, they'll be contenders in years to come, but this is too early to get it done.
Bullets in 5

[Mike Lowry]

@WigNosy
@greepleairport
@Mike Lowry

+1 point