NBA ROCK

So the Celtics have been on an absolute tear of late. Their record, as of today, stands at an impressive 41-9. However, we all kind of saw that coming, didn’t we? Nobody should’ve had any doubts about the Big Three in Boston. But would you have predicted that the Detroit Pistons would be trailing Boston by only 4 games, hot off of a tear of their own? How does a 10-game winning streak sound? I can tell you that the Pistons are one of my favorite teams, and I sure as hell didn’t see it coming. If the cards are played right, can we be anticipating an Eastern Conference Finals matchup between the Pistons and the Celtics? If the playoffs were to start today, it would look something like this:

Celtics vs. Sixers:

I love Andre Iguodala, but man the Sixers would get absolutely trampled by the Celtics in this matchup. At least Iggy Pop would be getting some playoff experience, though.

Pistons vs. Nets:

I’ve already shared my thoughts on the Pistons, so I’m not worried about the Pistons being able to pull off a series win against the Nets.

Magic vs. Wizards:

Since we’re pretending the playoffs would be starting today, then both Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas would be injured and therefore the Wizards would only have one major weapon in Antawn Jamison to stand tall against the mighty Magic. This would result in another trample.

Cavs vs. Raptors:

Lebron is developing that killer instinct. I’m not worried about his performance. Though I am worried about the rest of the Cavs. If my inner Miss Cleo serves me correctly, Larry Hughes is going to come out of the gate with a couple of solid performances and then proceed to get injured. So the Cavs are going to need someone else to step up to the plate (as usual) to help Lebron. It’s Booby time now! I’m on the fence with this one.

Hornets vs. Nuggets:

I’m surprised that the Nuggets are the 8th seed right now. I feel that they have more talent than they’re letting on. But not enough to top the Hornets — unless Carmelo Anthony starts to turn it on as if he were Lebron James or Kobe Bryant.

Suns vs. Warriors:

The Warriors upset the living crap out of the Mavericks last year. Can they repeat? Perhaps if they were matched up with the Mavericks again, I’d say probably. But since they’re going head to head with the Suns there’s no chance for the Warriors.

Lakers vs. Mavericks:

If the Mavericks get their trade for Jason Kidd to come through for them, this will be a gooooood series. Hell, it’ll be a good series even if they don’t get Kidd. I feel that both teams would match up very well with each other, even though I feel the Mavericks are under-performing this year. Key players: Dirk & Kobe (obviously). But this year Dirk is going to have to deal with Gasol and vice versa.

Spurs vs. Jazz:

I don’t think the Jazz have enough experience to overcome the Spurs at this point in time. Look for the Spurs to turn it on. You can’t tell me Tony Parker doesn’t want to repeat and get the Finals MVP again with Eva all over him. Though I’m pumped about seeing what Deron Williams is going to do come playoff time.

Maybe I pegged Gibson for the wrong festivity! Or maybe I didn’t just peg him for enough? Daniel Gibson took home the MVP for last night’s Rookie Challenge for leading the SOPHS to victory, as predicted (well, I never thought Gibson would get the MVP, but I predicted the sophomores as the winners).

So who’s looking forward to tonight? I should see everyone’s hand raised! I’m predicting the All-Star game, as usual, won’t be taken too seriously by either team until later — later…as in the 4th quarter later. Look for Lebron James to turn it on! I believe he’s going by the name “Mr. 4th quarter” this year, so you can bet he’s gonna try to back that up. As for the west, if Kobe was going to play more than a few minutes I really think James would butt heads with him. Bryant’s got that killer instinct and should really be the one holding the name of Mr. 4th quarter. James is just a Mr. 4th quarter in the making in relation to Kobe. Yeah, I said it! It was just last year that Lebron said that he didn’t have the killer instinct that Kobe had — he developed more of a killer instinct than Kobe in the course of a year????

…Maybe, but I don’t see it happening. Let’s not forget who took home the All Star MVP award last year. Also, this year, Lebron admitted that Kobe was flat-out better than him! Though I don’t see that being the case for long, it may be true enough for the time being — especially coming from Lebron. But if Kobe is only going to be playing a few minutes, the West is gonna need someone to step up. Carmelo Anthony, anyone? With that said, I’m predicting the East as the winner for tomorrow’s All Star game. Yes. The East. Even though they got slammed by the West last year by 20 points, I’m predicting they’re going to be coming back with a vengence led by Lebron James.