| 09 April 2011
Conrad Kaczmarek is a contributor for SB Nation blog FeartheSword.com, SBNation Cleveland and a sportswriter for BCHeights.com. He has also contributed to HardwoodParoxysm.com. In his inaugural Talkhoops piece, he discusses the NBA playoffs and stuff. Just read the thing. (and follow him on twitter @lookitsckaz).
The NBA playoffs are nearly upon us, and even as an avid supporter of the Cleveland Cavaliers (yeah, yeah, I know they’re bad), the upcoming overload of postseason basketball makes me giddy. As the regular season winds down, I decided to think about what makes this year’s playoffs so much more exciting for me than in previous years.
I would probably attribute my heightened excitement to the fact that I am no longer constantly fretting about if or when the Cavs would choke. While that may be a factor, it really comes down to the amount of wildly entertaining teams and imminent matchups. So let’s take a little bit of a closer look at what exactly we can look forward to. As the regular season is not yet complete and seedings are yet to be determined, we’re unable to analyze each team-by-team matchup. What I am interested in is the comparison between the East and the West. As I explore the potential drama of the playoffs, I ask: which conference’s series are you most looking forward to?
The Eastern Conference has been known as the weaker of the two for several years now, and rightfully so. The Indiana Pacers have clinched a playoff spot with a sub-.500 record while Houston won’t sniff the postseason with 42 wins already on the year. While the East may be weaker in general, I think it’s fair to say that it is a bit more top-heavy than the West. The top three teams (Celtics, Bulls, Heat) are all legitimate title contenders and have shown signs of dominance during the season. Meanwhile, the Western Conference is extremely deep. It takes a much better record to make the playoffs and no team is really given a free pass in the first couple rounds. Based on these general characteristics, I’d like to establish the storylines of the postseason.
The Beasts of the East. The Wild, Wild West.
Clever, I know.
As corny as I may be, I don’t see the postseason playing out any other way. There will most likely be some insane series in the West with some upsets sprinkled in. On the other hand, it’s hard to envision an ECF that doesn't feature two of the top three teams in the East. But could you see Denver, Oklahoma City, or Portland reaching the WCF? Sure, you could. It’s no secret that sports fans and America in general love rooting for the underdog or the “feel good” story. As shown by our infatuation with March Madness, many fans tend to prefer upsets and drama to actual quality basketball. So as much as I would like to see the Heat and Lakers be toppled in the first round, it would take a lot of the fun out of the later rounds.
Allow me to make a somewhat exaggerated comparison. I’d liken the West to the NCAA tournament. While I recognize that it is seven game series instead of one do-or-die game the West is certainly set up for a decent amount of parity. As we saw last week, the NCAA championship game did not necessarily feature the two best teams in the country. Even though the tournament as a whole was filled with stunning upsets and edge-of-your-seat finishes, it culminated in a bit of a letdown. Do the Western playoffs have a chance to produce a similar product in the WCF? Note that I already established this is an exaggeration because no two NBA teams will ever put on such a dismal performance, but I think you get my point. I love the fact that the West has exciting upset potential. I am incredibly curious as to how the upstart Nuggets will perform. Some trades and maturation by the Thunder have piqued my interest. At the same time, however, I would be disappointed to miss out on a Lakers-Spurs matchup. So, those are my thoughts on the West. It’s going to be wild.
Now mosey on over to the East where the top three teams reign supreme. There isn’t much room for parity because I highly doubt Danny Granger and the Pacers channel their inner 2007 Golden State Warriors. While these matchups are not as one-sided as we have seen in the past, the lopsided East may present some less than inspiring early round series. That being said, the later rounds in the East will be amazing. I cannot wait to see any combination of the Celtics/Heat/Bulls in a seven game series and due to the lack of upset potential in this conference, we are essentially guaranteed that these series will happen. You can get picky and criticize the pace at which these teams play (all in the bottom third in the NBA), but that’s the nature of championship caliber teams. They play great defense and tend to slow the game down. That’s how it works. The beasts dominate in the East and they’re going to put on a show.
After much deliberation, which conference are you most anticipating? Is it the potentially wild, yet certainly electrifying West? Is it the inevitable clash of veteran juggernauts in the East? If I had to choose just one to watch, I’d pick the East. There’s no way that I would miss what could be some of the most physical and intense playoff battles in years. However, merely thinking about the young star-power in the West makes me want to search for Russell Westbrook highlights on YouTube until my computer melts.
Thankfully, we don’t have to choose. But if you had to, which side would you favor?
Try to set aside the bias created by watching your favorite team play and look at this as a pure fan of professional basketball. Pretty tough, isn’t it? Regardless, we are entering basketball heaven. The next month or so should feature some of the best playoff basketball in recent memory. So, buckle up and drink it in.
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