Dunk of the Night (and Playoffs so far!)

There wasn't much that an Atlanta Hawks fan could cheer for last night (we feel you Schwai). But Josh Smith gave everyone a treat on a fast break with Joe Johnson. Just watch and enjoy the man they call J-Smoove...

Now that is when we at the Three Man Weave say, "DONT JUMP!".

Dunk of the Weekend and Dunk of the Night

First we will start off with the dunk of the weekend and it comes to us from high school. 6-5 Shaquille Johnson gets the ball on the break and waits for the defender to catch up...

Then we have Kevin Durant serving up a pizza on Zach Randolph last night...

MORE CONTENT TO COME!

We launched the blog quickly and have had a lot of things going on but everything should be cleared up soon and our regular content will return. Look forward to more playoff coverage including predictions, NBA draft coverage galore and a couple of youtube links this weekend.

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(4) Orlando vs (5) Atlanta

Can Superman save Orlando's crazy season?

Season series: Atlanta 3-1

Ed: I’m kind of scared about how ugly this series could get. Not only are both of these teams in the top-10 in terms of defense (Atlanta 9^th, Orlando 5^th), but the Hawks are also the 26^th lowest scoring team in the NBA at 95.1 points per game. Ultimately, despite the fact that Hawks have some nice young talent, I can’t see them keeping up with Orlando’s depth, especially in the backcourt. Dwight Howard will give the Magic his usual 25 & 15 and hold down the paint, while Jameer Nelson should have his way with Kirk Hinrich, meaning Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson, Ryan Anderson, J.J. Redick, and Gilbert Arenas (if healthy) should get plenty of open looks. Jamal Crawford will score 40 points on 30 shots and probably steal one away from the Magic, but in the end Orlando takes the series in 5.

Chris: Ah, two of my least favorite teams in the entire league. This will be a joy to watch! Too bad both teams can’t lose… Okay, back on topic. My colleague Ed is correct, this will not be a good-looking series.   We are looking at two top 10 defensive teams that love to shoot jump shots (for both teams jump shots represent over 70% of their total shots taken) without a great deal of success, Atlanta and Orlando are ranked 12^th and 16^th, ,respectively,  in field goal percentage league-wide.  I have to go with Orlando though.  Dwight, as much as I dislike his game (this is another article) will have his way with Atlanta’s frontline. Zaza Pachulia is the only Hawk with the size and strength to slow down Dwight but alas he does not possess the quickness.  Jamal Crawford will go off for tons of points at least once in the series but the overarching lack of playoff success on the Hawks will bring them down once again.  Magic in 6.

Sam: Surprisingly, the lower seeded Atlanta enjoyed good success against the Magic this year. Both teams are hard to predict since they can come out on fire or lay an egg. This series is going to revolve around who is hitting their shots and the ability of the Hawks to guard the pick and roll. Both teams love to shoot jump shots and have players who can put up points in bunches with Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford on the Hawks and Dwight Howard, Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu on the Magic. The real matchup is going to be when Orlando is on offense and the Hawks have to defend the pick and roll with Jameer Nelson and Howard or Turkoglu. Jason Collins will likely defend Howard down low but cannot stay with him outside the post and the Magic would love to have Turkoglu matched up against Collins, Zaza Pachulia or Josh Smith. Magic in 6.

(3) Boston vs (6) New York

Can the new look Knicks play any defense?

 Season series: Boston 4-0

Ed: I have literally been staring at my computer screen for 45 minutes trying to come up with how to start this preview. Half of the attempts before this came out as direct addresses to the Knicks players talking about how ‘This is where legends are born’ Herb Brooks Miracle style. All I’m going to say is that this series has the potential to be one of the best in recent memory. Great match-ups across the board with Rajon Rondo-Chauncey Billups, Paul Pierce-Carmelo Anthony, and Amare Stoudemire-Kevin Garnett, and of course the classic great defense vs. great offense storyline. Both teams also have major question marks heading into the playoffs, with the Celtics still iffy about who they have playing center and coming off the bench, and the Knicks unsure if they can keep anyone under 120 points. Anyway, since I could very certainly write a 10-page paper on this series, I’ll end it with the only thing I’m sure about – Knicks in 7. 

Chris: Here we are, the MARQUEE MATCHUP OF THE FIRST ROUND.  The playoffs are back in Madison Square Garden after a lengthy hiatus and despite my dislike of the Knickerbockers (I bleed green) I love it.  It is better for the league. In many ways I am a basketball purist, I love it when the venerated franchises of yesteryear achieve success or appear poised to.  However, my excitement over the return of Knicks basketball has not affected my judgment of the Knicks playoff chances like many media types and, of course, Knicks fans.  The Celtics will not lose to the Knicks.  This is not the series with the greatest “upset potential.”  There, I said it.  Let us look at this objectively so as not to confuse my opinion with homerism.  The Knicks do not play defense.  Mike D’Antoni does not coach defense.  A Mike D’Antoni team has never had consistent playoff success.  Carmelo Anthony has not had playoff success. The Celtics, in their current incarnation, play defense and have had consistent playoff success.  Despite their lackadaisical closing of the season, their defense stayed on par with season statistics.  I would not discount a Melo/Amare offensive explosion in one or two of these games.  I still maintain that the Celtics will win in 5.

Sam: While Boston won all four games in the season series, this will not be a sweep. The Knicks are a much different team than they were in the beginning of the season with the addition of Carmelo Anthony and the loss of Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Raymond Felton. Gone are the free flowing Mike D’Antoni Knicks that loved to run with Felton and now they have two ball dominating stars in Amare Stoudemire and Anthony. The Celtics haven’t exactly lit the world aflame as of late, coming into the playoffs wining only 5 of their last 10 while the Knicks won 7. However, the Knicks are absolutely dreadful on the defensive end, tied with the Golden State Warriors for 27^th in the league. In the playoffs, defense that bad is just not going to win games. Celtics in 6.

(2) Miami vs (7)

At least we know they have the celebration down...

Season series: Miami 3-0

Ed: Looking at the individual match-ups in this series, you can almost convince yourself that the 76ers have a decent shot at taking this series to 6 or even 7 games. Spencer Hawes and Eric Dampier will cancel each other out in what will hands down be the worst center match-up in NBA playoff history. Elton Brand and Chris Bosh is a pretty good match-up and should be fun to watch. Jrue Holiday will probably have his way with Mike Bibby, especially on the offensive end. Let’s even pretend Andre Iguodala discovers the magic fountain of health in the next couple of days and can at least contain LeBron James. And then you get to Dwayne Wade and Jodie Meeks and realize oh my god this could possibly be the most cruel and unfair thing you could think of. So with that in mind, and because I have a strange feeling the Heat are finally hitting their stride and are going to be out to send a message in this first-round, I’m going with the Heat in 5.

Chris: As much as I hate to admit it, the Heat are playing good basketball recently.  It seems that Erik Spoelstra finally decided to implement an offensive game plan and the dividends are finally paying off.  Believe it or not, a pick and roll offense with three All-Stars who can all shoot the ball AND finish strong is hard to stop! (Sarcasm: Off) Philly is a young and athletic team who I expect to make some noise in the playoffs every year and they always end up disappointing me.  The Sixers may be able to offensively stick with the Heat.  Iguodala is strong and athletic enough to get his points against LeBron as long as he doesn’t settle for jump shots.  Keep an eye on Jodie Meeks, he is a severely underrated shooting guard with a very solid outside shot. Unfortunately that will not win the series for the Sixers. Sorry Philly fans, time to concentrate on the baseball season! Heat in 4.

Sam: This series has all the makings of a sweep. Philadelphia has stumbled into the playoffs, losing 6 of their last 10. They have an extremely balanced scoring output with six players averaging double figures, led by Elton Brand. However, they are matched up against one of the hottest teams in the NBA in the Heat. Lebron, Dwayne Wade and Bosh have finally started to trust each other and play as a team and the results have shown with them winning 8 of their last 10 coming into the playoffs. Wade and James have also shown glimpses lately of a burgeoning two man game in the pick and roll, a play that is almost impossible to defend and clearly is going to be a go-to play late in games.

Miami in 4.

(1) Chicago vs. (8) Indiana

Next time, don't jump Goran!

Season series: Chicago 3-1

Ed: This series has MVP written all over it. And by MVP I mean Derrick Rose. Darren Collison is a nice young guard for the Pacers, but I wouldn’t count on him to guard Rose if they were playing in a phone booth. The Indiana trio of Roy Hibbert, Tyler Hansbrough, and Josh McRoberts might actually hold their own against a very good Chicago frontline, but in the end it won’t be nearly enough. Luol Deng will make life tough for Danny Granger, and Rose will get absolutely whatever he wants on the offensive end. As a side-note, it’s slightly pathetic that the Pacers are 7 games under .500 and in the playoffs. But that’s for another day. Bulls in 5.

Chris: I am not going to sit here and lie to you.  I was not a believer in the Chicago Bulls before this season started.  Don’t get me wrong; I was certain they were on the right path having hired Tom Thibodeau, who had a great deal to do with Boston’s defensive success in recent years.  But I envisioned perhaps a 4^th seed at the best.  That being said, kudos to the Bulls for proving me wrong!  This is the easiest pick in the first round.  Not to knock the Pacers who have overachieved all year but they do not have the defensive fortitude to win the series.  I do, however, think it is perfectly feasible that the Pacers steal a game. Danny Granger is a potent offensive player and you can never count a team that has so many GREAT ACC white forwards (Mike Dunleavy Jr., Josh McRoberts, and Tyler Hansbrough).  Bulls in 5.

Sam: It is going to be extremely difficult for Darren Collison to matchup with Derrick Rose. Everything revolves around Rose on offense for Chicago and he will be the MVP of the league for a reason- he is a dynamic scorer who can get to the rim at will and his shooting and distributing have improved dramatically this year. However, Rose alone cannot carry this Bulls team to a championship. Their defense has carried them all season and they are led by a proven winner in Tom Thibodeau, the man behind Boston’s vaunted defense during their 2008 championship run. Indiana isn’t exactly on fire going into the playoffs with just 5 wins in their last 10 and they just do not have enough weapons to challenge the Bulls in this series. Chicago in 5.