SI: What Would Be The Juiciest Matchups In Playoffs?

[duncan228]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...yoff.matchups/

Sweet dreams
What would be the juiciest matchups in '08 playoffs?
Steve Aschburner

In a matter of days, the season will be over, the standings will be set and the definite first-round (and possible later-round) NBA playoff matchups, intriguing as we likely will find them anyway, will be fixed. From that point on, the postseason becomes a gigantic combination lock, with tumblers having to fall into place just right if we're going to get the clashes we might find most compe ive, compelling or even just entertaining.

Right now, though, we're not bound by seedings. Consider this playoffs unbound, a chance to cherry-pick the draws as if some Higher Power Himself was a hoops fan, clamoring for the best possible clashes. (Nice vertical, by the way, H.P.H.)

Never mind which round. Forget the constraints of conference. We asked a handful of NBA people (players, coaches, scouts, ex-players, ex-coaches) to momentarily put aside their current affiliations and to suggest a seven-game series they would like to see, maybe even pay to see. Because at the point the wallets actually open, you know for certain that their curiosity is piqued.

Some of these are our ideas, too, for the ultimate in NBA dream postseason showdowns. Here are a baker's dozen of them:

Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers
The granddaddy of them all, offering a little bit of everything. Tradition. Star power. New faces in familiar jerseys. Genuine dislike on the court spanning generations. And the NBA bean counters' seal of approval for what it could mean to recently dismal Finals TV ratings.

"It would renew the old rivalry,'' said longtime NBA executive Wayne Embry, now working for Toronto. Embry had a ringside seat for that rivalry, playing with the Cincinnati Royals for most of the 1960s before joining Bill Russell and the Celtics for two seasons. "Both of those teams made significant moves to get to where they've gotten. You know there would be a tremendous amount of interest in it from the fans.''

San Antonio Spurs vs. Boston Celtics
In at least one individual matchup, this would be like the epilogue of a classic 007 movie, Auric Goldfinger confronting James Bond one last time. We'll let you assign the roles, but we're talking about Kevin Garnett vs. Tim Duncan, who butted heads twice in first-round playoff series out West while matching up about 40 times in regular-season contests. Getting seven in a row between them in two weeks' time would be for-the-ages.

"You have two great players, playing the same position, but their styles are very different,'' longtime NBA marksman Trent Tucker, more recently a broadcaster for the Big Ten Network, said. "Duncan's more of a half-court player who will bang some and do more of his scoring down low, while KG will try to take him outside with turnaround shots and fadeaways.''

And that's just the start. "Then you've got Paul Pierce as a huge X factor for his team at the offensive end,'' Tucker said, "and it would be interesting to see how Bruce Bowen would match up with him in seven games. There's Ray Allen on one side and Tony Parker and [Manu] Ginobili on the other ... really, you've got two teams that can play both ways [transition and half court].''

Hornets guard Chris Paul, after his team's victory in Minneapolis on Wednesday, said: "That would be a crazy seven-game series to see. Both of them are so solid defensively.

"But I don't want to see it this year. 'Hypothetically speaking,' yeah. But they can do that during the summer some time.''

Some guys, you can see, were better than others at momentarily putting aside their current affiliations.

Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons
Even without alignment limitations, this was a popular choice. The East's reigning power (five consecutive appearances in the conference finals) vs. its team of right now. And Celtics-Pistons, thanks to Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas, Robert Parish, Bill Laimbeer and all the rest, has nearly as much vivid history as Celtics-Lakers.

"People have taken Detroit a little lightly this year,'' former Timberwolves coach Dwane Casey said, "but they have the experience of being there and a veteran group. Rasheed Wallace probably is as serious as he's been in a long time. With that whole group of players and coaches, they're at a point where it's almost now or never.

"Boston has got experienced players, but the one thing they don't have is deep playoff experience. None of those three guys [Garnett, Pierce, Allen] has played in a Finals.''

For Hornets center Tyson Chandler, who was 8 years old the last time Bird and Thomas faced each other in the playoffs, recent history is more important than "ancient'' in this one.

"Paul Pierce went through some struggling years, rebuilding. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, obviously, they've got a lot of hungry All-Stars on that team trying to get over the hump," Chandler said. "Then you've got a team like Detroit that is poised and experienced and has been there time after time. I think they want to knock [Boston] off. And the key thing is, they match up so perfectly at every position.''

Detroit Pistons vs. San Antonio Spurs
For sheer business reasons, the NBA might want to avoid this one; the 2005 Finals between Detroit and San Antonio sent Nielsen numbers plummeting to near-record lows. But there are diehards who wouldn't miss a second of the 336 minutes, spread across seven regulation games, between these veteran-heavy and postseason-tested teams. If nothing else, it would give Wallace a do-over for when he left Robert Horry open for that overtime three-pointer in Game 5.

"I'm an old-fashioned, traditional type of person,'' Hornets forward David West said. "So I'd like Pistons and Spurs. I like the fact that they play the game the right way. There's not a whole lot of flashy lights with either team. They just go out and get the job done. Now, NBA marketing people wouldn't like that. But I'm a basketball fan."

New Orleans Hornets vs. Houston Rockets
Few mention either of these clubs as Finals favorites, but they authored two refreshing stories this season. The Hornets set a franchise record for victories, chasing the West's No. 1 seed almost out of nowhere. And Houston ran off 22 straight victories, a dozen of them after Yao Ming went down with what so many assumed would be a season-snuffing injury for the center and his team. And we haven't even mentioned the clubs' best players yet.

"Here is this young team emerging with a great player like Chris Paul, entering the playoffs for the first time as a contender,'' Tucker said. "Then you have T-Mac [Tracy McGrady] in Houston, a veteran but still a player who never has won a playoff series.''

Utah Jazz vs. New Orleans Hornets
Point-guard aficionados would be in heaven, watching Jazz wheelman Deron Williams (the third pick in the 2005 NBA draft) and Paul (the fourth pick moments later) battle through seven games over the paper-thin differences between them. Then you throw in West vs. Carlos Boozer, Chandler vs. Mehmet Okur, Peja Stojakovic vs. Andrei Kirilenko in a Euro undercard match ... and it still probably would come down to the point guards.

"To see Chris Paul and Deron Williams play against each other, that's what I want,'' Wolves guard Randy Foye said. "That brings intensity, a little extra fire out of both of them. They know that the media will hype it up, so they'll know that they both have to get assists and points.''

Phoenix Suns vs. San Antonio Spurs
As if there wasn't enough bad blood here already, left over from Horry's slam of Steve Nash into the scorer's table in Game 4 of the teams' series last spring, there was another incident Wednesday. Bowen delivered what some Suns felt was a rough forearm shiver to Amaré Stoudemire, causing a minor kerfuffle late in Phoenix's victory. But the Suns sounded more ready than whiny, knowing that they have O'Neal on their side (they are 2-0 vs. San Antonio since acquiring the big fella).

"Shaq has aged,'' a Western Conference GM said. "But it's all about the playoffs now, and whether can get that surge of adrenaline that the great players get at this time of year. Of course, it always depends on how a coach decides to use you.''

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Houston Rockets
How far can one man carry a supporting cast? That really is what Cleveland-Houston -- otherwise known as LeBron James-Tracy McGrady -- would boil down to. While both teams have gotten valuable contributions from their role players, the Cavs and Rockets can only go as far as their ball-dominating superstar. If this were a Finals, James or McGrady would achieve the ultimate, thanked by as much as helped by his teammates.

Orlando Magic vs. Golden State Warriors
Combined, these two teams launch nearly 52 three-point attempts per game. The Magic hit them at a better clip, while the Warriors do almost everything faster offensively than their counterparts. As strong as both teams can be from the perimeter, the breakthrough season of Orlando center Dwight Howard could continue right through seven games against Golden State, giving the Magic a big advantage in the paint.

Washington Wizards vs. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, a pair of offensive weapons that would challenge the game-planning of any defense, especially over seven tense postseason games. (We're covering ourselves here, with matchups that include both the Nuggets and Warriors, who are battling for the eighth seed in the West.) Meanwhile, the Wizards have Gilbert Arenas back in a new and dangerous role that makes them a scarier matchup than they were earlier this season. Irrepressible Agent Zero is the basketball equivalent of a hot goaltender in the Stanley Cup playoffs, a player whose shooting touch and unflappability -- especially the way coach Eddie Jordan is using him these days, as a sixth man -- could swing a series all by himself.

"That's pretty potent to have Gilbert Arenas come off the bench,'' Jordan recently told Washington reporters. "Who comes off the opponent's bench to match up with Arenas?'' Forget who, it's more like what: pain and anxiety.

Phoenix Suns vs. Utah Jazz
This was Byron Scott's series of choice, a natural for those of us who like studies in contrast. In this case, it's finesse against physical, alternate paths to triple-digit point totals.

"Phoenix is very much up and down. Even though Shaq is there, they still run the court just as well as anybody,'' the Hornets' coach said. "And Utah is going to be very deliberate in what they do.

"Utah can score enough points,'' Scott added. "I think the trick is, how physical would [the referees] allow them to play? If it's physical all the way around, it favors Utah. Phoenix has got one, maybe two real physical basketball players, and that's Shaq and Amaré. Other than that, they're a very finesse team.''

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors
The theme here would be hot vs. not. Philadelphia was 14-7 since March 1, as of Thursday morning, while Toronto was in a 5-14 skid over that same stretch. They're both near the bottom of the playoff pack in the East but, in this make-it-up matchup, could make for fascinating viewing.

"Toronto could be in trouble against a team like Philadelphia,'' a scout for an Eastern Conference team said. "The 76ers can get the ball out of the point guard's hands, so somebody who relies a lot on him handling the ball, Philadelphia can hurt them defensively. They'd need to find somebody else to initiate the offense.''

The Magic, Pistons or Cavaliers might have their hands full with Philadelphia. "They scramble it defensively, pressuring an opponent just enough to shave an extra six or seven seconds off the shot clock,'' the scout said. "Offensively, Andre Miller doesn't get enough credit -- he can push it and get them to score in transition. He's very good at finding the right man and making the right decision. And there is something about Mo Cheeks that the team plays hard for him.''

Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Some folks like contrasting styles. Others just like to stomp on the gas and go. A Phoenix-L.A. series would offer that, and while it might not be as high-octane as, oh, Denver-Golden State, it also would pit O'Neal against Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson and his other Lakers pals. The NBA would pinch itself over this matchup, ratings-wise.

"They've both got big men now,'' Wolves coach Randy Wittman said. "The Suns have Shaq and the Lakers traded for Pau Gasol. Both teams know how to play now with the changes. That would be pretty intriguing.''

Then again, Wittman plans to be intrigued by whatever the dance cards say after 82 games. "All of the series in the West should be good,'' he said. "I think 1-8 is going to be a uva series, 2-7, 3-6 ... take your pick. With 4-5, 5 is probably going to have home-court [advantage].

"In the East, everyone's probably pointing at Boston-Detroit. But I'm prejudiced -- I think the most intriguing matchups are in the West. It's hard to pick one.''

Not if you can make them up, like we just did.

[BonnerDynasty]

un ingbelievable. Now whenever Bowen or any other Spurs sneezes on these losers, they are continuously berated for it by the clueless sheep out there.

How did we go from being an organization of class and championships to the league's dirty old hated ignored evil team. Obviously the later is the false reality, but goddamn I'm sick of this.

If the Spurs don't repeat, their legacy will be swept under the rug by the natl. sheep.

minor kerfuffle

Sad times when you have to bust out this vocab and can't just say Amare is a pussy who is trying to pile on to the Bowen hate when your team is up by 20 with a minute to go.

[Xylus]

The 5 most entertaining series would be:

1. Suns-Lakers
2. Spurs-Mavs
3. Spurs-Suns
4. Celtics-Pistons
5. Celtics-Wizards

Pretty much any WC series is going to be worth watching.

[Gino]

1. Celtics vs. Lakers
2. Celtics vs. Suns
3. Suns vs. Lakers
4. Celtics vs. Pistons
5. Suns vs. Spurs
6. Suns vs. Mavs
7. Lakers vs. Mavs

[DDS4]

The league is salivating for a Celtic/Lakers final.

[Allanon]

1. Celtics vs. Lakers
2. Celtics vs. Suns
3. Suns vs. Lakers
4. Celtics vs. Pistons
5. Suns vs. Spurs
6. Suns vs. Mavs
7. Lakers vs. Mavs

Now THIS is what I'm talking about....those are all great matchups. I'd add in:

Watching the dysfunctional Suns is always entertaining.

I'd add in:

8. Suns vs Nuggets
9. Celtics vs Nuggets
10. Spurs vs Mavs

[Whisky Dog]

I hope Shaq lays a giant ing egg in the playoffs. I hope he wears down to absolutely nothing. I can't stand that ing guy. How much longer until his ass is retired and I never have to hear of him again?

[41times]

I don't think you could get a bigger playoff matchup than Shaq vs. Kobe. That would be the ultimate matchup and it could happen in the 1st round. How delicious!!!!

Because one of those bas s would have to lose!!!

[Xylus]

The league is salivating for a Celtic/Lakers final.

I'm salivating for a Suns-Hawks final.

[CubanSucks]

Isn't it funny how they always put the current Pistons in the same discussion when it comes to playoffs. Sorry, but there is no way Detroit's success even compares.

[Princess Pimp]

The 5 most entertaining series would be:

1. Suns-Lakers
2. Spurs-Mavs
3. Spurs-Suns
4. Celtics-Pistons
5. Celtics-Wizards

Pretty much any WC series is going to be worth watching.

Huh? The Spurs are not going to the Conference Finals!!

They will draw either Dallas, Phoenix or Houston in the first round, then their playoff nemesis The Lakers in the second if they even get past the first round which more than likely with a Manu not 100% they are guaranteed for a first round exit.

[DAF86]

imagine this for the 1st round of the wc

Suns vs Lakers
Spurs vs Mavs
Hornets vs Jazz (paul vs Williams)
Nuggetts vs Warriors (i know this isn't happening but this could be really fun)

For the finals-

Lakers vs Celtics
Lakers vs Cavaliers (Kobe vs Lebron)
Spurs vs Celtics
Spurs vs Pistons

[colargol]

Huh? The Spurs are not going to the Conference Finals!!

They will draw either Dallas, Phoenix or Houston in the first round, then their playoff nemesis The Lakers in the second if they even get past the first round which more than likely with a Manu not 100% they are guaranteed for a first round exit.

Is it a kind of....therapy???

[Gino]

imagine this for the 1st round of the wc

Suns vs Lakers
Spurs vs Mavs
Hornets vs Jazz (paul vs Williams)
Nuggetts vs Warriors (i know this isn't happening but this could be really fun)

For the finals-

Lakers vs Celtics
Lakers vs Cavaliers (Kobe vs Lebron)
Spurs vs Celtics
Spurs vs Pistons

No thanks.

[Xylus]

Spurs vs. Pistons would be boring. As would any series with the Cavs.

[DAF86]

Spurs vs. Pistons would be boring. As would any series with the Cavs.

Prepare to get bored in june

[Princess Pimp]

Prepare to get bored in june

Quit smoking that man! you are stoned!

That's Stern worst nightmare and ain't happening either!

Worry about breaking the 80-point mark and getting out of the firts round! because with that kind of offense your team is going NOWHERE!

[Jack Sommersset]

Prepare to get bored in june

Spurs / Pistons final

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH A

Pray for lots of injuries and suspensions!!!!!!!
Its 2008.

Go Spurs Go!!!!!!!!

[DAF86]

Quit smoking that man! you are stoned!

That's Stern worst nightmare and ain't happening either!

Worry about breaking the 80-point mark and getting out of the firts round! because with that kind of offense your team is going NOWHERE!

Why? weren't the Spurs Stern's team?

[BonnerDynasty]

I hope Shaq lays a giant ing egg in the playoffs. I hope he wears down to absolutely nothing. I can't stand that ing guy. How much longer until his ass is retired and I never have to hear of him again?

I don't think he will lay an egg. At least not early on. He looks good again imo.

[Xylus]

Shaq has improved steadily, as has the team's integration of the Big Cactus, since we acquired him. I don't see him, Nash, or Stoudemire laying an egg in the playoffs. All 3 are playoff performers.

[Allanon]

The Big Cactus will be a monster in the first round but I suspect by the 2nd round he'll lose focus and some energy.

Playoffs are rigorous...especially if you get stuck playing 7 games in the first round and your opponent only played 4-5 games.

[SsKSpurs21]

juiciest matchup

Bulls + Heat = good BBQ

[endrity]

I am surprised to see Mavs - Spurs so underrated. To me it's the best rivalry in the NBA, both teams have won, both play the absolute best against each other. And the 06 series was the best I have EVER seen. Nothing comes close to that series.

[DarrinS]

WTF is a kerfuffle?


By the way, I like was David West had to say. He knows that REAL basketball is not just running back and forth and trading wide open jump shots.