...while wondering what ever happened to Mark Macon

Well, Round One of the Beautiful Season went as scripted, more or less. While we missed on some series' length, all of the winners were as predicted. A quick recap:

(L)EAST:

Miami took out Brooklyn in a sweep. The Nets had a shot in Game 3 to make it a little interesting, but came up short. No surprises here, though the emergence of journeyman (and former Mav) Damon Jones was nice.

Detroit blew past Philly in 5. Just like we called it, again no surprises. For the first time in a while though, the Sixers' future looks good. The "other" AI, Korver and Dalembert make for a nice fit around Iverson. Whereas the team they took to the NBA Finals was built for that season, this group could see longer-term success. Now all they need to do is pawn C-Webb off on someone.

Indiana and Boston went the distance, with the sixth-seeded Pacers taking out the paper champions. An exciting series that went precisely as we called it. Miller Time has not, in fact ended. This group deserved a win for all they've been through. As Reggie put it, "my legacy will not be just about what I have done in the past, but what we were able to do this season". Amen.


Washington took out Chicago a game earlier than we projected, but this six-game series was as good as advertised. Two young, entertaining teams slugging it out. And it went down as it should have. The team with a little more seasoning moved on. But make no mistake: the incrediBulls are most certainly back.

WEST:

We thought Phoenix would lose at least one to Memphis. We were wrong. The Suns looked good. There were some doubts how they would react to a physical Grizzlies team. I guess now we know.

San Antoino took out a Denver team in five in a series we saw going seven. The Nuggs stole Game One, got blown out in Game Two and then lost the next three, by an average of 9. They looked like a team just happy to be in the playoffs. Next year they will expect -- and achieve -- more.

Seattle beat Sacramento in 5. So the Kings suck worse.

Dallas and Houston played an absolutely classic six-game series. Unfortunately for Houston, the series went seven. With Yao gone ghost and Dirk in witness protection for most of the series, Tracy McGrady was an absolute stud, who was only answered by -- Jason Terry? Every playoff season gives us a guy who never had a chance to appear on the big stage come from nowhere to shock us. Last year it was Chauncy Billups. This year it's Terry. Wow, what a series!

Onto the Conference Semifinals.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Miami Heat vs (4) Washington Wizards

The dream dies on South Beach. Washington may be able to steal one in this series. I wouldn't bet te farm on it though.

Miami in 4

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(2) Detroit Pistons vs (6) Indiana Pacers

This is the series everyone wanted to see and we all know why. This is the series NBA fans want to see because the on-court action will be compelling. Hopefully the latter quickly overtakes the former as point of focus for the media whores. In the end though, the difference will be a direct result of that November night. Not having Ron Artest will be what does the Pacers in.

Detroit in 7

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WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Phoenix Suns vs (4) Dallas Mavericks

I cannot see this not being a classic series. The speed model versus the new edition; friend versus friend; the MVP versus the mouth of the South(west). This series has all the ingredients of a perfect matchup. These two franchises have been linked since the Finley JKidd trade. Donnie Nelson moved out of the desert onto the plains a few years later. Nash was traded to Dallas for a pick that became Shawn Marion only to return six years later as a free agent -- and an MVP. Two things will determine the outcome of this series: depth and fatigue. Dallas is deeper than Phoenix. While the Suns' starting five are better, their bench is not even close to being as deep as the Mavericks. As a result -- and because Phoenix did not really acquire any depth until well into the season, the Suns' starters logged more minutes during the regular season than any other team. The eight days off were nice, but in a seven game series where Dallas is relentlessly throwing fresh bodies out there, Phoenix will fall just short.

Dallas in 7

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(2) San Antonio Spurs vs (3) Seattle SuperSonics

San Antonio in 4


Until next time,
paz