Preferred 1st rd Match-up, if Warriors make Playoffs

[Apres Moi]

Who do you like our chances against? Who are you more afraid of? Why?

[crzy]

In order of preference for me personally

1) Houston (2-1 vs them this season)
2) New Orleans (1-1 this season)
3) Phoenix (2-1 vs them this season)
4) Dallas
---------
5) Utah
6) San Antonio
7) Los Angeles = LEAST preferred (Don Nelson is Phil Jackson's B*TCH)

[BooRadley]

I'd love to get Utah and beat them. But I'd hate to get Utah and get swept.

[turk3d]

I'd say Houston especially now that they've lost a couple (might be headed for a downward spiral). Both Jack and Pete are capable of giving T-Mac problems. I think we match up pretty well with them since they really do not have a dominating big man without Yao (our smalls won't get mutilated as they do with "most" teams). It should be interesting to see how we do against them in our next game with their "new and improved" lineup crew.

[Tivon]

I'd agree on the houston game, but T-mac can always potentially go off...But i rather face all their bigmen than any other bigman out there..


and CP3 is just too ridiculous and young to want to play...

[Sleepy51]

I was just going to post a poll almost like this.

But mine was going to be asking what the most unwatchable JV conference 1st round series will be. Right now, the New York Knicks have 48 losses and have not yet been eliminated from playoff contention.

New Jersey, Atlanta, Chicago, Indiana and Milwuakee are all 10 or more games under .500 and are all in danger of accidentally making the playoffs and losing out on a lotto pick.

Based on today's standings, in order of most tolerable, to the winner of least watchable series:

#4 A Boston vs. Atlanta 1/8 would probably hold my interest for the 1st quarter of the first 3 games. Atlanta is watchable only because at any given moment, Marvin is going to flip the switch and figure out this game, becomming an unstoppable force of nature. Can't miss that if it happens. And, the miniscule potential of the Big 3 hitting some playoff resistance would draw me in.

#3 Orlando vs. Washington has some serious snore appeal. Washington is one of the least appealing teams for me to watch, even without Gil crashing into people for no good reason. But Dwight is Dwight, and it's fun to watch him trying his best not to accidentally maim and of the little folk. Also, I'd like to see Hedo go hedo. He's been quitely phenomenal this season (but then so has Dunleavy - welcome to you Eastern conference!) This 2/3 slot was very close because both series have few watchable players, but given my adoration of the Dwight Howard experience, I couldn't rank this series as being as highly unwatchable as:

#2 Clevland Toronto - at 4/5 this is probably the most competitive series assuming Bosh's menstrual cramps abate. But damn man . . . I just don't care. Do I really want to invest in playoff games featuring Wally Sczcerbiak? Old Ben Wallace? Rasho? Carlos Delfino? Primo? Devin Brown? and Damon Jones? These guys will actually see playoff minutes (and Brandan Wright won't) I can't watch that. Pencil in Lebron to the second round, and hope neither he nor Bosh get injured playing with these goobers.

And the envelope plesase:

#1 I think I'm least likely to watch a moment of a Detroit vs. NJ 2 vs 7 matchup. I think that would probably be the worst playoff basketball ever televised. Watching Billups dissect Devon Harris? Snore. Watching Sheed, Dyess and Max bust up Nednad and Boone? Yawn. Watching Wince and RJ pout their way through a sweep as Tayshaun singlehandedly steals their manhood by guarding them both at once with one leg tied behind his back? (Ok, that might actually be worth checking out.) This series holds absolutely zero entertainment appeal for me despite the service of justice in involved: punishing Jersey for wasting the best year's of Jason Kidd's career. Putting them in this year's playoffs and witholding a lotto pick is possible the best "how did you manage to screw this up" punishment ever meeted out in the history of sports.

I'm actually going to set an alarm reminder for the Detroit/Jersey games if they happen. I'm going to do work during those games. Even the weekend ones. I figure the W's have compromised my productivity sufficiently this year, I owe something back to the firm, and what better time to catch up?

[Chris Porter's Hair]

I went with Houston, with some consideration for New Orleans and Dallas. I have tons of respect for what Houston has done, especially since Yao went down, but I just can't bring myself to believe it is for real. I think they've been running on adrenaline, which is an admirable thing, but now that the streak has folded, it isn't going to surprise me if they come back to earth and struggle for the rest of the year. Add to that the very real possibility that TMac could get hurt in any given game, and that's where I take my chances.

[Sleepy51]

P.S. what is the record low for a playoff game attendance?

I'm thinking that the New Jersey Detroit game 4 could peak at 9-11K in paid attendance. Will the NBA digitally enhance the broadcast to fill the empty seats with droids and Jar Jar Binx? Maybe the put Fat-Heads in the empty seats for that "celebrity fan" vibe? Cut away to shots of our crowd at Oracle? or maybe they just pay the homeless and local gang members to attend?

I wounder how cheap scalped luxury suite tickets would be . . . might balance out the cost of the flight, but then who wants to visit New Jersey or Detroit

[Texas Longhorns]

I don't think the Rockets will make the playoffs before the season is over, so the best matchup for you guys would be Dallas if they could some how climb up to the top.

[killacalijatt]

ANybody but Utah or LA

so I guess we might have to make a run for the 7th seed. If LA gets 1

Houston
NO
Suns
Dallas
Spurs

bring them all on.

[Abyss Impact]

Lakers... I'm pretty sure we'll win, containing bynum, bryant, odom, and gasol.

[sanddude909]

The West is so ridiculously competitive that any playoff series could go to a hot team. Still, my choice of preferred playoff opponents:

#7 - Lakers, especially if Gasol and Bynum are both healthy and at full strength. No way in hell we have a chance in this one. Winning one game at home is about the best I can see. We can put Jackson on Kobe and Andris on Gasol, but that leaves Baron, Monta, and Al/Pietrus guarding Fisher, Odom, and Bynum. Just a bad, bad matchup for us.

#6 - Utah, in part because of their ridiculous home record and because getting Korver was getting the piece they really needed, a dead eye outside shooter. We don't match up quite as badly against Utah as we do against the Lakers, but it's close. Lose in 5-6 games.

#5 - New Orleans. With West and Chandler up front, Paul running the point, and Peja having only to hit jump shots, this is a horrible matchup for us. We'd lose this in 6 games, max.

#4 - San Antonio although I have the sense that they are really vulnerable this year. For whatever reason, they are not playing well during the stretch of the season where they have some insane 19-3 record at the end. Still, they are the defending champs, they do have Duncan (for whom we've had no answer in the past), and even though I like the Elis-Parker and Jackson -Ginobli matchups, I am just not yet convinced that we can beat them in a 7-game series. I would expect this one to go the full 7 games.

#3 - Dallas. The only reason I have Dallas this high is that i don't expect Baron to be able to abuse Jason Kidd they way he abused Terry and Harris last year. I think Kidd can match Baron's physicality which means that someone else will have to step up for us to win. Still, all they have in the middle is Dampier, and he can't come close to running with us, so I see us winning this series in 6-7 games.

#2 - Houston. I'm still not sold on Houston in spite of their 22 game winning streak. I like the chances of Jackson containing McGrady and I still can't believe that Alston is going to be able to play this well for a whole playoff series. Another series we win in 6-7 games.

#1 - Phoenix. In spite of losing to them in Phoenix, this series would really come down to this: who hits their jump shots most consistently. It would be the most entertaining series possible. This one could go 4-0 either way or 4-3 depending on who is hot and who is cold. But since Phoenix has better shooters than we do, I'd have to go with Phoenix on paper. Still, it would be highly enterraining.

[floppymoose]

I want to see the Suns/Warriors series.

[Twinkie defense]

ANybody but Utah or LA.

I want to see the Suns/Warriors series.

+1

Second round!

[Left*My*Heart]

I would take the Suns and then the Mavs. I actually think Houston without Yao matches up better with us. The West playoff matches are going to be extremely interesting.

I don't think the Suns or the Mavs have really jelled since their trades. Marion was more of a factor against us than Shaq will be. The Mavs are having some internal problems as Cuban is apparently very upset with AJ.

[turk3d]

Don't look now but the Suns have won their last 6 in a row.

[mistatwo mayn]

1) Houston
2) Dallas
3) NOR
4) Phx
5) San Antonio
6) Utah
7) LA

Folks forget that GSW SHOULD have won the Utah series; I think if there are fair officials calling all Boozers dirty antics, the series goes the other way. We were a Pietrus play and a OT game away from stealing home court advantage in that series

Phx- I'm not quite as sold on playing them just because our FG% has been high against them.

Hou- I'd like to force them to have Tmac be the playmaker; he'll do something nice like 6 assists and 12 turnovers.

[killacalijatt]

1) Houston
2) Dallas
3) NOR
4) Phx
5) San Antonio
6) Utah
7) LA

Folks forget that GSW SHOULD have won the Utah series; I think if there are fair officials calling all Boozers dirty antics, the series goes the other way. We were a Pietrus play and a OT game away from stealing home court advantage in that series

Phx- I'm not quite as sold on playing them just because our FG% has been high against them.

Hou- I'd like to force them to have Tmac be the playmaker; he'll do something nice like 6 assists and 12 turnovers.

True That all Pietrus had to do was hit 1 free throw and Baron stupid @$$ goes 1-2.

We should have also won game 1 to. Free throws killed us the first 2 games. utahh didnt bea tus we beat are selfes we could have been up 3-0 i that series if it wasnt for free throws and now utah has all the confidence in the world against us and we just lay down and roll over and let them walk all over us.

[The_Believer]

If Monta plays well this year in the POs, I think we'd be a huge threat to anybody.

[RUSSDUCK]

Watching you guys over the last 2 days makes me think your squad could beat anyone in the league. Your team is dangerous.