There is a player revolt in Detroit, Minnesota has Eddy Curry, Darko Milicic and Sebastian Telfair on its roster and Baron Davis has been reunited with a coach he hates. I love the NBA trade deadline!
But with the trade deadline in the rearview mirror and the playoffs getting closer, now is the perfect time to put together the postseason matchups I’m most looking forward to.
Trail Blazers vs. Lakers (First round)
LaMarcus Aldridge, Marcus Camby, Gerald Wallace, Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews, Brandon Roy and Andre Miller. When healthy, just let the strength of that rotation sink in for a little bit.
Aldridge is playing at a top level right now, and the Blazers are working Roy back into playing shape. The key is what Wallace will add to the rotation, who Portland picked up in a trade with Charlotte as the Bobcats completed their impressive dismantling of last year’s playoff team in a matter of months.
A Portland-Los Angeles first-round matchup would remind me of last year’s Lakers-Thunder series. Oklahoma City was younger than Portland, but both teams began to peak at the right times and no one wanted to face them come April.
Now only if Portland had a center who spent more time on the court than he did taking pictures of himself …
Bulls vs. Knicks (First round)
No matter what anyone says, Isiah Thomas was involved in last week’s Carmelo Anthony trade. There are some things I can be talked out of, but this is not one of them, as the 13-player trade had his fingerprints all over it.
Meanwhile, Chicago is on the precipice of becoming one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, a position the Knicks are a couple of years away from.
But anytime New York is in the playoffs/relevant, it’s great for the league. And after a seven-year postseason drought, Madison Square Garden will be electric for a potential Bulls-Knicks playoff series. Just thinking of the matchups, storylines and crowd gets me excited.
By the way, LeBron James had to have been thinking, “Wait a minute, that could have been me!” as Anthony was serenaded with chants of “‘Melo!” in his home debut last Wednesday.
Spurs vs. Thunder (Second round)
Tim Duncan is 34, Manu Ginobili is 33 and Tony Parker will be a free agent at the end of the year, meaning this could be San Antonio’s last legitimate shot at a title in the Duncan Era.
Knowing this, Gregg Popovich has done a masterful job of limiting his star players’ minutes all season while gearing up for a playoff run.
After putting a scare into the Lakers last year, is Oklahoma City ready to make the jump? General Manager Sam Presti thinks so, as evidenced by his “we’re ready to win now” trade for Kendrick Perkins.
It’s the classic example of a veteran, experienced team trying to hold off the new kids on the block for one more season before their window of opportunity slams shut.
Celtics vs. Heat (Conference finals)
If you’re Danny Ainge, anytime you have the opportunity to trade your starting center and break up a starting five that has never lost a playoff series, you just have to do it!
Ainge’s move made Miami one of the winners at the trade deadline, despite the Heat not making a trade. Boston had the most complete team in the East and they had the one thing Miami lacked: size and toughness on the inside. With the Perkins trade, the playing field is infinitely more balanced.
With the entire LeBron backlash this summer, it’s easy to forget that he’s the best player in the game. And now with Perkins out of the picture, it will free up dribble penetration for James and his teammates and not force them to settle for jumpers.
Suddenly, the East just got a lot more interesting and this matchup has become a lot more even.
Also, if the Celtics don’t make the NBA Finals, I’d like to announce my candidacy for the Boston GM position.
Celtics vs. Lakers (NBA finals)
Despite blatantly helping Los Angeles with the trade of Perkins (and Nate Robinson), these are the winners of the past two NBA titles. We need Boston-Los Angeles III.
ttomea@theeagleonline.com
