The notion of a LeBron James-Kobe Bryant NBA Finals gained serious momentum with the news on Kevin Garnett, who could miss the entire postseason with his injured right knee. That would seem to remove the Celtics from the Eastern Conference picture, already favoring the Cavaliers with their 39-2 home record. It now becomes a matter of pride, a Celtics tradition dating back to the 1950s, and it’s just one of the intriguing stories surrounding this year’s first round.
A closer look:
EAST
Cleveland-Detroit: In a manner reminiscent of Magic Johnson, and perhaps no one else in league history, James has lifted his teammates physically and spiritually, infusing camaraderie and downright hilarity to the scene. That’s not an easy trick when you’re flirting with New York as a down-the-road destination, but it reflects the power of LeBron, a 270-pound freight train with touch, finesse and a pleasantly whimsical nature.
The Pistons are somewhat revitalized, now that the whining Allen Iverson has been banished to oblivion. “I think our swagger will come back,” Rasheed Wallace said. Not when you wind up with the No. 8 seed. Cleveland’s Mo Williams will show Rodney Stuckey how to run an offense, and the Pistons will realize there’s only one LeBron.
CAVS in five.
Boston-Chicago: This will be Paul Pierce’s series. With Garnett out, and point guard Rajan Rondo being outplayed by rookie Derrick Rose, Pierce will own the big moments and get the defending champs through. The Bulls played an inspired final month under coach Vinny Del Negro, getting plenty of scoring from Ben Gordon and John Salmons, but even though Luol Deng (stress fracture) had a down year, he’ll be missed.
Wild-card element: Stephon Marbury. He’s been a model citizen so far, but that will change as soon as the Celtics are in a desperate situation and they turn to someone else (probably Eddie House) for bench scoring. For the moment: survival.
CELTICS in six.
Orlando-Philadelphia: Plenty of room for an upset here. The Magic will deal with nagging injuries to Hedo Turkoglu (sprained ankle) and Rashard Lewis (knee tendinitis), and there is some question whether Dwight Howard is more into the wonder of himself — a veritable Superman with a smile — than establishing the kind of post-up game that could bring the NBA to its knees.
The 76ers have plenty of size in Theo Ratliff and Samuel Dalembert. Andre Miller is a competent point guard and Andre Iguodala seems to love the big moments. If Elton Brand had shown up for real, maybe they pull it off.
MAGIC in seven.
Miami-Atlanta: This will be the swan song for Hawks coach Mike Woodson, too demanding of his players and too often feuding with Josh Smith. The series will also have people reconsidering their MVP vote after Dwyane Wade averages 42 points and personally gets the Heat through. It would be nice if he gets some help, perhaps from Jermaine O’Neal or flighty rookie Michael Beasley. No matter, Wade is just that good.
HEAT in seven.
WEST
Lakers-Utah: After closing out the season with a loss in L.A., Utah coach Jerry Sloan declared, “We’re just like a little dent in the road as far as they’re concerned. They’re very comfortable playing against us, and they should be. It looks bleak.” With some coaches, this could be a smokescreen. Not Sloan; he was serious — and correct. The Jazz totally lost their way in the final month — “we just don’t have an identity,” lamented Deron Williams — and L.A. can use this series to further incorporate Andrew Bynum.
LAKERS in four.
Portland-Houston: The most cherished first-round ticket. It will come down to a battle of wills: Ron Artest, desperately trying to be a leader, against Brandon Roy, for whom it comes naturally. The Rockets are delighted to be rid of Tracy McGrady, who lost everyone’s respect and finally shut himself down in February, but they’ll miss his scoring, with Artest hogging the ball at all the wrong times and clogging up the offense.
This is not a good matchup for the Blazers, who have lost 10 of their last 11 games in Houston. They had also hoped that Greg Oden would be healthy and influential by now, and that just hasn’t happened. Roy, the young guard whose presence reminds so many people of Walt Frazier, will be the difference.
BLAZERS in seven.
San Antonio-Dallas: That was a huge last-second shot the other night by Jason Terry, beating Minnesota and keeping Dallas out of the No. 8 slot (and quick elimination). After a somewhat desultory season, the Mavericks caught fire down the stretch and actually saw some beauty in the Jason Kidd trade.
Flip side: The seeding also means that the Spurs, should they get hot, won’t see the Lakers until the conference finals. It won’t be easy without Manu Ginobili, but Tim Duncan looks revitalized and Tony Parker will blow past Kidd.
SPURS in five.
Denver-New Orleans: Quite a reversal from last year, when the Nuggets went the knucklehead route and Chris Paul’s Hornets seemed capable of anything. It’s a new Denver team with point guard Chauncey Billups running the show (“They finally have a brain on those athletes,” cracked Phil Jackson) and the likes of Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin and shot-blocking Chris (Birdman) Andersen playing so well.
New Orleans, meanwhile, seems to be in free-fall. “I’m just throwing pieces in there to see what works,” admitted coach Byron Scott. He does have Tyson Chandler, back from a long injury absence, but this will be Denver’s first trip beyond the first round in six years.
NUGGETS in seven.
