N8Frog wrote:LUKE23 wrote:Brooklyn is the only team I'd give us a legitimate shot at beating in a series. Redick changes very little.
I would tend to agree. Miami will destroy us. Indiana and New York, we'd maybe steal a game or 2. Brooklyn I think we could give a series. Atlanta too, but won't see them 1st round. Chicago is hard to say, I don't think Rose is returning this year but I still think they'd kill us b/c the games will go more to a halfcourt battle.
New York is a fluke. They ran up their record to 18-5 by hitting a ton of 3's. It was not sustainable - the only good 3-point shooter is Novak. It's similar to the way Jennings looks like a superstar when he's hitting his 3's, but he can't do so consistently. Their 3-point percentage has been plummeting since then, but is still at 38% as a team due to the hot start. 35% is a more realistic projection for how they will shoot the rest of the way, and we've seen that they are basically a .500 team when they don't have that advantage at the 3-point line. You also have to factor in their age and the fact that they really haven't changed their personnel much since last season. They are nothing. I can't believe people look in the standings and think the Knicks are good. They shoot 30 3's per game and they only have one good 3-point shooter. For a few weeks they had a lot of guys hot at the same time, but that won't continue.
Brooklyn has the most talent after Miami, but Deron is fat and Lopez is soft. They're vulnerable.
Chicago is a terrible match-up, but Redick will be a huge help in the halfcourt offense. And Rose might not be back.
Indiana is just a solid team with respectable talent that is able to run up a good record because they're in the East. Nothing to fear there. Just play a sound game and give Redick and Dunleavy lots of minutes, instead of playing the swag twins 40 mpg, and that would be a series.
Boston, Atlanta, and Milwaukee could all easily get on a roll and play just as well as any of those teams from here on out.
Wut we've got here is... faaailure... to communakate.