2012 NBA Playoff Predictions (Gunner)

Controversial? Maybe. But unlikely? Not really. Here's my predictions for the 2012 Playoffs.

Western Conference First Round:

Thunder vs Warriors (Thunder win 4-1)

The Warriors are going to surprise some teams this year, and are going to run and gun their way to the 8th seed, especially once Steph Curry returns. However, they will be no match for the Thunder who should finish with the best record in the NBA.

Spurs vs Clippers (Clippers win 4-2)

The Spurs are going to get the 4th seed because of their coaching staff knowing how to use players strengths in all the right ways. The Clips will still have some chemistry improvements to make, but ultimately will come out on top.

Grizzlies vs Lakers (Lakers win 4-3)

This should be an incredibly exciting series. Kobe will power the Lakers to the 6th seed, but once the playoffs come around will go into 2004 Kobe mode. The super improved Grizzlies will get the 3 seed, but Pau > Marc, Kobe > Gay/Mayo, and Bynum > any center the Grizz have.

Blazers vs Nuggets (Blazers win 4-2)

The Blazers are probably going to be the surprise team of the year, but shouldn't be. They are a good team that plays solid on both ends. The Nuggets' 7 seed is not reflective of what their year will be but the West is just too competitive this year for them to get anything better. In the end, the Blazers come out on top.

Western Coneference Semis:

Thunder vs Clippers (Thunder win 4-2)

This will feature two of the games top point guards, and two of the best young stars. The chemistry of a team that's growing up together like the Thunder will end up being better than the chemistry of a team that's top 5 players just got together and are all at different points in their career. The Thunder take this one in 6.

Lakers vs Blazers (Lakers win 4-2)

Same as in the Grizzlies series, the Lakers will win because they're strong players are better than the Blazers strong players. The experience of the Lakers in the playoffs will make them more accustomed to playing two long playoff series and ultimately, the better team.

Western Conference Finals:

Thunder vs Lakers (Thunder win 4-3)

It takes every ounce of my objectivity to pick against my Lakers, but the Thunder have younger legs in their superstars, and a better bench with James Harden. Westbrook is better than Fisher at the point, and whoever the Lakers put at SF can't match up with Durant. Kobe will have a good series and the Lakers won't go down without a fight in an exciting and high scoring series.

Eastern Conference First Round:

Bulls vs Cavaliers (Bulls win 4-0)

Nobody is expecting the Cavaliers to do anything in their second season following the Decision. But Kyrie Irving is impressive and the Cavs are easily the best bad team in the East. The Bulls are scary good and have their best team since MJ left. They will win this one with ease.

Pacers vs Knicks (Pacers win 4-1)

The Pacers do not get enough credit. The offseason acquisition of David West is panning out better than anyone expected. The team is like the Thunder and growing up together (other than West). The Knicks are in their first full season with Melo and aren't ready to go deep yet. Pacers in 5.

Sixers vs Magic (Sixers win 4-2)

The Magic will gradually decline a tiny bit each game as D. Howard becomes more and more disgruntled. They will ride an impressive 3-point barrage to the 6th seed. The Sixers are a huge surprise, playing their best ball since the 2001 Finals run. The Sixers win this one in Howard's last six games for the Magic.

Heat vs Hawks (Heat win 4-2)

The Hawks will give the Heat all they can handle in this series, but ultimately the Heat come out on top. LeBron will play a stellar series and nearly average a triple double and the Hawks will feel the effects of not having Al Horford or having a newly off-injury Al. The Heat win some close games and, the series.

Eastern Conference Semis: 

Pacers vs Bulls (Bulls win 4-3)

A rematch of last year's 1st round, this series will be extremely close. Last year's was very physical, and much much closer than it should have been. With more playoff experience, the addition of David West, and revenge on their mind, the Pacers will make this a crazy-close series that the Bulls get in 7.

Heat vs Sixers (Sixers win 4-3)

The Heat are going to end up being severely disappointed again this year. The Sixers suffocating defense will easily rise to the occasion and find a way to absolutely frustrate LBJ. They will hold James to only 2 big games, and their offense will smack the Heat in the face. D Wade keeps the Heat in it, but Sixers in 7.

Eastern Conference Finals:

Bulls vs Sixers (Sixers win 4-2)

The defense of the Sixers is going to win them the Eastern Conference this year. Teams will have a tough time figuring out the Bulls scoring approach where anybody can step up, and the Sixers will be the first team to figure it out (much like the Pistons were the first team to figure out how to stop Jordan). Rose will be smothered and Luol Deng will no longer be under the radar as such a good player.

NBA Finals:

Philadelphia 76ers vs Oklahoma City Thunder (Thunder win 4-2)

Well, the Sixers defense can only do so much. Durant is a freak of an athlete and they won't be able to stop him all the time. When they do stop him, then Westbrook steps up. When Westbrook is stopped, Harden steps up. Ibaka will grow into his role as starting center in the league, and will see a dramatic increase in his own production. The Sixers will put up a fight but Durant has a monster series that solidifies him as one of the top 3 players in the league and the Thunder take their first championship.

NBA Champion: Oklahoma City Thunder


-Gunner

The Round Mound of Rebound vs. The Love Machine

Let's take a stroll down memory lane. From '85 to '00 Charles Barkley was rebounding. Never averaging under 10 rebounds per game, excluding his rookie season. He was what it meant to be an undersized big men dominating the paint. Asserting his way in the semi-circle and into the Hall of Fame, Barkley made you like him. Whether it was his hilarious attitude in life, or his no-nonsense attitude on the court, he was tough.

Now we return to the present, where there are few people like Barkley. Someone who could dominate the paint while being under 6'11", spark his team, and be an all-around force to be reckoned with. When I attempt to think of anyone similar to his play on the court, only one person comes to mind; Kevin Love. Love means the same to the Timberwolves, as Sir Charles did to Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Houston. Like Barkley, Love, excluding his rookie season, has never averaged under 10 rebounds per game. In his short career, Love is putting up similar numbers (rebounding wise) as The Round Mound of Rebound. Which leaves you with an important question.

Looking at their statlines, I begin to wonder, what if Charles Barkley was playing? What if an '86 Charles Barkely, averaging 23.0 ppg and 14.6 rebounds per game and 40.3 mpg, was put in the same league as a '10 Kevin Love? Love last year averaging 20.2 ppg, and a league leading 15.2 rebounds and 35.8 mpg (all career highs). What if they played eachother? What if Wayne Ellington shoots a shot which misses long, and Love and Barkley are battling for the board? Who gets it?

Let us know your opinion in the comments, and be sure to check back to see if we post your comment as one of the best fan feedbacks.

-Cantrell

Most Unbreakable Records NBA History

The NBA has seen some extremely crazy records in it's history. While Wilt Chamberlain had plenty of nicknames, one should probably be "The Record".The Stilt owns 62 NBA records by himself. Ridiculous! However, there are other records that are equally impressive in the NBA by other people. These are the Top 5 Most Unbreakable Records in NBA History.

To do this, there are actually 25 records. There are 5 different categories: Game, Season, Career, Miscellaneous, and Team.

For Wilt, there are so many impressive and honestly unbreakable records, that we are going to only count Wilt's two most impressive records. Otherwise most of the records would be Wilt. Not counting Wilt's records, here you go:


Game 
Starting off at number 5 and counting down, here are the Top 5 Most Unbreakable Single Game Records:

5. The Ironman 
Record: 69 Minutes Played in One Game -- Dale Ellis (Seattle SuperSonics vs Milwaukee Bucks) (5OT)
The Bucks and the Sonics met early in the year for this matchup, that ultimately went 5 OT. The game was tied at 103 at regulation, 110 after OT, 120 after 2OT, 127 after 3, and then 138 after 4. Finally the Bucks took the edge at the end of 5, 155-154. Ellis finished with 53 points in a losing effort.

4. Melo

Record: 26 Consecutive Points -- Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets vs Minnesota Timberwolves)

The Nuggets were done 12 points at the half of this one, until Melo took over. He tied an NBA record by scoring 33 points in the 3rd quarter, but more impressive, 26 consecutive for the Mile-High team. 

3. One Word: Wilt
Record(s): 100 Points in the Game, 59 Point 2nd Half, 36 Field Goals Made One Half, 63 Field Goals Attempted One Game, 22 Field Goals Made One Half -- Wilt Chamberlain
March 2nd, 1962 almost deserves to be it's own category. Chamberlain just assaulted the record books on that night. He almost had 60 points in one half. ONE HALF! I'd be surprised if any of those are broken.

2. Bubba
Record: Quickest Disqualification (3 Minutes) -- Bubba Wells (Dallas Mavericks vs Chicago Bulls)
When most people think of the "Hack" technique, they think of Hack-a-Shaq. The Mavericks decided to do it on someone else-- Dennis Rodman. Bubba came in the game and fouled out in 3, yes 3, minutes.

1. The Ultimate Champion
Record: 32 Rebounds in One Half -- Bill Russell (Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia Warriors)
A good rebounding these days is 20-25. Russell had 32 in one half. One could argue that he wasn't playing against anyone who could take the rebounds but the opposing starting center that game? Wilt Chamberlain.

Season
Starting from 5, the countdown of the Top 5 Most Unbreakable Single Season Records:

5. Sheeeeeeeeeeed
Record: 41 Technical Fouls -- Rasheed Wallace (2000-2001)
Sheed had 41 Technical Fouls in 2000-2001. Although there are some players with some bad tempers (see: Amare Stoudemire), the current $1000 per-technical-foul fine should keep some tempers under control.

4. The Donut
Record: 41 Triple Doubles -- Oscar Robertson (1961-1962)
Everyone remembers this as the year that Wilt scored 100, or Oscar averaged a triple double. But out of 79 games played, Oscar had 41 triple doubles. Jason Kidd's season high: 13. 2nd place? Wilt Chamberlain, 31

3. Wait..what?
Record: 88 Games Played, One Season -- Walt Bellamy (1968-1969)
You read it right. The NBA had just gone to an 82 game schedule, and Walt Bellamy decided to take it further and have an 88 game year. He played 35 games with the Knicks and was traded to the Pistons where he played 53 more. Total: 88/82 games played.

2. The Stilt
Record: 50.4 Points per Game -- Wilt Chamberlain (1961-1962)
Wilt just dominated the record books this year (yes, this was the 100 point game year). He averaged 50 points a game. Number of 40 Point Games: 63. Number of 50 Point Games: 45. Never, ever, happens again.

1. The Most Safe Record Ever
Record: 48.5 Minutes per Game -- Wilt Chamberlain (1961-1962)
No surprise that it happened by Wilt in 1961-1962. But think about this. Each game was 4 quarters. Each quarter, 12 minutes. Total minutes? 48. But Wilt averaged MORE minutes per game than the actual number of minutes in a game. How? Five overtime games. One double OT, and one went to triple OT.

Career
Starting from 5, the countdown of the Top 5 Most Unbreakable Career Records:


5. You Mad Bro?
Record: 304 Career Technical Fouls -- Rasheed Wallace
Let's be honest. Rasheed had a bit of a temper. But 304 T's? That's ridiculous. Obviously, the 41 technicals in one season was ridiculous. No one really thinks of technicals as records, but Sheed has this one.

4. The Greatest Ever
Record: 10 Seasons Leading the League in PPG -- Michael Jordan
MJ was good. And while, it surprised me that Wilt didn't have more, MJ is the GE (Greatest Ever), and what is even more impressive is that he was doing this while he won. 23 > All.

3. Dana
Record: 89 Consecutive Games with at least 1 3-pointer made -- Dana Barros (1994-1996)
This is actually more impressive than people would assume. You would assume Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, Glen Rice, or Larry Bird. But it was Dana. Ray Allen's longest streak? 41. Good for Barros.

2. The Big O
Record: 181 Career Triple Doubles -- Oscar Robertson
The Donut was one of the beginning of really versatile athletes to play in the league. The only player to average a triple double.Second place is Magic Johnson with 131, but Oscar's got this one locked down.

1. Kareem Alcindor

Record: 57,446 Minutes Played -- Lew Alcindor/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 

Kareem started his career as Lew Alcindor and ended as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He had one name change, but one thing that never changed was his ability to play a majority of minutes for his team day in & day out.

Miscellaneous
The category made for the misfit records, here are the Top 5 Unbreakable Miscellaneous Records:

5. Manute
Record: 4.96 Blocks per Game as a Rookie -- Manute Bol
Well, let's be honest. Manute was brought in to be a big man. And he responded by being exactly that. He averaged almost 5 blocks per game. This record won't be touched.

4. The Rook
Record: Least amount of games before scoring 50 (7) -- Brandon Jennings (Milwaukee vs Golden State)
Jennings came in and, in only his seventh game, went out and dropped 50 on Golden State. Granted, the Warriors defense was the best in the league. But even Wilt couldn't do it faster.

3. Bol
Record: 15 Blocks in One Game as a Rookie -- Manute Bol
This was just one of the impressive outings that got Manute the Minute to the number 5 record for this category. This was only 2 short of an NBA single game record. And he was a rookie.

2. The Oldest Hick in the Book
Record: Oldest Player to Play in a Game (45 Years 363 Days) -- Nat Hickey
Nat Hickey barely deserves this record, however he officially owns it. He was the owner of a team and decided one day that he wanted to play. This record shouldn't be broken, even Robert Parish was younger.

1. High School
Record: Youngest Player to Play in a Game (18 Year 6 Days) -- Andrew Bynum
Bynum came straight out of high school, and only 6 days after becoming an adult was out there playing ball in the NBA. Not bad. This record is untouchable due to the current rule that all NBA players must attend college for one year.

Honorary Miscellaneous Mentions: 6 Consecutive Disqualifications (Don Boven), Triple Double at the Age of 40 (Karl Malone)

Team
Not all records are made by one player, and there's no 'I' in record. Here are the Top 5 Unbreakable Team Records:

5. Comeback Trail
Record: 29 Point 4th Quarter Comeback -- Milwaukee Bucks vs Atlanta Hawks (1977)
The Bucks didn't even need all of the fourth quarter to comeback. They were down 29 points with 8 minutes left in the game and finished the game on a 35-4 run to win 117-115.

4. Bulls - MJ = Embarrassing 
Record: 49 Points in One Game -- Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat (1999)
Michael Jordan retired for the second time on January 13, 1999. Dennis Rodman also left. So what's left? The lowest scoring output any NBA team in the shot-clock era. They could only put up 49 against the Heat three months after MJ retired.

3. The Runnin' Sun
Record: 107 Points in One Half -- Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets (1990)
The Suns had some scorers on their team back in the 1990 season and this was never evidenced more than when they scored 107 points in the first half ALONE against the Nuggets on November 6, 1990.

2. Equal and Opposite Reaction
Record: 370 Combined Points -- Detroit Pistons (186) vs Denver Nuggets (184) (1983)
The Pistons scored the most points by any team in NBA history and the Nuggets scored the 2nd most in this thriller that featured a 74-74 tie at halftime and 4 different 40 point scorers. This one isn't being topped.

1. Mile High Average
Record: 126.5 Points per Game for a Season -- Denver Nuggets (1981-1982)
Anybody playing against Denver that year knew they were in for a scoring battle. They didn't have a super structured offense, but they had some super conditioned players that just kept going. No team will average 126.5 points per game again. Ever.

Honorary Team Mentions: 36 Point Second Half Comeback (Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets, 1996)




So what's your take? Which of the number 1's is the least likely to be broken? Any records that don't deserve to be on here? Think any list should be in different order? Let us know in the comments and be sure to look back to see if your comment is posted by us on the Best Comments page.


-Gunner

The Top 25 Scorers in NBA History and Their Teams

While watching a recent Los Angeles Lakers game, I heard one of the announcers mention that 5 of the top 6 scorers of all time had at some point in time played for the Lakers (Kareem, Karl Malone, Chamberlain, Shaq, Kobe). It made me first think it was extremely impressive, then wonder..how many top 25 players had played for each team? Then I realized that, while putting on a jersey means that you play for the team, it doesn't mean that they really scored there. (i.e. Moses Malone in San Antonio), which meant there had to be a way to figure out how relevant a team was in a top 25 players career. Relevancy score is how relevant a team was to a players career, NOT how relevant a player was in his time with the team. Relevancy score is on a scale of 0-7. Once again, relevancy score has NOTHING to do with a player's ability to score during his time with the team. It is how much the time with each team contributed to the players total number of points. 


At the end of the long process, the total number of relevant score contributed by each franchise will be added up while will give Total Relevancy Score (TRS). Then since, the pool of players is top 25, divide the TRS by 2.5 for the Franchise Relevancy Score (FRS).




Atlanta Hawks- Moses Malone, Dominique Wilkins


The Hawks saw two players play for them that graced the top 25. Dominique made his career there, while Moses Malone maintained his dominance there. The Hawks have had their share of other great players (Bob Pettit), but he played in a time with less games in a season and lower scoring games. And so the Hawks are left with 2. 


1. Moses Malone
Somehow, even at his age and even after years in the league(s), Moses still managed to be a force in Atlanta. He teamed up with 'Nique and had an impressive All-Star campaign. He averaged 20 points 10 rebounds here and was second on the team in scoring. However, this was far from his only team and he didn't stay here long so-- Relevancy score: 2


2. Dominique Wilkins
Now, what 'Nique did in Atlanta is one of the most storied careers of the 80's. Led the league in scoring one year here. High-flying, rim-rattling, exciting to watch. His duels with Bird were amazing in game, and his duels with Jordan at the dunk contest were up there too. Led the Hawks really from a hole they had been in for a while and it's too bad that the guy never won a championship there. Wilkins absolutely deserves-- Relevancy score: 7



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Boston Celtics- Shaquille O'Neal, Dominique Wilkins, John Havlicek, Kevin Garnett, Robert Parish, Ray Allen


Boston is one of the most--if not THE most--storied franchises in all of the NBA. They have had an amazing share of NBA greats put on a green uniform and 6 braced the top 25. Others like Russell and Bird didn't make the top 25. For Bill Russell, this was due to not being a huge scorer, for Larry Bird it was because back injuries forced an early retirement. So while not all the Celtics greats are in the top 25, these are the 6 that are. 


1. Shaquille O'Neal
End of Shaq's career was spent here. Impressively, Shaq was still somewhat of a force when he was healthy--which wasn't very often--in Boston. Of all the teams Shaq played for, the Celtics were the least important towards his points. It was a good fit, a team with all veterans and a couple young pieces and it was obvious that Shaq had fun here. Relevancy score: 1


2. Dominique Wilkins
Only 1 Years spent with the Celtics. Not really a piece of anything important in Boston. No surprise here. Relevancy score: 1


3. John Havlicek
John Havlicek was one of the best winners ever. Most people don't think of Havlicek when you name the best scorers in NBA history but John could definitely score the ball. One of the more clutch players to take the court, he spent his whole career in Boston, and so like I said, full career gets--Relevancy score: 7


4. Kevin Garnett


For the rest of this post, go to the following link: 


http://www.tinyurl.com/Top25Cont


-Gunner

How many number one overall draft picks are NBA Champions?

The other day I saw a post somewhere that was showing how many of the first overall picks in NFL history had won a SuperBowl but I couldn't find the same kind of comparison for the NBA. So for my first sports related post, that's what I'll do.

Before I start, I want to say the players had to be drafted in the NBA so the BAA or the NBL or the ABA do not count.

The list of number 1 overall draft picks that have won NBA Championships are:

Player Name (Year Drafted/First Championship)

Charlie Share (1950/1958)
Bob Boozer (1959/1971)
Oscar Robertson (1960/1971)
Jim Barnes (1964/1969)
Cazzie Russell (1966/1970)
Elvin Hayes (1968/1978)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969/1971)
Bill Walton (1974/1977)
Mychal Thompson (1978/1987)
Magic Johnson (1979/1980)
Mark Aguirre (1981/1989)
James Worthy (1982/1985)
Hakeem Olajuwon (1984/1994)
David Robinson (1987/1999)
Shaquille O'Neal (1992/2000)
Glenn Robinson (1994/2005)
Tim Duncan (1997/1999)

Final Number: 17
Total Number of First Overall Draft Picks: 62

Now if we don't count those that have been drafted in the last 5 years then there's only 57. So final percentage of Number One Overall Draft Picks who have won a Championship is 29.82%.

Now of those, not all of them had a very real impact on their championship team. So to figure out how many actually had an effect on their team, we will look at how many of them were in the top five on their team in minutes played.

Player Name (Highest Minutes Ranking in a Championship/Year) Bold indicates top five.

Charlie Share (6/1958)

Bob Boozer (6/1971)

Oscar Robertson (2/1971)

Jim Barnes (9/1969)

Cazzie Russell (6/1970)

Elvin Hayes (1/1978)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1/1971)

Bill Walton (2/1977)

Mychal Thompson (6/1988)

Magic Johnson (1/1985)

Mark Aguirre (6/1990)

James Worthy (2/1985)

Hakeem Olajuwon (1/1994)

David Robinson (2/1999)

Shaquille O'Neal (1/2000)

Glenn Robinson (15/2005)

Tim Duncan (1/1999)

Final number of First Overall Draft Picks who were top five in minutes on a Championship Team: 9

So, of the 57 first overall draft picks (which excludes the most recent five), the final percentage of top five minute contributors is: 9/57= 15.79%

Is the Number 1 Overall Pick really that important in the step towards an NBA Championship? Only 15% of first overall draft picks are major contributors to a championship team. This means 85% of number one overall draft picks are majorly insignificant.