Nick Shiambouros' NBA Play-off Previews: Part two

Basketball / Nick Shiambouros / 17 April 2009 / Leave a Comment

In the second installment of his NBA play-off previews, Nick Shiambouros makes his picks from the some very tight match-ups.

Eastern Conference

Orlando v Philadelphia

The Orlando Magic finished the regular season with the third best record in the East and have found an easy first round opponent in Philadelphia. The Magic have plenty of offensive weapons in Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu but they can also play great transition defense .To make matters worse for Philadelphia, Orlando recently signed Rafer Alston who is one of the most explosive players in the league. Philadelphia is a team that has scrambled in to the post season and they will have their work cut out to win a game against the Magic. Thaddeus Young leads the 76ers in scoring averaging just over 15 points per game but I do not think he will be able to stop an Orlando sweep of the series.

Prediction:Orlando to win 4-0

Atlanta v Miami

This Atlanta Hawks are expected to win this series but I think this will be a close contest. Atlanta are a solid team on both ends of the floor and have some talented players including Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby.The Miami Heat are led by superstar Dwyane Wade and he could be the deciding factor in the series. Wade has quickly become one of the best players in the league and has had a spectacular season. This young man is averaging over 30 points per game but that does not tell the whole story. He is a superb defensive player and has one of the best jump shots in basketball. This series could go either way and might well go all the way. I just favour Atlanta in this series but I would not bet the house on it.

Prediction: Atlanta to win 4-3

Western Conference

San Antonio v Dallas

This promises to be a really good series between these two talented teams. The Spurs have lost guard Manu Ginobilli for the rest of the year due to injury and this is a real blow. The good news for the Spurs is that they have Tim Duncan and Tony Parker who are huge contributors to this veteran team. San Antonio also have a very good road record and finished the regular season with a record of 26-15. Dallas are a team that finished the regular season with a flourish and as a result have avoided playing Los Angeles in the opening round. The Mavericks are led by Dirk Nowitski and this German born forward is averaging just over 25 points per game. All in all I think the San Antonio Spurs will prove to strong for Dallas but this series could go to six games.

Prediction: San Antonio to win 4-2

Portland v Houston

The Portland Trailblazers come in to this series in sensational form winning their last six games. This young team led by Brandon Roy is coming good at the right time and I think they will beat the Rockets in this opening round. Portland has only lost seven games at home in the regular season and I do not envy any team travelling to Oregon in the post season. The atmosphere is electric at every home game and Spanish television crews following rookie sensation Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Rodriguez have become a familiar sight in Portland. Houston are a quality team and have a genuine post-up player in Yao Ming who will be formidable inside the paint. In addition Ron Arteste is a very versatile player who has a solid jump shot.

Prediction: Portland to win 4-2